Happy Veterans Day! "If you enjoy freedom, thank a veteran!"
Well, I don't have freedom. I can't afford food, I can't afford new clothing, I can't afford gas, I can't afford transportation, I can't get a job, I can't afford a place to live, I can't afford health care.
What other kind of freedoms are there? (If I speak my mind in public, I am told to sit down and be quiet, or arrested; I don't have the Freedom of Speech that was promised me.)
I will thank the soldiers of the Revolutionary War, of the Civil War, of WWI/II. They fought so that I would be able to vote for the government, not pay taxes to some remote leader in a distant land, so that people wouldn't be slaves, and so the world wouldn't be under a terrible dictator, or again ruled by a distant land.
And I will thank the soldiers of Iraq for fighting so we can have oil and gas. And the Afghanistan soldiers (those that finally got Bin Laden) for ridding the world of another dangerous man.
But my personal Freedoms? The things that I need to exist in this world, I don't have. And if I ever do get those things, I will thank those who have protested Wall Street, and the corruption and greed in our own government. And if any of them are soldiers, than I will thank them, because that is where our Fight for Freedom is.
In the 50's-80's we dealt with the Cold War. Though we had many freedoms at that time, we were living under fear. The War on Terrorism (not the War in Afghanistan) was to say that we, The United States of America, will not give in to fear tactics again, we will not be intimidated. So, I thank those soldiers. Though I do not thank the continuation of that fighting, nor the change of the name from War on Terrorism to the War in Afghanistan. And in reality, I do not thank the Iraq War, because it was mostly about greed and misinformation (though I do thank the soldiers who were able to capture Saddam and bring him to justice for the atrocities he committed, but there are other evil dictators in the world doing far worse (like Sudan), but we aren't doing anything about those.......
We do have many freedoms, we do have the freedom to protect ourselves (sorta, you can carry a gun, but you can't use it), we have freedom of speech (sorta, I can say what I want here, or in private; but if I protest the government, or the wealthy, I am yelled at and ridiculed, and possibly arrested, we have the right to vote for our leaders (sorta, our Presidential votes go into a state pool and then the state votes for the president, not the individuals), we have a right to health care (well, not really, it's a privilege, to those who can get insurance, which can be denied for any reason, to those who can afford it, and the utterly downtrodden who are able to qualify for government aid through the homeless programs; but the poor, and sick who aren't homeless, can't get health care without going in debt), we have the right to pursue education (sorta, children are forced to attend a school within a district they live, even if that school is not providing a satisfactory education; higher education costs an arm and a leg, and only the moderately wealthy [by American standards], those who received high grades/test scores, or those willing to go into heaps of debt can afford to attend; also education seems to be a very low priority for government funding). We used to all receive basic public services (fire protection) at no cost with no discrimination, but not that long ago a man's house was allowed to burn to the ground because the city said he had to pay an extra fee in order to receive the public service....which makes it a private service.
So, are we really free? Do we have freedoms? We have some, but many have so many restrictions or only those with money can have them. If you think about it, that disqualifies them from being freedoms.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Dangers of drug use
This was taken from another website, but since I agree, I thought I would post it. It's a bit off from my usual. Most of what I say is more on the idea of good morals, though I do have some rants about things that are just ridiculous, and this falls into that category.
So, without further delay, here is Weed: not even once by Nick Jacobs for Indiana Daily Student (http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=83415)
So, without further delay, here is Weed: not even once by Nick Jacobs for Indiana Daily Student (http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=83415)
I’d like to formally thank the Barack Obama administration for cracking down on the marijuana epidemic America is facing.
The dangers of marijuana are outrageous: fatal kidney and lung disorders, possible brain damage, severe depression and, worst of all, death.
It’s produced in “Mary labs” sprinkled across America’s trailer parks and farms. These “Mary labs” are unregulated, and the chemicals used can cause spontaneous fires. Marijuana is destroying families in areas once known for their peaceful agriculture.
Oh, wait. That’s methamphetamine. Let me try again.
When marijuana was first introduced in the 1980s, it annihilated an entire generation of black youths because of its cheap price and highly addictive nature, despite its short-lived 5- to 15-minute peak.
Many women who succumbed to its addictive properties became ganja whores. This led to the “ganja babies,” children who were born addicted to marijuana. Ganja whores were unknowingly feeding their babies marijuana with their breast milk.
Ah, that’s wrong, too. I think that was crack. Seriously, I can get this right.
Marijuana was first created as a way to wean people off of a commonly abused pain killer called morphine in the 1800s. But eventually it became its own demon, referred to as the “Big M.”
Remember how the spread of HIV/AIDS in the ’70s and ’80s was partially a result of sharing marijuana needles? Some people had to get their arms amputated because they destroyed their veins from injecting liquefied reefer.
Think of Jared Leto’s character in “Requiem for a Dream.” And so many celebrities have died from marijuana. For example: Jim Morrison of The Doors and Bradley Nowell of Sublime.
No, no, no, that was heroin.
Well I’m sure everyone has heard of Marijuana Anonymous and the 12-Step Program right? Marijunanaholics are a drain on our society.
Statistics prove driving under the influence of a .08 blood cannabis content will impair your driving ability. High drivers caused more than 13,000 car accident deaths in 2008 alone.
Think about all the college students who die of weed poisoning every year. Or how many women on campus get taken advantage of and subsequently raped when frat guys give girls shot after shot of the ganja.
Oh, excuse me, that’s alcohol, which is perfectly legal.
Smoking reefer causes 443,000 deaths annually from first- and second-hand smoke.
Actually, you know what? I’ll just stop here. That’s the result of cigarettes, another legal drug.
What are the dangers of marijuana? Here’s the short and simple:
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has released studies that prove annual deaths related to marijuana consumption are zero.
What are the adverse effects of smoking dank-ass buds on the reg? Red eye, cotton mouth and increased appetite, which in turn incentivize pot smokers to buy eye drops, Arnold Palmer lemonade-tea and pizza. Getting high makes people buy things.
We’re about to double-dip into another recession, and the president wants to restrict incentives?
The GOP is right; Obama is bad for the economy.
— nicjacob@indiana.edu
Now my two cents (not sure why it's stuck on italics, doesn't want to go off of....):
Marijuana has actually been used for many hundreds, if not thousands of years. I believe it was Queen Elizabeth (1600's) who used marijuana to help with her period cramps. It's used to treat migraines, seizures, stress/panic disorders, could be used to treat ADHD, and also treats other neurological illnesses or physical pain, and even cancer! Though, of course, anyone who actually knows anything about marijuana knows its medical benefits.
So, if marijuana doesn't cause people to do stupid things (as it makes most users sit back, relax, and eat), and has all these medical benefits, why is it illegal? Because tobacco companies said it should be. And cotton and wool companies didn't want hemp to be used instead to make clothing. It was also the tobacco companies that had a part in the Prohibition (illegalization of alcohol). So...hmmm....monopoly on the relaxants? Marijuana is easier to grow than tobacco, and people were growing their own at home and being affected far greater than the tobacco could. With Marijuana illegal, people bought cigarettes in large quantities. And the tobacco companies made bank. Also pharmaceutical companies had a part in it's illegalization, as it is a miracle medicine: far more affective on most illnesses, and with far fewer side effects, and affects people in a much more uniform fashion than most pharmaceuticals.
But cigarettes cause cancer, marijuana doesn't, in fact it slows cancer growth. I thought it was the job of the FDA to insure that products sold to the public for consumption met certain health requirements. We do hear commercials for medication that has huge lists of side effects that happen in a small percentage of the testers, but it is a high percentage of cigarette smokers that end up with health problems. Maybe because it takes so many years for the side effects to occur.
Alcohol (which I love, btw, but only in casual amounts) causes instability, lapse of judgement, coordination problems, speech problems, violence (among many heavy users), liver problems (also among heavy users), and poisoning. I do think a moderate amount of alcohol is good (a glass of wine or a beer or two with a meal), though we very much over do it. We have a society that encourages people to drink to the point of drunkenness. When a person is drunk, they are far more dangerous than someone who is high. A drunk will keep drinking until they pass out from way too much, and those who have a higher drunk tolerance may get alcohol poisoning far before they realize they are drunk. None of these issues exist with marijuana. When you're high, you sit back and do nothing, you don't continue smoking until you're dead, you physically can't.
Some will argue that marijuana is illegal because it is a mind altering substance, my response is "so is alcohol, and in a far more dangerous way." If marijuana were legal, there would be bars with people sitting on couches laughing, being philosophical, or sleeping, instead of bars with loud "music" and people dry humping on a dance floor until they puke, or get taken home by some stranger and raped, or attempt to drive home and maybe kill themselves or someone else.
Marijuana is not a dangerous drug; sure, it affects the mind, and perception, but in a far less dangerous way than even other legal drugs.
Though, like alcohol, it shouldn't be used in excess, and I don't think it should be available to everyone. But it should be legal in the same way that alcohol is. With same restrictions as far as driving under the influence, even though people are far less likely to drive while high than they are while drunk.
Write your congressman, and encourage them to listen to the people, not the corporations, on not only this issue, but many others.
The dangers of marijuana are outrageous: fatal kidney and lung disorders, possible brain damage, severe depression and, worst of all, death.
It’s produced in “Mary labs” sprinkled across America’s trailer parks and farms. These “Mary labs” are unregulated, and the chemicals used can cause spontaneous fires. Marijuana is destroying families in areas once known for their peaceful agriculture.
Oh, wait. That’s methamphetamine. Let me try again.
When marijuana was first introduced in the 1980s, it annihilated an entire generation of black youths because of its cheap price and highly addictive nature, despite its short-lived 5- to 15-minute peak.
Many women who succumbed to its addictive properties became ganja whores. This led to the “ganja babies,” children who were born addicted to marijuana. Ganja whores were unknowingly feeding their babies marijuana with their breast milk.
Ah, that’s wrong, too. I think that was crack. Seriously, I can get this right.
Marijuana was first created as a way to wean people off of a commonly abused pain killer called morphine in the 1800s. But eventually it became its own demon, referred to as the “Big M.”
Remember how the spread of HIV/AIDS in the ’70s and ’80s was partially a result of sharing marijuana needles? Some people had to get their arms amputated because they destroyed their veins from injecting liquefied reefer.
Think of Jared Leto’s character in “Requiem for a Dream.” And so many celebrities have died from marijuana. For example: Jim Morrison of The Doors and Bradley Nowell of Sublime.
No, no, no, that was heroin.
Well I’m sure everyone has heard of Marijuana Anonymous and the 12-Step Program right? Marijunanaholics are a drain on our society.
Statistics prove driving under the influence of a .08 blood cannabis content will impair your driving ability. High drivers caused more than 13,000 car accident deaths in 2008 alone.
Think about all the college students who die of weed poisoning every year. Or how many women on campus get taken advantage of and subsequently raped when frat guys give girls shot after shot of the ganja.
Oh, excuse me, that’s alcohol, which is perfectly legal.
Smoking reefer causes 443,000 deaths annually from first- and second-hand smoke.
Actually, you know what? I’ll just stop here. That’s the result of cigarettes, another legal drug.
What are the dangers of marijuana? Here’s the short and simple:
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has released studies that prove annual deaths related to marijuana consumption are zero.
What are the adverse effects of smoking dank-ass buds on the reg? Red eye, cotton mouth and increased appetite, which in turn incentivize pot smokers to buy eye drops, Arnold Palmer lemonade-tea and pizza. Getting high makes people buy things.
We’re about to double-dip into another recession, and the president wants to restrict incentives?
The GOP is right; Obama is bad for the economy.
— nicjacob@indiana.edu
Now my two cents (not sure why it's stuck on italics, doesn't want to go off of....):
Marijuana has actually been used for many hundreds, if not thousands of years. I believe it was Queen Elizabeth (1600's) who used marijuana to help with her period cramps. It's used to treat migraines, seizures, stress/panic disorders, could be used to treat ADHD, and also treats other neurological illnesses or physical pain, and even cancer! Though, of course, anyone who actually knows anything about marijuana knows its medical benefits.
So, if marijuana doesn't cause people to do stupid things (as it makes most users sit back, relax, and eat), and has all these medical benefits, why is it illegal? Because tobacco companies said it should be. And cotton and wool companies didn't want hemp to be used instead to make clothing. It was also the tobacco companies that had a part in the Prohibition (illegalization of alcohol). So...hmmm....monopoly on the relaxants? Marijuana is easier to grow than tobacco, and people were growing their own at home and being affected far greater than the tobacco could. With Marijuana illegal, people bought cigarettes in large quantities. And the tobacco companies made bank. Also pharmaceutical companies had a part in it's illegalization, as it is a miracle medicine: far more affective on most illnesses, and with far fewer side effects, and affects people in a much more uniform fashion than most pharmaceuticals.
But cigarettes cause cancer, marijuana doesn't, in fact it slows cancer growth. I thought it was the job of the FDA to insure that products sold to the public for consumption met certain health requirements. We do hear commercials for medication that has huge lists of side effects that happen in a small percentage of the testers, but it is a high percentage of cigarette smokers that end up with health problems. Maybe because it takes so many years for the side effects to occur.
Alcohol (which I love, btw, but only in casual amounts) causes instability, lapse of judgement, coordination problems, speech problems, violence (among many heavy users), liver problems (also among heavy users), and poisoning. I do think a moderate amount of alcohol is good (a glass of wine or a beer or two with a meal), though we very much over do it. We have a society that encourages people to drink to the point of drunkenness. When a person is drunk, they are far more dangerous than someone who is high. A drunk will keep drinking until they pass out from way too much, and those who have a higher drunk tolerance may get alcohol poisoning far before they realize they are drunk. None of these issues exist with marijuana. When you're high, you sit back and do nothing, you don't continue smoking until you're dead, you physically can't.
Some will argue that marijuana is illegal because it is a mind altering substance, my response is "so is alcohol, and in a far more dangerous way." If marijuana were legal, there would be bars with people sitting on couches laughing, being philosophical, or sleeping, instead of bars with loud "music" and people dry humping on a dance floor until they puke, or get taken home by some stranger and raped, or attempt to drive home and maybe kill themselves or someone else.
Marijuana is not a dangerous drug; sure, it affects the mind, and perception, but in a far less dangerous way than even other legal drugs.
Though, like alcohol, it shouldn't be used in excess, and I don't think it should be available to everyone. But it should be legal in the same way that alcohol is. With same restrictions as far as driving under the influence, even though people are far less likely to drive while high than they are while drunk.
Write your congressman, and encourage them to listen to the people, not the corporations, on not only this issue, but many others.
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