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Show 10 - DIXIE WEDNESDAY, APRIL OPINION SUN 20(s Weekly voice Legalizing drags: A look at both sides BY MARK GREEN Dixie Sun Staff Writer The hardest part of writing a column every week is often picking a side. So this week I am experimenting with the first ever edition of Mark vs. Green: a no holds barred battle with myself. This week we will be discussing the legalization of all drugs. PRO: The crippling waves of crime, murder and corruption plaguing much of America is not, as the experts will tell you, caused by drug use. Our citizens are afraid, and our jails are packed to the brim because of the outrageous profits created by a black market for illegal drugs. Drug trafficking is a PAGEANTS continued from page 9 Beauty, especially pageant beauty, is superficial by its very nature. Kids will have to deal with this soon enough as they enter their teenage years. Let them have a few years where they're not hung up on their appearance. The movie Little Miss Sunshine is such a good portrayal of how heinous these things truly are. At least the movie shows how stupid beauty pageants are for young girls, and that it's what is in your heart that truly matters. dollar industry spanning much of the globe. According to "UN: Taliban could clear $500 million from 2008 drug trade," an article by Fisnik Abrashi published in November of 2008 on www.rawa.org, the Taliban and drug cartels of Afghanistan alone were estimated to have earned $500 million in 2008 from the sale of opium, which is the key ingredient in heromulti-billio- n in. If a country thaJ our miliis tary currently occupying can still reap these kinds of profits from the sale of illegal drugs, imagine the money being made in places like Colombia or Mexico, and the corresponding profits made by dealers in America. The drug trade can never be curbed when the profits involved are so high, and violence is a natural extension of an illegal business These girls are dressed up and made up like Barbie dolls. How can a girl ever realize her worth if her mother is watching her weight, spraying fake tanner on her, or dolling her up like some show pony? Meanwhile, there are bright, intelligent young women out there who are playing soccer or tennis, taking real dance classes or singing lessons. They're doing something real. Little girls need to know that they deserve the best chance in life to grow up and make a positive difference in the world. They need confidence, self-estee- knowl offering these kinds of profits. Conversely, if opium, cocaine, marijuana, etc., could be purchased legally, wjlh common sense regulatory safeguards, then there would be no economic rewards for trafficking drugs. How long do you suppose drug cartels abroad and criminal drug empires here at home would continue to operate when there was no longer any profit involved? How many crack dealers are going to offer children drugs when the economic incentive dries up? How many kids are going to drop out of school to sell drugs when drugs are cheap, regulated and available? The government does not have the right to tell its citizens what they can or cannot do, provided those actions dont harm others, and a federal ban on drugs as it is true that it is easier to walk away than to save a drowning stranger. Just because there are costs associated with the war on drugs does not mean that we should abandon it. The cost of one human life is immeasurable, and the ban on drugs saves many lives; clearly any expense is warranted to save people from the horrors of drug addiction. I am a strong supporter of personal choice, but I believe that we as a society have a duty to draw a line in the sand and say, Dont do this; it will kill causes more societal harms than are caused by the actual use of drugs. Family, friends, teachers, church groups and communities are more effective at helping people choose to and antilive drug-freshould puradvocates drug sue these avenues rather than continue support for the failed war on drugs. A federal ban on these substances does not stop their use; it only serves to enrich the corrupt and the criminal. CON: I recognize that a federal ban on drugs creates vast profits for criminals. However, I have been to the funerals of those who have succumbed to drug addiction and cannot in good conscience endorse the legalization of drugs. Its true that it may be easier, cheaper and less demanding of sacrifice to simply legalize all drugs, just e, you. Regardless of what anybody says, drugs will kill people. I had two cousins who insisted that using heroin was their choice, that it harmed no one, anji that the government had no right to forbid its use. They continued to say this as the drug destroyed the:, social lives, alienated theu family, absorbed all of their money, and finally killed both of them. The idea that drugs harm only the user is a lie. have seen the pain and misery that radiates from, drug addict to those close to him or her. I have met personally the man who lived in his car with his wife and infant because he would rather buy drugs than pay rent. I have seen people crushed under the unexpected medichl and funeral costs left to them by addicts. To legalize drugs would be to throw in the towel against one of lifes I 1 great-es- t dangers. We cannot surrender the lives of our children, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors to drugs. If the war on drugs stops even one person from using, then it is worth its price. edge, love and guidance. How can we expect positive change if we encourage those pageants instead of encouraging reading, playing and learning by allowing children to be children? I think if anyone 1 6 or over wishes to participate in a pageant, then she or he should have that choice. But forcing or encouraging a child to participate is unacceptable. Women and girls need to be able to have independence, strength and confidence. None of these will take any femininity away from our sisters; they will only be empowered. At thi I Tv Ca the co M with how relationships are formed and why people connect in such a way to an avatar. Their overwhelming answers to "Why do you think people become so attached to their Second Life avatar?" was "I don't know." Almost 80 percent of the 50 random respondents said they felt a real connection with their significant other on SL and frequently found themselves missing each other when they were offline. All of the psychologists I interviewed agreed that, for many, SL relationconseships have real-lif- e also said the quences. They effects of SL breakups are very similar to their real-lif- e SL continued from page 9 calm enough to think rationally again and then give them the phone number or address of a trained professional in their area. Most of the calls are from people dealing with relationship issues in their real life. Here's where it gets interesting. A great percentage of calls are from people dealing with relationship issues from their SL relationships. There's a real kick in the pants for you, huh? How can people become so attached to something that's not real? The answer is that I don't know. I do know that it is a real problem. I get so many calls dealing with SL relationships that I decided to peek into it myself. Over a k period, I interviewed 50 random SL residents, in addition to three psychologists who practice on Second Life, and four phone interviews with people who have been on SL since its inception. They were asked a series of simple questions dealing two-wee- ' counterparts. In 1992, Joseph Walther developed a theory known as Social Information Processing. An encyclopedia entry on SIP I found on Wikipedia.com had this to say: SIP theory, often referred to as Cues Filtered In, proposes that despite the lack of nonverbal communication inherent in online interactions, people formulate ways to give off and interpret individuating information... People seek out and interpret cues that serve as substitutes of nonverbal communication, such as use of emoticons and time stamps." Now youre probably wondering whether or not an SL or other online relationship is really safe. For the record, I think it is no more dangerous than any of e its counterparts, and in some cases like mine it can even be beneficial if you take the right steps. I have an SL partner named Nix, and I really enjoy her company online In real life we know next nothing about each other This certain degree of tall anonymity allows us to our gen about fairly openly eral lives, which, in turn, allows us to process the da; better. real-lif- es ca ga op 20 htt co en dn ini i i to Imagine coming home after a hard day at work or school and getting on the phone with a good friend. You usually feel better afia the conversation, don't you Well, this is like that excep' the phone" and cord are and replaced by computers see 3D images. You can't touch your friend, but you know he or she is there. an ly th bi th af bi re W th to us bi a re dr Pr fn bii ve ca sa Be M E nn fu Qi stc W; |