1 00:00:08,245 --> 00:00:16,485 Speaker 1: School of Humans. It's nineteen eighty six and I'm eleven. 2 00:00:17,085 --> 00:00:20,325 Speaker 1: This year stands out to me for many reasons. For one, 3 00:00:20,485 --> 00:00:24,445 Speaker 1: it introduced the cool ranch Dorito, a coveted slumber party 4 00:00:24,525 --> 00:00:27,045 Speaker 1: junk food for me and my friends who came over 5 00:00:27,085 --> 00:00:30,405 Speaker 1: to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Labyrinth, and Pretty and Pink, 6 00:00:30,805 --> 00:00:35,845 Speaker 1: which all came out that year. I also remember the 7 00:00:35,965 --> 00:00:40,405 Speaker 1: horrific Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. The spaceship blew up on 8 00:00:40,525 --> 00:00:44,445 Speaker 1: live TV in front of every American kid, including me 9 00:00:45,005 --> 00:00:49,045 Speaker 1: watching at school with my classmates. And at this time, 10 00:00:49,365 --> 00:00:53,405 Speaker 1: my Saturday morning cartoons were frequently interrupted by Ronald and 11 00:00:53,525 --> 00:00:58,485 Speaker 1: Nancy Reagan's relentless Just Say No campaign. Not long ago, 12 00:00:58,525 --> 00:01:01,565 Speaker 1: in Oakland, California, I was asked by a group of 13 00:01:01,645 --> 00:01:04,525 Speaker 1: children what to do if they were all for drugs, 14 00:01:04,645 --> 00:01:11,045 Speaker 1: and I answered, just say no. That's Nancy Reagan. After 15 00:01:11,085 --> 00:01:15,085 Speaker 1: her husband Ronald Reagan, a former blist movie actor, was 16 00:01:15,125 --> 00:01:19,085 Speaker 1: elected president in nineteen eighty, his administrations Just Say No 17 00:01:19,285 --> 00:01:24,405 Speaker 1: ads and PSA's flooded TVs and radios urgently instructing American 18 00:01:24,485 --> 00:01:27,405 Speaker 1: kids to stand up to drugs, just say no, and 19 00:01:27,645 --> 00:01:33,645 Speaker 1: turn in anyone using drugs to the police, including your parents. Today, 20 00:01:34,045 --> 00:01:37,085 Speaker 1: there's a drug and alcohol abuse epidemic in this country 21 00:01:37,325 --> 00:01:40,445 Speaker 1: and no one is say from it. Drugs steal away 22 00:01:40,525 --> 00:01:45,525 Speaker 1: so much, they take and take, until finally, every time 23 00:01:45,525 --> 00:01:48,685 Speaker 1: a drug goes into a child, something else is forced out, 24 00:01:49,405 --> 00:01:55,165 Speaker 1: like love and hope and trust and confidence. Drugs take 25 00:01:55,165 --> 00:01:58,485 Speaker 1: away the dream from every child's heart and replace it 26 00:01:58,605 --> 00:02:03,685 Speaker 1: with a nightmare. In nineteen eighty six, Reagan's Anti Drug 27 00:02:03,725 --> 00:02:07,605 Speaker 1: Abuse Act is passed. The Act renewed the war on 28 00:02:07,685 --> 00:02:12,965 Speaker 1: drugs and instituted mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug offenses, 29 00:02:13,405 --> 00:02:19,085 Speaker 1: and maximum sentences ran to life. That year, my dad 30 00:02:19,125 --> 00:02:22,125 Speaker 1: does a trip moving so much pot that if he'd 31 00:02:22,125 --> 00:02:26,165 Speaker 1: gotten caught, he could have received a lengthy prison sentence 32 00:02:26,325 --> 00:02:31,525 Speaker 1: under Reagan's new law. Now, this trip is a major success, 33 00:02:32,285 --> 00:02:35,445 Speaker 1: but it's also the beginning of the end of my 34 00:02:35,525 --> 00:02:40,765 Speaker 1: dad's career as a pot smuggler, because, like success, rip 35 00:02:40,805 --> 00:02:44,165 Speaker 1: offs are very common in the illicit, all cash world 36 00:02:44,165 --> 00:02:47,885 Speaker 1: of smuggling, And following the biggest triumph of my dad's 37 00:02:47,885 --> 00:02:53,365 Speaker 1: career came the biggest ripoff of his life. I'm Rainbow 38 00:02:53,405 --> 00:03:13,605 Speaker 1: Valentine and this is disorganized crime smuggler's daughter rolling the douving, young, 39 00:03:13,725 --> 00:03:22,005 Speaker 1: free and groovy, making it up. We rolled along, rolling 40 00:03:22,085 --> 00:03:29,125 Speaker 1: along far out the country, roll he rag in the 41 00:03:29,205 --> 00:03:37,485 Speaker 1: Golden ganging York State, making it up as we roll along? 42 00:03:44,805 --> 00:03:48,885 Speaker 1: Did mom just leave? How do I know how many 43 00:03:48,885 --> 00:03:53,485 Speaker 1: things come? I'm coming up around here? Will you join 44 00:03:53,605 --> 00:03:56,325 Speaker 1: us for them? With your key for the stories about Arlados? 45 00:03:57,925 --> 00:04:00,485 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty six, my dad is rolling along in 46 00:04:00,525 --> 00:04:04,605 Speaker 1: his cross country smuggling enterprise, and his personal silk road 47 00:04:04,805 --> 00:04:09,125 Speaker 1: is a well oiled machine. He's honed his skills accomplishing 48 00:04:09,245 --> 00:04:13,045 Speaker 1: smuggling success with his handful of trusted colleagues in Marin 49 00:04:13,125 --> 00:04:17,125 Speaker 1: County in New York. Most Saturdays, he takes me and 50 00:04:17,165 --> 00:04:19,765 Speaker 1: my little brother to the grown Ups Mill Valley baseball 51 00:04:19,805 --> 00:04:22,525 Speaker 1: game at the foot of Mount tam and the Crisp 52 00:04:22,645 --> 00:04:26,005 Speaker 1: Marine Air the ball game I mentioned in episode one 53 00:04:26,485 --> 00:04:29,405 Speaker 1: when I learned that most of the players were coincidentally 54 00:04:29,565 --> 00:04:36,805 Speaker 1: also smugglers. Now this game is where fun and business converge. 55 00:04:38,045 --> 00:04:40,485 Speaker 1: During these ball games, my dad gets friendly with a 56 00:04:40,525 --> 00:04:44,485 Speaker 1: player we're calling baseball. A sparkly, cheerful art and theater 57 00:04:44,685 --> 00:04:47,845 Speaker 1: enthusiast working in the same trade as my dad, but 58 00:04:47,925 --> 00:04:52,725 Speaker 1: a different scene. Now, baseball has around thirty thousand pounds 59 00:04:52,725 --> 00:04:55,725 Speaker 1: of Mexican pot coming in and needs some people to 60 00:04:55,805 --> 00:04:59,405 Speaker 1: distribute it. Also, by the way, Baseball is the smuggler 61 00:04:59,445 --> 00:05:02,805 Speaker 1: who coined the term savings them loam the smugglers bank. 62 00:05:03,365 --> 00:05:08,405 Speaker 1: He told me about this trip, it was I'm in 63 00:05:08,485 --> 00:05:14,045 Speaker 1: a huge load of Mexican came in. You know, well, 64 00:05:14,245 --> 00:05:19,125 Speaker 1: twenty five thirty thousand pounds. That that's big. Yeah, that's 65 00:05:19,245 --> 00:05:22,925 Speaker 1: that's big. So my dad teams up with Baseball as 66 00:05:22,965 --> 00:05:26,365 Speaker 1: one of his distributors and over six months smuggles over 67 00:05:26,485 --> 00:05:30,285 Speaker 1: one third of Baseball's thirty thousand pounds of Mexican pot. 68 00:05:31,485 --> 00:05:34,725 Speaker 1: My East Coast guy says, yeah, I think we can 69 00:05:35,605 --> 00:05:39,165 Speaker 1: do a lot of this back east. We're using the 70 00:05:39,205 --> 00:05:43,325 Speaker 1: biggest rental truck you can rent, twenty four footers and 71 00:05:43,645 --> 00:05:46,765 Speaker 1: filling it with a time at a time, because there 72 00:05:46,805 --> 00:05:48,805 Speaker 1: was really a lot of it. Part of my dad's 73 00:05:48,885 --> 00:05:52,365 Speaker 1: job on all of his tricks, particularly bigger ones like this, 74 00:05:52,725 --> 00:05:57,085 Speaker 1: was quality control. Raised by a professional art critic, My 75 00:05:57,165 --> 00:06:01,125 Speaker 1: dad is a discerning connoisseur of everything, including pot, and 76 00:06:01,165 --> 00:06:05,365 Speaker 1: he preferred to distribute quality pot. Now, according to my dad, 77 00:06:05,725 --> 00:06:09,405 Speaker 1: great weed is aromatic, not full of shake or seeds 78 00:06:09,685 --> 00:06:14,125 Speaker 1: and comes in loose, fluffy bales, not firm pressed bricks. 79 00:06:14,765 --> 00:06:16,965 Speaker 1: When you get that big, you've got to separate the 80 00:06:17,045 --> 00:06:20,565 Speaker 1: good stuff from the mediocre stuff from the shitty shake. 81 00:06:21,045 --> 00:06:26,285 Speaker 1: So after running out of all the good stuff, there 82 00:06:26,285 --> 00:06:29,365 Speaker 1: were two other levels, and I remember doing one deal 83 00:06:29,445 --> 00:06:35,805 Speaker 1: locally with the low level stuff and the guy bought 84 00:06:35,965 --> 00:06:39,685 Speaker 1: five hundred pounds for cash, and I made a hundred 85 00:06:39,725 --> 00:06:43,005 Speaker 1: bucks a pound on it. So in one two hour segment, 86 00:06:43,885 --> 00:06:47,845 Speaker 1: I made fifty grand. Holy yeah, which was coold. This 87 00:06:47,925 --> 00:06:51,565 Speaker 1: trip with Baseball is the most successful of my dad's 88 00:06:51,605 --> 00:06:54,605 Speaker 1: twenty two years in smuggling, and he says it's the 89 00:06:54,645 --> 00:06:57,885 Speaker 1: happiest story of his career, from the excellent colleagues he 90 00:06:57,925 --> 00:07:01,285 Speaker 1: worked with, to the slickness of the operation and how 91 00:07:01,365 --> 00:07:05,965 Speaker 1: much money he ended up making. To give you a perspective, Divonne, 92 00:07:06,005 --> 00:07:09,445 Speaker 1: the whole trip I ended up over six months selling 93 00:07:09,605 --> 00:07:14,925 Speaker 1: thirteen thousand pounds, which was the biggest trip I had 94 00:07:14,965 --> 00:07:17,725 Speaker 1: ever done, and it was so comfortable and easy. We 95 00:07:17,765 --> 00:07:23,605 Speaker 1: got into this regular flow which was fabulous and and 96 00:07:24,005 --> 00:07:27,725 Speaker 1: didn't really have competition because we were one of the 97 00:07:28,165 --> 00:07:31,205 Speaker 1: two big distributors of the whole thing, and they just 98 00:07:31,285 --> 00:07:34,125 Speaker 1: loved it, and we were easy to deal with, and 99 00:07:34,645 --> 00:07:38,525 Speaker 1: we through that period of time we made about seven 100 00:07:38,605 --> 00:07:42,645 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty thousand dollars in cash. Seven hundred and 101 00:07:42,645 --> 00:07:46,605 Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars in nineteen eighty six is worth over 102 00:07:46,765 --> 00:07:51,525 Speaker 1: one point seven million dollars in today's money. By the way, 103 00:07:51,565 --> 00:07:54,285 Speaker 1: this is the seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in 104 00:07:54,365 --> 00:07:58,045 Speaker 1: cash my dad absurdly laundered in socks in episode six. 105 00:07:59,325 --> 00:08:02,445 Speaker 1: So to celebrate the success of the trip, my family 106 00:08:02,445 --> 00:08:06,085 Speaker 1: went on a fancy vacation to Barbados. We went holidays 107 00:08:06,205 --> 00:08:10,885 Speaker 1: fairly regularly to Caabo, Saint Lucas, Hawaii, Yllapa, a remote 108 00:08:10,925 --> 00:08:15,045 Speaker 1: Mexican destination for psychedelic pioneers and hippies. I see a 109 00:08:15,085 --> 00:08:19,205 Speaker 1: pattern now. We usually vacationed in between trips with family 110 00:08:19,245 --> 00:08:22,965 Speaker 1: friends who, of course, it turns out we're also pot smugglers. 111 00:08:24,045 --> 00:08:26,165 Speaker 1: So we had a vacation. Yeah, yeah, we had a 112 00:08:26,405 --> 00:08:30,085 Speaker 1: which was really abraded. Yeah, we did. We celebrated. So 113 00:08:30,165 --> 00:08:33,845 Speaker 1: we booked this villa in Barbados for ten days. It 114 00:08:33,885 --> 00:08:37,165 Speaker 1: was I don't know, six bedrooms, and it had a pool, 115 00:08:37,245 --> 00:08:40,445 Speaker 1: and it had a chauffeur and a maid and a 116 00:08:40,565 --> 00:08:45,205 Speaker 1: cook and a just a whole several people who were 117 00:08:45,285 --> 00:08:49,205 Speaker 1: always there working or would take you anywhere, or would 118 00:08:49,205 --> 00:08:52,365 Speaker 1: do anything. And it wasn't on the water. It was 119 00:08:52,445 --> 00:08:55,725 Speaker 1: up on the hill above town and we went there 120 00:08:55,765 --> 00:08:59,405 Speaker 1: for Thanksgiving. We're eating flying fish every day, fried fish. 121 00:08:59,445 --> 00:09:02,125 Speaker 1: It was delicious. Right, we had the flying fish, and 122 00:09:02,205 --> 00:09:05,845 Speaker 1: so they would bring in fresh fish that was good. 123 00:09:05,925 --> 00:09:08,805 Speaker 1: Who was delicious? It was amazing. I'll never forget this 124 00:09:08,845 --> 00:09:13,805 Speaker 1: trip one because of its grandeur, but also it coincided 125 00:09:13,885 --> 00:09:17,605 Speaker 1: with the appearance of Haley's Comet, only visible to the 126 00:09:17,685 --> 00:09:21,805 Speaker 1: naked eye every seventy five to seventy six years. So 127 00:09:21,845 --> 00:09:25,485 Speaker 1: do you remember seeing Haley's commet at Narvators? Do you 128 00:09:25,485 --> 00:09:29,285 Speaker 1: remember that we watched it right one one night by 129 00:09:29,325 --> 00:09:32,085 Speaker 1: the people by the pool of the big right, which 130 00:09:32,125 --> 00:09:35,605 Speaker 1: was next to the polo field. That was that big 131 00:09:35,805 --> 00:09:39,165 Speaker 1: grass thing was a polo field next to them, next 132 00:09:39,165 --> 00:09:43,925 Speaker 1: to that long pool. Haley's Comet has been recorded since 133 00:09:44,005 --> 00:09:48,085 Speaker 1: ancient times and in civilizations around the world, and has 134 00:09:48,125 --> 00:09:52,645 Speaker 1: been associated with both good and bad omens, perhaps a 135 00:09:52,725 --> 00:09:58,925 Speaker 1: foreshadowing of my family's approaching hardships. This family vacation was 136 00:09:58,965 --> 00:10:02,965 Speaker 1: the last time we celebrated a successful trip. The last 137 00:10:02,965 --> 00:10:07,445 Speaker 1: time my dad splurged on decadence and the last time 138 00:10:07,485 --> 00:10:12,045 Speaker 1: money came easily, it was the end of my family's 139 00:10:12,085 --> 00:10:17,245 Speaker 1: monetary wealth and cushy lifestyle. Of course, my dad didn't 140 00:10:17,245 --> 00:10:20,205 Speaker 1: know that yet, nor did he know that he was 141 00:10:20,245 --> 00:10:23,885 Speaker 1: about to make one of the worst judgment calls of 142 00:10:23,965 --> 00:10:27,645 Speaker 1: his life. I'm Rainbow Valentine, and this is disorganized crime. 143 00:10:28,205 --> 00:10:40,045 Speaker 1: We'll be right back. So before getting into my dad's 144 00:10:40,085 --> 00:10:44,645 Speaker 1: big financial misstep, let's go back to the Reagans. With 145 00:10:44,805 --> 00:10:47,925 Speaker 1: the passage of Reagan's Drug Abuse Act, the stress of 146 00:10:47,925 --> 00:10:52,925 Speaker 1: my parents double lives was compounding. The Just Say No 147 00:10:53,125 --> 00:10:58,805 Speaker 1: campaign flooded radios, TVs, and billboards across the country. I 148 00:10:58,925 --> 00:11:02,845 Speaker 1: reached back out to Dennis McNally, our official counterculture historian, 149 00:11:03,245 --> 00:11:06,285 Speaker 1: to talk about the Reagans and just say now to 150 00:11:06,365 --> 00:11:11,045 Speaker 1: understand the Reagans. So it's important to go back a 151 00:11:11,045 --> 00:11:15,925 Speaker 1: little bit. In nineteen sixty six, he ran for a 152 00:11:16,125 --> 00:11:22,245 Speaker 1: governor of California, and he ran, in various subtle ways, 153 00:11:23,165 --> 00:11:29,005 Speaker 1: on a platform attacking the students at Berkeley who had 154 00:11:29,005 --> 00:11:31,885 Speaker 1: had the free speech movement in nineteen sixty four. He 155 00:11:32,005 --> 00:11:36,085 Speaker 1: conflated the students at cal Berkeley with hippies and said 156 00:11:36,125 --> 00:11:42,085 Speaker 1: that his famous line was that hippies were like, let's say, 157 00:11:42,125 --> 00:11:47,005 Speaker 1: they had hair like Jane, talked like Tarzan, and smelled 158 00:11:47,045 --> 00:11:51,765 Speaker 1: like the chimp with a cheetah or whatever it was called. Secondly, 159 00:11:52,485 --> 00:11:58,245 Speaker 1: he attacked He ran an anti black campaign against the 160 00:11:58,365 --> 00:12:02,125 Speaker 1: people who had rioted at the Watts riots in nineteen 161 00:12:02,165 --> 00:12:07,165 Speaker 1: sixty five, and that is of what got him elected. 162 00:12:07,885 --> 00:12:11,605 Speaker 1: This is the platform that got Reagan elected California governor 163 00:12:11,645 --> 00:12:16,365 Speaker 1: in the sixties and US President in nineteen eighty. Nancy 164 00:12:16,405 --> 00:12:25,885 Speaker 1: Reagan had these extreme pretensions to the real social upper class, 165 00:12:25,885 --> 00:12:31,325 Speaker 1: to the the you know, the old money that in 166 00:12:31,325 --> 00:12:34,765 Speaker 1: some way still still runs America, and one of the 167 00:12:34,805 --> 00:12:37,445 Speaker 1: other And one of the side effects of that and 168 00:12:37,605 --> 00:12:41,645 Speaker 1: the holding over from his opposition to cal Berkeley and 169 00:12:41,685 --> 00:12:46,445 Speaker 1: the free speech movement, was just saying no. The the 170 00:12:46,965 --> 00:12:50,645 Speaker 1: impact of just saying no was simply to lump all 171 00:12:50,805 --> 00:12:55,645 Speaker 1: drugs together, and so anybody that had anything to do 172 00:12:55,685 --> 00:12:59,045 Speaker 1: with drugs, no matter what the drug, was going to 173 00:13:00,045 --> 00:13:03,645 Speaker 1: get as much time as the judges could figure out 174 00:13:03,645 --> 00:13:10,525 Speaker 1: to give them. Simply it harshed everything you didn't want 175 00:13:10,525 --> 00:13:13,325 Speaker 1: to get caught much of. Just say no and The 176 00:13:13,405 --> 00:13:16,605 Speaker 1: Anti Drug Abuse Act was targeted at crack and cocaine, 177 00:13:17,005 --> 00:13:20,565 Speaker 1: but as Dennis said, all drugs and drug users were 178 00:13:20,645 --> 00:13:25,885 Speaker 1: lumped together as one melodramatic evil. The Anti Drug Abuse 179 00:13:25,925 --> 00:13:29,405 Speaker 1: Act of nineteen eighty six required a minimum sentence of 180 00:13:29,565 --> 00:13:33,765 Speaker 1: five years for drug offenses that involved one hundred kilos 181 00:13:33,805 --> 00:13:38,205 Speaker 1: of marijuana, plus a minimum sentence of ten years for 182 00:13:38,325 --> 00:13:43,685 Speaker 1: drug offenses that involved one thousand kilos of marijuana. Now 183 00:13:44,005 --> 00:13:47,925 Speaker 1: one hundred kilos is roughly two hundred and twenty pounds. 184 00:13:48,645 --> 00:13:52,445 Speaker 1: A thousand kilos of pot is over two thousand, two 185 00:13:52,565 --> 00:13:56,685 Speaker 1: hundred pounds. With the thirteen thousand pounds my dad had 186 00:13:56,725 --> 00:14:00,325 Speaker 1: just smuggled, he could have been sentenced to decades under 187 00:14:00,365 --> 00:14:10,565 Speaker 1: the new law. So one thing we've done this season 188 00:14:10,885 --> 00:14:14,845 Speaker 1: is show the fun side of disorganized crime, because my 189 00:14:14,925 --> 00:14:17,965 Speaker 1: mom and dad remember their past truly with the glass 190 00:14:18,005 --> 00:14:21,965 Speaker 1: half full. They're fun and funny people, and there's always 191 00:14:21,965 --> 00:14:29,125 Speaker 1: a ridiculous twist to their stories. That was totally interesting mom, 192 00:14:29,285 --> 00:14:33,325 Speaker 1: Because my mom and I recently visited with one of 193 00:14:33,325 --> 00:14:36,965 Speaker 1: her old girlfriends whose brothers were busted and I'm gonna 194 00:14:37,045 --> 00:14:41,205 Speaker 1: drive home. My mom began having revelations. Um, you said 195 00:14:41,245 --> 00:14:43,725 Speaker 1: you had a plan B. What was your plan B? 196 00:14:43,885 --> 00:14:46,405 Speaker 1: I'll have to remember, you know I had passed sports 197 00:14:46,645 --> 00:14:50,685 Speaker 1: and to go to just gonna go to Europe. You 198 00:14:50,765 --> 00:14:56,005 Speaker 1: know you could do that then because there was no 199 00:14:56,125 --> 00:15:01,245 Speaker 1: day trouble. Did you have like passports and different names? Yeah, 200 00:15:02,085 --> 00:15:06,845 Speaker 1: different names made the past the sky that I knew 201 00:15:06,885 --> 00:15:11,045 Speaker 1: here was like this really sleazy counterfeter. Oh my god, 202 00:15:11,645 --> 00:15:17,285 Speaker 1: where are those passports now? Oh? We burned everything, you know, 203 00:15:17,845 --> 00:15:21,965 Speaker 1: way long time ago. You burned it. We didn't sell them. 204 00:15:21,765 --> 00:15:28,645 Speaker 1: They'd evaporated somehow, you know, the evaporated. That's not possible. 205 00:15:29,205 --> 00:15:33,805 Speaker 1: That's one of our terms for losing. It's evaporated. So 206 00:15:33,845 --> 00:15:36,925 Speaker 1: this podcast has brought up a lot of repressed memories 207 00:15:36,965 --> 00:15:40,485 Speaker 1: and emotions within my parents. That was cathartic for my 208 00:15:40,565 --> 00:15:43,205 Speaker 1: mom to remember. She'd suppressed a ton of fear and 209 00:15:43,365 --> 00:15:47,445 Speaker 1: stress over the years, raising kids and hiding the business. 210 00:15:48,205 --> 00:15:50,365 Speaker 1: She told me more while she was watering in the garden, 211 00:15:51,245 --> 00:15:54,965 Speaker 1: the stress of being Yeah, but I was trading a dune. 212 00:15:55,965 --> 00:16:01,325 Speaker 1: I would I'd rather be comfortable than in poverty and 213 00:16:01,605 --> 00:16:04,445 Speaker 1: have to keep my mouth shut. I'd rather be comfortable 214 00:16:04,485 --> 00:16:08,445 Speaker 1: and have another I doned it once with her doctor. 215 00:16:08,565 --> 00:16:10,685 Speaker 1: My mom just revealed what was going on at the house. 216 00:16:10,965 --> 00:16:13,685 Speaker 1: It was too stressful to hold it in. I don't 217 00:16:13,685 --> 00:16:16,165 Speaker 1: know something about it. I just like blurted it out, 218 00:16:16,285 --> 00:16:20,085 Speaker 1: like we are so much weighted around. It's just, you know, 219 00:16:20,765 --> 00:16:24,525 Speaker 1: there's a hundred pounds in the basement. I'm freaking out, 220 00:16:24,525 --> 00:16:27,645 Speaker 1: and he said, oh, that's what's going on. It's hard 221 00:16:27,645 --> 00:16:31,525 Speaker 1: to keep secrets. I'm trying to think if there's any 222 00:16:31,605 --> 00:16:35,925 Speaker 1: girlfriends that knew my secrets. I don't know. I couldn't 223 00:16:35,965 --> 00:16:38,045 Speaker 1: talk to a therapist around her. That can't keep any 224 00:16:38,165 --> 00:16:44,565 Speaker 1: secrets from moving. Under the Reagan administration, people were getting 225 00:16:44,605 --> 00:16:48,405 Speaker 1: busted for pot and going to jail in alarming numbers 226 00:16:48,605 --> 00:16:52,925 Speaker 1: because cannabis laws were draconian. In nineteen eighty eight, the 227 00:16:53,005 --> 00:16:57,165 Speaker 1: Anti Drug Abuse Act was enhanced, which doubled down on 228 00:16:57,245 --> 00:17:01,325 Speaker 1: policies to create a drug free America. As a result 229 00:17:01,365 --> 00:17:04,925 Speaker 1: of these laws and the impact on the drug smuggling community, 230 00:17:05,605 --> 00:17:11,125 Speaker 1: my parents were under enormous stress, more stress than ever before, 231 00:17:11,885 --> 00:17:16,005 Speaker 1: and according to scientific research, stress and decision making are 232 00:17:16,045 --> 00:17:20,205 Speaker 1: a terrible combination. To understand this further, I called my 233 00:17:20,285 --> 00:17:25,845 Speaker 1: dad's friend, psychiatrist and neuroplasticity expert, doctor Michael H. Moscowitz. 234 00:17:26,365 --> 00:17:28,725 Speaker 1: Now he's been working in public health and medicine for 235 00:17:28,805 --> 00:17:31,765 Speaker 1: almost forty years. I used to babysit his kids when 236 00:17:31,765 --> 00:17:33,885 Speaker 1: I was a teenager driving to my job, and the 237 00:17:33,965 --> 00:17:37,245 Speaker 1: car given to me when I turned sixteen a giant 238 00:17:37,365 --> 00:17:41,565 Speaker 1: American former pot smuggling boot of a vehicle. I was 239 00:17:41,565 --> 00:17:44,445 Speaker 1: so embarrassed to drive it. So, you know, it's interesting 240 00:17:44,485 --> 00:17:47,685 Speaker 1: because you know, the effects we see in people's behaviors 241 00:17:48,205 --> 00:17:54,685 Speaker 1: is that they become less effective in problem solving, planning, 242 00:17:55,125 --> 00:18:00,485 Speaker 1: executive function, all those types of things. And that means 243 00:18:00,525 --> 00:18:02,925 Speaker 1: that when people are stressed, they're going to make mistakes. 244 00:18:03,565 --> 00:18:06,485 Speaker 1: They're going to say and do things that they don't 245 00:18:06,525 --> 00:18:08,845 Speaker 1: really mean, but then now they have to own them. 246 00:18:09,085 --> 00:18:14,005 Speaker 1: They're they're going to really not function at in an 247 00:18:14,005 --> 00:18:20,805 Speaker 1: optimal way. But when that when that stressful chemistry gets 248 00:18:20,845 --> 00:18:24,125 Speaker 1: trapped in that area of the brain, it shuts off 249 00:18:24,165 --> 00:18:25,725 Speaker 1: the other parts of the brain that we use to 250 00:18:25,765 --> 00:18:28,605 Speaker 1: reason and do other things so that we can make 251 00:18:28,605 --> 00:18:30,325 Speaker 1: a decision to do what has to be done and 252 00:18:30,405 --> 00:18:32,685 Speaker 1: not weigh it over and think about it and run 253 00:18:32,725 --> 00:18:36,125 Speaker 1: it through a lot of different processes. What about What 254 00:18:36,165 --> 00:18:41,725 Speaker 1: are your thoughts on people making financial decisions in stressful times, well, 255 00:18:42,085 --> 00:18:44,925 Speaker 1: you know, if you can avoid it, you should avoid it. Unfortunately, 256 00:18:45,245 --> 00:18:48,045 Speaker 1: those decisions sometimes come up and force themselves on people. 257 00:18:48,325 --> 00:18:51,165 Speaker 1: I would say in that circumstance, it would be great 258 00:18:51,205 --> 00:18:53,885 Speaker 1: if people just kind of stepped back before they made 259 00:18:53,885 --> 00:18:57,445 Speaker 1: those decisions, did some deep breathing, if they knew meditation, 260 00:18:57,525 --> 00:19:00,525 Speaker 1: to meditate a little bit, just really try to get 261 00:19:00,565 --> 00:19:04,045 Speaker 1: themselves calm down and slow everything down before they make 262 00:19:04,085 --> 00:19:07,445 Speaker 1: those decisions, because the fireworks going off in their brain 263 00:19:07,565 --> 00:19:09,525 Speaker 1: is really going to make it hard for them to 264 00:19:09,565 --> 00:19:15,045 Speaker 1: make a decision that's rational and will hold up. Yeah. Awesome. 265 00:19:15,085 --> 00:19:18,605 Speaker 1: I read that in the Psychologist, one of the journals, 266 00:19:18,685 --> 00:19:23,485 Speaker 1: that they discovered people when under stress sort of ignore 267 00:19:23,525 --> 00:19:26,525 Speaker 1: the negative outcomes of a situation and focus on the 268 00:19:26,525 --> 00:19:30,125 Speaker 1: positive outcomes. Yeah, it's true, and it's one of those 269 00:19:30,165 --> 00:19:33,005 Speaker 1: things that involves in a bunch of different chemistry in 270 00:19:33,045 --> 00:19:35,685 Speaker 1: the brain and different regions of the brain that are 271 00:19:35,725 --> 00:19:39,765 Speaker 1: being lit up and set off. We have a reward 272 00:19:39,885 --> 00:19:43,085 Speaker 1: center deep in our brain that is good on most things, 273 00:19:43,125 --> 00:19:46,085 Speaker 1: but when people are in a stressful situation, it tends 274 00:19:46,125 --> 00:19:50,045 Speaker 1: to shift over to more addictive and compulsive behaviors than 275 00:19:50,125 --> 00:19:54,845 Speaker 1: healthy ones. So feeling stressed changes how people weigh risk 276 00:19:54,965 --> 00:19:58,645 Speaker 1: and reward. When under stress, people pay more attention to 277 00:19:58,685 --> 00:20:03,045 Speaker 1: the upside of a possible outcome. The research found stress 278 00:20:03,365 --> 00:20:06,045 Speaker 1: makes people focus on the way things could go right 279 00:20:06,405 --> 00:20:09,685 Speaker 1: instead of wrong, and start paying more attention to the 280 00:20:09,805 --> 00:20:16,605 Speaker 1: positive information and discounting negative information. So when stressed out 281 00:20:16,605 --> 00:20:20,125 Speaker 1: people are making a difficult decision, they may pay more 282 00:20:20,165 --> 00:20:25,165 Speaker 1: attention to the upsides and less to the downsides. So 283 00:20:25,205 --> 00:20:27,885 Speaker 1: that is perhaps why my dad ends up putting his 284 00:20:27,965 --> 00:20:32,085 Speaker 1: trust in the unscrupulous hands of the wrong person. Stresses 285 00:20:32,125 --> 00:20:35,645 Speaker 1: one factor. Also, my dad's rising star could have made 286 00:20:35,725 --> 00:20:42,165 Speaker 1: him feel invincible, regardless who knows, but que the Green Beret, 287 00:20:44,285 --> 00:20:47,325 Speaker 1: I'm Rainbow Valentine and this is disorganized crime. We'll be 288 00:20:47,405 --> 00:21:02,285 Speaker 1: right back. So after we return from the family vacation 289 00:21:02,325 --> 00:21:06,045 Speaker 1: to Barbadoes, my dad feels a lot of rusher to 290 00:21:06,165 --> 00:21:10,245 Speaker 1: clean his money, so he buys some wine his money 291 00:21:10,285 --> 00:21:13,525 Speaker 1: laundering investment of choice, but he's on the lookout for 292 00:21:13,605 --> 00:21:18,485 Speaker 1: other investment opportunities because seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars 293 00:21:18,845 --> 00:21:22,445 Speaker 1: is a lot of money to launder? Is this the 294 00:21:22,485 --> 00:21:27,805 Speaker 1: most cash you've ever had? My own? Yeah, my own 295 00:21:27,925 --> 00:21:31,125 Speaker 1: and stashing what do I do with it? How do 296 00:21:31,205 --> 00:21:34,645 Speaker 1: I launder this money? Among other things. Yeah, back then, 297 00:21:34,725 --> 00:21:37,205 Speaker 1: so I'm feeling, oh my god, I've got all this money. 298 00:21:37,205 --> 00:21:39,125 Speaker 1: I've got to do something with it. I don't know 299 00:21:39,165 --> 00:21:42,885 Speaker 1: why I felt so pressed to do anything with it, 300 00:21:43,005 --> 00:21:46,485 Speaker 1: but just be for a while. I was thinking too 301 00:21:46,885 --> 00:21:53,845 Speaker 1: quickly and not just appreciating being where I was. I 302 00:21:53,965 --> 00:21:58,245 Speaker 1: met some one of your classmates fathers one day in 303 00:21:58,285 --> 00:22:02,125 Speaker 1: a carpool. This is the Beret, the Green Beret, the 304 00:22:02,205 --> 00:22:06,245 Speaker 1: Green Beret, and he was driving to Mercedes, I think 305 00:22:06,645 --> 00:22:09,405 Speaker 1: at the time. And I made up with this guy 306 00:22:09,525 --> 00:22:17,645 Speaker 1: who who starts to smooth talk me. And I'm gonna 307 00:22:17,645 --> 00:22:19,925 Speaker 1: need a break here first before I get into this. Yeah, 308 00:22:19,925 --> 00:22:25,885 Speaker 1: that's a rough story. Yeah, take a break for a minute. Now. 309 00:22:25,925 --> 00:22:29,005 Speaker 1: This story is challenging for my dad to tell. He's 310 00:22:29,045 --> 00:22:32,525 Speaker 1: still angry about it towards the Green Beret, but also 311 00:22:32,725 --> 00:22:37,765 Speaker 1: towards himself, because, as he sees it, his unfortunate financial 312 00:22:37,885 --> 00:22:43,565 Speaker 1: choice put his family in jeopardy and everything on the line. 313 00:22:44,445 --> 00:22:48,405 Speaker 1: So let's go back to the beginning. It all started 314 00:22:48,525 --> 00:22:51,885 Speaker 1: when I made a new friend. When I was in 315 00:22:51,925 --> 00:22:56,045 Speaker 1: fourth grade. A new girl joined our class, an only child. 316 00:22:56,405 --> 00:22:59,885 Speaker 1: She lived with her glamorous mom, who wore sparkly makeup 317 00:23:00,005 --> 00:23:03,645 Speaker 1: every day, unlike most of the artsy hippie moms who 318 00:23:03,685 --> 00:23:08,845 Speaker 1: only wore makeup on special occasions. By fifth grade, I 319 00:23:08,925 --> 00:23:11,485 Speaker 1: became good friends with the new Girl, and her single 320 00:23:11,525 --> 00:23:16,005 Speaker 1: mom's townhouse became a favorite slumber party location. We didn't 321 00:23:16,005 --> 00:23:18,525 Speaker 1: have to share the TV with any siblings. She lived 322 00:23:18,525 --> 00:23:20,805 Speaker 1: near the mall, which we were allowed to explore on 323 00:23:20,805 --> 00:23:23,445 Speaker 1: our own, and her mom would get us junk food 324 00:23:23,925 --> 00:23:26,765 Speaker 1: that none of the hippie moms would ever consider. The 325 00:23:26,885 --> 00:23:30,165 Speaker 1: New Girl was super fun, kind and joyful, and she 326 00:23:30,285 --> 00:23:33,005 Speaker 1: loved giving everyone makeovers and crimping her hair with her 327 00:23:33,045 --> 00:23:38,085 Speaker 1: cool eighties crimping iron. I'll call her Chipmunk. Eventually, Chipmunk's gruff, 328 00:23:38,165 --> 00:23:41,565 Speaker 1: sunglass wearing, chain smoking dad moved to the area, and 329 00:23:41,685 --> 00:23:44,965 Speaker 1: Chipmunks split her time between her parents' condos. This was 330 00:23:45,005 --> 00:23:48,885 Speaker 1: the green beret. You got your third cup of coffee 331 00:23:48,885 --> 00:23:53,405 Speaker 1: for this one. Hu. I was making a lot of 332 00:23:53,605 --> 00:23:59,685 Speaker 1: money fairly quickly and regularly, so I sort of was 333 00:24:00,045 --> 00:24:05,325 Speaker 1: now on the lookout for where to put it, like 334 00:24:05,525 --> 00:24:09,285 Speaker 1: I needed to put it anywhere other than where I 335 00:24:09,325 --> 00:24:13,325 Speaker 1: should have left it. We had run into each other somehow, 336 00:24:13,445 --> 00:24:17,525 Speaker 1: so what I remember more than anything, you know, I 337 00:24:17,525 --> 00:24:21,005 Speaker 1: don't remember what we talked about, other than to say 338 00:24:21,485 --> 00:24:24,365 Speaker 1: he said to me, I'll show you how to make 339 00:24:24,445 --> 00:24:28,685 Speaker 1: real money. Chipmunk's dad was also not an artsy hippie. 340 00:24:28,725 --> 00:24:32,085 Speaker 1: He said he'd once been a Special Forces operative, hence 341 00:24:32,085 --> 00:24:35,445 Speaker 1: the alias square and stocky. He looked like a meaty 342 00:24:35,525 --> 00:24:40,525 Speaker 1: Germanic refrigerator, and he constantly smoked cigarettes, which was unusual 343 00:24:40,725 --> 00:24:46,205 Speaker 1: amongst my friend's parents. He always wore prescription sunglasses even inside. 344 00:24:46,485 --> 00:24:50,485 Speaker 1: His eyes were really visible, and unlike Chipmunk's vibrant mom, 345 00:24:50,845 --> 00:24:54,445 Speaker 1: he didn't seem to like kids. He was imposing, grumpy 346 00:24:54,525 --> 00:24:59,085 Speaker 1: and casually racist, stewing simmering in a miasma of cigarette smoke. 347 00:24:59,605 --> 00:25:02,125 Speaker 1: In retrospect, my dad and I realized he was kind 348 00:25:02,165 --> 00:25:05,885 Speaker 1: of like Derth Vader. He was eyes almost like. I think, 349 00:25:05,885 --> 00:25:08,245 Speaker 1: he had a vibe of like the dark, like Star 350 00:25:08,285 --> 00:25:14,205 Speaker 1: Wars dark Empire. Yeah, he was. He was hypnotic. He 351 00:25:14,725 --> 00:25:21,485 Speaker 1: was very Star Wars villain nat Yeah, why are people 352 00:25:21,525 --> 00:25:25,365 Speaker 1: all around Darth Vader doing his bidding now? However, even 353 00:25:25,405 --> 00:25:28,525 Speaker 1: though Chipmunk's dad definitely hadn't been a psychedelic pioneer, and 354 00:25:28,605 --> 00:25:32,765 Speaker 1: he wasn't remotely artsy or intellectual. He was a good talker, 355 00:25:33,445 --> 00:25:37,845 Speaker 1: a really good talker, and my dad and Chipmunk's dad 356 00:25:37,925 --> 00:25:42,605 Speaker 1: seemed to hit it off in some weird way. Soon 357 00:25:42,645 --> 00:25:45,885 Speaker 1: it appeared that they were doing business together. And just 358 00:25:45,965 --> 00:25:47,845 Speaker 1: like me and my friends didn't really know what my 359 00:25:47,965 --> 00:25:50,125 Speaker 1: dad did for a living, we also didn't know what 360 00:25:50,205 --> 00:25:53,325 Speaker 1: Chipmunk's dad did for a living. But it didn't matter 361 00:25:53,645 --> 00:25:57,005 Speaker 1: because we didn't care. We cared about the MTV Countdown, 362 00:25:57,085 --> 00:26:00,925 Speaker 1: sixteen candles and scoring craft macaroni and cheese, all of 363 00:26:00,965 --> 00:26:04,525 Speaker 1: which were provided at Chipmunk's house. And my dad doing 364 00:26:04,565 --> 00:26:08,125 Speaker 1: business with chipmunk Dad was great for me because Chipmunk 365 00:26:08,165 --> 00:26:10,925 Speaker 1: and I got to spend even more time together, which 366 00:26:11,005 --> 00:26:15,445 Speaker 1: was always super fun. Real estate, yeah, oh yeah, he 367 00:26:15,485 --> 00:26:22,525 Speaker 1: was doing development, he was doing deals. My parents have 368 00:26:22,645 --> 00:26:26,045 Speaker 1: explained to me what they understood the Green Beret's supposed 369 00:26:26,125 --> 00:26:30,285 Speaker 1: business ventures to be, and it's still somewhat confusing, which 370 00:26:30,325 --> 00:26:33,045 Speaker 1: is what he was aiming for. Here's my mom's take 371 00:26:33,085 --> 00:26:35,805 Speaker 1: on it. What kind of power did you see him? 372 00:26:35,845 --> 00:26:39,805 Speaker 1: How over dad? She could hypnotize people and assure them 373 00:26:39,845 --> 00:26:43,605 Speaker 1: that he was like divinely guided or something he was, 374 00:26:43,925 --> 00:26:47,925 Speaker 1: but he you know, in business like he knew and 375 00:26:48,005 --> 00:26:51,805 Speaker 1: you'd explained it's really weird schemes like and you wouldn't 376 00:26:51,885 --> 00:26:56,445 Speaker 1: understand what they were saying about, you know, different transactions 377 00:26:56,445 --> 00:26:59,125 Speaker 1: should do with the bank, because the bank was trying 378 00:26:59,165 --> 00:27:02,325 Speaker 1: to put him in person because he had gotten caught. 379 00:27:02,405 --> 00:27:07,205 Speaker 1: He why piece of pacy was in the perfect place 380 00:27:08,045 --> 00:27:11,845 Speaker 1: because he first he tugged at our heartstrings. Oh with 381 00:27:11,925 --> 00:27:15,805 Speaker 1: this bank trying to put him in jail, you know, 382 00:27:16,365 --> 00:27:19,885 Speaker 1: this bank thing, and so we believed him. He didn't 383 00:27:19,925 --> 00:27:26,485 Speaker 1: do anything. I think what the Greenberry scam was. You 384 00:27:26,565 --> 00:27:31,805 Speaker 1: would find a teetering company like that was having a 385 00:27:31,845 --> 00:27:36,845 Speaker 1: hard time getting funding, and he talked them into selling 386 00:27:36,845 --> 00:27:41,605 Speaker 1: it to him for a legal letter from the bank 387 00:27:41,685 --> 00:27:44,445 Speaker 1: saying they would back it. So they would have this 388 00:27:44,725 --> 00:27:47,445 Speaker 1: company on the Virgin collapse and do well with it. 389 00:27:48,485 --> 00:27:54,085 Speaker 1: They would find a naive investor like Walter, and then 390 00:27:54,405 --> 00:27:57,005 Speaker 1: he would just pump him up with like, oh, this 391 00:27:57,085 --> 00:28:00,645 Speaker 1: company can really do great because we have this company, 392 00:28:00,725 --> 00:28:02,845 Speaker 1: and then we have this rock company over here, and 393 00:28:02,885 --> 00:28:06,205 Speaker 1: this shock company here, and this floor X come there, 394 00:28:06,565 --> 00:28:10,245 Speaker 1: and we'll go squeeze shale for more oil and we'll 395 00:28:10,285 --> 00:28:13,565 Speaker 1: put them all together and there'll be a combination. So 396 00:28:13,725 --> 00:28:16,405 Speaker 1: you were caught up in you know, we would just 397 00:28:16,565 --> 00:28:19,845 Speaker 1: only be a part of a scam. It was all 398 00:28:19,885 --> 00:28:24,725 Speaker 1: a pyramid like weird pyramids. So Chipmunk's dad portrayed himself 399 00:28:24,765 --> 00:28:28,245 Speaker 1: as a big time developer with real estate opportunities across 400 00:28:28,245 --> 00:28:32,365 Speaker 1: the country, and he operated a confusing pyramid like scheme 401 00:28:32,605 --> 00:28:36,645 Speaker 1: scamming businesses and investors out of money. And he started 402 00:28:36,645 --> 00:28:40,165 Speaker 1: his scam by tugging at my trusting, empathetic parents hippie 403 00:28:40,205 --> 00:28:44,965 Speaker 1: heart strings. I spent months living in Palm Springs with 404 00:28:45,045 --> 00:28:50,205 Speaker 1: him off and on. In eighty six six. Yeah, I 405 00:28:50,285 --> 00:28:54,645 Speaker 1: was down there a lot trying to get this deal. 406 00:28:55,005 --> 00:28:59,045 Speaker 1: And again it was another deal of assets that had 407 00:28:59,085 --> 00:29:02,965 Speaker 1: been impossible to develop. But it was huge. I can't 408 00:29:03,005 --> 00:29:05,765 Speaker 1: remember how huge. I mean, could have been a couple 409 00:29:05,805 --> 00:29:09,845 Speaker 1: of million anchors. Holy Yeah. He was into mining in 410 00:29:09,885 --> 00:29:16,325 Speaker 1: Colorado at one point, and we were into mining in Mississippi. 411 00:29:16,885 --> 00:29:19,485 Speaker 1: We had some kind of a guy, I don't know 412 00:29:19,525 --> 00:29:24,085 Speaker 1: what it was, gravel or some such thing, among other things. 413 00:29:24,525 --> 00:29:28,245 Speaker 1: To assure his investors, e My dad, the Green Beret, 414 00:29:28,325 --> 00:29:31,725 Speaker 1: would hand over some of his own assets as collateral 415 00:29:32,445 --> 00:29:35,205 Speaker 1: for one of their deals. He handed over a supposed 416 00:29:35,325 --> 00:29:38,165 Speaker 1: Van Dyke painting to my parents. Now it may have 417 00:29:38,205 --> 00:29:41,725 Speaker 1: been authentic, but knowing now what we know about the 418 00:29:41,765 --> 00:29:45,005 Speaker 1: Green Beret, I can only assume if the Van Dyke 419 00:29:45,045 --> 00:29:48,485 Speaker 1: painting wasn't a forgery, it was stolen. There was a 420 00:29:48,565 --> 00:29:51,085 Speaker 1: time at which, like a fool, I even had in 421 00:29:51,165 --> 00:29:55,765 Speaker 1: my hands what was supposed to be a Van Dyke painting. 422 00:29:55,805 --> 00:30:00,205 Speaker 1: It's probably ten feet tall and I had I had 423 00:30:00,245 --> 00:30:04,805 Speaker 1: it in a specifically climate controlled locker in New York 424 00:30:05,525 --> 00:30:08,805 Speaker 1: that kept artwork. So he was into art, because I 425 00:30:08,805 --> 00:30:11,245 Speaker 1: thought he was into all sorts of He was into 426 00:30:11,285 --> 00:30:18,165 Speaker 1: anything that he could use leverage on. Basically, his deal 427 00:30:18,405 --> 00:30:22,485 Speaker 1: was to use assets that were not as valuable as 428 00:30:22,525 --> 00:30:27,525 Speaker 1: they could appear to be to leverage against loaning money. 429 00:30:27,645 --> 00:30:30,205 Speaker 1: Is what I think as I look back. He was 430 00:30:30,245 --> 00:30:34,045 Speaker 1: in any place he could scam where the dollar you know, 431 00:30:34,045 --> 00:30:37,445 Speaker 1: where the numbers were hitting seven or eight figures. The 432 00:30:37,485 --> 00:30:41,085 Speaker 1: Greenberret kept pitching my dad on enticing projects that he 433 00:30:41,205 --> 00:30:43,765 Speaker 1: promised would reap in a ton more money for my dad, 434 00:30:44,125 --> 00:30:49,005 Speaker 1: plus it would come back clean. So my dad, hypnotized 435 00:30:49,005 --> 00:30:53,285 Speaker 1: by the Greenberry's slick talk, and under immense stress, continue 436 00:30:53,325 --> 00:30:57,445 Speaker 1: to believe that positive outcomes would materialize, and Dad kept 437 00:30:57,445 --> 00:31:03,085 Speaker 1: investing in Chipmunk's dad's deceptions. He would suck it out slowly, 438 00:31:03,485 --> 00:31:07,525 Speaker 1: fifty grand at a time for one thing or another, 439 00:31:08,125 --> 00:31:14,125 Speaker 1: and it happened over a prolonged period of maybe a 440 00:31:14,205 --> 00:31:18,125 Speaker 1: year or more. After middle school, me and Chipmunk went 441 00:31:18,165 --> 00:31:20,725 Speaker 1: to the same private college prep high school in Marin. 442 00:31:21,125 --> 00:31:24,205 Speaker 1: It's the late eighties, and things start to go downhill 443 00:31:24,285 --> 00:31:27,805 Speaker 1: between our dads. At some point during my high school years, 444 00:31:27,925 --> 00:31:31,325 Speaker 1: my parents begin to hate the Green Beret, like really 445 00:31:31,365 --> 00:31:35,445 Speaker 1: loathe him. Clearly a business deal had gone wrong between them, 446 00:31:36,005 --> 00:31:40,685 Speaker 1: but I didn't know the details. After high school, Chipmunk 447 00:31:40,725 --> 00:31:43,725 Speaker 1: and I drifted apart, and while we reconnected in our 448 00:31:43,765 --> 00:31:47,445 Speaker 1: adult years on social media, were old friends rather than 449 00:31:47,525 --> 00:31:51,085 Speaker 1: close friends. Part of the reason is because I've always 450 00:31:51,125 --> 00:31:54,645 Speaker 1: known that her dad in some way stool money from 451 00:31:54,685 --> 00:31:58,645 Speaker 1: my dad. It was always a deal is going to 452 00:31:58,725 --> 00:32:03,845 Speaker 1: be closed Tuesday or Friday. That was the song. You 453 00:32:03,925 --> 00:32:08,165 Speaker 1: could almost make up a song about him called Tuesday 454 00:32:08,245 --> 00:32:13,645 Speaker 1: or Friday because next Tuesday we're gonna it's gonna close 455 00:32:13,805 --> 00:32:16,725 Speaker 1: and all this money is gonna go into it. I mean, 456 00:32:16,725 --> 00:32:21,845 Speaker 1: it was like it was this mantra, but I would 457 00:32:21,885 --> 00:32:25,365 Speaker 1: constantly bug him about deal. I mean I realized probably 458 00:32:25,525 --> 00:32:30,925 Speaker 1: I don't know, within the year obviously, but I stayed 459 00:32:30,925 --> 00:32:33,925 Speaker 1: in touch for years and years to you know, waiting 460 00:32:34,045 --> 00:32:38,245 Speaker 1: for the big hit. I don't know what I was hoping. 461 00:32:38,325 --> 00:32:40,925 Speaker 1: I mean, I really have trouble putting my head back 462 00:32:40,965 --> 00:32:44,925 Speaker 1: into that headspace now, because all I can the headspace 463 00:32:44,965 --> 00:32:49,405 Speaker 1: goes to what a dumb shit I was, you know, Okay, 464 00:32:49,445 --> 00:32:52,845 Speaker 1: I mean, why not one hundred grand and say enough already? 465 00:32:53,125 --> 00:32:58,685 Speaker 1: You know, it's so I can't even quite greed back 466 00:32:58,725 --> 00:33:02,165 Speaker 1: to greed. Did you make any money off of the 467 00:33:02,165 --> 00:33:06,285 Speaker 1: Green Beret money off of No? It was a one 468 00:33:06,325 --> 00:33:10,125 Speaker 1: way street all the way. The bigger the money, the 469 00:33:10,165 --> 00:33:20,445 Speaker 1: bigger the sharks. That's the nature of life, my gullible, 470 00:33:20,525 --> 00:33:26,365 Speaker 1: adrenaline junkie, money obsessed psychedelic pioneer Dad. His work in 471 00:33:26,365 --> 00:33:29,925 Speaker 1: the smuggling world was done primarily in good faith deals 472 00:33:29,965 --> 00:33:35,885 Speaker 1: done on handshakes between largely honest counterculture outlaws. So Dad 473 00:33:35,885 --> 00:33:39,045 Speaker 1: approached the street world to clean his money in the 474 00:33:39,125 --> 00:33:44,485 Speaker 1: same way, which ultimately was foolish because not everyone is 475 00:33:44,525 --> 00:33:49,965 Speaker 1: honorable and ethical. As Dad's attorney Bernie Siegel said, in 476 00:33:49,965 --> 00:33:53,925 Speaker 1: the late eighties. The quality of the criminal has gone downhill. 477 00:33:54,725 --> 00:33:57,485 Speaker 1: Now I understand Bernie was talking about people like the 478 00:33:57,525 --> 00:34:03,205 Speaker 1: Green Beret, a dishonest criminal and shameless con man, different 479 00:34:04,045 --> 00:34:07,765 Speaker 1: from a psychedelic outlaw. Was that paperwork between you? No? 480 00:34:08,645 --> 00:34:11,245 Speaker 1: What he knew? It's real simple. He knew that I 481 00:34:11,285 --> 00:34:16,245 Speaker 1: could never do anything to him because it was illegal money. 482 00:34:16,405 --> 00:34:19,645 Speaker 1: So he did you know your apostle work? Clearly, he 483 00:34:19,805 --> 00:34:22,605 Speaker 1: was clear about the fact that he could just continue 484 00:34:23,565 --> 00:34:26,405 Speaker 1: sucking money until I would stop giving it, and there 485 00:34:26,405 --> 00:34:28,645 Speaker 1: would be nothing I could do about it because I 486 00:34:28,685 --> 00:34:32,605 Speaker 1: couldn't go to the police. There was never closure, there 487 00:34:32,645 --> 00:34:36,325 Speaker 1: was never a fu No. He just sort of disappeared 488 00:34:36,365 --> 00:34:38,685 Speaker 1: and would never talk to me, you know. And if 489 00:34:38,685 --> 00:34:41,965 Speaker 1: I wanted to, I could chase him and find me easily, 490 00:34:42,965 --> 00:34:47,885 Speaker 1: But for what purpose to spit in his face? It 491 00:34:48,005 --> 00:34:52,805 Speaker 1: wasn't worth the energy. In total. My Dad ends up 492 00:34:52,845 --> 00:34:56,645 Speaker 1: giving the Green Beret five hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 493 00:34:57,365 --> 00:35:00,845 Speaker 1: Do you remember ever, like telling Dad not give any 494 00:35:00,845 --> 00:35:05,845 Speaker 1: more money to the Green Beret? Oh? Yeah. I went 495 00:35:05,845 --> 00:35:07,645 Speaker 1: over there one day and I said, don't you take 496 00:35:07,685 --> 00:35:11,805 Speaker 1: any more moneage from Walter. We're tapped out. Just leave 497 00:35:11,885 --> 00:35:14,645 Speaker 1: us alone. And then that afternoon Walter went over and 498 00:35:14,845 --> 00:35:19,965 Speaker 1: he the Green Beret, got Walter to sign over the 499 00:35:20,005 --> 00:35:26,285 Speaker 1: Standyke painting that was not our storage unit in New 500 00:35:26,365 --> 00:35:30,165 Speaker 1: York City. This painting is the collateral the Green Beret 501 00:35:30,165 --> 00:35:34,045 Speaker 1: had given to my dad, and my dad unfathomably gives 502 00:35:34,085 --> 00:35:36,765 Speaker 1: it back to him. It's like he was under Darth 503 00:35:36,845 --> 00:35:42,845 Speaker 1: Vader's power. It was like some kind of like weird 504 00:35:42,925 --> 00:35:48,045 Speaker 1: collateral they were moving around was a hot Vandyke painting 505 00:35:48,045 --> 00:35:50,725 Speaker 1: and I saw at once. We went to the storage 506 00:35:50,725 --> 00:35:53,365 Speaker 1: and saw it, and it was supposed to be, you know, 507 00:35:53,445 --> 00:35:57,685 Speaker 1: an asset for us in case they didn't pay us back. 508 00:35:58,925 --> 00:36:02,005 Speaker 1: So the Green Beret was like a conn man. He 509 00:36:02,205 --> 00:36:10,205 Speaker 1: was fast hered. Walter hippotas do his fitting. Okay, So 510 00:36:10,365 --> 00:36:13,445 Speaker 1: Reagan wants pot smokers and smugglers to rot in prison, 511 00:36:13,725 --> 00:36:18,365 Speaker 1: and my Dad's overburdened neurons are firing, causing him to 512 00:36:18,565 --> 00:36:23,445 Speaker 1: potentially focus solely on positive outcomes. The lucrative deals the 513 00:36:23,485 --> 00:36:28,645 Speaker 1: Green Barrat promises will close on Tuesday or Friday, resulting 514 00:36:28,645 --> 00:36:34,925 Speaker 1: in clean cash for our family to live on. So 515 00:36:35,125 --> 00:36:37,685 Speaker 1: my dad under the extreme stress of working in an 516 00:36:37,685 --> 00:36:41,765 Speaker 1: extremely high stakes business under attack from the federal government, 517 00:36:42,125 --> 00:36:46,885 Speaker 1: supporting a family of five trusted the wrong person, made 518 00:36:46,885 --> 00:36:50,925 Speaker 1: a bad decision and gave five hundred and fifty thousand 519 00:36:50,925 --> 00:36:53,685 Speaker 1: dollars to the Green Beret, believing he would be true 520 00:36:53,685 --> 00:36:56,565 Speaker 1: to his word, launder the money and return it to 521 00:36:56,605 --> 00:37:01,685 Speaker 1: my dad. Well, that never happened. Every good con man 522 00:37:01,765 --> 00:37:05,005 Speaker 1: has a great show. Just like my dad was excellent 523 00:37:05,045 --> 00:37:08,365 Speaker 1: at his job as a pot smuggler, the Green Beret 524 00:37:08,525 --> 00:37:12,285 Speaker 1: was excellent at his job as a first class a 525 00:37:12,565 --> 00:37:19,205 Speaker 1: one grifter and thief. Big wins are often accompanied by 526 00:37:19,245 --> 00:37:22,325 Speaker 1: big losses. Easy come, easy go. It's a cliche for 527 00:37:22,365 --> 00:37:26,605 Speaker 1: a reason. The grifter stole from the perfect victim, a 528 00:37:26,765 --> 00:37:30,125 Speaker 1: counterculture outlaw who couldn't go to the law for justice, 529 00:37:30,645 --> 00:37:35,205 Speaker 1: and he wouldn't stoop to violence. Shit happens and how 530 00:37:35,245 --> 00:37:38,205 Speaker 1: we deal with it and forms one's daily joy and contentment. 531 00:37:39,325 --> 00:37:42,205 Speaker 1: My parents are big on letting things go, not dwelling 532 00:37:42,245 --> 00:37:47,365 Speaker 1: on the past, focusing on the positive. Easier said than done. 533 00:37:48,925 --> 00:37:51,925 Speaker 1: After my dad loses five hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 534 00:37:52,325 --> 00:37:55,965 Speaker 1: my family begins our slide into a lower economic class, 535 00:37:56,805 --> 00:37:59,605 Speaker 1: and as the late eighties march into the early nineties, 536 00:37:59,965 --> 00:38:04,165 Speaker 1: Reagan pours a ton of money into the drug Enforcement administration, 537 00:38:04,805 --> 00:38:08,885 Speaker 1: and my dad colleagues start getting busted or fleeing the country. 538 00:38:10,925 --> 00:38:13,925 Speaker 1: As money's getting tight, my dad starts selling off her 539 00:38:13,965 --> 00:38:17,565 Speaker 1: family's assets, and me and my siblings begin an unwitting 540 00:38:17,565 --> 00:38:22,205 Speaker 1: adjustment to a life of financial stress. But the worst 541 00:38:22,325 --> 00:38:26,485 Speaker 1: consequence of the Green Beret's audacious theft was my dad's 542 00:38:26,565 --> 00:38:31,205 Speaker 1: gradual descent into a year's long depression, Ignited by a 543 00:38:31,245 --> 00:38:34,245 Speaker 1: sense of failure to his family and bolstered by his 544 00:38:34,365 --> 00:38:39,045 Speaker 1: childhood of constant criticism from his father. My dad wore 545 00:38:39,085 --> 00:38:43,085 Speaker 1: a melancholy coat of shame self loathing for years to come. 546 00:38:44,725 --> 00:38:47,645 Speaker 1: The Green Beret's torch of deceit with a slow burning, 547 00:38:47,765 --> 00:38:52,805 Speaker 1: long lasting fire of guilt, remorse, and embarrassment within my dad, 548 00:38:53,965 --> 00:38:59,125 Speaker 1: which thirty years later is finally waning. What lesson can 549 00:38:59,165 --> 00:39:02,085 Speaker 1: I learn from this tobacco? Well, don't assume you know 550 00:39:02,125 --> 00:39:04,765 Speaker 1: who your parents are, where they come from, and what 551 00:39:04,885 --> 00:39:09,965 Speaker 1: they're dealing with. Be aware that insecurity, greed and hubris 552 00:39:10,005 --> 00:39:13,925 Speaker 1: are human and laid to downfalls. And be mindful of 553 00:39:14,005 --> 00:39:19,605 Speaker 1: naivete thinking all people have good intentions, The assumption that 554 00:39:19,685 --> 00:39:22,725 Speaker 1: all people are honest and good is a dangerous expectation 555 00:39:22,965 --> 00:39:29,245 Speaker 1: in a world of resource inequality. Survival is based on resources, 556 00:39:29,645 --> 00:39:32,005 Speaker 1: and the struggle for resources is as old as the 557 00:39:32,005 --> 00:39:34,845 Speaker 1: origins of life, which, by the way, are single celled 558 00:39:35,005 --> 00:39:38,965 Speaker 1: microorganisms known as prokaryotes, whose energy came from carbon and 559 00:39:39,045 --> 00:39:43,365 Speaker 1: sunshine almost four billion years ago. Well, my dad's energy, 560 00:39:43,685 --> 00:39:46,325 Speaker 1: in the form of five hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 561 00:39:46,405 --> 00:39:51,685 Speaker 1: was lost, but thankfully he remained a free, honest outlaw 562 00:39:52,085 --> 00:40:00,325 Speaker 1: under the radar of the federal government. The green beret 563 00:40:00,485 --> 00:40:04,005 Speaker 1: is the tip of the misfortune Iceberg, with his ominous 564 00:40:04,005 --> 00:40:07,565 Speaker 1: negative energy, heading the wheels in motion for a string 565 00:40:07,765 --> 00:40:13,925 Speaker 1: of terrible developments coming up. In the next episode, I 566 00:40:14,005 --> 00:40:16,365 Speaker 1: talked with a pot smuggler I've known since I was six, 567 00:40:16,925 --> 00:40:20,565 Speaker 1: who went to a federal prison for years. And we'll 568 00:40:20,605 --> 00:40:23,325 Speaker 1: hear about close associates and my parents whose family was 569 00:40:23,405 --> 00:40:26,805 Speaker 1: torn apart when one brother is sentenced to ten years 570 00:40:26,805 --> 00:40:29,725 Speaker 1: in a federal prison and the other becomes a fugitive. 571 00:40:31,405 --> 00:40:35,445 Speaker 1: I'm Rainbow Valentine, and this is Disorganized Crime Smuggler's Daughter. 572 00:40:45,525 --> 00:40:48,965 Speaker 1: Disorganized Crime Smuggler's Daughter is written and recorded by me. 573 00:40:49,445 --> 00:40:53,645 Speaker 1: Rainbow Valentine. Our producers are Gabby Watts and Taylor Church. 574 00:40:54,285 --> 00:40:58,085 Speaker 1: Executive producers are Brandon Barr, Ryan Lavin, Elsie Crowley and 575 00:40:58,405 --> 00:41:01,165 Speaker 1: Me at School of Humans, and Connell Burn and Charles 576 00:41:01,165 --> 00:41:04,205 Speaker 1: Bryant at Iheartradiant. Our music is by Gabby Lala and 577 00:41:04,285 --> 00:41:07,605 Speaker 1: Claire Campbell, with a rich theme by Mark Karen Andy. 578 00:41:08,085 --> 00:41:18,645 Speaker 1: You can follow us online at Disorganized Crime podcast dot com. 579 00:41:19,005 --> 00:41:26,485 Speaker 1: Write the story doing as we met am by steeping 580 00:41:26,565 --> 00:41:32,645 Speaker 1: Princess of the Red Trees. She Hess, keep it real, 581 00:41:34,045 --> 00:41:39,885 Speaker 1: handshake seals the deal, Wrap the stack, sealed, meal and 582 00:41:40,085 --> 00:41:47,525 Speaker 1: road up. These all greas rolling, Dooby Young, rich and groovy, 583 00:41:49,125 --> 00:41:58,165 Speaker 1: making it up. We rolled along, Rolling along, Far Country, Roll, 584 00:42:00,325 --> 00:42:09,845 Speaker 1: Rolling along Far Country Roll, Run in Aloe, Far Country 585 00:42:10,085 --> 00:42:10,325 Speaker 1: Roll