1995_10 Insight October 1995

              Viewpoint
OCTOBER 4,1995
I   OPINION    1
Should drugs
be legalized?
by F.Y.A. Bozem
Staff Writer
Recent marijuana seizures in thc San
Joaquin Valley have reopened a long-
debated issue: Should marijuana be
legalized? This issue needs to be taken
one step further: Should all drugs be
legalized?
Absolutely yes.
Thc government has no right to dictate ethics to citizens. Neither should
it spend millions of dollars on a drug
war il has no chance of winning.
Thc money spent on slowing drug
traffic could be spent more effectively
on drug rehabilitation programs and
education programs instructing
people on the dangers of drug use.
Thc United States was founded by
people fleeing religious persecution.
"Religion" is defined in Webster's
New World Dictionary as "a specific
system of belief, worship, etc., often
involving a code of ethics." Therefore
religion includes ethics.
Thc First Amendmenl guarantees
freedom of religion, which implies
freedom of ethics. For lhc U.S. government to dictate ethics to its citizens is the same as lhe British Crown
forbidding Puritans from conducting
their own form of religious worship.
Organized crime
U.S. citizens should have the right
lo decide whether using recreational
drugs is ethically right or wrong. Government should only step
that others are not injured or affected
by people's use of drugs. Stricter punishments are needed for those who
work, drive or operate machinery
while under Ihe influence of drugs.
Children must also be safe-guarded
against parents and other care-providers who are unable to properly care
for them due to drug or alcohol use.
In the 1920s, the federal government tried to enforce the idea thai alcohol was morally wrong, and Prohibition was thc result. It did not work,
and alcohol smuggling provided a
breeding ground for organized crime.
Thc same is true today. Drug traffickers arc often lied to organized
crime. Money from drug sales sponsors other criminal activities.
My viewpoint is noi thai of a rebellious college student. I am a 32-year-
old military veteran. I spent six years
as a Coast Guard law enforcement
officer fighting the drug wars in the
Florida Straits and lhc Caribbean.
I have seen for myself the financial
and technological power of the drug
lords and know lhat the comparatively
meager resources of thc U.S. government are no match.
For every five tons of marijuana my
crew confiscated. 95 tons made it into
Miami.
Consumer product
Too many law enforcement officers
have been killed or wounded fighting
a drug war that cannot be won. If
drugs were legalized, those officers
could turn iheir attention to other areas of crime.
Statistics show 70 percent of thefts
are committed by addicts desperate
for money lo support their habits.
If drugs were legalized, their prices
would drop. Drugs would become
another consumer product and consumer competition would begin,
much like the competition exhibited
by the alcohol and tobacco industries.
Once drugs are legalized, the FDA
could insure purity of drugs.
The federal govemmenl could also
tax drugs, providing more revenue.
If drugs were" legalized and their
prices lowered, criminals would have
to find a more lucrative trade.
Gangs, which thrive on the sale of
illegal drugs, would be left without a
The legalization of recreational
drugs would reduce crime, provide
ihc federal government with more
revenue and, most importantly, preserve every citizen's right to freedom
of ethics and freedom of choice.
EDITORIAL
Emphasis on nutrition can be stressful
by Robbie Miner
Executive Editor
During the last decade, health ami
fitness in the United Slates has oui
lated to an all-time high standard
Direct efforts by the media and lhc
schools and indirect peer pressure
from just about everyone have all
contributed to this country
obsession vv ith looking good
No longer is America the
land of,ihe lazy. America
should be proud: what
we've achieved as a nation
in nutrition and fitness has
been staggering.
And after all. the belter y
look the belter you feel, ngl
"Noi if -you've lived in (
1990s.
Sure, a healthier body
latcs to a better-feeling person
—  physically. Bul menially,
that's a different story.
Models have it all: the
looks, the men or
women, the money.
Does all that correlate
to happiness, though?
For years I hi
struggled with the relentless quest of
"looking good." I've
tried every technique
imaginable, and I've
spent almost as many
hours analyzing my
figure as actually doing
anything constructive to improve il.
Currently. I am a toothpick: I used
to at least be a branch. I. like everv
one else, would love to become a tree
slump, but I know that's not realistic.
Still. I strive to look the best I possibly can. Who doesn't?
Nutrition talk
The sad part is lhat I've had so much
nutrition talk shoved down my throat
thai I can't put it out of my mind.
While I'll probably-lcef bad about
my appearance and go to The Pil tor
a big grease burger after typing this
column. I will probably
feel depressed aboul it. t
been brainwashed by health doctors
anil ihe Surgeon General.
Wc are so afraid that anything wc
do. anything we eat. is detrimental,
lhai we put too much emphasis on nu-
(rilion and fitness.
1 have a philosophy. "If you don't
think aboul il. it won't kill you."
I. lor lhc most part.*believe thai.
Another pari of me refuses to listen
lo such wisdom. It's that part of nielli.it corrupts me.
I used lo have a friend who had an
obesity problem. Hc didn't give a
damn about what hc ate. how much
he worked out, or what anyone
thought of him.
Consequently, he was very happy,
and yes. very popular.
Another friend of mine is skinny to
the point of near transparency. He
looks horrible, but he too is one of
the happiest people I know.
He told me once what hc said to
people who called him skinny. "I say
thank you." he said, "not because I
know they envy my appearance, but
because they envy my situation."
High metabolism
Who doesn't wish they could cal
everything in sight and not put on
a pound? Everyone bul those
people who actually suffer from a
high metabolism rate. I can justify
ml
My two friends, who have endured so much flack throughout
*- their lives, are inspirations to mc.
They live for themselves; they do
what makes them happy — and for
thai I admire them greatly.
There was a time in
American history when
people judged others more
by who they really are than
what Ihey look like.
Unfortunately, that
doesn't seem like an idea
that will reappear in our
society. Peer pressure is
too great. Health reports
are too superfluous.
Hopefully, some new reports will
surface, alerting people of a new danger: stress and unhappiness created by
the overemphasis of maintaining
health and nutrition.
In an attempt not to sound corny, I
dream of a day when I can sit down
with my friends for dinner and scarf
down everything in sight without feeling guilty.
Health is important, but so is happiness.
To have the besi of both worlds —
that is the sign of true success.
Limbaugh's cures
cause more aches
by Reg Wagner
Contributing Writer
To an advertising media buyer who wants to sell
a product to an established, impressionable audience.
Rush Limbaugh's TV and radio programs are like gold.
The self-proclaimed "Dittoheads'' who tune in to
Limbaugh's shows aren't just looking for entertainment.
They're seeking validation for simplistic political beliefs and
trying to exonerate themselves from any son of responsibility, however indirect, for society's problems.
To non-Dittoheads, Limbaugh's programs are predictable
and ridiculous to the point of being just plain dumb. He
giggles and chortles like an overgrown adolescent, making
fun of peoples' names and physical appearances. In true
pre-pubescent name-calling style, he consistently cites the
"socialist slash communist liberal Democrats." the "environmentalist wackos," and the "feminazis" as the supposed
cause of America's problems.
Like the classic demagogue, who gains power by arousing
the passions and prejudices of the masses. Limbaugh has
convinced the lower- and middle-class Dittoheads that he
and his conservative cohorts, and not the liberals, are their
true friends.
He uses a frightening technique of illusion, distortion of
the facts, and plain, straight lying — otherwise known as
propaganda. For example. Dittoheads will never hear thai
the upper-class wants to raise taxes on the lower- and" middle-
classes in order to provide themselves with minimal taxes
and financial support from the government in the form of
vast subsidies. Instead, the Limbaugh spin is that lower taxes
are better for the economy, as "proven" by the fact that President Clinton, when confronted by a heckler in a crowd, won't
name one country that has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
Limbaugh also legitimizes laziness. People susceptible to
becoming Dittoheads don't want to recycle, since it's a pain
to separate the glass from the plastic and ta'kc the newspapers to the recycle bin. Limbaugh gives them the perfect
excuse: Environmental awareness is an unnecessary, "politically correct" sham perpetuated by the liberal Democrats
and environmentalist wackos. After all. says Limbaugh. there
are more acres of forest land in America now than there
were in Columbus' time — a "fact" that can be easily refuted. Limbaugh always fails to mention that large corporations are the happiest benefactors of the conservatives' anti-
environment agenda, since they save money ever)- time pro-
environmental legislation fails to pass.
One can hardly blame the Dittoheads for seeking a solution to the world's problems. After all, everyone wants to
create a better world for themselves and their descendants.
The problem is that America's upper-class, who often pull
the strings of the lower- and middle-class without much regard for their well-being and quality of life, also want a
better world — but only for themselves and their friends
and family, and they're perfectly willing to sacrifice people
and the planet for an extra million.
Unfortunately, Limbaugh's "solutions" are anything but
cures for society's ills. It would be nice if poverty could be
reduced by lowering taxes, gang violence could be staunched
by dispensing concealed weapons permits, and teenage pregnancy could be eliminated by instituting school prayer, but
such "solutions" aren't feasible. Though conservative candidates campaign on these types of planks, the conservative
social agenda seems to fall through the cracks once the candidates are actually elected into office.
Dittoheads fail to realize that, like a typical demagogue,
Limbaugh really couldn't care less about the well-being of
the peonage. He isn't devoting his life to spreading the good
word of a better way of living. Rather, he's trying to make
money and gain power — and he's doing a very good job,
despite the harm he's causing to American politics. Observe
that he refrained from jumping on Gov. Pete Wilson's anti-
affirmative action bandwagon, probably at the request of
the other Republican presidential candidates.
Dittoheads, please remember that Limbaugh isn't in it for
you. He's in it for him.
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