Season 2 : Episode 6 "Enabling the Addict"

I am increasingly shocked by the stories and articles I see in the news. Generally it is disappointing because topics that really are important aren't being written. And when something of importance is discussed is because it has become so alarmingly atrocious or because it is politically charged. This morning I read an article about a new Task Force that was created in the state of Washington for Seattle because of the increased deaths it has been experiencing due to Opiod overdoses which have raised by 60% over the last year. The Article was written by Jonah Bromwich the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/26/us/seattles-potential-solution-for-heroin-epidemic-places-for-legal-drug-use.html?_r=0

The task force is considering as their solution to present to the Mayor of creating drug safe facilities where those with addictions can shoot up, smoke & get high under trained supervision. The goal is clearly to focus on one of the most severe consequences of drugs and that is the transmit of disease through unclean needles and the rising death rate from drug overdoses. This has been tried in other various Countries including Vancouver Canada without bringing increased crime to the areas the facilities have been created.

We are in an Era in the United States to overthrow morality in the name of acceptance, really it is appealing to the idea that you must break the rules to be accepting. They take something that appeals to the goodness of human nature to help others to be kind to others and they abuse it into something that is more than kindness. In this case it is called enabling. Enabling is when you "make someone able to do something" as defined by Miriam Websters dictionary. Those who have themselves, friends or family who have been or currently are involved in a drug addiction will be familiar with the term. It is when we trying to be kind and to help them and in the process give them the tools they need to continue in their addiction.

Those who support this new proposal by the Task Force are simply enabling the user to abuse drugs, harm their body and  break the law. Drug addiction is a disease it affects the brain destroys your ability to make rational decisions. There will be people who use these locations but there will be many who will not because it doesn't matter, all that matters is that they get their next high. It super-cedes all other desires or needs pushing beyond, relationships, responsibility and eventually the need to eat. It becomes the most essential and important piece of their life.

This is a solution with so many flaws. First it focuses on a symptom and not the problem. One cannot cure cancer by simply going to sleep when it takes all the energy out of their body, exhaustion is simply a symptom . The problem is a lack of education to our youth, increased support of drug abuse & gateway drugs, a prolific amount of Opiod prescriptions being given to patients and more free access than ever known before to the deadly substance.

Rather than focusing more energy on creating new gender identities for our kids to learn in school the time should be used to educate them on the variety of drugs and the effects they ultimately have on the body. It should be spent teaching about addiction and how it destroys your freedom  to choose by enslaving you to your addiction.

We need to be aware of the changes happening to our country because of the politically correct decisions of others and haste to support causes they do not fully understand. Firstly we have a crisis of Black Tar entering the country through our southern border. Because of recent law changes to allow the medical and recreational use of marijuana in some states it has now destroyed the market for farming in Mexico. Instead they have seen an increase in poppy farms and sending the narcotics straight to the U.S. Supporting a known gateway drug like marijuana will only increase the amount of people who choose to try deadlier substances.

We have too many prescriptions being written for addictive substances and sometimes indifference even with the knowledge that an individual has had addictions in the past or now struggles with the problem when writing them. Fewer prescriptions need to be written and doctors need to be monitored for high levels of prescriptions per the ratios of clients they see.

Finally rather than free college across the United States we provide a simple federal grant program to those struggling with addiction to get into a recovery center which often have unrealistic and expensive rates those trapped in addiction could not afford without insurance. Family members who often do not have the funds are forced to take out 2nd mortgages to pay for a program that is not even a guaranteed solution.

We are facing an epidemic. New solutions do need to be brought to the table but supporting drug use and perpetuating the life of those caught in addiction only makes a more difficult problem. Yes, we should strive to prevent overdoses but if we aren't stopping access to the poison or providing more treatment to those afflicted our wound is only going to fester.

-Trent D Nielson

* Additional sources provided upon request, there was not enough time provide citations at the creation of this posting.

Season Two : Episode 5 "Opinions and Decisions : Oregon and its Occupation"

Recently in the news there has been so much turmoil. Wars and rumors of wars. Scandals and heartbreak. Yet there have been a few good things too. Among all of the media there has been a story I have been following on a group of people some in Oregon who were fighting for a cause they believed in regarding a dispute of lands. There will always be judgement and speculation when justice is delivered. Men will not always be perfect in giving justice either. I am surprised to see members of the church rallying around and supporting these people who disregarded the law by force to demand their desires. Some look at them as martyrs when they placed themselves in the situation which lead to their demise and endangered those around them by their extreme actions.

The scriptures warn of false prophets. I believe those who cannot honor the laws of the land, especially a land which is founded on freedom, to promote their cause is someone we should be wary of. We live in a country of many freedoms, we have a political system where we can help make decisions of whom will be our leaders will be both locally and on a national scale. We can write letters, call & meet with local leaders to accomplish our desires. We can get our message out via social media and other resources.

I have a friend and  I would like to share some of his experiences. There was a time his country was covered in war. Many freedoms were being taken from them by groups of people who sought to establish their own will across the land. The government could not protect villages in outlying areas and they were threatened daily of being attacked. The attackers were merciless and if they gained advantage they would force the children to kill their parents or die themselves. He was forced to fight and wonder each night if he would wake up alive or if these enemies would come and destroy them in the night. He lived in fear and in turmoil. That was a country where freedoms were gone, that is a country where you must defend yourself by arms. That is not the case in America, we have so much freedom and so many blessings. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released this statement concerning the events in Oregon. momromnewsroom link

I share that story to show the contrast of someone who fought because he had to defend his life and those he loved because they were first attacked by those who sought to rule over them. In the book of  Mormon we learn that one may fight for their protection and their freedom but we also learn of people who went to war to take back land which they thought was their's but inasmuch as they took arms against their enemies they were not supported of the Lord and they fell. It was a time for them to submit themselves to their trials and trust in the Lord that another way would be provided. It is my belief the Lord always wants us to seek a peaceful way to resolve our disputes. I ask you if this is the case in Oregon? Who were the people to take up arms first? Who were the people to disregard the laws of the land? Who sought to enforce what they perceived the law of the land in their own ways? I may live in the west but the days of the Wild West is far behind us lands have been given and declared. There are no cowboys who can come with a gun and take what they think is theirs. I am grateful that my taxes pay for my protection against those who become so extreme and dangerous to those around them. I am grateful to a father who has been an officer for many years who has put his life on the line multiple times to protect those around him. I am grateful to family who have died in the service to protect our nation.

I believe in gun rights but when we have cases like these of people abusing the freedoms they have been given it puts in danger the freedoms for everyone. Do you see that?

Their are consequences all around us. For writing this blog I will have some people who are frustrated with the point of view I have expressed. When we disregard the law and threaten others with weapons then we also have consequences. Whether you believe they were correct about the land dispute or not I hope you can recognize that their other ways to accomplish those goals.