Last week, Bill Maher -- slipping into conservative mode -- argued that Halloween was a holiday for kids, and that adults should focus on more age-appropriate behavior. My lady and I couldn't agree; Halloween remains our favorite season.
(Besides, massive pot intake -- a frequent Maher brag -- is the sort of thing most people relegate to their college years. He has no standing to give lectures on age-appropriate behavior.)
We spent the night touring allegedly haunted spots in Southern California, after which we let the pooch scamper across a very dark beach while we tended to a fire. (Don't tell the cops.) I'll play the rational-minded bloke at other times; Halloween is a night for fun and folklore.
One stop on our tour was the Leonis Adobe in Calabasas, former home of the fearsome Basque pioneer Miguel Leonis, who had fled his homeland when his reputation as a smuggler caught up with him.
Throughout much of the 19th century, a huge chunk of the San Fernando Valley and Ventura belonged to Leonis. He acquired much of the land fraudulently, claiming public territory as his own, then bribing judges to recognise his claim. A private army attacked all squatters. In 1875, a former Union soldier named Andrew Banks led a group that tried to settle in what is now Hidden Hills, on the westernmost edge of the valley. They were killed in battle with Leonis' thugs.
Leonis also fought numerous battles in court. One of the oddities of the man -- a trait shared with so many men of property -- was his belief in his own rectitude, and his resentment toward anyone who, he felt, might take advantage of him. He couldn't possibly make use of all "his" property, yet he felt justified in putting bullets into the heads of any intruders.
This, despite the fact that so many of his holdings were stolen.
His ghost, they say, still haunts the adobe. I'd say that his spirit has a much wider range.
5 comments:
I'm with you, Joseph. Halloween should be the best time of the year. The year I "outgrew" it (2001) was the point at which life stopped being a lot less enjoyable.
Nice post.
Oh, one more thing: do you think it's true that the RW has tried to put the kibosh on programming and merchandise related to and therefore public enjoyment of Halloween? I noticed a lot less cool Halloween-themed stuff on t.v. this year than even in 2004.
"Besides, massive pot intake -- a frequent Maher brag -- is the sort of thing most people relegate to their college years."
Uh, dude, that is simply not true -- potheads come in ALL ages, young and old -- VERY old. It's not a college thing, that's a stereotype; as a matter of fact, college kids are much more into synthetic drugs. Peace out
While I can't exactly agree with Joseph that "most" people give up pot in their college years, as the vast, vast majority of people I know consuming huge amounts of the "herb" are allegedly intelligent adults, (many are actually bored seniors) bragging about how much you can toke? Really should be left behind along with the rest of your bright college days. Whenever I meet someone (especially a "grown-up") over the age of 22 who still thinks occasional, let alone habitual use of pot is some sort of a virtue or accomplishment, I laugh. And pray for their mental health. Excepting those who need it for legitimate medicinal purposes...get lives. Particularly if you have real, adult responsibilities that require your attention. Like providing supposedly valuable political commentary or child-care.
Carl Sagan used pot habitually. (Might explain his facination with the SETI project?)
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