Marijuana should be legal across the states.

I personally believe that the views and knowledge on the legalization of marijuana are ignorant and unguided at best with today's society. Most people hardly have any true base of knowledge on what needs to happen in order to give flight to such a weighty task, much less the medicinal value of marijuana. The motivation in a persons life is founded off how they are raised and how they turn those positive or negative life lessons into dedication. This in turn would bring about a circulation of dedicated citizens, therefore having a smoother running and less pathetically ignorant and over weight nation. I very much agree with my classmate on the legalization of marijuana, though only for medicinal purposes. As a man in the medical field and veteran line medic, I believe the stipulation for allowing a person to have access to such a unique plant should be very difficult to get. My classmates unfortunately poor attempt at persuading a person is a start, though we shouldn't justify our want to legalize marijuana by lowering to the the statistical facts of alcohol and cigarettes. Instead, we should point out the facts in greater detail of what value it offers and most of all, how society's lifestyle would change. There are many pros and cons to this subject, yet I believe it will take a few more generations to really hone in on the place marijuana has in this nation.

U.S National Government

     The U.S. National Government is composed of three separate branches that work as one in order for the country to function as a whole. The branches of the government are extremely vital to the role of how power is distributed amongst our own people and in conjunction with the remainder of the planet. Each one effectively enforces it's own rules, while being comprised in different forms of power. As individual sections, they execute their job and rely on the other two in order to have a unification as "one."

     The first of these is the legislative branch, commonly known as the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 435 voting members, 5 non-voting members and 100 senators. This is a very interesting branch of the government, because they effectively have the sway in many of the laws that we "attempt" to follow on a day-to-day basis. They give, “advise and consent,” on Presidential appointments and vote on laws that eventually get signed or vetoed by the President. Basically you could say they are the conscience of the President, who in turn is the representation of the people. 

     Next is the executive branch is made up of 15 departments that advise the President of national and international issues. The list of departments cover issues on state, defense (military), treasury, labor, agriculture, energy, justice, interior, commerce, transportation, education, veterans affairs, health & human services, housing & urban development, and homeland security. This small group of personally selected officials represents 4 million other people and 1 million active duty soldiers. Hands down a vast number of minds that come together into a select few, that eventually get jammed into the mind of one man. WOW!!!

     Last but not least is the judicial branch, which is the massive court for the United States. There are 94 district courts, 13 courts of appeal and 1 Supreme Court. The Supreme Court deals with disputes between states and interpretation of the U.S. constitution. The selected officials are chosen by the president and confirmed by the senate. Once confirmed, they hold that position for life. In addition to, they deal with cases that are presented in lower courts and situations of international affairs.

     This is only a small synopsis on what the U.S. government does and the amount of people involved. In order for it to maintain it’s power, these rules and regulations must be followed to a tee. Without the citizens involved, we would all be running around with misguided perceptions and actions. Hopefully we continue to have an unwavering focus of what we represent, and adhere strictly to how we enforce this system. 

Column: Science and religion aren't friends

An article in USA Today called, "Science and Religion aren't friends," written by Jerry A. Coyne is a very one-sided attempt to prove that religion is weak. He goes on to state the assumption that "we now know that the universe did not require a creator." First off, you don't know that for a fact, which is what science looks for, facts. Maybe you have an understanding of what elements took place for the Big Bang, but until you can say that humans have had an error free recreation of the universe, then you can't say, "we now know." How about Jerry take a dose of his own words! Stating, "No finding is deemed "true"-a notion that is always provisional-unless it's repeated and verified by others." Well, Jerry, concluding that the universe had no creator behind it to me, means you yourself can recreate one, which you can't. A world renown American Astronomer and Astrophysicist by the name of Carl Sagan helped with this notion of questioning the creation of the universe. Back in 1969, he edited the 1969 AAAS UFO symposium, in which many scientist's in the world got together and pondered on the chances of life outside of earth. A computer concluded that, taking in the factors needed to create one cell out of natural evolution and the age of the earth, one cell would emerge out of 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This would take, "billions upon billions" of years to happen by accident. This is because we were created, we didn't just happen like some "believe." Jerry continues to knock religion by saying, "Does religion work? It causes others to fly planes into buildings." Well champion, last time I checked, that was all possible because science gave the tools of destruction to mankind. Humans lived without technology and survived just fine with the need and sole purpose to survive. The word that comes to mind about science, and the future downfall of our species, is "efficient." With all this negativity for advancement and competition, we only hasten the fact that we will destroy ourselves. Though Jerry seems to think otherwise, "In contrast, scientists don"t kill each other over matters as continental drift." They don't now,  but they did back then, just as we are killing each other over weapons advancement or using precious resources to make new readily available technology for undisciplined adolescents of today's "mainstream" society. Yet each person is entitled to their own realm of thinking. All  I know, is that I could easily live with having the job of growing my own food, building my own house and living obedient to the word of God. I for sure do the latter, and it brings me overwhelming peace through the grace of His creations. While Jerry is still out there stating, "We scientists are always asking ourselves, how can I find out whether I'm wrong?" Instead of questioning what is out there, just rejoice in the simple fact that we have everything we need right in front of us. Like, the ability to harvest our own food, love a woman, raise a child, and thank God for making it readily available.

Proposition 19

Proposition 19 is the first ever attempt at the recreational use and legalization of marijuana, which would clearly affect everyone in the U.S. The main question is are you "for" or "against" this beautiful stepping stone to a greater tomorrow? One writer seems to think that it's a pathetic and feeble attempt for a lost cause that has no value.  http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-prop19-20100924,0,4509321.story 

He states, "Proponents of the proposition say it would bring public policy on marijuana into line with that on alcohol and cigarettes, both of which can be dangerous and deadly but are nonetheless legal." So this is basically stating that, even though alcohol and cigarettes are "dangerous and deadly", it's alright because both are "legal"!  How about some hard facts, like how many people die from other "legal" items. This website will give you an idea, http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30. It's funny seeing that marijuana is at the bottom of the death list and the top of the resource value list, yet he's only worried about the legal issues. What about the money that could be made? Let's ask Nobel prize winner in economic trend Laureate George Akerlof and his 500 buddies what value marijuana could have on the economy. http://economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/legalize_pot.htm In addition to the marijuana being safe, having economic value, there is also the medicinal use. To be honest, I don't want to even touch base on that issue. Seeing how I work in the medical field with experience in the ER, oncology and serving as a line medic in the Army, I could talk for hours on the value in the medical area. So instead I'll direct you toward a knowledgeable website, www.drugscience.org. Another statement he made was, "But Proposition 19 is so poorly thought out, badly crafted and replete with loopholes and contradictions that it offers an unstable platform on which to base such a weighty conversation." First off, it's not poorly written, the criminalization of Americans is so strong, and the ignorance is so "high", that Proposition 19 is the only simply stated effort to get the Federal Government involved. They aren't looking to have the details written out off the bat, they just want to "get the ball rolling" in order to be seen by the U.S. Further more, he only complains about how jobs will be on the line because people can come to work high, what a way to win an argument. This guy put so much personal and emotional effort into his negative justification for Proposition 19, that he forgot all the hard evidence. It's people like this that throw out ignorant accusations that aren't backed by any documentation that keep the people scared, ignorant, and one minded in their decisions. In due time the government will have to take a second look at legalization, if not then there might be states like California going against the flow so heavily, that they are willing to put their laws of freedom on the line. My only hope is that we continue to stand together and unite as a whole to be a visible beacon for such a valuable resource, instead of stating "both of which can be dangerous and deadly but are nonetheless legal."  

Smart People

Every once in a while you run across that guy or that gal that you know is going to go somewhere in life based off the simple fact that when they open their mouth,you can hardly understand what they say. Not because they are challenged with their lip movements,but because your challenged with having an ignorant mind. If your tired of that,then keep reading my friend. Science.gov is a great site for anything having to do with anything and how it all works. I'm actually a huge fan of this because of my involvement with the medical field and passion for nutrition. Say you want to know how many types of nutrients are in half of a watermelon and how it benefits the body in every physiological way. Well with this site,you can talk about watermelons in a whole new language,and all while still speaking english,amazing,I know! Or let's say your an aspiring nutritionist(sounds familiar) and you want a detailed study on why grass feed beef is better for you than regular beef(again,familiar). All this knowledge of those misunderstood english speakers is literally at your finger tips. Though like most things in life,you have to go get it yourself and make it happen in whatever way you need it. Who knows,maybe someday you might be on there,or maybe myself. All I know is that the future is in our hands and the only way to ensure it's safety in health is by giving back,just like the men and women that gave back with these amazing sites.

Epicenter of Nutrition

Ok so for starters,I'm not the most computer savvy tech maniac on the face of the earth by no stretch of the imagination. In knowing that, I stumbled across the perfect website for ALL your nutrition needs. This wonderful acknowledgement goes to a federal government nutrition site. It literally provides a starting point that can guide you to any government involved site dealing with everything from food,health programs, and much much more. Like many of todays people,we want shortcuts for health,which I don't condone,but this one is an all out feast of knowledge. It's great,because something as important as having access to anything health related at one point is a must in the world today,and this one takes the cake. Just leave it up to that logical man or woman that was sitting there in their federal office chair thinking "Hmm,I'm sure there are some people out there that are slow or have virtually zero computer skills(I fall under the latter),so let's help them out with a one stop shop for all their needs." BAM!!! Viola.

Growing Crops

Being healthy and having a basic knowledge of nutrition is great,though it means nothing without having great food sources. This starts with the agricultural process in America and more so the methods behind it. To constantly have a fun filled active life,you need great food. To have great food, you need people that study the ability to grow food in all areas ranging from the soil to the ray of lights in the spectrum. So when your local farmer has a break through on his corn crop or your mom finds the best way to make super juicy strawberries,they all turn to the USDA . There are four national agriculture libraries in the U.S. that have this same mission. The sole source of providing everything you need to know about agriculture and much more. This is great because any aspiring farmer can surf this site and basically find everything he or she needs short of receiving the seeds to make it happen. I personally love this to the ends of the earth due to the fact that it really can be learned by anyone. This is extremely important in many lights,one of these is the future of food and it's improvement nutritionally. A prime example is grass feed beef over normal beef,and the drastic difference they provide. Grass feed comprises of around 1% of the beef sold in the U.S. which sucks because it's ten fold better than normal beef. It's smaller and has more value than what is typically sold,though it's a bit more expensive. Seeing that there is a group that dedicates itself to providing a healthier punch in a smaller package is very relieving. With options like these,we can have access to a wider range of better products if we'd like. Another one of my personal favorites is tasty free range organic eggs,I say they look like the ones off television. All in all,I'm glad that there is a true science to the advancement of healthier foods,and more so,the way it's provided with an easy online access.