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

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

Shortly after he was sworn in as America's 44th President, Barack Obama visited the National Archives in Washington, D.C. to see the United States' Constitution , Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights . He did so, he stated , because the debate on national security issues required everyone to remember an "enduring truth" - that the "values and ideals in those documents are not simply words... they are the bedrock of our liberty and our security."'

Two recent cases involving the... READ MORE