Man Of Jackistan: Reason and Truth's Time and Place

Q&A: "What Countries Are Still Communist Today?" Originally January 16, 2019 No country on Earth today can tout a true system of communism. The Soviet Union had a socialist system; its leaders claimed that before converting to pure communism, the country would have to endure a transitionary stage of government called socialism. Thus, when most people think of communism, they think of the old USSR and other governments modeled after it. Rather, real communism exists only in the writings of Marx and Engels.  Nowadays, only a handful of sovereign states call themselves anything close to communism, be it the Soviet style or real kind. Usually, their governments actually look very different than what communism entails. This goes along with how red countries often call themselves things like a “democratic people’s republic.” Freedom has no place in these nations, ruled by tyrants... For example, North Korea--formally named the Democratic People's Republic of K...

Q&A: "Are People Better Or Worse Off With All The Prescription Drugs We Have These Days?" Contains Subjective Input/Opinion Originally January 15, 2019 A lot of people have to think hard about this question, citing all the possible side effects of any given Rx as reason alone to criticize the scope of prescription drugs in the United States and elsewhere. Also, Big Pharma has some fairly shady marketing practices at times. Many believe that these companies made up disorders like Restless Leg Syndrome and ADHD just to sell pills, when the medical community clearly recognizes these as legitimate syndromes with particular treatments. Again, the marketing strategies employed by Big Pharma cross into shady territory all too often, but they don’t belong to some grand conspiracy that makes up mental illnesses in order to drug different-minded people into submission to the status quo… Before going off on some tangents that explore America's obsession with pharmaceuti...

Q&A: "How Do People Pass Drug Tests Even Though They Still Get High?" Contains Subjective Input Originally January 14, 2019 With “don’t do drugs” being the lamest and least helpful response to this question, let me at least say that if a person has ingested a substance, its presence can be traced in their body for some time afterwards, so anyone who chooses to take drugs must take that into account when making a decision. Nobody should do any drugs, but realistically, those who choose to use are urged to at least take any precautions possible to minimize the harm done to themselves and others... Also, none of the info contained here should compel a person to try and cheat a drug screen, especially one for probation etc. Also, numbers such as the detection windows listed one should take with a grain of salt, do more research elsewhere to get an even better estimate, and remember: individual circumstances and the specific test will influence the outcome more than...

Q&A: "How Intense Is Opioid Withdrawal?" Includes Subjective Opinions Originally composed January 14, 2019 From time to time, I will take and answer questions. Additionally, on occasion, I will also answer questions or write articles by throwing my personal experience into the mix (always labelled as editorials). Question: "How Intense Is Opioid Withdrawal?" Well, it depends. That’s like asking “how much does getting a body part chopped off hurt?” One could lose a finger or a whole limb, and both will really hurt, though one will bring more severe pain than the other. Likewise, with opioid withdrawal, consider it on a spectrum. Somebody who has taken 5 mg of Vicodin (hydrocodone) twice a day for two months will likely experience some symptoms when ceasing to take the drug, though not nearly as many symptoms or to the degree that will be experienced by an I.V. heroin user who has injected $100 of the stuff each day for two years. Regardless of...