"You Know The Usual, DEATH Comes In Threes..."

"Life is short is what some nigga said
Not if you measure life by how one lives and what he did"
-Nas

Three deaths have struck me recently as noteworthy. Saddam Hussein, Gerald Ford, and James Brown. An asshole, a dumbass, and a legend.

Saddam Hussein, the asshole, was hung as expected. No surprise there. Did anyone really expect anything less for him? Even Saddam knew that there was no way he was gonna be allowed to live after all the Americans who died in order to take him out of power. Some anti-death penalty people have protested Saddam's execution, but there's nothing that can be done now anyway. I also lean toward being anti-death penalty, but I could really care less about whether Saddam lived or died. Fascists don't deserve mercy. Go ahead and watch the video of Saddam getting hung. The only good thing about Saddam was that he pretty secular compared to other leaders of Muslim countries. But thats as far as his good side went. The asshole totally disrespected and ignored human rights throughout his rule over Iraq. Secret police, torture, mass murders, and targeted assassinations of political rivals were commonplace in Saddam's Iraq. Of course, Sunnis in Iraq will mourn Saddam's death. To them, it's just another symbol of the fall of the Sunnis from power in Iraq. So see ya Saddam! You had a good run and now its finally over!
Now, on to the dumbass former President Gerald Ford. A mediocre President at best. He is probably best known for pardoning Richard Nixon and then losing the presidency to the very liberal Jimmy Carter. The pardoning of Nixon, and also Chevy Chase's portrayal of Gerald Ford, is where Ford gets his "dumbass" moniker for this article. Only a dumbass Republican would pardon Nixon. Such blatant evidence of Republican partisanship is what helped put Jimmy Carter voters in the slight majority during the 1976 elections. And of course, dumbass Republicans still defend the Nixon pardon even today. I just hope that we move on from the death of this dumbass ASAP. Moving on...
James Brown, the legend and the Godfather of Soul, also passed away recently. The dude pretty much originated Michael Jackson and Prince's style.(as well as various other artists) Plus, he was singing "I'm Black and I'm Proud" at a time of deep racial tension in America. I know peeps that'll bump "It's A Man's World" and ask you "whatchu know about that?" Basically, James Brown's sheer influence on a variety of genres of music, including soul, funk, r&b, hip hop, and pop music, merits him his title of "legend". RIP JAMES BROWN!


DOWNLOAD THE VERY BEST OF JAMES BROWN HERE

PEACE to the Middle East... Plus Iraq And The Rest Of The Muslim World

With millions of Muslims attending Hajj this time of year, the international Muslim community should be united in amazement at what's going on throughout the Muslim world. According to the Iraq Study Group Report, "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating." In it, 79 recommendations are given to help ease Iraq into a stable democracy and avoid a civil war. How plausible is the idea of a free and democratic Muslim country? I have my doubts. When it comes to Iraq, I'm not sure what should be done. Even President Bush is trying to re-think a whole new policy for Iraq. If we in the U.S. proactively try to keep Iraq united, how much longer will our troops have to remain there? Our fellow Americans are still dying out in Iraq. How many more troops are we willing to lose over another country's stability? If our troops leave and we let Iraq split up into 3 smaller countries, the Shiite part will probably become a de facto province of Iran and there will probably still be fighting over the oil reserves. Some would argue that we'd just end up returning to Iraq. The situation in Iraq is truly very confusing and frustrating. In Somalia, militant Islamists are fleeing from government forces being helped by Ethiopian forces. In Palestine, the moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently beefing with Hamas, allegedly has received large amounts of weapons and ammunitions from Egypt with Israel's permission. Of course, President Mahmoud Abbas denies it all. But thats expected of him right now.
So whats goin on with the Muslim world? Is the Islamic Civilization on the rise or about to crumble? Is America's injection of Western democracy into the Middle East causing the Islamic world to overdose on foreign beliefs and values? I certainly would not mind a secular, democratic, tolerant Islamic world, but I don't know how plausible that would be. Hamas and Hezbollah are both examples of what happens when you give Muslims democracy. They put intolerant, uber-religious, anti-American nutjobs in power. All this makes one wonder, is democracy good for everyone? Can you expect an uneducated, religious population to make rational decisions in elections? Can you really expect an Eastern culture to fully embrace a Western system of government? I'm not sure. Hopefully the muslim world proves me wrong! P.E.A.C.E.!!!

Download the Iraq Study Group Report HERE
Its a definite must-read!!

And heres the tracklist for my Iraq Study Group Mixtape:
Camron ft Hell Rell- WAR
Smif N Wessun- War
Lost Children of Babylon- Insurgents
Trife- War
Mumia Abu Jamal- The War Behind The War
Nas- War
MOP ft 50 Cent- War Time
Tech N9ne- Holy War
Preacher X- Religious Warfare
Cunninlynguists- War
La Coka Nostra- This Is War
Red Rat- Politics War
Bob Marley- War
Max Romeo- War Inna Babylon

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Adult Swim Presents CHROME CHILDREN

Here's one of my favorite albums to recently come out. My personal faves are tracks 2,5,11 and 12! Check this shit out and be on the lookout for my next article on the horrible situation in Iraq and the civil war occurring over there. PEACE!!

Tracklist for CHROME CHILDREN:

1. Oh Zone - Oh No
2. Clap Your Hands - Guilty Simpson
3. Take It Back - Madlib
4. None In Mind - Koushik
5. Nothing Like This - J Dilla
6. Do A Couple Of Things - James Pants
7. Monkey Suite - Madvillain
8. Simply A Joy - Georgia Anne Muldrow
9. All I Know - M.E.D.
10. Wassup World? - Dudley Perkins
11. Raw Heat - Percee P/Quasimoto
12. No $, No Toke - Jaylib
13. Drama - J. Rocc
14. Movin` - Roc C
15. Dream(s) - Gary Wilson
16. Third Rock - Pure Essence
17. What Now - Aloe Blacc
18. Turned Around - Baron Zen (PBW remix)
19. Nino`s Deed - Young Jazz Rebels

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "Adult Swim Presents Chrome Children" [.rar format]

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "Adult Swim Presents Chrome Children" [.zip format]

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud..."

"that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD." -Exodus 19:9

Recently, a friend of mine complained about how I named this blog "Puffin Ls" yet include no marijuana-related commentaries. So here is the first of many sermons on my semi-Cantheist view of the Cannabis plant. Today's focus is my examination of the "blunt cipher" as a religious/spiritual ritual and of Cannabis as a sacrament. First, let me make clear that my personal religious views can best be described as Agnostic Atheist. But, I also have a spiritual side to my views. In my opinion, transcendental beliefs need not presuppose a belief in the supernatural/paranormal. And this is why I firmly believe in marijuana's status as a holy plant to be revered and in the weed cipher as a holy ritual.

Though this belief is mostly associated with Rastafarianism, the general belief of Cannabis as a sacred plant is not new. In fact, since ancient times this herb has had profound effects on the religious beliefs of various peoples. Jews, Hindus, early Christians, and other ancient peoples indulged in this herb with the belief that its use brings people closer to God. So now, let us take a look at the weed cipher or the ritual smoking of marijuana, by a group people, who stand in the form of a circle/cipher. Whether you realize it or not, this ritual is packed full of symbolism and spirituality. The cipher or circle formed by the ritual's participants represents infinite and the unity of all mankind as One. The herb is then lit and passed around for all in the cipher to partake. The marijuana itself serves multiple purposes in this ritual. One purpose is as incense for the holy temple which is our bodies. Another purpose is its ability to alter and raise our state of consciousness in order to aid us in meditation and the contemplation of the Ultimate Truth, Ultimate Reality, God, etc. (Whatever you wanna call it) And the burning of the herb can be seen as a bloodless, peaceful sacrifice. In all, participants consume the herb, meditate, and form strong bonds with each other through the practice of this ritual. Its a much more spiritually inspiring version of the Catholic Eucharist. The weed cipher is a ritual where all people can come together peacefully as One and discuss the Truth.

Whether you agree with this assessment of the weed cipher as spiritual ritual or not, one cannot deny the strong social bonds formed amongst weed smokers when we spark an L together or the obvious similarities between a weed cipher and The Last Supper. Jesus gathered with his friends, passed around bread and wine and discussed God with them. Replace the bread and wine with marijuana, and tell me what the difference is. Pretty much nothing. Jesus might as well of blazed an L. So next time you find yourself puffin a blunt with your boys in a cipher, take a minute and reflect on the sacredness and antiquity of the ritual you're performing. Its a truly inspiring, mystical, and spiritually fulfilling ritual once examined and treated correctly.

Heres the tracklist for the ZipTape for Spiritual Marijuana Smoking:
Erykah Badu- Back In The Day
Fugees- Blunted Interlude
Cunninlynguists- Inhale
Lost Boyz- Puff Harder
Young Buck- Weed Break
Young Buck- Higher Than A Muhfucka
Bob Marley- Rastaman Chant
Bob Marley- Natural Mystic
Bob Marley- Easy Skanking
Bob Marley- Various Interviews
Bone Thugs & Harmony- Why Do I Stay High
Bone Thugs & Harmony- Smoke Weed
Tupac- Krazy
UB40- I Get Lifted
Black Sabbath- Sweet Leaf

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HOLY WEED SMOKE ZIPTAPE