Baby Haskell-Vaughn

This site is hilarious.

Invisalign and Election Day

I looked at the calendar at the office next Tuesday, and noticed that Kurt marked off the second half of the day and wrote "Lori and Kurt out of the office". I was like, Hun? Does he have some surprise trip planned or something? So, I called him, and he reminded me that it was election day next Tuesday, and we would be voting and watching election coverage, and acting all desperate and stuff for Obama to win...........

I can't believe that we are taking part of a day off for this, LOL. But, I will take whatever time off I can get, no matter what the reason.

Went to the ortho this morning to pick up my Invisalign, as they are in! :). They are weird. I was only previously wearing a bottom retainer, and to have one on the top too is just plain weird. I am talking somewhat oddly, and Kurt is having a blast making fun of words I temporarily cannot say. Love him. ;). Glad to have them though, and I have one set I wear for two weeks, and the next for two more weeks, then I go back in to get more and for them to look at my progress.

I was exhausted last night. I fell asleep on the couch at 9, and we were in bed by 930.

Don't remember if I posted about this or not, but the deep fryer is AWESOME. Great purchase! Last night, I made Kurt garlic fries from Trader Joe's (I tried one and YUM), and grilled halibut, and last night, he was not very hungry, but requested "some fries would be nice" so I made him some seasoned curly fries (of which I also tasted one, and YUM). Rebecca, they seriously rivaled Pete's. The brand, ironically, is called McCain. Anyway. I questioned whether I should buy them or not when I noticed the brand, but decided to put politics aside and buy the fries, especially since there was no fry brand called Obama.

Gretel is in the office today, and dressed up like a bat! Super cute.

Thanks, Rach!

McCanine marks his territory. (from CollegeHumor)

I wish I could take credit and say this was one of my puggies, but alas, it was not. What a little pug genius though! I think all pugs are against Palin especially, since she seems to hate animals.....:).

Words from the Judge

Secret Blog tonight.

I am Katharine

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.


• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.


• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.


• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.


• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.


• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down


• * being spontaneous and free-spirited


• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.


• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place


• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures


• * having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want


• * not completing things I start


• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career


• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies


• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome


• * drum up excitement


• * prefer being with other children to being alone


• * finesse their way around adults


• * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

• * are often enthusiastic and generous


• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life


• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

8 days

Only 8 days until the election, and either me crying tears of joy or despair. Ugh.

I am getting concerned though, as McCain is out almost "guaranteeing" a win, which makes me nervous. Bush did the EXACT same thing back when they cheated the past two times, and it makes me wonder about the possibility of another rigged election. Ugh again.

Wore my new red sweater today and already got a compliment on it. :).

Addict

I am an addict. I admit it.

What am I addicted to?

The Gilmore Girls.

My Mom and Grama love the show. My Grama owns the entire series on DVD. My Mom has seen them all, several times. I figured that it was about time I started watching it, because I knew I would love it if they both did. Plus, Rebecca told me it was really good as well. Anyway, started getting the series, from the start, on Netflix DVDs. I am now on Season 3. I now discovered that you can find the episodes online as well. So, since I can't wait for Netflix videos to get here, I am now watching them online late at night too. Oh yes. Addicted. Such a freaking great show though. I love how all the characters are so well developed, and the story lines just draw me in. I love it all. Right now, Rory is a senior in high school. So, i have a ways to go......Anybody have any good sites you use online to watch shows? The one I am using is driving me nuts.....Slow.....

So, today I went out to run some errands. Had to pick up my prescription, and while there, got a flu shot at the pharmacy. So easy! No appointment needed, since they were not very busy. It's funny how small my town is, the pharmacist knows us from our prescriptions. He asked what our "big trip" planned this year would be....So, we talked some about Galapagos, and he talked about some places he wants to go. Nice guy. I should set him up with Rebecca! :). He loves to travel! I am guessing he is married though.

After that, headed into town as I am on a mission to find winter work clothes. For some reason, I am lacking on sweaters and such for work. So, I went to Kohl's and Elder Beerman, and to TJMaxx. Found nothing at TJMaxx. Found lots at Kohl's and Elder though. At Kohls, I ended up with two kewl silver necklaces (long ones that will look with turtleneck and cowlneck sweaters), 4 sweaters and two sweater coat things. At Elder Beerman, I bought two sweaters, a suit (grey) and one pair of black pants. I could not find pics online of everything, but here are links to some of the stuff below. I am so happy to have some warm stuff to wear that is professional, yet I can wear it outside of work too. I saved 15% at Kohl's by using a coupon too! Yay!

dark grey sweater

red sweater

blue sweater

Black Sweater

grey sweater

sweater

Grey Suit

Anyway, off to watch the rest of the World Series game and The Gilmore Girls! Night.

Sleeping In

So, I have not posted in forever and suppose I should before I start forgetting everything in my life that has happened. The issue? Not much is going on, LOL.

Work has been keeping me pretty busy, and exhausting me. Example. Last night, we got home and were chilling on the chaises, watching some TV, per usual. I fell asleep at 745 p.m. and did not wake up until 1:00 a.m. when Kurt woke me up to go to bed. Slept until 9:15 a.m. I am thinking I must have needed some sleep? I guess so!

Got up and emailed my Aunt to see if she would be around today. I needed to run to Sam's Club, and there is one near her house, and since she does not have a membership, she likes to go with me. So, I showered and headed to Canton. Picked her up and we headed to Sam's Club, then lunch at Macaroni Grill. Then stopped at Trader Joe's, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Also, stopped at my Grama's to drop off some things and say hi. On the way home, coupon in hand from my aunt, I stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond to buy the deep fryer I finally decided on. I researched them, in depth, and finally picked one that I thought had a good mix of quality, will be easy to care for, and has this special rotating basket which allows you to fry, but not soak the product in oil as much as other fryers. The store did not have the fryer in stock, so they ordered it and are having it sent to my house. I will be psyched to use it, instead of a fry pan and oil, to make Kurt french fries and the like. Yay for kitchen stuff! I am so sad how much effort I put into finding the perfect product, LOL. Stopped at Petsmart after that and picked up some cat food and a toy for the puggies.

Had our first board meeting this week with the new superintendent. It went really well, and was a quick meeting, which rocks. The transition seems to be going really smoothly and I am really pleased with our pick for the job thus far.

Weirdly, nothing else to post about. Sorry about the boring post, but it's all I got for now! :).

Family Fun

**All of us, playing cards.

Had a fun night tonight seeing family! :). My Mom and Ronnie were down, as well as my Maga and Bumpa (grama and grampa for those of you not in the know, hehe), as my Mom and Ronnie are driving Maga and Bumpa to Florida for the winter.

**me and maga

Headed over there around 3, and left around 9. While there, we hung out, played Euchre, had dinner.......I lost all three games of Euchre. Ashley and I were totally stomped by Maga and my Mom.

The pic below is of us (winners and losers). :).


BTW, below is my new hair! At least the cut. You can see the color in the above pics. I took it from the side so you could see the bangs better. I am really liking it. I think it gives my hair more depth and even more volume. It's kinda hard getting used to, because I am not used to the extra hair in the front like that, but I am loving the way it looks.


Anyway, it was great to see everyone. Besides those pictured, my two Uncles were there (Tim and Tom), my cousin, Thomas, my Aunt Luann and my Aunt Lisa.

Friday night, Rebecca came over, and we all went to Pete's to fulfill Rebecca's craving for fish and chips. I think we were successful. Yay! Had a great time at dinner. Came home and chilled. Kory and Rebecca decided to see a movie, Quarantine, but Kurt is still getting over a cold, so we stayed in and went to bed early. While here, Rebecca took this pic of me and Kurt by the pond.

This morning, got up early and got a massage, then picked up our contacts at Sears, and dog/cat food at Petsmart. Came home and did some laundry, did some other houselike chores..........I so needed that massage. I can feel my muscles are sore from it, ugh.

BTW, kittens are still there. Still want nothing to do with me, LOL, but are still there eating the food we put out. Tonight, all 4 of them were playing on the porch, chasing eachother and being adorable, while I spyed on them through the front door. :).

Another Reason I Can't Stand Sarah Palin

This article made me want to vomit. Beluga whales are gorgeous, docile creatures. I love them. And who does not care about their well-being? Yep, you guessed it. Sarah Palin. And of course, we know she favors over the whales and why she did not want to protect them. Drill, baby, drill. That's right.

Sarah Palin is a heartless bitch. I cannot believe that anyone would want her to possibly be the leader of this country, or even second in command. BLEH.

Read the article here.

Can't we Just All Get Along?

Headed to Clawson yesterday to Rebecca's house, as we had a date for dinner at PF Changg's. Yum. We split crab wontons as an appetizer, while I had honey shrimp and rebecca had lobster sauce and shrimp. Anyway, we both loved our meals. Love. That. Place. It was super busy, so I was glad Rebecca had made a reservation. Thanks, Rebecca! We then went to a couple stores in the mall, as Rebecca needed an egg timer and I needed eye make-up remover. Stopped at Crate and Barrel, Sephora (sigh, Sephora), and Bath and Body Works. Rebecca picked up some kitcheny stuff at Crate and Barrel, as well as free lotion ar B&BW. I got my eye make-up remover at Sephora, and a free tote bag! Rebecca got one too, which was hilarious, because you are not supposed to get one unless you have 100 points on your shoppers card there, and she had all of--drumroll, please--four. The salesguy gave it to her anyway, we think because her point level was so pathetic he felt sorry for her. AND, she really wanted that free tote because, free stuff rocks! :). Drove home after that and watched the end of the third presidential debate, which was actually the most interesting of the ones I watched.

Work was crazy busy today. Kurt and I both had court this morning. I did not know I had court until we got to the office. So, I was running around like a maniac trying to get files and stuff ready AND was not wearing a suit. AARGH. Did not have one there either. But, I was dressed nicely and bankruptcy court is more laid back than circuit, so I hoped I would be OK. I was. Phew.

I accidentally did some shopping at Sephora online today. Whoops. I have no idea how the site popped up on my screen. Anyway. I need some stuff, as I am almost out of my sample Bare Escentials stuff. Here is what I got:

Bare Escentuals Primer

Rare Minerals Blemish Therapy

Get Started Eyes

Brush Cleaner

Foundation (which I have almost run out of)

Mineral Veil (which I have almost run out of as well)

Got free samples of:

Bliss Blood Orange+White Pepper Body Butter

MD Skincare Sunscreen Pads With Vitamin C SPF 30

Bvlgari Rose Essentielle Eau de Toilette

I heart free samples. And since I am part of their shoppers club, I get even more! Because of that, I got:

Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer

Bare Escentuals RareMinerals™ Blemish Therapy

Whoot!

I can't wait until this weekend. It feels like this week is taking forever, for some reason. Prob a combo of Kurt being sick, a long night tonight, and REALLY needing a massage. I have one scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but my one shoulder and neck are killing me. I also really need to run some other errands. I am hoping to talk Rebecca into an exchange tomorrow night--I buy food, she works on my neck....It usually works, hehe.

The kittens seem to be doing well. I still have not been able to get anywhere near them and I so want to play with them. I keepp filling their milk andd food bowls though, and they keep eating the stuff. At night, we can carefully look out the front door and watch them playing on the front porch. We have now seen 4 of them and they are totally freaking adorable. Love.

Life as a Blonde

I am such a ditz.

At work today, I got an email from what I thought was a client, asking if we could reschedule our 630 appointment for Thursday. I looked on the schedule for Thurs, and saw a client was coming in then. I wrote back asking when she wanted to reschedule for. She said "Thursday at 630?" I was all confused then. Wrote back and asked her when her initial appointment was for.

Fast forward to after work. Head to my massage appointment, in Monroe, which is at 630. Get there, and it suddenly dawns on me, that it was my massage therapist writing me to reschedule. Leave there, after finding nobody there, and decide to be productive and head to the grocery store. Picked up a few things we needed, and headed home for the night.

Wow, I am way too blonde sometimes.

The kitties drank all the milk I left today while we were working, but did not eat all the food. I bought some kitten food at Petsmart for them, and some milk at Kroger's. Again, Lori is a sap. Ha.

So, a friend of mine had a Silpada jewelry party the other night, and she just raves about their stuff. It started at 5, during the work week, so of course, I could not make it. I can't even leave the office most of the time until after 5. Anyway, I placed an order from the online catalog. I bought two rings and a necklace. The good thing about this stuff is that if I don't like it, I can send it back since I did not get the chance to see it at the party. She is having another party in January, which I invited Rebecca too, but she does not know if we will be friends then and can't commit to going with me, even though it's only 1.9 miles from her house. Just kidding, Rebecca! :). Anyway, here are pics of what I got.



I found out today a friend of mine is possibly going to be getting divorced, and I feel really sad for her. I really thought she had a great marriage and had a friendship and a marriage, which is so kewl, but I guess things are not working out, for whatever reason. Anyway, I am sending good vibes this person's way, she knows who she is......

Yum

So, the kittens (I assume), ate all the food I put out for them last night, and drank the milk. I put some more out this morning.

I swear, I am such a sap.

Basket on the Porch

So, I saw a cat in our garage earlier today that was near our garbage can. She looked really skinny, so I put some food in the yard for her. I opened the front door to see if she had eaten, and guess what was on my front porch, huddling together on the ledge? Three tiny kittens. SO FREAKING CUTE. Totally adorable and small. I about died. They ran in separate direction, two within my view near this sculpture thing we have in the courtyard. I sat down near them and tried to get them to let me pet them, but they were super scared. So, Kurt got some milk and more food, and we put it out for them. I feel HORRIBLE though, as winter is approaching and I don't want them to freeze and starve. :(. I hate how I can't help every animal out there. It's also quite strange to me that I have more sympathy towards homeless animals then people.....Anyway, I am going to keep watching and see if they eat the food. I can't let all those cats in my house, but I feel horribly guilty I can't Sigh. Hopefully, they have a home somewhere, but I doubt it. It's not like baby kittens are usually allowed to go roam the neighborhood, if they have a real home. Poor babies.

So, Friday night, Kory and I headed to the homecoming football game for Jefferson at the high school. It was a lot of fun. Kurt has a horrendous cold, so he stayed home to rest and chill out. After the game, Kory and I headed to Kroger and bought Kurt Nyquil. He passed out shortly after taking it, hehe.

Decided on Saturday to head to Birch Run with my Auntie. I have not been there in forever, and I usually find the best deals anywhere there. Anyway, headed to Canton to pick up Auntie, and we headed to Birch Run. Had a nice time walking through the stores with my Aunt, but WOW, Birch Run was kinda annoying. There were a TON of people there, more than I ever remember being there. And so many kids. Kids not being controlled whatsoever by their parents. Ugh. It was total chaos. Lines in the stores too, which I have never encountered there. Did end up buying a couple things--a Halloween costume for Gretel (she is going to be a bat this year), some cute socks, two sweaters and a long sleeve shirt for winter, a pair of work pants, a grease guard for my pans......Nothing ultra exciting. Had dinner afterwards with my Aunt at Bravo Cucina Italiana. I had a Shrimp Fra Diavolo Campanelle, which was super yummy. After that, headed home and went to bed after watching some football with Kurty.

Today, I wanted to just veg after the exhausting day of shopping. Watched two movies, swept the great room, worked out, made dinner. Nothing exciting, which I needed. I watched Confessions of an American Bride, which was actually pretty cute. Also watched The Party Never Stops: Diary of A Binge Drinker, which was pretty good as well. Me watching two movies in a row pretty much never happens, so I felt somewhat nonproductive, but whatever.

Anyway, of course, I am sitting here worrying about the kittens. Sigh. Why do I do this? LOL. Kurt and I keep going and looking out the window to see if they came back, but nothing yet. I hope they are doing OK!

Happy Anniversary To Us

Kurt and I started dating on Oct 12--12 years ago. Crazy, eh? I have been with him in three decades of mine, teens (met him at 19), 20s, and now 30s. It's pretty crazy all we have been through together. And even crazier that I love him more today than I ever have.

1996: We met, waiting tables at a restaurant, neither one us even done with our college degrees, neither one of us even knowing for sure what we wanted to do with our lives.

In Between: one bachelors in biology, one bachelors in accounting, one marriage, two law degrees, one LLM in tax law, many waitressing jobs, a couple of legal secretary jobs, one tax lawyer job, one apartment, one rented house, home ownership--twice, many many vacations all over the world.......

2008: We have finally settled down in Newport, in our dream house with the perfect yard, run a law firm together with NO bosses, and make plans every day of what we want to accomplish and do next.

Insanity. And seriously, if a couple can make it through law school--twice--together, I think they can make it through anything. LOL.

I am the luckiest person alive getting to hang out with my best friend every day, and sleep with him every night. I treasure our relationship even more doing family law for a living and seeing so many marriages ending.

Anyway, Happy Anniversary, baby! I love you more than anything and look forward to the next 12 years together......

Stories from Nick

Got this email from Nick last night:

Had another fun day here in Manistee. Went out to lunch with grama and her friend. All the ladies at the restaurant were talking to me, Then we went to Walgreens and all the ladies were looking at me. I must be so cute!! Then we went home and I played with my toys until grampa got home from work. Then I played with grampa and he taught me how to play the blues as you can see in the second picture. Tomorrow I have to go home. I'll be back soon so bye bye for now. Love you all, Nick

Anxious

Read here about my anxiety, LOL.

Reasons I Don't Like McCain (Among Others)

These are straight off the McCain website, located here: http://www.johnmccain.com/. There are many, many other reasons that I can't stand McCain, but we will start with these, which are listed on the "Values" page. Because apparently, if you have had an abortion, or believe in curing diseases with the use of stem cell research, or think gay people should have the same rights as everyone else, you lack values. Clearly. (please note my heavy sarcasm).

Overturning Roe v. Wade:

John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat.However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion - the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby. The pro-life movement has done tremendous work in building and reinforcing the infrastructure of civil society by strengthening faith-based, community, and neighborhood organizations that provide critical services to pregnant mothers in need. This work must continue and government must find new ways to empower and strengthen these armies of compassion. These important groups can help build the consensus necessary to end abortion at the state level. As John McCain has publicly noted, "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level."

Protecting Marriage

As president, John McCain would nominate judges who understand that the role of the Court is not to subvert the rights of the people by legislating from the bench. Critical to Constitutional balance is ensuring that, where state and local governments do act to preserve the traditional family, the Courts must not overstep their authority and thwart the Constitutional right of the people to decide this question.

The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.

As with most issues vital to the preservation and health of civil society, the basic responsibility for preserving and strengthening the family should reside at the level of government closest to the people. In their wisdom, the Founding Fathers reserved for the States the authority and responsibility to protect and strengthen the vital institutions of our civil society. They did so to ensure that the voices of America's families could not be ignored by an indifferent national government or suffocated through filibusters and clever legislative maneuvering in Congress.

Addressing the Moral Concerns of Advanced Technology

Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases - hope for both cures and life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical principles.

For this reason, John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end, Senator McCain voted to ban the practice of "fetal farming," making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or obtain human cells gestated in animals. Finally, John McCain strongly opposes human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation, under federal law.

As president, John McCain will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos.

Where federal funds are used for stem cell research, Senator McCain believes clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject to strict federal guidelines.

Debate--Round Two (ding ding)

The debate annoyed me. I actually walked away at one point (within hearing distance) to change laundry over and put some stuff away in my closet).

Neither party could answer a freaking question or follow rules. I liked when Brokaw said "Only answer yes or no" and they both had long responses. Hilarious.

McCain is a freaking moron too. In the same breath, he stated NO MORE TAXES, then said he wanted to "help homeowners by taking over part of their mortgages and making their mortgages equal to the housse value." How exactly are we going to do that with no taxes, McCain? Oh, and then with no taxes, we are going to hand over $5000 per person to everyone for health insurance. Get real, no neck boy.....

And Obama drove me nuts too. Attacking McCain, pushing to talk when the time was up, etc.

I was not happy with this debate. I thought the questions chosen should have been more interesting, and Brokaw should have MADE them answer the questions. I wanted to hear some stuff on gun rights, or abortion, or gay marriage. This one was supposed to be about the "people", and it was a lot of the same crap from last time.

I say it was a draw, but I will agree that McCain seemed more at ease with this style of debate over the other.

can't wait to see SNL's take on this.....

Hot Topic #4--Marijuana Legalization?

This is a topic I actually am pretty indifferent about. Which is rare, trust me. As you know, I usually have something to say. Heh.

I won't lie. I have never smoked pot. And I am not stating that in a politician kinda way, I truly have not. I have no idea why, I have just never been interested. It was not readily available in my social group in high school, and by college, I had lost any interest. I (and I openly admit this), have always been a goody goody, and was always worried about getting in trouble. Plus, I was afraid of looking stupid. I have not smoked cigarettes either, so I did not want to look *dumb* not knowing how to "take a puff".

Enough about me though, on to the topic.

There is much dicussion in this country today about marijuana being legalized, or even just medical marijuana being legalized nationwide.

I for sure support medical marijuana being legalized everywhere. If a doctor truly thinks someone who is very ill would feel better or benefit from this, great, Prescribe it, and let those who are very sick feel a little bit better. I don't find anything wrong with that whatsover.

I really don't think that marijuana is ANY worse than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol.

Making marijuana legal totally? Well. I think the smoking of pot kinda makes people "temporarily" kinda stupid. And, it kills brain cells. So, why we would want people to be able to legally do that seems lame to me. On the other hand, I hate government interference, and, if people want to participate in activities that kill brain cells and/or temporarily behave in a lazy manner, whatever. I don't care what others do. I get a massage on a regular basis, just to relax and be lazy for a moment. So, relaxation for me=massage. others=smoking a joint.

Anyway.

For sure, I think that if we legalize it, we should tax the HELL out of it and make some money off of it's use.

I looked online for some pros and cons for you,, outside of my rambling. Below, for your viewing pleasure, some interesting things to think about. I got this from this link: http://www.legalizationofmarijuana.com/marijuana-for-and-against.html

FOR:

Prohibition must be weighed against the loss of personal freedom. Countries have a responsibility to respect individual free will and the right of self-determination.

The immorality of marijuana use can only be based on one set of moral beliefs. For example, it is discriminatory to claim that Judeo-Christian abstinence from intoxication is the correct set of moral beliefs.

The War on Drugs serves the immediate interests of politicians. By taking a "moral" stand against recreational drugs, or fighting the evils caused by the illegal drug trade they increase their popularity amongst constituents.

Legal prohibition does not stop consumers from consuming drugs, it does not stop trafficants from producing and selling it. The price of the final product increases to abnormally high values because of the black market status, which together with the powerful effects of drug addiction causes users to commit crimes in order to fund their addiction.

Critics of the War on Drugs advocate the partial or complete decriminalization of illegal drugs, combined with a system of regulation, as happens with alcohol and prescription drugs. By providing legal supplies of currently illegal drugs the price will fall, leading to a collapse in the illegal drug industry, and a reduction in crimes committed by both drug suppliers and users. They also argue that the reduction in the price will lead to little, if any, growth in drug addiction, due to the inelasticity of demand. Some even state that in a strictly regulated market, drug use may fall overall, by removing the marketing activities of the illegal drug industry.

It is not worthwhile for a law to forbid people from willingly exposing their own bodies to harm by using drugs, any more than by overeating or bungee-jumping. Obesity is a national epidemic, killing millions every year, but the government has no right to regulate how much citizens eat.

Drug users exercise free will when they chose to use drugs; a person has the right to give up his or her own freedom. A Government does not have the right to dictate them. No drug eliminates free will. It is possible to quit using any drug. Many banned drugs are significantly less deleterious to free will than legal alcohol or tobacco. Severe physiological addiction has been demonstrated for tobacco (stronger than cocaine), but no strong physiological addiction has been shown for marijuana.

Legalize marijuana and reduce health care costs by reducing the probability of overdoses and accidental ingestion of an unintended drug through standardization of drug purity by state-sponsored production and sale.

There is no clear and obvious third party harm. Such examples are caused by related activities that can be illegal without blanket prohibition. For example, driving while intoxicated is illegal, while drinking alcohol without driving is not.

Harm caused to children by their parents' excessive drug use is criminal insofar as it constitutes child neglect; drug-specific laws are unneeded.

If drugs were legalized, the companies that manufacture and market them would be sued, such as cigarette companies have been exposed to lawsuits. Legalization of drugs would work to increase liability on producers forcing health standards.

Legalization would allow greater regulation. Cigarettes come with warnings. Alcoholic beverages are clearly marked with the amount of alcohol. Currently legal drugs contain a listing of all active and inactive ingredients. Illegal drugs could be sold legally with ingredients lists, warnings and purity levels clearly marked.

Recreational drug has no clear and obvious harmful effect on anyone besides the user (who chooses to accept those risks). The War on Drugs, on the other hand, places non-users' friends and loved ones in jail. The War on Drugs does have clear and obvious harmful effects on third parties.

Countries who have experimented with legalization have had positive results.

AGAINST:

A State cannot be involved with the distribution of substances considered immoral by relevant lots of the population. A substance considered unhealthy cannot be produced and distributed with the help of the state, because the goal of the state is to protect citizens' health and not to expose them to risk.

The easy availability of drugs would create new consumers rather than rescuing current ones.

Drugs are addictive. They rob the user of free will. A drug user cannot make an informed and rational decision to continue using drugs because the use of the drug eliminates that user's ability to think logically. Nor can they disseminate themselves from drug taking.

Drug use is dangerous to persons besides the user, in the rise of health care costs, violence associated with the use of drugs, neglect of children by drug-addicted parents, and other third party effects.

The use of soft drugs, such as marijuana, leads to the use of hard drugs (the Gateway Theory).

Drug dealers will sell to anyone, including children. Merchants who legally sell alcohol and tobacco are not allowed to sell to children. Many high school students report that it is easier to obtain illegal drugs than alcohol and tobacco.

Legalizing drugs will send a message to children that drug use is acceptable.

So, tell me what you think! :). Convince me to believe, one way or the other.