Yanked from...

[symbioidlj]

riordan who yanked it from bzoink.com. It looks nicer from their form, but they don't have a long line to explain stuff, and you know me. I gotta have plenty of wordspace...
http://www.bzoink.com/surveys.php?id=3013 is the location of the actual survey if you wish to take it there...

So, here's my thoughts on the topics below.

Abortion: I am pro-choice and pro-life. I believe the question, ultimately is "when does life begin", and I don't believe it's when a sperm hits an egg. That's utter bullshit. I do mean life, because I'm a vegetarian, so it's a moot point on whether it's human or other animal life. I have a couple divergent points on it. One is an obvious, and that is survival as a separate entity from the mother. The issue here, of course, comes down to technology. We can keep a baby alive with machines, even if, for example, it would die on it's own in a case such as a premature birth. It's not an easy drawing line. The other point I have, and it's the reason I'm a vegetarian, is cruelty and suffering. I believe that in order to experience this on the level we can scientifically accept, there is required a level of nervous system devlopment that must occur beforehand. A brain, and spinal cord development, and the sensory organisms(especially, I suppose, tactile sensation)... Somewhere with these two points is where I draw the line, unless, of course, the mothers life is in danger or rape or incest. In such a case, all options should be available at all times. I also believe there needs to be an authentic counselling that gives support for the women in whatever choice they choose. This is an essential. It's more than just Abortion, but also the social mechanism that come into play and how we can help the women who have to endure this. I hate how pro-lifers make it seem like women just hop on down to the abortion clinic without any deep, deliberate questioning on their part.

Death Penalty: Opposed. 100%. All it does is provide vengeance and retribution for people who have baser animal instincts. This is not to say that if a completely horrible thing happened to my mother, for example, that I wouldn't feel such instincts myself. But the goal is, as a society, to bring us to a more enlightened state of empathy and compassion for all beings. There is absolutely no sociological reason for the death penalty in my opinion. In the case of Jihadists, there is no point, since Martyrdom is almost a mandate, so it doesn't intimidate them.

Prostitution: Support. I do support the building of infrastructure to help give emotional and sexual safety counseling, as well as safe spaces for women and men to offer their services. Mandatory condom use is also imperative.

Alcohol: Sure, I guess. I'm not a fan. I think prohibition is absolutely senseless.

Marijuana: ALWAYS! It is the herb that's the gift to man. Gaia's plant consciousness that opens the mind to the creative force within.
Other drugs: Psychedelics. Especially psilocybin and LSD. I wouldn't mind DMT at some point. Salvia is okay, though it's never worked for me. AMT isn't that great, IMO. X is amazing. Opiates? Maybe Opium occasionally, but not any other's as a recreational drug. Not a fan of coke or meth or other stimulants(though I've wanted to try 4-methyl-aminorex at some point)... I wouldn't mind chewing on coca leaves as a natural product or trying betel nut... Iboga may be interesting as well as Peyote.

Gay marriage: Fuck YES. Any fucker that would deny someones right to consciously love another, however they feel, and whatever gender they are, is a hateful bigot. No ifs, ands, or buts...

llegal immigrants: The idea of a person being Illegal is absurd to me. It's just another way to demonize other people according to ethnicity. I understand certain issues, and sure, there should be some precautions taken(especially in todays world), but for the most part, I just hate the xenophobic ideology. If anyone's an illegal immigrant in the US, it's we white-folks...

Smoking: What product? Oh, cigs? Nah. I don't mind a clove once in a while, and maybe some bidi's are nice. A nice cherry tobacco is alright in a pipe sometimes, too. But overall, am not a fan of tobacco. I wouldn't mind doing it in a ritualized space at some point, though.

Drunk driving: Absolutely against it 100%... Either MADD ads, and school education did a good job with me, or I was killed by a drunk driver in a past life. The whole idea to me just abso-fuckin-lutely pisses me off. There is no fucking need to do it, and you are fucking stupid if you do. And usually, it's not the fucking moron who dies. It's the victim in another car(if there's an accident) that gets killed.


Cloning: Don't have a strong stance. I used to be an extropian, and thought it was a wonderful idea. Now I'm not keen on the idea, and definitely see some issues with it. But at the same time, I'm not 100% against it. I think there needs to be a deeper debate on the ethics of the issue. The biggest concern I have is the failure rate, and how it would impact the environment, and long-term evolution.

Racism: Against 100%, yet I realize that there are deep fundamental issues at play. Tribalism, Patriarchal mindsets, etc... Some of these are ingrained into us as biological creatures. But I believe we are to aspire beyond "Mere Animality" I suffer from some of it as well. There is racism, but also classism at play. If I see a thuggy lookin' black guy on the street, I'd veer away, but if it were a black guy in a suit, I'd not be so afraid. So to say racism is lacking one part of the equation.

Premarital sex: If it's your thing, do it. If not, don't. I think it's best to use protection if you're not married, however. I'm not a fan of out of wedlock births. Not to say that single mothers are wrong or bad... Not at all. If anything, it's the men who can opt to leave at anytime without any responsibility or consequence that is the problem.

Religion: Whatever floats your boat. Just don't make me believe it if I don't want to. And I won't force you to believe what I think, either. But don't take away my rights to use psychedelic sacraments, that's one thing that pisses me off.

The war in Iraq: That's a tough one. Killing innocent civilians, putting Americans in harms way, opening the gates to suicide bombers in Iraq, where there were none before... I suppose I'll have to oppose it.(duh!) I hate all war. And oh... don't give me that WW2/Hitler shit.

Bush: I didn't elect him either time, and therefore, I elect to not have him be my master now. I will live my life, and he will have no control. I resist his theocratic desires. And I will always resist his regime.

Downloading music: For For For... Music is awesome, and I love it, and I won't not download it. Legal or illegal. I will support the artists I love, if they're alive. If they're dead, I don't give a shit.

The legal drinking age: I think we need to be more like some European countries that have a tolerance and a more balanced approach to alcohol. But that's putting too much faith in my fellow Americans.

Porn: Don't have too much of a problem with it. I am bothered by extreme porn. I'm not into shit/piss/enema weird shit like that. If it's your thing, feel free. I like classy porn, and I like porn up to about the early 90's... then it went to shit. I like vintage stuff, and I like natural women, and large, plump women... That's how I like my porn. If you are talking about morality? Again, it's up to the individual to choose whether it's right for them. I realize there are certain issues that we need to deal with in our society, especially as it regards to degradation of women. And it does bother me that a lot of porn actresses are women who are struggling to survive and make money, and this is only one way they can... Some women are sexually empowered and find it liberating, and they should be allowed to do it. I hate when feminists deny a womans right to choose to do such a thing, but I also agree that there are people who are forced into it for economic reasons, and that is a sad thing, and it's something we need to rectify.

Suicide: For it. If you want to do it, you should have the proper support. There should be emotional support and it should only be considered a last option. But I realize that for some people, it's what they need to do. It saddens me to think that, but I believe that it is a free choice that you have to respect. I also think that Dr. Assisted suicide should be legal, and not just for people suffering with severe physical illness, but people who have severe depression, if they want help to do it, they should be able to do it. There should be no shame in it. Neither should there be some sick sense of "honor and dignity" as the Samurai Sepukku (AKA: Hari Kari), which would foster suicide as a quick option. There needs to be a balance of respect for a persons right to choose as a last resort, and a desire to see someone live happily and healthy and functioning in a good way in our society.

Comments

[vesicular.livejournal.com]

Here are mine, with a quick comment on each

Abortion: Pro-choice. Should be legal if the baby couldn't live on its own. If it could, well, I'm less for it. You shouldn't be waiting that long anyway.

Death Penalty: Against 100%. To me it's a better punishment to let someone rot in prison, with no possibility of porole. Plus, it costs tax payers less.

Prostitution: I could support if there were standards for saftey.

Alcohol: Support, obviously.

Marijuana: Support, even though I don't like it, or like to be around people who do it.

Other drugs: Support medicinally, nothing legalized for public consumption though. Slippery slope here.

Gay marriage: Support. If religous folk want to keep the term "marriage" fine, then only recognize civil unions, and have marriage be one form of civil unions with the same benefits.

llegal immigrants: Depends what this means. If people don't have a reason to be here, and didn't go through the standard process, then they shouldn't be. Same rules for all people regardless of where they're from.

Smoking: Support, but I also support banning in public places that use tax money to opperate.

Drunk driving: Against. And I think the fines should be harsher.

Cloning: Against for full humans, not against for human organs, parts, etc.

Racism: Against, in all shapes, forms, and sizes. I'm against any forms of descrimination.

Premarital sex: Support of course. ;)

Religion: People should be allowed to believe anything they want (or not).

The war in Iraq: Against, have been before it even started. I think it makes us less safe.

Bush: Don't support him, but have to live with him.

Downloading music: Support, but I believe the bands should have a say in what they want for their own band. Too much control from the RIAA now.

The legal drinking age: 21 is fine.

Porn: Support, with the limits currently in place.

Suicide: Support. It's a personal choice, even though I think it's a pretty stupid thing to do (health reasons nonwithstanding).