http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/77661_potkid08 .shtml

i'll admit, i feel bad for the kid. he was pissed at his dad, a little jealous, and it NEVER OCCURED TO HIM that maybe he should TALK TO HIS DAD. you can always call cops, *later*

dirty rat bastards! [nwsource.com]

hopefully the link works this time around.

In Response to punkalicia (#425):

That sucks really badly. I'd hate for someone to squeal on someone in my family. and if the kid was in ROTC, then hes old enough to know that it should be LEGALIZED! We all know that, hopefully.

In Response to the_fetus (#428):

well, if you have kids, growing shit like that in your house is pretty stupid.

and while i believe in legalizing drugs, it comes from a libertarian attitude, not because i think it makes much sense to do most drugs.

my biggest problem is that the kid didn't think his actions through. he thought that it would all 'work itself out in the end' and it won't. it doesn't.

In my opinion, it's wrestling that makes you stupid. It sounds like this kid is being praised for doing what most teenagers are punished for: rebelling. He's rejected the values of his pot-smoking, slacker father by becoming involved in the manly, conformist sport of wrestling and by joining the ROTC. In these ways he has allied himself with the establishment and divorced himself from his dad. Then, his ultimate act of rebellion is in calling the cops on his dad, thereby tearing his family apart. There was a moment when he almost lost his nerve, but he got through it by reciting the dogma he learned from his wrestling coach, or maybe his drill instructor: "No guts, no glory."

I personally thought the Plastic discussion [plastic.com] was little more timely. Just remember kids, turning in your parents reduces the amount of time they can spent working to buy you things. If they're deadbeats, go right on ahead. Your foster parents could be rich!

In Response to punkalicia (#429):

I agree that the kid should have thought things through. He could have destroyed the plants so his Dad would not get slapped with a jail sentance, allowing (or forcing) him to spend more time with the family.

In Response to metalboy18uk (#467):

I'm not sure that would've been much better. If the boy's goal was to get his father back into a good relationship with his family, then destroying the plants (which the father would probably view as an act of teenage rebellion and vandalism) isn't a much better solution than turning him in to the police.

That's the problem; he figured things would work out on their own if he Did the Right Thing[tm] (and in his view, which apparently includes a belief in the so-called war on drugs, the Right Thing was to call the police). He didn't figure out his goals and check the expected consequences of his actions against those goals.

The truth is, we don't know the boy, his siblings, or his father. So it's really impossible for us to know what would have worked out best. I'd like to think that if the boy wanted to influence the father and how he related to his family then the best solution would have been to talk to him about the problem (the idea being that this would let the father be involved in solving the problem, whereas calling the cops or destoying the plants just tries to force the father's hand). But only the people involved can know if there was a way to approach the father.

An interesting question, although he didn't get the results he expected, is whether the kid would've done things differently if he knew what he knows now.

There was a different "War-On-Drugs" related post on a local Ska/Punk message board that I frequent.

The topic there was a new bill, that congress may of may not pass, called the Reducing American's Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act(RAVE Act), which would effectively punish club owners and show promoters and such for any drug sales or use that goes own at their events.

I know this isn't exactly realated to this discussion, but the two seem related in my mind. Two examples of our country paying attention to the wrong things, not that I'd rather live anywhere else.

http://www.dcska.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=X Forum&file=viewthread&tid=1113

In Response to mea37 (#470):

And I quote,
"There were other conflicts. He thought his father paid attention to his sister's accomplishments, while ignoring his own."

Ah, the ole' sibling rivalry. So, remember, when manufacturing illicit drugs, use the drug money to treat both kids equally. Really, this guy tears his family apart by turning in his dad for some weed, and this is one of the reasons he comes up with? I think he would have been better off just sticking with the whole "Drugs Are Bad, Just Say NO!" mantra than even mentioning this.

Although I can see why he did this...if his dad got busted for this, without his son's help, before he got in the Air Force...Lets just say I don't think this is what they mean by "Flying High".

honestly, yeah, i smoke pot sometimes. but you know what i think? in my opinion, any parent who is stupid and fucked up enough to grow, smoke, sell, etc. their weed in front of their kids deserves to go to jail. that's not for the kids to see, no matter what your opinion on the stuff is.

OOoooooOOOOOOOoooh!

Just like in 1984, the kids are EVIL!

One minute, they're turning their parents in for pot, next it's for 'thought crimes.'

"Daddy said 'death to Big Bush' so I called 911 and the police arrested him. Now I'm a hero!"

Yes Yes we have all heard the compelling argument that pot makes you stupid...but i would rather have stupid non violent sedaited people around then stupid mobile severly agitated people.

>Seriously now, they should legalize pot for several reasons: first of which it is not really a drug if you compare it to some of the other ingested crap-a-phernalia thats out there, both illegal and legal (cigarettes), secondly it would end the trivial waste of time and money via the drug war, that the government spends countless bills on, as well as those inneffective drug free commercials condemning marijana. Third and probably most important to me, you, and even the dead, after legalization it should be taxed by the government as a sin tax just like alcohol or cigarettes are, and from that revenue get this country out of debt, resulting in lower taxes since about 17% of the GNP is used to pay off just the interest on the loans that it has taken out. Furthermore, after the debt is eliminated, the intake of more funds would result in even lower taxes meaning more money to spend on frivolous craptacular items, such as slinkies or snow cone machines or useful stuff like goats merchendise. Lastly the new "industry would result in more jobs as well as an overall happier social climate. But hey, what do I know, i am only a penguin.

In Response to Gentoo666 (#690):

I'm a little teapot, short and stout
Here is my handle, here is my spout
When I worship Satan, hear me shout
Just tip me over and BLOOD POURS OUT.

Man, I love a good nursery rhyme.

In Response to Gentoo666 (#690):

i'm actually very pro-legalization.

but i also think it makes you stupid. and hungry. so hungry.

imagine a world filled with pot smokers...no breakfast burrito would be safe!

One thing I've always wondered about; if pot was legalized, then what would kids use if they wanted to experiment with something illegal? As far as illegal drugs go pot is pretty harmless, and it's affects are comparable to govt.-sanctioned drugs (alcohol, nicotine); I'd evens say pot is less dangerous for others than alcohol, because people can get pretty violent when drunk, but stoners all seem pretty laid back. But if pot was legalized, then kids might want to try something harder like xtasy or shrooms so they can say they did something illegal (come one, we know that's part of the kick). Perhaps just the penalties for selling/posession of marijuana could be reduced. The case for legalizing it does have a lot of strength, too, though.

In Response to caffeineisthemelange (#704):

well, even if pot were legalized, it is highly unlikely that it would be for those under age 18 (probably higher).

so regardless, they are dabbling in the realm of the forbidden donut.

although the arguement is usually that marijuana is a 'gateway drug' that the use of leads to more hardcore drug use. interesting point though.

In Response to punkalicia (#707):

fuckin shit. Cigarettes and alcohol do more harm
then smoking pot. Ever hear of anyone getting cancer from smoking reefer? What about damage to the liver? And for those who think it makes you stupid are the stupid ones. It doesnt affect my thinking in the least. And for those who think it "burns" you out. Well it can. But for those that are always like "duhhh, im burnt", that's the dummies that smoke it day in and out and cant handle like the pussies they are. Fuck all ya who have a problem with pot, its better then smoking cigarettes, and drinking every fuckin day.

In Response to Lonely Goatherd (#2977):

Actually, pot gives cancer, people just rarely smoke it for all their life, like cigarettes. I am not necessarily disagreeing, I love the stuff, but you do happen to be off base. People die from it just like any other thing on earth. You are only proving to the world that you are semi-competant by this post anyway, if you are going to fight something... do it with intelligence...

In Response to BitterPainter (#485):

Dear cynthia,
I think that pot makes you happy. And if you are happy that is good. And if everyone is happy then everyone is happy. And that is good too.

Josoline