With the failure of Proposition 19 in California came the loss hope among many citizens of the Golden State to be legally practicing one of their “recreational” hobbies. Many still wonder, what is the big deal about legalizing the use of the substance as some of our colleagues in Europe have?

The common thought is, if we legalize marijuana like tobacco and alcohol, then there will not be as many problems, right? Right? Well, let me say this in my best Texan. Just ‘cause you change the look of something, don’t mean it’s right. In so many different areas, there is a search to make something look better by changing the wording of it.

As “political correctness” takes over we can suffer a compromise that will hurt us on the long run. Take, for example, the little controversy of patent trolls in the business arena.

Patent trolls consist of companies who have obtained patent licenses with the sole intent to use them as a pistol aimed at bigger businesses that might have infringed on the patent in order to bring a lawsuit against them for compensation.

Now, one red flag of a patent troll is that the business has not manufactured the patented item and will never do so. Some uproar has come as a result of this practice and many are taking sides.

In an attempt to downplay this unethical practice is to refer to them, not as patent trolls, but rather, “non-practicing entities”. As in, “We choose not to implement the objects of our patents.” That’s like saying, “I’m a non-practicing dieter”.

Whatever the case may be, if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, and has feathers like a duck then it’s a duck.