"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This is the first section of the thirteenth amendment to the US Constitution. Even with this amendment in place, there is still the military draft. Since, we are at war, I thought that this might be a good topic as well as the fact that there are many opinions concerning it. So...

Is the military draft backed by law?

Should it be legal in the first place?

What is wrong with the draft, if anything?

What are the benefits of the draft, if there are any?

Does it restrict a person's human rights?

Does it restrict a person's civil rights?

Historically, has the draft been good?

As always, please give reasons for your answers. I tried to ask a few open-ended questions to promote this. Also, if you have any topic ideas, you can e-mail them to me...

Wow! I have to tell you that I have gotten so many e-mails asking and some of them begging for another post. Well…the day has come. I have found that me posting on Xanga is not a privilege but an obligation. I guess that my best excuse would be that I am busy which really isn’t a good excuse. One of my recent things that I have had to do is write a term paper. I chose a controversial topic (go figure). The topic that I chose was pacifism. So, I thought that that would be a good topic to put up on my Xanga. So…here it goes:

What is pacifism?

Is pacifism good?

Is war always just?

Is war never just?  

(If “no” to both) When is war just? 

Can war be just and kill innocent people?

What does “just” even mean? 

As always please GIVE REASONS for your answers. What you say does not matter unless you give support. Please, feel free to talk about other questions and topics concerning pacifism. Also, if you have any suggestions on new topics either post them or e-mail them to me. With that said…please post and sorry for not posting for a long time.

All over the world there are laws about gun. Gun control laws as people call them. I would like to deal only with gun control or lack thereof in the U.S., however if you want to bring up examples from other countries then that’s ok too.  The Second Amendment states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” That is where people say that we citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. So…here are the questions:

Should we have gun control?

Should we have a right to carry concealed guns?

Does the second amendment only apply to a Militia?

Would having gun control save lives?

What would be the purpose of a gun control law?

Does the second amendment give people the absolute right to keep and bear arms?

Should guns be more or less available then they are now?

Should there be gun registration?

Please give reasons for your arguments.  Thanks…and that’s it for now…

--Chris Maciel