Klarinet Archive - Posting 001053.txt from 2002/06

From: "Kevin Callahan" <kionon@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Music vs. drug testing
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 14:44:37 -0400

----- Original Message -----
From: "Natilius Theresius Visagius" <brazilian_penguins@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] Music vs. drug testing

>
> >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.

Which even the Supreme Court has problems with. Granted, they're going that
way, but they're not there yet.

> >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.

That misses the point on privacy though, even if it may be true, if if it
gets results, the question is whether or not it's *right*.

<snip>

> 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.

Well, in response to the unanswerable position, perhaps you're right. It's
an opprotunity cost. You give up rights for better safety, and you give up
safety for more rights. Personally, I go with the latter, but I know of many
people like yourself who agree with the former, especially considering the
terrorism that plagues our world. As for experience and youth, I'm only 18
myself. But I read a lot and pay attention to the issues, as well as harbour
strong opinions. Not to say I don't make mistakes, and not to say I don't
change my views over time, because I do both. While I disagree with you, I
respect your opinion, and though I think you are wrong, I have no way to
prove that, because ultimately we're dealing with opinions. As you said,
unanswerable positions.

Kevin Callahan

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