Posts Tagged ‘drugs’
President Obama is trying to conclude his efforts to pass a Health care bill for Americans. When you think of health care, many folks also think about drugs. The cartoon above seems to suggest that unhealthy amounts of money are being earned in the trade of medical drugs. What do you think? (cartoon by KAL)
By the standard of contemporary films like Avatar, some old fashioned Hollywood flicks can look completely laughable.
The only thing weirder and goofier than old Hollywood movies are old US GOVERNMENT movies.
Some of these movies may have been well-intentioned at the time but now some smack of awkward propaganda.
The film above is one of the most famous government-issued pieces of all time. “Duck and Cover” teaches children how to stay safe, even with the looming threat of a nuclear bomb. The concept seems a bit silly to us now, but was taken seriously to the point of duck-and-cover methods being practiced in schools.
Cartoons are supposed to be fun and lighthearted, but this animation depicts a disheveled Donald Duck learning the importance of his income taxes.
The Cold War Era of American history included a lot of anti-Communist sentiment. Lucky for us, the US government created this video so that we could learn how to easily identify a communist and get rid of the internal threat.
Veering a bit from the wartime track, the video above is an educational video by the US government on the effects of LSD, a popular drug in the 1960s. Wow, drug education has surely changed in the past fifty years!
These old government films and propaganda pieces may seem corny, but don’t think that similar tactics aren’t being tried today!
Have you seen anything on television or on the news that you think is propaganda? Do you find it to be an effective tool for the government to use to change attitudes? Leave us a comment and get the discussion started!
Thanks to Wikicommons!
During our weekly web surfing-safaris, We at USDemocrazy stumble upon mountains of curious tidbits (as well as mountain RANGES of boring pap).
Today we’d like to share a small handful of short tasty news snackeroos with you…starting with The Daily Show…
Apparently, the first heckler ever (video here) appeared, uninvited on The Daily Show. The gentleman chowderhead yelled “Liar!” (1:17 into the video) and other phrases at the guests on the show during a discussion about peace between Israel and Palestine. Naturally, he “had to go” (see 8:11 into the video) – an audience member posted that the man was escorted from the crowd.
Image from www.ohdeedoh.com/
Kids, careful with that cellphone. A new study suggests there may be a link between cell phones and brain tumors.
Cyclist Lance Armstrong’s new product endorsement is raising questions! Like… is beer a drug?
On a lighter note, the First Lady Michelle Obama informed us of President Obama’s most annoying habit.
Thanks to Google Images!
We at USDemocrazy stumble across some very curious items in the news.
Any article that contains the line, “The bear, who was wearing ice skates when the incident occurred…” sounds promising. Plus, ‘Ice-skating Bears Gone Wild‘ would be an awesome idea for a Halloween horror movie.
Thanks to Wikicommons.
Afghan elections again? Fraudulent ballots may force run off election.
I cannabis? Federal slackens anti-drug prosecution.
Top Secret? US scientist tries to hand off secrets.
Mules underwater? Cartels use submarines to smuggle drugs.
Flat Tax Fun. California discusses new tax code.
I spy with my little eye… Cuban spies uncovered.
Thanks to the Onion.
Getting the guns some sun. Joe Biden washes his car.
It’s open for discussion. Schwarzenegger’s fine for talking about marijuana.
And that makes one more. Maine legalizes gay marriage.
Kindleling my love for eBooks. Amazon.com’s got a new toy.
But MOM! China got a Porsche! Can’t I get one too?
My credit card took advantage of me! Don’t worry, Obama will fix it…
Stickin’ to their guns… Because guns don’t kill people, drug cartels kill people.
Weapons used by the cartel.
When President Obama headed to Mexico today, it wasn’t for a spring break in Cancun (which means US Democrazy can’t justify a fact-finding mission there).
Instead he is working to tackle, among other things, one of the most violent cities in the world. (And guess what, folks… it is not located in the Middle East.)
The Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, has become a literal war zone. Two-hundred and ten people have been killed from January to March, and 1,605 total for the year of 2008.
Why is there so much violence?
The government of Mexico, under President Felipe Calderon, has been cracking down on the drug cartels in his country (a plan backed by the USA). Such restrictions are forcing drug gangs ino a bloody fight for survival.
With increasing violence and corruption (it is hard to fight crime when local police are paid more by gangs then by the government), the Mexican government has deployed federal police and the military to deal with the crisis. This has reduced the violence… a bit.
How does this involve us? Well, America is seen as the source of this drug violence by many Mexicans.
It seems the drugs flowing through Mexico being fought over by Mexican gangs are not being consumed by Mexicans. These drugs are going north to the good old USA.
To add insult to injury (literally) the guns being used in the deadly drug battles on Mexican soil are from… you guessed it… the USA.
So what have we (the United States) done to address this issue?
Well, Obama is promoting a treaty aimed at reducing cross border gun smuggling. A “Border Czar” has also been appointed by the White House to direct anti-drug and violence programs.
One suggestion is making it harder to get guns in the US by strengthening gun laws.
The lessons of the alcohol prohibition have been cited as a solution, promoting *gasp* legalizing drugs to cut off demand for smuggling.
So what should be done? Check out these ideas and post your own. We would love to know what you think (please post– when you don’t comment, we cry).
Thanks NY Times.
If you’ve been looking for a way to burn money, try smoking. (Or just mail the money to USDemocrazy.)
On April 1, the government increased tobacco taxes. This was no minor increase; cigarettes will now cost 62 cents more a pack. (It’s a bad day to be a gritty detective on a police drama.)
So what are these extra federal funds for? It’s for nothing more than (get this) helping kids… That’s right! They want to use tobacco cash to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Hmmm… Pit big bad smokers against cute little kids… Wonder who the public will back in that battle…?
But wait smokers — there’s more! States are jumping on the bandwagon. As states need new sources of income they are boosting taxes on tobacco. Even the south, a bastion of low tobacco taxes, is hiking fees.
Smokes sellers described panicky bulk buying before the tax, with post-tax sales being far less. Looks like the recession just got worse for some businesses.
One industry being helped by the increase in taxes is that of quit smoking hotlines. Record numbers of people are calling in for help dumping the habit.
So are the taxes a good source of income for cash-strapped governments (as well as a way to cut down on the number of smokers)? Or are the taxes going to punish smokers (often from the lowest economic quartile) as well as hurt American businesses (such as tobacco farmers and sellers)?
Legislators go for the axe, not the scalpel. Maybe it’s manlier?
Birth contol: BAD! Babies: GOOD! No, this ain’t the Pope talkin’.
We were always taught to blame others. But Hillary Clinton’s teaching us to blame ourselves!
Britney or Barack… Who’s easier on the eyes? One senator finds that question an easy one.
About that World Cup… Violence in Pakistan scares away cricket.
And you thought our crime was bad. Mexico’s army cracks down on drugs.
Get me Michael Bay and Bruce Willis. A close call by a space rock.
Keep up the good work. America still likes Obama.
Take a chill pill. ANGER IS DEADLY!
Cheech & Chong would be proud. California looks into taxing marijuana.
Since a record-breaking streak in the pool at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, We at USDemocrazy and the rest of America have been high on Phelps, and Phelps has been high on… well…
Except for those of you who have been living sans media interaction, everyone has heard about — and probably seen — the picture of Mr Golden boy Phelps using a bong at a house party at the University of South Carolina last November.
We at USDemocrazy are all for a fair forum of discussion since that’s what democracy is all about! So, we found who’s talking about the issue on all sides, from the New York Times to the Huffington Post, to Star, and even to PETA, and we’ve compiled the interesting ones for you:
