Don't teach sex ed, some kid might get the idea to have sex!

Don't study Islam as one of the world's most practiced religions because somebody might read about it and become an islamo-fascist.

Don't let any American citizen travel to Cuba because one of them might become a Communist!

Not even to go SCUBA diving? Absolutely NOT! No having fun in Cuba!

Not even to study Cuban music, art, culture, history? ARE YOU INSANE? There's plenty of culture elsewhere.

How 'bout if I fly to Mexico and go into Havana from Cancun using one of the many travel agencies there that can get you in and out without having your US passport involved?

You damned Communist! You're undermining our FREEDOM here in AmeriKa.

Being a second generation Cuban and detached on from all the "stuff" which I understand was almost inhumane, I am sick and tired of the whole Cuban parade. There are about three different radio stations in Miami that spend the entire time devoted to the "suffering of the exiles" (they're getting Social Security money not having worked--for those who got here as seniors, if not they are financially stable to even be able to retire), they also talk about every single thing relating to Cuban politics. It is the Fox News Channel on super-super-super steroids (no offense to the Fox News Channel, I'm an avid viewer but I do recognize the point of view it presents). The elder Cuban population, who are now citizens, are the ones that keep the whole thing going since they have not fully accumulated into American culture and still dream of going back to Cuba--they're old enough to remember the old "good" Cuba and that's what they want to go back to but first they want to destroy Fidel, even if it means destroying Cuba itself.

Naah -- let's close our eyes and stop our ears: The less we know about what's going on in North Korea or Iran, or right next door in Cuba, the better.

But it's true for you guys too. Salon has stopped covering drug policy.

In fact it's hard to tell from Salon's political coverage that America even HAS a drug policy.

I'm guessing that both your staff and your readers are choosing this state of ignorance because you prefer it.

So who the hell are you to point fingers at other people?

I tell people: Hey look -- there is peer reviewed, published, reproducible and causally explainable scientific evidence that the active ingredients in marijuana kill breast cancer cells.

And the reaction is: shut the fuck up, you stupid pothead, who the hell cares?

That's not so different from Florida not wanting to know about Cuba's secrets for growing grapefruit.

It's just how people are when there's a topic that pushes their buttons.

Cuba pushes the buttons in Florida and marijuana pushes the buttons at Salon.

Cuba pushes buttons in Florida because there are people living in Florida who had to risk their lives to get out of that country or end up in prison. They have trauma and so their reactions are controlled by fear of Fidel that seems silly to outsiders but feels very real to them.

And marijuana pushes peoples buttons because there are a lot of recovering alcohol and drug addicts out in the world. They have trauma too and their feelings are as strong as those of recovering Communists.

You can't just point fingers at the Floridians and accuse them of being in love with ignorance.

The whole country is wrapped up in a similar kind of voluntary ignorance. Do you even have enough fingers to point at that?