Smoking is bad for you, period. No one can deny that. E-cigarettes were created as a replacement for traditional, harmful cigarettes. The use of tobacco started about 2,000 years ago, though it has been growing for around 8,000 years. Initially it was used to be smoked during cultural or religious ceremonies or events. During the 1920’s was when the first medical reports linking lung cancer to smoking tobacco began to appear. Despite these new findings, many newspapers refused to print these findings as to not offend tobacco companies, which were heavily advertised in the media. Smoking increased dramatically during the world wars, especially among soldiers as cigarettes were used as a morale booster. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that it became less popular when people became more educated on the adverse health effects smoking has on a person’s body. It has been predicted that by the year 2020, approximately 10 million people will die annually from continuous tobacco use.
Justice Remains Unserved for Standing Rock Sioux
Oil pipelines are one of the many examples of resources that are harming our environment, with that being said, the reason the Dakota Access Pipeline is such a substantial issue is because it not only damages our ecosystem, but it also passes through sacred lands of the Standing Rock Sioux. These pipelines are a long standing controversy and a symbol of the bigger battle over the future of energy production and climate change policy over the past several years. The Standing Rock Sioux reservation is heavily impacted by this occurrence since they are the soul nuisance standing in the way of the creation of this oil pipeline.
Gerrymandering is an attack on democracy
by Kanani Smull
On June 27, the Supreme Court said that it had no role to play in partisan gerrymandering. Essentially, SCOTUS said that if state legislators want to draw the lines of their own districts and those of their members of Congress using political calculations, then it’s not the court’s job to stop them. Alternatively, state legislatures are given that power and can exert it as they see fit. Technically, this ruling has impacted both Democrats and Republicans equally. Over the last several decades, both parties have shown a willingness to push their partisan advantage in the decennial line-drawing process. In fact, the cases on which the court ruled on Thursday involved one Democratic gerrymander (Maryland) and one Republican gerrymander (North Carolina). However, I argue that Republicans will be reaping the most benefits from this ruling due to avalanche state elections in their favor both in 2010 and 2014. In my own opinion, the court’s gerrymandering decision is understandable, but still wrong.
Why We Should Accept Immigrants
We have seen the pictures; we have heard the stories. Everyone knows about the crisis that is going on at the Mexican border of the United States of America. But what exactly is happening down there? We hear opinions, usually one extreme or the other—we hear those who share the harrowing stories of immigrant children who died in America’s custody, and we hear those who agree with President Donald Trump’s bogus idea of building a giant wall all along the Mexican border—but rarely do we hear what is actually occurring. So beyond the pictures of innocent foreign children whose lives have been cut short, beyond the intensely heated debates about shutting down DACA and forcing Mexico to pay for this wall, let’s take a look at the facts. The real stories. And in doing so, I will show you why America should be more kind and accepting of immigrants into this country; why we should not build a wall between America and Mexico, why we should stop these horrible raids committed by ICE (the US Immigration and Customs Enforcements), and why we should make conditions safe and healthy for immigrants waiting to cross over into this “great” country of ours.
808 Opinions 