These are the only "kids" I'll ever raise, haha.

Top left: Patches aka "Miss Thing"

Top right: Willa

Bottom left: Chuck aka Chuckles, full name Chuckles McChuckenstuff

Alright, it's rant time.

My first and best friend had sex with an underage girl in, oh, around 2006. He was 19. Here's the thing--She claimed to be 18, but as we later found out, she was actually 15. Fast forward a year, and my friend is questioned by the police about the same girl. Not related to sex, though. The girl had apparently ran away from home, and my friend happened to know where she was. Being the good, honest person he is, he told them.

Big mistake.

In retaliation, this girl goes to the police and tells them that a year ago my friend had sex with her. Keep in mind she told him she was 18. No matter--my friend was charged with statutory rape and several other sex related charges. He's also labeled as a sex offender for the rest of his life. They had him in the county jail for several months, until they transferred him to prison. He's been in jail/prison since 2007. He's expected to be out November, 2011, but could be out sooner if he continues his schooling.

Why aren't the REAL sex offenders locked up? For example, there's a guy who mows two of my neighbor's lawns. In addition to yard work, he also enjoys drooling over elementary students as they get on the bus. He has molested several kids. So why isn't he in the slammer? Something needs to be done with the justice system. More specific charge criteria and a better prison system, including rehabilitation upon release. Until then, innocent people will continue to be locked up, and many inmates will continue to commit crimes after being released. It's sad but true.

It's high time marijuana should be legalized. I'm not saying RIGHT NOW. There's too many other crises happening that our country has to deal with. Maybe once those problems are resolved, we can focus on pushing legislation through. 2.1 million Americans smoke pot. Imagine if each stoner donated $5 to NORML. Maybe then they'd have enough sway to push a bill through. See, that's the problem. The pharmaceutical companies are essentially buying votes. Marijuana legislation will never make it through as long as Big Pharma controls the votes. The only way I see it happening is if the federal government steps in. Hell, we've got enough of a liberal administration! Which reminds me, marijuana could be our way out of debt. Sell marijuana cigarettes at pot cafes. The only problem with that is that the government will probably add so many chemicals that they'll be worse for you than cigarettes. I'm almost AGAINST legalization due to that very reason. Marijuana isn't all that addictive; let's not change that Maybe we should just cross our fingers in hope for decriminalization.