Breaking News: Maine Gov. Saint Wants People to Die

In an act of pure humanitarianism, “Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) appears set to oppose a bill increasing access to a lifesaving anti-overdose medication because of concerns rejected by public health experts that it could encourage more drug abuse.”

This was first brought to my attention while reading a blog with the title “Re-Maine High, and Ye Deserve to Die”. I can only assume that this man is a saint, actually he must be more like the messiah, because he clearly has the authority to judge people’s personal behavior, and sentence them to death. I was raised in a very religious household and went to church every Sunday. But I’m having a hard time remembering when and where the Savior says that you deserve death if you take drugs. Does he include alcohol among those drugs? I guess religion is really changing these days. Which brings me to another point, you never hear about churches taking this position. Only hard-headed, self-entitled, narcissistic assholes have the gumption to make statements like this. As a self-appointed messiah, I assume he must be perfect, or else what right would he have to be the judge, jury and executioner of millions of people, especially in his own home state where heroin overdose is on the rise. I’d like to examine his skeleton closet before I let him put me on trial.

The article goes on to state…

“Fatal heroin overdoses in Maine quadrupled from 2011 to 2012. Naloxone is a drug that can reverse overdoses from heroin and other opioids like morphine. State Rep. Sara Gideon (D) is sponsoring legislation that would place the drug, which is sold under the trade name Narcan, in the hands of police, firefighters, at-risk users and their families.

Gideon said that ahead of a scheduled Wednesday hearing, the governor’s chief health policy adviser, Holly Lusk, told her LePage would oppose the bill in its entirety.

“His main objection is his belief — and I have to emphasize ‘his belief’ because there is no evidence that supports this at all — his belief that increasing the availability of Narcan or naloxone will lead the drug user or drug abuser to have this feeling of invincibility,” Gideon said.”

Invincibility? Why didn’t I think of that. Now I can go slam way too much heroin, suffer an incredibly painful, scarey, life-threatening overdose, and still come out okay? Bring it on! Fuck, I don’t care if I have to have to have a needle jammed in my heart, recover in a hospital for days and almost die! Whatever. I’ll be okay. Sky’s the limit baby, I’m invincible! This guys a genius. Now were is that 4 gram ball of black tar? I’m all alone and can’t think of anything better to do. Oh right, I’m all alone. Who would even be there to administer the drug for me? Shit. I guess I’m not invincible after all.

The Needle Exchange program near my house offers Over Dose prevention training that comes with two prescriptions for Naloxone. Since I live with another user, it’s an incredibly useful thing to keep around, in case of those extreme emergencies. But heroin does not cloud the brain enough for me to think that this is in anyway fool-proof. No matter what society thinks about heroin addicts, we’re not all idiots. My boyfriend and I are both active, productive member of society who support our habit with regular jobs (well I’m a freelance writer, so not regular, but I have a steady income). I’m sure neither the governor or this asshole supporter of his who wrote the blog, would not any idea if they met either of us. And I’m sure none of my friends or family think I deserve to die.
It reminds me of a state senator down in the south (or it could have been a House member) who started the “Smoke Pot, Lose a Limb” campaign. He tried to get a bill passed that would sentence pot smokers to an amputation, if convicted. My jaw hit the floor when I read that. I wish I could find the article I read. If I can find it, I’ll post it. Luckily the bill was not met with the support he desired.
For the rest of the article on Gov. Lepage, click here…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/paul-lepage-drug-overdose_n_4770196.html

The Silk Road 2.0

It’s been 4 months since Silk Road 2.0 was released. Can we assume it is now safe to shop? The

original incarnation of the Silk Road died with the arrest of Dread Pirates Roberts (DPR). But dark web visitors rejoiced when Silk Road 2.0 came to life after a little over a month of being off-line. Unfortunately, less than two months passed before more arrests were made. The current DPR has been noticeably silent and a new administrator that goes by the name Defcon appears to have taken over managerial duties, posting announcement and messages on the homepage. As of today, there is one that reads “If you had an order in escrow before break began, be sure to read Defcon's full announcement before using the marketplace.” Silk Road administrators claim that the site is now able to seamlessly transition between managers, even if the current DPR is taken into custody. The supposed failsafe system was implemented by uploading portions of the Silk Road to “over 500” backup servers around the world. If one server goes down, or is seized by authorities, then another one can take its place within minutes. DPR’s announcement “We now have over 500 independent backups with keyholders in 17 countries. Whack-a-mole will not work. Time for an open, frank discussion.” was release on Twitter back in December and is meant to assure customers, and warn law enforcement, that the system cannot be stopped.

The new Silk Road is an improved version of the original, offering heightened security for those looking to purchase illegal contraband like narcotics and paraphernalia. The Silk Road operates using the Tor browser, protecting the identity of its visitors by blocking their IP addresses, and uses the encrypted e-currency, bitcoins. Both are effective tools against the preying eyes of law enforcement, protecting the identity of all users. 

Although there are other sites on the dark web offering the sale of scheduled narcotics, many of them have proven to be unreliable or flat-out scams. None have been able to offer the same quality of service or variety of products. The Silk Road operates more like its surface web counterpart, including a rating system for sellers and buyers (think: ebay or Amazon), escrow for financial transactions and a forum to rate and discuss the quality of service and products.

The name of the administrator, (or former administrator, as the case may be) Dread Pirate Roberts, is a reference to The Princess Bride. The Dread Pirate Roberts was not one single man, but a persona taken on by a chosen successor to the last Roberts, perpetuating the legend of the dreaded pirate captain. The last Roberts, aka Ross Ulbricht, fell to the folly of greed. He was arrested on October 2, 2013 on multiple accounts of drug trafficking, hacking and even two for-hire kills.

On the surface, not much has changed from the original Silk Road to new and improved version. The most significant change is the added security feature which allows users to use their PGP encryption key for added authentication. One moderator, who goes by the name Synergy, wrote “Silk Road 2.0 will be reborn better, much much more secure as testament to the tenacity and determination of this wonderful community of ours. We will not be down trodden, we will rise again.”

 

The black market bizarre now has thousands of items for sale, including everything from marijuana to china white heroin. It’s tempting to dive back in and start shopping! But with all the turmoil over the last few months, it might be wise keep an eye on things, before dumping a ton of money into bitcoins. I have faith that the drug using members of society will persevere and prevail, but what road bumps the DEA and other law enforcement agencies will throw our way is yet to be seen. The War on Drugs is not over, but I’m confident the people on drugs are winning.