Medical Marijuana

I agree with my classmate, Paige Dausin's article Medical Cannabis: 21 States to Go that we should legalize marijuana for medical use.

           

Medical marijuana has great benefits for people suffering from PTSD, anxiety, seizures, sleep issues and others health issues. Its also been found that it can help recovering heroin addicts from getting off heroin. Its safer and non-addictive like the pharmaceutical drugs out there today. Unfortunately the federal government still does not recognize the medicalization of marijuana and you can still be arrested it for by federal agents even if your state has legalized it. Even worse since its not recognized federally that its not protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), so even if your doctor has prescribed the Marijuana you can still be fired from your job for using it.

           

            We need the rest of American to recognize that marijuana can be used as medicine that will benefit the people who use it and get over the old propaganda from the Regan era. Once we get the federal government to recognize it then we can start giving the American people more alternatives then just using pharmaceutical drugs.

VA a Broken System

The VA is without a doubt still broken, even after all these years trying to fix it, it isn’t any closer to where it should be. For a veteran just to schedule an appointment is a ridiculous process that no one should have to deal with.

            I remember when I was active duty hearing the horror stories of the VA and thinking they were exaggerations of the system, until one day a fellow combat cameraman who had gotten out of the Marines a couple years before had died. he was suffering from chronic migraines, he tried over and over to see a doctor at the VA hospital only for his appointments to get pushed back and eventually canceled. This would keep going on till he died, after his autopsy they discovered that he was suffering from a brain tumor, if he could have seen a doctor when the symptoms first appeared he still might be here today. Unfortunately that never happened, the VA tried to cover it up by making it look like he was the one cancelling his appointments, they got caught doing this though because they tried to say he cancelled his appointment several days after his death. This is only one story out of many like it.

            You would think after scandals like this the VA would have changed for the better but I’m sad to say that nothing has really changed, we still see on the news about new problems the VA has been trying to cover up. During all of this the veterans are the one who are stuck with this system with no other options. I myself have tried several times to schedule an appointment to see a doctor for the VA just give me the runaround and eventually cancel my appointment without telling me. Just the other day I was on hold with the VA for over an hour to try to schedule one before giving up.

            We need to start allowing the veterans to choose where they can go to seek help, we need to start be proactive towards the problems with veterans instead on reactive. The government needs to fix the VA now, too many veterans are suffering and have no where else to go, only getting worse as time goes on.

America Should Not Offer Free College

In Nahely Garcia’s article “America NEEDS To Offer FreeCollege” She argues that America should get rid of the student loan forgiveness program and instead just offer free college instead. I don’t believe America should do that. Its not the governments job to make sure you have a higher education, it’s yours. People would take the system for granted, I’ve met too many people in my lifetime that have blown off school and classes, I’m sure that anyone reading this article knows at least one person in school that doesn’t try at all. If the government paid for everyone’s school you would get more people with the mindset of “its not my money paying for this class so who cares if I fail it”. Why should the American people be paying for these types of people going to school?

Now having said all that I do believe that college should be more affordable than it has become today. A couple decades ago someone could get a part time job to pay their way through college, today that’s now impossible. I believe if the government is going to get involved with higher education it should be making it so that students can do that again, bringing down the outrageous prices colleges and universities demand from the people attending. The government should offer more programs for people with low-income families that actually want to go to school and better themselves to get the helped they need to attend school, but not to just write everyone a blank check for college. People value things more when they have to pay for it themselves, and take things for granted when other people do.

Rising Abuse of Drugs

I’m a strong believer that one of America’s biggest and dangerous problems is the high amount of drug abuse that has swept this country. As someone whose comes from a state that has been recently riddled with heroin overdoses I can personally say without a doubt that this is a devastating problem. In 2015 drug overdose was the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United Sates with over 52,404 lethal drug overdoses, over 20,101 of those overdoses was caused by prescription painkillers, and 12,990 were caused by heroin overdose. These deaths are completely avoidable.

One of the main contributions to this epidemic is the use of prescription opioids, four out of five new heroin users start out by misusing prescription painkillers. A survey in 2010 found that prescription drug addicts turn to heroin because it easier and cheaper to get a hold of then prescription drugs. These people that get addicted aren't bad people with history of drug use, they’re everyday people who while recovering from injuries got addicted to the drug that was meant to help them deal with their pain. With the American people becoming more about instant gratification I can understand how this happens to people. Instead of finding alternative solutions for pain management (which most places don’t even have access to) the people using painkillers will take more than the recommended dose to help relive the pain once they feel it coming back. 

I believe because of this we need to make stricter laws on prescribing but then to also lessen the punishment towards addicts that are in possession of such drugs. This way we control the amount of opioids being sold but also help addicts with rehab instead of prison time. We also need to start alternative pain management programs so people don’t have to rely on painkillers for their pain. A new study has found that marijuana use has greatly helped heroin addicts recover from their addiction and help manage the pain they feel.

If we start taking these steps into action then we can help bring down this epidemic. It won’t be easy and it will take some time put I believe we need to start now.

Real News or Fake News

In the CNN’s article “Trump’s war on reality is truly baffling” (http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/03/opinions/why-does-trump-attack-media-nic-robertson-opinion/index.html), they talk about Putin’s history with Russia’s media, where he has silenced journalists and critics. That Russia now gets most of all their media from the state, that even the internet has now become a place where propaganda news has flourished. The editor Nic Robertson they shows his confusion in that why would President Trump being fighting with our own media, accusing them to be fake when Russia has been criticized for dealing with fake news against our country. That now more then ever our country should be turning towards respectable journalists as our best defense against fake news attacks not shunning them away. Robertson explains that trumps actions are blurring the lines between truth and lies, that now Americans don’t know whom to believe anymore. Robertson then says that President Trumps actions is creating an impression that he has something to hide just like Putin and that President Trump is putting his own interest before Americas.

Even though Robertson’s article is a little biased made for the more liberal type person, I have to agree with his argument. President Trump’s accusation on the news site that he doesn’t like and criticize him are damaging this country. By him doing this it allows our countries enemies who are increasing their cyber warfare techniques to successfully attack this country with a fake news article and have a majority of Americans believe it. It also gives the impression the President Trump is taking notes on what Putin did to his own media, but in doing so he’s playing right into Putin’s hands to begin what they’re calling a hybrid-war. Where the majority of the warzone is fought online instead of on the battlefield. President Trump needs to start being careful with his accusations especially when there is no evidence to back them up, It’ll will only further confuse Americans on what the truth really is.

When Journalist Exaggerate

A little while ago after the shooting in Orlando, journalist Gersh Kuntzman went to Double Tap Shooting Range and Gun Shop to experience first hand what its like to fire the weapon that has been involved in several shootings, the AR-15. In his article “what is it like to fire an AR-15? It’s horrifying, menacing, and very very loud”, (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/firing-ar-15-horrifying-dangerous-loud-article-1.2673201) Kuntzman explains to his viewers what it felt like to fire the weapon for himself and to talk about how easy it is to buy such a weapon. He says in his article that firing this weapon was like firing a bazooka and sounded like a cannon. He goes on to say that weapons was loud like an explosion, deafening even with ear protection, that the recoil was so strong that is bruised his shoulder, and gave him temporary PTSD. He also talks with the storeowner Frank Stelmach about the weapon, what background checks and screenings the government should put in place before being able to buy one. Stelmach goes to say that he won’t sell to people that he deems to be unfit for weapons because they look a little funny or asked what he believes to be stupid questions like “what happens to me if the gun is stolen?

After reading the article and watching the video I have to say that this type of journalism is hurting America. Kuntzman had a chance to inform his viewers who he admits in a follow up piece never been around the AR-15 before, about what it was really like to fire the weapon and to discuss some of the truths as well misconceptions this weapon has but instead he decided to exaggerate the details to adhere to his viewer’s beliefs that the AR-15 is the most dangerous gun on the market and should be banned. This type of journalism isn’t about giving the reader the truth so they can make a decision on their own about what to be done but instead it shapes the information for the viewer to dig himself or herself deeper into their own micro segmentation. Whether this was done to push Kuntzmans own political agenda on his dislike for the gun or to get more views and shares I can not tell you but what I can tell you is that this article is pure infotainment.

Now you may have your own opinions on what should be done with the AR-15 and that is fine. The problem is how exaggerated this story really is. Being someone that has fired the AR-15 before I can personally say that the rifle is not as bad as it has been described and that the information was skewed for his article. For those that say that this was just his opinion to the weapon, opinions are fine to a certain point. If I said a fire cracker going off was extremely loud that’s one thing but if I said a firecracker going of was as loud and explosive as an IED then I’m just fabricating the truth.

Travel Ban Still Blocked

The “travel Ban” established in President Trump’s Executive Order blocking citizens from Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen for 90 days, 120 days for all refugees, has stirred a lot of controversy since it was issued on January 27th. Almost instantly protests arouse in opposition of the ban, gathering around local airports. Then a week later on February 3^rd, federal Judge James Robart blocked the travel ban allowing travel to continue form the countries that were banned. As of February 9^th that block has been upheld by the 9^th Circuit Court.

CNN does a great job in their article, 9th Circuit rules against reinstating travel ban, (http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/09/politics/travel-ban-9th-circuit-ruling-immigration) in explaining why the three Judges chose the way they did. It also helps shed light on what actions the Trump administration might take next to try to reinstate the ban.