The importance of truth

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/godpoll.asp

This morning someone posted this well-known hoax to a group of which I am a member. The fact that it was totally unrelated to the purpose of said group is bad enough but it’s also a lie. Why so many people can’t be bothered to confirm the truth of what they post is beyond my understanding. Why are so many people willing to spread lies when the truth is so easy to discover? I already knew this wasn't true but I did a quick search just to test it and found that it took 0.58 seconds to discover that fact.

I'm also disturbed when some gives their "opinion" and says I have to keep my mouth shut if I disagree. That is the opposite of what this country is about and violates the Golden Rule.

At any rate, even if this were true, an NBC poll only polls NBC viewers. It's not a vote of the entire country so it would be completely meaningless in determining what the people of the United States think.

Even this were a vote of the entire country, the United States is a *republic*, not a democracy. In a republic, there are laws to protect everyone’s rights so that no majority can vote away the rights of an individual. A person should be glad for that and protect our republic because they might need it someday but it seems most are only interested in two things:

1) Their rights to do, to live, and to believe as they choose and

2) Their “right” to control what others do, how they live, and what they believe.

I must also correct this misconstruction: The poster asks why the “world” is catering to 14%.

1) In the first place, this isn't about the world; this is about the United States of America, a republic where the 14% don't have to agree with the majority in order to have their rights protected and

2) There is no *catering*, only protections guaranteed by the United States Constitution to each individual citizen of the United States. This should be celebrated and respected because it means that 99% of the people of the United States cannot vote to take away your rights.

It is also queried if the word *God* should stay in *American culture*. The answer is that it should stay as long as there are people who want it there. People should be free to believe as they choose. They can believe, pray, and worship as they choose. They can attend the church of their choice and read the books they like and live in the freedom guaranteed by our constitution. The only catch is that they must respect the rights of others to do the same according to their own conscience. I'm not sure why that's hard for some people.

As a further note, while the pledge written in 1892, it was not adopted until 1942. From 1781 to 1942, did not having a pledge to the flag mean that people were less loyal? Up until 1954, were people less likely to believe in God? No, many polls have shown that more people believed in God back then and I also think they were more likely to understand that this is a republic and to respect the liberty and justice of all. Those principles were written into the original pledge to celebrate our freedom. "Under God" was added in the Fifties because of the Cold War and fear of "commies".

If you've read this far, thank you. I honor your respect for what others have to say and your interest in knowing the truth.

Earthchild has spoken and is interested in what you think.

What do you choose for me?

Some background:

I have been tormented with ever-increasing levels of pain for 26 years stemming from a car accident in 1990. [A young woman who wasn't paying attention rammed her Big Truck into my Omni.] Since the accident I've tried an assortment of therapies, both physical and chemical, but nothing has made more than a temporary dent and many of the chemical treatments caused unpleasant side effects. Some nights I wake up in so much pain that I can't sleep and can only sit and cry. Some days I think there is no point in living like this and long for it to end.

The possibility of medical cannabis caught my eye some time ago but it is illegal where I currently live. Many long years ago, even before the accident, I smoked some cannabis with people I knew at that time. I wasn't that impressed and moved on. I never craved it; I just happened to be at gatherings where it was being smoked so I tried it a few times. Since that time I've never had any desire for it. So much for addiction. [Cigarettes are another matter. Over six years without and I still sometimes want a cigarette.]

With that background in mind, which do you choose for me?

1. Remain in constant daily pain that sometimes keeps me from doing normal daily activities and always reduces my quality of life.

2. Take strong opioids that don't take away nearly enough of the pain to make life worth living and can cause unpleasant side-effects.

3. Try some cannabis and see if I really can get some relief like so many others have found.

4. No point in adding this one because I probably wouldn't do it but: End my miserable life.

5. If there is another option, please add it in the comments.

Now that you've made my choice, tell me this: Other than the fact that I just asked you to choose, why do you think you have the right to choose for me? Why do you claim the right to decide what medical treatments I can use or what substances I put into my own body? Seriously, I have no desire to decide for you what you can do with your own body so why your big interest in mine? I think I'm adult enough to make my own choices and should be able to do so without risk of legal penalties.

Earthchild has spoken and is interested in what you have to say. Please comment below.