Interesting Ideas

[tobetrained]

I thought this was an interesting article which challenges -- not necessarily replaces -- notions about how to view the country today as well as the topic at hand.

[think before following links] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/11/23/kyrsten-sinema-maha-psychedelic-ibogaine-interview-00664454

[tallslenderguy]

Read the entire article, thanks for posting it.  Honestly, it gives me a better sense of you (i think), something i have be grasping at. Though of course, that's a side lane, eh?

i've referred to the current regime as maybe having a silver lining.  i feel Kyrsten Sinema takes a similar tone (though we might not be on the same piece of music) when she refers to the Trump administration as "disruptive."  She sees "disruptive " provides "opportunities."  i don't see the "time we are in" as... "magical,"  but then, i haven't taken the psychedelics that she has (and only half my tongue is in my cheek when i write that).  i don't think Kennedy Jr is qualified to head up the department of Health and Human Services. He reminds me of the patient who has no medical, biology, science training, but watches a youtube video and makes an emotional decision based on their trust of someone asserting authority on a topic. i don't mind that he's questioning, i think he is not qualified to decide the answers to many of the questions he asks. 

i'm a medical professional (well, i was before the current Dept of Education decided i am not ), and i voted in favor of prop 109 November 2020 that allows the regulated medical use of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms.  More recent research has discovered the effects of psychedelics on neuroplasticity... long story short, ramifications on treating issues like depression. [think before following links] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.724606/full

my short answer would be, i think we should never lose, or set aside? " challenging views on how the country is run. To me, that is the essence of a democratic system. or at least ideally should be?  

[Pozzible]

On 11/23/2025 at 12:11 PM, tobetrained said:

I thought this was an interesting article which challenges -- not necessarily replaces -- notions about how to view the country today as well as the topic at hand.

Not sure how it generally challenges ways to view the country. I know nothing about ibogaine, but overall our drug policies have been horrible at least since Nancy Reagan said “just say no.” And I’m not specifically speaking to legality of any drug in particular. But the impact that campaign on all kinds of drug research has been misguided. I’m no 420 fan, but Schedule I is ridiculous. There should have been decades of research by now into its medicinal benefits. Ditto for psychedelics.  Michael Pollan’s book “How to Change Your Mind” made a strong case for their research.

I hope our government puts forth some research into these areas. But I can hardly view this, or anything else, as a silver lining to the current administration. 

[tallslenderguy]

4 hours ago, Pozzible said:

I hope our government puts forth some research into these areas. But I can hardly view this, or anything else, as a silver lining to the current administration. 

i get this.  i don't want tp be misunderstood. i put the Trump  and his inner circle in a similar grouping as Xi Jinping, Putin, with some Hitler overtones. i do not have the tiniest bit of trust for him/them (and i have looked hard for any reason to). my personal take on trump is he is a sociopath, narcissistic  nihilist en extremis, i do not think he, and those he has chosen as his inner circle, are equipped or appropriate to lead.  

What i see as a "maybe" silver lining is the possibility that more Americans are awake and engaged now. i think some of the discussions we are having in the political section of BZ get into a lot of details. While i appreciate and think the micro is important because it makes up the macro, i think at this point we have more hope of overall change in the right direction if this current regime goes away.  i'm hoping the "disruption" will not be for naught, and will not result in a return to the former status quo. 

i do think the article tobetrained linked is an example of Sinema using the opportunity provided by disruption to get something good done. i see Kennedy Jr as unqualified and consequently subject to being swayed... some of those seeking to sway him may have valid and appropriate agenda, others not. For the most part, this administration strikes me as ham fisted where trustworthy, skilled and experienced surgeons hands are required.  

If there is a silver lining to this massive storm cloud, i think it would be more people in this country are engaged in questioning who we trust to govern, and why.