Dave Richards for August 28th…………
--Congratulations to Meg Rego and her volunteers for an outstanding Levitt AMP Free Concert series. The final one, last Friday, was packed. So many people, cool bands, food trucks, a children’s play area, even a little alcohol for those who wanted it made for wonderful memories and cries for “let’s do it again next year!”
I’m glad they feel that way, because we’re going to have to mobilize the email voting process again, just like we did in 2017 and 2018. The Levitt people have already opened the website to vote for your community to receive the $25,000 seed-grant to make it all happen in 2020.
In a private conversation, I asked Meg what she thought the chances were that Woonsocket would win for a third consecutive year. She told me our chances have never been better, because the Levitt people know us and know we built a better ‘year two’ than we had the first year. They’ll want to see us do even better in a year three. However, she added, we will need to show the same email vote support we had in the previous years or it won’t happen.
So there you have it, Woonsocket. Navigate your web browsers to https://grant.levittamp.org/voter-registration-page/ and tell them you want to see a third year of the Levitt AMP Woonsocket concerts next year.
--Well, we now know what Rob Gronkowski is going to do now that he’s not catching footballs thrown by Tom Brady. He’s adding his voice to the ever increasing confusion of civil disobedience related to marijuana.
Yes, I know what he really said is he’s going to work to convince the major league sports organizations to allow players to use CBD products which are currently banned in all professional sports. But it’s still just more civil disobedience. If only proponents of marijuana in all of its forms would have simply focused on removing it from the federal list of controlled substances we would have avoided years of controversy. I cannot believe that if all the effort which has been expended in civil disobedience by individuals and States had been focused where it would have counted that those who believe in the change would surely have triumphed by now.
And finally, I cannot feel good about the lessons we are teaching our young people in going about this whole matter in such an indirect and, I believe, dishonest way.
‘Gronk’ has said that since he has retired from NFL play and no longer needs to be concerned with chemical blood tests which check for drug use he has found great relief from his pain by using CBD products. He wants that for all players. I can certainly understand that. It’s a very compassionate and laudable use of his celebrity status. But it is also more ‘end-run’ activity which doesn’t change the issue. CBD comes from a controlled substance.
I’ve spoken on this issue a number of times, so some of you may recognize these words. Some of you probably think I am against the legalization of marijuana. You would be wrong. I would be very pleased if marijuana were removed from the federal list of controlled substances if that’s what the majority of people wanted. I would be relieved the debate would be over. I’m tired of this debate, which has been raging for all of my adult life. I have no interest in using the stuff myself, but then I have no interest in drinking alcohol much, though I do once in a while under the right circumstances. That’s a personal choice. If they finally made marijuana legal in this country I don’t know if I’d use it. Maybe once in a while, under the right circumstances, just like alcohol. But I’ll tell you I’d raise a glass to the congress that finally puts an end to the debate. It’s going to happen, there is no doubt. When the feds decided they would not enforce the federal laws in States which passed laws in conflict, the proverbial Genie was out of the bottle and the federal government lost this war.
So let’s sign the peace treaty already. Now.
--That's what I think. What do you think? Comments to: dave@onworldwide.com or postal mail to Dave Richards, WOON Radio, 985 Park Avenue, Woonsocket, RI 02895-6332. Thanks for reading.
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