Pajiba

What's the statute of limitations on smoking weed? I mean, is it forgivable if you are in your 30's, and smoked in college? Is it allowed regardless if you live in CA or are a musician?
I'm guessing he's getting shit on because it was only a few months ago (that we know of) and he's supposed to represent everything we aren't: wholesome, athletic, law-abiding. The greatest hypocrisy about this is how we celebrate his accomplishments and recoil in horror at his humanity - we don't like our heroes to be like us, we look lazy and useless by comparison.

I once filled out a job application for the FBI. Didn't want to be an actual agent, just was looking for a PR job or something. There was a line that asked "Have you ever used illegal drugs?" I figured, they probably know anyway. So I told the truth, something like "Sure, pot, about 20 years ago." Someone from the bureau called to tell me this disqualified me. So if I really wanted a job I'd have been better off lying to the FBI. And now, as long as I'm never going to get an FBI job, I might as well toke all I want.

Thank you, U.S. gummint, for encouraging me to lie and smoke dope.

Seriously. When is the government and everyone else gonna pull their collective heads out of their collective asses and realize what a giant windfall they are missing out on by not legalizing marijuana? If they legalize and regulate it, then they can TAX it, and USE it for other purposes, like, oh, I don't know, HEMP products and such.

You can go out, buy some shitty-ass beer or 3rd rate rot-gut whiskey or Night Train and get plastered off your ass, puke your face off, beat up 3 nuns, run over a mama dog and her 6 puppies and a whole 2nd grade class while cussing out the world in your El Camino, on your way home to your double-wide to smack around your wife and kids, but you can't hit a J? WTF??? Pot makes you peaceful, man. Peaceful and .... hungry. Now, pass the Corn Nuts and shut the fuck up.

The guy is fucking twenty-four years old! Do you know what I was doing at twenty-four? So fucking what if he's a dude that likes to party with the "regular" folk. You know what we call people who act like they're better than and above everyone else? Pretentious assholes.

I like my heros to be people, complete with faults (not that this is one). If the corporate whore-mongers quit making accomplished people out to be one step down from god, we wouldn't have this issue.

Remember, Kobe, don't be rapin'.

The guy worked out 7 days a week for at least 4 hours/day (those were the light days) for the years prior to the olympics and sweeps the swimming competition as a result. As far as I'm concerned, they could have a picture of him doing coke off of a hookers ass (one of those pricey call girls, not a meth whore or a tranny like E. Murphy or H. Grant) and I wouldn't think any less of him. The dude deserves some down time to get laid, drunk/stoned and enjoy his fame. In fact, I'd be more likely to buy something that he endorses now than prior to his weed pic b/c it proves he's human. Well done.

Swimmers everywhere: "Bong hits for increased lung capacity...brilliant!"

I agree with what you guys are saying, for sure. It's ridiculous the way smoking pot has been vilified in our society.

That being said, Phelps bears some responsibility for this, and here's why.

Anyone who isn't living in the woods with no electricity and no lifeline into society's goings-on knows that if you're famous, especially as famous as someone who just a few short months ago won more gold medals in one Olympics than anyone else, EVER, that mean people with cameras will be following you. And taking pictures with those cameras. MEAN PICTURES. So what, he thought because he swam fast maybe he wouldn't show up in film? He's ignorant, yes, I said it, ignorant, and I while I feel bad that he may lose his lifeblood over something so abominably unfair and ridiculous, he knew better. He knew those people were lurking, waiting to catch his first mistake.

It's like my friend said to me last night, "Camera phones are ruining society...why do you think I don't leave the house?" It's ridiculous to find him completely blameless, and while I definitely agree that there's nothing at all wrong with smoking pot, I do think you take some fucking personal responsibility, and in today's world, that means watching out for the vultures who will cash in on your mistakes, especially if you're in his position.

Jerce, that was pants.

Phelps is just learning the hard way that he needs to seriously watch his back. A little paranoia is healthy for the famous. Otherwise every little slip-up is going to get splashed all over the media. It will behoove him to circle his wagons and be more selective with whom he chooses to imbibe.

This kid didn't ask to be a role model, he asked to swim. The media MADE him into a role model, and now they're acting betrayed that this young man who they propped up as some sort of paragon of humanity cause he could swim real good is acting like a young man. It's all bullshit.

I agree with Smokin that camera phones and YouTube are ruining fun for people. At the same time, it's not an individual's responsibility to live their life like it's going to get splashed all over the news. Goes back to the brilliant "don't be a douchebag" edict that I forget who mentioned in the PETA thread. See famous Olympian doing bong rips at a party? Don't be a douchebag and take pictures of him that could cost him millions upon millions of dollars. Easy.

Unpopular opinion, which is just a knee-jerk reaction to being a black person in a world that until about a month ago, didn't allow that (although Canada's got no Barack of its own).

Now apparently, pot is the most amazing-est, and everyone should do it, or something. I don't happen to smoke, and I'm absolutely not saying he should lose his endorsements over this, but here's an idea: wouldn't it just be easier to not be photographed doing something illegal?

This isn't an issue of, 'what should happen', or 'what should be punishable, or, 'what should be a scandal', 'what should be illegal', or Heaven forbid, 'what's fair'. I'm sure if we're going to go on a justice rant, we've all got very long lists of our own good deeds that fail to go unpunished. Goodness knows mine gets longer every day.

I guess I'm just saying, if you're bound to break laws (no matter how unjust said laws may be, or how unjust you may perceive them to be), and you're not looking to make a point about it (with the expectation of some kind of recourse), don't do it with cameras around. Some one is going to think it's a big deal, and think he has some kind of claim of to you because of it.

Cover your ass. It's pot, not the voting booth circa 1964.

This was not Phelps first hit of the night, and damn, it's tough to be vigilant when you're high.

Cut the stoner a break.

That said, I don't need my 9 year old daughter coming to me and saying "Gee, daddy, isn't that guy dancing around in his Calvin's funny! He musta scored some wicked Maui Gold!"

Okay guys, I understand that many people are all up in arms about the Phelps apology, and I get why. It's a dumb thing to be so ashamed of, he's a person like anyone else, the fact that the picture was taken is wrong in and of itself, EVERYONE TOKES, blah blah blah... but here's the thing:

He broke a law! No matter how arbitrary that law is, Michael Phelps was still seen smoking illegal substances. Of course he's going to apologize for it, as he should. If you're held up as this paragon of physical fitness and a role model for children, getting caught with a bong is probably not the best thing that could happen to you. Lighten up, militant stoners. You're harshing my buzz.

Is he really a role model? After all this talk, is he really? I mean, I pretty much haven't thought about him or heard about him much at all since the Olympics. Is it really that big of a deal? He was at a private party, and had the picture not been sold to the highest bidder and thrown up all over the place and blared from the headlines, nobody would even know about it, no children would be affected by it, no endorsement deals would be allegedly redacted... I don't know, I just feel like the only reason he's a "bad role model" now is that somebody saw that and said, "We can totally ruin this guy". Which says to me, once again, that the media are the bad guys, because yeah, he broke the law *gasp*, but really, how many famous people (sports stars, politicians, actors, musicians) are way into coke and nobody cares? They broke a law too, but you don't hear people going "Oh, but he's the President and my children look up to him blabbity blah blah". Most people break laws on a daily basis without "the children" all going up in a flaming mass, like that time you didn't really fully stop at a stop sign, or that time you made a right on red even though you weren't supposed to because it was late at night and you could clearly see that there was no traffic coming in any direction. Or that time you got somebody else's mail mixed in with your own and you just threw it away, or opened it. That's not really setting a good example for the children either, is it? Yet nobody's up in arms about that kind of thing, because "it's not a big deal" or there were "mitigating circumstances".

Agh. Whatever. Pookie, I think you're wrong in this instance; I don't think most of the people here would feel differently if the kid was black or Asian or whatever. I think you're correct about hypocrisy, I just think it lies somewhere else. I'm going back to work now.

I'm not saying you're right or wrong Pookie, but I certainly gave Josh Howard a pass. Ricky Williams even gets a pass from me for toking, but I still consider him a stupid motherfucker for letting it interfere with his ability to get paid.

Anna, I adore you, but you're twisting my shit.

If I ever became famous, it would quickly turn to infamy, b/c I've got one hell of a checkered past. But the key here is that Phelps was famous BEFORE any of this shit went down, including his first run in with the law. Now, he's got just as much a right to fuck up as anyone, but my point is he's potentially shitting on a free lifetime pass...young and dumb or not, he knew the possibility was there and he either A. didn't care, or B. was too fucked up to think twice before doing illegal drugs in plain view of whoever might be passing by, private party or not.

I'm not saying he's an asshole for being famous, I'm saying he's an idiot for not being aware/not caring about the consequences of his actions...which was a response to Prisco's extremely forgiving piece which never took issue with the fact he should have known better. Which he most definitely should have. You can't argue the fact that someone in his position knows the potential consequences of such an event.

Hell no, he didn't ask to be famous, and shit yeah, he should be able to do whatever the hell he wants to and not get shit for it, but holy fuck, that's not the way it works. Fame can be a blessing, but everyone knows it's also one shitstorm of a curse. So, no, I don't take exception with his actions, and nor do I think he should have apologized for something that was his own business. But I reserve the right to judge him based on the fact that he's a moron, who with a little care and forethought, could have avoided this situation.

And as anyone who knows me can tell you, I have no patience for someone who acts in ignorance of their own best interests.

NEVER let anyone take pictures or record you doing drugs. How hard is that to remember, even when high?
I have no plans to run for office, but if someone takes a picture of me during my "attitude adjustment hour", they're gonna get a beating and a broken cell phone.

I don't know if I was very clear in my tone, stipe42, but I'm agreeing with you. Every time some lame-oid breaks a law, Micheal Faye and his Acolytes jump out of the woodwork. I don't think smoking pot is the hugest offense, but it still is one. The 'I was young' plea doesn't hold a huge amount of truck with me either. Riffing in Sartre's idea: if you want the freedom, you have to accept the corresponding responsibility.

You adore me, Smokin? Little old me? *blush*

First off, I feel I need to apologize for the tone of my initial post, because I have been a bit cranky today, and that always makes me... well, cranky, and less than eloquent besides (obvy, if you look at my second post. Oy, what a mess).

I understand your point, and you're probably right: He probably should have known better. Most of the tokers I've known have always done just that- they gather in a less public venue with trusted companions to do their smoking, rather than a college party with who knows how many people.

But, I can't say what the party was like; my assumption, due to experience, was that it was a small gathering with friends, and one of his "friends" pulled a total dick move. Because that, right there, is the definition of a dick move. And that, to me, makes the photographer so despicable that it pulls my attention away from the other issue. Even if the camera operator was a "friend of a friend", it still counts as a dick move. Plus, I still can't condone the idea of him having to hide in his basement every time he wants to (who said it?) "puff the magic dragon", though I certainly don't deny you your freedom to think he's an idiot.

Additionally, I think that BP's point was mostly the hypocrisy of the threats of legal action and loss of endorsements when there are people who have done the same thing (albeit without getting caught) or worse without similar threatened punishment. Kobe kept right on playing, throughout the whole of his thing. Was never suspended, never lost an ad deal, nada.

It's all pretty much moot, anyway. Really, they'll just wait until it simmers down, and then Phelps will be on his Wheaties box and playing Guitar Hero in the commercials (God I hope in his Speedo) and noone will even remember this was an issue. Meanwhile, thanks for the discourse (and forcing my brain to get back to work).

Full text of Phelps Apology here:
http://dennisperrin.blogspot.com/2009/02/forgive-and-cash-in.html

"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.

"I've come to see how immoral marijuana truly is. Next to flag burning, it is without doubt the biggest corrupter of American youth today. When you smoke marijuana, you're telling the world that you hate America. I'm a proud American. Therefore, I renounce this demonic drug, this gateway to crystal meth and selling your body for heroin on the bad side of town. I will never, never, ever smoke it again. I won't even look at pictures of marijuana. That's a gold medal guarantee.

"Marijuana is used to finance our terrorist enemies. It is well known that the 9/11 hijackers were all stoned when they committed their acts of evil. Smoking marijuana makes Osama bin-Laden smile. It tells Iran, 'Go ahead and build a nuclear bomb.' It tells Hamas, "Keep shooting your rockets of death. We don't care so long as we can get baked.'

"I'd like to apologize to President Obama, the First Lady, and their two lovely daughters. I'm also sorry to God, Jesus, whoever the Jews pray to, and those Muslims who are one hundred percent pro-American and know their place in this great land. This also goes for those weird religions where they shave their heads, pray to rocks, and never use their kung fu unless absolutely necessary. In addition, I've sent a personal note of contrition to the Church of Scientology, and I want to thank them for the cool t-shirt.

"I hope to put this tragic, criminal lapse of judgment behind me. I look forward to a clean and sober relationship with Omega watchmakers, Speedo, Human Performance Labs, and the Hilton Hotels Corporation. And I promise never to have sex with Paris Hilton when there are cameras or cell phones in the room. Thank you, and God Bless America."

What the FUCK are you doing? Are you professional or not? What the fuck is it with you? What don't you fucking understand? What don't you get about it? Fuck sake, man, you're amateur...