Take Back The Night

I want to take a personal moment to talk about the event Take Back the Night. This was an event at my school the other night I attended. It was one of the most moving events I have been too. So what you may be wondering, what is Take Back the Night? According to their website, "Over the years, Take Back The Night has become internationally known, as a way to take a stand against sexual violence and speak out against these horrible crimes. The first documented Take Back The Night event in the United States took place in October of 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Citizens rallied together after the murder of young microbiologist, Susan Alexander Speeth, who was stabbed to death by a stranger no more than a block away from her home while walking the streets, alone. The first international Take Back The Night event occurred at The International Tribunal on Crimes against Women. The Tribunal took place March 4-8, 1976 in Brussels, Belgium. Over 2000 women, representing 40 countries, attended the event. In other parts of Europe, Take Back The Night began under the name "Reclaim the Night". In 1976 there were roughly 16,000 rapes reported in Rome which fueled the "Reclaim the Night" movement in Italy. The movement expanded from Rome to West Germany, where women were harassed and assaulted both day and night. Women in West Germany held their first "Reclaim the Night" on April 30, 1977." (http://takebackthenight.org/about) After the event's start and introductions, the survivors, if they chose, got up to share their stories. But on your way into the event, you were given a fake flower pedal, and if a particular story touched you, you gave your pedal to the person who shared their story. The person who shared their story was given a little white box to put the pedals in to keep as a reminder. After the survivors were done sharing their stories, there was a march to protest the violence. The point, to me, of sharing a story, not only to share their story to "shatter the silence through story sharing," but to heal, to some degree, and have support by people who genuinely care, from peers, to counselors and staff at my school. The event was Southern Connecticut State University's annual event to stop the violence. The overwhelming theme was Shatter The Silence. That everybody should step up to stop the violence. If you see something, say something. To me what was really neat about the event, not only did it bring awareness to the subject of sexual violence and that it should be stopped not only by the ones committing the violence, but by anyone who has witnessed the violence. But the stories shared were incredibly moving. I think that people should stop the violence. If you can attend one of these events, please do so. Or visit, http://takebackthenight.org/about.

Local troop produces six Eagle Scouts

Fairfield's Troop 199 recently awarded six Boy Scouts -- almost a quarter of its membersip -- with the rank of Eagle Scout, bucking a nationwide trend of 5 percent of Boy Scouts reaching the organization's highest rank. The new Eagle Scouts are, from left to right, Will Poling, Will Fulda, Michael Connelly, Conor McGuinness, Eric Rasmussen and Michael McQuade. Photo: Contributed Photo

Only 5 percent of Boy Scouts nationally attain the rank of Eagle Scout, the organization's highest honor. But a small troop in Fairfield this year has produced Eagle Scouts at nearly five times that rate.

At a Court of Honor ceremony last month, Troop 199 -- which has 25 members -- awarded Eagle badges to six Scouts, nearly one-quarter of the troop. U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, was in attendance at the event.

The troop also produced six Eagles two years ago, and its high levels of achievement have come at a time when video games, smartphones and dozens of other teen diversions have driven down participation in Scouting nationwide.

Gordon Fulda, the troop's Scoutmaster for the past six years, said he cannot explain why his troop is far exceeding the national rate for Scouting's highest honor.

"It's really about the boys and all their hard work," he said.

The troop's latest flock of Eagle Scouts includes Michael Connelly, William Fulda, Conor McGuinness, Michael McQuade, William Poling and Eric Rasmussen.

One of the cornerstone requirements of becoming an Eagle is to complete a public service project. The boys' projects ranged from building and installing benches at a local lake, to carrying out a conservation project, to collecting food and money for a local food pantry.

The local troop is producing a high proportion of Eagles even as participation in Scouting nationwide continues a steep, four-decade decline.

Membership in the Boy Scouts of America -- which includes Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and others -- has fallen from a peak of about 6.5 million Scouts in 1972 to 2.6 million Scouts today, a 60 percent decline, according to figures on the BSA's website.

Of nearly 850,000 Boy Scouts, just over 50,000 -- about one in 20 -- were Eagles in 2011, the most recent year for which Eagle statistics are available.

To become an Eagle, Scouts must rise through the ranks of tenderfoot, second class, first class, star and life, the website said. They also must earn 21 merit badges, such as first aid and emergency preparedness; serve six months in a troop leadership position; and complete an Eagle Scout board of review.

They also must individually plan and execute a major project that benefits a community, school or religious organization.

Michael Connelly, a sophomore at Fairfield College Preparatory School, collected 668 pairs of new and "like new" sneakers for the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and the Bridgeport Prospect House, a homeless shelter that provides substance abuse rehabilitation services, according to a troop news release. He also donated 200 bus tokens to the Prospect House to help the homeless shelter's clients travel to jobs and interviews.

Will Fulda, a senior at Fairfield Warde High School and Gordon Fulda's son, designed, built and installed several benches at Lake Mohegan's beach area, where residents often take their dogs. While walking the family dog, Will Fulda "noticed that there wasn't a place to sit and relax at the `dog beach,' " the release said.

Conor McGuinness, also a Warde senior, organized a drive to collect food and monetary donations for the Bridgeport Rescue Mission. He collected more than 2,400 pounds of food and more than $1,500 to purchase additional food, plus clothing for the homeless shelter's inhabitants.

Michael Eaton McQuade, a freshman at Central Connecticut State University, carried out a conservation project at the Burr Street Audubon Society in October. He raised the money for the project by collecting donations from members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

William G. Poling, a junior at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, led a team of friends, Scouts and parents in gathering food and monetary donations for the food pantry run by Fairfield's Operation Hope. The collection helped the nearly 450 families who depend on the pantry every month.

Eric Rasmussen, also a Ludlowe junior, worked with Trout Unlimited to clean up a section of Halfway River on the Monroe-Newtown border polluted with junked cars, appliances and household trash. City Carting provided a large dumpster for the project and donated to the troop the proceeds from selling the scrap metal.

Gordon Fulda said the Scouts deserve all the credit for reaching the Eagle Scout rank, which took about a year to earn.

"The Scoutmaster is just the facilitator," he said. "The Scouts did all the work."

http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/default/article/Local-troop-produces-six-Eagle-Scouts-4241112.php

This is an article I wrote for my internship and had published in the Fairfield Citizen.

gun control and school safety

With everything that has happened lately with school shootings and other shootings around the world and here in the United States, the question looming is what do we do now? I think our first step is to close the loop hole in gun show sales. I also believe we should do more in depth back ground checks, fingerprinting, etc for someone buying a gun. I also believe that if someone in the household has mental problems and is prone to violent behavior, there shouldn't be a gun allowed in the house. But what are some of the facts? According to http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp "Firearms are generally classified into three broad types: (1) handguns, (2) rifles, and (3) shotguns.Rifles and shotguns are both considered "long guns." A semi-automatic firearm fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled and automatically loads another bullet for the next pull of the trigger. A fully automatic firearm (sometimes called a "machine gun") fires multiple bullets with the single pull of the trigger. Ownership: As of 2009, the United States has a population of 307 million people. Based on production data from firearm manufacturers, there are roughly 300 million firearms owned by civilians in the United States as of 2010. Of these, about 100 million are handguns. Based upon surveys, the following are estimates of private firearm ownership in the U.S. as of 2010: Households With a Gun Adults Owning a Gun Adults Owning a Handgun Percentage 40-45% 30-34% 17-19% Number 47-53 million 70-80 million 40-45 million * A 2005 nationwide Gallup poll of 1,012 adults found the following levels of firearm ownership: Category: Percentage Owning a Firearm Households: 42% Individuals: 30% Male: 47% Female: 13% White: 33% Nonwhite: 18% Republican: 41% Independent: 27% Democrat: 23% * In the same poll, gun owners stated they own firearms for the following reasons: Protection Against Crime 67% Target Shooting 66% Hunting 41% Crime and Self-Defense: * Roughly 16,272 murders were committed in the United States during 2008. Of these, about 10,886 or 67% were committed with firearms. * A 1993 nationwide survey of 4,977 households found that over the previous five years, at least 0.5% of households had members who had used a gun for defense during a situation in which they thought someone 'almost certainly would have been killed" if they "had not used a gun for protection.' Applied to the U.S. population, this amounts to 162,000 such incidents per year. This figure excludes all 'military service, police work, or work as a security guard.' * Based on survey data from the U.S. Department of Justice, roughly 5,340,000 violent crimes were committed in the United States during 2008. These include: simple/aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, rapes, and murders. Of these, about 436,000 or 8% were committed by offenders visibly armed with a gun. * Based on survey data from a 2000 study published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, U.S. civilians use guns to defend themselves and others from crime at least 989,883 times per year. * A 1993 nationwide survey of 4,977 households found that over the previous five years, at least 3.5% of households had members who had used a gun 'for self-protection or for the protection of property at home, work, or elsewhere.' Applied to the U.S. population, this amounts to 1,029,615 such incidents per year. This figure excludes all 'military service, police work, or work as a security guard.' * A 1994 survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Americans use guns to frighten away intruders who are breaking into their homes about 498,000 times per year. * A 1982 survey of male felons in 11 state prisons dispersed across the U.S. found • 34% had been "scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim" • 40% had decided not to commit a crime because they 'knew or believed that the victim was carrying a gun' • 69% personally knew other criminals who had been 'scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim.' Vulnerability to Violent Crime: At the current homicide rate, roughly one in every 240 Americans will be murdered. A U.S. Justice Department study based on crime data from 1974-1985 found: • 42% of Americans will be the victim of a completed violent crime (assault, robbery, rape) in the course of their lives • 83% of Americans will be the victim of an attempted or completed violent crime • 52% of Americans will be the victim of an attempted or completed violent crime more than once. 1997 survey of more than 18,000 prison inmates found that among those serving time for a violent crime, '30% of State offenders and 35% of Federal offenders carried a firearm when committing the crime.' Criminal Justice System: Nationwide in 2008, law enforcement agencies reported that 55% of aggravated assaults, 27% of robberies, 40% of rapes, and 64% of murders that were reported to police resulted in an alleged offender being arrested and turned over for prosecution. Currently, for every 12 aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, rapes, and murders committed in the United States, approximately one person is sentenced to prison for committing such a crime.A 2002 U.S. Justice Department study of 272,111 felons released from state prisons in 1994 found that within three years of their release: • at least 67.5% had been arrested for committing a new offense • at least 21.6% had been arrested for committing a new violent offense • these former inmates had been charged with committing at least 2,871 new homicides, 2,444 new rapes, 3,151 other new sexual assaults, 2,362 new kidnappings, 21,245 new robberies, 54,604 new assaults, and 13,854 other new violent crimes. • Of 1,662 murders committed in New York City during 2003-2005, more than 90% were committed by people with criminal records. Washington, DC: In 1976, the Washington, D.C. City Council passed a law generally prohibiting residents from possessing handguns and requiring that all firearms in private homes be (1) kept unloaded and (2) rendered temporally inoperable via dis-assembly or installation of a trigger lock. The law became operative on Sept. 24, 1976. On June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, struck down this law as unconstitutional. Britain: In 1920, Britain passed a law requiring civilians to obtain a certificate from their district police chief in order to purchase or possess any firearm except a shotgun. To obtain this certificate, the applicant had to pay a fee, and the chief of police had to be "satisfied" that the applicant had "good reason for requiring such a certificate" and did not pose a 'danger to the public safety or to the peace.' The certificate had to specify the types and quantities of firearms and ammunition that the applicant could purchase and keep. In 1968, Britain made the 1920 law stricter by requiring civilians to obtain a certificate from their district police chief in order to purchase or possess a shotgun. This law also required that firearm certificates specify the identification numbers ('if known') of all firearms and shotguns owned by the applicant. In 1997, Britain passed a law requiring civilians to surrender almost all privately owned handguns to the police. More than 162,000 handguns and 1.5 million pounds of ammunition were "compulsorily surrendered" by February 1998. Using 'records of firearms held on firearms certificates,' police accounted for all but fewer than eight of all legally owned handguns in England, Scotland, and Wales. Chicago: In 1982, the city of Chicago instituted a ban on handguns. This ban barred civilians from possessing handguns except for those registered with the city government prior to enactment of the law. The law also specified that such handguns had to be re-registered every two years or owners would forfeit their right to possess them. In 1994, the law was amended to require annual re-registration. In the wake of Chicago's handgun ban, at least five suburbs surrounding Chicago instituted similar handgun bans. When the Supreme Court overturned the District of Columbia's handgun ban in June 2008, at least four of these suburbs repealed their bans. In June 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that Chicago's ban is unconstitutional. Background Checks and Criminals' Sources of Guns: Under federal law: • It is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison for the following people to receive, possess, or transport any firearm or ammunition: someone convicted of or under indictment for a felony punishable by more than one year in prison, someone convicted of a misdemeanor punishable by more than two years in prison, a fugitive from justice, an unlawful user of any controlled substance, someone who has been ruled as mentally defective or has been committed to any mental institution, an illegal alien, someone dishonorably discharged from the military, someone who has renounced his or her U.S. citizenship, someone subject to certain restraining orders, or someone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor. • It is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison to sell or transfer any firearm or ammunition to someone while "knowing" or having "reasonable cause to believe" this person falls into any of the prohibited categories listed above. • It is illegal to "engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms" without a federal license to do so. • It is illegal for any federally licensed firearms business to sell or transfer any firearm without first conducting a background check to see if the buyer/recipient falls into any of the prohibited categories listed above. • It is illegal for anyone except a federally licensed firearms business to sell, buy, trade, or transfer a firearm across state lines. Under federal law, private individuals are not required to a conduct a background check before selling or transferring a firearm to someone who lives in the same state, but it is illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison for a private individual to sell or transfer a firearm while "knowing" or having "reasonable cause to believe" that the recipient falls into one of the prohibited categories above. Some states such as California require background checks for all firearms transactions, including those conducted between private individuals. Denials: In the 10-year period from November 30, 1998 to December 31, 2008, about 96 million background checks for gun purchases were processed through the federal background check system. Of these, approximately 681,000 or about 1% were denied. During 2002 and 2003, out of 17 million background checks resulting in 120,000 denials, the federal government prosecuted 154 people (about one-tenth of 1% of the denials). According to federal agents interviewed in a 2004 U.S. Justice Department investigation, the "vast majority" of denials under the federal background check system are issued to people who are not "a danger to the public because the prohibiting factors are often minor or based on incidents that occurred many years in the past." As examples of such, agents stated that denials have been issued due to a 1941 felony conviction for stealing a pig and a 1969 felony conviction for stealing hubcaps. The same investigation audited 200 background check denials and found that 8% of denied applicants were not prohibited from lawfully possessing a firearm. During 2008, applicants appealed about 19% of the 70,725 background check denials issued that year. Of these, about 23% were later overturned and the applications approved. Allowances: As of 2010, federal law does not prohibit members of terrorist organizations from purchasing or possessing firearms or explosives. Between February 2004 and February 2010, 1,225 firearm and three explosives background checks for people on terrorist watch lists were processed through the federal background check system. Of these, 91% of the firearm transactions and 100% of the explosives transactions were allowed. Under federal law, individuals who have been convicted of a felony offense that would typically prohibit them from possessing firearms can lawfully possess firearms if their civil rights are restored by the requisite government entities.[84] As of 2002, 15 states automatically restore the firearm rights of convicts upon their release from prison or completion of parole, and 6 other states automatically restore the firearm rights of juvenile convicts upon their release from prison or completion of parole. In 2004, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice wrote that this system may result in a paradoxical situation in which someone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence is permanently barred from owning a firearm, while someone who kills his spouse has his firearm rights restored after serving his sentence. Enforcement: To undergo a background check, prospective gun buyers are required by federal regulations to present "photo-identification issued by a government entity." Using fake driver's licenses bearing fictitious names, investigators with the Government Accountability Office had a 100% success rate buying firearms in five states that met the minimum requirements of the federal background check system. A 2001 report of this investigation states that the federal background check system "does not positively identify purchasers of firearms," and thus, people using fake IDs are not flagged by the system.[89] Gun Shows: 'A gun show is an exhibition or gathering where guns, gun parts, ammunition, gun accessories, and literature are displayed, bought, sold, traded, and discussed.' Roughly 2,000-5,200 gun shows take place in the United States each year. Gun shows 'provide a venue for the sale and exchange of firearms by federal firearms licensees (FFLs).... Such shows also are a venue for private sellers who buy and sell firearms for their personal collections or as a hobby. In these situations, the sellers are not required to have a federal firearms license. Although federal firearms laws apply to both FFLs and private sellers at gun shows, private sellers, unlike FFLs, are under no legal obligation to ask purchasers whether they are legally eligible to buy guns or to verify purchasers' legal status through background checks....' In the three-year period from October 2003 through September 2006, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) conducted 202 operations at 195 gun shows, leading to 121 arrests and 83 convictions (with some cases still pending as of June 2007). A 1997 U.S. Justice Department survey of 14,285 state prison inmates found that among those inmates who carried a firearm during the offense for which they were sent to jail, 0.7% obtained the firearm at a gun show, 1% at a flea market, 3.8% from a pawn shop, 8.3% from a retail store, 39.2% through an illegal/street source, and 39.6% through family or friends.[94] Right-to-Carry Laws: Right-to-carry laws permit individuals who meet certain 'minimally restrictive' criteria (such as completion of a background check and gun safety course) to carry concealed firearms in most public places.[95] Concealed carry holders must also meet the minimum federal requirements for gun ownership as detailed above. * Each state has its own laws regarding right-to-carry and generally falls into one of three main categories: 1) 'shall-issue' states, where concealed carry permits are issued to all qualified applicants 2) 'may-issue' states, where applicants must often present a reason for carrying a firearm to an issuing authority, who then decides based on his or her discretion whether the applicant will receive a permit 3) 'no-issue' states, where concealed carry is generally forbidden As of January 2012: • 40 states are shall-issue: Alaska Arizona Arkansas Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming NOTE: Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming allow lawful firearm owners to carry concealed firearms without a permit. All other shall-issue states require firearm owners to obtain a permit to carry concealed firearms. • 9 states are may-issue: Alabama California Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey New York • 1 state is no-issue: Illinois Florida: On October 1, 1987, Florida's right-to-carry law became effective. This law requires that concealed carry licensees be 21 years of age or older, have clean criminal/mental health records, and complete a firearms safety/training course. As of July 31, 2010, Florida has issued 1,825,143 permits and has 746,430 active licensees, constituting roughly 5.4% of the state's population that is 21 years of age or older. └ Florida * On October 1, 1987, Florida's right-to-carry law became effective.[103] * This law requires that concealed carry licensees be 21 years of age or older, have clean criminal/mental health records, and complete a firearms safety/training course.[104] * As of July 31, 2010, Florida has issued 1,825,143 permits and has 746,430 active licensees,[105] constituting roughly 5.4% of the state's population that is 21 years of age or older.[106] [107] * Since the outset of the Florida right-to-carry law, the Florida murder rate has averaged 36% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 15% lower.[108] * From the outset of the Florida right-to-carry law through July 31, 2010, Florida has revoked 5,674 or 0.3% of all issued permits. Of these: • 522 permits were revoked for crimes committed prior to licensure • 4,955 permits were revoked for crimes committed after licensure, of which 168 involved the usage of a firearm. Texas: In January 1996, Texas's right-to-carry law became effective. This law requires that concealed carry licensees be at least 21 years of age (or 18 years of age if a member or veteran of the U.S. armed forces), have clean criminal/mental health records, and complete a handgun proficiency course. In 2009, Texas had 402,914 active licensees, constituting roughly 2.4% of the state's population that is 21 years of age or older. Since the outset of the Texas right-to-carry law, the Texas murder rate has averaged 30% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 28% lower. Michigan: On July 1, 2001, Michigan's right-to-carry law became effective. This law requires that concealed carry licensees be at least 18 years of age (or 21 years of age if purchasing a handgun from a licensed dealer), have clean criminal/mental health records, and pass a written firearms safety test. Since the outset of the Michigan right-to-carry law, the Michigan murder rate has averaged 4% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 2% lower. Accidents: Fatal: In 2007, there were 613 fatal firearm accidents in the United States, constituting 0.5% of 123,706 fatal accidents that year. Fatal firearm accidents in 2007 by age groups: Age Group Fatal Firearm Accidents Raw number Portion of fatal accidents from all causes <1 yrs 1 0.1% 1-4 yrs 18 1.1% 5-9 yrs 20 2.1% 10-14 yrs 26 2.1% 15-24 yrs 155 1.0% 25-34 yrs 94 0.6% 35-44 yrs 91 0.5% 45-54 yrs 82 0.4% 55-64 yrs 57 0.5% 65+ yrs 69 0.2% Non-Fatal: In 2007, there were roughly 15,698 emergency room visits for non-fatal firearm accidents,[123] constituting 0.05% of 27.7 million emergency room visits for non-fatal accidents that year. These emergency room visits for non-fatal firearm accidents resulted in 5,045 hospitalizations,[125] constituting 0.4% of 1.4 million non-fatal accident hospitalizations that year. Harm vs. Benefit: In D.C. v Heller, the 2008 Supreme Court ruling striking down Washington's D.C.'s handgun ban, Justice Stephen Breyer authored a dissenting opinion that was joined by Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This committee report cites no source or evidence for this statistic. A 1994 survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Americans use guns to frighten away intruders who are breaking into their homes about 498,000 times per year. According to the CDC, there were about 18,498 gun-related accidents that resulted in death or an emergency room visit during 2001[131] (the earliest year such data is available from the CDC[132]). This is roughly 27 times lower than the CDC's 1994 estimate for the number of times Americans use guns to frighten away intruders who are breaking into their homes. Safety: Five critical rules of gun safety from the NRA and other sources: 1) Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction (whether loaded or unloaded). 2) Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. 3) Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to shoot. 4) Be aware of what is behind your target. 5) When handling firearms, never use alcohol or any drug that might impair your awareness or judgment (including prescription drugs). Constitution: In the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment to the Constitution reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. Gun control proponents have argued and some federal courts have ruled that the Second Amendment does not apply to individual citizens of the United States but only to members of militias, which, they assert, are now the state National Guard units.In 2002, a federal appeals court panel ruled that 'the people' only 'have the right to bear arms in the service of the state.' Gun rights proponents have argued and some federal courts have ruled that the Second Amendment recognizes 'an individual right to keep and bear arms.' In 2001, a federal appeals court panel ruled that the Second Amendment 'protects the right of individuals, including those not then actually a member of any militia or engaged in active military service or training, to privately possess and bear their own firearms....' James Madison was the primary author of the Bill of Rights,[166] is known as the 'Father of the Constitution' for his central role in its formation,[167] and was one of three authors of the Federalist Papers, a group of essays published in newspapers and books to explain and lobby for ratification of the Constitution.[168] [169] In Federalist Paper 46, James Madison addressed the concern that a standing federal army might conduct a coup to take over the nation. He argued that this was implausible because, based on the country's population at the time, a federal standing army couldn't field more than 25,000-30,000 men. He then wrote: To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near half a million of citizens with arms in their hands, officered by men chosen from among themselves, fighting for their common liberties, and united and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence. Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of. Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. D.C. v Heller: In 1976, the Washington, D.C. City Council passed a law generally prohibiting residents from possessing handguns and requiring that all firearms in private homes be (1) kept unloaded and (2) rendered temporally inoperable via disassembly or installation of a trigger lock. On June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling known as D.C. v Heller, struck down this law as unconstitutional. In D.C. v Heller, the Supreme Court Justices debated the meaning of the phrase 'right of the people' in the Second Amendment. Below are excerpts of this debate: • Majority Opinion (Justice Scalia, joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito): The unamended Constitution and the Bill of Rights use the phrase "right of the people" two other times... The Ninth Amendment uses very similar terminology.... All three of these instances unambiguously refer to individual rights, not "collective" rights, or rights that may be exercised only through participation in some corporate body.... ... Nowhere else in the Constitution does a 'right' attributed to 'the people' refer to anything other than an individual right. What is more, in all six other provisions of the Constitution that mention "the people," the term unambiguously refers to all members of the political community, not an unspecified subset. • Dissenting Opinion (Justice Stevens, joined by Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer): The Court also overlooks the significance of the way the Framers used the phrase "the people" in these constitutional provisions. In the First Amendment, no words define the class of individuals entitled to speak, to publish, or to worship; in that Amendment it is only the right peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, that is described as a right of "the people." These rights contemplate collective action. While the right peaceably to assemble protects the individual rights of those persons participating in the assembly, its concern is with action engaged in by members of a group, rather than any single individual. Likewise, although the act of petitioning the Government is a right that can be exercised by individuals, it is primarily collective in nature. For if they are to be effective, petitions must involve groups of individuals acting in concert. ... As used in the Fourth Amendment, 'the people' describes the class of persons protected from unreasonable searches and seizures by Government officials. It is true that the Fourth Amendment describes a right that need not be exercised in any collective sense. But that observation does not settle the meaning of the phrase 'the people' when used in the Second Amendment. • Majority Opinion (Justice Scalia, joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito): Justice Stevens is of course correct ... that the right to assemble cannot be exercised alone, but it is still an individual right, and not one conditioned upon membership in some defined "assembly," as he contends the right to bear arms is conditioned upon membership in a defined militia. And Justice Stevens is dead wrong to think that the right to petition is "primarily collective in nature." Ibid. See McDonald v. Smith, 472 U. S. 479, 482-484 (1985) (describing historical origins of right to petition). McDonald v Chicago: In an 1833 Supreme Court case known as Barron v Baltimore, the Court ruled that the rights of the people in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights only had to be respected by the federal government and could be infringed by state governments.[176] During the aftermath of the Civil War in 1868, the United States adopted the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, the first section of which reads: ... No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.... Senator Jacob Howard of Michigan served on the committee that drafted the 14th Amendment, and he introduced it on the floor of the Senate. In this speech, he stated that that the "great object" of the first section of the amendment is "to restrain the power of the States and compel them at all times to respect" the "personal rights guaranteed and secured by the first eight amendments of the Constitution" including 'the right to keep and to bear arms....' In 1982, the city of Chicago instituted a ban on handguns. This ban barred civilians from possessing handguns except for those registered with the city government prior to enactment of the law. The law also specified that such handguns had to be re-registered every two years or owners would forfeit their right to possess them. In 1994, the law was amended to require annual re-registration.On June 28, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that this ban is unconstitutional." But now the questions is how do we keep our schools safe? I personally believe that we should do bullet proof and/or glass you can't break, doors you are unable to open from the outside unless you're buzzed in. Some good suggestions from: http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Keeping_Schools_Safe/, are listed below "First, the good news: media reports to the contrary, most American schools are pretty darn safe. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only about 6% of students between ages 12 – 18 report being scared that they’ll be hurt at school. In fact, our youth are 50 times more likely to be murdered away from school than in it. Still, in the 2003 – 2004 school year, 44% of public schools reported at least one violent incident to the police, and 21 students and 37 staff members were murdered at school. That’s the bad news. While every district has different needs, the National School Safety Center offers these tips for concerned parents: Talk with your kids. Ask if they feel ever feel afraid, if they've ever heard about gangs or weapons on campus, and what the school does to prevent bullying. Does the school enforce no-drinking and no-drugs policies? If they ever heard something alarming (rumors about a school shooting, dating violence, a predatory teacher) would they know whom to tell, and do they feel they could safely report it? Ask what the school is doing to keep students safe. If there were an emergency at school, how would you be notified? If a student seems depressed or aggressive, does the guidance counselor notify his parents and refer him to professional help? Is there a zero-tolerance policy about guns and violence in school? Are there metal detectors and security guards? Does the school partner with local law enforcement or offer fingerprinting for younger children? Even if you live in a safe community, safety should be on the agenda at school board meetings and it should be a top priority for the principal. Empower students. Suggest that the principal appoint student reps to discuss safety at school board meetings, establish an anonymous tip line so students can report threats and crime without fear of reprisal, establish a student disciplinary committee, offer classes on conflict resolution and mediation, and develop mentor-ship and peer counseling programs for newcomers and victims of bullying. If she’s unresponsive, start a parent committee to keep tabs. Get involved. Visit the school during lunch, between classes, and after school. Does the campus feel safe? Did anyone check your ID? Were students wearing gang colors or baggy outerwear that could hide a weapon? Get to know your child’s teachers, and tell them you want to hear from them if they have any concerns about your child’s behavior or safety. Make sure the staff has your work and home phone numbers in case of emergency."

obama care

I don't quite know about Obamacare. I like parts of it, like insurance companies can't deny you coverage for pre-existing conditions or woman don't have to pay more because they're women. But the fact that the government mandates you or you'll get taxed bothers me. Obama even said it wasn't a tax, and you still will get taxed if you don't get the health insurance. I think there will still be free-loaders, maybe not as many. Mitt Romney wants to repeal it if he gets elected, but he put the SAME mandate in effect when govenor of Massachusetts! Hypocrite!

drugs, alcohol, and the family environment

Many adults, young adults, and kids now adays think its "cool" to drink and get high. But little do they know the effects the 21 shots on your birthday or the joint can do on you, as a person. Under the administration of George W. Bush, the white house released these effects of drugs/alcohol on the body:

"Specific Drugs and Their Effects

Drug name: Alcohol
Drug Type: Depressant
Facts for Parents: 25% of 8th graders have admitted to being intoxicated at least once.
Other Names: Beer, wine, liquor, cooler, malt liquor, booze
How Consumed: Orally
Effects: Addiction (alcoholism), dizziness, nausea, vomiting, hangovers, slurred speech, disturbed sleep, impaired motor skills, violent behavior, fetal alcohol syndrome, respiratory depression and death (high doses).

Drug Name: Amphetamines
Drug Type: Stimulant
Facts for Parents: Chronic use can induce psychosis with symptoms similar to schizophrenia.
Other Names: Speed, uppers, ups, hearts, black beauties, pep pills, capilots, bumble bees, Benzedrine, Dexedrine, footballs, biphetamine
How Consumed: Orally, injected, snorted, or smoked
Effects: Addiction, irritability, anxiety, increased blood pressure, paranoia, psychosis, depression, aggression, convulsions, dilated pupils, dizziness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, malnutrition. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected.

Drug Name: Metamphetamines
Drug Type: Stimulant
Facts for Parents: Some users avoid sleep 3 to 15 days.
Other Names: Speed, meth, crank, crystal, ice, fire, croak, crypto, white cross, glass. "Ice" is the street name for the smokeable form.
How Consumed: Orally, injected, snorted, or smoked
Effects: Addiction, irritability, aggression, hypothermia, stroke, paranoia, psychosis, convulsions, heart and blood vessel toxicity, hallucinations, arrhythmia, formication (the sensation of insects creeping on or under your skin).

Drug Name: Ecstasy
Drug Type: Stimulants
Facts for Parents: Ecstasy is popular at all-night underground parties (called raves) and is the most common designer drug.
Other Names: XTC, Adam, MDMA
How Consumed: Orally
Effects: Psychiatric disturbances, including panic, anxiety, depression, and paranoia. Muscle tension, nausea, blurred vision, sweating, increased heart rate, tremors, hallucinations, fainting, chills, sleep problems, and reduced appetite

Drug Name: Ritalin
Drug Type: Stimulant
Facts for Parents: Some children buy or steal from their classmates
Other Names: Speed, west coast
How Consumed: Tablet is crushed, and the powder is snorted or injected.
Effects: Loss of appetite, fevers, convulsions, and severe headaches. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infections. Paranoia, hallucinations, excessive repetition of movements and meaningless tasks, tremors, muscle twitching.

Drug Name: Herbal Ecstasy/Ephedrine
Drug Type: Herbal Ecstasy, Cloud 9, Rave Energy, Ultimate, Xphoria, and X
Facts for Parents: The active ingredients in Herbal Ecstasy are caffeine and ephedrine.
How Consumed: Orally
Effects: Increased heart rate and blood pressure. Seizures, heart attacks, stroke, and death.

Drug Name: Designer Drugs
Drug Type: Stimulants
Facts for Parents: Changing the molecular structure of an existing drug or drugs to create a new substance creates Designer drugs.
Other Names: Synthetic heroin, goodfella
How Consumed: Injected, sniffed, or smoked.
Effects: Instant respiratory paralysis. Potency creates strong possibility for overdose, many of the same effects as heroin.

Drug Name: Cocaine
Drug Type: Stimulant
Facts for Parents: Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Heavy use may produce paranoia, hallucinations, aggression, insomnia, and depression.
Other Names: Coke, snow, nose candy, flake, blow, big C, lady, white, snowbirds.
How Consumed: Snorted or dissolved in water and injected.
Effects: Addiction, pupil dilation, elevated blood pressure and heart rate. Increased respiratory rate, seizures, heart attack, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, increased body temperature, death from overdose.

Drug Name: Crack
Drug Type: Stimulant
Facts for Parents: A cheaper form of cocaine that may be more addicting.
Other Names: Rock, freebase
Effects: Same as cocaine

Drug Name: Heroin
Drug Type: Opiates
Facts for Parents: Heroin users quickly develop a tolerance to the drug and need more and more of it to get the same effects, or even to feel well.
Other Names: Smack, horse, mud, brown, sugar, junk, black tar, big H, dope.
Effects: Addiction. Slurred speech, slow gait, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, nodding off, respiratory depression or failure, dry itching skin, and skin infections. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected.

Drug Name: PCP
Drug Type: Hallucinogens
Facts for Parents: Marijuana joints can be dipped into PCP without the smoker's knowledge.
Other Names: Angel dust, ozone, rocket fuel, peace pill, elephant tranquilizer, dust.
How Consumed: Snorted, smoked, orally, or injected.
Effects: Hallucinations. Out-of-body experiences, impaired motor coordination, inability to feel physical pain, respiratory attack, disorientation, fear, panic, aggressive behavior. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected. Death.

Drug Name: LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethyl amide)
Drug Type: Hallucinogen
Facts for Parents: LSD is the most common hallucinogen. LSD tabs are often decorated with colorful designs or cartoon characters.
Other Names: Acid, microdot, tabs, doses, trips, hits, sugar cubes.
How Consumed: Tabs taken orally or gelatin/liquid put in eyes.
Effects: Elevated body temperature and blood pressure, suppressed appetite, sleeplessness, tremors, chronic recurring hallucinations.

Drug Name: Mushrooms
Drug Type: Hallucinogens
Facts for Parents: Many mushroom users purchase hallucinogenic mushroom spores via mail order.
Other Names: Shrooms, caps, magic mushrooms.
How Consumed: Eaten or brewed and drunk in tea.
Effects:Increased blood pressure, sweating, nausea, hallucinations.

Drug Name: Inhalants
Facts for Parents: Hundreds of legal household products can be sniffed or huffed to get high. All inhalants can be toxic. Other Names: Laughing gas, whippets, aerosol sprays, cleaning fluids, solvents.
How Consumed:Vapors are inhaled
Effects: Headache, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, severe mood swings and violent behavior, nausea, nose bleeds; liver, lung, and kidney damage; dangerous chemical imbalances in the body, lack of coordination, fatigue, loss of appetite, decreases in heart and respiratory rates, hepatitis, or peripheral neuropathy from long-term use.

Drug Name: Marijuana
Facts for Parents: The average age of first use is 14. Can be smoked using homemade pipes and bongs made from soda cans or plastic beverage containers.
Other Names: Weed, pot, reefer, grass, dope, ganja, Mary Jane, sinsemilla, herb, Aunt Mary, skunk, boom, kif, gangster, chronic, 420.
How Consumed: Smoked or eaten.
Effects: Bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, impaired or reduced comprehension, altered sense of time, reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination --such as driving a car, paranoia, intense anxiety attacks, altered cognition, making acquisition of new information difficult; impairments in learning, memory, perception, and judgment; difficulty speaking, listening effectively, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem solving.

Drug Name: Steroids
Facts for Parents: Steroid users subject themselves to more than 70 % potentially harmful side effects.
Other Names: Rhoids, juice
How Consumed: Orally or injected into muscle
Effects: Liver cancer Sterility, masculine traits in women and feminine traits in men, aggression, depression, acne, mood swings.

Drug Name: Tobacco
Facts for Parents: 1 in 5 12th graders is a daily smoker. How Consumed: Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco (chew, dip, and snuff).
Effects: Addiction, heart disease, cancer of the lung, larynx, esophagus, bladder, pancreas, kidney, and mouth. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight." (This information was obtaied from this website: http://www.yic.gov/drugfree/drugeffects.html)

Some other drugs may include:
"GHB Facts
Liquid Ecstasy)
What is It?
GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate, or gammahydroxy-butyric acid) is a depressant that is usually available in odorless and tasteless liquid form. It can also be sold as a powder or pill. It takes effect 10-20 minutes after it is ingested and its effects typically last up to four hours. GHB has been used in "date rape." It can be colorless, tasteless, and odorless, and has been added to beverages and ingested without the victim's knowledge. It can also cause anterograde amnesia (loss of memory), which makes it difficult for victims to recall what happened or identify his/her attacker.

Prescription Drug Facts
(Rx)
What is It?
Prescription drugs are medicines that are prescribed to a patient by a doctor to manage pain, treat or cure a health condition such as pain, mental disease, diabetes, cancer, or common infections. These drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are shown to have medical benefits when prescribed and taken exactly as directed by a health provider. For people who are suffering, these drugs allow them to control their symptoms, cure or treat their diseases, control pain, or fight an infection. However, these medicines are only safe when taken exactly as directed by a doctor, healthcare provider, or as indicated on the packaging. This includes following directions on dosages, how often to take these drugs, and never taking any drug that is not prescribed for you.
Taking prescription drugs that are not prescribed to you - or taking them in any way other than directed by a doctor — is considered non-medical use or abuse and can be as dangerous as taking an illegal drug, such as cocaine or heroin. "Misuse" of a prescription drug is taking it to treat a medical condition but not as directed by a doctor or packaging; "abuse" is taking prescription drugs with the sole intention of getting high. When misused or abused, many prescription drugs can be as dangerous and addictive as "street" drugs. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of poisonings and even deaths associated with the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs, including prescription painkillers and anti-depressants.
In other words, even if a medication is prescribed to you, taking larger doses than prescribed, taking it more often than directed, or using it in a way that it is not intended, is abuse and can also lead to severe health consequences and addiction. Between 1995 and 2005, treatment admissions for dependence on prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone (OxyContin) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin) grew more than 300 percent.
Taking prescription drugs without a prescription, not taking them as directed, or mixing them with alcohol are all unsafe and potentially deadly. A 2008 study based on 224,355 U.S. death certificates for which people died from medication errors showed that there was a 3,196 percent increase between 1983 and 2004 in deaths at home from combining prescription drugs with alcohol and/or street drugs.
It's Illegal
Additionally, getting prescription drugs without a prescription, called "diversion" is illegal and may put you at risk for arrest and prosecution. Regardless of how you acquire a prescription medication, using these types of drugs without a valid prescription — written for you — is unsafe and illegal.

Prescription Drugs
Online
What is It?
If you're online and see a promotion, e-mail, or Web site that claims to sell prescription drugs, remember that many Internet pharmacies try to sell these without a valid prescription from a physician — an illegal activity in every State. Because not all online pharmacies are regulated, they may ship expired drugs, drugs that have not been stored properly, or even fake drugs. There have been cases where drugs ordered online turned out to be nothing more than dietary supplements, contained harmful doses of the wrong drug, or contained no medication at all. 64 You should never attempt to purchase drugs without a prescription or take any drug unless directed by a doctor.
Any pharmacy that is willing to sell prescription drugs without a valid doctor's prescription is not taking into account the health and safety of the consumer.
Legitimate online pharmacies are certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), require a valid doctor's prescription, and carry the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) logo. You should also see a doctor and have a personal check-up, because this is the best way to determine whether or not a prescription medication is needed for your ailment — and what type of medication is best for you. Regardless, you should never seek to acquire or take prescription drugs, no matter the source, unless you are being treated by a qualified medical doctor who prescribes the medicine.
Getting prescription drugs without a prescription is also illegal and may subject a person to arrest and prosecution. Regardless of how you acquire a prescription medication, using these types of drugs without a valid prescription and medical supervision is unsafe and illegal.
Bottom line: taking prescription drugs without a doctor's approval and supervision is always dangerous — and it can be addictive and even fatal.

Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse Facts
(OTC)
What Are They?
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medications that can be purchased at a pharmacy, grocery, or convenience store without a prescription to treat the symptoms of common colds or pains, such as a headache. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that these medications have medical benefits for common ailments and are safe for general consumption if taken exactly as prescribed by the packaging.
Ketamine distorts sounds and sensations and makes users feel detached from reality. Some ketamine experiences involve a terrifying feeling of almost complete sensory detachment that is likened to a near-death experience sometimes referred to as "the K-hole."
However, all drugs, including over-the-counter medications, change the body’s function or chemistry from its natural state and can be harmful if they are not taken as directed. For example, the common painkiller Ibuprofen (more commonly known as Advil®) can cause kidney damage if taken for prolonged periods or in excessive dosages.
As is the case with any drug, overdoses from over-the-counter medications, can occur. One type of over-the-counter medication that is especially dangerous when abused is Dextromethorphan (DXM), which is found in many types of cough syrup. From 1999 to 2004, there was a seven-fold increase in cases of poisoning and overdoses related to the abuse of DXM reported to poison control centers nationwide. Most of these were among 15- and 16-year-olds.69 An overdose on over-the-counter drugs can vary greatly, depending on what other drugs they are mixed with, the amount of drugs taken, how quickly they are taken, and the individual’s body chemistry. Some over-the-counter drugs can even cause death if used incorrectly.
The only safe way to take over-the-counter medications is to do so exactly as directed by a doctor or as directed on the packaging and to treat the symptoms for which they are intended." (this information was obtained from the website: http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts)

"The Science Behind Drug Use and Addiction
There are many reasons why some people start taking drugs. Many of these are social. But with the very first use, c hemical changes occur in the brain that may lead to addiction. Drug addiction is a disease1. And with every additional use, the user increases his or her chance of becoming addicted.

To help people better understand the science and facts about drug addiction, leading scientists in substance abuse at the National Institute on Drug Abuse recently published "Drugs and the Brain."2

How do drugs work in the brain?
Drugs are chemicals. They work in the brain by tapping into the brain's communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter. This similarity in structure "fools" receptors and allows the drugs to lock onto and activate the nerve cells. Although these drugs mimic brain chemicals, they don't activate nerve cells in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network.

Other drugs, such as amphetamine or cocaine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signal between neurons. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message, ultimately disrupting communication channels. The difference in effect can be described as the difference between someone whispering into your ear and someone shouting into a microphone.

How do drugs work in the brain to produce pleasure?
All drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain's reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system, which rewards our natural behaviors, produces the euphoric effects sought by people who abuse drugs and teaches them to repeat the behavior.

How does stimulation of the brain's pleasure circuit teach us to keep taking drugs?
Our brains are wired to ensure that we will repeat life-sustaining activities by associating those activities with pleasure or reward. Whenever this reward circuit is activated, the brain notes that something important is happening that needs to be remembered, and teaches us to do it again and again, without thinking about it. Because drugs of abuse stimulate the same circuit, we learn to abuse drugs in the same way.

Why are drugs more addictive than natural rewards?
When some drugs of abuse are taken, they can release 2 to 10 times the amount of dopamine that natural rewards do. In some cases, this occurs almost immediately (as when drugs are smoked or injected), and the effects can last much longer than those produced by natural rewards. The resulting effects on the brain's pleasure circuit dwarfs those produced by naturally rewarding behaviors such as eating. The effect of such a powerful reward strongly motivates people to take drugs again and again.

What happens to your brain if you keep taking drugs?
Just as we turn down the volume on a radio that is too loud, the brain adjusts to the overwhelming surges in dopamine (and other neurotransmitters) by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of receptors that can receive and transmit signals. As a result, dopamine's impact on the reward circuit of a drug abuser's brain can become abnormally low, and the ability to experience any pleasure is reduced. This is why the abuser eventually feels flat, lifeless, and depressed, and is unable to enjoy things that previously brought them pleasure. Now, they need to take drugs just to bring their dopamine function back up to normal. And, they must take larger amounts of the drug than they first did to create the dopamine high - an effect known as tolerance.

How does long-term drug taking affect brain circuits?
We know that the same sort of mechanisms involved in the development of tolerance can eventually lead to profound changes in neurons and brain circuits, with the potential to severely compromise the long-term health of the brain. For example, glutamate is another neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain attempts to compensate for this change, which can cause impairment in cognitive function. Similarly, long-term drug abuse can trigger adaptations in habit or nonconscious memory systems. Conditioning is one example of this type of learning, whereby environmental cues become associated with the drug experience and can trigger uncontrollable cravings if the individual is later exposed to these cues, even without the drug itself being available. This learned "reflex" is extremely robust and can emerge even after many years of abstinence.

What other brain changes occur with abuse?
Chronic exposure to drugs of abuse disrupts the way critical brain structures interact to control behavior - behavior specifically related to drug abuse. Just as continued abuse may lead to tolerance or the need for higher drug dosages to produce an effect, it may also lead to addiction, which can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively. Drug addiction erodes a person's self-control and ability to make sound decisions, while sending intense impulses to take drugs.

Your Most-Frequently-Asked Questions about Drug Use and Addiction
What do drugs make you feel like?
Depending on the drug, some people might say they feel pleasant or relaxed. However, in many cases, these feelings may be followed by even more powerful sensations, such as depression, anxiety, nausea, confusion, lack of control, paranoia, guilt, embarrassment, hangovers, loneliness, and cravings for more drugs. People who use drugs to have fun or to forget their problems may never really learn how to find things in their lives that truly make them fulfilled or find ways to cope with difficulties, and they may keep returning to drugs because they haven't learned other ways to be happy. Back to the top >

What are the short-term effects of drug use
Drugs are chemicals. Every drug is different, but generally, drugs interfere with your nervous system's basic functions. They work by tapping into the brain's communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate brain neurons because their chemical structures act like natural neurotransmitters that are found in the brain. This similarity in structure "fools" receptors and allows the drugs to lock onto and activate the nerve cells.
Other drugs, such as amphetamines or cocaine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signal between neurons. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message, ultimately disrupting communication channels. The difference in effect can be described as the difference between someone whispering into your ear and someone shouting into a microphone.
— From the National Institute on Drug Abuse's "Drugs and the Brain." 1

This is what causes the user to feel different — the signals coming and going from the brain have been altered from the way that they naturally function, leading people to have unfamiliar sensations. This can cause temporary euphoria. But it can also cause hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, and uncontrolled behavior. It can also affect your muscles and how they function because the signals from your brain that control your movements can be altered. This can cause your respiratory (lungs) and cardiovascular (heart) systems to malfunction or fail.

Some abused substances, such as glue or butane, can cause immediate death. Cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamine can give even healthy people a heart attack on the spot.

In addition to these mental, behavioral, and health-related effects, drugs also have social consequences. These can include lying to and losing the trust of friends and family; performing poorly in school; quitting academic, athletic, or social activities; losing self control, making bad decisions like drugged or drunk driving; getting pregnant; becoming violent or placing yourself at risk to be a victim of violence; and abandoning old friendships in order to be around people who also use drugs. Back to the top >

What are the long-term effects of drug use?
It depends on the drug, but all drugs can cause negative health effects and can lead to addiction.

Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain - they change its structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long lasting, and can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who abuse drugs.2
Individuals who suffer from addiction often have one or more accompanying medical issues, including lung and cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, mental disorders, and obesity; and drug use can also make them susceptible to contracting HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases. Imaging scans, chest x-rays, and blood tests show the damaging effects of drug abuse throughout the body. In addition, some drugs are toxic to nerve cells and may damage or destroy them either in the brain or the peripheral nervous system.3
Some of these effects occur when drugs are used at high doses or for prolonged periods of time. However, some may occur after just one use.4

In addition to health effects like those described above, drugs can also have negative social consequences that can really hurt people - being unreliable, forgetting things, telling lies, stealing money for drugs, sometimes even getting violent with people they love. Their biggest ambition becomes getting high.

While addiction may result from any drug use, there are unique health effects for each drug. Learn more about a specific drug and how they affect your body here.
Back to the top >

Can you get addicted even though you only do it once in a while?
No one wakes up in the morning and says, "I'm going to be an addict." Addiction is a process - not an event. Most people who start using drugs do so with the intention of only using once or occasionally. However, drugs affect the brain; even with only occasional use, changes are happening and you could get addicted. The "occasional" use of drugs can quickly change to frequent use and then to constant use. No one knows when the "chemical switch" goes off in your brain or who will get addicted. It's a lot like playing Russian Roulette - you just never know. The only thing we do know is that if you don't do drugs, you definitely won't get addicted. Back to the top >

How many times does someone have to take a drug to become an addict?
No one knows. A person's genetic makeup plays a role. That's why some people seem to get addicted almost immediately, but for others, it takes more time. There is a lot we still don't know about who becomes addicted and why, and after how much drug exposure. We do know that each person is different, so it's a little like playing a game of chance if you choose to use drugs. But, if you do, the earlier you stop, the more likely you will be to avoid addiction and the harmful brain changes that lead to it.

Here's the science behind it: With repeated drug use, dopamine function in a drug abuser's brain becomes abnormal. Because dopamine is involved in feelings of pleasure and motivation, the person feels flat, lifeless, and depressed when they are not taking the drug. Without drugs, an abuser's life seems joyless. Now the abuser needs drugs just to bring dopamine levels up to normal levels. They need it just to get them close to where they were before they even tried drugs in the first place. Larger amounts of the drug are needed to create a dopamine flood or high, an effect known as tolerance.

By abusing drugs, the addicted person has changed the way his or her brain works. Drug abuse and addiction lead to long-term changes in the brain. These changes cause addicted drug users to lose the ability to control their drug use. Drug addiction is a disease.5 Back to the top >

If drug addiction is a disease, is there a cure?
There is no cure for drug addiction, but it is a treatable disease. Drug addicts can and do recover, but they must always be aware of their addiction and work to never fall into addiction again, which is a lifelong process. Drug addiction therapy uses behavior change or modification and sometimes includes medications that assist the user in refraining from drugs or alcohol. Like people with diabetes or heart disease, people in treatment for drug addiction learn behavioral changes that may be assisted with medications that they need to sustain for the rest of their lives.6 In other words, drug addicts do get better and can work to permanently refrain from drug use. Scientists know that prolonged abstinence from certain drugs allows some of the drug-induced brain changes to reverse. But addicts have to change their lifestyles and learn how to cope with the world - and they may always have to combat the urge to use drugs. It is not easy! Back to the top >

Are there reasons other than physical addiction why people keep taking drugs?
Some people keep taking drugs because they become addicted to them. They want more - in fact, they feel like they need more. Eventually, trying to get drugs becomes the most important thing in their lives - using up their time, money, and energy, and hurting people they're close to.

However, those people who don't become addicted to drugs may continue to use drugs for the same reasons they started, including feeling bored or wanting to fit in with a particular group, even though drugs aren't helping them. But whatever the reason, these people need to find healthy and constructive ways to be happy without drugs. They can do this by finding friends who share similar interests, finding healthy activities that make them happy, talking with people about their concerns, and finding friends who enjoy their company when they are not altered by drugs and alcohol.

Learn more about The Science Behind Drug Addiction. Back to the top >

Marijuana is just a plant... is it really that dangerous?
Yes, marijuana is a plant but it has real health consequences, including addiction. While some people or Web sites may try to convince you that "it's no big deal," the real science shows a different picture. More teens are in treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined.7 Young people who use marijuana weekly have a greater risk of depression later in life.8 This risk is even higher for girls; the odds that a female who uses marijuana daily will be depressed at age 21 are higher than the odds of non-users.9 The odds that a heavy marijuana user will be diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life are higher than the odds of non-users.10 And the odds that a teenager who use marijuana will drop out of school are more than the odds of non-users.11 Back to the top >

I know a few "straight A" students and some professional athletes who use marijuana and they seem to do OK. What's that about?
Weed affects everyone differently; this unpredictability is one of the reasons it is so dangerous. Some people seem to be able to use it for a while, while others experience paranoia and seem to get hooked early on. Remember, we never know when addiction actually starts, and a person's genetics seem to play a major role, meaning that some people get addicted much faster than others. The bottom line is that no matter how in control someone may seem, there are chemical changes occurring in his or her brain (some of which are common to all abused drugs, including cocaine and heroin12 ) and sooner or later, it will affect his or her ability to perform mentally and physically.

Are prescription drugs dangerous?
ALL drugs are chemicals that affect the body. But some people don't realize that prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs can be equally as dangerous as street drugs. The very reason prescription drugs require a prescription from a doctor is because they are powerful substances and need to be regulated and taken under a physician's care to ensure that patients take them safely.

Even if a person is prescribed a medication, taking more of that drug, or taking it more often than recommended, is dangerous. The most recent research on deaths in the U.S. due to unintentional poisoning over a five-year period shows that nearly all poisoning deaths are attributed to prescription and illegal drugs. Prescription opioids such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and methadone account for the greatest percentage of deaths from prescription drugs. 13

Side effects of prescription drugs, including painkillers, depressants, and stimulants, include respiratory depression, dizziness, slurred speech, poor concentration, feelings of confusion, increased heart rate and breathing, excessive sweating, vomiting, tremors, anxiety, hostility and aggression, suicidal and homicidal tendencies, convulsions, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, nausea and vomiting, apathy, heart attacks, addiction, coma, and death. 14 15 16 17

Prescription drugs can also be addictive. Between 1995 and 2005, treatment admissions for abuse of prescription pain relievers grew more than 300 percent. 18

Additionally, getting prescription drugs without a prescription is illegal and may subject a person to arrest and prosecution. Regardless of how you acquire a prescription medication, using these types of drugs without a valid prescription and medical supervision is unsafe and illegal. Back to the top >

Are over-the-counter (OTC) drugs dangerous?
All drugs, regardless of whether they are illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter (available without a prescription), change the body's function or chemistry and can be harmful. OTC drugs are available to the public with the understanding that they will be used only as directed and to treat a particular ailment.

For example, the common pain reliever ibuprofen (more commonly known as Advil®) can cause kidney damage if taken for prolonged periods.19 Just like with any drug, overdoses from over-the-counter medication can occur. From 1999 to 2004, there was a seven-fold increase in cases related to the abuse of DXM reported to poison control centers nationwide. Most of these cases were among 15- and 16-year-olds.20 The health risks of abusing OTC cough and cold remedies include impaired judgment/nausea, loss of coordination, headache, vomiting, loss of consciousness, numbness of fingers and toes, abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, aches, seizures, panic attacks, psychosis, cold flashes, dizziness, diarrhea, addiction, restlessness, insomnia, high blood pressure, coma, and death. 21

An overdose on over-the-counter drugs can vary greatly depending on what other drugs they are mixed with, the amount of drugs taken and how they are taken. Some over-the-counter drugs can cause serious problems or even death if used incorrectly.22 The only safe way to take over-the-counter medications is exactly as directed on the bottle and to treat the symptoms for which they are intended.

ABOVE THE STRESS
Learn to Deal With It
Dealing with pressures and stress in high school can be hard sometimes. The pressure to make friends, earn good grades, excel in sports or other activities, deal with crammed schedules, establish and maintain relationships, and navigate an occasionally difficult home life can feel overwhelming at times. Dealing with all of this can mess with your self-esteem, outlook on life, mood, and health. The next thing you know, you're feeling stressed, or worse.

What is Stress?
When you are stressed, your body reacts to enhance your senses and ability to meet a challenge like taking a test, building the courage to ask someone out on a date, scoring a goal, or swerving to avoid a car crash. Your body releases hormones called adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream, which increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, boosts energy supplies by increasing glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream, and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.1 All of these things happen to prepare you to handle anything that comes your way, whether it's running away from a rabid dog or staying up late to finish a paper.

Mild stress may cause changes in our brains and bodies that are useful, but if stress is constant or prolonged, the changes that it produces can be harmful.2

Some people think they can deal with stress by taking drugs. They think if they are unhappy, drugs will make them feel bette. And some people say they think that taking drugs might help them to cope with stress in their lives. But drugs don't fix the problems that are causing the stress in the first place, and they don't stop the feelings themselves. Drug use can actually worsen the situation and lead to even more stress, anxiety, or even depression.

It is important to remember that everyone feels stressed sometimes and everyone goes through hard times. It might not seem like it now, but most things get better with time, especially if you confront the problems and work through them. Dealing with your problems directly might be difficult at first, but it will make you happier in the long run. For example, you may have to lessen your work load or talk with a parent, teacher, or other professional about something that is bothering you at home. But if you find your feelings do not improve, you could also be suffering from depression, which can be caused by unbalanced chemicals in the brain — and is not your fault. Depression is totally treatable - read more about it here.

[For immediate help, call The Girls and Boys Town National Hotline, a 24-hour crisis, resource and referral line staffed by highly-trained counselors who can respond to any of your mental or physical health problems. The organization also has a chat room staffed by trained counselors.]" (the information was obtained from http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/)

In short, all the drugs, tobacco, and alcohol affect the body, mind, and emotions. Not everyone is doing drugs, and it is better to be above the influence than under the influence. The "excuses" addicts use are just to pull you down with them. As the old saying goes, "misery loves company." The drugs and alcohol can kill you, perminately impair/damage you, or land you in jail. Addicts can rip families appart, and devistate families. As an addict, you use all your money, time, and energy into your addiction putting hardships on your family. I know a few people (friends and family) who are addicts and their lives have gode down hill (as opposed from their life "pre" addictions(s)). One of my friends that I have known since elementary school, and they had been very involved in school, church, etc. And since starting drugs, they have stopped all of that, and has slacked off in school (they're barely getting by on academic probation), thats where they spend the little bit of money they have (they don't even have a job), and amungst other things. Another person I know, has a boyfriend who uses and drinks, and doesn't even care. He withholds money and has a terrible terrible temper. He'll blow off family and work to go and get high. Drugs do no good to anyone involved.

Osama bin laden's death

Many American's have cheered for Bin Laden's death. But is it right. According to a Vatican spokes person (Federico Lombardi), says, "A Christian never rejoices" in the death of any man, no matter how evil," though a Christian should instead "reflect on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us has before God and before man." The article goes on to state "For many Americans, bin Laden's death was quite literally an answer to prayer. Muslims who saw bin Laden as an apostate breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Ethicists and pastors searched for the appropriate space between vindication and vengeance. U.S. special forces did what they had to do. How everyone else is supposed to feel about it is a little less clear." Yes his death was a sigh of relief to every person affected, directly or indirectly from his actions, but in my opinion, killing Bin Laden only made him a martyr, instead we should have captured him and make him pay for his crimes. I believe killing him was far to easy.
The article also raises a few good questions regarding Bin Laden's death, "The questions around bin Laden's demise tended to break into two different camps: Were we right to kill him? And is his death something to cheer? For many, what set bin Laden apart was his defiance, unrepentant violence and coldly calculating designs to rain destruction upon Americans, innocent civilians and even fellow Muslims." Can we, as humans, really sleep better knowing this man in particular is no longer a threat to anyone, regardless if his the action of killing him was "good" or "bad" or even "justified?" I personally fear that now he is dead (with or without the cheering of hundreds of thousands of people) he not only is seen as a martyr, but his loyal followers will seek out "justice" or "revenge" to those they see as responsible, IE the USA and anyone else they care to go after.
In short I firmly believe that we, more so those who made the decisions, should have thought twice about their actions. Meaning, would we have less backlash capturing him and letting him live? Or having him dead? I guess time will only tell what, if any, backlash will occur from Bin Laden's death.


All information used was used from the following website:
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/mind-soul/spirituality/story/2011/05/Is-it-OK-to-cheer-Osama-bin-Ladens-death/46759110/1

pimping

Whether we choose to believe it or not there are pimps out there, and the ones being pimped out. Some of those that are being pimped out are of age, others aren't. Some girls, for whatever reason, choose to be pimped out. And others simply fall into that life style. Some girls believe their pimp loves them, but truth be told these women are being chased merely for sex and then the fact that they exist is ignored until the next "John" comes along. Recently in Fairfield a mother pimps out her daughter and then they stole his wallet and attempted to avoid the police. They claim she was sexually assaulted and they took his wallet merely to identify him. But I believe that that is a complete lie. But most women are in this line of "work" for what they believe to be love, security, attention, and possibly even money. I believe these women should be helped and not exploited any longer or even looked down upon.

For more information on the Fairfield case you can visit: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfield_cty/police%3A-mom-pimps-out-daughter