Presidents or Celebrities?

              I completely agree with Ashley on her blog "Presidents or Celebrities?". I've also noticed the same thing lately; the President has made his appearance on so many talk shows and things of the sort. It just doesn't seem like something the President of a country, and the leader of that country should be focusing on. I mean really? School shootings, mall shootings, murder, crime, and other hearbreaking things going on in the United States (and the world) and our President focuses on talk shows and going to Hawaii on vacation. What kind of leader does that? Now don't get me wrong, I'm not picking on just President Obama. There are other leaders as well who I'm sure do the exact same thing when they should be focused on what they get paid for; and that's to lead. That's just my two cents on the subject.

Legalize Marijuana?

                 Should marijuana be legalized? I am honestly dumbfounded as to how this has even become a topic of consideration…not to mention the fact that marijuana has already been legalized in Washington and Colorado. I’m sure you can already see what my standpoint is, but there are facts about the use of marijuana that everyone should be made aware of.
 
                 First of all, I realize I am not an expert on the subject; but I will cover some points of concern I learned about while researching the subject. Marijuana is highly addictive and its cons FAR outweigh the pros (if those even exist). There are also drugs already on the market that do the same job that marijuana is believed to do. Even if there wasn’t an endless list of the negatives of marijuana, there would still be absolutely no need for it because there are already drugs for the same thing.

                 The health risks of marijuana? I’ll name a few: 
 

· Highly addictive 

· Can cause permanent memory impairment 

· Results in a compromised immune system 

· Hallucinations 

· Delusions 

· Disorientation 

· The risk of a heart attack for those that use marijuana is four times higher within the first hour after smoking
 

·                        Research has shown that people who use marijuana can experience some of the same problems that tobacco smokers do. These include daily productive cough, more frequent chest illness, a higher risk of a lung infection, and also obstruction in airways. 
 

·                        Not to mention the short term effects: memory problems, learning problems, loss of coordination, inability to problem-solve, increased heart rate and reduced blood pressure, distorted perception, and in some cases, anxiety, fear, panic, and distrust.

                Keep in mind the fact that the health benefits people are hoping to find from marijuana are already available in other drugs, and also consider all the health risks of using weed that outweigh any pros there may be. It’s logical to deny any “need” for the use of pot. Call me crazy, but I believe it’s crazy to even consider legalizing marijuana. 

Check out the link I watched: http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/01/us/marijuana-legalization-and-prohibition/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

Ruling with an Iron Fist

               What a post! I couldn’t agree more with my classmate’s blog entitled “Dissent and Coercion.” The perfect description of our U.S. government: “a corrupt, double dealing, thief, stealing from the poor and the middle class to make their rich buddies richer, passing crippling and invasive legislation that contradicts and disposes of the constitution, all the while lying to the American Public to promote its own agenda of greed and world domination.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. While these claims my come across as aggressive and harsh, is it not true? It most certainly is true.

                It seems people are becoming increasingly numb to the reality of U.S. government’s growing control over our lives. Rather than just focusing on the protection and overall wellbeing of our country, government has become a domineering entity solely focused on how much of our lives they can control. Who cares what we want? They make us do whatever they want us to. They force laws and requirements on us whether we like it or not. They alone choose what children are taught in school, whether we agree with what they teach or not. They tell us what to do and when to do it. They tie our hands and give us no options. Our government has strayed from the Constitution and tried to take on so much more than they should be allowed. Why can’t we just stick to the way it was in the beginning? It worked well then, and it would work well now.

                We need to become more aware of the governments control, and we need to stand up for our own rights when we can. We need to get back to the basics, and the government needs to be put right back in its place.

Choose Life

What is abortion? Although some people view the option of abortion as a necessity, you have to look at it for what it is and accept the cold, hard truth. Abortion is killing an unborn child. Some people use the excuse that it is just a fetus; not even fully human yet. That is not the case. Even at the very moment that the child is first conceived, it is still fully alive, fully human; it’s just not fully developed.

                There are also young women who have aborted their child just months before the due date. Surely those mothers had to understand what they were doing; killing their unborn baby. Or maybe that’s just it; maybe those mothers don’t understand the magnitude of what they’re really doing. I’m sure there have been many cases where the aftermath of an abortion has practically ruined the mother. She realizes what she has done and wishes she could take it back; surely she wouldn’t do it if she understood what she was doing

               
               The thought of abortion breaks my heart. When you truly think about it, why would there ever be a reason to abort a child? There simply isn’t. Whether the pregnancy was due to rape, the result of a naive high school student’s bad decision, or any other reason, there is no acceptable reason to abort a child.  The mother is pregnant, and now has the responsibility and duty to bring that baby into this world; no matter if the pregnancy was her own fault or not. Yes, pain comes with giving birth, but it’s something that women go through and come out of all the time. No matter what the situation, the child should be brought into the world. If the mother doesn’t want the child, put it up for adoption. That child will give someone complete joy, even if it’s not the biological parents; and could even be a blessing and answer to prayer to the husband and wife who are unable to have a child of their own. There is a way that the devastation of an unwanted pregnancy can be turned into a blessing in disguise. Think about it.

"Late and Sour"

In Jay Nordlinger’s article “Late and Sour” on National Review Online, he discusses his views and observations of the second presidential debate. Keep in mind this is a Right-leaning blog, most-likely intended for Republican viewers.

                He starts off by making a list of Romney’s faults during the debate. Then he proceeds to point out what he believes Obama did well. Jay Nordlinger is a Republican. I’m sure many Liberals who read this article found it refreshing that a Republican doesn’t believe that Romney  did as well as he could have in the second debate. I can’t say that I’m fully disagreeing with everything he discusses, because I’m not. There are things I agree, and disagree with him on; but I’m going to cover the latter.

                He starts off by saying:  ““It would be nice if Romney didn’t say “less jobs.” And “the reason is because” — over and over again.”” Sure maybe it would be nice, but who really cares? This personally doesn’t bother me…maybe this statement of Nordlinger’s is just a smidge over-critical?

                He also claims that Romney didn’t give strong answers. While I disagree with this statement, I will say that Romney did seem to be a little less aggressive and not as in control than the first debate.

                Next, he discusses how Romney had moments during primaries when he became “rattled” and would “stumble” over his words. I didn’t watch the primaries, so I don’t know if this statement is true or not; I’ll take Nordlinger’s word for it. I did however watch this debate, and in no way did Romney seem to be rattled. As I said before, he may not have been as aggressive as in the first debate, but I did not think he stumbled over his words in the second debate any more than Obama did. They both had moments where they had to stop and gather their thoughts before moving forward; I would think this is semi-normal.

                He continues by saying that Obama was “strong” and Romney wasn’t. Yes, Obama came out much more aggressive this time around than in the first debate. Personally, though, I believe both candidates could have been stronger.

                Nordlinger’s article is thought provoking, and worth reading just because of that. If you’re also wanting a non-biased critique of both presidential candidates, this is a great article. I do disagree with him on some points, such as the ones I’ve listed, but I will say that I agree with him on other points as well. Neither candidate is perfect, no one is, and that’s what this article is about.

               

               

Romney Deflates the President

               Where is all the buzz about the Presidential Debate that took place this week? As is the trend, it’s all over the internet and the news, and opinions are being given as to how well or how bad the President, and the Presidential candidate did during their debate on the night of October 3^rd.

                The majority of polls claim that Mitt Romney easily won the debate, and looked very impressive. Everyone knows my political stance and who I support. I am a Conservative; but that is beside the point. No matter what political party you are, what all of those who tuned in to the debate saw was, I believe, very obvious and crystal clear; In agreement with Peggy Noonan’s article, Romney was confident and professional. He looked presidential and he acted the role as well. Obama appeared passive and even uninterested, rarely even making eye-contact with Romney. He couldn’t even look at him for more than 2 seconds before turning his gaze back to his notes. He seemed lazy and he said the same things over and over again.

                I don’t believe I’ve seen President Obama act that way before. Romney gave him a run for his money, and as Peggy Noonan writes in her article, “Stay that guy!” Her article in Wall Street Journal is entitled “Romney Deflates the President,” and I agree with her; that’s exactly what he seemed to do! I don’t know what the future debates hold, and I’m sure President Obama will come out swinging now that He’s been embarrassed, but I also believe Romney will come out swinging as well; just like he did during the first debate. Romney has some people worried, let’s keep it that way!

Free Speech...As Long As You Agree With Me

               As most already know, there was recently a sort of “uprising” among those for, and against same-sex marriage. Although I never viewed this issue as “political” but rather personal, it has become a much more prevalent issue in politics today.

              Chick-fil-A is well-known for having been founded on biblical beliefs. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, has voiced his agreement with the biblical principle that marriage was established to be between a man and woman. In BBC’s recent article on the matter, Mike Huckabee is quoted: "The goal is simple: let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-fil-A.” Those who believe in same-sex marriage took statements like these made by Huckabee and others as personal attacks on their beliefs. They were never discriminating, in fact, Chick-fil-A’s even hire gays and lesbians; they were merely stating their beliefs. Though discrimination was never the intention, the discussion on the topic lead to the following events:

Supporters packed Chick-fil-A locations everywhere on “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” in support of “traditional” values. It was an opportunity for them to voice their beliefs and show their support of a restaurant that isn’t afraid to stand up for what it believes in. That’s it.

              The following Friday, same-sex marriage advocates were seen gathered outside of different Chick-fil-A’s on what they called “Kiss Mor Chiks” day. It was their way of protesting.

              The reason I wanted to share the details of this event was not to say that someone was right or someone was wrong, but to show that simply by people voicing their beliefs, there is potential for conflict. The unfortunate thing about free speech is, it seems that everyone wants it until someone’s views oppose their own; and to me, that’s not free speech at all. This issue has become such a prevalent political topic/issue today and is one of the many reasons why our nation has become so divided.

              What are other reasons we are divided as a nation? This article is a good read and great example of how our nation becomes divided so check out the link.