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

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

During the height of the Nazi occupation of France, Charles de Gaulle is said to have remarked that "faced with crisis, the man of character falls back upon himself."

If only such a leader lived among us now.

The Western world, and the United States in particular, has faced a crisis of identity since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In our efforts to combat the evil of terrorism, to what extent are we willing to compromise our civil liberties?

This is as much a practical as a... READ MORE

As the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal continues to grow, the time has come to demand what was once unthinkable: that the Pope himself must be investigated and ultimately prosecuted for his role in this hideous affair.

The long, sordid history of these events is now well known. In 2004 the John Jay Report was commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in response to the many allegations of abuse by Catholic priests there. The Report determined that, during the period from 1950 to... READ MORE

It is, without question, one of the darkest moments in recent US history. It goes to the very heart of our collective morality. And it is an absolutely unforgivable sin.

But it is also time to move on.

In August 2002, during the panic of the early post 9/11 era, a memo was prepared at the Department of Justice by assistant Attorney-General Jay S. Bybee in response to a request from the CIA.

The CIA requested legal advice on detainee interrogation - essentially, asking for an interpretation of the... 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