Wow, is the UK becoming like America? Where deviant sexual behavior is banned (and there are some in America that consider smoking a form of "sexual gratification") but gratuetous violence is glorified? Oh the shame.... what will be next.... the hand holding scene's in Barney? Oh my, they sang "I love you, you love me"..... must be a reference to beastiality cause Barney is a Dinsoaur (and since he's purple, he's also "gay").

Too bad people like that actually get the chance to breed.

CCotD'

Sadly, this is not unexpected, at least by me. Those who know my attitude on censorship from previous discussions and posts know that while I can agree with it in some instances, there are others that are just plain downright wrong. This sadly is one of them. Censorship is RAMPANT in the states, a country where freedom of speech is the rule, not the exception. It no longer surprises me when anyone decides to go for censoring something as stupid as this, especially when they could involve themselves in a much more serious and needed cause, they are troublemakers, who want people to think they are something big, they don't educate themselves about it before they go spouting their ideals off and fighting for rules that they expect everyone else will just bow too and thank them for. Many are quite surprised at the resistance they meet, unfortuneatly they move faster in most cases than those who would challenge them, and once something is censored, or changed, you'll have a hell of a time righting the wrong that they have done. There are always going to be too many people with way too much time on their hands and nothing to do but butt their noses into other peoples enjoyment.

A recent local incedent, while not actual censorship, there has been a Hemp store on the White Rock beach for almost twenty years. They sell clothes, and items made from hemp, as well as selling pot paraphanelia (ie: pipes, scales, magazines, and a select few other items), which I should point out is not illegal, at least here in B.C. as medicinal marijuana is now able to be prescribed by a doctor, usually for H.I.V. and cancer patients who doctors need to eat, but can find no other method to stimulate the hunger drive in them (ie: munchies ). There are other values to this, as an alternative to the standard medicines which have been found not to work for these people.
As well, while "weed" is not really a criminal drug up here unless your caught with "a dealers amount" (smaller amounts will lead to confiscation and a thirty dollar fine), and there is a growing sentiment here, especially in B.C. to have it either legalized and taxed (Vancouvers own mayor wants a piece of the 8bill a year pie industry), or decriminalized (which it sort of has been), hemp products, and paraphanelia have always been available at a variety of places. There is also our famous Cannibus Day (yes, on Canada Day) in which thousands of pot supporters congregate in downtown Vancouver, and under the watchful eye of the police proceed to spend the day enjoying a public display in support of pot. These people range in variety from the poor to the upper middle class, many are well dressed and show just how widespread it is here in B.C. Only troublemakers are usually approached by the police, but not before the pot supporters get to them first and ask them to leave as this is a peaceful supporting demonstration. In fact the police have found them to be quite cooperative in removing troublemakers who are there to do nothing more than start trouble, something that will seriously affect their cause.

One local old woman who has lived here all of her life and never bothered to go into the stores on her own beach accidentally walked into the hemp store. She has since started a campaign to have it made illegal locally (here and in the neighboring city of Surrey) to be able to sell anything of this type, she wants the store shut down, period, all because she walked into the wrong place because she was too lazy to look at a sign. She is surprised and appalled at the amount of people that have campaigned against her in support of keeping this store open and untouched. There are estimates that between 40-60% of B.C.'s population smokes pot or knows someone that does.

The majority of the studies that "prove" marijuana is harmful come from the U.S. and the campaign started by yet another crazy old woman (Nancy Regan, who stumbled on a young relative and friends smoking it, and proceeded to have her husband do everything he could to make it illegal). The one that stands out the worst, locking a chimpanzee inside a 5x5x5 ft airtight box, and filling it steadily with pot smoke. The chimpanzee was dead in under five mins, official cause of death, pot smoking, autopsy cause of death, affixiation due to smoke inhalation, and no oxygen. The actual lethal weed amount...you would have to concentrate the weed by boiling the THC and similiar chemicals into butter (making it ten times stronger for the amount), bake 500 pot brownies (size reference: each brownie would be 2x3x3 inches in size) as they are known, and consume all 500 brownies within 1hr...I don't know about you, but if I ate five hundred regular brownies within one hour I'd be dead, either from sugar overdose, or my stomach exploding, not to mention I'd be sickup long before that.

The point of this little story, people will do and say anything to prove their right and that the other side is wrong, and there are just eneogh uneducated, over-propagandaized people out there who fall for it everytime, hook, line and stinker. As always my recomendation is educate your kids, educate yourself, and make sure you get that education from both sides of ANY arguement.

This person obviously doesn't have the time to take their child, or children if they have any, and explain to them how old this animation is, what things were like back then, or how they might want to learn more before they decide what is right or wrong. No wonder a straight A honor student who graduated from private school whom I worked with couldn't tell me who Hitler was, or who won WorldWar II, or who Elvis Presley was. Why am I not surprised to hear stuff like this. It just plain disturbs me.

Everyone here who started smoking because of a Tom & Jerry cartoon, please raise your hand, if you do, I'm going after your parents .

We should start a campaign to have stupid people banned from being allowed to open their mouths till they know better, and have a valid arguement. But then, Bush wouldn't be allowed to make speeches to the American people anymore, hell, neither would any other politician. Guess we lose by default !

P.S. I'm not saying Canada is any better, but currently while our governments reserve the right to censor everything, they censor surprisingly little, you should hear the swearwords that pour off of late night Teletoon, and Youth Television: YTV (Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon equivalents here in Canada) .

Edit: a brief edit, the logging and paper industries are currently the biggest corporate challengers of legalizing hemp, or pot...reason...$$$$$$. Look around, find the info, you'll see just how unjustified this all is, and just how much of your money your governments have been...throwing away on these endeavors. Education is the key people, remember that. This information is surprisingly easy to find, and comes from some very interesting sources, some that will blatently surprise you. Check your local libraries, if censorship hasn't already had them removed for being works of the devil or somesuch nonsense. Google is also very helpful and informative . Don't take my word for it, educate yourselves, or soon, the only freedom of speech you will have will be in a room with no doors and windows where noone but yourself can hear your opinions, or views.

The more you know....

Wow, I remember when a U.S. channel hacked up the Thunderbirds episodes because they drank and smoke during those shows! Amazing what some people will find a problem with!

It's just cartoons, in the case of Tom & Jerry and super-marionettes, in the case of Thunderbirds!

Some people obviously don't have enough to do!

Edit: As far as the war on drugs here in this country, I still maintain my point that the war employs too many people to ever be won! So therefore, you'll not see drugs legalized here in the states. To many people have their fingers in the pie to allow it to happen!

Did I just say that out loud?

Skunk

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Hmmm, as a note on hemp being bad for you - sucking smoke into your lungs, regardless of source, is bad for your health. Pot is only slightly worse in that regards than some other things, mostly because of the resinous content. (In other words, the smoke is sticky - this is also why burning pine is more likley to result in chimney fires than burning oak.)

I don't particularlly think that it should be illegal in controlled amounts, but there are health issues. You should have just as much of a right to clog your lungs with pot as with tobacco - as long as you don't go clogging my lungs. Second hand smoke is second hand smoke.

Some of the most damning studies done on the effects of pot smoke were actually done in the Netherlands - where it is legal in sufficient quantities for the effects to be measured. (In other words, the more you smoke - of anything - the worse shape your lungs will be in.)

The Auld Grump - nonsmoker.