While doing this research project I have become a better student it has made me more responsible and help a lot with my researching skills. It has taught me a lot about the real world and how college is more or less going to, what I can expect in the up coming years. It has taught me how to use tools I didn't even know where out there that became really useful, because I will probably use more then on this research project.
This semester I really improved on my reading and writing skills I feel like I can move on to the next level if that what I chose to do. Even though, I did struggle with some types of writing I am confident enough that with doing this research I can can handle them. If not I have the tools to figure out what they mean.
Something that really has stuck with me through out this research project is that there is this big war going on in our own country that I didn't even know existed, that shows how sheltered we are here in this small town of ours. Another thing that really stuck with me was the amount of money that the U.S. spends each year on this war, and how long this war has been going on for. This has stuck with me because out of all the research that I did I did not see anything that showed major improvement which really makes me wonder. I will definitely keep up with this information as time goes on this topic has really engrossed me through the past months. At the Begin of this project I wasn't really too excited about it,and even though sometimes I felt like giving up I'm really glad I stuck with it because I really enjoyed it.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Book Review
Smoke and Mirrors
For this assignment I read the book, “Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and The Failed Politics of Failure.” Written by Dan Baum a writer for big time newspapers. This book was to inform more than anything, about how bad this war is failing. It was laid out in chapters, but also as a timeline. For the most part I would say that this book is very credible he has a huge bibliography and has wrote for many newspapers about this topic.
The main purpose that Dan wrote was to inform about this war that’s going on in the U.S. and how bad it is failing. I would say that this book is very basis. Its one sided, it doesn’t talk about any of the positive things that this war has done, not that they’re many of them. The author made it seem that this war is the worst thing that has happened to America and that “WE” as a nation need to do something now!
Although it was written very negatively it had a very interesting structure. This is because the way it was written was it had chapters like any other book, but it was also a timeline. For example each chapter was a certain period of time throughout the past thirty-five years that this war has been going on. That part of the book was interesting and unique, something I hadn’t seen before.
From what I know about this author he seems like he knows what he was talking about. This author, Dan Baum, is a writer for many big time newspaper such as The New Yorker and The Los Angeles Times. Another reason that I he is very credible is because he had an enormous bibliography from research that he had done in order to write this book.
Even though this topic is very interesting the style that this book was written in was extremely flat. The author used very long sentences, and all the same length. He had a descent word selection. It was very text book like. The style he wrote in was almost like a text book, boring, long, and just stated facts. The book was written in third person, the entire book was narrative it had no dialogue what so ever.
In conclusion, the book tied in perfectly to my topic it was exactly what I need for this assignment. The only thing that wasn’t so great about was that it didn’t show both sides of it. Even though, it agreed with my thoughts and opinion that, this war is pointless and wasting way to much money, I would of liked for it to talk about some of the good things that this war has brought to the U.S.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Research an Angle
With the research that was done, a very interesting angle was. That angle is that this war on drugs is destroying lives for many reasons, that does not include death caused by illegal drugs. The research states that many different thing, but one that was interesting was that by legalising drugs the crime and deaths would go down. As well as not spending so much money. The author of the research that was read brought up an interesting point that said, "making all illegal drugs legal would bring down the number of deaths and crimes." This is because, it would put drug lords and terrorists out of business for the lack of money. Therefore the drug dealing business would not be as competitive and there would be no need for them to kill one another.
The reason the drug dealing business is so competitive according to Jack Cole the author of "The War on Drugs Is Destroying Lives," is because "the value of these products virtually by up to 17,000 percent increase between where they're grown, mainly, in third world countries, like, as you know, Afghanistan, Colombia, and where they're sold in Los Angeles, or New York City." That causes for competition and also killings among drug lords and gangsters.
Another reason why this war on drugs is ruining so many lives is because, the laws and policies for it are more or less corrupt. For example police are allowed to take any force of action when they "believe" that there are drugs involved. Therefore, that makes it an unfair fight because police are known to place illegal drugs in order to make an arrest. And like the author Jack Cole, " if we legalise drugs tomorrow, it would be too late as far as I'm concerned, because today we're going to destroy a lot more lives by arresting people."
In conclusion, as the research showed what the U.S. government is doing against with this war on drugs is not working. They need a different approach in order to win this fight. But who will be the one to bring change? Barack Obama?
Friday, December 12, 2008
Poem
Started over 35 years ago
A war that now costs over $40 billions a year
Has killed millions of people
And most people don't even know its going on
I'm talking about the war on drugs in the U.S.
This all started when Reagan was in office
Cocaine hit the streets harder and faster than a hurricane
And it only got worse from there
Presidents haven't been able to control this problem
So who can?
Will it ever get better?
What is Obama gonna do?
Who can we count on?
How much longer?
So many questions, when are they going to get answered.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Annotated Bibliographies
1. Drug Policy Alliance. "Effectiveness of the War on Drugs". Drug Policy Alliance. 11/10/08 .
This article focuses on the government's standings that we are not winning the war on drugs, that the drug war fueled America's prison boom, the public health costs of the drug war, how the drug war impacts American youth negatively educationally, and failed prevention strategies.
It was not the most beneficial article, but gave a good summary of all of the main dynamics of the war. It was somewhat repetitive to the information I already had learned. The information was reliable and presented in a rather objective way.
This was helpful in helping me understand how the war on drugs has effected America in a lot of different aspects. It helped shape my argument because it showed that this is a bigger problem than it first seems because drug use effects a lot of areas. It did not change how I think that the war on drugs is not progressing.
2. Feldman, Charles. "America's 'War on Drugs' reduces users, but supply keeps coming". CNN. 09/17/08
This article discusses how drugs have increased and we should keep trying to fight the war on drugs because it has been somewhat successful. Although drugs are not eliminated they are being used less and this is a positive step towards ending drug abuse. It argues that we should keep fighting and there are battles yet to be fought.
It was useful to bring controversy to the topic and my research topic because it is the opposite of a lot of my sources. It provided statics that show the decrease in drug use in America. Coming from one of America's largest new stations, the information is very reliable. The source is biased, taking the side that we should keep fighting the war on drugs.
This source was helpful in opening my eyes to the possibility that we can win the war. It gave me a greater understanding of the complexity of the issue. It did not help me shape my argument, other than proving that the successes and decreases in drugs is very minimal.
3. Gleason, Chistina . "Financial Cost of the War on Drugs". Suite 101. 11/10/08.
This article talks about how much money is being spent on the war against drugs. It covers all the financial aspects of the war. It includes how much money it takes to keep an inmate in jail who has been convicted of using illegal drugs, providing and paying police officers with drug units, and other programs such as DARE. This article provides statics of the money spent since Reagan was in office and how it has increased over the years.
This was a useful source because it is the only one of my sources that provides information about the financial dynamics of the war. The information is reliable and is a genuine source with credible references cited. This article is biased, saying that spending this amount of money is useless since there has been little progress to end the war on drugs.
Gleason's article was helpful and corresponded directly with my topic. It helped shape my opinion on my topic after I read how much money was being wasted on trying to prevent using drugs. This was used in my research project because it gave concrete facts and a dollar value to the unproductive war against drugs.
In this article the issue that even if the U.S. does get all the addicts and dealers off the streets it is going to cost the U.S. a bunch of money to keep them incarcerated. Jail is not therapy for addicts and when released from jail the problem will continue and may even worsen, as the person no longer has a job, supportive family and friends and is in an unstable living condition which makes them vulnerable to drug use. It states that the person using drugs does not take responsibility and is in denial of their conditions. The war is lost, funding that does not correct the problem is failure.
This information was useful because it supported my argument that this war is a lost cause and wasting tax payers money and a different approach is necessary. This article talks about the peoples problems versus the nations problems and in that way is different from all my other sources. It was written by the same author of "The War Can Be Won", and had credible sources and references to back up his argument.
This article was helpful because it backed up my argument. It helped solidify my argument because it talked about try to sober up the addicts rather than spending money to incarcerate them which is not fixing the problem, but making it worse as the government spends more money. This did not change how I feel about my topic, it has fueled my argument and further made me believe this war is a lost cause.
This article focuses on the government's standings that we are not winning the war on drugs, that the drug war fueled America's prison boom, the public health costs of the drug war, how the drug war impacts American youth negatively educationally, and failed prevention strategies.
It was not the most beneficial article, but gave a good summary of all of the main dynamics of the war. It was somewhat repetitive to the information I already had learned. The information was reliable and presented in a rather objective way.
This was helpful in helping me understand how the war on drugs has effected America in a lot of different aspects. It helped shape my argument because it showed that this is a bigger problem than it first seems because drug use effects a lot of areas. It did not change how I think that the war on drugs is not progressing.
2. Feldman, Charles. "America's 'War on Drugs' reduces users, but supply keeps coming". CNN. 09/17/08
This article discusses how drugs have increased and we should keep trying to fight the war on drugs because it has been somewhat successful. Although drugs are not eliminated they are being used less and this is a positive step towards ending drug abuse. It argues that we should keep fighting and there are battles yet to be fought.
It was useful to bring controversy to the topic and my research topic because it is the opposite of a lot of my sources. It provided statics that show the decrease in drug use in America. Coming from one of America's largest new stations, the information is very reliable. The source is biased, taking the side that we should keep fighting the war on drugs.
This source was helpful in opening my eyes to the possibility that we can win the war. It gave me a greater understanding of the complexity of the issue. It did not help me shape my argument, other than proving that the successes and decreases in drugs is very minimal.
3. Gleason, Chistina . "Financial Cost of the War on Drugs". Suite 101. 11/10/08
This article talks about how much money is being spent on the war against drugs. It covers all the financial aspects of the war. It includes how much money it takes to keep an inmate in jail who has been convicted of using illegal drugs, providing and paying police officers with drug units, and other programs such as DARE. This article provides statics of the money spent since Reagan was in office and how it has increased over the years.
This was a useful source because it is the only one of my sources that provides information about the financial dynamics of the war. The information is reliable and is a genuine source with credible references cited. This article is biased, saying that spending this amount of money is useless since there has been little progress to end the war on drugs.
Gleason's article was helpful and corresponded directly with my topic. It helped shape my opinion on my topic after I read how much money was being wasted on trying to prevent using drugs. This was used in my research project because it gave concrete facts and a dollar value to the unproductive war against drugs.
Current Controversies: Drug Trafficking. Ed. Karin L. Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1991.
D'Amato states in this article that the war against drugs can be won only if we attack it at every level of the Federal, state, and local government and by every citizen in every community across the country. It is a war that is not concerned with borders and overflows from country to country. Colombia has long been a drug provider to the U.S. and when we stop sending money there the flow of drugs should decrease.
This source sheds light on the positive side of the issue, that it is a matter of wanting to stop the use of drugs, and when that occurs we will become a drug free society. It cited many references and was a reliable source. It was presented in a biased manner and I was able to use this in my research to show it can be won even though it will not be easy.
This source was not very helpful as it was not very focused on the problems in America, but more of Colombia. It made me think about how the drug trafficking may be at the core of drug abuse in America. It did change my perspective on my topic because it helped me realize that if we control drug trafficking first we can demolish the war within our own borders.
D'Amato states in this article that the war against drugs can be won only if we attack it at every level of the Federal, state, and local government and by every citizen in every community across the country. It is a war that is not concerned with borders and overflows from country to country. Colombia has long been a drug provider to the U.S. and when we stop sending money there the flow of drugs should decrease.
This source sheds light on the positive side of the issue, that it is a matter of wanting to stop the use of drugs, and when that occurs we will become a drug free society. It cited many references and was a reliable source. It was presented in a biased manner and I was able to use this in my research to show it can be won even though it will not be easy.
This source was not very helpful as it was not very focused on the problems in America, but more of Colombia. It made me think about how the drug trafficking may be at the core of drug abuse in America. It did change my perspective on my topic because it helped me realize that if we control drug trafficking first we can demolish the war within our own borders.
5. "The War on Drugs Cannot Be Won." Doniphan Blair.
Current Controversies: Drug Trafficking. Ed. Karin L. Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1991In this article the issue that even if the U.S. does get all the addicts and dealers off the streets it is going to cost the U.S. a bunch of money to keep them incarcerated. Jail is not therapy for addicts and when released from jail the problem will continue and may even worsen, as the person no longer has a job, supportive family and friends and is in an unstable living condition which makes them vulnerable to drug use. It states that the person using drugs does not take responsibility and is in denial of their conditions. The war is lost, funding that does not correct the problem is failure.
This information was useful because it supported my argument that this war is a lost cause and wasting tax payers money and a different approach is necessary. This article talks about the peoples problems versus the nations problems and in that way is different from all my other sources. It was written by the same author of "The War Can Be Won", and had credible sources and references to back up his argument.
This article was helpful because it backed up my argument. It helped solidify my argument because it talked about try to sober up the addicts rather than spending money to incarcerate them which is not fixing the problem, but making it worse as the government spends more money. This did not change how I feel about my topic, it has fueled my argument and further made me believe this war is a lost cause.
Letter to a leader
Dear President-Elect Barack Obama,
The war on drugs in America has been an amoral issue that has existed for the past forty years and has yet to be resolved. It is essential that the government is adamant and persistent in enhancing the previous and current efforts to fix this problem. This problem has escalated over the years. We are now fully engrossed in this war on drugs, and should limit our unproductive spendings and make better use of our money to terminate this war. The United States government has spent 40 billion dollars on the prevention of drug use in America since the late nineteen seventies. Reagan increased spending on the war against drugs drastically, however, no major improvements have occurred since. Obviously, we are spending money in all the wrong places. Not only is the money being spent carelessly, but also, our laws, amendments, and policies in place to discourage the use of illegal drugs are not being enforced.
If the government focuses its efforts on enforcing our laws through local police officers, senators, and other authoritative figures in communities across America, the potential to end the war would skyrocket. The laws themselves are not flawed or in need of enhancement, but just need to be followed and lived by. Currently, these laws seem to go by the wayside as drug trafficking has become a substantial mean of income and a way of life. We have laws in place to make our nation the best it can be and not enforcing them allows for the disintegration of a better America.
Spending money on programs that discourage the use of drugs and promote educating the youth about the dangers in drugs is something that would require nominal efforts and have profound results. D.A.R.E. is an example of a program dedicated to keeping drugs off the streets and away from our youth and teens, who are the most vulnerable targets in this war. Education is the means of prevention in this case. A shift in spending could make this problem very easy to resolve.
Change in America is something you promised, and it starts with the people who are currently tainted by drugs. Any efforts to make our streets safer deserves acclaim. It is an overlooked problem that, although concurrent among many others, is one that can easily be avoided and resolved. I strongly advise, for the safety and well-being of our nation, that you thoroughly consider taking action. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Humberto Murillo
The war on drugs in America has been an amoral issue that has existed for the past forty years and has yet to be resolved. It is essential that the government is adamant and persistent in enhancing the previous and current efforts to fix this problem. This problem has escalated over the years. We are now fully engrossed in this war on drugs, and should limit our unproductive spendings and make better use of our money to terminate this war. The United States government has spent 40 billion dollars on the prevention of drug use in America since the late nineteen seventies. Reagan increased spending on the war against drugs drastically, however, no major improvements have occurred since. Obviously, we are spending money in all the wrong places. Not only is the money being spent carelessly, but also, our laws, amendments, and policies in place to discourage the use of illegal drugs are not being enforced.
If the government focuses its efforts on enforcing our laws through local police officers, senators, and other authoritative figures in communities across America, the potential to end the war would skyrocket. The laws themselves are not flawed or in need of enhancement, but just need to be followed and lived by. Currently, these laws seem to go by the wayside as drug trafficking has become a substantial mean of income and a way of life. We have laws in place to make our nation the best it can be and not enforcing them allows for the disintegration of a better America.
Spending money on programs that discourage the use of drugs and promote educating the youth about the dangers in drugs is something that would require nominal efforts and have profound results. D.A.R.E. is an example of a program dedicated to keeping drugs off the streets and away from our youth and teens, who are the most vulnerable targets in this war. Education is the means of prevention in this case. A shift in spending could make this problem very easy to resolve.
Change in America is something you promised, and it starts with the people who are currently tainted by drugs. Any efforts to make our streets safer deserves acclaim. It is an overlooked problem that, although concurrent among many others, is one that can easily be avoided and resolved. I strongly advise, for the safety and well-being of our nation, that you thoroughly consider taking action. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Humberto Murillo
Friday, November 21, 2008
Data
While searching for graphs that are related to my topic I came across that caught my eye. This graph that I picked showed the number of annual deaths caused by drugs in the United States. It mentions eight different killers that ranges anywhere from tobacco to marijuana to prescription pills. And while the U.S. government is so worried about banning illegal drugs. It's not even in the top three killers in the U.S. So should we be spending so much time, effort and money on this war?
My data showed that the number one killer in the America is tobacco. That kills over 400,000 people a year. Which is then followed by alcohol, side stream tobacco smoke, prescription drugs, all illegal drugs combined, cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Which tell me that the U.S. needs to worry about other things that are killing more Americans then illicit drugs.
All in all, this graph was a huge eye opener and help me to further realize that all the money that is being spent could and probably showed be going to other, not necessarily better issues, but more important issues.
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