Should marijuana be legalized?

Proponents ( including former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders ) for legalization argue that it is no more dangerous than alcohol (and indeed, probably less), that keeping it illegal fuels violent drug cartels, and that regulating and taxing its sales would bring in much needed revenue for local governments.

Opponents argue it is a dangerous, mind-altering substance that may act as a "gateway drug" to harder ones (such as cocaine), and that legitimizing its use would only... READ MORE

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." - William Shakespeare, Henry VI , Act IV, Scene II.

Lawyers are easy to hate. Defence lawyers in particular. Often stereotyped as misconstruing the truth in order to get their clients off on a technicality or loophole, they have a tough job.

But in reality they play a crucial role in the justice system. A constitutional democracy is founded upon several principles, but one of the most profound is that everyone is presumed innocent until proven... READ MORE

At what point does a political party descend from mere tragic extremism into dangerous farce?

For the Texas GOP, it appears that point was reached this week, when the party released its official election platform.

Candidates for the party must now defend plans to reintroduce laws banning sodomy - defined as oral or anal sex. The platform also insists on legislation to make gay marriage a felony.

Nevermind that in 2003, the United States Supreme Court struck down a similar anti-sodomy law in the case... READ MORE

Only in Washington, D.C. could a law designed to increase voter awareness and access to information actually be labeled an affront to democracy.

And yet that is the ridiculously asinine spectacle currently unfolding in Congress.

But don't get too eager about taking sides - for while this story involves a toxic cocktail of selfishness and greed, it is a bi-partisan one.

Full disclosure: back in January, the US Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission that corporate... READ MORE

Nativism creeps up in US politics every generation in one form or another. Ironically, for a country built by immigrants, fears of large numbers of foreigners entering the country remain as palpable as ever.

But in Arizona, things have just taken an unprecedented turn for the worse.

There is no denying illegal immigration continues to occur in the United States in record numbers. Primarily the result of people crossing the border with Mexico, it is estimated that there were at least 11 million illegal... READ MORE

Today, 16 Afghan girls are recuperating in a hospital after they were poisoned and lost consciousness at their school.

This atrocity comes on the heels of similar incidents in April. 88 schoolgirls and teachers were poisoned in three separate incidents during that month as well.

The Taliban is the primary suspect for all these offences.

As the doctor treating the girls in one of the April incidents stated , these were "terrorist activities against education in the country."

To call these events... READ MORE

Here's an intellectual exercise for you: What common theme runs through the following series of recent events in the United States?

On November 5, 2009, US Army Major Nadil Hassan opens fire at a military base on Fort Hood, Texas and kills 13 people. Before he begins shooting, witnesses hear him shouting "Allahu Akhbar!" - "God is Great", in Arabic. Investigators also discover emails between Hassan and a known Islamic radical pre-dating the murders.

On Christmas Day, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab ... READ MORE

Earlier today, President Barack Obama nominated his solicitor-general, Elena Kagan , to a seat on the United States Supreme Court.

The choice was extremely disappointing, to say the least.

Obama was presented with an incredible array of talent from which to choose the next supreme court justice. For him to select Kagan indicates that hypocrisy, cronyism and old style politics remain rampant.

So much for hope and change.

Kagan is, at first blush, a perfectly accomplished nominee . She was dean of... READ MORE