Klarinet Archive - Posting 001049.txt from 2002/06

From: "Natilius Theresius Visagius" <brazilian_penguins@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Music vs. drug testing
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 14:15:48 -0400

>Explain to me just how a school can afford to test every single student? It
>has to be random, otherwise the costs would be too great.

You're right (and it's not as if the state I'm in (TN) has money to burn).
But they shouldn't test the students JUST in certain organizations or
activities. If it's going to be random, it should be random throughout the
entire school, rather than just a targeted group.

>Why stop there? How about testing for all teenagers? How about drug testing
>for the entire American population? Where do you draw the line?

Another good point. You can't test all teenagers, and certainly not everyone
in America. Life is unfair and blah, blah, blah, so it's just impossible.
But to start with the teenagers would be the smarter thing to do, because if
you catch them soon enough, they might have a better chance at turning their
lives around and starting over than an adult may have, IMHO.

>I think Mark, our glorious List Grand Poobah, said it better than I can,
>but
>basically I have to ask, why shouldn't it bother you? You're talking about
>rights countless numbers of people have died to protect. The right to
>privacy, while not explicitly stated, has been one of our most cherished
>rights. You're allowing what amounts to a fishing expedition. You're
>looking
>for evidence a crime is being committed that you have no probable cause
>before hand for. It's like following some guy around and waiting for him to
>mess up before you arrest him (which is very, very illegal. Only time it is
>legal is if you appear to be drunk or there is other evidence you've
>committed a crime.) Much like Mark and the trunk, I had this happen to me.
>A
>cop followed me for 20 minutes before pulling me over. I was not drunk, I
>was not driving irregularly, and when I was pulled over, the cop refused to
>tell me what I had done and instead cited me for insurance I couldn't find
>(which was in the back and I found five minutes later.)
>
> > If you
> > are on drugs...well, you should have thought of that ahead of time, so I
> > have no pity for you.
>
>Even criminals have rights. That's one of the things that sets America
>apart.
>

This is just going to be one of those things that we'll never have an easy
answer to. There are obviously pros and cons to each side, and depending on
how much weight you give each will effect your perspective. I'm not all that
big on politics, and I am younger in my years than many of you, so maybe I
just don't have enough experience with the way life works. However, this is
all just my teenager-ish opinion (which isn't always the wisest one anyway),
so thanks for letting me say my piece.

Natalie

Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------