tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18542739.post113738871202834559..comments2024-01-05T09:33:41.964-05:00Comments on Dare Generation Diary: Smoke's definitely being sent up somewhereGarret Overstreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09591273708913985060noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18542739.post-1137864043401022882006-01-21T12:20:00.000-05:002006-01-21T12:20:00.000-05:00I am from Troy, IL, the next exit down the highway...I am from Troy, IL, the next exit down the highway from Collinsville. In fact, my grandpa lives there, and my dad went to high school there. And there's some context being left out of the Herald's article.<BR/><BR/>First, the school system in Collinsville is in a state of disarray. The city has some of the worst drug problems of our county, and I'm not referring to marijuana with that statement. They find crack and meth in kids lockers on a semi-regular building. Add to this that the entire school is physically located above a subsiding mine, and you see a learning environment some might deem unfavorable.<BR/> So for Robert to come out as only a marijuana user, and only on weekends, actually might put him on great grounds for marriage and a child (which, at the age of thirty, it's amazing he doesn't have already).<BR/> What I am attempting to shed light on here is that for local media to shine a light on Robert isn't just to attend to the old ways and demonize a weed - it is to willfully turn your eyes away from real problems. The school needs more funding. They need better teachers and more committed parents. They need smarter and more honest drug education programs.<BR/> Unfortunately, the Journalist in question takes the same route as the national government - scapegoat marijuana, suggest that it alone leads to all the other problems, and then focus time and energy solely on punishing its users. And when nothing changes, usage rates go up, the schols get worse...you just keep saying the same thing (hey, why not, the funding is there now).<BR/><BR/> We need to get more honest about how we diagnose and address social ills, and one great first step would be to spend the anti0drug money elsewhere - I'd suggest teachers.Jonthonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14689170009367358841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18542739.post-1137863592373968712006-01-21T12:13:00.000-05:002006-01-21T12:13:00.000-05:00"Either you repeat the same conventional doctrines..."Either you repeat the same conventional doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something true, and it will sound like it's from Neptune." ~Noam Chomsky<BR/><BR/>I don't find these posts to be extraneously long, and when they are, I find that it is with purpose. I challenge that "Anonymous" stands on weak argumentative grounds, and thus calls for brevity to mask their relative lack of knowledge.Jonthonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14689170009367358841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18542739.post-1137629215779785562006-01-18T19:06:00.000-05:002006-01-18T19:06:00.000-05:00Well, I just was scanning the web for "useful nugg...Well, I just was scanning the web for "useful nuggets of information"- no, wait, I wasn't doing that, I was looking for thoughtful longer pieces that were different from the echo chamber. And this sure hit the spot.<BR/><BR/>The one thing I would suggest is to send a copy of the post to the reporter who wrote the piece, <I>in a friendly and respectful way</I>. The journey of a thousand li begins with a single step, you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, &tc.<BR/><BR/>Really, I think dead-tree journalism is now in the Ronald Reagan Retirement stage- the journalists do what they've always done to produce what they've always produced for readers who habitually view the paper on a daily basis without actually reading it. Everyone is semi-embalmed and most of the readers wouldn't even notice if the stories were printed in the goofy 'typesetter's latin' that's used to illustrate how the page will look if held at arms-length.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, good catch.<BR/><BR/>ye olde serial catownerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18542739.post-1137628788124111042006-01-18T18:59:00.000-05:002006-01-18T18:59:00.000-05:00Joe, a short story. When our Brown SSDP chapter w...Joe, a short story. When our Brown SSDP chapter was young, we learned the weekly meeting time of the Marijuana Anonymous group on campus and attended. We wanted to see what, if any, outrageous claims they were making, and protest or refute them if appropriate. As the event unfolded, however, it became clear that it would be <I>way</I> inappropriate for any of us to speak up. The people sharing their stories around the circle definitely had serious problems staying off my favorite friendly weed. I can point out that these count as psychological, not physiological, addictions, but the fact remains: I was in a roomful of marijuana addicts. In MA's defense, their list is of 12 indications you <B>may</B> have a problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18542739.post-1137518305606589742006-01-17T12:18:00.000-05:002006-01-17T12:18:00.000-05:00Some interesting points here, but this post is muc...Some interesting points here, but this post is much too long for the blog format. Extended essays such as this tend to lose an internet audience that likes to scan for interesting nuggets of information.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18542739.post-1137391579674895682006-01-16T01:06:00.000-05:002006-01-16T01:06:00.000-05:00Gee, I wonder if you would treat someone who is an...Gee, I wonder if you would treat someone who is an alcoholic with the same kind of disrepect. <BR/><BR/>You are sick.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com