Journal & Articles

Going to burn both ends of the candle with this subject on the smoking ban in public places.

The government have already taken away our parental rights where a prison sentence hangs over our heads if we chastise our children with a smack.
Children today get away with murder and why you may well ask? The reason is because the government knows best.

Kids are resorting to blackmailing mum and dad with threats of social service involvement. By doing this parents are forced into submission to allow the kids to do as they please.

Sorry this is one parent that would fight to the death to protect her family, but also one who is willing to do time if under threat from her own flesh and blood. What happened to the days when a clip round the ear solved any unruly behaviour?

Let us compare our generation to that of today when no such government ruling was enforced. I rest my case.

Give us back our parental role as nature intended to deal with our kid’s in our own way. I do not condone any abuse or beating of a child but one hell of a good hiding made us think twice before doing wrong a second time.

Why so many rebellious riots are going on in the world to today is, because governments know what’s best. These political powers enforce new laws and expect the nation to sit back and accept.

We have a lot of educated people out there who know when they are being fleeced. Then you have the ordinary few like me that are not fully aware of the government’s sneaky moves to take their hard earned cash. Prepare your self all governing bodies because people are getting wiser when they see the food on their tables rationed. .

Now we have the non smoking ban in public places put into force. Top priorities are restaurants cafes where food is served, which is definitely a justified move and one that I am 100% in favour of.

There is not an ounce of doubt in my mind that smoking is a very serious health risk. This is a medical issue of importance that has to be addressed, but once again members of parliament have not thought this through. An even bigger health matter may be on their hands by this imposed law.

Have they gave any consideration to the people who’s lives are going to be affected where there livelihood is at stake, all because they provide a socialising atmosphere where smokers and non smokers alike gather through their own choice.

Take the food from their mouths then face the consequences of an epidemic of anger.

A major health risk can escalate out of this ban if smokers go to war

I myself am a non smoker but there are things I enjoy in life and should they be taken from me then I am afraid I would not be very pleased.

What right do our government have to dictate to us what is right and wrong, Moses did that when he handed down the Ten Commandments.

Hypocrites of the system still preach with what they think they know is best. Well it has to end. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Are all these rules laid out for the nation, adhered to by the enforcers? I don’t think so.

Remember the lords saying. He who is without sin cast the first stone. Well if the Muppets in the house of parliament can hold their hand up to this, then I gladly give up my rights if they say so.

The voice on the radio suddenly forced its way into my conscious awareness. Absolutely staggering, I felt it deep in my gut with no uncertainty.

Forty Percent of the Afghan economy is from illegal drug production and trafficking. More disturbing is the fact that the United States has nothing that can replace the drug trade for Afghan entrepreneurs.

As I contemplated these hard hitting statements, I found myself imagining how different our world could be if we just stuck to some basic tenants of common decency.

Yet, what does this say about our world, where such an obscene industry can thrive? It’s not just the growers and traffickers that are contributing to the problems, but the users of the end product. Those users ultimately feed the entire industry’s cash flow.

Considering the Afghan drug problems alongside illicit drug trade around the world, there has to be an incredible amount of drug users to support the global market for drugs. Why? Is it really about the high, or is it about escaping the sober realities and pain of human life? It seems that we never hear anyone talking about this aspect. Life is often painful. Whether you are poor or rich, there are all kinds of problems and challenges that we human beings face.

How appealing a drug addiction and the escape it provides must be to the user. In some ways, it may even be understandable.

Facing life and its challenges head on is NOT for the timid. But, we are all faced with life nonetheless and there is no escaping that for the rational and sober minded person. Sure there are moments of pleasure that provide temporary relief but how long do those moments last? How long before the next problem rears up to block our path arrives?

For some, the moments of pleasure and happiness last longer and not so long for others. That may be related to a whole host of factors including socio-economic ones.

So what can we do? Not much as it turns out, for a simple reason. It is a fact of our very existence that free will exists. Each person makes his own choices. More laws won’t change what people do when they think that they can’t be seen.

Perhaps a greater degree of personal happiness and contentment would prove to be more attractive than the lure of drug use. As you may have heard, “history tends to repeat itself”. And why is that? Maybe the human condition doesn’t really change that much, only the scenery and technology change, while the basic conditions of human life stay about the same throughout the ages.

If that is true, and similar conditions existed in the past, how were they dealt with back then? One of the western world’s most revered philosophers was Socrates.

Socrates talked about virtue. He discussed things like Truth, Beauty and Goodness with his students. Today, Master Li Hongzhi expounds on Truthfulness, Compassion and Endurance. Perhaps contemplation of these things can bring greater contentment and personal happiness? With happiness and contentment, there may no longer be as strong a catalyst for feeding a drug addiction.

One thing is fairly certain. Due to the existence of free will, only each individual can choose for himself the path he wishes to tread.

If you are wondering why the United States can send troops around the world, but failed to respond to a domestic emergency in a timely manner, you are not alone. Expect the lack of planning for emergency relief, in the aftermath and devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina, to be the subject of a federal investigation.

The National Guard arrived in large numbers on Friday, September 2nd, but how is it possible that the poor people of New Orleans were left four days to fend for themselves? Doesn’t the United States have a rapid deployment force? Yes, we do, and many large military installations are within an hour of the Gulf Coast, when traveling by air. Many more military bases are within two hours of the devastation.

On Sunday, August 28th – one day before Hurricane Katrina landed on the Gulf Coast it was labeled a category 5 hurricane. So, what was the emergency rescue plan? Was anybody planning any rescue efforts on Sunday night?

As luck would have it, Katrina turned out to be a category 4 Hurricane. Can you imagine the devastation, if this storm had been worse? Some parts of New Orleans are 10 feet below sea level and a system of levees, normally, keeps the surrounding water out.

Referring to the Federal response for relief help, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said, “They don’t have a clue what’s going on down here.” Mayor Nagin’s remarks are an understatement. Logistically speaking, this is not as complicated as a relief effort to Somalia.

President Bush said, “A lot of people are working hard to help those who’ve been affected. The results are not acceptable.” He is not kidding; if we can airlift food and weapons to Afghanistan, why is delivery to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans a problem?

The United States constitution was designed to provide equal protection under the law. However, from some of the recent stories which have been publicized, it is apparent that the law lacks consistency. Consistency in the law would ultimately mean that for every particular crime of which one is convicted; they should receive the same punishment.

Our society has witnessed this inconsistency with capital punishment. Questions arise as to why certain people receive the death penalty and others just walk away with life in prison. So why the discrepancy in this course of action; it is because before anyone is sent to death the governor of each respective state would have to sign that he agrees to have the death penalty carried on. It must not be surprising that some governors do not believe in this type of punishment, inmates will, however, end up sitting on death row till they die. This can be a very long and daunting experience for the inmates whose fate is rarely unknown.

I challenge the Justice system by asking,” is this social justice under the law?” Does it mean that depending on where one commits a crime you get a better chance of not being sent to death? If so, will it elucidate why certain states have reported higher rates of crime? It is imperative for the courts to come to a consensus as to what will bring consistency within the judicial system. As the adage goes, what is good for the goose is good for the gander; therefore what a convicted felon gets in Texas for murder should be the same in New York. The sovereignty of state courts in declaring certain statutes unconstitutional has been a major factor why each state can not have similar laws.

It may be time for the United States Supreme Court to take a firm stance as to whether the country should follow other industrial nations in abolishing the death penalty or not. Even though their action may not bring contentment to each citizen, it will give to the law what it is lacking; consistency. There are a million reasons advocates of the death penalty will argue as to why it should not be abolished and in countering there are an equal number of reasons why it should be abolished. This text, however, is not debating about the controversy surrounding capital punishment. The law was designed to provide equal protection; therefore that is what the judicial system should try to uphold.

In the world today, we are constantly faced with new world events. We hear about how terrorist bombings are going on all over the world, about stocks going up and down, and about crime offenders being reprimanded. These kinds of issues are important to all of us…it affects our economy, our way of life, and mostly, our future.

What goes on around us whether worldwide, nationally, or even just in our community, is the topic of many conversations. You can be in your elevator, at the office water cooler, or your maybe even in your grocery store line-up, people like to talk about who’s being voted for what, which football team to cheer on, and what the weather is going to be like on the weekend. Being informed on these topics makes us part of the community.

How can we stay up-to-date? There is always the radio. There are several stations available on the radio that we can tune in to while commuting to work and running errands. Unfortunately, many of these radio programs do not give you a full coverage. You are probably not commuting long enough to listen to the whole program, and there are so many commercials!

Then there’s your 6 o’clock news on the television. Let’s face it…we are busy people. The children have after-school activities, we have social events, the dogs need to be walked, gym, dinner needs to be made, then there’s that thing called work. We no longer have the evenings free to ourselves to sit on the couch and watch the news.

Your best option? Definitely a newspaper. With the newspaper, you can choose what sections you want to read. You can skip the ads that do not interest you, and it is very portable! You can take it with you to read at your leisure. You even get comics and puzzles to do in most newspapers! Subscribing to a newspaper offers the most convenience.

With a newspaper subscription, you can be assured that your newspaper arrives at your door and is ready to be read at YOUR liberty and get information about payday loans. You have the benefit of not having to tune in at any certain time, you can put it down when you want if you are interrupted, you can even cut sections out for memorabilia!