The Negative Side of Things

Negative Side of the Debate

1) The White House administration strongly opposes the legalization of marijuana.  They have stated that the potency of the drug has tripled in the last twenty years which raises concerns, and lends to the belief that the drug should remain illegal.  Legalizing the drug would not get rid of a black market for the drug, and some opposing opinions were shown to have been overstated.  In the year 2011 4.2 million people in the US were shown to have a dependence, or tolerance for the drug.    

"Marijuana Resource Center." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 9 June 2014. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/marijuanainfo/>.

2) This article clearly states the many disadvantages to the recreational use of marijuana.  Statistics are listed, and show that marijuana is infact one addictive drugs.  It also talks the negative effects on the human brain.  Studies have shown that with the use of this drug a person’s IQ can drop eight points from where it should be in terms of that individual's intellectual level and learn capacity.  

  

"DrugFacts: Marijuana." National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). USA.gov, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 9 June 2014. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana>.

Positive Side of the Debate

Marijuana legalization would help to limit the number of people put into prison per year in the US.  Other places in Europe and Canada have managed to legalize the the cultivation of hemp, without legalization of the drug, they go on further to say that the oil in hemp has the possibility to be used as a biofuel to help reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere.  Alcohol is also a legalized drug, and if that’s legal then what’s stopping marijuana from being legalized as well.  This could become a way for the government to start paying back the massive debt that we owe China.      

"The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal." Alternet. AlterNet , n.d. Web. 9 June 2014.

<http://www.alternet.org/story/60959/the_top_ten_reasons_marijuana_should_be_legal>.

positives of legalization of marijuana

1)      In my first source I found was ten reasons to legalize marijuana now. In the article it states many reasons such as marijuana is a good medicine and that prohibition takes away our right of sovereignty over our own bodies. It also states that the government could make billions on taxing marijuana like they do alcohol.

Yarrusso, Carmen . "Top Ten Reasons to Legalize Marijuana Now." . Truthout , 9 June 2013. Web. 9 June 2014. <http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/16798-top-ten-reasons-to-legalize-marijuana-now>. \

2)      In my second source it shows a remarkable chart that shows harm by drugs such as alcohol and heroin. These two drugs are the top two and marijuana is the lowest. This website also states how it is not just a gateway drug and also how may very successful people smoke marijuana.

 Jacques , Renee, and Todd Van Luling. " This Is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere." . The Huffington Post, 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 9 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/marijuana-legalization_n_4151423.html>.

3)      In my third web source it also states ten reasons to legalize marijuana. Some reasons were marijuana has never directly killed someone according to the CDC alcohol has been linked to at least 76,000 deaths every year. Marijuana also effectively treats the symptoms of many serious illnesses such as aids, glaucoma, and cancer.

Macek, Carl . "Top 10 Reasons to Legalize Marijuana ." . Rehab Programs, 28 Dec. 2011. Web. 9 June 2014. <http://visual.ly/top-10-reasons-legalize-marijuana>.

~Matt Mills

Post 10- Annotated Citations

As we have decided on issues of interest for debate in class, the next step is to start performing research. Using the issue the class has chosen research both sides of the issue (affirmative and negative).

Find at least three sources to aid you in writing a research paper which will become the basis of your information for the final in-class debate. Sources must have authors! Do not cite wikipedia pages. If you are using wikipedia, use sources that are linked in the articles (ie. footnotes).

For each source, provide an annotation (a three-to-five sentence summary) explaining the important information contained in the source and whether the information works for the affirmative or negative side of the debate. Also cite the source in the correct MLA bibliographic format.

For examples, click here.

Posts are due 3pm Monday, 6/9.

Debates Debates DEBATES

Pro life Vs. Pro choice

This particular debate has been going on throughout the world for decades.  Most people who are pro life say that to have an abortion would be committing a murder, because they believe that it is already a living creature thus it would be immoral to kill them.

Most of this debate centers around the different religions vs. the scientific community, and others as well.  They believe that it to be the woman’s choice whether or not to carry the pregnancy to term, and deal with the consequences of that choice.  

I believe it should be a woman's choice whether or not to carry a pregnancy, because it is her body and life to do with what she sees fit in the end.  I think that religion and state should stay divided because I feel if a woman is limited in her choices because if a religion dicktating them, that would limit her own free will, which is what America was founded on, the right to choose.

Gun Control...

This being another heated topic for debate, especially recently I feel like it would be an interesting topic for the debate.   What with all the recent shootings and deaths one could understand why people would want to have limits on the amount and type of weapon a person would be allowed to own.  

However on the flipside of things there are the people that say that guns are there for our protection, that to have them taken away would be to have our second amendment rights as Americans.  

I myself think that a person should have the right to own a firearm if they have the proper permits and such, because a criminal will try to steal a weapon either way, which is the very nonlegal way to go about things to begin with.

Gun Control and Legalization of Marijuana

           With most debate topics, I don't have much of an opinion on because with most topics it is a person choice wether or not they want to participate in the act, for example, abortion. Abortion to me is a persons choice, wether they want to get one or not, who am I to stop them? It is all up to the person themselves. On the other hand there are topics I have very strong opinions on and two of which topics are gun control and the legalization of recreational cannabis .
            Being around guns for my entire life, I have come to learn how to properly use one, clean one, handle and load one, so I am of course pro-gun, anti-gun control. I have been an vid shooter since I was seven when I fired my first rifle, I found much enjoyment out of target shooting and found that it relieves stress for me.
            With new laws such as the "SAFE Act" that have came out due to school shootings and homicides, guns are a major debate topic. The SAFE Act states that all "High capacity magazines" are banned, citizens must register their weapons, certain attachments and customizations for weapons were banned, along with bans and background checks for the purchase of ammunition. Many people believe that these make a safer environment, because less guns, less crime. On the other side people belief that it make previous gun owners into criminals.
             Some statistics that have been found after one year of the SAFE Act's release is that, in NYS alone there are over one million assault weapons that are owned, out of these one million, approximately sixty thousand have been registered.  Also the SAFE Act's release was considered constitutional due to it's hastily release and review, for example when it was first released, there was no exemption for police officers, making the people that put away criminals, into criminals. On the same note with it's release, over 95% percent of police departments in NYS have declared that they would not enforce the law due to the same problem.  Violence has also not decreased in NYS, it has actually increased since the act's release, contradicting to the point of the law.
             Legalization of recreational cannabis is also a huge topic for politicians and debates. I personally believe that it should not be legalized for recreational use because it can impair judgement and vision, similar to the effects of alcohol. Others believe it can help our economy due to taxes and have less of a drug problem.
             On a anti-legalization side, Marijuana can be used as a gateway drug that can lead to addiction to itself and to other drugs. Also if people were already users of the drug then they will still chose to get it via their former "dealers" because of the strength or the price. This is because if taxes were placed, the price would skyrocket, as it does with any other product. Also the second hand smoke could get others addicted. DUI cases would also occur more frequently due to the use while driving or operating machinery, this is not only a danger to the users but to others as well.
            The Pro-Legalization side states that there would be less trouble with the law due to it now being legal. They also state that if taxes are placed on the product then it can help our economy. They also argue that it is not addictive or deadly or that it even has side effects. Alcohol is also compared to it, stating that if alcohol s legal that marijuana should be because it has the same effects, if not less then alcohol.

The Amazing Spider Man 2 vs. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The Amazing Spider Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, two of the most popular films recently released share many similarities. Both sport Marvel super heroes we are all familiar with, attractive women who radiate confidence and intelligence, and handsome and brooding villains who are really just misunderstood. Both, to the untrained eye, would pass as your average superhero movie, but one stands out amongst the rest. The Amazing Spider Man sets itself apart from the others on all fronts, including casting, acting, story line, adherence to the comic books, score, editing and directing. Captain America, on the other hand, will blend into the haze of a massive number of identical heroic story lines.

The star ridden cast of the sequel of the new interpretation of the Marvel classic Spider man (which surpassed the original trilogy, starring Tobey Maguire, in the first five minutes of the film), including Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Emma Stone (The Help), and Jamie Foxx (Ray) all bring a variety characteristics that clash and coexist on screen in such a way to bring a dynamic array of interactions and emotions that are rarely seen in other Marvel Films. The director Marc Webb (oh the irony) gives each character a sense of humanity that we often miss out on in tragic tales such as this. Gwen Stacy sacrifices love in order to pursue a successful career, Aunt May hides that she is picking up extra shifts at work to support Peter so that he does not feel guilty, and Max Dillon simply wants to be noticed and loved, just like everyone else. This aren’t cold, distant, hardened warriors like those in Captain America. These are human beings, however extraordinary they may be, who must face the unfortunate situations they are forced into.

The casting and directing creates a sense of relatability that is not found in Captain America; a story of a soldier out of time, assassins, and outrageous and secretive military endeavours. There is no sense of connection between the characters themselves or those and the audience.

Also the fact that the score for Spider Man had specific songs that were stylistically geared towards characters in ways that have never been done before, is pretty awesome.

Debate final

There are many arguable topics in this world but two that I have chosen are legalization of marijuana and gun laws. The reasons I have chosen these two topics are because I have strong opinions of both and I disagree with both.  Both of these topics are very interesting and very popular topics that many people have and say their opinion on.

Legalization of marijuana has been and still is a very popular topic.  They say marijuana is a helpful medicine, they say it makes feel good. Many say that it isn't as dangerous or harmful as alcohol and other drugs. Those are some reasons why people want to legalize marijuana but I do not agree with those reasons. Marijuana can have many other effects on people such as Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than regular tobacco smoke. One study reported that a single joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as five cigarettes smoked one after another. If marijuana was legalized many think the crime rate will decrease because people won’t be sneaking and selling it. This isn't true because other drugs such as heroine, crack and others will just increase their drug selling because there is less marijuana being sold on the streets.  

My other topic that I chose is gun laws. This is a huge and popular topic that is only a year old. This is also a topic that I highly disagree with.  People who agree with these gun laws agreed because they believe it will reduce the number of deaths caused by mass shootings, reduce the number of accidental deaths, and help keep guns out of criminal’s hands. Although these are some solid points I do not fully agree with them. It’s just like the old saying guns don’t kill people, people kill people. I don’t believe all of these school shootings happen because people can somehow get their hands on gun I believe it is things like the video game call of duty and certain types of bulling that make these people mentally unstable. Many people who don’t agree with gun laws don’t because it makes it more difficult for people and families to protect their homes, gives too much power to the government over average citizens, and gun control measures will eventually lead to stricter laws which will take guns away for all citizens.

~ Matt Mills