Thankful in a time of unrest - for work and safe access.

Thankfully I’ve been busy working lately, but it feels like I’m living during a revolution.

It’s such a time of unrest, it seems like there are uprisings all around the USA, but this is actually a worldwide peoples movement against inequality. October 2011 marked the eleventh year of our country’s longest war in Afghanistan and the onset of the 2012 US federal budget, which provides unlimited funds for war and corporate greed, while withholding funds for basic human needs. Protests have been assembled all over the globe with the goal of “nonviolently resisting the corporate machine and demanding that America's resources be invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation.”

I spent my Thanksgiving with my wife, my mom, her boyfriend and his son, and my cousin and his wife. We gave thanks and feasted while Occupy Wall Street coordinated chaos at the Stock Exchange. Occupy Wall Street’s unorthodox approach to direct action was on full display Thursday morning as multiple columns of marchers encircled Wall Street. The flood of protesters stopped to chant or quickly moved on, depending on the density of police personnel arrayed to corral and disperse the crowd. Others sat down in front of barricades when the police refused further access to the public. This seemingly chaotic rhythm of the protest was, in fact, intentional.”

Occupy SF jammed up Union Square to protest Black Friday. On the busiest shopping day of the year, Occupy SF protesters shop-blocked consumers from buying gifts in Union Square. Dozens of demonstrators sat in the middle of the intersection blocking traffic. But after police created a barricade around the intersection, the protesters got up and started doing laps around Union Square as hundreds of curious shoppers looked on.

It turns out that the Department of Homeland Security helped coordinate a violent crackdown on Occupy movement. It appears city leadership received an assist from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and other federal police agencies. The United Nations envoy for freedom of expression is drafting an official communication to the U.S. government demanding to know why federal officials are not protecting the rights of Occupy demonstrators whose protests are being disbanded -- sometimes violently -- by local authorities.

I checked out the new Plum Bar last Saturday. They have great cocktails, plus I ate a double cheeseburger that was out of this world! The ground beef was from Prather Ranch, and they had these smoky french fries that were to die for. They have poetry on wall, but I wish font were larger so I could read.

I rented Zip Car to run errands yesterday; I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods Oakland; got my haircut at Charles Blades Barber Spa by a cool barber named Maddox, he used to be a barista and he’s tattooed up. The atmosphere is real cool. They play jazz and we talk about politics and stuff.

Then I visited Harborside Health Center, featured in Discovery Channel’s Weed Wars; which premiered last night. While I liked the patient stories and seeing the daily operations; I found it disturbing to see them focus so much on personal issues of staff members. So after watching I wanted to see the world’s largest medical cannabis dispensary (MCD) for myself. After arriving at beautiful waterfront location, a nice security guard greeted me, and after showing identification and doctor’s recommendation I was allowed to enter; where I embarked on a brief intake, which included a tour. I waited in line no more than five minutes even though there must have been twenty people in front of me. They had a good selection, plus they do lab testing, but it wasn’t the most affordable. That’s mainly because Oakland voters approved a medical cannabis tax in 2010, and I’ve found these prices to be in line with other Oakland MCD’s. Overall I found it professional and a good model.

While I hope everyone is having a happy holidays; I ask you to not forget about those that rely on medical cannabis dispensaries for safe access. Medical marijuana shows great promise in treating numerous health problems, while the U.S. Government continues to oppose medical marijuana. ASA has a plan to stop the attack on medical cannabis once and for all. Check out the plan then join the movement: www.safeaccessnow.org/stoptheattack