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One of my greatest fears with regard to life after high school is having things change. I will probably never associate with my friends again, I will now have to be truly independent. The nice thing about high school is that you just go to class, finish and go home, do homework, repeat. It’s going to really suck having to do things on my own because my mom did everything for me in high school. Without her, I would probably be totally screwed. I wouldn’t be on top of my stuff and I don’t think I would even graduate without her help. Losing my friends will definitely suck because I shared so many experiences and memories with them. It’s going to be tough mentally to get through that, which is why I enjoyed high school because all my friends were always there, unless they were sick of course. It’s tough to get so close with people and have the best times of your life with them and then in a split second, say bye and never see them again, that really cuts deep into any person I think.

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Over these past four years at Lynbrook High School, the greatest academic challenge has been Lynbrook itself. Every class I have taken, except PE of course has been difficult as certain points for me. At least Miller Middle School made the transition easier for me. The experience of going to Lynbrook has made me realize that doing well academically goes a long way. For example, for all the colleges I applied to except one, rejected me because of my grades. The one that did accept me, only did for my extracurricular activities. So when I start going to De Anza, I will take my classes and grades a lot more seriously. Honestly, once eighth grade hit, I already developed “senioritis.” School was just something I didn’t really care for that much to try super hard in. I have common sense, I can read and write, I can do basic math. Come on, since when does the NFL require you to write A+ essays? But this experience did help mature me in a way to realize that grades do account for not just graduation, but life.

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In one year from today, I see myself practicing football for De Anza College, basically exactly what I’m doing now. Possibly have a girlfriend by then also. My schedule will not be as intense as Lynbrook, I won’t be waking up at seven in the morning each day, I will only be taking a couple of classes. My friends might change slightly, my family will stay the same. In five years from now, I see myself as a rookie playing in the NFL, owning my own house and enjoying it all. My schedule will be crazy since I will always have to be on a grind, no days off. I will have to be putting way more work into my schedule than ever before. I plan to be a defensive end, a starter for my team and helping my team become successful if it already isn’t. My friends now will probably not be in my life at that point, my new friends will be my teammates. My older brother will hopefully be my manager because I know he won’t screw me over.

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The Article I wrote was for my US History class when I was a junior last year. I wrote about the war on drugs since it was a topic I was and currently still interested in. We basically had to make a newspaper-like articles about a topic that we got to pick in class. My teacher Mr. Roy, gave us a template on schoolloop which made it so much easier to do. I think it shows that I am not a typical teenager in that I care more than just social media and celebrities etc. This topic is interesting in that it is very contradicting and hypocritical. Drugs are a very taboo topic, but they play an important part in our lives. Not everyone takes illegal drugs, but many people take pharmaceutical drugs. Who really has the right to tell someone what they can and cannot take, it’s their bodies. I just think even though we may be labeled as “land of the free” we are not as free as we think we are.

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The Longboat

| May 24, 2016

The War on DrugsBlake Contreras         This picture represents how the war on drugs is no different than slavery.

Drugs have been a constant source of controversy for the past 100 years. Drugs have been debated on whether they should be legal or illegal. For the majority of history, drugs were completely legal, the fact that some are illegal is only a recent phenomena. The first anti-drug laws started in the mid to late 19th century, but they soon became more harsh and were soon spread throughout the U.S. In the 1600s, Hemp was grown in the American colonies because it was used for rope and sails for ships. If people refused to grow the crop they would be put in jail. Funny how a plant that would put someone in jail if they did not grow, is now one of the most restricted drugs in the world. In 1869, the first anti-opium laws were set, in places like San Francisco. In the 1920s, alcohol was banned, also known as Prohibition. Prohibition then led to people drinking more alcohol, created bootleggers and speakeasies and it made criminals such as Al Capone. The whole drug debate is basically whether people should have the right or not to do with their bodies as they please. Anti-marijuana laws were some of the first anti-drug laws in the United States. These laws were put in since the early 1900s. They were racially motivated, since Mexican immigrants brought the drug with them to America during the Mexican Civil War. A cult film called Reefer Madness was a propaganda film used to show people the “dangers” of marijuana, yet the whole movie was a bunch of lies. Once the 1960s came about, it was an era of counterculture, where the hippies originated and when psychedelic drug use became more mainstream. It was because of this that President Nixon called for a “War on Drugs” in 1971. This war was made to try to eradicate all drugs and drug use. Nixon also helped create the DEA, Drug Enforcement Agency. It really started to  | escalate in the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan became president. His wife Nancy, started the “Just Say No” campaign to tell children all over America to not use drugs. This was when the prisons started overflowing with non violent offenders. Reagan’s campaign started putting way more people in jail than before. The number of incarcerations went from 50,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 1997. Just like how the original anti-drugs laws were targeting certain racial groups, so were the incarcerations. Certain minorities like Blacks and Hispanics were more likely to be incarcerated than White people. A Los Angeles Police Chief by the name of Daryl Gates founded the DARE drug education program. These programs were created not by using scientific research but by using propaganda. Although drug use was a concern for about 2 to 6 percent of people, it eventually went up to 64 percent. There were also many media portrayals that made drugs seem like the biggest problem facing America, which is not true. There are people who would not want their children to be using drugs, which is understandable, but that is up to the parent(s) not the government. Teenagers are able to get their hands on cigarettes and alcohol, for which there is not much outcry, but when it comes to drugs like cannabis, there would be a huge outcry. When it comes to making drugs illegal, people can always find ways to get their hands on them. This war on drugs led to the creation of black market drug cartels such as the Medellin Cartel in Mexico and South America. Making drugs illegal will always make the criminals richer. If a drug is made illegal, that drug’s value becomes greater since it becomes a lot harder to get. People will pay a lot of money to get those drugs. This is why Pablo Escobar became so rich and popular, and same with El Chapo. This then leads to people trying to smuggle drugs across international borders, but then if they are caught with drugs, a shootout might ensue. This is why the war on drugs has killed a lot of people. These cartels would traffic cocaine into Florida which devastated cities like Miami.  A certain theory has been made about a certain drug, crack cocaine and its relationship with a certain racial group, the Black community. There is a conspiracy theory that the CIA caused the crack epidemic, where crack cocaine usage surged during the 1980s. This epidemic hit many people hard, especially African-Americans. The war on drugs in many people’s eyes, was a huge failure. The U.S. government has spent about 1 trillion dollars to fight this so called “war.” In reality all this war has done has created more crime and drug use, which is ironic since that was the opposite of what was supposed to happen. Some of the drugs like cannabis, LSD, ecstasy etc, are way less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. Another subject of the war on drugs was the scheduling of drugs. Some drugs that are harmless or less harmful than other drugs like cannabis and LSD are schedule 1 which means they are the most harmful and have The War on DrugsThis picture represents the CIA’s involvement with the Contra Cartels and the Crack Epidemicno medical use, which does not make sense since there is medical cannabis. Drugs like cocaine and meth, which are WAY more harmful than cannabis and LSD are placed in schedule 2 which is saying they are still harmful but not as much as the schedule 1 drugs, which is total baloney. Although, all this effort to stop drug use has had some benefits. At one point the percentage of teens using drugs was very low, but it soon skyrocketed again. More recently, during the Bush Administration, Bush put more money to fighting the drug war, although it lost its popularity. Bush’s Administration also saw a rise in militarization and domestic drug law enforcement. There were about 40,00 SWAT raids on American people even though they were non violent drug crimes. There have been many politicians and even presidents who have used drugs, like cannabis. Barack Obama has admitted to smoking marijuana by saying “I inhaled frequently, that was the point.”
Currently, cannabis has been legalized for recreational use in four states and even the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. In this day and age, more people are starting to realize that the war on drugs was a huge failure, just like Prohibition in the 1920s. The legalization of cannabis has been more than beneficial for those states. Drug legalization would bring less crime, less poverty, and less people in prison. Portugal was the first country ever to decriminalize all drugs; from cannabis to meth. Some people probably think that it got way worse, but it actually got way better. Also, there have been less people using drugs. Having drugs illegal is like telling a child to not have a cookie, the more they are not allowed to have, the more they want it, same with drugs. In this stage of the drug war, more people have become more enlightened and realize that drugs will always be a part of society. At this stage, the United States and most of the world are still way behind in trying fix the drug problem, but definitely soon

| in the next 20 to 30 years, drug policy will be a whole lot different. Hopefully, nothing like the war on drugs will ever happen again.This picture represents the over use of force when it comes to drug useThis picture represents how even medical patients are considered criminals

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One of my favorite songs is “Stan” by the rapper Eminem. It tells the story of a fan who is obsessed with Eminem. He eventually get angry with Eminem because he think the rapper is ignoring his letters and ties up his girlfriend and drives off a bridge, killing both of them. “But Stan, why are you so mad? Try to understand that I do want you as a fan I just don't want you to do some crazy sh*t; I seen this one sh*t on the news a couple weeks ago that made me sick, some dude was drunk and drove his car over a bridge and had his girlfriend in the trunk and she was pregnant with his kid and in the car they found a tape but they didn't say who it was to, come to think about it, his name was... it was you, damn.” I really like this song because it shows how obsessed our society is with celebrities and pop culture and how far fans will go to get noticed by famous people. It could almost be considered a mental illness to be obsessed with celebs and social media and the culture surrounding it. Especially when people obsess over celebrities that have no talent at all, like Kim Kardashian.

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The Odyssey by Homer is an ancient Greek epic poem, which was most likely composed near the end of the 8th century BC. It focused on the character Odysseus, the king of Ithaca and his journey home after the fall of Troy. I first had to read this poem in my freshman year literature class with Mr. Seike. Overall, it was an interesting story, but what made it even better was that we got to create a video project acting out one of the scenes. It was great because we got to pick our groups. I had an amazing group because every second we got to film was great and they were people I knew, which made it not weird at all. Our scene was when Odysseus traveled across the sea to fight someone I think. We had the less athletic person in our group pretend to workout and get in shape to raft. All I did was have a transition from him to the skinniest person in our group to show that he got in shape. All in all, this was one of my favorite video projects that we did, because of the freedom and the fun that we got to have.

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Being the lazy person I am, I really love to stay at home and watch tons of tv. South Park, will always be my favorite show to ever exist. The first three seasons are my favorite, and my favorite character is Cartman since he doesn’t care about what he does, which is bad things. Family Guy was a show I would stay up until 9:30 to watch when I was younger, it will always capture my heart with the many songs, parodies and blatant poor portrayals of celebrities. Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide is one of my favorite Nick shows, since it connects with me. When I young, waiting for the show to come on was so painful because I loved it so much. It also makes me laugh now and slightly cringe at the fact that the characters would run from any little inconvenience. Drake and Josh was another Nick favorite of mine. It reminds me of the relationship between me and my little brother, since we used to fight a lot over dumb things. Tosh.0 is a comedy central show that was my favorite for a few years. The reruns especially, those were the most funny to me. I used to try the challenges that they had in the show, like the banana sprite challenge, where you eat two bananas then drink a liter of sprite, in order to puke. Narcos is a show on netflix about Pablo Escobar’s rise as druglord. This documentary type show really showed the evil and yet the goodness in Escobar, and the fact that he made 22 billion dollars a year from smuggling cocaine is insane to me. They’re coming out with a third season, but Escobar was killed in the last episode of the second season, so I wonder what they have in store. Stranger Things was a show I had particularly no interest in when it first came out. But a friend convinced me to watch it, and since it’s about conspiracies which is what I’m about, it made it that more interesting. I am definitely ready for the second season. Wipeout was a hilarious show since they had the most unathletic people traverse through obstacle courses and they would always wipe out. My brother and I would always say how we could get through the courses super easy since we’re somewhat athletic. Spongebob will be my favorite kid friendly show, since it’s about a sponge and would always get in wacky situations. A lot can happen in the ocean. Superjail was a show on adult swim that I would watch. It was a very random show but it had incredible characters and very intricate ways of people getting hurt and such.

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Well being the lazy, out of shape person I am, I really love these foods. Cereal especially, is my favorite since I eat it everyday for breakfast. My favorite cereals include fruity pebbles, captain crunch, lucky charms, and honey bunches of oats. Cereal has been with me all my life and I don’t see it ever leaving. Tacos, burritos and nachos are some of my favorite mexican dishes. Since I am half mexican, yes I know that’s hard to believe, I think it’s important for me to explore my Mexican heritage through the consumption of delicious Mexican food. My dad cooks for us and the tacos and nachos he makes are out of this world. They are perfect in every sense, from the softness of the shell, to the crisp cuts of the vegetables. Also the warmness of the cheese, to the perfect layering of the chips. If I get my own cook or chef, these dishes will be on the main menu for sure. Whenever I’m craving a burrito, chipotle is the place to be. The steak burrito is my favorite, getting to pick the ingredients to make a flavor explosion of deliciousness. Having that fat burrito in front of you when you’re starving is the best feeling, unless it’s someone else’s. Pizza, what can I not say about it? Pizza is definitely a food I can consume every day for the rest of my life if needed. Pepperoni is my favorite, which people talk smack about since it’s a “simple” pizza, but sometimes the simple things are the best. I don’t get how people can eat pizza with pineapple, I thought this was fast food, not a vegan snack, gross. Smores are perfect for nighttime, since they are so sweet. Watching the marshmallow expand in the microwave is so magnificent. They also bring back a kind of nostalgia, there is almost an innocence when it comes to smores, being a kid with your friends around a fire and roast the mallows. Nothing really special about spaghetti, it’s Italian, it’s noodles and if I’m hungry I’ll eat it. Kraft Mac and Cheese is the best hands down, mac and cheese ever created. The gooeyness of the cheese and the softness of the noodles create a symphony of deliciousness. When it’s made just right, it’s legit heaven. Thank you Kraft. Chicken Tenders are one of my favorite snack foods because the leftovers are just as good as when it was first cooked. Good source of protein, it is. Chicken Alfredo is a new addition to my palate, when I first tried it, I was like oh my god, how have I not noticed this food’s existence? It reminds me of mac and cheese since it’s gooey and has noodles in it. For some reason though, I feel the urge to puke if I eat too much, so gotta keep it in moderation.

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Food

1. Pizza

2. Spaghetti

3. Tacos

4. Burritos (chipotle)

5. Nachos

6. Mac and cheese

7. Chicken tenders

8. Chicken alfredo

9. Smores

10. Cereal

Shows

1. South Park

2. Family Guy

3. Ned’s Declassified

4. Drake and Josh

5. Tosh.0

6. Narcos

7. Stranger Things

8. Wipeout

9. Spongebob

10. Superjail

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1. Started High School
2. First Homecoming Rally
3. Injured ankle playing football
4. Took first ever finals
5. Got Braces
6. Got first football award
7. Got a hamster named Scooby
8. Got my driver's license
9. Got pulled over for the first time
10. Hosted first ever house party
11. First time trying the "dab" dance move
12. Got braces off
13. Got Eagle Scout
14. Last Homecoming Rally
15. Won final football game at Lynbrook
16. Had a non losing football season
17. Got rejected, then accepted to college
18. Turned 18
19. Went to first and last prom
20. I graduated