An American dilemma facing the nation once again has come to the forefront of the medical community in Maryland’s petition to allow doctor assisted suicide, will Maryland become the 6th state of the union to allow such a practice?
In the article “Maryland house committee to hear testimony for End of Life Options” by Ovetta Wiggins in the Washington post on February 9th we can see an excellent example of the Value-conflict’s moral typology. Maryland tried to pass the bill last year under the name The Death with Dignity Act which failed to pass. This year the Death with Dignity Act was renamed The End of Life Options bill as well as the addition of some new conditions to the bill to alleviate some concerns of the states law makers. The newly added conditions are as follows,
1. There would be a private consultation between the patient and their doctor to insure that doctor assisted suicide option is truly what the patients wants of their own free will (i.e. outside influences that could have affected the patients medical choices)
2. The state of Maryland would have to set up a statewide database to record and track the number of patient doctor assisted suicide’s preformed in Maryland.
3. The patient must have 6 or less months to live and be physically capable of taking the doctor prescribed medication.
At the forefront of Maryland’s doctor assisted suicide is the concern pertaining to the intellectually/developmental disabled citizens living in Maryland. If Maryland effectively passes then the mentally disabled citizens of Maryland would have access as well to doctor assisted suicide but the troubling question is could/can a mentally disabled patient able to make such a serious medical decision? As of now the mentally disabled community of Maryland along with the Catholic Church stand in stern opposition to the End of Life Options Bill. The mentally disabled community sites a previous history of mentally disabled people having access to proper medical care due to their perceived lesser value in society as its chief reason for its objection.
A great deal of controversy arises from the simple wording, instead of calling it assisted suicide it should be referred to as doctor assisted Euthanasia.The reason for this is to combat the negative stigma surrounding the word suicide. The religious would tell you suicide is a damnable sin, law enforcement will tell you suicide is illegal and the public as a whole tells you growing up as well as an adult that suicide is just plain wrong and should be looked down upon. The crux of the doctor assisted suicide debate lies in the use and definition of the word suicide. That is to say for the average person suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem like drug addiction or bi polar depression which can be treated with rehab, medications and therapy.
But when one talks about doctor assisted suicide its an entirely different affair. A patient who is diagnosed with a terminal disease (example being Aids,MS or Cancer Etc.) its effectively a death sentence, the afflicted patient has absolutely no chance of recovering from said disease. Not only that but with 6 or less months to live its safe to say the patient has already suffered immensely physically,emotionally and mentally already.
The question at hand that we must ask ourselves is if the personal values/judgements of the majority should deny individuals the right to end their pain and suffering by choosing doctor assisted suicide.
Tag: personal opinion
The Hypocrisy Of MTV And The American Viewer
Many moons ago at this point MTV (or better known back in the day as Music Television because 1,000 years ago they actually played music videos 24-7) aired a American remake of the British hit show “Skins” that followed a group of high school friends daily lives, interactions, relationships and so on.
Now again its fucking funny how here in America we tout our FREEDOM OF SPEECH allowed us by the 1st Amendment, BUT then the government creates the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) who’s sole job is to censor tv, radio, print news and are attempting, and failing so far miserably to say the least, the Internet via Social Media.
The FCC is not the only one to blame for its the American public that likes to think we are culturally evolved, and armed with the 1st Amendment we believe we are a socially open and accepting of art in any form. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
In the original British version the teens portrayed in the show did engage in Smoking Pot (which in America is legal in 25 states or 1/2 of America) ,and TOTALLY illegal in Briton though their attitude towards Marijuana has always be more liberal and lax then in American historically speaking.
The teenage characters also drank beer/booze freely, BUT remember in Briton the legal drinking age is 18. Not to mention Alcohol is the 1st intoxicant (fact Google it) teens try first. Though in the Pharmaceutical age Pills are replacing alcohol at an alarming rate, but thats another story.
The High School characters (played by high school age kids, not 20-30 somethings pretending to be high school students like Beverly Hills 90210 bullshit, or 21 Jump Street) surprise, surprise have sex. NOW this is not to say or imply gratuitous sex complete with nudity. In fact the scenes were no more offensive than a basic American movie love scene or tamer even. You see the teens start to hook up kissing and shit, and then the camera fadeout or transitions to the next scene. You also at times saw the teen couple lying in bed (completely covered again NO NUDITY) after having sex, BUT you NEVER saw the teens actually having simulated sex with each other.
MTV saw the popularity of the show in Briton and decided since Hollywood has died due to being void of new ideas/creative concepts that they’d just take a British hit show, Americanize it, and enjoy the high ratings. That never even came close to happening. What did happen was the American public went absolutely apeshit and caused a massive public backlash. Americans were horrified by the drinking, appalled at the Pot smoking ,and utterly repulsed even by the idea of FICTIONAL TEEN TV SHOW CHARACTERS hooking up in ANY way what so ever.
There 2 issues I have with the American public on this subject. One being the age old conundrum of sex vs. violence. American’s bitch constantly about violence on tv (and every where else for that matter) BUT when it comes to sex violence becomes acceptable. George R.R. Martin once said in an interview about his hit HBO series “Game of Thrones” (based on his books) “It never stops amazing me how on the show people get angry over the showing of a naked breast when in the next scene a mans head is cut in half with a Battle Ax in extremely graphic detail.” I couldn’t agree more Americans are hypocritical when it comes to sex, violence or both.
The second issue I have is with the American public AND MTV. The American Public freaked the fuck out over “Skins” subject matter and portrayal of teens sex lives, BUT heres the HYPOCRISY. While enraged at the behavior of FICTIONAL characters the American public had no problem with MTV’s other show “16 and Pregnant”. The show “16 and Pregnant” was a reality tv show that followed REAL LIFE UNDERAGE PREGNANT TEEN MOTHERS, their families, their friends , and occasionally the TEENAGE FATHER.
If Americans claim to be free yet their actually restricted as fuck, and the American public are NOT socially enlightened at all in fact their predominately MENTAL MIDGETS offended by damn near everything. So how the hell do Americans justify condemning a FICTIONAL SHOW because of its content and because of how it could influence/affect American teens in real life, BUT fully endorse and embrace a tv show that damn near glamorized underage high school pregnancies?!
What the fuck is exactly wrong with Americans who claim to be accepting but are ANYTHING but based on American social norms?!
END THE HYPOCRISY AND TRULY UTILIZE THE FIRST FUCKING AMENDMENT. The world s full of sex, drugs, drinking, and socially unacceptable behavior so restricting Television shows based on “objectionable” content won’t accomplish a fucking thing.
CENCORSHIP IS UNAMERICAN.
FIGHT THE FCC.
FUCK HYPOCRACY IN ALL ITS FORMS.
Less Sober Begrudgingly On Less Sober
Ask and You shall receive they say well I hold more with the saying be careful for what you wish for because you might just get it. In this case in particular Your Gonna Get It Ladies and Gentlemen. I fully understand especially in the age of social media dominated by millennials that someone attracts the exact attention I don’t want. See the less you say about yourself now a days the more ravenous the curiosity of others grows and abounds. So for those who wanted to know so goddamn bad that they annoyed me to the edge of sanity this ones for you so with that said I don’t want to hear anymore personal questions about me from here out.
Here some facts in Bullet Note form:
Age: Old enough to be considered Ancient.
Looks: Like a Basic Human with 10 and 2 of everything required.
Right or Left Handed: Ambidextrous
Education: Street Smarts with a Collage Education.
Occupation/Vocation: Writer/Expert Cryptozoologist on Chupacabras.
Salary: I’m chronically broke, but I can pay my bills.
Social Status: Social Deviant
Marital Status: Married to my Wife
Ethnicity: Unknown due to the fact that if I were a dog breed I’d be a Ethnic Mutt.
Accent: Slight Southern Accent that slips in occasionally.
Tricks: Getting people to buy any absurdity based on Reasonable Doubt
Polotics: I agree with George Washington when he said “A Two Party System will DESTROY AMERICA.
Hobbies: Sharpening my knife collection or cleaning my guns while thinking about people I hate.
Addictions: Ex Junkie, Heavy Drinker, Fast Food, Death, Doom and Destruction, People Watching.
Pot Smoker: Yes daily
Social Media Used: Twitter and FaceBook only for Blog Promotion nothing else.
Obsessions: Sociology, Death Metal, Horror Movies, My Dogs & Snakes, Revenge, Under Dogs, Anything Anti Authority, The Occult, and more.
Beliefs: I do not believe in organized religion of any kind, I prefer Spirituality. I also fully endorse Karma.
Superstitions: Murphy’s Law, It’ll Get You Ever Time Without Fail.
Attitude (General): Stubborn, Aggressive, Impulsive, Opinionated, Demanding, High expectations of others and most of all self, Vengeful at times, Anger bordering Rage (Terrible Temper), Sceptic, Natural Born Pessimist, little to no Patience, open minded, Sarcastic, Trust Worthy, Loyal to a Fault, Witty, Entertaining, and Extreme Story Teller to name just a few.
Prejudices: I hate the Rich, The Police, The Government and any Institution of Authority such as the FCC. I hate millennials with a undying passion. I hate technology but use it as it becomes a necessity because the public integrates it into social life. I hate big pharmaceutical companies, Lobbyists, Politicians, The Legal System, Taxes, The Health Care System, Large Corporations, Bullies of any kind, SUVs, Rules and most Laws. Think thats enough to list for now.
Ambitions: To make a comfortable living as a writer and to get this Weblog financially self sustaining. Becoming a Marijuana Millionaire in the Medical/Recreational Marijuana industry. (It be nice to get paid for what I know as opposed to be sent to prison for it.)
Medical History: I had Hep-C and was treated making a 100% recovery. I have never broken a bone, BUT I’ve had more stitches then I can count, and I had my Appendix removed TWICE (but thats another story all together)
Sex: I was born with a penis so obviously Male.
Fears: There will never be justice.
Pets: English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Miniature Dachshund (who is completely deaf and only has 1/2 her vision in her left eye) Ball Python, and a Colombian Rainbow Boa Constrictor. Also 3 evil ass cats.
Tattoos/Piercings: No Piercings, 6 Tattoos with plans for many more
Handwriting: Shitty, my handwriting makes Doctor’s handwriting look legible.
Friends: Small Handful of people I have met throughout my life. I generally dislike people and avoid them a great deal.
Personality Type: EXTREMELY Introverted
Favorite Movie: The Toxic Avenger
Favorite Singer: Chris Barns (formally of Cannibal Corpse now with 6 Feet Under)
Favorite Band: Currently for the last 3 years or so Ghost (also known as Ghost BC in America due to copyright laws)
Hometown: Cliche USA
Currently Living: In Parts Unknown to Man and Beast
Country of Origin: Antartica
Astrological Sign: Maximus
Personal Heros: Nicola Machiavelli, Nicola Tesla, Vlad the Impaler, Genghis Khan, Hunter S. Thompson, Lloyd Kaufman, George Remero, Les Claypool, Tobe Hooper, Eli Roth, Doug Benson, Sam Kinison, Samuel Jackson, G.G. Allin, Kevin Smith, Kevin Spacey, Ron Jeremy, Popcorn Sutton, Johny Cash, Tommy Chong, Scortese, Dr. Ray, Jerry Springer, Doyle, Merle Allin, Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus), Mr. Lordi, Werner Herzog, Micheal Jordan, Cliff Burton, Clive Barker, Wes Craven, and thats plenty for this piece.
Favorite Color: Black (the absence of color)
Favorite Song: Bite It You Scum by G.G. Allin & The Murder Junkies
Siblings: Yes 1 younger brother Moore Sober
Instruments: Used to play Bass guitar, but gave it up along with my teenage dreams of being a rock star.
Height: The National Average for my demographic
Weight: Could stand to lose 3-5 pounds.
Sports: I do not play any sports and am anything but a sports fan.
High School: Ignorant High
Favorite book: Tie between “1984” and “Animal Farm”
Favorite Place: Inside my own head
Fame, Fortune & Fuck All
W.H. Auden once said “The interests of a writer and the interests of his readers are never the same and if, on occasion, they happen to coincide, this is a lucky accident.” I believe Auden was commenting on two different points derived from the same statement. First Auden is simply explaining that what a writer finds interesting, and thusly writes about, in no way guarantees that potential reader’s will be interested in what the writer had written. Second I believe Auden was stating that even when reader’s read a written piece it doesn’t mean they will get the same meaning as other readers or even the author. People’s perceptions are as unique to the reader as their views and opinions, so no two readers will interpret one piece in the same way.
I completely, totally, and absolutely agree with Auden’s statement. If I’m not interested in a subject then I won’t ever write about it. I don’t pander in anyway, shape, or form to or for possible readers I write for an audience of one, and that one is me. I am also fully aware that not everyone will read, enjoy, or like what I have written and I welcome it all good, bad and indifferent. I know as a writer that my so called demographic will be a niche market appealing to only a few select people, but with the assistance of the internet a writer’s audience has gone global which helps niche writers find their following.
I Don’t Repeat Myself, You Should Have Been Listening
DISCLAIMER ONCE AND FOR ALL: Just like any tv or movie bullshit, all names and places have been changed because I don’t want to get fucking sued for slander or defamation of character or some shit.
Another reason I change Names and Places is due to the fact I don’t want people to know shit about me as far as the off line world is concerned.
BUT I assure you these people are real living, breathing people, and why the hell should you believe me? Good question, the answer is YOU CAN’T MAKE THESE PEOPLE UP. Reality always trumps Hollywood, thats why I believe its Art Imitates Life and not the other way around.
Time to Criticize the Critics
Heres my question if they say art is subjective then why in the name of all things absurd do we need critics, and moreover why do people listen to these parasitical morons? Now ALL art is subjective its not limited to just painting/drawing its all inclusive painting,sculpture,writing,drawing,performance art etc. Now subjective means its up to the viewer/reader to determine for themselves what the said meaning of the piece is or was which means people may or may not agree. The question then becomes why do people believe what critics say, its just their fucking idea(s) so why not just formulate your own idea(s) Just because some critic thinks its good or bad is utterly indifferent because unless your thoughts are previously tainted by the influence of a review(s) chances are you wouldn’t agree. Thats what a critic really is just an over opinionated and some what egotistical person who believes their ideas/opinions are absolutely the end all be all on a said subject. To blindly comply to the point you think the critic is so invaluable that you believe what they say instead of finding out what you really think on your own.
About time for some criticism
From time to time I will be posting reviews of other blogs. I utterly believe with the ever expanding field of blogging that a Critic is well needed, if not a necessity.
So I am happy as hell to announce that (As far as I’m aware. Just saying so some smug douche who’s waiting to talk shit in a know- it- all manner can calm the fuck down and not bother posting a response.) as off now
I am the first official blog Critic
and
May I say that the shit has now hit the fan, shit is about to get real interesting.
Just Saying
They say “Whatever floats your boat.”
I Say “Fine, just don’t dock your boat at my pier.”