Don’t The Police Have Better Things To DO

The AP reports

“SIERRA BLANCA, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol spokesman says country singer Willie Nelson was charged with marijuana possession after 6 ounces was found aboard his tour bus in Texas.

Patrol spokesman Bill Brooks says the bus pulled into the Sierra Blanca, Texas, checkpoint about 9 a.m. Friday. Brooks says an officer smelled pot when a door was opened and a search turned up marijuana.

Brooks says the Hudspeth County sheriff was contacted and Nelson was among three people arrested.

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Sheriff Arvin West didn’t immediately return a phone message left at his home Friday, but he told the El Paso Times that Nelson claimed the marijuana was his. The singer was held briefly a $2,500 bond before being released.

Nelson spokeswoman Elaine Schock declined to comment when contacted via e-mail by The Associated Pres”

Don’t the police have better things to do?  I mean really.   With county fiscal resources being restrained as they are, police should not even waste their with busting Willie Nelson for having some weed. 

Go bust some real crooks than bust Willie Nelson.  I bet there is sheriff knew it would get him some press and so he decide to pull over poor Willie Nelson.  And just for the pitful crime of having some weed.

I am sorry.  This does not make some all star cop for busting Willie Nelson.  In my eyes, it gives you badge of shame.  It is simple.  The drug war is unwinnable and the Sheriff should know that.  People ain’t give up smoking and trying to take away ain’t going to work.  Mr. Nelson was not going out to rob the corner liquor store or decide to ambush a 14-year old girl and rape her. 

Mr. Nelson is gentle, old kindred soul that likes his weed and he should not be cited for it.  It is just a waste of time.

But the cops don’t get this message.  And precious police resources that could have been use for crime prevention go wasted on friviolus issues.  And taxpayer’s money were wasted.

People Can Recover From Autism

WCRB reports

“CHATTANOOGA (WRCB)– A new study claims children can recover from autism.

A study out of the Center for Autism put autistic kids through intense language and social behavior therapy, saying after three years some outright beat the disorder, but one local parent isn’t buying it.

“I think that they’re probably using the wrong words, I think that you can change the behavior but I don’t know that they can actually cure autism,” says Penny Seneca, parent of autistic child.

Her daughter Ana has Asperger’s Syndrome, a high functioning version of Autism Spectrum Disorder that comes with social and language development problems. Ana is 13 now and her therapy is making a big difference.

“Through practice and role playing activities that we begin to see Ana blossom and again it didn’t happen overnight…it’s never instant gratification,” says Senior Coordinator of Autism Support Alliance Shantele Guidry.

And Ana is optimistic about a recovery, at least someday.

“If they could that’d be great, but it would be difficult,” says Ana Seneca.

“You’re probably born with and you’re probably going to have it for the rest for your life. Does that mean it’s a death sentence? No, but at the same time we can deal with it,” says Guidry.

They study focused on 14 young children. Most showed improvements with language and functioning testing but Shantele doesn’t want parents to get their hopes up.

“It’s not like a medical illness you just recover from, it’s that, again, you can improve social skills, language skills, they can improve. As for going away, because when I think of recover I’m thinking of something that I’m regaining, something that’s lost and that’s not necessarily the case with autism,” says Guidry”

Unlike the kids in the article, I never had the ability to go through the early intervention activities that occurred with the kids. Early intervention is critical for people that have autism because they learn the proper behavior before they develop bad habits later in life.

When you catch an autism diagnosis at the age of 28, it takes years to unlearn bad habits. If I had undergone early intervention, some of my bad habits might not have developed. My parents did not know really how to deal with the autism.

The one thing is that the my autism was never severe enough to prevent me from having a normal middle-class job or graduating from college with a bachelors degree. It does not prevent me from going out and meeting new people. It does not prevent me from not driving, traveling alone, or even living alone for a short period of time.

The main barrier that it does present how to make close friends, have successful relationships with the opposite sex, organize my belongings, or finding new hobbies with my spare time. However, I have to remind myself that the challenges that I face are challenges that “normal” people face. There is plenty of people with autism that cannot make close friends or have successful relationships with the opposite sex. For some “normal” people, all of the person does is play video games and has limited range of hobbies.

Just becuase I have autism does not make me terminally unique. I am like other people, but there is special challenges when it comes to breaking bad habits and obessive-compulsive behavior. However, these habits can be broken. It just take the willingness to take action and only focus doing theright action for today, the bad habit can broken. And that is a good thing

The Pain of Being Alone.

Thoughts on Feeling lonely

Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana Nets 15 to Life

I have read many cases where people get 15 to life sentences in California for causing gross vehicle manslaughter with one prior conviction that drank alcohol. This is the first time that I saw somebody get an intoxication manslaughter for driving being stoned. Here is article from the OC Register

“SANTA ANA – A Placentia man was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Friday for killing one woman and injuring three others when he caused a five-car pile-up on the 91 freeway in 2007 by driving under the influence of marijuana and prescription medicine.
Isaac Robert Longo, 33, pleaded guilty in July to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with prior convictions for driving under the influence in 1998 and 2000, plus sentencing enhancements for causing great bodily injury and causing bodily injury to multiple victims.
Longo caused the Nov. 7, 2007, crash when he drove onto the 55 from the Chapman Avenue on-ramp at speeds in excess of 80 mph in his Ford truck, and then continued speeding onto the eastbound 91, according to Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez.
He lost control of his truck while speeding on the shoulder near the Lakeview Avenue exit, fishtailed and crashed into a Honda sedan that was stopped in traffic, Baez said. The force of the crash started a chain-reaction pile-up that impacted three other vehicles.
Cecilia Lopez, 82, a passenger in the Honda, died at the scene due to blunt-force trauma. Her daughter, Katherine Griff, 63, and three other women in two other cars were also injured.
Tests revealed that Longo had been driving under the influence of marijuana and the prescription drugs Clonazepam and Gabapentin, both anti-seizure medications, prosecutors said”

The article failed to mention that whether Mr. Longo used the drugs recreationally or took the drugs for seizures. My conjecture is that he took the drugs for legitimate purpose because he had seizures, but he also decided tsmoke some marijuana. The combination of the marijuana and two other drugs resulted in a state that resembles alcoholic intoxication.

The moral of the story is not to mix marijuana with prescription drugs because it could result in the death of somebode else. It could also run a long jail sentence.

Two Years Without Drink

Here is Youtube Video of Me Talking About Two Years Without A Drink

Walked Through The Fear

I walked through fear today. I had some direction from my sponsor to call a random alcoholic. I have been so fearful about calling a random alcoholic off the list for the last two years.

I took an old phone list from a meeting and made a random number list of all guys on the list. I let a random number generator to select a number and the number was 14. The name was Mike F. and I was going to give Mike F. to give call. Mike F. picked the phone and we had a pleasant short conversation.

I am grateful that I followed direction. Following direction and walking through the fear makes me really happy. And that makes my day.

Good News for Moving Out

The OC Metro reports that Orange County  apartment rents will decrease by 2.5%.  This is really good news for me because eventually I will be able to get my own apartment in a year.  Right now, it will be very expense to live in my apartments because I have to pay $600 a month for my psychologist and my independent living coaches.   Therefore, it will be too expense to continue to save 20% of  my salary for retirement and have a one-bed room apartment and I will have to get a roommate via Craigslist or roommates.com

Eventually, I will only need the independent living coaches for only five hours a month and it will only cost me $160 for the coaches.    There will be time when I no longer need the coaches and will be able to afford my own apartment.   Moving out is something that will occur sometime within the next five to seven months from now as long everything stays on track.

Just For Today

Thoughts to get us through today

Sarah Palin Running for President in 2012