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What the well-dressed would-be assassin is wearing this season

People keep asking and speculating about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the kid who fired on Trump Saturday. We know he was a smart kid, good at history, quiet, a bit awkward, possibly bullied. I have my own theory, based on his shirt.

It’s a safe assumption he knew he was about to die, knew he would soon be one of the most famous people on the planet. When you’re dressing for that gig, you put some thought into it. So why that shirt?

Demolitia … you can’t quite miss the word militia. It’s sold off a YouTube site called the Demolition Ranch, which has eleven million subscribers. The site is well known at gun fairs, a place where a lot of young people come into contact with the militia movement. Not all militia in this country now are MAGA Republicans, though most are. But you can get so far to the right that Trump becomes as unpopular as Biden.

The site features gun videos, several with titles referring to snipers and assassins … the best guns for the job. The best bullet. This isn’t a site for hunters and homeowners. But you can’t put the blame on that one website. As the owner points out, they leave politics out of it.

Trump’s new running mate places the blame squarely on Biden’s shoulders. He has a valid point, Even Biden said that his statement about putting Trump in the bullseye was a mistake, he shouldn’t have said it. But that saying Trump is an enemy of democracy, and other statements were fair.

�That’s crap Joe. I mean I’m a Biden supporter and if he’s still unfortunately running come November, I’ll vote for him. But we all know, even the shooter knew what Biden meant when he spoke of bullseyes. It was a metaphor. We all also knew that the part about being a threat to democracy, to our country, that’s the dangerous part. Democrats know because we’ve been saying the same thing about Republicans since Trump first ran for office.

A famous question asks “if you could go back in time and kill Hitler before he started his march to madness, is it wrong to do so?” Most of us would say no. So in this kid’s mind, he was acting as a patriot.

As Biden says, Trump has made his intentions, and why he’s a threat to democracy quite clear. It broke my heart when the Democrats starting running on fear instead of ideas. Sure, it worked for Trump, destroy people’s belief in the media, in our institutions, then make us fear each other like we never have before. So only law and order can keep us safe. Because we can’t trust our neighbors.

So you can’t blame the website, you can’t blame Biden and you can’t blame Trump. There is no single cause for what happened. It’s a perfect storm of hatred and fear sweeping our country. What strikes me is all the people saying political violence has no place in America. Whoever says that has no knowledge of our history, or chooses to believe we’ve somehow outgrown it.

I’ve know a few people involved in one way or another with militias over the years. They consider themselves patriots, are in all respects intelligent people. Are mostly good people. But aren’t shy about professing the need to put a bullet between the eyes of a leader who is a threat what they see as American values. “An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man a subject.” In their eyes, Trump would stir as much hatred as Biden.

Keep in mind, this is not unAmerican. It’s as American as apple pie. We say there is no place for it here, but that belies our nation’s history. That doesn’t mean it’s right, it’s just the way it is.

Crooks was a history student. In class debates, he staked out a hard conservative position and stayed there. He was no liberal by all reports. I’m sure he was familiar with the following letter Thomas Jefferson wrote.

Jefferson could have been speaking of Trump when he wrote “Wonderful is the effect of impudent and persevering lying. The British ministry have so long hired their gazetteers to repeat and model into every form lies about our being in anarchy, that the world has at length believed them, the English nation has believed them, the ministers themselves have come to believe them, and what is more wonderful, we have believed them ourselves.“

That leads like prophecy. What he wrote next has stirred people to act ever since.

“If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. What country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.”

We call them whack jobs, but keep in mind … in all likelihood, Timothy McVeigh had a higher IQ than you do. He wanted to start a revolution. So did Chuck Manson. Revolution … Even John Lennon sang in the song of the same name, “But when you talk about destruction, Don’t you know that you can count me out, in.”

They shot him too.

So who is to blame? There’s plenty of blame to go around. They’ll call the kid cracked, but perhaps what is crazy is believing either political party at the moment. Judging from how we all seem to fear, and quite honestly hate the other side now, we’re all kind of cracked.

As Mercutio said in Romeo and Juliet, as he died from a rivalry he had no real part of, “a plague on both your houses.”

Mugs and Bottles for your cannabis infused drinks

Or coffee, tea or water if you’re square

Edibles and cannabis infused drinks are big now, thanks to the legal market providing people who will actually make the shit for you. No more wasting an ounce of weed on brownies that taste a lot like horse turds.

But I digress, we’re selling bottles and mugs here, for cannabis infused drinks. I would say, scientifically formulated to enhance the buzz. Except of course you’d recognize that as bullshit …

But if you can pour a hot, steamy mug of coffee or tea, or cold lemonade that gives you a buzz, I think it’s a winning combination.

All very high quality. generous in size and have crisp, vibrant colors. Shipping included in the price if you’re in the continental United States.

All items are printed on demand, so allow 3-5 days for production prior to shipping.

Click for cannabis infused recipes and to find out why the bottle costs so fucking much

The Designs

All original designs, inspired by classic rock songs about dope and legal weed from southern Illinois. A bit obscure perhaps, but why be like everyone else?

Click a design to view all the products available with it

T-shirts and hoodies for old school stoners

Short and Long Sleeved T-Shirts, Hoodies and Hemp T-Shirts, with designs inspired by songs about dope

Legal weed is all over the place now. Gone are the days when you had to keep it in the closet. Here’s a chance to show where your tastes are, with a big “fuck you” to those who still don’t approve.

Shirts are Bella cotton unless otherwise noted, which is good shit. Better than the typical t-shirt. If you bulge around the middle, you might want to order up a size. Or hell, go ahead and flaunt it.

Most shirts come in a variety of colors, and styles.

All products are made to order, so allow a few extra days to ship. Shipping is included in the price in the continental U.S.

For a better view of the designs, click here and see a full product listing for each.

Soft, Short Sleeve T-Shirts

Warm, Soft and Comfy Hoodies

Long Sleeve T-Shirts

Weed On Hemp: Our Best Quality Shirt, Made With Love and Hemp

(sorry, you won’t get a buzz burning them)

Weed shirts hoodies, mugs and gifts inspired by dope songs of the seventies

All good stuff that you won’t find anyplace else, and with shipping included

T-Shirts, Long Sleeve T-Shirts, Hoodies, Mugs and Water Bottles

I’m an artist by trade, so starting an online store to sell t-shirts and hoodies was a no brainer. But mugs and water bottles? What better to sip your cannabis infused drinks from?

Shipping is included. I’m not one of those to yell FREE SHIPPING when I’m just rolling the cost into the price. That’s something a dick would do. I make about five bucks on every product I sell.

All items are printed on demand, so allow 3-5 days for production prior to shipping.

You get something cool and unique and help feed my weed habit at the same time. Thanks!

Pick a design …

Shirts and hoodies inspired by songs about dope … comfy, quality stuff that you won’t find anywhere else

Shop Clothes

Mugs and water bottles for your cannabis infused drinks … works with coffee, tea and kool-aid too!

Shop Mugs & Bottles

Facing mortality and paranoia with the help of Verano’s Mag Landrace flower and sunrise shatter

Verano’s Mag Landrace is a uniquely potent buzz. A pure Landrace from the mountains of Iran, transplanted to Illinois, it’s a crystal coated Indica with an unmistakable scent, as exotic as its source. It can lay you out, and make you happy to be there. Or the euphoric burst and relatively high THC levels can inflict a whiplash effect of paranoia on the unsuspecting smoker.

Rango told me not to look, but I did anyway. He’s a paranoid when it comes to medical issues. When you get our age, those become a fact of life. Sometimes they turn out to be nothing. Other times that’s not the case. It’s something you learn to live with, and you have to keep telling yourself that it was a choice.

I can’t say I didn’t know all this shit was bad for me forty years ago when I started a life of substance abuse. And though I’ve learned the art of moderation and how to take care of myself since, I can’t undo all the damage I did when I was younger.

After all, younger went up to just a few years ago. Maybe not numerically but in bad behavior.

A change of doctor meant a physical, with blood tests. The results posted almost a week before the follow up appointment. Rango warned me about looking, but as I said, I did anyway.

So it’s the night before the follow up and my anxiety level is creeping up.

Then it occurs to me, I have medicine for that. A lot of people smoke cannabis for the calming effect. I always smoked it for the buzz. But I figure it’s worth experimenting with.

The way my teeth are clattering in nervous anticipation, I figure it’s going to take a healthy dose. That means some concentrate. That narrowed my choices to Purple Thai, Maui Wowie or Verano’s Mag Landrace. I don’t typically visit the dab rig more than once in an evening. And the Purple Thai and Mag Landrace both pack a pretty healthy wallop. The idea is to decrease paranoia, so rather than hit it twice, a bit of flower would top it off.

As Verano’s Mag Landrace is an Indica, and more relaxing, and I had both flower and sunrise shatter, it was an easy choice. So I started with three small bong hits, and gave that a few minutes to hit.

There’s no mistaking the flavor. Some say earthy, some say spicy. Perhaps a bit of apple, or cloves. All that applies. For me, it’s the smell of a World War I uniform I found once in a trunk in the attic of an old house. Still perfectly folded, no moths or mold. But it was the smell of old wool, so strong upon opening after fifty years that I could taste it.

That’s what I taste and smell in Mag Landrace. And it’s not an unpleasant experience. You have to admit, Mag Landrace is unique.

Boasting high THC levels, it’s a powerful Indica. A lot of people melt almost instantly into the couch. Rango used to find himself horizontal every time he smoked it, and not very happy about it. So in hindsight, smoking it to allieve paranoia could have been misguided.

It’s also noted for promoting a healthy burst of euphoria. But I’ve noticed that euphoria can be a euphemism for raw energy. Which can go either way, depending on the mood.

After twenty minutes, the energy had kicked in. Evidently it leaned towards euphoria, rather than paranoia, so I decided to visit the lounge and fire up the dab rig.

Dabbing Verano’s Mag Landrace sunrise shatter

I misjudged the first hit and choked. Not an extended spell, just a couple explosive coughs, a couple smaller ones then the mild head rush brought on by hyperventilating. I was back on the rig before it had a chance to cool off.

I don’t take huge hits anymore. I don’t blow out a cloud that could fill a room. Instead, I take pride in how stoned I can get on the smallest amount possible. To me that’s just common sense. It took me almost forty years to develop common sense.

I load a hit about the size of a grain of rice. Wild rice, not the white stuff. It’s easy to get too high off a dab rig. Inevitably I always feel a bit cocky after a few minutes. It’s not going to be that big of a ride.

Rango doesn’t do well with Mag Landrace. But the other night he said “break it out.” After choking it down, he was doing pretty good and I pointed that out.

“Wait twenty minutes” he said, wisely.

Verano Mag Landrace and a trip from euphoria to paranoia and back again

It’s been ten minutes. I’ve been frantically typing. The energy burst this time has a bit of menace to it. It could be easy to slide into paranoia.

Paranoia is a nasty thing. It’s why Jim Morrison quite smoking dope. That and he developed a taste for heroin. Of the people I used to smoke dope with who gave it up, a surprisingly large number claim paranoia as a the cause. Particularly with the newer, stronger strains that are readily available.

The only real solution to paranoia is to look at things objectively. I saw the results, there’s no smoking gun pointing to imminent death. A change in lifestyle might be in order. Or things could really go south. All the cards are on the table. This could be the last normal night of my life.

Fuck.

“I don’t take huge hits anymore. I don’t blow out a cloud that could fill a room. Instead, I take pride in how stoned I can get on the smallest amount possible. To me that’s just common sense. It took me almost forty years to develop common sense.”

But it’s part of getting older. My ex-father in law used to say “getting old isn’t for pussies.” Then one morning he was sitting at the kitchen table, stood up to put on his belt and pretty much dropped dead on the spot.

It’s easy enough to push out the paranoia though with Mag Landrace. No matter what I learn tomorrow, I deal with it. After all, it’s not tomorrow yet. That’s the advantage of getting older. You’ve learned to deal with some pretty nasty shit.

If you’re lucky, you come to the conclusion that at midnight, the night before something big, there’s not much you can do about it. Except do something you enjoy to take your mind off of it.

That’s what I did, and the Mag Landrace certainly helped, then slowed me down and put me to bed.

Bed is where paranoia really has a chance to creep in. I fell asleep before it had a chance.

Mag Landrace is one of my go to strains. It’s a pure Landrace, not a trace of hybrid about it. It’s nice being able to go back to the source. I’ve had it in flower, shake, prerolls, live resin and RSO oil. I haven’t been disappointed by any of them.

The next afternoon I find out all is well, or at least better than I expected. I need to pay a bit closer attention to my diet, and take a Vitamin D pill once a week. And if I care about my kidneys and liver, cut back on the drinking a bit.

I can live with that. And it’s good to know when I go back in three months for a follow up, Verano’s Mag Landrace will be holding my hand.

The Particulars:

Verano Mag Landrace Flower
THC 27%, give or take

Verano Mag Landrace RSO
THC 83.9%