Willie Nelson Exposes American Myths

Once again Willie Nelson becomes a reminder that America’s War on Drugs is a war being waged “by’ Americans “against” Americans that exposes the myth that we are one nation “with liberty and justice for all” because yesterday Willie Nelson was arrested and charged with marijuana possession in Texas proving we remain a divided rather united nation where liberty exists for the privileged to elude justice.


In essence Willie Nelson’s liberty was taken away by instrumentalities of the very same political system that will decide his fate, make him pay with money or time or both and call it justice in the process of holding one accountable for one’s actions.

That the recent arrest occurred in Texas is somewhat ironic given their bravado about that special independence unique to Texans exposing another American myth about being the “home of the brave” because not one macho individual from any branch of law enforcement in the “Lone Star” state not even “The Lone Ranger” himself has dared to arrest George W. Bush for the war crimes that he admitted committing in his book.

While Willie Nelson is held accountable for possessing 6 ounces of cannabis sativa George W. Bush has the liberty to go on nationwide television and promote his book that contains his confession about authorizing torture without fear of being charged with or arrested for the crimes he committed against humanity.

So far George W. Bush hasn’t been held accountable for his actions which had more serious real life and death consequences on us as a nation than did Willie Nelson’s action of merely living his life as if he had the liberty to pursue happiness that he was free to define and qualify it as long as it didn’t harm another life or take or cause damage to another’s property.

Perhaps the biggest myth to be shattered by reality is that America is the “land of the free” when we make up 5 percent of the world’s population yet we also comprise 25 percent of the world’s prison population thanks in large part to the over 750,000 people arrested yearly for mere possession of marijuana.

Finally, in addition to exposing the most cherished of American myths Willie Nelson’s arrest was a glaring example of the shameless hypocrisy characteristic of a banana republic where someone is held accountable for possessing a plant while no one was held accountable for 9/11, no one was held accountable for waging an unjustifiable war in Iraq, no one was held accountable for war crimes and no one in Washington or on Wall St. was held accountable for the financial collapse in 2008.