The Marijuana Debate: Legalize it?

Marijuana advocates across our nation took a major hit today. No, it's not the kind of hit they are accustomed to. The first step in their plan to legalize weed went up in a puff of smoke when the Supreme Court ruled that federal authorities may arrest and prosecute people whose doctors prescribe marijuana to ease pain, concluding that state laws don't protect users from a federal ban on the drug. Does this get you out of joint? Or do you feel the high court just blazed another bad seed? Go ahead, be blunt, fire off your cannon.

MyResponse:
Throughout my life, I've heard some interesting perspectives both for and against the legalization of marijuana. Like most, I've never smoked marijuana and never really had a desire to. I put it in the same category as drinking or cigarette smoking-- it's always seemed like a personal choice. In some ways, I see it as a little more harmless than alcohol because I don't recall many potheads that smoked one too many joints getting hostile in a bar. But, I guess the issue here is the use of marijuana as medicine.

Physicians regularly prescribe medicines like oxycotton, perkodan and other narcotic-type drugs for pain management and other ailments. Physicians are cleared by our government to prescribe drugs like vioxx, celebrex or chemo therapy that have brutal side effects, even death. The government continues to permit the sales of tobacco products despite the demonstrated impact it has on the health of smokers.

So, where's that line being drawn for the decision on marijuana? It seems that many of the people that are prescribed marijuana have a lot more going on in their lives than concern about where the government draws that line. Somebody said to me that the reason that marijuana is not legalized is because it doesn't have the lobby groups that big tobacco and the pharmacy industry has. Well, that's not completely true, NORML and MPP. But, I'm sure that they don't have the deep pockets and make the contributions that the other large lobbies do. I went to college and served in Penn State student government with Rob Kampia. He brought a lot of attention to his issue.In short, if marijuana has proven effective in treating conditions, and its benefits outweigh its side effects, I can not understand any reason to prevent its use other than the fact that the government hasn't found a way to benefit from it yet. So, surprisingly enough to me, I've got to say, legalize it.

"Deep Throat" Monumental Hero or Media Leaker?

There's a Robin Hood-like glamour that is given to all those that somehow stick it to the government. Somehow it is seen as noble to "screw the man." I'll grant you that there are some shady dealings that go on at the government level. And, who knows, if you blow the whistle within the channels, you might become the unfortunate victim of a convincing suicide setup.

So, it is good that there are other ways to bring corruption to light. But, what deepthroat really is is the most famous and high profile media snitch in history. Now, every story has an anonymous government source. The government even adeptly uses these types of "secret" leaks to test the water for issues and information. It's become so transparent and there's so many disgruntled whistleblowers that it's become common practice. Anonymous government sources are now an accepted "source" of information for printing articles.

The real news story here is that members of the media could actually keep a secret this long as to who Deep Throat was. That's the only issue I see as amazing out of this all!

Nine Inch Nails and Free Speech (Transferred from My Forum on WoodysWorld)

An Associated Press article on this issue follows with the details for this issue. In short, MTV (who is a non-stop advocate for Freedom of Speech, Gay Rights, Diversity Advocacy, and frequently waves the partisan banner of liberalism) has butted heads with Nine Inch Nails over their intent to have a backdrop that is apparently critical of President Bush and the war in Iraq. MTV said that it was uncomfortable with such a partisan political statement. Nine Inch Nails has withdrawn from the Awards rather than remove the banner. What are your thoughts on this issue?

************************ASSOCIATED PRESS ARTICLE****************
Nine Inch Nails Clashes With MTV Tuesday, May 31, 2005NEW YORK — Nine Inch Nails dropped out of the MTV Movie Awards after clashing with the network over an image of President Bush the band planned as a performance backdrop. The Bush image was to accompany the song "The Hand That Feeds," which obliquely criticizes the Iraq war. It includes the lyrics: "What if this whole crusade's a charade / And behind it all there's a price to be paid / For the blood on which we dine / Justified in the name of the holy and the divine."MTV said in a statement to its news division that the network was disappointed the industrial rock band would not perform but had been "uncomfortable with their performance being built around a partisan political statement."said in a statement posted on the band's Web site Thursday that the image of the president would have been unaltered and "straightforward.""Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me," he said.  

My Response:
I kind of have to laugh about this topic. MTV has always been about pushing a liberal agenda. MTV is habitually guilty of portraying a eutopian liberal world where diversity, gay men and women and corporate sponsorship live hand in hand. They've been subversively critical of the Bush administration and the war on Iraq. And, they've rallied legions of youth voters in an attempt to forward their eutopian society. So, to say that they do not want partisan politics as part of this event is just plain funny to me. Weren't there scads of anti-war statements in previous award events?

But, by the same token, I'm a HUGE NIN fan, but I can't help but to say, let it go Trent! Damn dude, the election is past. It's not like your banner is going to march Bush out of office. It's ok to have an opinion, really it is. But, we're here for the music--on the rare event that MTV actually plays music. We're in a post-narrative age here. We are in an age where everybody thinks they're right. I don't know one person that has changed their political views following a debate, discussion or even song or backdrop. I really would've thought that both Hollywood and the music industry would have gotten the message that "Hey, you're an artist, not an expert! It's cool to have your opinion and, sure, you can express your opinion. Just don't ram it down my throat. All you're doing is compromising your integrity!"