Garfunkel Speaks

Time Capsule 1970                                             

Can * nois * seur ( kan' us sur' ) n. one competent to render critical judgement on the qualities and merits of cannabis

"The most amazing property of cannabis is its ability to fog the minds of those who do not use it."

Parallel Universes: In the three years since Mayor Bloomberg installed himself for an unprecedented third term--an instituted his now infamous "Stop-and-Frisk" law-- there have been over 700,00 cases of random, victimless, crimefree, examples of NYPD storm trooper tactics against citizens based on what? Profiling at best--good old fashioned racism at worst (over 85% of those frisked are black or hispanic). It's a law that invites shakedowns and extortion and brings out the seamy underside of law enforcement. The law as an excuse to do harm. Now as you might imagine, this law especially targets those New Yorkers who enjoy the benefits of the sacred herb. Arrests for small amounts of cannabis (as small as one joint) have gone up significantly thus needlessly criminalizing a wide range of otherwise innocent citizens. 
But what can you expect of a billionaire mayor who made it illegal to have an ashtray in your own office?    
At the same time as Bloomberg exhibits his contempt for the Constitution, New York term limits, US Civil Rights, property rights, personal rights, and plain old stay-the-fuck-out-of-my-private-life rights--a sitting New York judge, now stricken with cancer, has published an imassioned plea for medical cannabis. In the New York Times ( May 17, 2012). Gustin L. Reichbach, justice of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, writes in part: "Because criminalizing an effective medical technique affects the fair administration of justice I feel obilged to speak out as both a judge and as a cancer patient suffering with a fatal disease...Medical science has not yet found a cure but it is barbaric to deny us access to one substance that has proved to ameliorate our suffering."                                                                
Mayor Bloomberg seems to be living in a universe parallel to the rest of humanity..   


The Long Rap: Garfunkel Speaks
(The continuing day-to-day log of a 1970 freighter voyage to Tangier)

The next day dawned bright and exceedingly clear.
Mysterious Traveling Companion was making her first lunch, and Scorpio sat down refreshed and ready. After lunch MTC, Pack and Tina went up on deck to get some rays while Scorpio took care of business.
When Scorpio emerged he automatically went up to the third deck--where all the action had taken place on his previous voyage. When he got there he found a commune circle of young faces, all in costume and getting high. Groovy, but Scorpio didn't see any of his tribe until he looked over the rail and saw them snoozing on the second tier. For the rest of the afternoon the four of them giggled, played games, swung on the pipes, hamboned, and generally got themselves at one with the sea and the sun. After which they repaired to the lounge for drinks before dinner. Relaxed and happy Scorpio nursed a campari and watched people move through the room. Garfunkel came in and sat across from him. Somehow the conversation sputtered, coughed, and hit a connection.
Garfunkel was carrying a Sony 134 cassette player, just like Scorpio. However Garfunkel was unaware of the rechargeable battery and had neglected to bring the right plug. He wasn't prepared for the boat's European voltage. Consequently he was hauling a huge box of batteries which were fading fast.Scorpio took him back to his cabin to show him the arrangement.
Inside Garfunkel accepted a smoke and they sat back, beginning a low key rap about Sonys and differences in current while they listened to The Band.
At that point Pack came in and sat down.
Garfunkel was formal but funny. Earlier when he entered he had put MTC way on by announcing,"This room is filthy." He was especially curious about the palm slapping, non-verbal,
punning nature of their relationship. He was quick to say that try as he might, he had no clue to where the college faces he dined with, were at. But he was enjoying the challenge, like learning another language.
The dinner bell rang.
Pack, who was still drinking, and earlier had been fed a noseful of meth by a passing friend on deck was warmed up, ready to skip dinner and keep rapping. Both Scorpio and Garfunkel passed, being hungry and cautious. Through dinner however the pattern intensified, threads of thoughts and possibilities WRAPPING Pack and Scorpio into a cozy cocoon of consciousness--the conversation taking the shape of a busy acid trip.
Throughout Pack kept goofing with Tina, their relationship straight out of a scene between Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont. Groucho leering, flicking his cigar and throwing, "How's your girdle countess?" over his shoulder as Margaret Dumont faints into the arms of the Asmerian ambassador. Tina however was with it, ultimately unworried and just boomed a big glad laugh everytime Pack decided to lay some intimate detail of their relationship on the table. Sometimes, between courses, she might revert to type and remind Pack of certain elementary rules of etiquette such as, "Don't nod at the table, Pack."
After dinner, sitting in the lounge, Pack and Scorpio considered the young faces On The Boat. Pack likened them to a bunch of rookies huddled in the belly of a plane flying over Fort Bragg, North Carolina, nervously waiting to make their first jump.
Through the evening Scorio ran some thoughts down with various and sundry troopers, always getting around to the reason they took this particular ship.The answer was uniform. Word of mouth had it that this was a cheap, interesting way to go. And the fact that it was--even as they spoke--heading for Tangier. These were the prime considerations. None of them had been aware that the Boat itself would be a special scene.
Gradually the room thinned out. Someone turned the lights down and the record player up.The smoke began to pass from hand to hand. Garfunkle wandered over holding a glass. He sat down and asked if he might have some scotch. In a short time Garfunkel, Scorpio and Pack slipped into an easy building rap. Scorpio was gassed to find Garfunkel had a jazz ear, and was a firm Beatle fan. Firm.

Next: Garfunkel Speaks Out