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Clerk Davis is dragging her version of religion into politics. Her dragging of hate and bigotry into the workplace has her adored and praised by some Christians. She has been hailed by a Republican presidential candidate as a victim of the criminalizing of Christianity. Militias are willing to defend her right not to do her job at taxpayer expense.
Pope Francis, at the invitation of the Republican Speaker of the House, made a presentation to the Congress that encourages humility, compassion and grace into the workings of politics and government.
The Golden Rule is but fools gold and politicizes global problems, say some Republicans. The pope should stick to what he knows, say some Christians. None of this dignity and morals stuff.
Marco Rubio reminds us that the Pope is not infallible on things he does not agree with. These are just firmly held beliefs. They carry no weight. This is government we are talking about, not Church.
These are just the golden suggestions, says the ecumenical Rubio, who has been a Catholic, a Mormon, a Baptist, an attendee at an Evangelical Mega Church, and, again, a Catholic.
The enemy has even sent the False Prophet Pope to stray the flock from the true Jesus"Supply Side"Christ. Parent
He should be enforcing the order, and if 500 fundamentalist and 100 reporters want to show up to protest, use the money, her salary as a fine, to fund security and such.
No interviews, no publicity while she is behind bars. Let family visit, but give more than a weekend for her to come to her senses, or let her sit and collect her salary as a fine, before taxes. If her idiot backers want to start forking over money to the county, so be it, everyone wins.
She's not denying/altering licenses, her followers have a victim, the county pulls in some cash, and anyone who wants to get a marriage license in the county gets on that is 100% legal. Parent
Huckabee and Co can stop in for a couple hours, but they aren't going to stay there and without 'stars' the press ain't gonna care.
Unless she dies, she will not achieve martyrdom and just because the press says so doesn't make it so. Can we call her what she really is, a fundamentalist hero who doesn't obey the law.
The problem is she is not just talking, she is interfering and claiming certs are not legitimate. Yeah, I am with you if all she did was talk. Parent
Make no mistake, she is already a martyr. Parent
My reference to Clerk Davis being a "martyr" is in the context of Davis, herself, and her wacko supporters, donning the mantle of "martyrdom" --victims of government oppression just for not doing her government job.
True, martyrdom in an historical religious sense usually infers death, and violent death at that. But, my feeling is that Clerk Davis, while a fanatic, and fanatic tool, would prefer staying around so as to spread her "voice," and continue to collect her $80,000 per year. With prospects for making more on the tent circuit.
Parent
That is my point, it's not just the pro-kim crowd behind it, it's nearly everyone calling a her something she clearly is not.
She isn't one, she a court defying zealot, and it would be nice if people, namely the media, who should understand that words have actual meanings. We don't call people illegal because a human being cannot be illegal, so why call a court defying zealot, a martyr, because Mike Huckabee says so ?
IMO just using the term is conceding part of the debate, the biggest part, that she is serving some higher purpose.
I get the context and I think we are all on the same page, and I don't know why it bugs me so much, probably because they are a step away from calling her the female jesus instead of the a court defying zealot. And for the entire argument I think it's important that we call her what she really is.
If you don't want her to be a martyr, for gods sake quit calling her one, then maybe they can toss the court defying zealot into the pokey instead of the martyr.
That is my point. Parent
The only thing that's being martyred here is the rule of law. Parent
That right-wing "martyrs" like Ms. Davis also believe that their religion somehow endows them with an inalienable right to persecute and punish other non-believers, is completely beside the point to the wingbat community.
Personally, I've never understood how some people come to see themselves as God's instrument of divine retribution on this Earth. If the Bible is to be understood literally, as these same people so often claim, then even a cursory reading of Genesis and Exodus should enlighten them to the notion that the Lord is perfectly capable of exacting His due all on His own, and really doesn't need their assistance in that regard.
Aloha. Parent
I know this, it will get more coverage than all other county clerk elections combined. Parent
It is somewhat perplexing that the wingnuts have eschewed Jeb--he would not disappoint them in the wacko department. But, of course, there is that immigration policy matter that has done him in. But, they do not realize that Jeb is negotiable. Parent
The blurbs say she's boldly going where no one has gone before, to hold government accountable, and investigate "untouchable" subjects!
It may be interesting to take note of which companies advertise during the show.
I remember getting some shots and right before I got pricked the nurse said to me "my last patient was a big football player who fainted right after I gave him this shot"
Then there was the time I needed an IV and were having trouble finding my vein, and they called a more experienced nurse over who said "sometimes you just gotta know where it is and go for it". To be fair, she hit it on the first shot.
Still, not the information I wanted or needed right before getting pricked.
Otherwise tough guys often had a problem with it. Parent
I went into labor with my first child, and was in the hospital and about to get an IV.
The doctor who showed up to get it started gave me a long spiel about how technique is everything, and done properly, an IV stick shouldn't even leave a bruise.
While he apparently had convinced himself he had attained master status in the insertion of IV needles, the reality was that the next day, my inner arm looked like it had been slammed in a door - black and blue like I had never seen before.
One more:
The first time I dislocated my shoulder, the docs decided to put it back in under what is known as conscious sedation. A cocktail of drugs is administered on a gradual basis, and the patient's vitals assessed before additional medication is given.
Well, they kept giving me the drugs, giving me more and more and more. I was still awake, talking coherently, engaged with the medical personnel on hand. Finally, the doctor said that I just had to be sedated enough - that he didn't know why I was still awake and talking, but that they had had patients of linebacker size who had gone into respiratory arrest with this much medication on board...and I was way smaller than any linebacker.
They were successful in putting my arm back where it belonged, and while I was told that with conscious sedation I wouldn't remember anything, I am here to tell you I remember it all. Clearly.
High tolerance and an aversion to giving in, I guess. Parent
At least I'm not covered in body hair. Parent
The real pain came reading the list of things I am not supposed to eat to avoid further recurrences. Man, talk about eroding the base of my food pyramid. Parent
Damn doorstop. Parent
I was forced to get over that phobia when for a few years all I did was get my blood drawn with the occasional IV thrown in for what at the time felt like almost everyday.
So, when I ended up in the emergency room one time and the nurse was inserting the needle for an IV (it took her a few tries to do it), I could tell that something was not right from the amount of pain I was feeling. But, she just would not listen. An hour later my arm was double in size and I was close to screaming in agony. When an IV is causing you so much pain that it overshadows the reason you are in the ER, you know you have a problem!
The nurse then agreed that "maybe" she had messed up and told me she would switch the IV to the other arm. I refused and told my husband to not let her touch me. She went and got one of the doctors to talk to me. He was pretty irritated when he first walked in and then he saw my arm. He was furious and asked her to leave and told her he would take care of it himself. I had been bleeding pretty heavily for a while by then and he was having difficulty finding a vein to insert the IV. So, he ended up using an ultrasound machine to help him find a vein near my shoulder. Parent
While I have learnt to tolerate having my blood drawn, I still have to look away when they are inserting the needle. As for watching my blood flowing into the tube, never gonna happen! Parent
I could never make the transition to the dentist, which she did, that is real pain, not the equivalent to pulling out a facial hair.
So now whenever I stub my toe or something else painful, I tell myself to enjoy the pain, while I never actually enjoy it, it makes it hurt less if that makes sense. -----------
And Howdy, 10mm is a centimeter, about 4/10ths of an inch, that is no joke, like the pinky finger a teenager. Damn. Parent
On a long list f things I don't understand.
My standard instruction to every doctor I've ever had is, "I have a MUCH higher tolerance for drugs than I do fr pain. I don't want to feel this"
Some dctors have told me they appreciate the information because some people have a problem with drugs and would rather have pain. Whatever. Most Drs seem to have no problem with relieving the pain. Parent
After getting a needle in the toe, doc grabs the ankle , then the toe and tries to pop it back in place. No go on round one After a short break , he tries again...No go
He tries once more, again after another shot to the toe. Nope, not happening.
About an hour or two later, a specialist walks in to my room, looks at the toe, grabs it , jams it into the foot, and holds on. I finally tell him, doc, enough , try again in a bit. He says , I got it in, we just need a nurse to help set it. Needless to say , the nurse heard my request for help very quickly. Parent
Now that I think about it, I think that was worse pain than a kidney stone. I clearly remember my face getting very hot. ------------
I have big feet and always stubbing them, that hurts like insanely bad, I can't imagine breaking one and having it set, or trying time and time again. I would have gone bonkers. Parent
I remember the specialist left immediately after the nurse was in the process of taping it in place, I looked at her and said The doc had a much higher threshold of pain than I did. Parent
His dad was there when it happened, but the remarkable thing, he told me they are cranes everywhere, hundreds of them because they are expanding and that when it's done, Mecca will have a capacity of 5 million people. To which I commented is more than the actually city of Houston, nearly double.
That is unbelievable to me.
Wiki says:
Masjid al-Haram, aka as the Sacred Mosque 900,000 worshippers (increased to 4,000,000 worshippers during the Hajj period)
So 5M doesn't seem out of line if they are currently renovating. Parent
Baha Baha [bruuuuph] baha Parent
;-D Parent
Even prior to its release, Stonewall has been a lightning rod for controversy. Almost immediately after the trailer's debut, Emmerich and writer Jon Robin Baitz were accused of whitewashing the story by inserting a fictional cis, gay white male as the lead. One particularly scathing parody took the film to task for seemingly demoting trans characters, women and characters of color to supporting characters in their own story, if not erasing them entirely. Emmerich and Baitz's response was a simple plea: Wait to see the full movie before you judge. Emmerich's Facebook response emphasized equality, "We are all the same in our struggle for acceptance."
Emmerich and Baitz's response was a simple plea: Wait to see the full movie before you judge. Emmerich's Facebook response emphasized equality, "We are all the same in our struggle for acceptance."
I have actually met Roland Emmerich a couple of times. I have a very good friend, Karen Goukekas, who has been VFX Director and Digital Effects Directer of several of his movies. Some of this was happening when I was in LA so I got included in drinks and or dinner a few times. My opinion if him is that he is a likable enough guy. As my experience with directors go he is unusually so. Unfortunately my opinion of him as a director is not so great. I basically think he is a hack. A hack who has his moments and sometimes makes enjoyable films. I had mixed feelings when I heard he was directing Stinewall. He's gay. That's good. He's a hack. Not so good.
Anyway, I still am interested in seeing it.
CONTROVERSY Parent
That's unfortunate, because the Stonewall riot was a seminal event in the struggle for LGBT rights and acceptance in this country, and it's a story that deserves to be seen by a mainstream audience.
It's just too bad that the director and screenwriter apparently refused to trust their prospective audience to appreciate a quality story about a bunch of pissed-off drag queens and LGBT people of color who were tired of being bullied, and finally decided to show everyone that queer doesn't necessarily equate with sissy.
Instead, again judging by that trailer and those first reviews, "Stonewall" appears to be pure vanilla milk shake, the sort of contrived filmmaking which misconstrued that 46-year-old event and likely marginalized its true heroes in the process.
There will be other films. Parent
Btw If you've had problems linking with a iPad get the iOS updates and try again. The normal linking prices is working fine for me now. After months of not.
Unless there's some sort of health issue.... Parent
He met with some of their leaders yesterday and I am guessing they told him they aren't budging on defunding PP by half a billion dollars and will shut down the government over it. Parent
Dare I say we may miss him.
Which mean he will be out.
Apparently he is accepting thus and doing what needs to be done.
Oh yes, I think it can get worse. Parent
Sounds like they may actually govern for the time being. Parent
Her demands for cooperation are already the subject of speculation.
That woul make sense to me. Parent
I think I expect a complete moonbat. No compromise. No prisoners. Parent
But Karma's a rather vindictive b!+ch when offended, and because Sen. Ashburn was also a very deeply closeted gay man, she worked her spell. Not too long after Prop. 8's passage, Ashburn was pulled over by Sacramento police for DUI as he left a popular gay nightclub in the company of a rent boy. Once outed, he resigned his office within days, and Californians in general began to reconsider Prop. 8 in the wake of his public humiliation and departure.
I'm not saying that Kevin McCarthy's a closet case, only that he comes from an area that's very close-minded and intolerant collectively. He's never going to be mistaken as the Second Coming of Nancy Pelosi, that's for sure.
The traffic was horrid going south on a weekday afternoon.....
It took three hours from Southern Orange County.
Stop and go through Oceanside--ask Oculus--but it never seemed to be like this.....Stop and Go in La Jolla too. What a mess--all the way down.....And I thought we would be driving against the flow....which should have been north, not south.... Parent
I will look into the other airports. Parent
The Laguna to Newport leg used to be prettier....But development has swallowed up much (they call it Newport Coast.) There was a big fight, and environmentalists thought they could stop more development because of a rare bird habitat. The Coastal Commission was thought to be favorably inclined to the "bird" argument. But a wild fire that burned all of the coastal sage made the whole argument moot--no more rare birds, no more rare bird habitat, no more stopping further development.
The best coastal drive in Southern California is through Camp Pendleton. Totally undeveloped. Just the original coastal sage for miles around....The Marines are the best conservancy plan around..... Parent
There's also Long Beach (LGB), which is the west coast hub for JetBlue Airways, and Ontario (ONT), which is also served by most major carriers. Both of those airports are much more convenient to Laguna Niguel that either LAX or SAN.
or Long Beach.....
All better than LAX. Parent
Aloha Airlines used to fly nonstop from Honolulu to Santa Ana and Burbank, which were very popular routes, but that service ended in 2009 with the company's decision to get out of the passenger business and become an exclusively all-cargo container jet carrier. United Airlines then entered the SNA-HNL market, but ended it in 2012 for some reason.
Personally, I don't mind LAX at all, but that's probably because I've been flying in and out of that airport since I was a child, nearly 50 years now, and so I'm used to it and know my way around the facility.
Rumor has it that once Hawaiian Airlines takes delivery in 2017 of some of its new single-aisle A321-Neo aircraft, which can fly in and out of smaller airports with shorter runways, it will commence service between the islands and SNA / BUR / ONT. But there's been no confirmation of that as yet. I'd certainly welcome it, because BUR is much closer to my family in the San Gabriel Valley than is LAX.
Otherwise take the 405 down to the 5 and then down it. Should take about 90 minutes road time depending on traffic. John Wayne is easy to rent a car at and easy to get in/out.
John Wayne may be a lot more expensive than LAX. If that's the case and cost is important try San Diego for cost and use that if it is cheaper.
If it must be LAX you can still do Rt1. It runs right by the entrance. Parent
Ah, I do miss SoCal travel talk. Parent
90 minutes from John Wayne to Laguna Niguel? On a really, really, really bad day. Usually 20 minutes....the 405/5 on a Friday afternoon could take longer....Take the 73, and you are talking maybe even 15 minutes--depending on where you are going....It will only cost you ten dollars a mile.
90 minutes from John Wayne to San Diego was actually once do-able.....
When your plane lands, the pilot immediately hits the brakes and it's a very hard and fast stop. And when you take off to the south, the pilot has to climb very steeply before abruptly throttling back, because Newport Beach has a very strict aircraft noise ordinance with lots of older residents who are just itching to complain about any perceived violations, because they apparently have nothing else to do.
So you cruise over the town of Newport Beach for about 2-3 minutes, with old codgers presumably standing outside in their bathrobes and shaking their fists angrily at you while your plane passes overhead. Then, after the aircraft crosses the coastline and is over the ocean, the pilot once again goes full throttle and you start to climb to your designated cruising altitude.
I've never experienced anything like that takeoff at other airports. Parent
The tea party is there in full wackaloon force. Parent
[the Pope] listened to Boehner's plight and said, mildly, "Jesus H. Christ in a Fiat, my son, these people crazy. Get out while you can."
First Article
"The state Senate is expected to vote next week on a bill that would require all public school districts in Massachusetts to screen seventh and 10th graders for potential drug use, with an eye toward stemming the scourge of opioid abuse at an early stage.
The screenings would not involve drug tests. Rather, the screener -- who could be a school nurse or psychologist trained in speaking to kids about drug use -- would determine through a conversation if the student was engaged in risky behavior, according to a Senate briefing for reporters on the proposal.
The intent is to identify students who need help "and to try to move them in a way that they will want to go into treatment. You can't force them," said Senator Jennifer L. Flanagan, Democrat of Leominster, the main backer of the provision.
Students or parents would be able to opt out of the screening. Parents wouldn't be immediately notified of the screening results, and the bill would work to protect students' privacy, Flanagan said. Parents would be notified only in the most extreme cases of dependence or addiction, according to a Flanagan aide."
My opinion - it's certainly different. There are a lot of legitimate privacy concerns, but if it's implemented carefully, and they seem to have their eyes on the right "prize" (mental health), I think this could be a positive development.
Second Article
"Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will visit Boston next week, planning to discuss substance-abuse issues with Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Attorney General Maura Healey, a Clinton campaign official said Thursday"
"Clinton has said repeatedly that she has been surprised by the regularity with which she hears on the campaign trail about how widespread the problem is."
Honestly... I guess I'm just glad someone cares. But I think it's incredibly important that this whole conversation moves in the right direction - that is, mental health - rather than a continuation of the "war on drugs". And so the conversations also make me nervous, because they have historically gone the other way.
Some people just like to get high via illegal means. Equating them with those who truly suffer from a mental disorder is wrong.
This is not an either/or issue. Parent
You know this isn't about pot right? That there is a heroin epidemic that is killing people. Mostly young people.
And frankly, that's the only reason it matters that someone likes to get high. Otherwise - who the hell cares.
You don't get to define what "true" suffering is. Parent
I find the fact that there are so many people who want to excuse ALL drug users as having mental health issues that need to be treated, as naive at best, and just plain silly at the worst.
Help those who need help. But stop making excuses for all drug users and who are doing it just because (especially if they get caught). Parent
There's the reason you try it, and then there's the reason you continue to do it until it kills you. And I'm not willing to write off everyone who wants to try things (for whatever reason) as not being worthy of help.
I think it's relevant now to point out that the first article I talked about is discussing treatment of 7th and 10th graders. Parent
Addicts who are not otherwise mentally ill, still need treatment. It sounds like you saying that addicts who are not mentally ill (called "dual diagnosis") don't deserve treatment but should just use will power and get their act together.
It just doesn't work that way. The heroin epidemic is severe and widespread. Many young people are addicted. Parent
Which is not to say that alcohol use and abuse doesn't have negative consequences - we know that it does.
I just don't think the fact that some people use drugs for the fun of it, and some because they have mental health issues, is the metric by which we should decide whether to continue to criminalize drugs. Not when the very same applies to alcohol use; alcohol is very much a drug, too, and many who drink it are doing it as a form of self-medication. They tell themselves it's for many other reasons, but if you're having a drink in order to relax from a stressful day, you're not doing anything different than the person who's popping a pill to get the same effect - except you didn't have to buy your vodka on the street corner and risk getting arrested.
We need a different approach; the one we've been using just isn't working. Parent
Yes, some of them are alcoholics and should get help.
But many of them aren't, so why should we treat them the same? Parent
When's the last time someone landed in jail merely for possession of alcohol, who wasn't underage? Now, how many people have landed there just for possession of drugs?
The fact is that we do sometimes say that someone needs alcohol treatment instead of incarceration, don't we? How many times has someone avoided jail by agreeing to go to rehab, for example?
Decriminalizing drugs in some form or fashion doesn't mean that someone can't be punished for violating other laws, but just as with alcohol, very often the other laws that get broken are related to drug/alcohol use or abuse. There has to be an assessment of whether that relationship is an incidental one, or is a consequence of addiction.
But, really, to suggest that somehow we've ever treated everyone the same where the law is concerned is just ridiculous. Parent
If you are in jail because of a DUI, then you need help, all that denial notwithstanding....
Layering in a separate mental illness, such as bipolar, only makes everything more complicated. Just because an addict or alcoholic does not have a dual diagnosis does not mean they do not need treatment. Parent
Personally, if I'm going to drink, I'm not going to settle for cheap and trashy. Life's just too short.
Monopolowa is made from potatoes, which not only taste better, but is much easier on your stomach than any wheat derived liquors. Parent
No fricken I idea and, I would, and just about anyone who has known an addict, kill to know the answer to why some people can't say 'no' at the appropriate time and why some cannot. And the cannots are as varied as the cans.
For the record, to be an alcoholic in jail you have actually do something other than being drunk, like disorderly, too young, or driving, and with some exceptions, those jail times usually involve a night in the.... drunk tank.
DUI folks are in jail for something they did while being under the influence, namely endangering lives. Obviously we aren't going to excuse actual crimes because of alcohol or drugs. But when the crime is possession, which is generally a requirement of being an addict, unlike a DUI were driving is not a requirement of being an alcoholic, then let's cut them some slack. The only crime committed is directly related to their addiction.
We don't ever lock people up for being under the influence of alcohol/drugs because it's not illegal to get fried out of your mind. Parent
The problem with treating it as a criminal issue is - it doesn't work and it's a waste of resources and often just makes things worse. What is the goal that it is trying to accomplish? Because it certainly doesn't seem to be accomplishing anything good. Parent
But have not seen, or am just unaware of how the decriminalization would handle drug dealers?
Do the sellers of illegal drugs also benefit from decriminalization?
That also is a gray area, many deal drugs to support their habit, and the really rich dealers never touch their product. Parent
With something like heroin - probably you would want it under the control of the state and doctors in some way. Parent
I would think this would especially be a problem in the early stages of any decriminalization.
As you say, not a reason to not do it. Parent
Is it only for possession, or for intent to sell.
And are that many incarcerated for marijuana, or is it cocaine and heroin?
Would like to see more specifics on decriminalization, what charges, and what drugs are they (candidates and BLM) referring to. Parent
My hunch is the majority are in distribution for drugs harder than pot, but no, I don't have statistics.
Where in the distribution chain they are matters. How they got there matters. Whether there was violence involved matters. Frankly, and this is one of the heartbreaking aspects, the fact that many of them may be worse criminals after significant jail time matters.
I think that's a significantly different and harder question than what to do about future drug use. And it's one that I don't really have the answers for, and I'd be open to hearing any kind of ideas. But I think we have to start with the future, which is something we have more control over.
If we stop increasing the number of people going to prison that should help, to some extent, those that are already there. But you bring up some very valid questions. Parent
Is my hunch also, but also , without statistics.
So, if (most, many, some) (take your pick) believe dealers of cocaine , heroin, should be incarcerated, how much does it actually reduce the numbers going to prison?
Or, to get the results desired, of lowering our prison population, do we tolerate dealers of hard drugs, in limited quantities?
I would just love to hear more specifics from all pushing this platform, it is a worth while topic. Parent
There's still an underground market for booze, for example, but the violence certainly seems to have dissipated after Prohibition ended. Parent
As far as 300 an oz that's about the average price everywhere and has been for a while.
There cheaper and there's better but that's average. Parent
Decriminalization won't change that since the entire distribution chain will still be illegal. The good thing it would do is eliminate the incentive for users to give-it-up, which in my experience is almost always how a dealer gets busted.
It also doesn't help addicts because they are usually purchasing more than the legal amount every day. The places that have decriminalized have done it for recreational users, not all users IMO. Parent
But I would never send anyone to jail for pot.... Parent
After getting busted with weed, the concerned folks convinced my parents that rehab was the only way to cure my 'problem', which was getting high about four times a week. So I spent 10 days in adult rehab my senior year, which was actually pretty awesome. My physics lab partner, and future close friend, was the guy who delivered our meals, which we had menus to choose from. He hooked me up, and I ate better there than home, plus there is absolutely nothing to do, except smoke cigs and watch TV, which for a highschooler was pretty cool, school just wiped that period off, my grades were unaffected. 10 days is the time it takes for all the physiological tests to come back and declare I had no problem. It was my first parent free vacation.
At rehab I met several adults who I later hung out with, people a year or two older who were court ordered. Talk about a mistake, taking a kid and putting him in with adults. After that I declared to my parents that they can suck it, and from that point on I more of less emancipated myself, not legally, but in our home I was a freeman, declaring the experts declared I had no problem. It's the point in time I started openly smoking at home, really, when I started smoking. Before it was here and there, but at rehab everyone seriously smoked.
Keep in mind this is white bread rehab, at the world famous Marshfield clinic, where no one was there for hard drugs, some court ordered young people, but for the most part middle aged pill poppers who had families, people who wanted to quit, but had not ruined their lives. No crack heads or heroin junkies, just first world rehab folks who couldn't kick the pills their doctors were subscribing. Not that it isn't serious, but they weren't committing crimes to get the goods.
When decisions are made in regard to drugs and youth, to say they always error on the side of caution would be a huge understatement. I don't know the answers, but I know that school nurses aren't the people who should be determining who is at risk of an infection much less a serious problem. I read this as diverting parental responsibility to the school that will operate under the popular notion of better safe than sorry.
My experience only emboldened me towards my parents and to be perfectly honest, connected me up with folks who I had no business hanging out with. While I never became an addict, I certainly stepped it up a notch.
But the worse part about all of it was the reputation I got, which I tried not to care about, but when you go to rehab, no one is buying you don't have a problem. And while friends didn't care, just the opposite, but I was treated differently and that is not healthy for any kid to be treated like an addict by teachers and administrators and even parents. You can never shake that label, and no one wants you hanging around their kid. When in fact experts had declared I should have never been admitted, that the decision was just a waste of resources. That is in part why I felt the need to lash-out towards my parents, they bought into the whole Reagan BS and I suffered for their stupidity, so in my teenager angst thinking, they suffered for being duped into letting others decide how to best handle a little weed discovery. Keep in mind the police were not part of this equation.
FWIW, I haven't smoked cigs for probably two decades. Parent
#1 - from the article "and to try to move them in a way that they will want to go into treatment. You can't force them"
They even specifically mentioned not telling parents right away.
#2 - from your post "No crack heads or heroin junkies, just first world rehab folks who couldn't kick the pills their doctors were subscribing."
This is about heroin, not a little weed.
I think the risks from your post are all there, and that's why it's uncertain whether it will pass. But I also think you're not giving people quite enough credit, this isn't the Reagan era anymore. Personally, I'd like to hear more about the specifics of the program, how it would be implemented and who would be implementing it.
Maybe it is diverting parental responsibility, or maybe it's using every tool at your disposal. I've seen it happen close up where the parents were just clueless, well intentioned, but clueless. It never occurred to them that their son would start using heroin, that's not the environment or background they were familiar with. But in retrospect, so many signs were there, and we were all enablers in a way. Parent
Are they seriously suggesting adults who know a kid is using aren't going to get the parents involved ? Behind the silliness of that, there are serious legal and financial ramifications of not informing parents about their child's drug use.
I trust school administrators to do the right and compassionate thing about as much as I trust police to do it, which is to say I don't trust them one bit, and giving them new powers IMO is only going to create more problems, especially for the less than stellar students who if using, probably already not well liked by administrators.
Now keep in mind this is coming from someone in Houston, who knows nothing about heroin, never tried it, and have never been around it, all in a city where it's not a problem.
Note: Weed was the scourge of the 80's that threatened the fabric of society. And while it's no heroin, the push to eradicate was infinitely stronger than the one to get ride of heroin today. Obviously, today we know weed is, more or less, harmless, but back in the 80's it could kill you, even if used one time, make you a junkie, and was without a doubt, going to lead to bigger and better drugs. All complete BS of course, but that's almost 30 years ago. I just wanted to make that clear and even though it's nothing compared to heroin, I thing the over-reaction way over the top and certainly the level of scariness was worse than what we see today with any drug. Parent
I will admit, that with a sister who is currently a Vice Principal and was a Dean of Discipline for a while at a local school I have a different view of administrators that may or may not be applicable to the majority. We always joke (it's not that much of a joke) that one of the reasons she is good at her job is that she was also a huge troublemaker when she was younger. No doubt that there are less than stellar ones, and this would give them power too.
Regarding parents - I think some of the idea is that they aren't drug testing and so they have nothing concrete that they have to tell them? Maybe? I dunno. I think that's a very good question. They do seem to have permission slips of some kind for kids involved in the program where parents opt-out, I'm not sure if the language of that could mitigate some of the legal concerns or not.
On your other points I'll also concede that the department of child services in this state doesn't have a great record of saving lives. And no doubt they'd have to be involved in some way.
I guess one of the differences between us is trusting the intentions and skill sets of the people involved. But no doubt there could be some very bad unintended consequences and not everyone has good intentions/skills.
Right now it's a pilot program in 10 places, and seems to have decent "reviews". Perhaps it's best to leave it on a community-by-community basis rather than a blanket statewide program. Parent
And I think it has to start there. And it has to start now.
And for some period of time, you're going to have a situation where the cost of incarceration is going to overlap with the cost of treatment, but I don't think you can just change the drug laws and not already have in place a means to divert people into treatment if they need it.
Look at how poorly we are handling treatment for the mentally ill. How many times have we read that someone's parents or spouse or even the person him- or herself sought treatment, and couldn't find space in a program, and tragedy followed?
Why is there such an epidemic of opiate addiction? Other than the fact that it's apparently pretty cheap and easy to get the drugs. What is it that people using them are looking for?
If you talk to addicts, whether it's alcohol or other drugs, what you tend to hear is that people use to deaden their emotional pain, they use to get them out of themselves and comfortable in social situations, they use to feel something.
Which tells me that people aren't very good at handling their emotions. They look around, and at every turn, see images, and get messages that they're supposed to be happy. Things are supposed to make them happy. Money is supposed to make them happy. We've become a nation of people who don't look inside ourselves much, and constantly seek the next "thing" that's going to make us feel good.
Are we, as parents, not teaching our kids the skills to understand and deal with their own feelings? Are we so absorbed in electronics that we've lost touch with our inner selves?
I know that sounds kind of airy-fairy, but I really do believe that people don't have a very good grip on how or what they feel, are kind of afraid to confront their fears and feelings, and for some of them, drugs and alcohol come into play. Parent
I don't believe that for a minute, when I read about the horrors some people endure, especially children, there is literally no emotional support that can fix the pain they have. How exactly do you fix a child who has been mentally, physically, and sexually abused for most of their childhood ? Are there are a lot of them, maybe not all three, but who are abused in some way for most of their childhoods.
Addicts were around long before electronic devises. Obviously parents are the key for most, but most times these issues aren't known until it's too late. Like the poor little monkey in psychology class who would rather curl up to a soft doll that a wire frame, kids need love, but that is simply not an option many have.
I agree with what you said, but I too it as we can repair them easily, and there are so many that the resources would basically be nearly infinite. By resources I mean human resources, not cash. A kid doesn't shoot up heroin because mom's on her iPhone. I know that isn't what you meant, but the underlying cause IMO isn't not being able to handle emotions, it's numbing the deep and true pain of bad deeds. Which generally starts out as being done to them and advances to do to others.
Again, just my opinion. Parent
Maybe I wrote too much, as usual, but as someone who has or had family members with substance abuse issues, I do know a thing or two. Parent
but I really do believe that people don't have a very good grip on how or what they feel, are kind of afraid to confront their fears and feelings, and for some of them, drugs and alcohol come into play.
And the other group would be those genetically predisposed, and many fall into both groups.
There are treatment centers, at least in NY, and many go to them as "mandated" patients. They have a choice, go to jail for drug possession, or sales of small quantities, or a DWI, or go to the rehab center.
And yes, they fill up quickly. If the person has no insurance, it is picked up by Medicaid.
Approximately 80% of the patients in these facilities (going back 15 years) are mandated, and only 30% actually succeed in kicking their substance abuse habit. Parent
Suffice to say, some people can party all night long and yet never miss a day of work (or school / baseball practice, in my own case), while there are others like my young cousin who can barely function emotionally even while sober, and shouldn't go anywhere near a bong, bottle or bar.
Obviously, our personal anecdotes -- while certainly interesting -- don't necessarily help everyone else to grasp and understand the long-term consequences of our country's present drug and alcohol policies, which tend to criminalize abuse and marginalize the addict.
But what those same across-the-board anecdotes can tell us in the aggregate, is that a one-size-fits-all approach to the issue of alcohol and drug use is never going to work, because the circumstances of various individuals often defy such simple classifications.
Tony Perkins' conservative Family Research Council just announced plans to honor Kentucky clerk Kim Davis with a leadership award at its upcoming Value Voters summit featuring a majority of Republican presidential candidates. [...] But most importantly, nearly every Republican presidential candidate, including Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Lindsey Graham, Ben Carson, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee, is scheduled to attend the summit. Jeb Bush, however, won't be attending.
[...]
But most importantly, nearly every Republican presidential candidate, including Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Lindsey Graham, Ben Carson, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee, is scheduled to attend the summit. Jeb Bush, however, won't be attending.
Donald Trump will also be there.
Yeesh.
But I certainly hope so. Parent
Boehner appears to have been the one with the experience to hold the lid on? Maybe, with the culmination of his career being the appearance of the Pope--after all these years of asking and after his 25 years in the House--it made a certain amount of existential sense for Boehner to resign? Worth considering. Well, one wonders about the projected "deluge" to come in this latest Repub division? Parent
I have mentioned that I didn't think the base would accept establishment presidential pick for the last three cycles starting with McCain.
I think we have arrived . They will not accept Jeb. If he is somehow shoehorned into the spot there will be a revolt. A third party perhaps or some other kind if revolt.
It could play out at the convention. A split is coming between those who want purity and theocracy and those who want to win. And really think that's the only difference. They all want the same thing. It just that some are smart enough to know they can't win that way.
That said, wouldn't read t much into Boehner. He has been the canary in the coal mine fir a long time. Parent
And you said for months and months that Romney wouldn't be the nominee because they would never nominate a Mormon. (79% of white Evangelicals voted for him).
Bush won 79% of the white Evangelicals vote in 2004 and 68% in 2000.
Even in midterms, their number has been static. Parent
And the are the face. It doesn't matter wh the nominee is people are smart enough to know what the party is about. And this year thanks to Donald they will know in spades.
The party was smart enough to know this at one point.
Remember the "autopsy"?
You don't autopsy something alive. Parent
It's long been obvious that the factions of the Republican literally hate each other, yet they always seem to pull together against the (almost) literally demonized Democrats.
That being said the rubes do seem exceptionally restless this cycle and the monkeyhouse caucus is rapidly devolving to less then primate status. Parent
Boehner has crashed, taking the quitting road of that governor from Alaska. The new Republican Speaker may be someone like Kevin McCarthy, a guy more determined to get the job than Boehner was to keep his.
But,a McCarthy is still faced with the same dilemna--how to govern without compromise and how to satisfy the endless craving for more and more red meat.
The House Republicans are yearning for a Louie Gohmert. They do not want anyone who will not cast aspersions on the nation's asparagus. Or, get rid of it. The reality of the House Republican make-up is that it is comprised of angry and intolerant ignoramuses--reflecting wide swatches of their constituents.
Their goal is not good government, but no government. A velvet coup d'etat. Who can lead that mess? It will get a lot worse before it gets as "good" as it is now. The situation earns some good jokes, but the situation is not funny. Parent
The might want to put bay on the celebrations a bit unless they want a big f@ck you on the way out the door.
Boehner is on face the nation on Sunday. (I think) big sunday line up so far. Including Hillary. Parent
With Boehner's absence, relationships on the Hill will alter vis-à-vis reporters--imo--because new sources and go-to people are needed. Yet, that takes a civility in personal exchanges ... so, how are the newbie Repub House zealots? The definition of personable, the definition of those that can talk reaching out & compromise? Yea, sure :)
In my observation, personal relationships count in government ... very much so with the news media. Parent
And Buckley is turning over in his musty, gothic crypt..
Rich Lowry, who obviously has major 'issues' with assertive women, said Fiorina "castrated" Donald in the last debate..
History Of Discovery and Naming According to Aboriginal Dreamtime legend, the first platypus was born after an attractive young female duck mated with a lonely and persuasive water-rat. The duck's offspring had their mother's bill and webbed feet and their father's legs and handsome brown fur. Early written records suggest that indigenous people were aware that the platypus was both egg-laying and venomous facts that were only confirmed by European scientists after many decades of study. Traditional names for the species included "mallangong" and "tambreet" in New South Wales. Among the Wurundjeri people (who occupied much of Victoria) the name for the platypus was dulaiwarrung. Platypuses were hunted for food in the water using long spears, but the meat appears not to have been highly prized. After the British colony in Australia was founded in 1788, the strange appearance of the platypus soon fascinated the new arrivals. Early colonists called the platypus a "water mole" or a duckbill.
According to Aboriginal Dreamtime legend, the first platypus was born after an attractive young female duck mated with a lonely and persuasive water-rat. The duck's offspring had their mother's bill and webbed feet and their father's legs and handsome brown fur.
Early written records suggest that indigenous people were aware that the platypus was both egg-laying and venomous facts that were only confirmed by European scientists after many decades of study. Traditional names for the species included "mallangong" and "tambreet" in New South Wales. Among the Wurundjeri people (who occupied much of Victoria) the name for the platypus was dulaiwarrung. Platypuses were hunted for food in the water using long spears, but the meat appears not to have been highly prized.
After the British colony in Australia was founded in 1788, the strange appearance of the platypus soon fascinated the new arrivals. Early colonists called the platypus a "water mole" or a duckbill.
"Invitations to this mass were coveted by NY Catholics "
A case in point: This week Jeb Bush, who has an uncanny talent for bad timing, chose to publish an op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal denouncing the Obama administration for issuing "a flood of creativity-crushing and job-killing rules." Never mind his misuse of cherry-picked statistics, or the fact that private-sector employment has grown much faster under President Obama's "job killing" policies than it did under Mr. Bush's brother's administration.