Why Marijuana Should be Legal

One of the main reasons I endorse marijuana legalization goes back to the times I researched the start of its Prohibition. During the early 1930s a man named Willian Randolph Hearst, head of the Burea of Narcotics at the time, fueled a drug war based upon racial prejudice against the Mexicans. Hearst owned a timber company and a paper production company that helped manufacture and distribute paper across the nation. During the 1930s however, Hearst took advantage of the high amounts of racism.
I personally do not smoke marijuana; for I believe the appropriate age to consume or smoke marijuana should be 18.
Another reason why I think marijuana should be legal is because of the medical benefits marijuana provides. Cancer patients, especially people diagnosed with brain tumors, smoke medical marijuana in order to ease their pain and suffering. Why should these people be suffering, when there is an opportunity for them to live their lives easier? Anorexia and loss of appetite are side effects of cancer. In order to counter-react with the effects, cancer patients are advised by most doctors to smoke marijuana for the drug THC is able to restore loss appetite
To this day, I wonder why other drugs that are more dangerous than marijuana are available. Alcohol can bring out the worst in people, and yet there has never been a case where a person has died of marijuana overdose.
If I were to put a 100 people in one barn and place a free bar that serves alcoholic beverages and another barn where I put a 100 people with a stash of marijuana, tell me which party would you rather go to? Marijuana should be legal for I find no reason for adults to NOT smoke it.

The most admirable celebrity.

The celebrity I find most admirable is Chuck Norris. I grew up watching ‘Walker Texas Ranger’ with my dad and brother when we first installed cable into our house. While there were other famous action movie stars such as Steven Segal, Jean Claude Van Damme, or Stallone at the time, Norris always appealed to me the most due to the characters he played in his movies. In ‘Walker Texas Ranger’ Norris plays ‘Walker’ a crime-fighter who fights against criminals of the local town he has sworn to protect. Due to Norris’ Christian background and Norris’ position as co-producer of the show, he has incorporated morals, values, and virtues as elements of the show.
Each episode, a ‘bad guy’ or an antagonist of the episode is introduced and wreaks havoc and mayhem onto the town. It is up to Walker, the local ranger, to dispose of the bad guy. Each episode usually ends with Chuck Norris delivering his signature roundhouse kick to the bad guy with the bad guy being thrown out of a window, door, or off the roof due to the force of the kick.
In 2005, a website full of exaggerated and fictitious facts about Chuck Norris was created. The facts are solely for humorous purposes and to pay tribute to the action movie star. Examples of Chuck Norris facts are the following:

• If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
• There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
• Chuck Norris is suing Myspace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you.
• Apple pays Chuck Norris 99 cents every time he listens to a song.
• Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
• Chuck Norris can beat the wall in tennis
• Chuck Norris’ tears can cure cancer, it’s too bad he has never cried.

Chuck Norris’ fan base is still growing and it is because of his tough, cool attitude he has won the hearts of many people around the world.

If I were a multi-billionare..

If I were a multi-billionaire, I would donate about 20% of my annual income to various charity organizations. I would create my very own charity foundation (Joshua Saves the World Foundation) for starving children and families in remote areas around the world. Before I can accomplish this task, I would help my home, the island of Saipan, escape from economic distress and its going recession if it still exists. A proper sports complex and soccer stadium will be built along with a gym for every school on the island. More recreational swimming pools and sidewalks will be constructed to promote walking. I would also help sponsor an island-wide cleanup. A state-of-the-art recycling center will be constructed to help promote a healthy environment. Food will be donated to schools in order to help money-deficient families. I would hire specialists to help discover and remedy the problems found in our beaches and reefs to help restore what was once a healthy, prosperous marine environment. Libraries would also be constructed in every village with enough books to satisfy the local schools’ curriculum. I would use my business relationships with fellow associates to promote the island’s ability to help incorporate and introduce new businesses. The hospital will be remodeled to fully cater to the needs of patients. I would hire doctors from around the world to work at our local hospital due to the lack of specialists and doctors at CHC.

Best.Holiday.Ever.

My favorite holiday is Christmas. From the start of the month of December to the end New Years’ Day are my favorite days of the whole year because of the Christmas spirit everyone possesses. Unlike the rest of the year, the holidays are reserved for merry and joy among different people. My most cherished Christmas memory occurred during the Christmas of ‘99. That Christmas we all tried to buy the best decorations and gifts and prepare for the new millennium by buying half a thousand dollars’ worth of fireworks. It was the earliest Christmas memory I could remember because I was only six years old at the time. Before we would arrive at my grandma’s house (which is where we had our Christmas dinner) my entire extended family attended a Christmas mass at Kristo Rai. While the mass was still going on, I met up with my friends outside the church and played tag with some other kids. A six-year old boy’s most wanted gift at the time was a Nintendo 64 or a Sony PlayStation. I was a huge Nintendo fan boy at the time and therefore I wanted the new Zelda game which was the ‘Ocarina of Time.’ It was the first game I unwrapped and after our Christmas dinner along with my brand new Nintendo 64, my cousins and I played our very first gaming session of Legend of Zelda. I remembered everyone being very happy and complacent.
That Christmas was the best Christmas I ever spent so far. I spent it with friends, both new and old, as well as the family I loved. Although each Christmas after that became less and less exciting compared to the Christmas of ’99, Christmas will always be my favorite holiday.

If I were to choose where to die...

If I were to choose where to die, it would be at the top of Mt. Tapochau overlooking Saipan. I wouldn’t want to die anywhere else but my home island. When I was little, my family and I would take camping trips to various areas around the island. Managaha, Forbidden Island and Mt. Tapochau were popular places to camp at the time. My brother and my cousins would race along the roads to the peak of the mountain. We would host barbeques and family parties near the camping areas. It will always be one of the few places where I would feel at peace. Unless I meet death unexpectedly, I wouldn’t mind experiencing the view of the island as my final view. If I had to choose the exact time of the day when to die, it would be around dusk. The orange-yellowish glow of the sun as it finally sinks into the horizon has always been both captivating and beautiful. If my parents were alive or if I have a family of my own at the time of my death, I would want them to be present at my death. My parents were responsible for the best years of my childhood and the worst and I think they deserve to be with me in my final hours.

'PG. 143'

When I was 13, I remembered the first days of high school. High school wasn’t at all new to me. I recognized the same familiar faces of friends I have seen throughout elementary and junior high. For the first couple of days, I stuck by close friends. Friends are probably the only reason I made it through the first couple of years of high school. In my freshmen year, I attended Grace Christian Academy and if I were to compare my freshmen year and sophomore year and figure out which year I enjoyed the most, it would be sophomore year. In GCA, we were restricted from many things that SIS allows freely. Laptops, eating in classrooms, and decent classrooms were privileges that GCA lacked. I did not have many opportunities to socialize in GCA because of block periods and that breaks between classes were either short or non-existent. I made a lot of friends in SIS and relationships that already existed became close. The teachers in SIS are far better than the teachers in GCA, and they have shaped me into who I am today, especially my homeroom teacher of my junior year, Mr. Lee. He gave me good grades for my blogs in Communications class. There was a blog entitled ‘On pg. 143’ and he gave me a high score due to its accurate statements. I also remembered he wasn’t a great basketball player either. =S

If I could bring one person back to life....

If I would bring one person back to life, it would be my grandpa. Although I was born in 1993, he passed away on his birthday (December 5) in 1995. The only memory I have of my grandfather is through family photos and scrapbooks and stories told by my mother of the times I shared with him. He is regarded with immense respect and admiration whenever he is mentioned by anyone in our household.
I have heard many stories regarding his early life and the years leading up to his death, particularly the two years between my birth and his death. He was born on Saipan on December 5, 1937. He spent most of his childhood during the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. His childhood was filled with bloodshed and war, which I believe to be the reason behind the amount of respect he was supposedly given as en elder of our community. At the age of 5, he was crossing foxholes and bombed fields with my great-uncle in order to procure food for my great grandmother and father.
After the Mariana Islands won their independence and joined the United States as a protectorate, my grandfather decided to pursue an education. He studied agriculture at the University of Guam as well at various schools in the Pacific. He co-founded the CNMI Department of Agriculture after he graduated from college and was awarded a high ranking position in the department.
He married my grandmother after he completed his education in 1959 and started a small farming business with a piece of land inherited from my great-grandfather. The inherited property located in Gualo Rai started off with about 6 acres of soil-rich land until my grandfather started to domesticate sweet potatoes, pineapples, papayas and other types of farm-grown produce which prompted him to expand his land to the present amount of 8.5 acres. I respected my grandfather greatly due to his perseverance and devotion. His devotion resulted in him making a profitable family business which still exists today and securing his family’s future financially.
If I would bring one person back to life, it would be my grandfather because I wish he would teach me how to be a better man.

 

Favorite Book

My favorite book series is ‘The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’ by J.R.R. Tolkien. The ‘Lord of the Rings Trilogy’ is composed of the following three books: ‘The Fellowship of the Ring,’ ‘The Two Towers,’ and the ‘Return of the King.’ The series chronicles the adventures of Frodo Baggins and his companions, who are sent on a quest to destroy the One Ring and vanquish the Dark Lord Sauron. The book was written by Tolkien in the early 20th century when he was a professor at Oxford; however the book was not published until the 1950s.
In December of 2001, I spent the holidays with my family on Guam. During the break, I attended a screening of the ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ with my cousins who dragged me along to watch with them even though I showed no interest in the movie.
Although I walked into the movie with low expectations, afterwards I developed a deep appreciation for the movie and the ‘Lord of the Rings’ universe. I bought a copy of the first book on Guam and eventually the second and third books on Saipan. However, I did not limit myself to reading the books, but I purchased ‘Lord of the Rings’ memorabilia as well.
The Lord of the Rings has always been an inspiration when I write short stories of fiction and has also interested me in the world of Norse mythology which plays a huge influential role in the ‘Lord of the Rings.’

The Value of Diversity

I was about 5 years old when my mother accompanied me to my first day of school in the fall of ’98. I didn’t know what to expect of school; would I be a great student? Will I be able to complete the assigned work or comprehend the day’s lessons? Will I be able to make friends or would I otherwise be labeled an outcast and therefore subjected to a school year of social withdrawal? As I walked into the classroom, I did not notice the neatly furnished blackboard, or the teacher greeting kids upon their arrival or the numbers of desks waiting to accommodate the new batch of kindergarten students. Instead, I took notice of my new classmates who shared the same look of anxiety and apprehension on their faces. Aside from the similar facial expressions, we varied in faces, skin tone, height, hair, clothes, etc. Although it didn’t occur to me on the first day, throughout the first few weeks of school, I realized that my island community was a ‘melting pot’ of races and social classes. In order for our community to function and prosper, we must accept that we need the cooperation of people who share a different cultural background.

If I were to take a walk into the downtown area today near restaurants, salons, basketball courts, shopping centers, etc. chances are high that I will encounter many different sorts of people that pass alongside me. Some are local business workers, and others are tourists who gaze at the area around me and witness the amount of racial diversity present on our island. I couldn’t imagine an America without diversity because it is through diversity that America exists.

Countries are connected through a network of business and transactions which involve different ethnic groups and citizens. Imports and exports from foreign countries are responsible for the convenience we are unable to find in our current locale. Look at the everyday materials we use in the classroom or workplace. If I were to look at my watch and examine the origin of the manufacturer, it would simply state ‘Made in China.’ My laptop computer is manufactured by Toshiba, a Japanese-based company. Garment workers from around the world are responsible for sewing our clothes and providing materials for tailoring. Oil drills are operated by locals of oil-rich countries which in turn sell us oil necessary for the operation of our cars, airplanes, trains, and many other various machinery we have in America. These are examples that America cannot exist without a multi-cultured society. International business affects the economy of every nation.

We must take advantage of the opportunity to communicate with different kinds of people every day for they share a different set of knowledge. We may have not been raised with the same paradigm or perspective but we can put aside discrimination and force ourselves (for the greater good) to establish a better world.

We need a world not infested with racism and unnecessary criticism, but one that can accept the value of diversity.