The Right To Bear Arms Is The Right To Die

Common Sense, Zero Tolerance Act... what is this fuckery? Recently House Bill 937 was passed allowing concealed handgun permit carriers to carry firearms onto college and public school campuses if they remain locked in a vehicle after the state of North Carolina declined the right of school teachers to carry firearms and after every school shooting that has occurred the past couple of years we are instilling the trust in the students to be able to have the right to bring firearms onto a campus if it is locked away? Now that stupid bitch in Oklahoma is pulling this controversial bill out of her ass to allow young children to bring fake guns to school? Okay, yeah, kids play with fake guns and shit, but with all potential threats that students can use against other students we are still shoving our heads further up our rectums to think that the fact students allowed to have firearms (whether they be fake or not) isn't going to end in catastrophe. There's been 64 school shootings total in the past four years alone, 2010: 9, 2011: 9, 2012: 15, 2013: 30, 2014: 1 so far and we're still going to allow students to bring firearms to school? Congrats America, you're fucking up again! R.I.P. to those lost:
February 5, 2010 Madison, Alabama
February 12, 2010 Huntsville, Alabama
February 23, 2010 Littleton, Colorado
September 8, 2010 Detroit, Michigan
September 28, 2010 Austin, Texas
October 1, 2010 Salinas, California
October 8, 2010 Carlsbad, California
November 29, 2010 Marinette, Wisconsin
December 6, 2010 Aurora, Colorado
January 5, 2011 Omaha, Nebraska
February 2, 2011 Placerville, California
March 25, 2011 Martinsville, Indiana
March 31, 2011 Houston, Texas
May 10, 2011 San Jose, California
May 23, 2011 Pearl City, Hawaii
October 24, 2011 Fayetteville, North Carolina
December 8, 2011 Blacksburg, Virginia
December 28, 2011 Flint, Michigan
January 10, 2012 Houston, Texas
February 22, 2012 Bremerton, Washington
February 27, 2012 Chardon, Ohio
March 6, 2012 Jacksonville, Florida
April 7, 2012 Oakland, California
August 16, 2012 Memphis, Tennessee
August 24, 2012 Homer, Georgia
August 27, 2012 Perry Hall, Maryland
September 7, 2012 Normal, Illinois
September 26, 2012 Stillwater, Oklahoma
October 6, 2012 Mobile, Alabama
October 12, 2012 Fairmount, North Dakota
October 31, 2012 Los Angeles, California
December 14, 2012 Newtown, Connecticut
January 7, 2013 Fort Myers, Florida
January 10, 2013 Taft, California
January 11, 2013 Detroit, Michigan
January 15, 2013 St. Louis, Missouri
January 15, 2013 Hazard, Kentucky
January 16, 2013 Chicago, Illinois
January 22, 2013 Houston, Texas
January 29, 2013 Midland City, Alabama
January 31, 2013 Atlanta, Georgia
March 18, 2013 Orlando, Florida
March 21, 2013 Southgate, Michigan
April 18, 2013 Cambridge, Massachusetts
June 7, 2013 Santa Monica, California
June 20, 2013 West Palm Beach, Florida
August 20, 2013 Decatur, Georgia
August 23, 2013 Sardis, Mississippi
August 30, 2013 Winston-Salem, North Carolina
September 28, 2013 Gray, Maine
September 28, 2013 Lansing, Michigan
October 4, 2013 Pine Hills, Florida
October 15, 2013 Austin, Texas
October 21, 2013 Sparks, Nevada
November 2, 2013 Greensboro, North Carolina
November 3, 2013 Lithonia, Georgia
November 13, 2013 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
November 26, 2013 Rapid City, South Dakota
December 4, 2013 Winter Garden, Florida
December 13, 2013 Centennial, Colorado
December 19, 2013 Fresno, California
January 9, 2014 Jackson, Tennessee

Moments Start Us

Just tonight, I was working on a song collaboration with a friend. I rap and sing, and she sings. Taking one of her previously written songs, I remixed it and added my own sick little twist to it. It turned out incredibly dope, check it out:

Moments Start Us (G-Nacious Remix)

(Verse 1: Ms. Morrill)
There are moments in your life
That make you you
And sets the course
Of who you're going to be
Sometimes they're little
Oh ho, little subtle moments
Sometimes they're big
Yeah yeah, everest moments
That you, yeah, you never saw
You never saw coming

(Chorus: Garrett "G-Nacious" Keith)
You see the reflection of yourself in the mirrors in your mind
They can't show the worst of others,
They just show the best of you... and it's kind
And even in the acrimony, they reflect your smile
Watch all your memories, and burnish the bad ones
And if you need to cry, let the river flow for a while...
That just makes you who you are
And from all the moments you have made it this far...

(Verse 2: Garrett "G-Nacious" Keith)
Yeah, and we started from the bottom now we're here
Man, these moments lasted us all these years
Now we're preaching to the congregation
Put the hate inside the conflagration
Let it burn, let it burn and this is our turn
Why I'm this way is not of concern
We're made from the moments that we cannot spurn
And all those bridges that we cannot burn
Yeah, we can get wasted
Red eyes red face, nigga we faded
But we can never hide the moments of our lives
I know you upset, I can see it in your eyes
Remember from the moments that the fire still thrives
The moments make us who we are, and we are still alive
Nigga you are beautiful, haters don't know what to do
We all come from different places, we all wear a different shoe
No one is perfect but that's something you already knew
Moments set our path of life, try not to misconstrue
You will find, when you look back upon your life
The moments you truly lived were the moments you were doin right
But the moments you were fucking up, gave you the right stride
You lose some, you win some, celebrate nigga, party all night
And when the nights over, don't be afraid to say a goodbye
It's alright

Bridge (Garrett "G-Nacious" Keith)
The most glorius days in your life
Are the not so-called days of success
But rather those days when, you're breakin'
When out of dejection and despair
You feel the rise in you, a challenge to life
And a promise of a future
And the moments that nurture

(Verse 3: Ms. Morrill)
No one asks for their life to change
But it does, oh ho, it does
It's what you do afterwards
Afterwards, that counts
Oh ho, oh ho
That's when you find out
When you find out...
Who... You... Are...
And there are moments in your life
That make you you
And sets the course
Of who you're going to be
Sometimes they're little
Oh ho, little subtle moments
Sometimes they're big
Yeah yeah, everest moments
That you, yeah, you never saw
You never saw coming
That's when you find out
When you find out...
Who... You... Are...

(Chorus: Garrett "G-Nacious" Keith)
You see the reflection of yourself in the mirrors in your mind
They can't show the worst of others,
They just show the best of you... and it's kind
And even in the acrimony, they reflect your smile
Watch all your memories, and burnish the bad ones
And if you need to cry, let the river flow for a while...
That just makes you who you are
And from all the moments you have made it this far...

(Outro)
And now you know who you are
Oh ho, oh no, now you know who you are
And I know who I am, I'll do me
You do you, always keep it true
You know who you are, you are you...

G-Nacious, G-5, G-Money, G-Nacious/G-5 Records

Drug Debate: The abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice.

Today I want to present my negative speech for my Debate class on the resolution: The abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice. Enjoy.


"Illegal drug use runs contrary to the image of health depicted by cycling. Distributors of these drugs must be prosecuted more harshly as they are criminals." (Bernard Hinault)
With these words in mind, I stand firmly in negation of the resolution which states that: the abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice. For the sake of clarification in this debate, I would like to define the following terms: (Google) Drug abuse: the habitual taking of addictive or illegal drugs. (Merriam-Webster) Illegal: contrary to or forbidden by law, esp. criminal law. (Merriam-Webster) Public Health: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science. (Legal Dictionary) Criminal Justice: the system of law enforcement, the bar, the judiciary, corrections, and probation that is directly involved in the apprehension, prosecution, defense, sentencing, incarceration, and supervision of those suspected of or charged with criminal offenses. My value premise for this debate is Societal Welfare, which is what is best for the community as a whole, I chose this because the resolution specifically uses the term “illegal drugs”, which means that which ever system we use, drug use will remain illegal. The resolution does not focus on the legality of drugs, the debate is about how we best treat this illegal activity so that the least harm will come to society. My value criterion is Justice because it is the best tool with which to measure if my value is being upheld in this debate. Societal Welfare is promoted through the use of Justice, which is best achieved by punitive aspects and the recidivism prevention of the criminal justice system.
My first contention is that drug use leads to addiction, rendering conventional solutions to public problems ineffective without criminal justice. Many drug dealers will abjure their "business" as illegal activity and justify it as a mean of personal finance when they can not uphold a real job. Drugs are illegal for a reason, they pose various health threats and the ways that these drugs are produced have deleterious affects due to the amount of different chemicals and items that can be poisonous to the users. Drugs also have started much violence and war among many countries. The only way we can stop the spread of drug violence and harm to society is to penalize and punish the providers of drugs to the community. Whether it is the dealer or the buyer, they both pose potential harm to others and themselves. Without the appropriate backing of the justice system then drugs will remain a scourge to the world and continue to harm the welfare of society. The growth of illegal drugs has had a tremendous impact of the health of world, and not just the health, but on the society as a whole. The production and distribution of drugs costs an extensive amount of money and serves no real value to society, all that this does is create a mass epidemic of growing addiction and dependency of illegal substances that have no redeeming affects.  "Drug addiction is a major public health problem that cost the U.S. a staggering $468 billion in 2005, according to The New York Times. Costs result from disease, crime, accidents, child abuse, domestic violence, homelessness and lost wages. Alcohol abuse, smoking and illegal drug use cause one in four deaths and many other serious economic and social consequences. The negative effects of substance abuse affect everyone," states Lauren Hunter of Live Strong Magazine. The United Nations states that "Global illicit drug users to rise 25% by 2050".
My second contention is that illicit drug use costs U.S. economy more than $193 Billion annually and since users have acquired egregious side effects from the use of illegal substances that these users should be criminally charged for active participation in illegal activities and causing the economy of their nation to wither for their actions. The order of magnitude of the extent of the illicit drug problem should be established in the light of at least two of the unique characteristics of illicit drugs: first, they are all addictive substances, a fact that sometimes blurs the dividing line both between use and abuse and between consumption and addiction; and secondly, though commodities that are traded or trafficked, they are distinguished by low volume but enormously high unit cost and value. Statistics show that drug abusers represent 6.1 percent of the population aged 12 years and over. An estimated 3.6 million people have severe drug problems and are in need of professional drug treatment services. It is the cost of the services that the U.S. should not have to pay for the shortcomings of its people. There are apparent benefits to the economy for the production of drugs because of the amount of retail and taxes that are paid in production, but these "benefits" of consumption for drug abusers tend to be transient and are quickly superseded by a considerable health and financial burden on society. Drug abusers and dealers should all be criminally charged for the detrimental affects on the economy and to society.
The abuse of illegal drugs has had an extensive negative impact on today's public health, the society, and the economy of the United States. Having supporting my value of Societal Welfare, I strongly urge you to vote in negation of the resolution that the abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminally justice.

I hope that my points are clear. This should be a fun debate tomorrow.

- G.

Open Discussion!

I hope you all enjoyed my last post about the execution of the mentally retarded. But anyway, good news! The Open Discussion forum page is now published and functional! Please feel free to debate and talk about ANY current and past topics and issues! Have fun, discuss all you want, if I find it interesting, I might join the conversation or even give you a personal shout out and create my own post about the topic! Enjoy!

- G.

Execution of the Mentally Retarded*

*controversial

Wooh now. Hold up, what the fuck? Over a decade ago, in Atkins v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to execute the mentally retarded. Yet, there are several inmates on death row who have diagnosed with mental retardation and are still set to be executed. First off, this violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishments. Who are we to put someone down for having a disability for which they cannot control their actions, the answer isn't execution, it's intense care and rehabilitation. For everyone to be equal, everyone must be treated unequal, meaning there are people at there who have different disabilities who commit crimes but we should hold the crime against them harshly, we have to take in to account that they have a problem that cause them to do the crime and that being held in a detention center or psychiatric hospital is equal enough punishment because they are being confined and being helped treated for their disability. Being mentally retarded means that a person not only has substandard intellectual functioning but also significant limitations in adaptive skills such as communication, self-care, and self-direction. There is a difference between mentally retarded and mentally insane, and condemning a man/woman to death for something they can't control themselves is immoral. And even though the Supreme Court ruled that the execution of the mentally retarded was unconstitutional after the case of Atkins v. Virginia in 2002, people still continue to do it. The "relationship between mental retardation and the penological purposes served by the death penalty" justifies a conclusion that executing the mentally retarded is cruel and unusual punishment that the Eighth Amendment should forbid. In other words, unless it can be shown that executing the mentally retarded promotes the goals of retribution and deterrence, doing so is nothing more than "purposeless and needless imposition of pain and suffering", making the death penalty cruel and unusual in these cases. The execution of the mentally retarded is immoral, unjust, unconstitutional and needs to be stopped.

- G.

Sexuality

Just today an article came out in my schools newspaper (mphoofprint.com) about the acceptance of homosexuality. Many teachers and students (including myself) are mentioned and have quotations about their views in the article. Many teenagers in this generation have to abjure there sexual orientation just to acquire acceptance from their society; even after many years of civil rights and equality battles society still cannot face the fact that everyone is different. Homosexuals are an anathema to a lot of people who don't truly understand the concept. Everybody's journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality. America has freedom of speech and expression and history of wars just for the sole purpose of having equality yet when someone comes out of the closet then nothing but antipathy is shown towards them. Yes, we as Americans have the right to decry the choices of people but not in as such harsh and demeaning ways as we do towards homosexuals. Gays all over the US are being discriminated against and bullied by those who are non accepting of them. It is hard to change the views of people, we can get them to say they don't hate gays and they can pretend to accept them, but underneath that facade is still the hate. Discrimination and bullying persists in the country, especially in the school systems. As I said in the Myers Park High School Hoofprint, "It's subtle. People act like they don't have a problem with it, but inside, everyone judges everyone. If they don't say something out loud in school, then they'll always end up saying something in a message or on Facebook. Someone always has a problem, it doesn't matter how much you talk to them about it, you can't change the way someone thinks about a certain group until they've actually been one of those people and experienced their culture." Which is something we need to do as a society, become more integrated with every other culture that we are around everyday. I, myself, am bisexual; it is hard to deal with the constant hate from everyone on a daily basis, but we need to get people emerged in our culture and help them understand that it is not wrong and that we're still people. From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people. People have been told for thousands of years, from religion, culture, media, etc. that homosexuality is wrong. I don't know why, but I think people feel threatened by homosexuality. The problem isn't about gay people, the problem is about the attitude towards gay people. People think that all gays are Hannibal Lecters. But gay people are sons and daughters, politicians and doctors, American heroes and sons and daughters of American heroes. It is time that we as Americans come together united on the same front to protect and accept everyone like we have been fighting for our entire lives. It's time to truly live by what we have fought for in the fight for equality

- G.

Drama

People are people, it's inevitable that a lot of them will suck as a person, and there's nothing you can do to change that, you just have to accept it and carry on, don't associate with them, because their shit isn't worth the time. To be honest, because I'm not going to lie about this, I'm at a point where I'm done caring at all about people getting butt hurt over what assholes and bullies do, it's a simple fix, the acerbity of others is just another thing we have to deal with, it can not be abrogated and we can't beg for clemency because it's not going to work, the only way to fix something is to stand up and actually do something about it, but not violently, in ways that are congenital, I don't like when people talk about how mean people are, because what do you want me to do? I can't change someone, only you can change the way someone acts to you, if someone makes an egregious statement to you then face them and let them know you're not going to take their shit. Everyone is too busy wrapped up in what everyone else is doing and spend too much time spreading slander and libel that they don't focus on what's really important; school, family, real friends, succeeding in life. There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy. And don't instigate the drama, it's one thing to have to suffer through it, but to keep it going by stooping to the bullies level and saying something stupid back. It's one thing to complain about something and not do something about it, but it's entirely different if you complain about something and do something to make it even worse. It's ironic that the people who complain about drama are the ones who fuel the fire with it. I hate drama and that's why I stay as far away from it as possible, I'm frankly sick of everyone complaining about all their drama that is going on in their lives, they're not doing shit to fix it when there are simplistic choices to help resolve the conflict. Just shut up and deal with it, it's not that hard, and I reiterate, don't complain to me, because what am I going to do? I can't change someone, it's up to you to make the situation better; don't complain, just do. 
- G.