Police charge PTA president (giving pot and wine to underaged girls)

Rochester NY Democrat and Chronicle ^ | 5/17/03

[Behind Liberal Lines]

BERGEN NY-- Police have accused a PTA president of giving marijuana and wine to his 14-year-old daughter and her underage friends.

James Howard, 42, was charged Thursday with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of unlawfully dealing with a child.

The longtime president of the Byron-Bergen Central School PTA gave his daughter and two others a small amount of marijuana as he drove them around April 11, said Sheriff’s Investigator William Ferrando. A fourth girl in the car refused to smoke it, he said. After they returned to his home, Howard gave all four girls a glass of wine, Ferrando said.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Can we skip the legalization argument and at least agree that it is wrong for middle aged men to give marijuana and wine to underaged girls?

We have two likely scenarios here: the first is that he is some sort of Scott Ritter-like perv, the second is that he is just a typical liberal parent trying to be buddies with his kid and her friends.

Neither speaks well of the American educational establishment.

[Always Right]

Can we skip the legalization argument and at least agree that it is wrong for middle aged men to give marijuana and wine to underaged girls?

Libertarians, according to their platform, would be OK with the parent giving pot to his child, they might draw the line on giving it to the other children without their parents permission.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

I dont think even the most liberal of libertarians (no pun intended) would permit an adult to give pot to his own underaged children.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

None of your links goto this story.

I can think of only one reason for a man
to try to get girls high.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

None of your links goto this story.

Scroll down. Its near the bottom of the page.

[gunnedah]

The entertainment industry,the news media and the schools have been taken over by left wing liberals and they are taken America down the road to destruction. It is all about mind control. Why does everyone think our school systems are in the shape their in? This is designed and the quest of the liberals in America and one day we will awaken and find we have our own Hitler.

[Always Right]

I dont think even the most liberal of libertarians (no pun intended) would permit an adult to give pot to his own underaged children.

It is quite clear in their platform:

"...the repeal of all laws prohibiting the production, sale, possession, or use of drugs, and of all medicinal prescription requirements for the purchase of vitamins, drugs, and similar substances."

and concerning children:

"However, children always have the right to establish their maturity by assuming administration and protection of their own rights, ending dependency upon their parents or other guardians, and assuming all responsibilities of adulthood."

This is from the official Libertarian platform posted on their official web site, which is advocating legalizing this exact activity.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Whether legal or not, drugs are bad. I can't believe a man would give his daughter and her friends drugs and alcohol. What an idiot.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Drugs are illegal right now. Doesn't seem like it is very difficult to get drugs, does it? Try to get a drug addict into a drug treatment place if you don't have money. The WOD costs BILLIONS of dollars and costs many lives (convenience store clerks killed by crack dealers and innocents caught in the middle of drive by shootings between rival gangs) yet drugs are available practically anywhere. All the WOD does is create an artificial market where drug producers make ridiculous profits.

[tdadams]

The Libertarian Party represents libertarians about as much as People for the American Way represent people for the American way.

[punster]

A question: Was this PTA president a gun control advocate?

[Paul Ross]

Can we skip the legalization argument and at least agree that it is wrong for middle aged men to give marijuana and wine to underaged girls?

We have two likely scenarios here: the first is that he is some sort of Scott Ritter-like perv, the second is that he is just a typical liberal parent trying to be buddies with his kid and her friends.

Neither speaks well of the American educational establishment.

[Paul Ross]

Ping.

[robertpaulsen]

"The Libertarian Party represents libertarians about as much as ..."

I saw that line coming a mile away. Whenever the Libertarian platform is shown in the light of day, small "l" libertarians run for cover saying that they have nothing to do with the LP.

You want to tell us, tdadams, where small "l" libertarians stand on the drugs/children issue then? And how do I know you're just not making it up? Can you point us to some web site, or article, or something that educates us on where small "l" libertarians come down on specific issues like drugs, immigration, gay rights, education, etc.?

If you can't define yourself, then I suggest you stop using the label. It says nothing.

[tdadams]

I saw that line coming a mile away.

Well, considering I said the same thing to you just a day or two ago, is that really some great feat of insight???

[tdadams]

And how do I know you're just not making it up?

If you're going to preemptively disbelieve anything I say, there's really no point in telling you anything, is there?

[tdadams]

where [do] small "l" libertarians come down on specific issues like drugs, immigration, gay rights, education, etc.?

Small 'l' libertarianism is nothing more than classical liberalism. Surely you're not so unfamiliar with that philosophy that you need it all explained to you from square one.

If you can't define yourself, then I suggest you stop using the label.

I would suggest you not deem yourself suited to suggest what I may or may not label myself.

[eleni121]

Yes, war on evil costs money...so what?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

It costs money...and it's not working. That's what. Try to get a drug addict who wants help a place to go to recover. See how that goes.

[GladesGuru]

Perhaps you are confusing "war on evil" with attempting the impossible. Look up the Volstead Act and its' sequelae.

There are those who want such destructive things as alcohol, drugs, ad nauseam. To date, efforts to prohibit such things have only enriched the underworld, increased crime, and grown bureaucracies.

There are worse things that addicts - like loss of out liberties.