For number 8 on the All About Me writing prompts, found here, we are to talk about five passions we have. I’ve always found this Meatloaf song to be passionate so, while it may not necessarily go with the post, I feel the passion is there. In any case, when I think of passions I think of soapboxes, of which I have many. I don’t believe finding 5 will be difficult so without further ado…..

  1. Soapbox 1 is domestic abuse. I’ve written about these awesome movers before here. They are willing to move women who are victims of abuse anywhere, for free. My hats go off to them. Verbal abuse is just as damaging as physical abuse. In fact, verbal abusers are easier to write off because you think, Oh, but he didn’t hit me. But he did, each and every word he (or she) told you was specially crafted for ultimate impact. He (or she) is not going to change, unless they make a serious concerted effort. Most of these abusers won’t. Please, talk to someone. Get help. Most cities have a local support system. The national hotline for abused women can be found here and their number is 1-800-799-7233.
  2. Soapbox 2 is gun control. Now, I personally have a black belt in ATA taekwondo and I feel more comfortable with my hands. I probably have a little less fear than is healthy for a woman of my age to have because I feel I could do some damage if needed. That being said, were I to hurt someone I could be tried as a deadly weapon. I’ve had years of training and I know how to really hurt someone. Why should people be allowed to own guns without proper training? And we have spent the past 100 years developing more effective killing machines. If someone feels they need a shotgun or handgun to defend themselves, let them! But, do they need automatic weapons? Should they be allowed to own these guns without proper, and in many cases without any, training? Considering that home gun owners are more likely to shoot a family member or themselves with their gun than an intruder, I would say absolutely!
  3. Soapbox 3 is marriage between two parties of the same sex. I refuse to call this “gay” marriage because its no different than marriage. They are committing to each other and only each other. Children raised by homosexual parents are more likely to be accepting and well-adjusted than other children raised by heterosexual parents. There is plenty of research to back this up. Why could it possibly be anyone else’s business what someone does behind the closed doors of their own relationships? I think if more people spent time working on their own families and relationships, they would have a lot less time to spend worrying about what their neighbor may or may not be doing.
  4. Soapbox 4 has got to be women’s rights. The fact that anyone believes they have a right to determine what someone does with their own body is beyond me. Putting aside for a moment that most of these laws are written, largely, by men, let’s think back to how Viagra was discovered. Many of you may not realize that Viagra was originally designed as a blood pressure medication. As soon as men found out that the side effect of this medication was that men of a certain age could be guaranteed a stiffy, it became a multi-million dollar business. Bottom line: If you have a penis and it helps you get an erection, lets go whole hog. If you have a vagina, you gotta ask the court for your rights to control it.
  5. Soapbox 5 is the best for last, and everyone’s favorite controversial subject, medical cannabis. I wrote my Master’s level thesis about this subject. It was pioneering and the first of its kind and I’m quite proud of it. I found that 97% of people felt that doctors and patients should make decisions regarding medical cannabis, not the federal government. I also found that 75% of people reporting felt that medical cannabis should be federally legal. This is my standing. I believe until we get a federal law, we will continue to have the trial and tribulations, largely unfounded myths to overcome, etc. I hope that once the election is over, provided the worst doesn’t happen (which would be if Trump were to get elected) I’m hoping we shall have one.

Until then, I shall continue to get on my soapbox when necessary.

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