mad4u689

Edited your statement to make it more accurate :D

It's illegal - so of course it's a gateway drug. People will try milder things before going to "harder" things. However, the vast majority of individuals who use marijuana never "move on" to harder drugs. It would be like someone committing armed bank robbery, without ever having having shoplifted. Shoplifting is still illegal, but gets a much lighter sentence, because it is less severe. Most people who shoplift will never commit armed bank robbery. This isn't a perfect comparison, but you get the idea - just because marijuana and cocaine are both drugs, and most people who try cocaine have previously tried marijuana. You're confusing "If a, then b" and "If b, then a"

Alright, how about this: why SHOULD it be illegal? It is not physically addictive. It is not deadly (or, not significantly more so than, say, chocolate doughnuts). It has significant POSITIVE effects (medical effects include pain relief and appetite stimulation; recreational effects include a "high" which some individuals find desireable.) Like I said, I don't do marijuana. I just believe it should be legal.

hiya :D

A bunch of us often wind up cuddling on someone's bed watching a movie. Alternatively, sit around and talk, with some music in the background. Alternatively, mud wrestle topless.

It's very difficult to hang yourself so that your neck breaks when you jump. While it is true this is the classic version of "hanging," in practice, almost no one commits suicide this way. When people refer to committing suicide by hanging, they are almost always talking about asphyxiation.

I would just like to point out that I went to a public school (in the US) that was objectively better (higher test scores, students went to more prestigious colleges, teachers won more awards, that kind of thing, etc) than either of the two private schools in town. My public school was also rated among the top in the state. HOWEVER, there's a fundamental problem with this. My public school was rated better than other public schools? What? Why should I be getting a better education when we're both being provided with education by the state? Oh, I REMEMBER, I'm actually paying more for my education already, the way it's built in to the system! Since property taxes are what is used to pay for these public schools, because I lived in a fairly rich town with well-off residents, I benefitted from being in a school district that recieved more funding. To afford to live in this town, you have to be pretty well-off in the first place. This is an example of embedded institutional classism. This is a problem. I believe there's something to be said for capitalism and raising yourself up - but in order to do this, you have to be given basic opportunities and education in the first place. EVERYONE should have a great basic education.

Runescape is only psychological but it's still pretty damn addicting... But you don't make Runescape illegal.. it's up to the individual to choose it or not, and not to abuse it, and get help if ze needs it :D I don't smoke pot, but I am still hugely in favor of marijuana legalization. I hope this passes.

I thought this was going to be about Star Trek :x

And you call yourself a libertarian... I have always said I am mostly libertarian, except for lots of massive spending on education (including rehabilitation in prisons), which I believe would ultimately fix pretty most other problems. :D Or maybe I haven't always said it. But I meant it!

Still, if nothing is done to make public schools better, why should everyone get a poor education? Something should be done to make public schools better. :D

Private schools reinforce already disparate opportunities between privileged and underprivileged groups. EVERYONE should have the right to a good education, and the opportunities that result. All schools should be public, and schools across the country should be equally excellent. I am not saying to bring the best schools down to the "average" level, but rather to raise all schools up, by CONSIDERABLY increasing spending on education. Higher salaries would attract better teachers across the board. (Cut most of our defense budget out to make up for it... Hey, I'm talking ideals here :D)

Actually, a knife across the throat has a pretty low success rate, just because it's very difficult to cut that deeply (both in terms of willpower and just physically). A jump will probably work if it's >10 stories, but if it's lower than six, you have a very high chance of sustaining tremendous injury (you'll probably wind up in a wheelchair) and also not dying. This is, most likely, even worse than whatever life you're currently living. And pills is the most misunderstood. If you take Tylenol or the equivalent (which a lot of idiots do), it'll take two weeks to actually kill you, with painful liver failure ultimately causing death. Aspirin will take less time, but individuals vary so much in their tolerance that it is a highly unreliable method. (Take too much, and you'll just throw it up; take too little, and you don't die.) Shooting yourself requires obtaining a gun, which can often be difficult, depending on where you live. Hanging is actually much quicker (you will die of asphyxiation in about 8 minutes), totally painless after you initially lose consciousness (which is pretty fast), fairly reliable, and pretty much everyone has a belt or rope or something similar lying around. Hanging, for most people, is by far the best way to go. (I'm talking asphyxiation, not traditional gallows kind of thing) (Mods, if you think this post is inappropriate and shouldn't be here, I would understand if you deleted it.)

Because people are eager to blame "society" for criminal activity and have "society" fix the problems that result from individuals consciously breaking the law. It's never the criminal's fault! :wink: Or maybe *gasp* there is a problem with the law! The law was written by humans and is thus imperfect. And we should improve it. If such a huge proportion of residents are criminals, doesn't that show that there is a problem? Especially when the laws are then selectively enforced in a manner that includes much bias and corruption...

Ghost- argumentative :P Astra- thoughtful insane- articulate Daan- best future movie critic ever and one of the best people i know :D (sorry, one word is hard >.>) Matt- flufflicious Necro- hilariously dark Mad- that's ME :D Dusqi- I tried to think of one word for a good deal of yesterday, but it seemed impossible :P so I will settle for "amazing" Nadril- funny LP- trippy Kayla- adorable/kind Rob[Futurama]- sarcastic Runesmithie- highly intelligent Lionheart- good-hearted Bubsa- well-spoken Apinagez- passionate GSW- geeky :D in a good way Adam007- rational Jackalope- kind Trapical- adorable Logic- does appear to appreciate passion over logic :P Oy- great Tigra- sweet DepressedSquirrel- happy (i'm not even kidding :D) Anesthesia- biting Issy- curious MPC- hilarious.

Agreed. But when it's so difficult to become a citizen (seriously, 95% of american citizens could NOT pass the ridiculous citizenship test, and that's not even the hardest part of becoming a citizen), the government makes that impossible. So what we need is to relax the difficulties in becoming a citizen, so that people know in advance that when they come over here, they will have to start paying taxes, but in exchange will have awesome opportunities.

Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for that link! :D The puzzles were so beautiful, and the Polyphonic Spree is amazing :D

That's naive. Maybe for some people, they just won't. It's not your place (or any third party's place) to decide when a person should live and should not live. If someone is "impaired" by depression (though I would argue that the DSM definitions of depression and dysthymia that lead them to be categorized as illnesses are flawed, but that's another topic for another day), then they should get psychological help (consisting of therapy and possibly medication) for some time to see how it goes. If it isn't helping them after "some [undisclosed period of] time", they should have the right to kill themselves.

Let's look at this from another perspective. Instead of thinking about "those damn people taking our jobs," let's think about them as individuals. They are often coming from terrible conditions where they can't even support their family in the slightest. Isn't it right, then, for them to make the decision to come over to America, so that their families can survive? In most cases, these are people who are doing the respectable and honorable thing. And when they get here, they take on jobs that are needed, and that if there were no illegal immigrants, most Americans would not be willing to take on. There would be a huge shortage of unskilled workers. Think about the illegal immigrants who you actually know - I'm thinking of a wonderful and beautiful woman who cleaned my facilities in high school. I'm glad she was able to work there and continue working there. Barihawk, this is one of the few times I deeply agree with you (though I always respect you as intelligent :P), and am saddened by other people's answers. I'm just going to quote your solution, because it sounds about right to me. Well said :D

Ahhhh. I went to the exhibit, and it was one of the most fascinating and amazing things I'd ever seen. I do feel a bit guilty though :x

A woman should not be in politics. A woman should be in the kitchen! :mrgreen:

You'll grow out of it. Most annoying people have a partial-vegan phase when they are young. Hey, not everyone grows out of it. I started at 12 and have stuck with it since :) (19 now) Hyperbabe - think about your reasons for wanting to vegetarian. If it really feels right for you, then go for it :D Just be careful (like other people have been saying) about getting enough protein, iron, and other nutrients. :D (Good sources of vegetarian protein include tofu, tempeh, seitan, and legumes :D)

Hmm. This happens not only to vegetarians, but to anyone who isn't being careful and watching their nutrition. If you take a vitamin supplement (there are vegan ones out there :D), and get enough calories, and eat a BALANCED DIET (no just eating pizza all the time!) you will likely be okay :D

So, what else is that N term used for? I heard someone on the radio put it like this: "It's like when you're 9 years old on the playground and you get so mad at someone, you start calling then "four eyes" if they have glasses, "dumbo" if they have big ears, or "fatty" if they are fat. You're so mad that you're calling them mean names that are actually about them - but it doesn't mean you actually don't like people with glasses, big ears, or that are fat. The guy just went 9-year-old on us - and it's completely inexcusable - but not racist." But you are reinforcing the idea that having glasses is worse than not having glasses, having big ears is worse than not having big ears, and being fat is worse than not being fat. These are all ideas that our society kind of takes for granted. It doesn't mean you hate all fat people, but you are still perpetuating a system in which fat people are seen as inferior in some specific way to non-fat people. Similarly, by insulting someone based on their skin color, you are not only discriminating against them because of their skin color, but also supporting a system in which black individuals are seen as worse, in some unspecified way, than white individuals. This IS racism.

I'm almost certain stuffing doesn't have meat in it. It is often made with chicken stock, or stuffed in a turkey :)