Casualty of a Forgotten War
Mar. 21st, 2003 06:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rowynI didn’t mention this at the time, but the “scruffy Jesus-looking fellow” from my dream a few weeks ago is a real person. I had seen him that morning; he rides the same bus I do. Rode the same bus. I thought that was the first time I’d ever seen him, but now I remember that I’ve seen him once or twice on the bus home.
I hadn’t exchanged ten words with him. I don’t really like talking to strangers so I usually confine myself to polite greetings, unless they start talking to me first.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked to him a little more, mostly about the weather. You know. Small talk.
Yesterday he mentioned that Saturday would be his last day on the job. Today I commented, “That must be kinda nice.”
He said, “Not really.”
I know that he works outside, some kind of construction job, I imagine. I figured his contract was finished and he was going to be out of work for a while. I said, “Yeah. Kinda nice, kinda not.”
He took a puff on his cigarette, considering that, then shook his head. “No. Not where I’m going, it’s not nice.”
“Where are you going?”
“Penitentiary.”
I felt bad for him. A little flash of shock and surprise, yeah, even alarm. But not really. I figured if he’d been convicted of anything violent or dangerous he wouldn’t still be working now. I said, “Man, that’s too bad.”
“Yeah. But I did the crime.” He shrugged. “Now I gotta do the time.” I know it sounds trite, but he really said that. He didn’t sound upset, just a little sad and resigned.
“How long are you in for?”
“Three years.”
“Ouch.”
“You know what really gets me? This case has been out there for two years. They could’ve locked me up in the winter.” He gestured to the sunshine and budding leaves on the trees. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was a good point, but … you understand.
We stood in silence for a little while after that. Finally, I asked, “What did you do?”
He shrugged again, taking a pull on his cigarette. “Drugs.”
I’d guessed as much. Most people in jail today are locked up on drug charges. And it’s the sort of crime that the police aren’t going to worry over having convicts wander the streets before they’re imprisoned. It made me angry. “Stupid law,” I blew out. “It shouldn’t even be a crime.” I wanted him to know I was on his side.
“Yeah. I figure it’s my body. I ain’t hurting anyone.”
It made me so angry. What business is it of the police or the state or anyone else? By what right do they ruin a man’s life for nothing more than this, than poisoning his own body? No, it’s not a smart or a good thing for him to do. But what business does the government have telling him how to live his life? And even if they did, what the hell possible good could it do him to be locked up for it? For three years!
He said he wasn’t dealing. Really, I didn’t care if he had been. It’s none of the state’s business anyway.
I smoked marijuana once, about ten years ago. It was boring. I always thought that’s what Clinton should have said about it. “It was boring.” I’m pretty straight when it comes to that. But I have lots of friends who’ve done more. Lots of lives that could be ruined over this. Over nothing.
It makes me so angry.
I wished him luck. I meant it. I hope he’s OK. He’s got a week off before he goes in. I hope he enjoys it.
It makes me so angry.
I hadn’t exchanged ten words with him. I don’t really like talking to strangers so I usually confine myself to polite greetings, unless they start talking to me first.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked to him a little more, mostly about the weather. You know. Small talk.
Yesterday he mentioned that Saturday would be his last day on the job. Today I commented, “That must be kinda nice.”
He said, “Not really.”
I know that he works outside, some kind of construction job, I imagine. I figured his contract was finished and he was going to be out of work for a while. I said, “Yeah. Kinda nice, kinda not.”
He took a puff on his cigarette, considering that, then shook his head. “No. Not where I’m going, it’s not nice.”
“Where are you going?”
“Penitentiary.”
I felt bad for him. A little flash of shock and surprise, yeah, even alarm. But not really. I figured if he’d been convicted of anything violent or dangerous he wouldn’t still be working now. I said, “Man, that’s too bad.”
“Yeah. But I did the crime.” He shrugged. “Now I gotta do the time.” I know it sounds trite, but he really said that. He didn’t sound upset, just a little sad and resigned.
“How long are you in for?”
“Three years.”
“Ouch.”
“You know what really gets me? This case has been out there for two years. They could’ve locked me up in the winter.” He gestured to the sunshine and budding leaves on the trees. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was a good point, but … you understand.
We stood in silence for a little while after that. Finally, I asked, “What did you do?”
He shrugged again, taking a pull on his cigarette. “Drugs.”
I’d guessed as much. Most people in jail today are locked up on drug charges. And it’s the sort of crime that the police aren’t going to worry over having convicts wander the streets before they’re imprisoned. It made me angry. “Stupid law,” I blew out. “It shouldn’t even be a crime.” I wanted him to know I was on his side.
“Yeah. I figure it’s my body. I ain’t hurting anyone.”
It made me so angry. What business is it of the police or the state or anyone else? By what right do they ruin a man’s life for nothing more than this, than poisoning his own body? No, it’s not a smart or a good thing for him to do. But what business does the government have telling him how to live his life? And even if they did, what the hell possible good could it do him to be locked up for it? For three years!
He said he wasn’t dealing. Really, I didn’t care if he had been. It’s none of the state’s business anyway.
I smoked marijuana once, about ten years ago. It was boring. I always thought that’s what Clinton should have said about it. “It was boring.” I’m pretty straight when it comes to that. But I have lots of friends who’ve done more. Lots of lives that could be ruined over this. Over nothing.
It makes me so angry.
I wished him luck. I meant it. I hope he’s OK. He’s got a week off before he goes in. I hope he enjoys it.
It makes me so angry.
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no subject
Date: 2003-03-21 07:28 am (UTC)Victimless "crimes" aren't crimes.
no subject
Date: 2003-03-21 08:10 am (UTC)Agreed!
If we are to have seperation of church and state then we MUST have seperation between moral and social law! You cannot dictate morality in a situation where there is more than one religion PERIOD!
If you chose not to dicate religon you cannot dicate morality. Hell, if your saying its a free country you can't dicate morality there either. Not with out being a hypocrite.
Again, if you do not harm or bother or affect anyone else, do as yea will!
By thy side!
Re: Agreed!
Date: 2003-03-21 06:18 pm (UTC)Re: Agreed!
Date: 2003-03-22 01:01 pm (UTC)There might be more to his story. Perhaps he drives a bulldozer, and was high while on the job. Suddenly it's more than just him at risk.
If he was just minding his own business at home or something, and they arrested him, then yeah, I have a problem with that.
But if people working with him are trusting him to be alert and quick-thinking on the job site, and he isn't (for whatever reason, whether drugs, alcohol, NyQuil, whatever), that is a whole other matter.
I work at an industrial site, and even though I have an office job, I have to go out into the construction yard several times throughout the week. While I do watch out for myself, there are still forklift drivers, semi drivers, and other large vehicles moving about at a brisk pace all the time. I have to trust them to be paying attention and not run me over. (I'm not saying I meander about randomly, trusting them to stay out of my way.) If they don't have all of their faculties about them, that's an increased danger that I shouldn't have to deal with. (Personally, I'd rather not have to deal with it at all, but that's another topic entirely.)
Do I think it warrants three years imprisonment? No. In fact, that seems harsh, considering how little time others often serve for "worse crimes".
I don't agree with current drug policies out there. For example, I have a condition that I won't go into here, other than to say that because of it I'm prescribed something that, in a drug test, would label me as being "positive" for drug abuse, even though it's medicinal and required for me to functional normally. Now, I probably wouldn't be imprisoned for it, since I could provide the paperwork, but then suddenly someone knows more about my personal life than I'd wanted.
Anyway, sorry for veering so far off-topic. My point was, depending on the circumstances of his "arrest" (I'm assuming they had to arrest him at some point), it might have been more than just a "moral law" violation.
(By the way, it galls me to be siding with the legal system on this one, because I usually have a very low opinion of it in general.)
Re: Agreed!
Date: 2003-03-22 02:20 pm (UTC)Too, he could have been lying, though what reason he'd have to do so, I don't know. He volunteered that he was going to jail, after all; had he said nothing, we'd never have started the whole conversation.