Washington State Supreme Court steps in to defend potheads
It seems high school students are somewhat protected by the First and Fourth Amendments, after the State Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that random drug-testing of student athletes (as practiced by the otherwise unimportant Wahkiakum School District) was a violation of the Constitution.
The court ruled that such testing set a dangerous precedent that could some day include random testing for any student.
Some potentially fun future issues arise with this one. It's not a big surprise that the court ruled this way, but it will be interesting to see how school districts try to get around the decision (for example, though the ruling said that there could be no uniform policy on random drug-testing, it left the door open for drug-testing under specific circumstances).
Though many see this as a no-brainer, the comments at the P.I.'s SoundOff page responding to the article give a good indication of how divisive the student drug testing issue really is. I suggest reading through them, as you'll come across gems from both sides of the argument.
And there is more anger over the court's decision than one would expect. Commenter Proud Army Wife wasn't afraid to show her outrage...
... while Arcfault, citing personal experience, espouses the dangers of people who are "smoked out" on marijuana:WHAT?!? Do these people realize how many high school student athletes partake in drug use? The ACLU is slowly letting anarchy reign.
Ah, so someone smoked out on pot isn't a safety hazard? I'm sorry but I've smoked pot and I know what the effects are and I'll be damned if I let someone work with me while they are stoned. My work is too dangerous for me to work with someone who just had to "mellow out".
Guess it isn't just weed smokers who exhibit signs of paranoia.
Though the will of the people on random drug testing remains divided, one thing is clear: pot smoking student athletes are safe...for now. But I'll bet that the state's high court (no pun intended) hasn't seen the last of the student drug test debate.
Good for the supreme court. Drug use is a personal choice and this ruling is one step closer to the government getting out of people's personal business.
In regards to Arcfault's comments, even if smoking marijuana were legal, that wouldn't prevent businesses from prohibiting anyone from showing up to work stoned. Just because alcohol use is legal doesn't mean that anyone can just show up to work drunk. The same kind of prohibitions would rule for other drug use.
What are we teaching our kids? Are we gonna turn schools into ersatz jails?
I think drug testing and wand searches and stuff are there for the Joe Arpaio effect, it is all BS.
It teaches disrespect. If it was not for that high handed fuck you I'm the boss crap, and more perv teachers than I care to remember & stuff I'd have grown up normal. I didn't grow up normal.
The thing missing from the human condition is trust and kindness.
I'm a ruthless person but...the art of mercy is when you floor some idiot, not to polish your shoes on him if you don't have to.
One shouldn't need to like somebody to do a good turn and a good turn can be what you don't do. I'm better than a lot of teachers in WA.
A heap of teachers in WA had a picnic, they had a picnic organized by their union, to burn sexual abuse records! Why respect that filth? I don't.
This is for real the first drug-tsting in Britain was paid for by a magazine doing nudie photos of 16 year old girls! I kid you not. They think that's gonna teach kids to walk the straight.
Do we want to end up like England, they employ thousands of folks to fake crime stats,
look last time I was in Newcastle on Tyne I saw about a dozen serious crimes in one night, the England football team was playing and the English were stalking foreigners.
Any they found, got layed into. Their hospitals on the weekend look like Bosnia.Compare the following with their tourism website.
I'm not saying the survey is dead accurate, it does gives an impression that their fruit accents hide a hard and difficult side of their nature.
.
Independent.co.uk
England has worst crime rate in the West
By Jason Bennetto, Crime Correspondent
Friday, 23 February 2001
The crime rate in England and Wales is the highest in the industrialised world, an international study has found.
England and Wales are also placed towards the very top of the international crime league table for car offences, burglary, sex and violent assaults.
The poor comparison with other nations - it shares the overall worst crime rate with Australia - represents an embarrassing blow to Labour's law-and-order credentials in the run-up to the general election.
http://tinyurl.com/2kegtu
Lets be honest in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and most of Europe, it is the teachers who are on the drugs and gear. It really is.
Now before some Brit doll comes back telling me what a half-assed sexual abused hyperboler I am, lets look at a completely innocent teacher in New Zealand, this is a typical example of a vindicated non-drug tested educator type individual.
(This is common for NZ)
'He reminded jurors that Calder was being tried on serious charges - not for being 37 years old, spending time and drinking with two teenagers, and lying about their whereabouts.'
http://tinyurl.com/2kq4z9
Absolutely we wouldn't want any of that to color the proceedings and blacken his name, that's the Anglo--Commonwealth model of a cool dude who got into a bit of trouble because of 'the system'. Maybe we can hire him as a coach for WA, he'd fit in.
'As for Calder calling the teenagers "hotties", Mr Magee said the former school teacher clearly tried to express a view which he later described as a "foolish mistake". '
He's largely typical, of what's in class in Britain, Australia or England. He's also innocent by the same dubious cultural Brit Empire standards
Here is what I like about America, I can look a cop in the face and say 'prove it'. That's the game, and I get deported a lot, by people with standards that make me want to vomit.
Same innocent fucking dude.
Tape shown at teacher's trial
Mar 6, 2008 8:35 PM
A police interview tape has been played to the jury in the trial of a former Dargaville teacher facing sexual violation charges involving a 14 year old girl.
The tape shows Richard Calder admitting he bought alcohol for two 14 year old girls before a day at Bayley's beach and Kai Iwi Lakes.
He says he was concerned when they became intoxicated and he knew it wasn't a good look for a teacher to be with two drunk girls.
Calder, 38, says the girls asked him if they could stay at his home because they didn't want to go home to their parents. While he wasn't happy about it, he says he let them stay the night in his spare room.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1622138
That is INNOCENT in New Zealand, England, Australia, its no better. It is the teachers that need testing.
So here is what I say, tell kids, whe they grow up, if they do wrong, they might go to jail,
Until then, drug test the fucking people in charge of their moral education or let it go. THere too many people trading on the idea they are owed respect, they're not, and that goes for WA.
That evidence destoying picnic did happen.
So test them.
Tazia