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A Commonwealth of Zombies
By David Scribner
If Berkshire County District Attorney David F. Capeless were to compose a letter to his opponents conceding defeat on Question 2, the ballot initiative decriminalizing possession of small quantities of marijuana, here's what he might have written:
To: Whitney A. Taylor
Campaign Manager
Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy
My dear Whitney:
Congratulations on your victory. May it be as short-lived and ineffective as was the campaign of the Concerned Citizens for Appropriate Justice, a pathetic organization which you advised four years ago after I'd busted those kids for pot possession and dealing in the Taconic parking lot.
But the people have spoken and you and your out-of-state group, financed by that wealthy pothead George Soros, have prevailed -- this time -- in the war on marijuana. Even my own constituents here in the Berkshires, I must admit, rejected my arguments that smoking grass would inevitably lead to serious drug abuse and probably addiction. Only Clarksburg believed me. Lucky for them up on the mountain, they were probably out of range of your propaganda.
It is hard for me to accept that so many people -- so many of the people in the Berkshires, so many people I probably know -- are so ignorant, and think that smoking pot is basically a harmless social amenity, the equivalent of having a glass of wine. I know, you'll say that 42 percent of Americans - about 126 million people --have tried marijuana, a higher percentage of the population than any other country. Well, I'm not one of them. I have never smoked pot, never will, and proud of it.
I can see clearly what's going to happen: We're becoming a commonwealth of zombies. Hundreds of gullible teens and spineless adults lured into dark pot dens, cloudy with second-hand marijuana - even worse - and the whispering murmur of silver pipes, seeking a higher high, lying around on pillows, hitting off burbling crystal hookas. Soon they will be on stronger stuff. And the incense, the candles, the music! It confounds the mind and spirit, destroys the will, and undermines the concepts of law and order, discipline and decency.
All this will occur because the misinformed voters of Massachusetts weren't aware of the dangers the way we in law enforcement are. I fear it is the end of family life - perhaps civilization - as we know it. Our education system will collapse, productivity will decline and our competitiveness in the global marketplace will slip away. The Grim Reefer has arrived.
Still, you have to admit it was a hard-fought battle this November and I tried my darndest. I stood alone in Great Barrington on Main Street with a sign urging a no vote on Question 2, and I had my staff join me on Park Square in Pittsfield. It wasn't enough; I should have done more. But mark my words: we'll be back. You and your followers won the skirmish; you did not win the war.
And if you think that I will call off my troops between now and January when the new law will take effect, think again. I'm not going to follow the example of Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett who is dismissing possession cases as if the law were on the books already.
I uphold the letter of the law, in all cases, regardless of circumstances. The stiffer the penalty, the greater the lesson learned. Possession of marijuana, even small amounts, is illegal right now, and I intend to vigorously prosecute violators of the law, whether they be in schools or parking lots. Indeed, the very statistics you cite about marijuana use calls for a policy of pre-emptive prosecution and punishment. I will pursue that policy.
As I said, the people have spoken. But I know what you are up to. Question 2 is the first step in a campaign to legalize marijuana. Let me assure you, that is where we will fight to the end. And we won't be alone. By that time, the voters of Massachusetts will have witnessed such an erosion of the American way of life that they will demand repeal of Question 2 and the imposition of even harsher penalties.
The war on drugs must never end. See you on the battlefield.
Sincerely,
David F. Capeless
This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Record.
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02/28/08
The Last Hurrah
It was only a matter of time before local daily newspapers - the ones we used to count on for being a complete, accurate archive of essential community information, like the records of births and marriages and deaths - would realize that there's a pile of money to be made on death and dying and grief.
06/15/06
Parents to District Attorney: Why?
Fourteen years ago, 52-year-old Joseph Mechare and his wife Sharon had a dream. Just married and living in Millerton, New York, where Joe had grown up in a working class family - his father was a carpenter and he had been trained in autobody repair - they wanted to start a new life together.
03/24/06
DA Capeless: Zealot or tough cop? You decide.
In Berkshire County, Massachusetts, reputed rock-ribbed bastion of enlightened lifestyles, you can go to jail for two years for an offense that's the equivalent of a speeding ticket, especially if you are a foolish teenager, and have never had another offense.
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The ICE-men Cometh: Local Skirmishes in the War Against Illegal Immigrants
At dawn on Saturday morning, Sept. 27, 2008, men in jeans, flannel shirts and workboots were getting into old cars and battered pickups outside what is known by the Hispanic population in Valatie, N. Y., as the
The Brooklyn of the Berkshires? Pittsfield's Push for a
When more than a thousand people turned out on the streets of downtown Pittsfield on a rainy Thursday evening in June for a celebration of the arts, music and culture, the city
Regional Passenger Rail Projects Await Green Light
Late on a summer's day in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Jack Fitzpatrick, former state senator and owner of the Red Lion Inn, likes to pace the platform of the Stockbridge rail station he bought 10 years ago for $150,000.
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©2009 David Scribner
Starving Artists Detective Agency
255 North St.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201
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