Evidence... of a crime...

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“Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens”

~ Plato
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sooo... I've made several allusions to trouble here. Plainly stated - I lost my job. Fired actually...

...and I haven't been fired from a job since I was 18 and lost my job as an assistant manager at a McDonald's. In fact, if you're in southern California and know the Lomita area at all, there is a McDonalds on Hwy 101 just west of the intersection with Western. At one time that store was owned by Warren Dobbins, brother-in-law to McD founder Ray Kroc.



I can semi-proudly point and say: "Big Mac. I was there when it was the burger "New" to America. And here it is 38 years later and the Big Mac tastes the same. Thats technology at its finest... ain't industrial evolution grand? The riches we produce! It boggles the mind. But anyway... about getting fired.

I was just a teenager. Only 18. And it was a warm summer night in Southern Cal... and every couple of weeks or so we had to clean out and sterilize the ice machine. Well, this particular evening there was a veritable plethora of ice, an overflow of glacial proportions - probably about 30 gals worth. We dumped it in the parking lot and closed the store. And, like I said, it was a warm evening. A great evening for an ice fight. At 3 a.m...

And who woulda ever guessed that the neighbors would complain about a rowdy bunch of teenage boys running around throwing ice at each other? Me neither (then). A few months later I was off to basic training...

Well this time, once again, I was in trouble for my off-time activities. In fact I was in trouble for what I did on my day off. Even tho' what I was doing I was doing on my time, at my home. (Now, I have much more to say on this topic but now isn't the time, I'm still trying to get my job back...) But, in the interest of true journalistic integrity I repeated the activity in a remote and isolated location, so as to keep any citizens who otherwise may have been nearby, safe. Because, apparently, this activity (even tho' done on my time) so endangers others -- or, perhaps, even the order of the universe -- that my dismissal was immediate and negotiating on the issue with the head guys of the company was not an option.

Simply put, one achy, cranky morning I puffed a bit of herb. Or in english, I smoked a marijuana cigarette (only part of one actually). And in line with that quirky sense of humor the universe has, the next day I was drawn as the participant in a random drug test. Which is why I removed myself to a remote location for my repeat act as a matter and means of recording the devastation this act would surely wreak upon the social fabric, if not ripping apart the inherent order of the natural landscape itself... Lord knows the danger involved!

So, the following images are evidence... of a crime. (A crime at least in the minds of a very few). Enjoy... and pardon my sarcasm.

Be forewarned! The following images were all taken under the influence of an illegal substance and may be disturbing to some: