So as the family continues packing up the house to move over to the ten acres (FYI, 30-day escrows are miserable), there has obviously been a lot of sorting and tossing going on. In every room that we've packed, there has been a Good Will pile, a trash pile, and a "keep" pile. There may even occasionally be a "give to the baby cousins" pile.
Among the rubble, we realized that we had two vacuums that didn't work. Today's assignment was for me to haul them over to the local Good Will drop-off site. I pulled around to the back, popped open the trunk, and greeted the gentleman who had pushed a cart up to the van to collect whatever goods I had to drop off. I asked him if he had a good Christmas, and he said he did--he said it was pretty low-key, but he was so happy that it had snowed on Christmas (a true rarity around these parts). I wholeheartedly agreed. The man was kind, but I quickly noticed how scarred and scabbed his face was, and how closely his skin hung to his bones. A meth addict. Or a recovering meth addict...I wasn't sure. I had never seen the results of such an awful addiction before, but we all hear about the scabs and the splotchy skin--tell-tale characteristics of someone deeply addicted to methamphetamine. Once realization hit me, my heart broke. I was immediately sobered as I walked back to the driver's side door, and as I slid into the seat, I nearly cried. A dear friend of mine had been a meth addict, but I had not met her until she had been clean for 3 years. How much it must affect you and the people around you...I saw it all in the man's face--not necessarily in his scars, but in his demeanor; you could almost see the pain and shame behind his eyes. In the thirty seconds of contact I had with this man, I finally understood the horrors of the drug. Driving away, however, I felt gratitude to the organization Good Will for hiring someone like him so he can hopefully get his life back on track; and as I turned onto the main road, I whispered a prayer.
-Cydney
Posted by Cydney at December 28, 2007 01:13 PM | Email ThisAmerica needs to take a good lok at what we created.The meth head syndrome was created by the war on drugs.Meth has been around for years(nazi mix)but it was never an epidemic until we cracked down on cocaine.without cocaine to use recreational users turned to a bath tub gin to replace it. the first effect was when cocaine was made with an ether base,and the drug war made those ingredients harder to find so it switched to a diesil base.Right away the effect of the drug went from a kick back numbing,drip down the throat high, to a peek out the window hyper high.The next round of drug war "moral positives" ,increased the prices which led to the crack cocaine epidemic.What people don't know about crack is that it burns out all the additives and leaves you with pure cocaine.
In my day I was able to sniff ether based cocaine until I was able to determine on my own that cocaine use was not for me. fortunatly I was able to quit without ruining myself. Today people don't have that luxury.these bath tub gins are not allowing people to fall into the trap of using recreational drugs,and let them get out before their lives are ruined.The drug war zealots need to pat themselves on the back for creating this situation I call sqeezing the blob. People meant well searching for "moral positives"but the end result was like squeezing a balloon.when you squeeze a balloon or a blob it just forces it to another area.Squeezing the blob created a snowball effect on criminal justice.It wade criminal justice a run away snowball.King Counties budget went from 60 percent to 74 percent for criminal justice..
Squeezing the blob also had a devestating effect on small business overhead,and illegal immigration. Once the bath tub gins were infesting the work force the work force could not sleep,and was eventually arrested for going off the deep end and put into the criminal justice system,which set the stage for illegal immigration.
Our work force was able to smoke pot, drink beer and, whiff ether based cocaine,go to bed at night and make it to work the next day.
We had our les desirables towing the cart albeit not of high moral standards but they were towing the cart. Now they are on the cart.The "Moral Positive" is again a false positive.It came with a price that I am unwilling to pay.
I would rather be running a small business with a realistic chance at profitability with reasonable overhead,employing the les desirables of our country rather than resorting to employing illegals in a non profit hamster wheel formula that has little or no chance.
The Moral positives are an example of the Blind faith that led us into a search for purity,and eroded to a game of squeezing the blob.
Take a look at Kirsten Allie or Kelsey Grammer "Frazier" heck even Paul McCartney,Or the Texas congressman Charlie Wilson THEY WHIFFED Cocaine and recovered. Your friend resorted to bath tub gin and paid the price.
Your friend is a casualty of America's "moral positive" quest and a visual aide of the results from squeezing the blob.