VIEWPOINTS

Gay Marriage should be an issue of Equality
Cassie Daley | Staff Reporter

Robbie got home from work yesterday around 6 p.m., and I already had dinner almost ready, we had lasagna and garlic bread, which is both of our favorites. As soon as Robbie walked in the house I got a kiss, and a “hey baby.”
After greeting me Robbie greeted our eager puppy Fiona, and the three of us played catch for about half an hour while we waited for dinner to be done. While eating dinner we exchanged stories about our days, how work went, tidbits of gossip we picked up, and what happened that was hilarious. After dinner Robbie did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, while I finished folding the laundry.
We settled on the couch, me reading, Robbie watching some show about crime. During a commercial Robbie got up to refill our cups with tea and kissed me on the side of the head. After the news was over we began our bedtime routine; Robbie made coffee while I take the dog outside. I went into our bathroom and brushed my teeth, and then I sit on the sink and talk about nothing important while Robbie brushed. We crawl into bed, we were both exhausted but we still exchanged silly stories and giggle. I fit perfectly on Robbie’s shoulder as we fall asleep.
Today Robbie and I got home at the same time, so I hadn’t even thought about dinner. Robbie decided we would go out to dinner. As we are sitting in our booth, laughing about something my dad said when he had called earlier; Robbie looked up at me mid-sentence and asked me if I thought we would ever get married.
I couldn’t help but adore the amazing sparkle in Robbie’s eyes that always brings me to my knees as I heard this. I stopped and thought for a second and shook my head sadly. We’ve been living together for over a year. We can complete each other’s sentences and we never fail to put each other in a better mood after a bad day. There is no one in the world I find as attractive as Robbie and no one else in the world I could imagine sharing my life with. But I don’t think we’ll ever get married. It’s not because I won’t marry Robbie, it’s because I can’t. Robbie is a woman, and the depth, strength, and normalcy of our love and life means nothing to the state of Texas, and nothing to the United States of America.
I always find it embarrassing that I live in a country that is founded on equality and has the word equality in both the constitution and the pledge of allegiance. Yet not all people are treated equal. Gays and lesbians are distinctly denied the 1,000 plus rights granted with the title of marriage, based solely on their sexual orientation; much like interracial couples were denied the same right less than 50 years ago. I am also embarrassed that my country is supposed to have a separation of church and state, and yet the only thing that defines a marriage as being between a man and woman, are religious documents. Even those who feel that homosexuality is a sin should see the democratic importance of not denying a segment of people their rights based on the teachings of any religion – that forces our country into theocracy.
Furthermore, I find it fascinating that while the country and several different states are actively pursuing amendments to the constitution (and individual state constitutions), issues that are of global importantance are being ignored. Students in the state of Texas had a text book shortage, and education reform never made it on the ballet, however, banning gay marriage did. It takes the senate time, which we pay them for, to discuss the same-sex marriage issue. Why aren’t they discussing funding education? Why aren’t they tackling social security, or evacuation and disaster plans? Maybe they should be less concerned with taking rights away from a segment of society, let equality take its true form, and start focusing on issues that more greatly affect the quality of our country.

Marijuana should be Legalized for Benefits
Christian McPhate | Staff Reporter

Our country’s current policy on the use of medical marijuana is an infringement on our constitutional rights. However, the federal government covers this infringement up underneath a prohibitionist view that marijuana is a “Gateway Drug and has absolutely no medical value whatsoever.”
The “gateway” theory, perpetuated by the fundamentalist conservative Christians’ view, is very selective on its uses of the statistical association between common and uncommon drug use. The statistic changes over time as different drugs become popular with the masses. Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs in use today. Therefore, people who have used the less popular “hard drugs” are likely to have also used marijuana. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, “Most marijuana users never use any other illegal drug. Indeed, for the large majority of people, marijuana is a terminus rather than a gateway drug.” 
Since 1996, the number of arrests involving marijuana exceeded that for other types of illegal drugs. Last year alone, 752,000 people were arrested for the use of marijuana, and 90 percent of them were arrested for possession alone. How can our government arrest someone for something that technically, by the government’s definition, is not illegal?
The Controlled Substance Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention control act of 1970, is the legal foundation of the United States Government’s fight against Drugs. Drugs are classified into five different categories. The first category is reserved for the most harmful drugs, drugs that have no medical value such as heroin, crack, methamphetamines, cocaine and marijuana.
In 2003, United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that the Controlled Substance Act was unconstitutional as it applied to the use of medical marijuana in the case of Raiche vs. Ashcroft. The case is currently in appeal with the Supreme Court.
There are 33 states that have legislation on the books, which allows the use of marijuana for medical purposes. In addition, 10 states have made laws legalizing the use of medical marijuana. Montana, the most recent state, passed the law in 2004 with 62 percent of the voters in favor of the law. In Texas, 75 percent of the voters are in favor of medical marijuana laws.
Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for over 2000 years. Ancient texts discovered in China, India, Greece, and Persia confirms that Marijuana’s was used for a variety of different illnesses. 
In addition, marijuana is used today for a variety of medicinal purposes. Doctors prescribe marijuana to people afflicted with glaucoma; smoking marijuana reduces the intra-ocular pressure. Doctors also prescribe its use with patients under going chemotherapy; when smoked it helps control nausea and vomiting.
However, despite all of the evidence on the beneficial use of medical marijuana, the federal government’s stance on the “War on Drugs” has not changed. In fact, it is no longer just interested in the average person, the government has begun to target physicians and patients.
The atrocities that the government commits while enforcing its drug policy are astounding; during the months after the 9/11 terrorists attacks, U.S. agents destroyed a garden used to grow medical marijuana, seized documents from a lawyer who defends users, a doctor who sympathizes with them and raided a Los Angeles club that served more than 900 patients.
In addition, the government took out drug ads, which accused marijuana users of supporting terrorists. How can the government make accusations like this when it uses tax dollars to fund revolutionaries who turn out to be terrorists? In alleging that people buying marijuana funds terrorists, so does our tax dollars.
Robin Prosser has battled an immunosuppressive disorder. She suffers from nausea and migraines. Seven years ago, following a 16-hour stretch of vomiting, Prosser was given a small amount of marijuana by a friend. It relieved the vomiting, something the prescription pills were unable to do. She joined a pro-cannabis group.
After the government released the anti-drug ads, Robin wrote: “I hurt all the time; with cannabis I hurt a little less. Many people don’t realize that the U.S. government grows this plant and distributes 300 joints monthly to seven people who years ago were approved to receive it. Meanwhile, it tells the rest of us we are supporters of terrorism. I ask only to be allowed to live without pain.”