Dazed and Confused

Here are some links on drugs:

• The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's case against legalizing drugs.
• James Q. Wilson's defense of keeping drugs illegal that we're reading in class.
  
• The two faces of America's drug policy.
• A case for keeping weed specifically illegal.
• Legalize Pot? We Think Not!
• Criminalizing pot keeps cops from doing police work, and crowds prisons.
• A recent article celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the groundbreaking study on the medical value of marijuana.
• What was the Supreme Court thinking when it kept medical marijuana illegal?
• A radio show on drug legalization. And another on pot laws.
• Facts on weed, from Ethan Nadelmann's organization trying to stop the drug war.
• Slippery Slope? Pot doesn't lead to heroin!

Finally, here's Nadelmann's interview on the Colbert Report:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know a Lobby - Drug Lobby
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

PowerPorn

Here's Marc Wicclair's argument against censoring pornography from Team Porn's PowerPoint presentation in class:

P1) Pornography sometimes depicts degrading but still legal practices, and censoring the depiction of legal practices is odd.
P2) Censoring porn may cause danger due to the resulting vague laws of what counts as "degrading."
P3) It's legally difficult to determine which films/photos actually condone the bad practices they depict.
P4) There's no solid evidence that porn causes more violence against women (in fact, it may prevent some by being cathartic).
P5) Censorship is only justified in cases of “clear and present danger,” and porn doesn’t cause any obvious “clear and present danger."
P6) Censorship would be the rule rather than an exception, and such pervasive censorship is incompatible with truly free society.
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C) Pornography shouldn't be censored.

No Second Paper

Just a reminder that we decided to not assign a second paper for class. Everyone will get full credit (100 points) for the second paper.

We Have to Give?

Here is some stuff on giving to charity.

• Free Charity! The Hunger Site. Just clicking there donates food! Also, try the word game at FreeRice.
• Affordable Charities! $10 Club, Microcredit, & Oxfam.
• Research on Effective Charities! Want to know which charities aren't squandering their donations? Check out Charity Navigator or GiveWell.
• Peter Singer's been promoting his new book a lot lately. He's pointed out the biases that keep us from giving, and called out professors for not teaching about poverty.
  
• NPR's Fresh Air ran a radio interview with someone who argues that a lot of current aid does more harm than good. (Donate to his organization here.)
• Here's a great article on the concerns about giving aid to African nations. I recommend reading the last section.
• Why would we give away the money we earn? (This article even references Thomas Nagel's anti-I'M-SPECIAL-ism.)
  

Finally, here's Peter Singer's recent Colbert Report interview .

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Peter Singer
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Naked Morality

Here are some links related to our discussion of the ethics of pornography:

• Is porn legitimate free speech?
  
• In class, we'll be focusing on criticisms of porn from a feminist perspective. But many argue that feminism and porn can coexist.
• Exorcising Pornography (1985 Boston Review)
• Exchange: Catherine MacKinnon & Ronald Dworkin (New York Review of Books)
• In Praise of Porn (Reason)

Hunting

-via FailBlog