The Opperman Report'

Smuggler's Blues: A True Story of the Hippie Mafia

Goodfellas meets Savages meets Catch Me If You Can in this true tale of high-stakes smuggling from pot’s outlaw years.

Richard Stratton was the unlikeliest of kingpins. A clean-cut Wellesley boy who entered outlaw culture on a trip to Mexico, he saw his search for a joint morph into a thrill-filled dope run smuggling two kilos across the border in his car door. He became a member of the Hippie Mafia, traveling the world to keep America high, living the underground life while embracing the hippie credo, rejecting hard drugs in favor of marijuana and hashish. With cameos by Whitey Bulger and Norman Mailer, Smuggler’s Blues tells Stratton’s adventure while centering on his last years as he travels from New York to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to source and smuggle high-grade hash in the midst of civil war, from the Caribbean to the backwoods of Maine, and from the Chelsea Hotel to the Plaza as his fortunes rise and fall. All the while he is being pursued by his nemesis, a philosophical DEA agent who respects him for his good business practices.

A true-crime story that reads like fiction, Smuggler’s Blues is a psychedelic road trip through international drug smuggling, the hippie underground, and the war on weed. As Big Marijuana emerges, it brings to vivid life an important chapter in pot’s cultural history.

Smuggler's Blues: A True Story of the Hippie Mafia

Goodfellas meets Savages meets Catch Me If You Can in this true tale of high-stakes smuggling from pot’s outlaw years.

Richard Stratton was the unlikeliest of kingpins. A clean-cut Wellesley boy who entered outlaw culture on a trip to Mexico, he saw his search for a joint morph into a thrill-filled dope run smuggling two kilos across the border in his car door. He became a member of the Hippie Mafia, traveling the world to keep America high, living the underground life while embracing the hippie credo, rejecting hard drugs in favor of marijuana and hashish. With cameos by Whitey Bulger and Norman Mailer, Smuggler’s Blues tells Stratton’s adventure while centering on his last years as he travels from New York to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to source and smuggle high-grade hash in the midst of civil war, from the Caribbean to the backwoods of Maine, and from the Chelsea Hotel to the Plaza as his fortunes rise and fall. All the while he is being pursued by his nemesis, a philosophical DEA agent who respects him for his good business practices.

A true-crime story that reads like fiction, Smuggler’s Blues is a psychedelic road trip through international drug smuggling, the hippie underground, and the war on weed. As Big Marijuana emerges, it brings to vivid life an important chapter in pot’s cultural history.

Ed sets the facts straight about some provocateurs and vandals that have been trying to sabotage AwakeRadio.US

Live report from NV Democratic convention, Cashman Center. Bernie Sanders supporters working on the credentials committee , removed from committee and issues trespass warnings, under threat of arrest. Subscribe at Spreaker and FOLLOW to get email updates of breaking news!

An all-in-one resource containing more than 15 years of research on the JFK assassination A map through the jungle of statements, testimony, allegations, and theories relating to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, this compendium gives readers an all-in-one resource for facts from this intriguing slice of history. The book, which took more than 15 years to research and write, includes details on all of the most important aspects of the case, including old and new medical evidence from primary and secondary sources. JFK: From Parkland to Bethesda tackles the hard evidence of conspiracy and cover-up and presents a mass of sources and materials, making it an invaluable reference for anyone with interest in the President Kennedy and his assassination in 1963.



This members-only installment of the Opperman Report includes some really interesting information in the JFK case focusing on the hospitals involved on that fateful day. Ed and Vincent also discuss JFK's autopsy, the Secret Service's involvement and inconsistencies with the autopsy.

n all-in-one resource containing more than 15 years of research on the JFK assassination A map through the jungle of statements, testimony, allegations, and theories relating to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, this compendium gives readers an all-in-one resource for facts from this intriguing slice of history. The book, which took more than 15 years to research and write, includes details on all of the most important aspects of the case, including old and new medical evidence from primary and secondary sources. JFK: From Parkland to Bethesda tackles the hard evidence of conspiracy and cover-up and presents a mass of sources and materials, making it an invaluable reference for anyone with interest in the President Kennedy and his assassination in 1963.



This members-only installment of the Opperman Report includes some really interesting information in the JFK case focusing on the hospitals involved on that fateful day. Ed and Vincent also discuss JFK's autopsy, the Secret Service's involvement and inconsistencies with the autopsy.

The Historic Groom Mine & Residence has been owned an operated by us, the Sheahan family, since 1889. Rich in several precious metals including lead, silver and gold, we diligently mined the land, paving our way in Nevada mining history. In time, the Groom Mine became our foundation, livelihood and home. In the 1940s, the U.S. Government set their sights on southern Nevada as prime real estate for an aircraft testing facility. Slowly, the U.S. Government drove every mine in the vicinity out of the area- except for our family, who held and continues to hold six patented mining claims dating back to 1864 and 15 unpatented claims. After Congress passed the General Mining Act of 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant not only signed the White Lake and Conception Patents, but in writing, granted us the “exclusive right to enjoyment of all the lands within the boundaries, forever.” Due to the stature of such claims, our family was able to remain living on and continue mining our land. On June 23, 1954 at approximately 12 p.m., the heart and soul of our property, the mill, was bombed causing more than $1 million in damages. The destruction was devastating, as we watched decades of hard work, dedication and history burst into flames. The wreckage forced us to uproot our home, relocate and re-start our careers elsewhere. Less than a year later, the USAF acquired the land just north of the Groom property and established an Air Force Base, known today as Area 51. Since, we have been granted limited access to our property.

While we’ve had the ability to spend time visiting and repairing a land that holds invaluable history, we’ve faced many challenges in trying to work with the USAF and other government entities. Such challenges can be only described as criminal acts by our government including:

• The bombing of the Groom Mine mill site.

• Shooting of the Groom Mine campsite by airplanes.

• Holding family members at gunpoint on numerous occasions. Family members have experienced fear and mental anguish from this.

• Nuclear fallout and contamination from the aboveground nuclear tests. These tests caused radiation burns and sickness among some family members.

• Illegally seizing our access road in 1978.This road was held illegally by the Air Force for six years until the land withdraw was approved by Congress.

• Invasion of privacy at Groom Mine and constant monitoring of our activities.

• Illegally detaining family members.

• Threatened use of deadly force by security forces.

• Creating obstacles preventing the operation of Groom Mine, causing lost opportunities for business dealings.

• Complete denial of access to a land that, under the United States Constitution, we have every right to access.

• Illegal and periodic searches of our vehicles and persons prior to gaining access to our own property.

• Coerced signings of Inadvertent Disclosure Statements.

• Telling our prospective business partners that they would not be allowed to operate the mine and therefore no business deals have been possible.

• The constant threat of Condemnation, including telling Groom Mine owners that if we bring an outside company to run the mine, the Air Force will condemn the Groom Mine.

Jimmy Falon Gong : Suicide of Col Michael Aquino

This compelling and true life story screams of betrayal, deceit, and an unsolved mystery. It began when a budding young woman was lured into a cunning and deceptive scheme which eventually became her undoing. The tale may have gone unnoticed under normal circumstances. However, the plot thickened when a famous celebrity, Bill Cosby, was the target of a greedy rouse. The timing couldn't have been worse as it fell on the heels of his son's murder. Ennis Cosby had been shot and killed the day an alleged extortion letter was delivered to the comedian demanding millions in hush money. During one of the most infamous trials of 1997 Cosby would face his adversary Autumn Jackson, and rue the day that she was born. Jackson could do nothing more than look into her father's eyes and weep for all that had never been. At least she believed the entertainer to be her father. This complicated and twisted saga is fraught with criminal and passion driven psychology. Who were the guilty ones and who were the innocents? "I'm Autumn Jackson's aunt. I was called on to be her traveling companion, confidant, and unlikely bodyguard. When people asked me what happened, the answer was complicated. A book needed to be written." Jewel Star Star is an award winning author. You can preview her bio at: amazon.com/author/JewelStar JewelStarAuthor.com