This has been the mystery week, the one that got away. I was in Whistler, then came to Van, but I broke down along the way. Spent another day, then finally Friday, I went back to the boreder. After making some wrong turns, and sitting in mad rush-hour traffic in the fog, I arrived to the border about a quarter after four. The special investigation team finishes at 4 pm. Their office is open from eight to four Monday to Friday. It's all because of these Tee Shirts. The American government keeps track of how much textile is imported and from where.

I'm writing this on the Sunday Night and am about to attempt to cross once again tomorrow. I figure I might as well do one more e-mail before leaving the city. Presently, I'm pretty spaced from... the last few days, but I will press on. I'm writing in the presence of a big screen tv.

I went to see Garaj Mahal on Friday night. The band was good, but the venue was kind of weird. It was in a hotel, on the second floor in a conference room...

I caught a really strong, paranoid buzz. I started freaking out about America, how it's such a Police State. All I've been meeting lately are Americans escaping from their homeland. B.C., Vancouver is so freed up, un-paranoid and progressive, that I have a hard time rationalizing heading South, other than for the warmth. There's lots of really beautiful people in the U.S. It's just that the people running the show are greedy, heartless men who have no compassion or sense of reality, and the kicker is, the public there supports it. Though, you can't really blame just the public, because we are just a product of our environment. For people living in America, that environment is made up of a lot of fear. Fears are delivered to us in the media and are capitalized upon by advertisers and marketers. I guess in a lot of ways, I'm no different. The fear of a bleak future has motivated me to risk safety and freedom provided in Canada, to try to bring about positive change in America. I see Cannabis prohibition as a core issue in the present power paradigm, and furthermore, the hemp movement is one that is relevant in so many instances. People in all walks of life connect on the hemp level, uniting young and old, rich and poor, with all races. Cannabis really crosses so many boundaries. Also, I know that in my life, shows are not the be all and end all that they used to be. I just have a hard time justifying all the senseless consumption, and high ticket prices in these corporate venues. I know I've had some moments at shows, questioning the merit of it all.

Anyways, through it all, I've decided that I will press on and give America an other shot, mostly because this is the kind of opportunity that you just don't give up on. And it's not that bad. I know I won't be doing anything too risky, so if I catch big heat, it will have been a frame up. The American Government is capable of pretty heavy things though. I just won't dwell upon that reality. I guess that's just the hitch-hiker in me. Check out www.freemumia.org to see one potential outcome of someone who speaks truth too loudly.

Care2 make the world greener!
Race to Save the Primates - every click provides food!
www.care2.com/go/z/primates

Johannes Chapman, Pure Hemp Caravaner