...legalizing it and therefore taking away the drug cartels number one source of income. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy ... says that more than 60 percent of the profits reaped by Mexican drug lords are derived from the exportation and sale of cannabis to the American market (Armentano2). It is ridiculous to think that the United States can put out a statistic like this and ignore the fact that if they legalized the drug there would be less violence because there would be no point for Mexican drug cartels to try and smuggle the drug into the U.S. In the article “Blame Prohibition, Not Pot Smokers for Violence in Mexico”, published by AlterNet.org, Tony Newman tells us how the people who run the “Just Say No” campaign against drugs have a new scheme in which they plan to blame people who smoke pot for the violence in Mexico. They are hoping to stop younger people from smoking marijuana if they associate it with the murder of people by the drug cartels in Mexico. There are a few problems with these campaigns: They are inaccurate in some cases, and downright dishonest in others.Office of National Drug Control Policy It is disingenuous to connect the average American's marijuana consumption to the horrific violence of Mexico's drug war. The average pot smoker's growing and purchasing of marijuana has no relationship to the violence along the border that is the result of large-scale drug trafficking. It isn’t hard to understand that the legalization of marijuana...
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...Position Paper Khadijah Shabazz CNSL 5203 Dr. Sampson Prairie View A&M University 9/20/2015 The legalization of drugs is one of the most controversial and debated topics of the 21st century. There are both negative and positive reasons to legalize them as well as negative and positive reasons to keep them prohibited. According to LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, drug prohibition is the true cause of much of the social and personal damage that has historically been attributed to drug use. It is prohibition that makes these drugs so valuable – while giving criminals a monopoly over their supply ("Why Legalize Drugs? | LEAP").LEAP goes on to say that criminal gangs are driven by the huge profits from this monopoly, criminal gangs bribe and kill each other, law enforcers, and children and as such their trade is unregulated and they are, therefore, beyond our control ("Why Legalize Drugs? | LEAP"). It is LEAP’s belief that by eliminating prohibition of all drugs for adults and establishing appropriate regulation and standards for distribution and use, law enforcement could focus more on crimes of violence, such as rape, aggravated assault, child abuse and murder, making our communities much safer ("Why Legalize Drugs? | LEAP"). Another positive aspect of the legalization of drugs is financial gains. According to the International Business Times in a study for the Cato Institute, Jeffrey A. Miron, senior lecturer on economics at Harvard University and a senior...
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... But there have always been varying ulterior motives. According to Baylor University Professor of Sociology, Dr. Diana Kendall, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed solely to criminalize marijuana by taxing it; this would dissuade migrant Mexican workers who smoked marijuana to seek employment elsewhere and not take jobs from U.S. citizens as the country struggled during the Great Depression (Kendall, 2010). Last year, voters in Colorado and Washington State approved legislation that supported the commercial growth, sale, possession and use of recreational marijuana. In response, United States Department of Justice, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, promulgated policy that established the posture for enforcing marijuana laws against people or organizations to that: Distribution of marijuana to minors; revenue from the sale of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels; the diversion of marijuana from states where it is legal under state law in some...
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...Global Politics: The feasibility of universal drug liberalization as an emerging phenomenon RWaterhouse Globalization & The War on Drugs: Assessing alternatives to criminalization The purpose of this paper is to address universal drug liberalization as a feasible alternative to the current drug control regime specifically in North America and potentially applicable elsewhere. With an in depth analysis of the historical regulation, implementation of law, and resulting consequences we will be able to see how nations are effected by complex drug politics and why there has been a global paradigm shift in looking spiritedly at the ideal of decriminalization. I argue in favor of liberalization by bringing to attention the violence associated with the commodification of illegal drugs, what the re-directed costs of control could mean for domestic investment into proactive drug awareness education, and finally recognizing Portugal’s success and weaknesses in the adoption of a compete legalization agenda. Following will be a discussion of concluding thoughts centered on the efficacy and feasibility of universal liberalization in today’s globalized world. Historical Context Libertarianism has almost always had position in political discourse but has been majorly popularized through public attention within the era of globalization. (article) Control of drug consumption has always been a contemporary ingredient in the political reform of Canada and the America’s and...
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...The so-called “War on Drugs,” as declared by the Nixon administration in the signing of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, marked the beginning of the current era of mandatory minimum sentencing, racism, privatized prisons, and a powerful constituency that profits as a result of the prohibition of drugs. Psychoactive substances have been apart of the human experience as long as humans have walked the earth. There is little hope that drug production will ever be curtailed, so long as there is a demand; a demand that has remained steady even though it has been forty years since the beginning of said war. As Judge James P. Gray from the Superior Court of Orange County has so plainly put it: “Where did this policy come from? Unfortunately I have conducted an inquiry into this and I have determined that drug prohibition laws came for reasons of racism, empire building, and ignorance.”(Booth) The War on Drugs is politically motivated as a means of profiting. One may ask them self how government can financially benefit from such policies. In fact, they benefit in a myriad of ways. The government spends an exorbitant amount of money in an attempt to combat drug production and drug usage. The U.S. government has spent over a trillion—that’s right a trillion—dollars in its attempt to eradicate the drug problem. With so much time, effort and money there should be something to show, right? Wrong. Today drugs are more prevalent, more potent and cheaper than...
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...Informal logic is used to provide reasoning’s to assist in examining an argument. A conclusion needs well supporting evidence to provide productive and positive results. A political argument today is on homosexual marriage. My argument will be that the union of homosexual marriage does not have strong enough reasons to provide a productive and positive result because first, God created the institution of marriage, moreover going against the values and morals this country was built on, lastly same sex marriage will not produce a fruitful union. First, God created the institution of marriage between opposite sexes. A nation build on Christianity and under god, religious beliefs found to be just as important as the political one on equality. Traditionalist argue that marriage between a man and a woman should not be changed because of “prism of contemporary American society” (Campbell & Robinson, 2007, p. 131). This is the refracting of understanding of scripture. As Montgomery (2003) states in Kingston-Whig Standard “God is still the supreme ruler of this land, and neither the multicultural program of liberalism nor the strong homosexual political machine can change that, no matter how hard they try” ( para. 8) . Regarding the war on gay marriage the public opinion constitutes a “hard case” for the cultural war of gay marriage (Campbell & Robinson, 2007, p. 134).Indeed conservatives give a strong argument for gay marriage using equality and rights while, traditionalists use...
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...in other countries that offer lower wages and lower costs of living. The case study describes the Department of Transportation of Illinois plans to outsource the management of information management systems. Ms. Barbara Glenn makes several arguments against this outsourcing in her memo to Mr. Cesar Padilla, the President of the FSEU (FSEU Memo, 2011). In the book, “Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (Tenth Edition), by M. Neil Brown and Stuart M. Keeley”, the authors examine the benefits of critical thinking as it relates to the process of asking the right kinds of questions. The authors define critical thinking: “as the awareness of a set of interrelated critical questions, the ability to ask and answer critical questions at appropriate times; and the desire to actively use the critical questions” (Brown & Keeley, 2010, p. 2). In my examination of the Memo by Ms. Barbara Glenn, I will apply the various steps developed by Brown and Keeley, to examine the arguments made. Conclusions and Issues Involved Ms. Glenn stated that the proposal to outsource the information management system of the Department of Transportation is a straight assault on the Union and will not be favorable to the members of the Union, the employees in the U.S. and also to the overall condition of the domestic economy. Consequently, her recommendation was to fight this...
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...that allows homosexual couples the right to participate in civil unions. Some other states are also debating whether or not to allow these couples to marry. Unfortunately, the dispute has left the United States homosexual community in an awkward position. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and should never be allowed to marry. Other people believe that gay people are just like anyone else and should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals do. I think that the United States should allow these couples to marry just like any other couple. There are many opponents of gay people as it is, and they all have their reasons to dislike the idea of letting them get married. One of the main reasons is that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation. Because gay couples are unable to have children, they should not be allowed to marry (Schiffen 495). Another main argument is that the word marriage means the union of one man and one woman. This is a long-standing theme of most major Western religions. Under a proposed bill known as the Defense of Marriage act, marriage is defined as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” Furthermore, it defines a spouse as “ a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife” (What 1). Under these guidelines, it is quite obvious that gay couples would not be eligible for marriage. People against homosexual marriage also say that it is a person’s choice to...
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...PRINCIPAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST POLICE LABOR UNIONS ARE EXAMINED. ARGUMENTS THAT POLICE UNIONS ARE ILLEGAL, COMPROMISE THE NEUTRALITY OF OFFICERS, NEGATE PROFESSIONALIZATION, AND POLITICIZE POLICE ARE APPRAISED. Abstract: THE ARGUMENT THAT POLICE ADMINISTRATORS HAVE UTILIZED POPULAR ANTI-UNION MISCONCEPTIONS TO LEGITIMIZE THEIR OPPOSITION TO UNIONS IS CONSIDERED BY THE AUTHOR TO HAVE SOME VALIDITY. IN ANSWER TO THE CHARGE THAT UNIONS ARE ILLEGAL, THE AUTHOR POINTS OUT THAT MEMBERSHIP IN AND THE ACTIVITIES OF UNIONS ARE RAPIDLY BECOMING ACCEPTABLE BY STATUTE OR CASE LAW. FURTHER, IT IS POINTED OUT THAT STRIKES OR OTHER FORMS OF WORK STOPPAGES COULD WELL BE ORGANIZED BY ANY POLICE FRATERNAL OR BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATION, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF UNION AFFILIATION. AGAINST THE CHARGE THAT UNION AFFILIATION WOULD UNDERMINE POLICE NEUTRALITY, THE AUTHOR REASONS THAT AN OFFICER'S NEUTRALITY WILL BE COMPROMISED BY A UNION ONLY WHERE HE OR SHE IS NOT INSTILLED WITH THE IMPORTANCE OF PERFORMING LAW ENFORCEMENT DUTIES. IT IS ARGUED THAT THE CAUSE OF POLICE PROFESSIONALIZATION WILL NOT BE UNDERMINED BY UNION OPERATIONS, BECAUSE, IT IS SAID, UNIONS OPERATE ON THE LOCAL LEVEL OF ECONOMIC NEEDS WHILE PROFESSIONALIZATION OPERATES ON THE NATIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL PLACE OF OCCUPATIONAL INTERESTS. THE AUTHOR CONSIDERS THAT ALL POLICE ORGANIZATIONS, WHETHER UNION OR UNAFFILIATED ARE INVOLVED IN PARTISAN POLITICS. THE AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGES THAT UNION AFFILIATION WOULD CREATE ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEMS...
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...Bence Csosz April 8th 2010 Montenegro’s Euro Challenge The article we found in the Business Press is about Montenegro’s unilateral adoption of the Euro, what is wrong with it, what arguments are there for it and against it. To have closer insight to the argument we have to know what Unilateral Adoption of a currency is. It’s when a country uses the currency of another country or another monetary union without the country’s or monetary union’s official acceptance which is the case of Montenegro, more specifically “unilateral euroization” without meeting the Maastricht criteria and without getting the European Union’s approval. In 2002 when the Euro was launched as the official currency for the countries in the European Monetary Union (EMU), Montenegro started using the euro as well without any approvals. The European Central Bank and the European Union strictly forbid the unilateral use of the Euro with very few exceptions like Vatican which is religious governing state in the Italian territory. They have some basic arguments why other countries should not use the Euro. The main argument is that it would undermine the principal of equal treatment, as any physically speaking “European” country has to be a member of the European Union and then apply to be in the European Monetary Union which has the five Maastricht requirements which ensures that the specific country has stable economy, low inflation, long term low interest rates, low Government Debt, Low Government Deficit...
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...An outline is a “blueprint” or “plan” for your paper. It helps you to organize your thoughts and arguments. A good outline can make conducting research and then writing the paper very efficient. Your outline page must include your: * Paper Title * Thesis statement * Major points/arguments indicated by Roman numerals (i.e., I, II, III, IV, V, etc.) * Support for your major points, indicated by capital Arabic numerals (i.e., A, B, C, D, E, etc.) Roman numeral I should be your “Introduction”. In the introduction portion of your paper, you’ll want to tell your reader what your paper is about and then tell what your paper hopes to prove (your thesis). So an Introduction gives an overview of the topic and your thesis statement. The final Roman numeral should be your “Conclusion”. In the conclusion, you summarize what you have told your reader. Following are 3 sample outlines, from actual student papers. YOUR outline can be MORE detailed, or might be LESS detailed. Remember that a good outline makes writing easier and more efficient. Sample Outline #1 Title: Frederick Douglass Thesis: Frederick Douglass played a crucial role in securing the abolition of slavery and equality of African-American rights through his actions, ideas, and efforts as a lecturer, author/publisher, and politician. I. Introduction A. Thesis B. Roles/Arguments II. Douglass as Lecturer A. History as slave and acquisition of education 1) ...
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...Critical response It’s time to honour gay couples and allow them to marry Susie O’Brien ‘s article ‘It time to honour gay couples and allow them to marry’ (The Advertiser, November 20, 2010, p.27) is an argument of government acknowledging gay marriage. O’Brien starts her argument by using argument device which appeal to reason and emotion her viewpoint on the issue she is addressing. She opened her argument by using an appealing pathos to describe her emotions so it could attract readers and people could pay attention. O’Brien open her discussion about her personal preference, an appeal to emotion or logos. ‘I didn’t ever choose to be straight. As a young teen at Walford Anglican School in Unley, I didn’t ever stand in the playground and think to myself; Girls or guys- which team should I bat for.’ She expressed herself about her sexuality and acknowledges her past school. These first two paragraphs, O’Brien revealed what was going to be in the article. This was a good way to start the article because people will relate to...
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...GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY Individual Project Consideration of and the Legal & Societal Challenges raised by same sex unions Date: July 12th, 2012 Page count: 18 Word Count: 3277 PREPARED BY: OLIVER NICHOLAS TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 3 Background Facts 4 Business, Government and Society &/Legal Issues Identified 5 Presentation of Analysis and/or Literature Review 8 Literature Review 7 Discussion of Findings 14 Recommendations/Solutions 15 Conclusion 17 Bibliography 18 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This research paper will provide a critical analysis on the legal and social challenges raised by the legalization of same sex unions/marriages in the Caribbean, specifically Barbados. Several social issues as well as legal constraints and considerations were identified during the research. The paper presents arguments for both the retention of criminalization as well as arguments for the de-criminalization of homosexuality, the first step towards legalizing same sex unions/marriages. The findings, as presented provide the reader with alternative views and arguments; the conservative moral religious argument is presented as well as the more liberal human rights motivated arguments. This will provide the reader with more information supported by sound argument, allowing them to formulate their own opinions on the issues identified. Based upon the research and the discussion of the...
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...to marriage should be available to all United States citizens. Regardless of sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians (homosexuals) should be able to marry and have the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals. Same-sex marriage is the union of two people of the same gender. Same-sex marriage is a constitutional and human right. In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled marriage as “A fundamental importance to all individuals and the most important relation of life.” The federal government goes by the constitution. The constitution doses not discuss or deal with same-sex marriage directly. Therefore, the federal government doses not recognize same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples are hoping to get federal and state benefits alongside heterosexual couples. The ones against same-sex marriage believe the gays and lesbians (homosexuals) have done something wrong and should be denied the rights and privileges that come with marriage. They think the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage would put the whole idea of marriage a risk of being redefined entirely. While, individuals for same-sex marriage believe that they have done nothing wrong and should have access to the rights and privileges that go alongside marriage. Nineteen states recognize civil unions and domestic partnerships of same-sex marriage process. The fight for same-sex marriage has made some gains of the years. In 1999 Vermont was the first state to grant marriage rights to...
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...any couple, regardless of gender, is unconstitutional. This argument, though, is not disputed. In fact, none of the arguments raised in opposition to the allowance of homosexual marriages takes into account the constitutional rights afforded to all humans. The arguments are only in relation to the possible repercussions (real or imagined) of granting these rights. Our nation was built and has always been based on the fundamental principles of freedom expressed in the Declaration of Independence and through our Constitution. The opponents of homosexual marriage need to remember what freedom means to America, and understand the significance of setting a precedent that denies that freedom. The Supreme Court has long recognized that the institution of marriage is one of the rights guaranteed to all Americans by our Constitution. Banning same-sex marriage is discriminatory. Marriage is a basic human right and should not be denied to any individual. At various times in U.S. history, other minorities have been prevented from marrying: African-Americans, for example. Interracial marriage was also legally prohibited in various states, until the Supreme Court ruled such bans unconstitutional in 1967 ("Should Gay" 31). At this time, however, marriage is only granted to heterosexual couples. Although homosexuals live under the same constitution, they are not afforded the same rights as heterosexuals. The reasons presented against the allowance of homosexual marriage are flimsy, and have...
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