When Hunter S. Thompson ran for sheriff of Aspen, Colorado

The Atlantic ?@TheAtlantic 39m
When Hunter S. Thompson ran for sheriff of Aspen, Colorado http://theatln.tc/1pHIkV4 #aspenideas




. . . His campaign symbol was "a double-thumbed fist, clutching a peyote button" superimposed on a sheriff's star, which was featured on posters around town. His platform, detailed in Rolling Stone, called for the streets of Aspen to be ripped up with jackhammers and for the creation of "a huge parking and auto-storage lot on the outskirts of town," as well as for the town's name to be changed to "Fat City" in an effort to deter the "greed heads, land-rapers, and other human jackals from capitalizing on the name 'Aspen.'"

And, perhaps predictably, he proposed a relaxed policy for drug offenses, even as he noted that "any sheriff of any county in Colorado is legally responsible for enforcing all state laws regarding drugs—even those few he might personally disagree with." Thompson's caveat was that dishonest drug dealers should be set in stocks on the courthouse lawn, and that "it will be the general philosophy of the Sheriff's office that no drug worth taking should be sold for money."

During the campaign, Thompson shaved his head in order to be able to refer to the incumbent Republican Carrol D. Whitmire, who had a crew cut, as "my long-haired opponent." He wore Converse All-Stars and shorts to town hall meetings, where he spoke with surprising seriousness about the environment and the "silly" laws against marijuana. He made a campaign video that showed him riding a motorcycle through the mountains while his friend, writer James Salter, narrated an endorsement:

Hunter represents something wholly alien to the other candidates for Sheriff: ideas. And, a sympathy towards the young, generous, grass-oriented society which is making the only serious effort to face the technological nightmare we've created. The only thing against him is, he's a visionary. He wants too pure a world . . .

read article: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/06/when-hunter-s-thompson-ran-for-sheriff-of-aspen/372949/


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