Abstract
This paper examines how it has always been a primary role of governments to spread information within their borders and how, as the ruling elite, they have always gathered and distributed what the simpletons they direct either want or ought to know. The United States, like many other countries, - if not all - is notorious for using this tactic. In particular, it looks at how the second world war was a huge project and how more recently the War on Drugs has escalated into another major propaganda mission. It examines the administrative, psychological and financial methods used in both operations and shows that not much has been changed in the propaganda playbook over the past 60 years.

From the Paper
"The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy fulfills a similar role. The ONDCP was started in 1986 with media time donated to the cause, but in 1997 Congress passed a bill setting aside $200 million a year for five years intended for ad time on the country's five major networks spouting their anti-drug prophecy. The idea was to set up a half-price deal where the government would barter down the cost of an ad to 50 per cent of what any other company would have to pay by buying time and expecting two ads for the price of one. Warner Brothers, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX all laughed in Uncle Sam's face at such an idea (Forbes, Jan. 13, 2000, online)."

Tags:casablanca, ondcp, patriotism, owi, marijuana

Abstract
This paper explores the influence of think tanks in the realm of public opinion and policy shaping. The focus is primarily on the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and their respective histories. The paper explains that these think tanks stand at opposite ends of the political spectrum, and opines that the CCPA was created as an opposition to the Fraser Institute.

From the Paper
"In 1974, the Fraser Institute was created out of a concern that the government was becoming too big. Founded by a group of economists including T. Patrick Boyle, the Fraser Institute was established as an "independent non-partisan research and educational organization." While their mission statement claims that the institute is nonpartisan and they receive no funding from any political party, the Fraser Institute has developed a reputation for its conservative leanings and has been categorized as a conservative advocacy think tank by many scholars.
"They have advocated that the solution to education performance is "to give individual schools more autonomy and empower parents to choose the school that will best serve their child's educational needs" They are also well-known for their economic viewpoints that emphasize reducing the role of government. Their view on tax rates is that they "continue to hinder economic progress and competitiveness...because they discourage the very productive behavior we need more of.""

Tags:canadian, policy, journalism

Abstract
This paper discusses the views of both gun advocates and gun eradicates. This paper is slightly biased towards the views of gun advocates and their fight to protect their "right to bear arms". However several key points are discussed in favor of those who wish to abolish our right to bear arms.

From the Paper
"The government has attempted to propose new gun regulations in order to decrease such crimes, violating the Bill of Rights. The 2nd amendment has protected the peoples right to bear arms for over 200 years, yet government policies are attempting to dismantle the ideas formed by our founding fathers to maintain a free democracy. They feel that depriving us of the right to possess firearms will solve all crime related issues. Contrary to their beliefs statistics and logic prove that firearms are the primary weapons against crime."

Tags:argumentation, civil, control, gun, rights

Abstract
This paper examines the pros and cons of lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. The author looks at several issues including the issue of binge drinking, and the amount of alcohol consumed among 18 to 21 year old. The author points out the absurdity by showing that at 18 you can get married, vote, be drafted, assume debt and even buy a gun, but in many states, you cannot drink. The political debate over lowering the drinking age is also examined.

From the Paper
"The problems associated with driving and drinking have not decreased due to raising the legal drinking age to 21 years old.Among the "binge" drinkers (those consuming over five drinks at one sitting at least once a week), eighteen percent of students over age 21 classify themselves as heavy drinkers compared to twenty-two percent of those under 21 years of age (Engs 1b). So even though drunk driving problems have decreased over the last two decades, there has been an increase in lower grades, missing classes, getting into fights and vomiting after drinking (Engs 1b). Society's approach to controlling underage drinking is not working and is in fact counterproductive(Engs)."

Tags:drinking, age, federal, funds, wisconsin, alcohol, consumption, legal, beer, age, laws, marriage, voting, debt, military

Abstract
This paper reviews the process of legalizing prostitution in the Netherlands. It looks at the history of prostitution in the region, tracing the views of the prohibitionists and the abolitionists, citing the Dutch Morality Act and the Dutch Brothel Act of 1911 and following the development of the regulation of the trade through to the modern day.

From the Paper
"The history of the Netherlands and the mentality shared by both the government and the citizens is a major aspect of the countrys legalization of prostitution. For centuries, Rotterdam, was known as one of the most prominent European ports. With thousands of sailors passing through the Dutch city, the existence of prostitution in the area was uncontrollable. Unlike many countries during the same time, the Dutch government chose to stay out of the sex lives of their citizens and therefore prostitution seemed to exist in a grey area of Dutch society. The open tolerance of prostitution continued until the religious Calvinist revolution in the early 1900's. This religious upheaval created open debates on the effect of prostitution on the moral standards of society. Two schools of thought emerged in the debate, the prohibitionists and the abolitionists."

Tags:regulation, law, prohibitionist, abolitionist, Dutch, Morality, Act, Dutch, Brothel, Act

Abstract
This paper summarizes the argument against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the basis of damage that would be caused to the environment and the wildlife inhabiting the region. The topic is connected to the events of September 11th which nearly allowed the Republicans to push through an emergency Energy Security Bill, allowing for the extraction of oil from the ANWR.

From the Paper
"In the past 10 months many people have claimed that the world as we knew it a year ago has been profoundly and irreversibly transformed with the events of September 11th, 2001. Others have attacked these claims as being yet another example of American ethnocentrism and egocentricity: the world has not changed, the USA simply got a taste of reality. However, whether the United States was living in a sheltered state of denial in which true poverty, destruction and war never found a home on its shores, or whether the world truly has changed entirely, is a subject for a different debate and a different paper."

Tags:11th, alaska, anwr, bush, caribou, crisis, energy, environment, fuel, george, iraq, national, oil, politics, pollution, porcupine, september, herd

Abstract
A paper that shows that in a world of expanding business and human mobility there is an increasing prevalence of corporations extending internationally, resulting in many political and social implications. The author finds that although conventionally, one would join a lobby firm in order to influence government policy through bureaucratic channels; in light of growing corporate globalization, one can argue that these conventional channels are no longer able to reflect the demands and interests of the general population. He finds that although lobby firms possess substantial resources in lobbying government, it is in the flexible structure of informal grassroots organizations that people will be able to influence policy in a globalized world. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of transnational networks in influencing policy by highlighting the insufficiencies of lobby firms, outlining the characteristics of social movements that make them effective, and illustrating the application of these tactics in specific campaigns. Ultimately, it is in these informal movements that the demands of the general public will be heard. The paper focuses on Canada's experience.

From the Paper
"Ultimately, in a world increasingly dominated by multinational corporations, the future of public interests lies in the methods of grassroots organizations. Lobby firms have become ineffective in representing interests of the public, as they are now puppets of the big business interests who hire them. Likewise, governments have ceased to become the focus of policy change, as they too, have subordinated themselves to the interests of multinational corporations. Thus, it is in the flexible and adaptive structures of grassroots lobbying that Canadian voices and interests will be heard in the global arena. The reality that the strength of corporations in this arena is indubitable; yet, it is in the mobilization of collective action from grassroots organizations that will keep these corporations in check and ensure global social justice."

Tags:gatt, greenpeace, mai, movements, multinational, shell, social, wto

Abstract
Gandhi is unquestionably one of the most influential figures in recent history. This paper explores how he used his spiritual beliefs to stage a non-violent revolution and force political and social change in both South Africa and his native India.

From the Paper
"Gandhi lived a spiritual life of prayer, fasting, and meditation. Indians thought of him as a saint and began to call him Mahatma, a title which is only reserved for the greatest sages. Through the practice of non-violence, Gandhi believed Britain would eventually see the wisdom in leaving India. The colonialists, however, did not see things the same way. They claimed that India would be reduced to chaos without British rule. England also believed it had a duty to the Muslim subjects who were a minority. British troops, they said, were essential to maintaining the peace. However, Gandhi believed that the Indian people would much prefer to govern themselves than to continue relinquishing their power to alien authority."

Tags:africa, british, colonialism, satyagraha

Abstract
This paper examines the phenomenon of the anti-globalization New Left in Canada, and explains their ideology, motivation, and relationship with the Old Left, such as organized labor. It describes that the New Left believes the Canadian political system weakens minor parties and makes parliamentary action useless. The paper describes why the New Left will have difficultly achieving power.

From the Paper
"The "new left" is a distinct kind of interest group, a sub-set of standard interest groups referred to as social movements. Their organizational structure and preferred mode of political action, namely, the mobilization of non-governmental groups to attempt to influence public opinion via protests against corporations and agents of international economic globalization, is an expression of the core element of their ideology; that governments are impotent in the face of capitalist economic globalization. More specifically, they believe the Canadian political system with its limited role for democracy, the declining influence of Parliament, strong party system and the systemic way it weakens minor parties makes parliamentary action useless. For the NDP, notwithstanding its need for new support, has have been unable to incorporate the "new left" into its traditional bases of support because of nature of mass party structures. This incompatibility is detrimental to both sides; the methods of the "new left" to not appear conducive to success, and the traditional support for the NDP is continuing to weaken."

Tags:anti, globalization, movement, politics, pressure, social, canada, left, organized, labour

Abstract
A look at why the Green Movement has failed in creating mass hype due to the limitations put forth by increasing conflict between humans and nature at a global level, the prevailing value of rationalization in society today, scientific uncertainty and the lack of a collective goal. The paper shows that the ramification of this is reflected in the inability of today's society to change the existing attitudes and actions towards the natural world and its resources.

From the Paper
"The Green Movement is an ecological organization that aims to change both the current abusive ideas and actions of humans towards nature. In light of the green theory of value, which holds humans should be interconnected with nature, the Green movement views human agency as the ultimate force that will lead to transformation at respectively, the individual, collective, institutional and structural levels of society. Numerous supporters have called for increased participation through certain social classes, decentralization of resources (political, economical, educational and/or social), and through common sense based on a universal ideology. The Green Movement, however, fails to attract widespread participation by not only the masses, but large-scale institutions themselves, due to the limitations put forth by increasing conflict between humans and nature at a global level, the prevailing value of rationalization in society today, scientific uncertainty and the lack of a collective goal. The ramification of this is reflected in the inability of today's society to change the existing attitudes and actions towards the natural world and its resources."

Tags:environment, green, modernity, movement, rationality, sociology