the best blogs in all of pot's-illegal-ville!

I have reading enjoyed reading all of my classmates blogs (I swear I’m not being cheesy! I have learned a lot about many issues that I originally knew nothing about). Three that I want to give props to are:

A Public Pariah, Muslim Americans- Readers, don’t be put off by the word pariah…I had to look it up too! In case you were wondering, it means the lowest caste in the social class system in southern India. If you can get past that complicated 75 cent word (please tell me you remember those from elementary school) then you’ll come to realize this blog is very well researched and interesting because it pertains to American life RIGHT now. The treatment of Muslims isn’t the most talked about subject among US citizens but this blog brings the issue out of the dust and enables its readers to see that it’s not all rainbows and butterflies in the wonderful “free” country of America. You’ll learn a lot and even question your own thoughts throughout this blog.

What the Frack?- This blog has a title that will make even the most mature person giggle and what else? Music. “It had me at he-……midwestern gas tunes.” (reference to it had me at hello…just fyi) Anywho, not only is this blog pleasing to the eyes and ears, it talks about an issue that many government officials are sweeping under the rug. The author of this blog talks about the history of fracking, the negative effects on the environment, and how it’s affecting the United States today. If you want to learn about an issue that you have never heard of before…read this awesome blog!

Occupation: Unemployment- Basically EVERYONE in America is affected by the increased unemployment rates over the last few years. This blog is chalk full of interesting graphs, cartoons, videos, and of course in depth research about the issue of unemployment in this country. The author of this blog did a very good job of presenting relevant information on this issue in an unbiased fashion, letting the readers make their own opinions. Mr. Cash is clearly well researched and knows a lot about the topic. His theory post makes me think there is hope for this great country, if only people as smart as Mr. Cash were running it! If you want to learn about unemployment benefits and where our tax money is going, read this blog fo sho.

f-r-e-e-d-o-m

Going back to the same quote I used in my “Just the basics” post Abe Lincoln once said “Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded”. OBVIOUSLY I couldn’t agree with him more! Most of my blog so far has been focusing on the negative effects of the prohibition of pot and the pros of legalizing it in terms of stimulating the economy and making monayyy. I didn’t even stop to think about one basic thing: it should be up to the people of America to decide if they want to smoke marijuana. I know that the government is trying to protect the people in this great country but guess how many deaths there are due to marijuana consumption…zero. Yep, none!!  I would just like to point out that over 400,000 people died due to obesity in 2000 and that number is only increasing. Is obesity illegal? No way José. So then why is marijuana? Hmmm? I think that the government should spend their time and effort trying to protect the American people from preventable diseases, such as obesity, and let American people smoke their pot if they want to. It’s a win/win/win/win situation folks!  The government isn’t controlling the American people too much, our economy gets stimulated by the revenue from marijuana being sold, the number of citizens getting arrested decrases, and dangerous drug cartels get all their power taken away. Talk about a great situation.

THE CONTINUED wastin' away in pot's-illegal-ville

Our government unfortunately follows the notion “all talk and no action”.  If the United States decides to use this oh-so-ineffective method of (in)action then the future of America  holds the prospect of the same degenerate circumstances present in today’s society. Globally, the drug trafficking problem will only exacerbate with time. Because marijuana is not legal in the United States users resort to other illegal methods of obtaining the drug that increase violence in the US and in other countries such as Mexico. Another dismal implication of this unresolved issue is that if medical marijuana is not made legal across the US then ill people all over the country will not be able to use their medication without fear of prosecution. So far only 14 states in the US have legalized medical marijuana and many medical marijuana patients are prosecuted in America and are subject to raids by the federal government every year. A negative implication for the future of an America where pot is still prohibited that hits close to home is that US taxpayers will continue to play unnecessary amounts of money toward the 800,000 people arrested and jailed each year due to marijuana related infractions. This is a waste of US taxpayers money and if marijuana is not made legal then gobs of money will go down the drain every single year paying for prisoners shelter, food, and clothes. THANKS, THANKS A LOT. I just love being wasteful…don’t you?  

interesting blog!

This blog debate reminded me a lot of the Carr vs. Shirky debate and is relevant to my topic...enjoy :)
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/pot-quorum/

Theories Schmeories

It may seem like the only way to completely end this debate is to look into the future at two different societies: one in which marijuana is legal and the other where prohibition was implemented. Because this is (unfortunately) impossible we must figure out another way to decide what’s best for our country. The first thing that needs to be done is that the facts about the effects of marijuana on the human body need to be evaluated in an unbiased fashion. If there was concrete evidence of the exact impact of marijuana on humans then the polarized debate as to what marijuana ACTUALLY DOES will be over. There are so many websites that affirm the health risks and benefits of the drug but marijuana really can’t be harmful and without negative side effects AT THE SAME TIME…it’s physically impossible people. The truths are not known about marijuana so society is getting information from multiple sources that have no basis. It is also vital that we educate the nonbelievers by demonstrating the stigma the media has placed on pot smokers is not true.   Many US citizens believe that every person that smokes pot abuses the drug and ends up a “stoner”. If the drug is used responsibly, the consumer does not have a brain that is complete mush. Bottom line, an unbiased research team needs to assess the effects of marijuana on the human brain and body and then decisions can be made with factual support. 

It's what you've all been waiting for...Proposition 19!

Prop 19’s goal is to allow citizens 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana, allow the government to produce, sell, and tax it, and enable state and local governments to establish penalties for the unauthorized selling of marijuana to minors. This bill intends to address the problems presented previously in my blog. It aims to decrease the revenue going to violent drug cartels that operate from across borders and decrease the number of arrests made for nonviolent use of the drug. This would “free up” the police force so they can focus on more important and dangerous crimes. Even though the drug will be legal for adults 21 years and older the penalties for selling to minors will be increased. Currently the police force is fighting a war against all pot smokers, but if it were legal to over half the population, more time could be devoted to stopping underage users. Prop 19 also works to protect the rights of medical marijuana users. Currently in the United States some local and state governments have decriminalized the use of medical marijuana but there are many cases, like Angel Raich, where the police force disregards these rules and Prop 19 would make it official for the entire state of California. The main goal of Prop 19 is to make marijuana legal for adults that wish to use the drug responsibly. The opinion poll last week came in at 48% yes and 44% no. The final vote will take place on November 2, 2010 and I will keep everyone updated on the polls! 

This is a video on the issue of legalizing marijuana on CNN from last April. 

the evolution of dance