Still
standing when the dust finally clears
Dear
Dr. Jones
by
GZO Jones
Each month GZO Jones adds to his own pungent
aura by answering as many questions from our readers as he sees
fit. He swears he lives in Brazil, was part of the Beat movement
of the 1950s and 60s and recently recovered from a lengthy
coma. Want more? Check out the GZO
Jones Town Web site weve been there and all
we have to say is ... he hits his deadline, so who are we to
argue?
Dear Dr. Jones,
Now that Jesse Ventura says he isn't going to
run for re-election, what are we supposed to do? Are there any
real counterculture heroes left?
Signed,
Puzzled in Portland
Dear Puzzled,
I sense that you use the word "real"
to imply Ventura is a fake. Not so, friends, though I must digress.
Perhaps you're also suggesting that your ever-lovable doctor
is himself a fake? Let me assure you: most definitely not.
They said George Washington was replaced by
an impostor and they were wrong. They said Leon Redbone and
Frank Zappa were the same guy, but who kept touring after cancer
got Zappa?
I think you see my point. Just because I reach
out and touch you from the whimsical land of Brazil doesn't
mean that I'm not real. While there won't be a Jesse Ventura
to titillate us from the Minnesota governor's mansion anymore,
he'll be somewhere doing something. And when the dust finally
clears you can bet the manse that this doctor will still be
among the standing.
Jones
Dear Dr. Jones,
In the '60s, it seemed like pot would become legal
sooner rather than later. Now I'm not sure. I don't even
smoke the stuff, but sometimes it seems I'm in the minority.
And it just seems that prohibition never works, while legalization
would solve lots of problems, from overcrowded prisons to tax
deficits. What's your take?
Signed,
Going to Pot
Dear Going,
My take? Twenty percent whenever the cartels
use my back 40 as a staging area.
Seriously, I remember a time when a vibrant
young president from Yorba Linda tried for universal legalization
in Estados Unidos. I was right behind Tricky Dick on that one,
and I've been disappointed with the U.S. of A. ever since the
push stopped.
Nowadays, you don't have to wear a Peter Tosh
T-shirt to be interested in ending the war on drugs. It seems
obvious to me (and look at the historical precedent) that axing
prohibition would be in everyone's best interest. So if you
get a bee in your bonnet to be an activist on the issue, go
ahead you have my blessings. Just don't end up like the
37th prez and spit the bit when push comes to shove, as it certainly
will.
Jones