So I was thinking...
I was thinking that you should all go out and rent The Beat. My friend from college stars in it as the main character, Flip. You should check it out.
Today, I was driving past a Philip Morris tobacco plant in Virginia, and I was struck by the fact that cigarettes are STILL legal in this country... after all, according TheTruth.com, "Tobacco companies make a product that kills 440,000 Americans a year." Now, I assume this includes all tobacco products, and not just cigarettes, but why in the world allow a prodcut that is KNOWN to kill people stay on the market? Drugs and medicines get thrown out of the market for killing far fewer people, and yet, tobacco is a profitable industry with a strong lobby. I heard on NPR today that Brazil leads the world in gun related deaths, with a whooping 36,000 gun related deaths last year. Not to dismiss that number by any means, but that is LESS than 10% of Tobacco related deaths in the US. "Over 50,000 people a year die from secondhand smoke in the US alone." (thetruth.com) Those are NON-smokers that are being killed by smokers... This makes absolutely no sense, by any means, and has no reasonable justification. I find it deplorable, unacceptable, and morally reprehinsible.
Also, when did the Democratic party lose its voice? Has anyone else noticed that as new issues, scandals, and events arise in the US, we always hear the conservative response, but there is consistently little heard coming from Democratic offices? What is the point of electing mute officials? This is a trend that has become increasingly worse since the Texas Bushman stole the election in 2000, and again in 2004, but at this point, its as if the government has put a gag order on the opposing party? What gives?
And speaking of politics, since when does someone's religion and religious beliefs qualify them to a position on the Supreme Court? My grandmother is very religious and has never served as a judge. I've known her for over 10 years, and she plays the lottery a lot... In my mind, that makes her a pretty capable candidate... People, people. Separation of church and state. If you are religious, great. I don't want to hear about it in your political speeches or your campaigning. If you can't be objective and project decisions outside of your own experience, beyond your own personal beliefs, then you have no right to serve on the Supreme Court. Hegemony anyone? (And let's be honest, Harriet's eyeliner is way scary!)
Lastly, if I get to come back, in another life, I want to be born in India, so I can eat Indian food everyday. I wonder if they have good chocolate in India...
Today, I was driving past a Philip Morris tobacco plant in Virginia, and I was struck by the fact that cigarettes are STILL legal in this country... after all, according TheTruth.com, "Tobacco companies make a product that kills 440,000 Americans a year." Now, I assume this includes all tobacco products, and not just cigarettes, but why in the world allow a prodcut that is KNOWN to kill people stay on the market? Drugs and medicines get thrown out of the market for killing far fewer people, and yet, tobacco is a profitable industry with a strong lobby. I heard on NPR today that Brazil leads the world in gun related deaths, with a whooping 36,000 gun related deaths last year. Not to dismiss that number by any means, but that is LESS than 10% of Tobacco related deaths in the US. "Over 50,000 people a year die from secondhand smoke in the US alone." (thetruth.com) Those are NON-smokers that are being killed by smokers... This makes absolutely no sense, by any means, and has no reasonable justification. I find it deplorable, unacceptable, and morally reprehinsible.
Also, when did the Democratic party lose its voice? Has anyone else noticed that as new issues, scandals, and events arise in the US, we always hear the conservative response, but there is consistently little heard coming from Democratic offices? What is the point of electing mute officials? This is a trend that has become increasingly worse since the Texas Bushman stole the election in 2000, and again in 2004, but at this point, its as if the government has put a gag order on the opposing party? What gives?
And speaking of politics, since when does someone's religion and religious beliefs qualify them to a position on the Supreme Court? My grandmother is very religious and has never served as a judge. I've known her for over 10 years, and she plays the lottery a lot... In my mind, that makes her a pretty capable candidate... People, people. Separation of church and state. If you are religious, great. I don't want to hear about it in your political speeches or your campaigning. If you can't be objective and project decisions outside of your own experience, beyond your own personal beliefs, then you have no right to serve on the Supreme Court. Hegemony anyone? (And let's be honest, Harriet's eyeliner is way scary!)
Lastly, if I get to come back, in another life, I want to be born in India, so I can eat Indian food everyday. I wonder if they have good chocolate in India...
posted by ARP | 11:04 PM
2 Comments:
Ban cigarette smoking and you drive it underground, just like the prohibition. Haven't we got enough drug pushers to contend with?
I'd rather it sold illegally than legally. The "underground" problem will be for the addicts to contend with. Regardless, this will save the future generation of Americans from getting caught up in an unhealthy habbit.
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