You are going by the 'gateway drug' theory which I think is totally bunk. I know people that used crack cocaine straight out, or meth or ecstasy and never smoked pot or a cigarette. The gateway drug theory is made up by DARE. I did smoke pot a couple times but in the end, it was because of the crowd I ended up with and it was at a party. It isn't because I did anything else prior. People who don't smoke or drink can be heavy on Meth or Ecstacy and that crap will mess a person up seriously. Also, heroin addicts don't all come from drinkers and pot smokers or cigarette smokers. There are plenty of people that also drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes or that smoke pot and would not ponder wanting anything harder. The gateway drug theory is just not a real thing. It's mostly peer pressure that gets people into the harsher drugs. Someone shows up and offers someone the drug and you have to decide yes or no. Also, pot has been around for a very long time.
People can self teach children but need to get the materials and also report that the children are being home schooled. I have two cousins that were home schooled, much to my dismay because their mom is super Christian and that is part of what was drilled into their heads. So, it isn't illegal to learn at home but the parent or mentor has to go through the proper channels to make it happen. Children do need schooled though, either at home or at school. We really don't need ignorant people walking around that can't do simple tasks like reading or basic maths. Education is important and really it does get frustrating to see results of polls for the U.S. system and that kids are so far behind where they should be. When a kid is 16, I believe education then is something they do not have to do anymore and can opt for a GED or just drop out. As now a kid is old enough to decide for him/herself, I think that's pretty just. I just feel bad for kids that do because there is barely any job out there anymore that excepts people without a GED and even McDonalds may not accept a kid who has dropped out. Then the only way these kids get jobs is doing illegal things or if some relative helps them out. Also, they will be totally dependent on other people for the rest of their lives and not make squat. However, if at 16 they want to drop out, that's their choice and I do believe it is still legal to do so, though of course frowned upon.
Well, I'd have stuck to Afghanistan and not bothered with Iraq until Hussein did something. With troops fortified in Afghanistan, I believe that Osama Bin Laden probably would have been found and not able to slip into Pakistan or wherever he is hiding now. Also, it would have been a lot harder for the Taliban to make a resurgence and we'd have had things under control. The right to go into Afghanistan wasn't debated because everyone knew it had to be done. It's the Iraq war situation where things come under fire and I just think had we been more concise, stuck to the original deal and gone after the original perpetrators, we'd have been all the wiser. I will say straight out that Hussein was a rotten person that did gas his own people and do other atrocities to the Iraqis and Kurds and that sooner or later the man probably would have had to go. However, I believe that we should have waited and had UN support and that sooner or later, because Hussein is the way he is, he would have flubbed up and done something that would merit people to go in and stop him. He already had been building up and doing things against the DMZs and testing border control so it was just a matter of time. If we had acquired UN support, the people who were confused in Iraq also might have not been so upset and things would have been easier for troops to cope with. Desert Storm in 90-91 had people begging in Iraq for help and I wish that then something would have been done, but if we had to deal with Saddam later, when we went was just not the time to me.
I've never used the term REF to describe a Cuban or anyone for that matter. You can tell people to not use it, but some people are going to keep doing such things. They may not see why it even offends you. I've actually never heard the term until now to describe Cubans and so obviously I still won't bother to use such a thing. You gave me an eye opener that the term exists in such a way, so I thank you. Racism is a petty thing and some people will continue to be afraid or full of hate over things like ethnicity. It's pathetic but more and more people learn to become more understanding as they meet people of other backgrounds and appearances and those people integrate into societies. I do not believe there will always be 'racism' when we are given the chance at integration and people see that a person isn't so bad as a stereotype declares. However, it does take time, unfortunately, if people keep raising children to be biased and also adults harbor these prejudices. More and more people are becoming more tolerant and willing to comprehend others so in time things won't be so bad, I can hope. Because though some people are just not very smart, racism continues to endure because people are afraid or hate the unknown. They don't explore and give up to be short minded. Don't give up on others though who are intelligent and don't care about such things. Many of us are 'half-breeds' or Heinz 57 Varieties anymore or just think racism is lame. Don't get discouraged by the stupid.
The benefits do outweigh the losses. In either situation of legalizing or keeping them illegal, drugs are running rampant through the streets. Police cannot hope to get rid of the problem and it has only grown worse. As a soldier who sat down in Panama...I can tell you that you don't want to know the things we've stopped from crossing the border. It's a pointless job and people die because of supporting this drug trade. In our way, countries that make drugs illegal are helping out other countries to have it smuggled in at ridiculous prices to people and those people will pay, not be able to get help when they want a way out etc because it's illegal. As offending as it is to some people that others do have the ability to take their lives and waste them or end them is just how it is. Suicide happens each year whether drugs are used or not in droves. I think legalizing drugs and telling the truth as well as providing solid rehabilitation for people who want to recover without losing their jobs etc is a far better and helpful option. It already exists as a rule in most corporations and smaller businesses, so really people are ready for it. Parents will also be more inclined to be able to send their kids for help because it won't go on some police record and tarnish the kid for years to come if they do get a habit. Also, schools can tell the truth about what drugs do instead of exaggerated stories that border on lies. Legalizing drugs doesn't mean we stop caring. It just means that we care to help people recover instead of throwing them in jail to occupy cells that are meant for people that are far more damaging to society. Also, as I said, it's not like people will just get away with behavior that while on drugs make them more stupid. If they are willing to put the stuff in them and do rotten things, they could be made to understand that legally they 'chose' to put the substance in them, which includes alcohol, and that the behavior will be punished as if they were sober. In a way, I think things could get better because in all seriousness, I can't see it getting much worse than it is now with gangs, mafias, drug lords that are threatening communities in South America, etc. Taking money and power off the streets with these groups and letting companies manage it instead with truthful statements seems a much smarter move, even if some people feel it compromises ethics. Especially when you have people that are making drugs all the time and putting stuff in it like Drano.
I have the cure which is just to take out my hard drives and send them to myself wherever I'm going. I can pop two new ones in the computer with nothing and piss them off. It's not like they can do anything whether they wanted to or not from doing that. This is way too extreme and discourages people to want to 'travel' out of country. It's just lame. I find it funny that these corps that have screwed their workers and artists for years are so wound up about it happening to them. It is much more about the corps than it is the artists they claim to be protecting. A lot of artists did the smart thing which was to make their ticket prices for concerts higher and doing more of those concerts. It works to make up the money they lose by songs being downloaded for free. Also, the corps get less money for the artists performing live.
Kinda like that one.
Welcome back, Trigger! Why did I write Tigger the first time...>.>
OOC: 1. Soku was a member on the forums here who passed away in a car accident. 2. The person, whose name I can't pronounce, said it in the spam section and it was so bizarre it had to be quoted because it was about my posts. I must ask him how he says his name since I can't read Japanese!
I do hear your point that there are wrong classses of martial arts out there but most are just over exaggerated hype. There are some good classes out there but people have to find others who know and it's mostly by word of mouth from experienced people to find the good stuff. Hence, that's why I said it's best to shop around if someone is serious on learning some defense techniques and not just boosting their egos and paying out the ass for it. Also, there are quite a few people who have been through violent crimes so I don't think it's just a small amount of people. Inner city life can be rather harsh. I know that most of the time, martial arts, as far as is physically concerned, I haven't really had to employ that much and most of the time if I have it's been only to mediate a situation and calm people down who were getting violent or just to stand in the way of some bad situation. Normally, I've found that just getting people to stop and being calm worked out, which I can also attribute to martial arts training but also commonsense. If a class isn't teaching someone to be calm in the face of adversity and use commonsense instead of using just physical skill, it's not a good class. Some areas are just worse than others for violence but yes, I do agree many martial arts classes are not what they are intended to be when people sign up. Though, I have to say if I had kids I'd probably have them learn it as I did but I'd also know where to send them because I went through a lot finding what classes were good and what were just all hype.
I don't really see the martial art of Zen Do Kai as violent in itself. However, if taught by some bone heads that are arrogant and annoying, then students may get big heads and make stupid decisions. Zen Do Kai is meant for self defense and by what I know, is mostly taught that way and not as something of aggression or encouraging violence. Of course, there are some people out there that believe teaching martial arts is encouraging violence but usually Zen Do Kai is taught well. In some areas though it is more aggressive and there is competition in the ranks of it. I haven't really heard of too many incidences though of violence by students of it. Usually the most violent people I've ever dealt with that know martial arts are from some students of Tae Kwon Do. Some have just been really rude and obnoxious whether in competitions or outside of the scheme of martial arts such as at school, work, etc. I am curious why someone would send a letter to your dojo. Maybe something happened from one of the students there or just some people are worried about it. Some people think that learning self defense encourages violence, but if done right, it doesn't.
OOC: Erkz, if you could, I think we are all ready and the RP is kind of in a lull until you make the decision here since the prosecution and defense are all done and agree with the charges etc. We don't have to be all online for it but the RP has dwindled in the last few days and we're all ready for it. IC: Harvey snickered. "Yeah, he is." He looked over at the Defense Attorneys and then the Judge. "I think we are all now pretty in agreement as to the charges set forth so can we have a decision?"
I have for a long time thought that drugs should be legalized. It would stop quite a few things from happening and other negative things would dwindle down. Are people still going to take drugs and is the problem going to miraculously fade away?... of course some people will. But there are positives to allowing drugs to be legalized, as I've stated elsewhere in this section. One is that instead of putting people in for the petty crime of possession or with intent to sell pot or some drug (Unless it's to minors)...they could be out and we could hold better those who are actually serious criminals such as rapists, murderers, etc. It's a damn shame when we can hold people on drug charges longer than we can rapists or murderers or those who brutalize people in our society. Next, we could open up actual rehabilitation centers, comprehending not just drug addiction, but alcohol addiction and even other addictions such as people that destroy their lives off gambling. There could be help for people with addictive personalities that would be superior to the crappy 12-step program out now which lets about 10% of people to see some marginal improvement. Also, teens and adults that are afraid etc wouldn't be so afraid to go get help for their addictions because they wouldn't risk jail time and would earnestly be assisted. Thirdly, it would mean that we would be able to have our police do what they are supposed to be doing which is protect us instead of bothering with drug stings. We could call them and they would come to domestic disputes and accidents faster. Wouldn't that be nice? I have waited for 2 hours after a domestic dispute for cops to get to a call before. I don't think that should really happen. Also, our military and police could do more meaningful things and stop being seen as people that take away other people's rights so much. Fourth, I do think with drugs being legalized, well, we already let alcohol which kills worse than any other drug, as well as tobacco get sold by industries. Why not let drugs be done that way too with clear labels on what they do to people? Prevent the sales to minors. Make the rules the same as with alcohol for driving and intoxicated behavior in public, as well as it's no excuse for domestic violence etc. I don't think the government should necessarily sell drugs to people, but I do think that if it was handled as alcohol is, then things would go better. It just seems clear to me that no matter what we do, people will keep making more drugs and selling them, causing gang warfare etc over them and more because it's big money. Also, pot was a lot less harmful than heroin and crack, and now we have ecstasy and meth, which suck big time. The more people prohibit the stuff the worse it seems to get. The same thing happened with the prohibition of alcohol where people were drinking lighter stuff than moonshine and everclear...and making alcohol out of old boots and car motors. If people want something, they are going to get it and I think we could just protect ourselves better if we did legalize them and punish those who harm others because it is THEIR choice to take the drugs in the first place. It would also mean idiots who drink and drive could pay higher penalties when they do some crime and instead of 'involuntary' manslaughter, they get charged straight out because it is their fault they got into a car that way. There can be penalties imposed for people who want to do drugs or alcohol and let themselves act too stupid. Also, when they are ready, solid systems could be in place for rehabilitation so that we just don't dump people in jail and ruin their future lives. Jail does ruin people's chances of good employment and a lot of people just go to a life of going in and out of jail with no real future. Most of the time it is because of drug possession as the first charges. So, though I view the article above to be right in some regards, it has its areas I don't agree with too, but I do think drugs should be made legal so that they could be sold to those people 18 or 21 years of age and above. If they are going to trash their own lives, they are. If they want help to stop, it could be there and we'd be giving more people jobs and our cops could do what they should be doing. Gang violence would go down because gangs will run out of crap to sell and teens won't be so involved in gang stuff and can get their butts back to learning and schools instead of being used by adults for money scams. Businesses selling drugs could be monitored to make sure the nasty extra 'fillers' added on the streets aren't in there and clearly people would get the truth about drugs instead of DARE's exaggerations. Also, with how expensive drugs can cost on the street but a company could make them cheaper, it would definitely force drugs on the streets to not be able to compete with a 'clean' operation. Of course, if people keep doing what they are with cigarettes and taxing the hell out of them, well we will lose that battle.
As Destiny's Force said, it was Ansem/Xehanort that sent Kairi to Destiny Islands in the first place to find the Keyblade wielder. Since Riku was the intended one, it did work. This is also why the door behind Riku glows after Sora leaves the Secret Cave area. It's possible that Xehanort found him then and/or the door revealed itself to Riku because Kairi had passed through to the world via the water. (Which conveniently her bottle in KH2 travels the same way and her name means Sea). Riku was adventurous prior but even when Riku says his statement to Sora of leaving the world, Kairi has already been there and is staying at the mayor's house. So there really is nothing to exactly say Riku wanted to leave prior to Kairi showing up and revealing such was even possible.
Humans are adaptable etc. If we didn't know about electricity, of course we could live without it. Would we find other things to do instead of watching TV? Of course we would. Technology is equivalent to luxury and with it we find other things to do and expand ourselves. With or without it, there are advantages and disadvantages and one shouldn't take any lifestyle just for granted. We can do wonders with technology and it shouldn't just be treated as it's an evil thing. We can live without some technology but we are humans and will always 'invent' something to get along with and make life easier (or more difficult in some cases). We've done so since the first humans picked up sticks and made tools out of them, carved stones and used fire. As for people saying it's better to not have it so much...well the grass is greener on the other side of the field almost always. Some people who don't have the technological advances we are fortunate to have wish they did while those who have it wish to go back to living a more simpler life. Why? Because we can see what the other people who do live on the other side of the field have done for themselves. Something always fills a gap. Best thing to do in the end is not take technology for granted and to also not take your personal life for granted and get what you can out of it.
As I am kind of a martial artist, I would say that in some cases you right but in others you are wrong. Also, people do need to defend themselves still, and I have no idea where you are saying otherwise. Rape, aggravated assault, assaults, murders etc are alive in the U.S. and in other places. Some people are violent and that's how it goes in any country. We also aren't rolling in the dough and some of the classes are plain ridiculous for prices but with all the hype surrounding some martial arts groups, some people may feel it's worth it to dish out 100 bucks a month. I actually took Shuai Jiao for free since my Shaolin teacher and a couple students recommended it to me so not all teachers are out for money. Also, when I had hard times paying for Shaolin, the teacher would let it slide and let me catch up. So really, it depends where you go. I have taken various martial arts to try them out such as Karate, Aikido, Shaolin Long Fist, Shuai jiao, Ju Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do and touched on some others not worth mentioning. Mostly I've seen Tae Kwon Do and Karate (though not all Karate schools) take up a sort of thing where they instill in their students a bravado that is more arrogance than self-confidence. I've been in competitions where they will actually let Shaolin, Shuai Jiao students to participate, because most won't. Any time we go to compete my class always won against all other groups of classes, taking the most rewards home for style and also for full contact competitiveness. This isn't to now brag or anything but to point out that often we -can't- compete and neither can some other people such as who take ju jitsu but amongst ourselves. When I went to the army, I learned some martial arts techniques as well, but they weren't so much different than Shaolin and Ju Jitsu. At least the way I had been studying. We don't 'shout' and try to intimidate people as it ends up wasting energy, but in Karate and Tae Kwon Do it is trained as a common thing because though it wastes energy, it also can give you more force behind your punch or kick and it is also meant to scare the opponent and show the foe you aren't just going to give up and let them do whatever to you. You are right that there are very 'fake' classes of martial arts with a lot of junk that doesn't work and yet boasts arrogance. You can see people who brag that they are so great and black belts and yet some of them are likely to get beaten up by the local guy at a bar who kicks ass with street brawling and a pool stick because they don't know when to back down. However, in my experience of doing martial arts for years, the best advice if you are interested in them is to shop around. You can learn some amazing things and it is a great way to stay fit and yet not have to do the same old exercises such as in aerobics. The right class will teach harmony, respect to others and that in a fight this person is -still- a person, and also self-esteem. Also, it will tell you how to get away from attackers and how to figure out when you are just 'out-gunned' and keep your cool in scenarios that aren't positive. This is important because a person should know when he/she is in over his/her head. There are ways to tell if a class is worth it or not. Some things people can watch for are the following: 1. If the class is advertised by a lot of posters, fancy signs and all commercial stuff. It's razzle dazzle and so is the class probably. 2. If you see when you attend a class that people walk around very machismo, pompous and act all rough and tough instead of having more amiable, calm personalities. The machismo personality almost tries in a way to imitate the Army in a bad way with how hyped up especially the males are. 3. If the sensai himself/herself acts all 'hooyah' and more like a drill sergeant than what you'd expect from a martial artist. Also, if the students don't have a range in age and are mostly teenagers and young adults. If there are other people in the class that are older or have disabilities it shows the teacher's skill to help work with any age group and take into account any 'weaknesses'. Things in the positive to notice: 1. The teacher is amiable and not a 'proud' person full of boasting of all his/her accomplishments, but will tell you straight out what to expect and what you need to do. You shouldn't feel harassed attending the classes. Also, the students have a relaxed air about them and are there to learn but don't act like their crap doesn't stink. There is a respect to each member, no matter how new or old the person is. 2. People such as students of the teacher recommend him/her rather than by noticing it from all the public advertisements. 3. Where the classes are held. If the building is not all decorated with movie posters of martial arts movies and such, it may be a pretty good place.
I don't really like the word 'Atheism' to describe how I feel about religion either but any other term means you either are questioning God's existence or you are not of a group of religions that follow God but likely do beileve in it somewhat. So I guess we are stuck with it. It makes it seem like we have a religion when really we don't. Someday I have hopes we could take back the meaning of 'non-religious' to mean what it says in English which is you have no religious belief. I'm not against God. I just don't believe in it.
I do think it was a joke too and probably a little stress reliever. Having a baby and if it gets colic means it's going to cry and cry and though they care about it they might have needed a little joke to make themselves cope with it. It needed investigated, sure, but it seems nothing came up about it so that's what it appears to be. Seriously, they started the bid at $1.00. If they were really trying to 'sell' the baby they could have used a lot of other methods. Even adoption will give parents some money that's a lot more than a dollar.
I sleep with Satin, so it's not so bad. It's very comfortable. Back on topic since I can't just leave that or it's spam. >.> This is scare tactics purely and passive aggressive bullying people to not only believe in a religion but to make them talk about it and convert others or they are sinning. It's just very disappointing but so old fashioned human of some people.
I think Obama will put her somewhere in the grouping, maybe in his cabinet if not VP. Hillary can do more than just be a VP to him. I know that Edwards has declared he does not want to be VP so Hillary may be a choice. It's not idiotic for him to choose her or not to choose her. There are reasons to not choose her and also viable reasons that he may. She has said a lot of stupid things and so has Bill Clinton and if the two of them aren't done with the fits, well it would behoove him not to choose her but instead place her in the cabinet perhaps heading the medical care plans and such. However, if Bill can stop saying stupid things and Hillary is done lying about her vaunted experience and rallies behind Obama, it could work well. In the end I think it comes down to can Hillary be actually trusted as to whether she should be doing things or not. I am unsure at this point but hope so because though I disliked her for the idea of President itself, I think she is a strong worker in politics. Either way will have people swinging to McCain, but it just depends on which ones will. Obama voters were more favorable of voting for Hillary in November if Obama didn't make it than Hillary's supporters were. Of course, many of Hillary's supporters were also very stubborn old people. The hope of a joint ticket would get old and young, educated and uneducated peoples together for the vote so if that's what the dems want, Hillary is going to have to have some position, regardless if it is VP or not.
