Struggling to Surrender
-By Jeffrey Lang
Why did he become a Muslim? His daughters would one day ask. He did not consider the choice that he made would affect generations to come. He is not a scholar of Islam. He writes about how it is to be Muslim from a Christian background, and being a minority in the Muslim community.
By Justin Brown
Dancing the tight rope between staying true to the promises he made to the American people, and showing his willingness to play by the rules of Washington politics, Barack Obama is bound to have some slips. From the very beginning of his bid for office, President-Elect Obama has been forced to be all things to all people. In the public arena, the political soup is inundated with criticisms that Barack wears whatever mask is necessary to court his current company. Whites have tepidly voted for him as a way to say, “See I’m not prejudice”, or “I’m sorry for what my Great Grandparents did”. African-Americans want him to “keep it real”.
In Political circles he is pressured on both sides of the aisle to play by the same old rules of Washington politics that have left this country divided, bitter, confused, financially broken, and morally depraved. No matter how gracefully he has done it, Barack I S trying to make everyone happy. The obvious danger in this strategy is that domestically he will eventually need to make his promise of change a reality, and what’s more, relevant in the everyday lives of the American people. That means pissing off some political veterans as well as some of his constituents. Internationally, he can’t afford to be all things to all people either. Invariably Obama will have to take some tough stands with stubborn nations wielding their own political ambitions and national agendas.
So now what Mr. Obama? Where will you make your mark for change? Will it start and end with an enigmatic and courageous presidential campaign victory, or will you truly live your slogan of change? Any man, or group of men for that matter, would rub a magic lamp for the chance to show the world that fairness, peace, moral piety, and happiness is possible on planet Earth. Mr. Obama, here is your chance to add to the great legacy of men that is Confucius, Jesus, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and all those that dared to challenge the societal status quo of injustice and developmental stagnation.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speechct91rs1 min 16 sec – Apr 27, 2007Prophetic words, he was assasi
By Justin Brown | 01 April 2008
Introduction
In 1999, famed talk show host Montel Williams publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with degenerative Multiple Sclerosis. In November of 2003 he was stopped in a Detroit Michigan airport for possession of Marijuana. He was not charged because he reportedly proved that his physician had prescribed its use. Although Williams adequately defined his legal right to possess the prohibited plant, authorities still fined him for possession of the “paraphernalia” that allowed him to take his “medicine”.
Since the late 1950’s the public use of marijuana, has been at the forefront of American debate and anti-drug legislation. Over the last 20 years, the ethical questions surrounding its use have been focused within the medical community. Some evidence suggests that the delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) chemical contained in marijuanacan provide legitimate pain relief and improved quality of life for the medically ill.
Beyond the obvious obstacle of the non-prescribed possession of marijuana being illegal in the United States, other problems lie in the fact that there is a limited cache of evidence regarding the plant’s medicinal benefits. At this nine states have laws allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana, but the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) consistently hinders any use of the drug. It argues that the evidence is not empirical and anecdotal at best. However, if the federal government would approve further research and practitioners acted responsibly, marijuana could very soon become a viable, legal, and efficient alternative to traditional medicine.
Legalization: The Worst Case Scenario
Relatively, it’s not hard t0 imagine the consequences of legalizing Marijuana for use by the general public. Research has shown a severe “impairment of attention, learning, and memory…” (kalat et al., 2001). Drivers and workers under the influence and illegal distribution are just a few of the potential problems that come to mind. One might ask, how ethically responsible would it be for the U.S. Government to willingly authorize the use of the marijuana plant? In the research magazine, Texas Medicine, Dr. Leonides G. Cigarroa, Council Chair of the Texas Medical Association, acknowledged that little is known about the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol and fails to offer a solution for the harm done by inhaling smoke directly into the lungs.
This is quite ironic considering that there is a confounding array of legal drugs, both prescribed and over-the-counter, that present some of the same consequences as marijuana. Barbiturates, anti-depressants, and alcohol affect serotonin and dopamine levels, causing very similar physiological effects. Drugs like Amphetamines, Phencyclidine (PCP), and even Ca-ffeine, have proved more responsible for impaired memory, and hallucination. As for the smoke inhalation of marijuana, Nicotine-laden tobacco products are one of the leading, legally sold drugs in America.
Evidence: Absent or Ignored?
It is a struggle to understand why the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has gone out of its way to restrict the conscientious efforts of researchers. Noelle Davis, executive director of Texans for Medical Marijuana, points out that “the [researchers] keep being blocked or no one answers their requests for two or three years” (Ortolon, 2004, par. 21). The DEA argues that the evidence available is insufficient to authorize the medical use of the plant, but won’t even authorize any responsible, empirical study of its use.
In 1995, it was discovered that #a chemical called anandamide, which naturally binds to cannabinoid receptors in the skin and brain. The discovery revealed that a specific receptor chemical called ananadamide has “at least one known function, which is to decrease pain” (Kalat etal., 2001, p. 74). In 1997 a similar discovery was made about a chemical called sn-2 arachidonytylglycerol. The chemical inhibits serotonin synapses in the brain, which are related to severe nausea. The government should have a moral responsibilityto at least allow researchers to offer patients suffering from AIDS, Diabetes, MS, Fibromyalgia, and Cancer an alternative form of treatment?
A Note on Patient Riahts and Privacy
Another moral debate concerns the physician-patient rrelationship, and their ability to pursue all possible treatments. Presently, many state laws prevent a doctor from even conversing with their patients about the use of marijuana. If a doctor and patient feel in jeopardy of being arrested, then neither can even asses the possible benefits of the therapy. Houston Neonatalogist, Dr. Michael Speer says, “Issues between physicians and patients ought to be issues between physicians and patients” (Ortolon,2004, par. 14).
The federal government continually exacerbates this issue by stepping on the state’s rights and laws where medicinal marijuana use is already legal. They indict users and pester the doctors who are acting within the law when prescribing the medicine. There are numerous regulatory bodies, including the Council on Scientific Affairs and the Texas Medical Association, who argue that it is a freedom of speech and that health care providers should “be allowed to discuss any and all treatment options ……without the fear of regulatory,disciplinary, or criminal sanctions” (Ortolon, 2004, para. 12).
In The End
In the end, legislators, health care providers, and patients must agree to conduct more research. Only open-minded dialogue can balance the hopes and fears for medicinal marijuana. Former Presidential nominee John Kerry, who has supposedly “admitted to smoking marijuana in the past …,” once promised that if elected, he would investigate the innovative research that has been conducted on medical marijuana use. (Cannabis News Staff, 2003, para. 11).
References
Cannabis News. (2004, August 6). Kerry: Get an Herbal, not a Fetal
Position (Article 20). Retrieved October 1, 2004, from
http://www.texmed.org/ata/nrm/tme/sept04_science_marijuana.asp
Kalat, J. W., et al., (2001). Biological Psychology. (7thed.). Belmont:
Wadsworth and ‘Thompson Learning.
Ortolon, K. (2004, September). Lighting Up a Controversy: Debate Over
Medical Marijuana Heats Up. In Texas Medicine Magazine. Texas
Medical Association © 2001. Retrieved October 01, 2004, from
http://www.texmed.org/ata/nrm/tme/sept04~science~marijuana.asp
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Redacted from an original research compiled by Justin E. Brown | Old Dominion University
Originally published: October 05, 2004
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By Justin Brown | 03 MARCH 2008 | Cincinnati
A couple of years ago, my mother called me to tell me that a very close relative of mine had stabbed her boyfriend over, what seemed to be, a trivial matter. They had a regular argument over something all normal couples often do.
I was shocked and thought, “there must be more to the story”. While there was another side, it never elevated to the point of justifying her physically assaulting her mate.
Over the next year or so there were more violent episodes. Her demeanor would sometimes be jovial or generous. Then, all of a sudden, she would be sad, withdrawn, and angry. She rarely ever drank, and only took the drugs that were prescribed by her doctor. It just didn’t make sense.
Then it hit me like a two ton Mack truck! Two years before her stabbing incident, she’d been diagnosed with Severe Bipolar Disorder. Because I didn’t know much about the disease, I never thought anymore about it. naive I know. Last year I began to research it on my own.
According to the Depression and Bipolar Suppport Alliance, nearly 5.7 million adults suffer from the Jeckly-n-hyde-like disease in the U.S.[A] Taking medications, or not taking medications, can drastically affect the expression of its symptoms. Even to the point that, “one in five patients with Bipolar Disorder completes suicide”, adds the DBSA [A].
Recently, while listening to a friend’s talk show [1], I caught a glimpse of what it’s like to have BP from a group of her special guests. All officially diagnosed with the disease, they described child experiences that eerily mimicked those that my own family member had exhibited growing up.
With the humor of a comedian they takled the nuances of living bipolar; the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Sorry about the worn cliche). While it would seem that the disease doesn’t yet have a complete cure, it is highly manageable with the appropriate balance of diet, medications, exercise, adn education. The National Institute of Health has continues to conduct a host of clinical trials that promise to improve the lives of those living in pain.[2]
Let us know what YOU THINK by leaving a comment below:
Additional Resources
[1] Conversations with B | Radio Talk Show Broadcast on Depression -http://www.blogtalkradio.com/conversations/2008/03/24/Conversations-with-B-Featuring-Rob-our-own-Psycologist
• Visit the host of Conversation with B’ at her MySpace.com page at:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&frien did=139930137&MyToken=467392cc-7885-444a-83a6-af5901bab5d1• Also see :http://www.blogtalkradio.com/conversations
Treatment | National Institute of Health -http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bipolardisorder.html#cat3
[2] Clinical Trials | National Institute of Health -
http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Bipolar+Disorder%22
Coping | Track Your Mood Swings -
http://www.dbsalliance.org/pdfs/calendarforweb.pdf
Sources
[A] Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance website -
http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_statistics_bipolar
Biography of Khalid Yasin d Philosophy
http://www.islamic-invitation.com
The purpose of life :
Shaykh Khalid Yasin Lecture
Shaykh Khalid Yasin, a former Christian, is executive Director of the Islamic Teaching Institute (ITI) : a premier Organisation dedicated to the work of Da’wah (conveying the message ) , he has studied the Arabic language in Madinah. [He] has had many mentors and teachers who tutored him in Fiqh us-sunnah , fiqh us-serah , islamic history and memorization and recitation of the holy Qur’an . in the past ten years the iti has delivered more than 5000 persons to islam and additional 1476 since the september 11 Attacks . Shaykh Khalid Yasin delivered a lecture in saudi Arabia in 1994 titled ” the purpose of life ” whitch resulted 43 persons accepting Islam on that very night . khalid Yasin Constantly tours the world delivering lectures aimed at removing distortions about islam and muslims conducting Da’wah Training courses . and providing new muslims with a specially designed Islamic Training program . Khalid Yasin is committed to raising the consciousness of the Muslims to fulfil the responsibility of Da’wah and establishment of Islamic revival.
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