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![[Image: Miniature version of the image shown at the bottom of this page. Not an official badge. Just an idea.]](unauthorizedbadge.gif){kind=small}
badge. Click on either of the images at the bottom, for more links.
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The image inside the badge is that of the bowl of a small silver peace pipe, called "The Greenville Peace Pipe", given by the U. S. Government to the Shawnee Indians in 1814. The words on the pipe are "PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP" and it shows two hands shaking.
Why have an image of a peace pipe in a merit badge?
To me, the Native American practice of ritual tobacco smoking exemplifies the fact that some very dangerous psychoactive substances can be handled cautiously, even safely, if done in a ritual. Tobacco smoking becomes dangerous when it is done with a rapid delivery injection system (cigarettes), easily available (shirt pocket), and done as an unconscious, involuntary (thoughtless) habit, inexorably escalating into high levels of consumption.
Another reason for using this image is that the bowl is an example of "drug paraphernalia" -- not necessarily a negative concept -- which was manufactured by the U. S. Government, for ceremonial and political purposes, illustrating the fact that psychoactive consumption is often done during political and commercial rituals. and illustrating an example of an item normally not called "drug paraphernalia" owing to a non-reasonable bias against such a linguistic practice. So this pipe bowl has a number of connotations in the area of Psychoactive Management.
I also picked it because tobacco is probably the most important psychoactive in the world. (Arguing this point could involve some interesting uses of the Priority Dislocation Percent Calculation.)
I also picked it because it is an antique (I like antiques), shows good workmanship (I like good workmanship), and is very pretty to look at, IMHO (in my humble opinion). When I submit this to the Scouts, I will of course not insist on this image. But I think some picture of a peace pipe would be appropriate. (Click on the badge for more pipe pictures, including an animated picture of Einstein smoking a pipe.)
![[Image: Greenville peace pipe in the KC Museum. Click here to jump there.]](pipe3large.gif)
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