a caribbean story (personal)

[killgab]

ok i'm kinda new at this:
superjoint's pretty good.


Friday 13th 2002.
Hello, I’m a recently awakened youth (turned 16 years earlier this year) living in Trinidad, which is an southernmost island in the West Indies. For the purposes of this, I shall assume that the reader knows nothing of Trinidad except knowledge about island life is on a medium-sized island.
Our ‘drug’ past is recently becoming increasingly significant though not well-known, as a spate of kidnappings of rich sons of businessmen is causing a bit of a panic. I have heard of the Canadian Senate report urging full legalization and heard its Prime Minster bolding stating the some of the truth at the USA about 9/11. This has given me new respect for Canada and has come in a fortunate time for me, as I recently undergone my new understanding of the world and became the historian I once were. But first, let me explain the herb situation in a truly unique country.
A late developer, in terms of being a ‘profitable colony’, the sugar industry in Trinidad, which was fully developed long before in many of the other (and including most of the smaller islands), was not anywhere near the size of the other well-established plantation societies, when the slave trade was abolished. For numerous reasons, after emancipation of the slaves, labour shortage was acute particularly in Trinidad, British Guiana and Jamaica. This resulted in the introduction of indentured immigrants from China, and of particular importance, India. I will advise you to read the other e-mail I sent you which is a CC of a letter I sent to one of the 3 main newspapers (the only one I could e-mail to.
The society that arose out of this and various other factors far too numerous (and irrelevant for this letter is not intended as a history lesson, though those are important) too mention, a what can only be described as totally ‘cosmopolitian.’ There’s everyone here, there’s lots of totally different looking people, mixes that have really increased with progress. There’s also a weird tolerance level, I mean there’s relatively little racial tensions and the society has been described as ‘a rainbow’ people because we all get along.
This may be so, but the drawback is the society itself is drawback. The society is imported, at first straight from our colonial masters, then from the unofficial imperialists themselves, that menace to the globe, the largest ‘democratic’ economy controlled by one body of people (called the Government) in the globe, the United States of America. This is painfully acute and may again be due to our history, as when World War II was on, even before the ‘Americans’ entered the frigging war they sold Britain 50 obsolete destroyers for her starving navy. In return, they built a military base in Trinidad and in many other countries through similar channels. They did this they said, in the interests of the Panama Canal and its protection.
They did do the nation a bit of good. Many people got jobs and the money they were paid, US dollars, became the most sought after. Many people left the farms to ‘get ah wuk at de base!’
(if you are a reader you can read ‘Miguel Street’ by Nobel Prize for Literature 2002 winner V.S. Naipaul, who hails out from Trinidad and is of Indian descent. ‘A Brighter Sun’ by Sam Selvon is also a beautiful depiction of life in Trinidad back then of a 16 year Indian boy of Indian descent who got married of to a girl he did not know and sent to live by themselves in another, more developing part of the country who grows up and matures. The V.S. Naipaul book will also surely not disappoint)
What happened was that through the when so many soldiers came in, everybody who had dreams had American dreams, the white-man came to mean the American man, not the British man. The U.S.A. was seen as the greatest country (THE GREATEST) on the earth.Young girls fantasised about sleeping with a soldier, a lot of them did it and got pregnant and almost always got no white father for their child. Prostitutes, another relishing trade when the Americans were here, reached a stage when the ordinary man would actually think twice because of the cost, which started being demanded as ‘only in US dollars’. Sam Selvon writes about at length about this and other ways in which the almost entire population was influenced into the same level of arrogant US pride if they were citizens, themselves. Many simply ignore stories about the many anti-US views taken place around the world. September 11, has made it worse in that everyone is wary of ‘Anti-USA’ being synonymous with terrorist, and ignore them completely.
So while marijuana, used by descendants of immigrants and a large portion of the descendants of ex-slaves as well (Opium was used by some members of the Chinese community but that was illegal for as long as anyone can remember so it never got popular), became licence-required then illegal, following US-lead trends, most of its users sat back and just retreated and continued.(Trini syle, ‘doh take it on, just have some fun’) But it has reached my limit. I am not a hider, I cannot. I hate the pounding in my chest when I go to the ‘block’ knowing the dangers of the police, which is definitely not as regulated as in the USA. (I mean, the USA might actually have more (in proportion to population) of its citizens in incarceration facilities than in any other country in the world, but I’m sure their prisons are NO WAY as bad as in some other countries affected by the foolish ‘WAR ON DRUGS’, like the Brazilian case (go listen to vintage ‘Sepultura’)
So I can’t take it and I’m expressing my belief and trying to share my knowledge with others so that they too can learn some of the truth. I come from an Indian family, my father smoked, his father did and so on the Indian generations of ganja intellects go.
I have become wise of the real world ,I believe, very rapidly, and I believe, that unlike both my father, brother (who also smokes) and many others who are very narrow minded people, that I can learn from everyone, no matter how different they seem or how worthless they seem. Or where in the world they live. I begun first by rejecting the dogma of the church at an early age, as I was fooled by the Christian word GOD and the concept behind the God. So when I rejected the Christian God , I rejected the entire concept. Learning about other religions, like the Hindu one I was born into did not interest me as this seems as rejecting one religion for another.
I first tried herb when I was 14, but I was trying to quit smoking cigarettes at the time, and when I succeeded with the help of the girl who ended up being my first love, to do so, I didn’t want to smoke herb either. In Trinidad, most people with the exception of a few, smoke ‘roll-ons’, i.e. cigarettes with herb rolled onto the end, extending the ‘cigarette’ length and producing a cigarette coated with THC-smeared tobacco called ‘the funk’, after the herb at end (called the ‘party’ and the first ‘draw’ is called an ‘invitation’). It was only shortly before I turned 15 that I fell out of love with the girl who I learnt a lot from and to whom I will be forever grateful.
I will be forever grateful to her, as I am to my mother for repeating ‘I will kill you’, whilst I repeated ‘You’re not listening’. (that happened when I was first proven by evidence of seed and stalk) They both taught me how ‘not to be’ on different levels. My first love taught me how not to view the world, people and life; and my mother taught me how not to live with people. But I am grateful as both of them, as they showed me love when I needed it and when, through no fault of mine, I could no longer love them, I shall hold no hatred in my hearts only love. But in reality that is I, most of my family life is about how not to do things, I look at my parents and my family members and realise how they go wrong in their mindset and do not make their mistakes. My suffering through life has made me who I am and I am very strong now, so that no-one can change my beliefs. I am therefore a result of the pain which they themselves have put me through, but I shall not respond to ignorance and injustice by hate. I admit that part of me wanted to kill them both in their sleep for what they did to me and my fragile sense of well-being, but I refrained. When I was awakened recently as aforementioned, I read in the newspaper that a 14 year old boy ‘with hair up to his shoulders dressed primarily in black’ chopped his father to death in his sleep (that was August, I believe). That story never got widespread coverage (minor, very little information available), and one little article about it was all I saw in the newspaper. When I read that story and realised that the boy (I used to only dress in black at one point, but I was never ‘allowed’ to grow my hair, I still ain’t though I desperately want to) could have been me. I’m very glad that it is isn’t and that I read that story at the time that I did.
I have recently begun writing down my more intense feelings after procrastinating for weeks. What is compelling me to write is the intense desire I have to share myself and my knowledge. But it seems as though there is no-one to listen around me. I have no internet connection at home (but I cool enough PC) , I use the net at school, I am in my final year in A-level. This, I hope will allow other people to learn from me and my knowledge, and please feel free to make this known through friends, display/whatever. Preferably in full, but if quotes are used, also ensure that the full length (including this message) is available to anyone with desires to know more.
Reading other stuff at sites like www.hippy.com, unconventialideas.com. disinfo.com and many other cannabis websites, and listening to Black Sabbath, the Beatles, learning about Aleister Crowley and the Thelema concept as well as Tao is basically the type of stuff that molded by belief firmly. I say this because the same type of conclusions that I have drawn through my communication with my unconscious through the herbs, find their way mysteriously in their teaching. My life is totally independent from their lives, but we believe in the same things.
It is foolish to ignore the others’ message like my brother does. He is 22 and follows closely with Rastafari and wouldn’t dare listen to anything like the rock n roll I love, no matter what the message is. Only reggae, rasta music (which I now have no problem with but the variety is sickenly lacking). I learn from everyone from Led Zeppelin to Marilyn Manson, to M.Scott Peck, Spinoza, Jesus, Crowley, Black Sabbath/Megadeth/SYSTEM OF A DOWN/Sepultura/Bob Marley/Beatles lyrics. To Thomas More and Karl Marx, to the ideals of the French Revolution and the love of liberty. The many philosophers (lovers of wisdom) far too numerous too mention. Including the natives of the Americas whose history is so often forgotten by the masses.
(I’m sorry I can’t learn that much about the natives of by own island, by the time of the arrival of the immigrants, the entire ‘Carib’ tribe population has reached nill in most islands and today a few hundred descendants (not practising members, most of their culture did not survive under the slave-like status of encomienda , which was justified at the time as it was portrayed as ‘conversions’ to the Catholic faith) of the other main tribe ‘Arawaks’ remain. A few hundred years ago there was millions of these peoples all over the Caribbean. I can tell you that their only well-surviving legacy haunts us today and that is tobacco which was introduced into Europe very early in the development of Britain as a colonial power, by white-men who saw the native ‘indians’ using the tobacco. Maybe they should have reached the real India and should have seen the herb there, used by real ‘Indians’ and copied that instead! Think tobacco, think the destruction of the people that first used the poison and think its legal use today by some of the same people who carry on the destructive trend .)
In case anyone’s wondering, there is no single point to this, I would just like to share my experience and my knowledge with some other persons who might be genuinely interested in the experience. I also might not have been who I am today if others had not shared their knowledge and experience through books, songs or other expressions. So I really know the importance of writing stuff down, like Anne Frank did and Crowley did and I know the importance of communication in social environments and learning from others.
I also would like to hope that there is assistance (maybe including the publishing of this in full) that may be gained from writing this, to my country somehow. I look forward to life everyday I live it, and I love when others learn from me as much as I love learning from others. And as much as I love , LOVE.


There is one other side that I have separated from the other, pure factual section above. Remember I mentioned the kidnappings, well there has been arrests but no motive. The reason is well-known amongst those who can easily find out but most people don’t know and when I tell them why the kidnapping first started out (it has reached a scale when it is possible that different, real criminal elements has jumped on the kidnapping bandwagon as it pays and has paid so far) they don’t believe me. So I just tell it here as I have told everything else already. However, this may be the only unprovable part so I have to separate it.
During a recently concluded ‘Operation Weedeater’ which was sponsored by the USA, local (mature as well as seeds and seedlings) marijuana, with an estimated value of TT $300 million was destroyed. That’s the most ever in a single season. Usually they are raids by the local police, but they never burnt out so many at one time.
To understand the impact of that, one must understand my rage at that, and to do that properly one must understand Trinidad and the herb scene.
‘Hard drugs’ in Trinidad is basically marijuana and cocaine. That’s it. No heroin, methamphetamines, prescription pills, most haven’t heard of LSD much less know about it. No big drug market, alcohol’s part of the culture like it is everywhere else, actually the culture itself is really an imitation American one. It’s sad, but we do have a special heritage and culture which some of use like myself strive to maintain. So marijuana is like hard drugs to people. Their isn’t really any varying prices, about TT $10 is enough for a fat joint ( I usually only use about $2-3 worth at a time but you can only by division of 5). About $80-100 is an ounce. (TT $6.3 = US $1, TT $4.2 = Candian $1) . There’s only really two really general types, ‘local’ and ‘pressed’. ‘local’ as you may have guessed is grown locally but usually refers to fresh marijuana, real GRASS. Many of the rastas and more (non-drug using) spiritually conscious individuals strive to only use ‘local’. ‘Pressed’ is short for compressed marijuana, which is NOT produced here but imported. It usually comes from Venezuela as it is there that it can be obtained the cheapest. (Venezuela is very close to Trinidad and is a 20 minute boat ride away in the Western part of the island). The thing about it, is that while ;pressed’ may be ‘harder’, it is almost always impure. It usually does not smell anything like the real grass, ‘local’ and is known to contain gasoline and reek of grease sometimes. You may be able to get a really good piece of pressed though, this is usually obtained from the other islands, especially St. Vincent and Jamaica. A ‘fresh pressed’ is also obtained sometimes which may smell more like grass. ‘Local’ is the same price though but its availability varies.
The kidnappings were run by a certain ring of dealers whose crops were destroyed. They needed (and still need as they cannot raise enough funds from just a few ransom payments) capital as a result of the destruction of the crops by the US-sponsored operation. They use this capital to bring compressed into the market. It is almost impossible to find ‘local’ now. So much locally produced marijuana was destroyed and all I can smoke is the nastier (but still THC pressed.
This is causing quite a scare in the country and general elections (after an unconstitutional government who came into power following a tie, which was from an election years ahead of schedule, due to rampant corruption and strong allegations of such corruption by persons WITHIN the ruling party.) is on October 7. Unfortunately we have the nefarious politicians, too!
The political party which was not in power after the tie (the same one which, as a result of many corruption allegations, was forced to call an early election in December last year, resulting in a tie and a President’s decision to put the opposition in power) has been using (typical politician-style) the kidnappings to instil fear in the country. They say (quite ridiculously) that it is politically motivated. They do this to make people believe that the existing government is incompetent (they are, they are very spendthrift and one of their early actions by the ‘Prime Minster’ was to make his wife a Senator and a Minister of Education as well as quickly approve a rise in salary with a hefty ‘backpay’ lumpsum for all government members as well as numerous other spending sprees that have actually alarmed much more respected economists) and that they (the corrupt one) should be returned into power. This still say this and do other things as if acting in the interest of the country, when it was discovered that the ‘ALLEGEDLY corrupt’ prime mister (the other waste-of-sperm) has a joint account with his wife in a London bank, an allegation which the man at first denied knowing of, then said it was his wife’s and then said he didn’t know how much money she had in it. When it was revealed that the money in the bank and the deposits made (some by a new member of the party and then Minister of Infrastructure) could not have been made given the Prime Mister and his wife’s salary, a lot of the die-hard supporters have lost confidence but some rather have the corruption that the spendthrift. Racial voting (one party consists of primarily African descendants with an open Pentecostal Prime Minster and his wife, Minister of Education. The other party consists of primarily Indian descendants and supporters and has a Hindu leader) also helps the Great Divide that is doing nothing to benefit the people, only the politicians. The Politics of our own country, modelled after the British colonial legacy, has also produced the worst rulers who care for nothing but power and money. They will not take our plight seriously so we cannot depend on the politicians (maybe you can help)

Now, cocaine and marijuana dealings are very different to each other and in Trinidad and the Caribbean in general, no-one sees a cocaine user as someone ‘cool’. On the contrary, marijuana users are viewed as ‘dread’ by a lot. There are numerous songs sung by Caribbean artistes which praise the herb and bash cocaine at the same time, in the same song. Go listen to David Rudder’s ‘MAD MAN CHANT’

(‘watch out my children, watch out my children,
It have a fellah called Lucifer with ah bag ah white powder, ah-hah.
And he doh want to powder yuh face,
But to bring shame and disgrace,
To the human race.
-Ras Shorty I (Trinidad, now deceased)

While cocaine dealers do not use cocaine, it is very rare to find a marijuana dealer who doesn’t use his product. In fact, a bong is an illegal device in Trinidad, it is referred to under the law as a ‘cocaine-smoking implement.’, a ‘zoosh bottle’ it is also called. When referred to for marijuana purposes, it is called a ‘bubbler’.
My first love’s only reaction to the topic was always ‘there’s no difference between smoking cocaine and marijuana , it’s both wrong, if it wasn’t they’d it wouldn’t be illegal. My mother’s reaction is the same. She had nothing to say about the good I did with herb as inspiration, the only argument is the law. In fact, that seems to be the case with most people who think that marijuana users are trouble.
That law. That’s what keeps us down. It’s illegal so it can never be right, that’s all they can see, that’s all they think . They got one eye, their own personal mindset, I have three, my two physical ones and my inner being which is always talking to me, which I believe is as a result in DNA changes caused by my long generation of users. So when I started smoking and realising that the inner voice was the real deal, the ONE, I changed.

But the law hasn’t changed. You know, I was in contact with my ex-girlfriend last month (August), and her opinion has changed a bit. She’s quite a reader (preparing for formidable General Paper makes readers out of them), she reads the papers everyday. I believe that her increased reading (>0) was essential to her slight change of light, that and when she saw my determination.
But the law keeps us down, the US law. It doesn’t take a skilled anthropologist to understand my troubles and the reasons behind it.



-Launcelot Primus

sunday 15th september 2002
By the way, I realised that there is a school of philosiphy currently teaching a ten week course in my country that's based all over the world. Due to my new respect for philosophers and my development of a personal philosophy, found by life and aided by herbz, I went to the class. That was Saturday, and the 'class' did nothing except confirm what I already knew, i.e. I could teach philosophy and i could do it because I get am high all the time. (I am born into this, I cannot fight it, that would be fighting myself). I am planning to write an short book on the practical-personal philosophy that can be gained from (not drug-culture-lifestlye) marijuana usage. SO yes , others WILL benefit from my knowledge!




killgab@techie.com