Dr. Jocelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States, favors the legalization of marijuana. She said, "I have been speaking out about it for a long time. I’m a member of the board of advisors of a medical marijuana group. To me, it’s not nearly as toxic for our bodies as tobacco or alcohol. It should be legalized. As far as we know, it doesn’t cause lung cancer, it doesn’t cause people to go out and drive drunk and commit crimes. If it helps reduce the nausea and vomiting and reduce leg cramps, make patients feel better, what’s wrong with that? We should make it available to people who need it. I feel if people want marijuana, they could get a prescription. Then we can tax it and know who is getting it. I don’t think it is a drug that is doing harm to this country. By arresting people, putting them in jail for crimes related to marijuana, we’re spending millions on drug enforcement and it causes more problems. Young people are convicted of a crime, they can’t get money to go to school, we have over 2 million prisoners a years and many related to drug use—it is a vicious cycle and one we created." (interview with Annette Fuentes posted online August 3, 2009)

Republican Congressman Mark Souder (yes, the same one who recently resigned for having an affair with one of his Congressional employees) authored a bill in 1998 that revoked student aid for any student caught possessing marijuana. By 2006, over 200,000 students had been denied aid. In February 2006, Congress softened the law so that it would affect only those who were convicted of possessing or selling drugs while they were in college and receiving aid.

Taxing Marijuana Sales

Imagine legal marijuana sales being taxed like cigarettes. The federal cigarette tax is a fraction over five cents per cigarette. While there is a large variance in state taxes on cigarettes, the average is about 50% higher than the federal tax. In other words, with an average tax of over twelve cents per joint, how much revenue could be raised in the United States?

Create Marijuana Jobs

What if the legalization applied to marijuana grown ONLY in the United States? There could be production and quality standards for U.S. grown marijuana. Do you think we might see marijuana farms? Marijuana production facilities? Jobs?

Refocus the War on Drugs

First, this would greatly reduce the demand for marijuana grown in other countries. Then we would simply increase the penalties for non-U.S. grown marijuana use and sales to something very prohibitive…very, very prohibitive. Exactly how much savings would eventually be generated for law enforcement agencies?

Other Sources of Information about Marijuana

NORML – Working to Reform Marijuana Laws

New Poll: 49% of Colorado Voters Support Taxing and Regulating Marijuana

NORML Blog

Marriage equality is a topic that produces opponents within families, groups, communities, states and our nation in general. One of the more prominent well-known families is that of 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Senator McCain opposes marriage equality for all Americans. Wife Cindy and daughter Meghan support it.

To me, this sort of falls under things like "liberty and justice for all" and "all men are created equal" and the ever-popular, "why are you so worried about who someone else is married to?"

Senator McCain’s office felt it necessary to issue a statement and said,"Sen. McCain believes the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman".

I hear the words sanctity of marriage a lot, mostly when people want to condemn same-sex relationships. So I did a bit of research. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church issued a position paper. In it, they state:

• Marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman and between the participants and God (Malachi 2:14-16).
• God designed marriage to be a lifelong relationship. Jesus said, “What God has joined together, let not man separate (Mark 10:9).” The marriage covenant should be kept sacred and unbroken under those conditions stated in the Bible.
• God-ordained marriage should remain pure in thought, motive and practice. The seventh commandment prohibits adultery (Exodus 20:14). Jesus sets an even higher standard in his statement: “…anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery” (Matthew 5:27-28).
• Out of reverence for Christ as savior and lord of their marriages, Christian wives are to respect and subject themselves to their husbands as to the Lord. And Christian husbands are to love their wives even “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:22-26).”

I see a problem here. According to the EPC, a sanctified marriage is one between one man and one woman that lasts a lifetime in which there are no adulterous thoughts and in which wives subject themselves to their husbands and husbands love their wives as much as Jesus loved the church.

I’m thinking Senator John McCain should have done more reading before espousing the sanctity of marriage since he had an affair with Cindy in an adulterous relationship during his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He clearly fails the EPC guidelines, as do the majority of people in the world. Then again, the Senator’s statement said, "the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman" meaning you can throw out all that other stuff the EPC came up with. As long as the marriage is between one man and one woman, it’s sanctified, I guess.

In fact, the website Catholic.net states, "If someone is able to maintain this attitude throughout one’s married life, ‘I am only there for the other,’ this person becomes a saint." The article title is Sanctity of Marriage. So, if someone qualifies for sainthood by being able to have a sanctified marriage, I’m guessing very few are able to do so.

What is Marriage, Really?

In the United States, marriage is a contract as evidenced by a license signed by both parties, witnesses and the person who performed the ceremony. The contract (license) is filed with a local governing authority, making it a legal document, and making the marriage relationship one that is governed by laws. To get out of the marriage contract, one of the parties must do so by using the court system.

Well, we’ve heard from the religionists and the legal system, but what about the anti-religionists? The website Atheist Heaven promotes itself as, "Propagating Reason, Rationality and Common Sense in the face of Religious Dogmatism." As you might expect, there is an article entitled, The Sanctity of Marriage?, the gist of which is this: "If history and modern trend is of any guide, this utopia version of marriage is so totally screwed."

Should Marriage Equality be Applied to All United States Citizens?

Yes. Forget, for a moment, about religion and the legal system. Marriage is far more. It is a covenant of love. Love is a thought, a spiritual feeling that cannot be regulated by anyone. I love someone because… I want to spend my life with someone because… I want to be the cherry on top of that person’s sundae because… I want to be the olive in that person’s martini because… The strings of the heart that draw two people together cannot be seen but they can be felt. However, they can be felt only by those two people. It is the spiritual feeling between two people that provides sanctity to the relationship. Who am I to say, You cannot feel that way for that particular person because I don’t believe it’s right?

This is just one of many rants and raves that will become The American Beer Party Movement. The original article can be found at that link. You might be interested in American Beer Party Movement – Supreme Court Debacle.

To learn more about Cindy McCain’s involvement, you can visit NOH8. The photo above is from that site, and I’m grateful for being allowed to use it.

Windstream Corporation (NYSE: WIN) is certainly not alone in its efforts to thwart the badly economic recovery in America. It’s pretty much business as usual in the corporate world – just as it seems to be business as usual in the financial industry and politics as usual in Washington.

In late September the shareholders of D & E Communications of Ephrata, Pennsylvania voted to approve a merger with Windstream. Each shareholder would be able to exchange D & E shares for .65 Windstream shares plus $5.00.

Windstream Corporation of Little Rock, Arkansas, came into existence in July 2006 when Little Rock’s Alltel Corporation (since purchased by Verizon) spun off its wireline phone division and merged it with Valor Communications Group, Inc. of Irving Texas. In 2007 Windstream acquired CT Communications Inc. of Concord, North Carolina. What followed were layoffs in Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas and North Carolina.

Then there was the September announcement that Windstream would reduce its workforce by 5% by the end of 2009. Oh, yeah – about D & E. Of the 490 employees in Pennsylvania, 290 are out the door, or will be soon. Two of Windstreams Internet Data Centers are being moved from Little Rock to Pennsylvania and, while the company has said no one in Little Rock will lose their jobs, they probably should be working their job contact list.

Windstream has, of course, performed other cost-cutting measures like moving call center operations to India.

What’s Wrong in America?

Corporations no longer care about being community citizens. Oh, sure, they pressure their employees to make payroll deductible contributions to this charity or that charity. And they call that corporate citizenship. They may even put on t-shirts and join some walk or run for some worthy cause. But, all the time, they are buying and selling other companies and moving jobs overseas.

Why do they do this? You know the answer already. They want to impress the stock analysts. So here’s my thought: you cannot be a good corporate citizen when you put people out of work to please someone on Wall Street. But I forgot. It was favorable thoughts from Wall Street that led to banks allowing Windstream to re-wire its loans so it could buy more companies and lay off more workers.

So, what can we do to correct this situation? HellifIknow!

Nordex USA Inc. announced that it was beginning construction on its $100 million wind turbine manufacturing plant at Jonesboro, Arkansas. The Jonesboro plant, which is the German company’s first in the U.S., will employ 700 people at an average wage of $17 an hour. The nacelle plant will be built on 187 acres in the Craighead Technology Park and will have 115,000 square feet of production space, 10,000 square feet for a Training Academy and 35,000 square feet of office space.

"In a time when our economy has slowed, it’s gratifying to see the creation of high-paying jobs in the clean-energy sector,” Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said. “In Arkansas, jobs in clean-energy industries are outpacing the overall job market, and Nordex is helping to drive that."

With a typical wind turbine requiring about 8,000 components, that will mean a ripple effect in related jobs in the supply chain. Additional jobs will be created through the contracting of services. For example, Nordex has hired the construction firm, H&M Company, Inc. of Jackson, Tennessee, which will dedicate between 250 and 300 workers to the construction project. In addition, Nordex aims to completely localize its suppliers within the next three to four years, as the wind industry matures, which will further stimulate domestic manufacturing.

"There’s no doubt we’ve seen a surge of interest among wind industry players in Northeastern Arkansas since Nordex announced it would build here last October," said Mark Young, President and CEO of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, with whom Nordex has worked closely on site selection.

According to Nordex USA, the U.S. could well be the world’s biggest wind market as early as next year. That means more sustainable power – and more jobs. Wind energy is the most affordable renewable energy and at some locations simply the most competitive. Power generation costs have fallen by 50% in the last 15 years, moving the generation costs of wind power system close to grid parity. Wind power could help to reduce CO2 emissions by 10 billion tons within twelve years and cover around 12 percent of the world’s energy requirements.

"After much careful planning, we are eager to break ground and make this plant a reality," said Ralf Sigrist, president and CEO of Nordex USA of Chicago, in a news release. "The plant is critical to our goal of generating 20% of global revenue in the US, and I must say I am extremely pleased that construction will begin on schedule." (continued below)

For the state of Arkansas, Nordex believes wind power will play an increasingly significant role. "We want to demonstrate that wind is not only a job engine but also a viable energy source for Arkansas," said Mr. Sigrist. "We are confident that what makes environmental and, in particular, economic sense will gain broad acceptance among policy makers and constituents, and that a national Renewable Energy Standard will be adopted to direct energy policy into the right direction" Construction will occur in two phases, beginning with the nacelle assembly plant and then the rotor blade manufacturing facility.

The nacelle assembly will start in the second half of 2010 and be fully operational by 2012. It will have an annual production capacity of 300 turbines, or 750 megawatts. The entire facility will be fully operational by 2014. "The U.S. is hungry for wind power," Sigrist said , "and Jonesboro will supply it with the highest-quality turbines in the world."

The Jonesboro operation will be an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) producing one of the largest classes of wind turbines in the world, the 2.5 megawatt N90 and N100. In the US, each of these utility-scale turbines is capable of generating enough renewable energy to power about 700 homes. Nordex was the first manufacturer to build a turbine this large in 2000 and has the longest track record for reliability in the class.

"The wind industry is fairly young in the US, so we have to train people from the ground up," said Joe Brenner, Vice President of Production for Nordex USA. "Making turbines requires specialized skills. It’s not just a $100 million facility. It’s a new industry, and the most important resource we can put time and money into is our people."

More Arkansas Stimulus Plans

Killing Cancer in Arkansas with Nanomedicine

Heritage Christian School in Findlay, Ohio made the news in a way Republicans have been making the news lately: negatively. Tyler Frost is a 17-year old student facing suspension March 11, 2009, just 13 days before his graduation. Thirteen days prior to getting his diploma Tyler will find all his school work marked incomplete.

Tyler Frost is guilty of going to his girlfriend’s prom at another high school. I mean, it was a Sodom and Gomorrah prom to be sure because they let students dance to rock and roll music and hold hands! The decision to prevent Tyler from graduating was made before he attended the event.

Tyler and his girlfriend did attend the prom Saturday night at Findlay High School and Tyler said, "It was great." He did dance and he did hold hands with his girlfriend in clear violation of the rules of the fundamentalist Baptist high school he attended. Actually, Tyler Frost has been a student at the fundamentalist school since kindergarten.

He knew the risk. Findlay High School required Tyler to get a letter signed by Heritage Principal Tim England before he would be allowed to attend. He knew he’d get a lecture about how to behave but never expected the threat of suspension. On Monday, March 11, Heritage Christian School explained their decision and the news media coverage:

"What the [media] article leaves out are the principles behind the rules. In the Old Testament, Joseph was in a place of temptation and he fled. Unlike this situation, he didn’t put himself in that place. Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.’ II Timothy 2:22 says, ‘Flee also youthful lusts but follow after righteousness faith charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.’ When the school committee, many years before I became the principal, set up the policy regarding dancing, I am confident that they had the principle of fleeing lustful situations in mind. The question as I see it is, should a Christian place themselves at an event where young ladies will have low cut dresses and be dancing in them? Isn’t it contrary to the example of Joseph and the verses that I stated?

"Second, at the beginning of the school year, every family must sign a statement of cooperation. Students in 7th through 12th grades must also sign it. It doesn’t say that you have to agree with them, but that we will all abide by them. What kind of a school would we be if we suspended a policy because it was convenient to do so? That would not be a Christ-like response. Jesus did not avoid trouble. He made statements such as, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me‘ (John 14:6). His statements didn’t make Him popular with the world. Can we expect anything else? The verses that I have thought of throughout this day are Matthew 5:11-12, ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ Wow! I can build up a whole lot of rewards in heaven today, and so can you.

"Third, when discussing this particular issue with folks in the community please remember that the servant of the Lord ‘must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness’ (2 Tim 2:24, 25).

"Esther received great counsel from her uncle Mordecai when he said, ‘And who knoweth whether thou art come into the kingdom for such a time as this.’ (Esther 4:14). This is a time for Heritage to shine as a light in this world. It isn’t easy, but it is right." (continued below)

What Would Jesus Do?

Truth be told I can’t tell you what Jesus would do anymore than I can tell you what the Republicans will do next. I can only read in the Bible and see what Jesus did do in a similar situation. Since Principal England quoted from the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, I’ll simply ask him to back up to Chapter 8 which reads in verses 1 – 11:

"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

Read more about this on the Internet:

Courier Electronic Edition – Findlay, Ohio: Monday, May 11, 2009 – Tyler Frost, 17, danced and held hands with his girlfriend at the prom, attended by about 800 high school students, officials said. Frost’s grandmother, Karen Frost, who teaches at Heritage Christian, said she had been praying for her …

TheDay.com – Ohio teen begins suspension for going to prom – Tyler Frost, right and his prom date Rebecca Smooty, left are interviewed by several local media outlets prior to attending Findlay High Schools prom Saturday night, May 9, 2009. Frost says he expects to be suspended from a Christian …

Michael-In-Norfolk – - Coming Out In Mid Life: High School Student … – It would be one thing if Tyler Frost, 17, had misbehaved on the grounds of the whacked out Heritage Christian School whose principal made the following statement: *. “at a prom there will be many young ladies who will be dressed in the …

Simple Justice: Because Religion Isn't Supposed to be Fair – who has been suspended for attending his girlfriend’s prom, where they (gasp) had music and danced! Tyler Frost, 17, a senior at Heritage Christian School in Findlay, Ohio has been suspended for attending …

» American Taliban Report: Student to be suspended for merely … – Tyler Frost, 17, expects he’ll be suspended from Heritage Christian School and be prohibited from attending graduation. The Baptist school forbids dancing, rock music, and hand holding. Frost’s stepfather says the rules shouldn’t apply …