Pa. woman to stand trial for pot-laced margarine

Yahoo News ^ | May 20, 2011 | Associated Press

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - A Pennsylvania woman will stand trial on charges she fed marijuana-laced margarine to a 12-year-old girl she was baby-sitting, as well as two other children at her home.

The 12-year-old's mother called Upper Burrell Township police after discovering the drugs in a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter in 22-year-old Stevie Hickey's freezer. The woman tells police Hickey spread the substance on two pieces of toast that Hickey gave to the girl.

Police say Hickey told the girl it was "parsley butter" but later acknowledged to police that it was marijuana.

[Perdogg]

One should not play with Mother Nature

[DonaldC]

My great grandmother in her 70’s tried smokin pot and said it did nothing for her, but she said when cooking with it, it made food taste better.

[WayneS]

She should go to jail for feeding it to children, but she should probably also file for a patent... ...before someone else does...

[vlad335]

“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.”

Sorry... Lol. I can’t help giggling for some reason.

[fr_freak]

The 12-year-old's mother called Upper Burrell Township police after discovering the drugs in a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter in 22-year-old Stevie Hickey's freezer. The woman tells police Hickey spread the substance on two pieces of toast that Hickey gave to the girl.

I know that the standards for journalism are in the toilet these days, but am I now to believe that these ignorant screwheads can't even handle using a consistent verb tense?

[bigheadfred]

The woman tells tolded police Hickey spread the substance on two pieces of toast that Hickey gave to the girl.

I feel better now. How about you? ;-)

[Joe 6-pack]

"...but am I now to believe that these ignorant screwheads can't even handle using a consistent verb tense?"

I agree that stylistically it makes for a clumsy read; however, it's not entirely inappropriate when somebody has made a permanent report, affirmation or filing:

"I repeatedly asked my son if he broke the window, and he swears that he did not."

"The suit filed last week claims the defendant was negligent in his actions."

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

That's one of my pet peeves. Many broadcast outlets seem to use nothing but the present tense. Print media are usually somewhat better. I believe that using only the present tense is supposed to impart some sense of immediacy — or mimic surveillance logs. It's a lazy, and often confusing “reporting” practice.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

discovering the drugs in a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter

LOL. Apparently it wasn't.

[mylife]

“I cant believe its not Colombian”

[GeronL]

people are becoming freaks of nature.

I guess his woman is a liberaltarian

[mylife]

The lazy sack of crap was to stoned to bake Brownies?

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Actually, it's entirely appropriate, in the case of an ongoing situation; or in the examples you used. The problem is that some reporters use the present tense almost exclusively — most often inappropriately.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Margarine? Sheesh, lady, at least use real butter!

Now you are not only a poisoner but cheap as well!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Magic Brownies are so passe...

[Vigilanteman]

LOL! Good one.

[DBrow]

“probably also file for a patent... ...before someone else does...”

Pot butter and margarine have been around for a while. Also pot Everclear.

The “legal” dope shops have pot candy and pot honey, lots of different concoctions. For health purposes, donchano.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=active&source=hp&q=marijuana+butter+recipe&aq=1&aqi=g5&aql=f&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=e4d813b43c7d221c

I can’t go to any of these links, I’m using a client’s computer and connection, but you can, maybe.

[Joe 6-pack]

"The problem is that some reporters use the present tense almost exclusively — most often inappropriately."

That's because most journalists are idiots. My only point is in regard to the sentence in question:

"The woman tells police Hickey spread the substance on two pieces of toast..."

Certainly the woman only 'told' the police once, and that was in the past; she is no longer 'telling' the police at this moment. However, her 'telling' would have been executed as an affidavit or sworn statement which remains actionable as part of the investigation. IMHO, this puts it into a gray area where the journalist would have a decent justification for using 'tells'. For all we know, the writer could have been far more precise with something to the effect that, "In her complaint the woman tells police (that) Hickey spread the substance on two pieces of toast...," only to have it pared down by an editor in the interests of brevity.

[wolfcreek]

Time for nighty night, girls.