Home of the Brave

by Devon Gilbert, SUNY Cortland, December 3, 2004

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Nick nestled into the couch between Karen and Diane.  He cracked his beer and took a satisfying gulp.  It had been a long time since Nick had been able to take a safe gulp of beer.  Too long.

“Man this party sure died out fast,” Nick said to whoever was listening.

Karen leaned into the corner of the couch and stretched her legs across Nick’s lap. 

“I think the cops are succeeding in their mission to rid this planet of any fun,” said Karen as she stuck a cigarette in her mouth.  She made the lighter signal with her left hand and Nick quickly produced a lighter from his pocket.

“That’s bullshit.  Cops can’t make people stop partying.  The need to let loose and party is in the blood of all teenagers in every era and every country.  No higher authority can change that because it is not a matter to be changed.  It’s an instinct.  It’s not a choice for a lot of people to go out and party, it’s a need.  Think about it.  Don’t you feel weird if you spend a Saturday night with no one?  And when with a lot of people doesn’t it feel better to have at least some common ground with everyone there, like say, the altered state of mind alcohol produces?” Nick stated.

Karen blew out a large cloud of smoke and shook her head at Nick.

“I see the alcohol’s getting to you,” she said.

“A little, but so what?  Is that all you have to say on the subject?” asked Nick

“What that cops can’t stop people from partying?  I would guess not, but they are one hell of a reason to reconsider.  I mean look at what happened to Tony, and Jeff, and Lauren.  The list could go on forever Nick.”

Nick paused for a minute and looked over at Diane.  She had her eyes closed and was slumped against the right corner of the couch.  He turned back toward Karen with a serious look in his eyes.  It wasn’t until now that Nick had discovered how much passion he had for his stance on current drug policy.

“The cops may be able to scare away certain crowds of people and some popular individuals but they won’t be able to eliminate the drive for a young person to act out.  Therefore I think it’s fucked up that the cops are being fully funded to punish us for acting the way we are naturally supposed to act,” said Nick.

“So what if it’s fucked up Nick.  That’s life,” said Karen. 

“Yeah, I guess so,” mumbled Nick. 

Nick continued to drink his beer as he wondered why Karen was beginning to sound agitated.  Although the subject wasn’t exactly a mood enhancer, it was important for them discuss matters that were going to affect them.  Nick’s thoughts were interrupted by Brad and Shane busting through the front door.  Nick was surprised Andy wasn’t with them; after all it was his house that Nick was currently partying at. 

“Guess what we’re doing tonight,” said Brad as he took a seat on the couch adjacent to Nick. 

“What?” asked Karen and Nick simultaneously.

Shane sat down next to Brad and smiled.  He then pulled a bag of cocaine out of his pocket and plopped it on the coffee table that was in front of him.

“Need I say more?”

Lori cracked her knuckles and moved the microphone more toward her mouth.  She looked across the table at her opponent who was organizing some note cards.  Lori’s producers hated when she referred to guest speakers as opponents.  However it was fine as long as Lori never said it on the air.  Lori had been host of “Current Rochester” for three years.  It wasn’t much to brag about, just a small talk show on radio station 90.5.  She had acquired a little local fame for being very opinionated on controversial topics and for sometimes roasting “guest” speakers.

Lori knew the key to her success was rhetoric.  She had studied rhetoric for years in college.  She was now using it to make small points in her hometown radio station.  Later she hoped to use the skill to tackle large issues in government office.  The producers had very clearly stated that Lori was to pry and dig at her speaker, but always with respect.  To this Lori had made no reply.

Luckily with radio Lori didn’t have to worry about her appearance.  Not that she was ugly, but as long as people could only hear her voice they would most likely visualize a beautiful, sophisticated speaker.  It was also important to talk fluently without stumbling over any words or statements.  It was better to pause for a moment and then speak clearly.  Never changing a stance was also crucial, but for Lori, that was easy.  If Lori spoke her opinion with confidence and ease, the audience would take it as fact.  Since 90.5 was too small a station to put up money for audience research, Lori could never be quite sure who her audience was.  Although that was a crucial part to good rhetoric, Lori always spoke as if only people that agreed with her were listening.  She figured that if she did, sooner or later that would become the case.

“Thirty seconds until show time,” said Patricia Wagner, a producer, from her booth.

Lori cleared her throat and took a sip of water.  It was only she and the guest speaker in the room now, both facing each other from opposite ends of a wooden table in the center of the room.  There was a big light on the ceiling that lit the room and a sign that said LIVE, but besides that, the room was pretty barren.  Lori and her opponent each had a microphone and a cup of water, but that was it--with the exception of each other’s company for the following hour. 

After thirty seconds, Patricia hit a button from her separate booth and the LIVE sign lit up.  From a speaker near the LIVE sign, Lori could hear Patricia’s introduction, “Hello fellow Rochestarians.  It is 8:00 on September 19, 2060, which means it’s time for Current America featuring Lori Campbell.  Today’s guest is Drug Research Co. representative Todd Millburn.  This episode of Current America will deal with the DRC’s purpose in Rochester.  Why are they here and how will Rochester citizens benefit from their arrival.  That being said I will turn the air waves over to Lori Campbell.”

“Thank you, I would like to start by welcoming our guest…."

“How much longer?” asked Max.

“About ten minutes,” replied Jamen after glancing at her watch.

They were both sitting on their only couch, which incidentally, folded out to be their only bed.  That pretty much summed up their apartment, barren except the necessities.  Max was sitting still with his eyes intently staring at his MP5 submachine gun.  Jamen was nervously fidgeting with her dual 92FS automatic pistols.  As the silence stretched on, Max began to sense Jamen’s nervousness.“What’s wrong?” Max asked without shifting his gaze.

Jamen stopped fidgeting with her guns and looked at him.

“I don’t think we should do this,” she said.

“We don’t have a choice.”

“That’s bullshit, Max, of course we have a choice.  We’re not known fugitives at this point.  We can still leave and go somewhere.  We have enough money to live in Canada somewhere.  We’ll be poor, but when has that ever mattered.”

“You’re missing the point Jamen.”

“What point? We can’t win.  Alicia tried her way and failed.  We’ve tried our way and are bound to fail.  It comes down to numbers Max.  You know this.”

Max set his gun down beside him and looked over at Jamen.

“Are you really suggesting that we give up?”

Jamen stood up and looked out the window.  It was getting darker.

“We changed the city Max.  I remember way back when we were learning how to fight, or even when we were learning how to read, I used to practice with the belief that one day I would have the power to change my surroundings.  At the time it was just a dream, something that made me pretend the world was fair.  But we did it.  One by one we took the scum of this city down, and…”

Jamen stopped talking and bit her lower lip.  Max could already see where she was going by the look on her face.  She walked back over to the couch and sat as close to Max as she could.  She grabbed his hand and looked directly into Max’s eyes.

“They killed Alicia for it.  For some reason the government didn’t like what we were doing to fix the city.  They wanted us to rot.  That’s why we can never make a difference.  Even if we take out every rapist, corrupt judge, gang leader, or cop we can’t win because the government will take us out.  They’ll somehow convince everyone in this country that they’re cause is fuckin’ holy and then everyone will want us dead,” she finished.

“Since when are you afraid of odds?” asked Max.

“Since never, but I don’t prefer risking them if there’s no need to.”

Max let go of Jamen’s hand and straightened up.

“How can you say there’s no need to?  The drug war is the government’s primary means of securing a lower class.  Alicia tried explaining it to me once but I didn’t quite follow, I might have been tripping.  Anyway, what I do know is that it is a fact the government will not be able to win the war on drugs and the government knows it.  They wouldn’t, economically speaking, pump close to two billion dollars a year on a cause they thought was impossible unless there was some other benefit.  And no matter what that benefit is, it certainly isn’t a benefit to us or anyone else we’ve met in the two decades we’ve been alive,” said Max.

“How is us destroying the Drug Research Co. building going to hinder the drug war?” asked Jamen.

Wow, you’re starting right in today,” said Todd

Lori flashed him a fake smile.

“I’m sorry, we have limited time and I’m sure the listeners out there would like to hear as much information as they can,” Lori lied.

“Very well, I totally agree.  Let’s see, I’d hate to say we’re doing an experiment on Rochester.  That reminds me too much of dissecting pigs in biology class.  DRC is actually offering Rochester the opportunity to be the first drug free city in America.”

“Drug-free city?  Is that possible?”

Todd let out a light chuckle, making sure it was into the microphone, before he replied.

“Well I would hope it’s possible, or else why are we fighting the drug war in the first place.  Let me clarify for the record that I’m not saying every last tiny amount of drug use will disappear.  We can how ever shrink the use of drugs down to such a low that the good citizens won’t even be able to sense that drugs exist,” said Todd.

“And how are you planning to accomplish that goal?”

“Well first off, I feel it is important that you realize exactly what the Drug Research Co. is.  The building we occupy is the communication headquarters for drug usage in the greater Rochester area.  It is the first to be built, which I guess is where the experiment rumors come from, but more will be built depending on our success here.  At the DRC we monitor, via satellite, all movement through drug heavy locations.  By the way, the locations we target at first are indicated from the police.  Then we move onto more and more targets until finally we have covered the entire city.  Also, we will track all persons that go to these areas to supply drugs for another suburban town or city.”

“That’s quite an ambitious plan you got there.  However, hasn’t that basically always been the plan?  And given the success of it, which isn’t high, what makes you think you can succeed now?”

“Well I’m glad you ask.  Although the drug war plan has always been about stopping the individuals behind drug trafficking, it has not been possible due to lack of communication.  The amount of drug use is so wide spread and unpredictable that chances of stopping it have been minor.  If we had police from all over the area communicating, through the staff at DRC, than we could more easily trace drug patterns throughout a larger area.  We would also be concentrating on the two main areas of drug use, supply and demand.  If police crack down severely on the demand in areas surrounding the city of Rochester and we do our job in the city than our mission will be accomplished.”

“That brings me to my next question Mr. Millburn.  Is it true that DRC is planning on increasing the police force and requesting higher powered weaponry?”

Todd was beginning to get a little uncomfortable and Lori could sense it.  She hadn’t gotten under his skin yet, but hopefully she could in the time remaining.

“I, and the corporation I am representing, feel that part of the reason the drug war is failing is because there is simply not enough authorities to properly police the nation.  If we have DEA, SWAT, and FBI members all stationed at the DRC for a while we could gang up on the enemies here.  Since the enemies in Rochester, like many other cities in the US, are heavily armed I feel that the authorities here need better arms.”

Lori cracked her knuckles.

“I have a couple of problems with that plan, Mr. Millburn, as I’m sure do the listeners who this plan so recklessly involves.  The first of which being who exactly is the enemy?”

“It’s everywhere and everyone, bitch,” said Officer Bennett as he turned down his car radio. 

He was sitting in the passenger seat of his police cruiser, angrily thinking about the tone in Lori’s voice.  Normally he would have let out a slew full of profanities and hit the steering wheel.  However, today wasn’t a normal day and Officer Bennett was in charge of finishing rookie O’Neal’s training.  O’Neal had been a suburban cop for years but was new to the city.  Bennett viewed that as a weakness but gave him the benefit of the doubt nonetheless.  After all, O’Neal did seem dedicated to the cause.

“What do you mean by that?” asked O’Neal.

“I mean the enemy is everywhere.  All these young kids today, more than half of them are breaking the law.  I don’t think people realize that we, being police officers of course, are elected to do all of society’s dirty work.  Of course we need a larger force to tackle the problem.  We need to start piling up the bodies of the scum that traffic and use drugs.  And we need to do it quick because time is money.  Our government blows billions on catching tiny bits and pieces of the problem.  We need to stop creeping around the bush and launch war in the streets,” Bennett said.

O’Neal smiled a little, as if what Bennett had said was a joke.

“I agree it’s time to get more forceful, but you make it sound like we’re going to massacre people,” replied O’Neal.

“Aren’t we?  A culture at least.  To destroy drugs we need to create fear in people and destroy all those who give courage back to people.  Take for instance the group SAFE.”

“What’s that?” asked O’Neal.

“A group, whoops, I mean organization,” Bennett added sarcastically “that is dedicated to drug promotion. They believe that if they use peaceful means to draw attention to their cause than they might be able to vote against the drug war.”

“Idiots,” said O’Neal.

“Not quite.  As of right now, no members of the group have been identified.  However, they have been quite successful at communicating to people.  They must have good rhetoric, because, for a group of unknowns, they certainly have a way of convincing people.  You know the school strikes in Penfield, Canandaigua, and Marion?  It has been speculated that SAFE organized them.  I’ve also heard that soon they are going to try and start a riot against DRC.”

That got O’Neal’s attention.  After all, he had only joined the Rochester police force because the DRC recommended it. 

“How did you hear about this?”

“Well let’s just say my son’s a popular one and he knows what’s up.  Not that he ever talks to me, but I have a way of accidentally listening in on his conversations.  I know my son gets e-mails from SAFE.  Don’t ask me how.  SAFE’s main goal is to have drug users from across the nation come out of the closet on one day.  Can you imagine?  Walking outside and as far as the eye can see there are potheads puffing reefer.  We’re not just talking teenagers, whose rights are easy to abuse, but business owners, teachers, construction workers, anyone.  And that’s just pot.  Take into account alcohol and hardcore drugs and the drug war will be shut down overnight,” said Bennett.

“How do you figure?” asked O’Neal.

“The fundamental flaw of the drug war will be exposed.  Think about it.  Everyone the drug war is supposedly supposed to target will be openly exposed for the taking.  Yet, there is no way the government could stop them for several reasons.  The first reason being there would probably be a long bloody battle that would end with the army being called in.  That would only help strengthen SAFE’s appeal to the people because they will now be able to talk about how the violent government abused a peaceful crowd of drug users.  Another problem is there aren’t enough jails or prisons in the entire nation to house just the meager drug users of Rochester.  Another problem is that drug users will finally be exposed as people.  Once the American public sees that not all drug users are gun toting, wife beating, retarded, crazy animals than they will see that they have agreed to war on innocents.  For our government has done a pretty good job in lying to the public.  They even have many convinced that marijuana is actually dangerous.  If that lie is exposed, and people see that drugs are just a choice that many perfectly moral people choose to do, than the government will be exposed as a liar.  Once that authority is lost, so is their argument, and so is the drug war,” finished Bennett.

It took O’Neal a moment to absorb everything that had just been said. 

“You think public opinion matters that much?” asked O’Neal.

“Hell, yes, it matters, more than truth--that’s for certain.  As long as the majority of Americans believe what they are being told than they will obey willingly.  If SAFE can convince that majority that their cause is right and prove it, we could have a major problem.”

“How could SAFE convince people to not believe in their government?” asked O’Neal.

“If they were able to hit closer to home.  The government gets people to support the drug war by convincing them that drugs are a threat.  We know that the government is no doubt slanting the truth to make that threat.  If SAFE can show that the real threat is the government’s war against drugs, which wouldn’t be hard to prove considering there are many victims, than the majority might rise against the lie,” concluded Bennett.

“So you think the drug war is a lie?” asked O’Neal.

Officer Bennett looked out his window.  He looked at all the citizens carrying about their life without a care in the world.  Just walking up and down the street caught up in their lives.

“Yes and no,” he replied.

Andy sniffed a line and bounced up with a burst of energy.  A few moments ago he had been angry that there was a party going on at his house without him even being there.  Now he didn’t mind at all, it wasn’t like his friends had never broken into his house before.  As long as nothing was broken or stolen, Andy had no problem.  It wasn’t really a party anyway, just three guys and two chicks, one of whom was sleeping.

Since Andy had gotten to his house after people had already been partying there, the only people left were dulled out.  Andy liked stimulating his brain when he was doped up, no matter what drug it was.  The world seemed more fascinating on drugs.  Take work, for example.  Normally four years of cashiering day after day at the same store would be excruciatingly mind numbing.  However, after a joint of reefer the job was at least a little more interesting for Andy.  When high, Andy could do his job subconsciously and still analyze customers and their habits.  Anyhow, to avoid boredom Andy decided to turn his radio from the same depressing pop music to 90.5.  That station played underground music and had talk shows that actually talked about interesting subjects.  As he turned the volume up, a female announcer’s voice began to take shape.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe attacking this nation’s children with high tech weaponry is going to solve any of our nation’s problems.”

“In urban areas it is very necessary to attack with the very best of weapons.  Police officers are an authority.  They should have the more fearsome weapon.  If they do not, there is nothing for drug lords to fear,” said another man speaking. 

“Don’t you think a war that spreads hate is the wrong message for America to send?  We spend so much time preaching to children in school that intolerance is wrong yet at the same time current drug policy promotes one of the most intolerant wars ever launched.  For instance, how is being a pothead more dangerous than being gay?” asked the female voice.

Andy sat down on a chair that was sitting next to him.  He looked around to see if anyone else was paying attention.  Nick and Karen were making out quietly, but the other two appeared to be listening.

“A person’s sexuality is something a person is born with.  A homosexual can’t change his/her lifestyle because his/her brain is set from birth on the same sex.  Since it was not a choice for the individual, that individual shouldn’t be persecuted,” the male responded.

“On that note I could argue that drugs are not a choice for everyone.  Are you telling me that a youth growing up in the poverty of the inner city really has a choice in his lifestyle?  A kid growing up in certain areas will see and meet more people that do drugs than don’t.  There’s at least a fifty/fifty chance his parents are going to be drug users, especially when it comes to marijuana.  And what about his role models, these hard core rappers that talk about doing drugs all day long,” she said.

“Please don’t get me started on rap music,” the man nervously replied.

“Is that all you picked up on?  Are you having trouble trying to answer some serious questions, because…”

“No, I am trying to answer your questions, Mrs. Campbell but they are difficult questions to answer...”

Andy heard a noise outside and quickly jumped up.  He turned the radio down and peered out his blinds.  Andy thought he would surely see a cop but to his pleasant surprise there was nothing outside but a lightly falling rain. 

“Man the cops always have me paranoid.  For nothing.  We’re not hurting anybody right now,” said Andy.

Shane laughed and turned to Brad.

“That bitch on the radio’s got Andy all worked up now,” he said.

“Fuck you, man.  Maybe I should get worked up.  Maybe we should all get worked up.  This is our country, too, you know.  I mean, I don’t get it.  The government fucks up years before we’re born by getting stuck in a lie they are too embarrassed to correct and we’re supposed to pay the consequences,” said Andy.

“What lie?” asked Shane.

“What lie?  You’re better off asking how many lies, but I can name a few right off the bat.  One, that the drug war is actually possible to win.  Demand needs to be stopped in order for supply to be stopped, and demand for drugs comes from a human need.  And if a person believes he really needs something there is no stopping that person from obtaining his desire.  Whether it’s the desire for adventure, escape, fun, or euphoria, drugs will always have something to offer people.  Which is where the government has gone wrong in their advertising against drugs.  They expect people to believe, and sadly some do, that drugs are just evil and have nothing to offer.  A lie.  Of course drugs have something to offer, they can be everything to anyone.  Instead of admitting that truth and then stating the consequences of drugs, they choose to lie and say there are only negatives.  By lying like that they lose the trust of their target audience, drug users.  Because a drug user will only laugh at an advertisement, warning, or arguments that refers to a drug like marijuana as being dangerous, evil, and increasing chances of death.”

“Whoa dude, is that still the first lie?” asked Brad.

Andy, in a worked-up frenzy, ignored Brad and continued talking.

“I’ve also always wondered why the government would keep spending all this time and money trying to police drugs.  I mean, do they really care that much about each individual drug user?  If the answer is yes, than first of all why the brutality and general cruelty to their victims.  Also, prison isn’t going to help a drug user.  It will break up that family unit, cost taxpayers money, and possibly make that individual into a better criminal.  Take the New York minimum sentence law.  That law causes anybody caught with the slightest amount of cocaine to prison for a minimum of five years, no questions asked.  Logically, that makes no sense.  A person using coke is doing nothing but hurting himself.  The government finds out, and to help that individual change his dangerous lifestyle they send him to place some refer to as hell.  It’s also important to look at the alternative, if the government doesn’t arrest a cocaine user.  That cocaine user has two choices, he can go farther down the chain of drug abuse until self-ruin or he can make a recovery and still live a productive life.  If he were arrested his life would automatically become ruined, and the opportunity to change it will never be given.”

“So you think the government should do nothing about drugs?” asked Shane.

“I think the government should only finance rehab.  The rest of the money normally spent on the drug war could go to any number of things.  Anything from poverty, to education, to the anti-violence campaign.  Granted rehab is usually unsuccessful, I think it’s mostly up to family and friends to keep each other in line.  Maybe the government could use its advertising time promoting that, healing through love as opposed to changing through threats.  Even if nothing can be done to get a person off drugs and they end up dying at least it was his/her choice to do so.  That sounds harsh but it’s better than the government stepping in and making that individual suffer in prison until several years when he/she is back on the street stuck in the same dangerous lifestyle--only this time with less to lose,” Andy said.

“Yo, before you say anything else, I got an idea,” said Brad.

“What’s that?” asked Andy.

“Let’s listen to more of that radio show while we blow another line and then talk more about this subject,” said Brad.

“I second that notion,” said Shane.

“Third that notion,” said Nick during a pause from making out with Karen.

Andy shook his head.  He wished his friends would get more interested in issues that applied to them.  With out their thoughts, ideas, motives, and actions the world would just stay the same.  No problems would get fixed.  As he was thinking he turned the radio up.
“This where they live?” asked Nate.

“Yeah.  They said they’d be out in a few minutes.  I think they’re having a fight,” Jerome replied.

Nate pulled his jeep over to the curb and parked. 

“So how do these ‘cats know Alicia?” asked Nate.

Jerome looked at Nate and laughed.

“Where the fuck have you been the last few months?  You ain’t ever seen Max or Jamen with Alicia before?” asked Jerome.

“I’ve seen them with Alicia, but I still don’t get the connection.  I mean, Alicia was so change through peace and having the community fix its own problems.  Max and Jamen on the other hand, I heard they rackin’ up a body count that would make Manson blush,” said Nate.

“You heard right, but it wasn’t always that way.  Max and Jamen were friends with Alicia a long time ago; I think when they were in their early teens.  They lived in the same street ally together and it was those three that started to rebuild Rochester.  Alicia even taught them two how to read.  As you probably know, their progress started out slow.  Anyhow, on one particular day Max gets arrested and Jamen disappears.  And that’s that.  Alicia doesn’t hear from either of them, until three years later, when they both appeared at her doorstep together with a new plan for Rochester’s future.” Jerome said.

Nate sat there patiently waiting for Jerome to finish his story.  Jerome said nothing.

“That’s it!” Nate exclaimed.

“Basically, I can’t get into their life story right now, they’re going to be out here any moment now.  If you’re wondering what happened to them in those three years your askin’ the wrong mutha fucker.  Word is no one knows what happened to them during those three years, not even Alicia.  And another…wait a sec.  They’re coming,” finished Jerome.

Two minutes later the jeep was back on the road, en route to the DRC.  The car was silent for half the ride there, mostly because the tension between Max and Jamen was so apparent.  Finally Max broke the ice.

“So what’s the final head count?” he asked.

Jerome sparked a cigarette and looked back at Max.

“42.  By the time we show up they should already be in position.  All we got to do is walk right in the mutha fuckin’ front door,” replied Jerome.

Max clutched his gun with excitement.  Evening the balance of justice had always given him pleasure.  This time it was personal.  Alicia had given so much to him and Jamen.  And to Rochester and America.  She believed the lower class could rise if the drug war ended.  She believed the drug war was a front, a lie to conceal the government’s real plan for keeping the class system in check.  She also believed that the only way to stop them was for the lower class to unite, see the similarities in each other and somehow keep an eye out for the safety of everyone.  She died for her beliefs.  Max knew in his heart the DRC was behind it, so did Jamen, even though she couldn’t admit it to herself yet.  Who else would want to kill a woman with a rap sheet for helping those in need?
“Let me ask you something different, Mr. Millburn: What do you think are the consequences of winning the drug war?” Lori asked.

“The consequences of winning?  Well, a lot less violence for starters.  Just imagine a city with no drugs.  People being murdered for drug money, people killing for bigger drug territory, people arming themselves because they’re afraid of drug addicts; all of that’s eliminated if drugs were eliminat…”

“Yes, but couldn’t the same thing be said if drugs were legalized.  And isn’t the latter much more feasible?” interrupted Lori.

"No actually.  The good Christian people of this nati…”

“Oh come on, why do you have to bring religion into this?  You afraid that you’re losing the argument?  Is it one last attempt to reel the simple minded back under your clutch?” asked Lori.

“Will you let me finish a sentence?  How dare you excuse me of trying to connive the audience.  And to refer to your own audience as simple minded, I’m sorry I find that simply alarming,” said Todd.

Lori squeezed her fists and let out a deep breath.  She was starting to lose her cool.  Not that she noticed, but Patricia was giving her the chill out signal.  She also gave her the signal that there was just five minutes left until the show was over. 

“You know what I find alarming?  The immaturity of the United States government, in so many ways.  A president making a mistake in 1985 by a declaring an impossible war is understandable.  It’s happened before and it will happen again.  But to be too chicken to stop it because of the fear of looking stupid is horrible.  Especially when the war is costing this nation an obscene amount of money and lives.  The individual faces of the people who suffer from this war have melted into one imaginary menace that the government has forced upon the weak to scare up support for…”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Todd.

“The government has pulled the one of the most amazing lies ever told.  Not only did they scare the average American into thinking falsely about the drug war, they have also turned a nation against itself.  We have mother fighting daughter.  Neighbor spying on neighbor.  Friends ratting out friends.  Maybe the drug war has a lot to do with the general mood of this nation, smug and insecure.  You wonder why so many of our young people carry guns.  Maybe because from age sixteen, the natural time for a teenager to get curious about the world, they have been thrust against a menacing enemy.  I’ve read so many reports about kids getting a gun thrust in their face for something as harmless as drinking a beer or smoking a joint.  How do you think our children are supposed to grow up mature and happy with role models like that?”

 “Well,” Todd tried interrupting but Lori wouldn’t have it.

“Why do you think violent rap music is so popular today?  Teenagers getting joy from the idea of cop killing was introduced in the 90’s, a little after the drug war started.  And don’t get me wrong; it’s not only the government’s fault.  So many parents are afraid to reach out to their children, so instead they hand the burden of raising their own kids right over to the government.  They have been fooled into believing the police are really there to protect their child’s interests.  They don’t realize that too many police officers have gone unwatched and are loose cannons with full authority.  Never to be questioned.”

Lori looked up and saw that there was only one minute left.  There was so much she still wanted to say.  About the real reasons behind the drug war, about the dangers of drugs vs. dangers of accepted behaviors like boxing, the huge sums of (blood) money the government collects from marijuana and alcohol tickets, etc.  It didn’t matter though.  No one would listen.  Lori felt Americans were more likely to hide behind the notion of being the best country than to actually sacrifice and certify that it was the best nation.  People were too afraid to act out and think logically.  Too much doing what their told and not enough doing what had to be done.

Lori finished up her show in the same usual fashion, biting her tongue when she thanked her guest for being on the show.  She went home even more depressed about the state of the nation.  She didn’t know that twenty miles away Andy, Nick, and the gang were finding out about SAFE and would soon join.  She didn’t know that as she lay in bed trying to sleep the DRC was facing a bloody assault, put together by the brave that still cared about the fate of their kind.   Officer Bennett would lose his life in that assault, only to be survived by the hate he spread to so many others.  Soon she would learn that there were more people dedicated to truth and justice than she thought.  Not the majority, but the growing minority.  Soon, through peace and violence, a new revolution would change the home of the brave forever.  

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