Monday, April 20, 2009
Zero Tolerance for the 4th Amendment
As a nation we implemented Zero Tolerance policies to ensure that our children are not sold or given drugs on school grounds. Any child that is found distributing or using drugs on school grounds needs to face strict and harsh penalties. They must be removed from their trusted friends, teachers and familiar social settings in order to face the harsh reality of the "War on Drugs." They must be denied access to any decent pubic education, top tier schools, student loans and hope of academic achievement in order for the war on drugs to be effectively won. Without these penalties young thugs will never learn to respect authority.
Zero Tolerance is not solely intended to stop the distribution of hard street drugs like heroin and crack, it is also applied to over the counter drugs like ibuprofen and Tylenol. Take for example the 2003 case of Savana Redding which is going before the Supreme Court this year. This 13 year old drug pusher was accused of giving ibuprofen and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pills to her friends. While she did not have any incriminating evidence in her backpack or locker, a planner which she allegedly had 'loaned' to a 'friend' was recovered with the aforementioned contraband. Luckily this 'evidence' was enough to enact Zero Tolerance policies which allowed two school officials to strip search the girl, checking her bra and panties to ensure public safety and the right of students to receive an education in a drug free environment.
When Savana was found to be clean, her left wing raging liberal parents decided to sue the principal in court for of all things a violation of the 4th Amendment. I'll bet that this wouldn't be the case if the school officials had done their job proper and initiated a cavity search. I mean c'mon with liberal parents like that I'll bet ibuprofen wouldn't be the only thing they found, am I right?
What is clear to me is that Zero Tolerance is a strategy that we know is working, despite beatnik statistics which reveal their bias in their failure to demonstrate this fact. Today's children are out of control and must be closely watched in order to ensure public safety. But beyond this I know in my heart that Zero Tolerance attacks the source of our nation's problems.
Punishment for violating Zero Tolerance policies does not stop with the child, and this is because clearly the child's parents and by extension, family are to blame. Furthermore, none of the blame should be placed on the highly effective "Just Say No" or "DARE" education campaigns. This is why after a juvenile delinquent is identified, his or her family is burdened with the high cost of relocation or private schools after mandated expulsion. This financial stress coupled with lowered expectations of academic success will hopefully create enough discord within the family to teach them that America means business in the 'War on Drugs.'
Of course I could be wrong...
Zero Tolerance is not solely intended to stop the distribution of hard street drugs like heroin and crack, it is also applied to over the counter drugs like ibuprofen and Tylenol. Take for example the 2003 case of Savana Redding which is going before the Supreme Court this year. This 13 year old drug pusher was accused of giving ibuprofen and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pills to her friends. While she did not have any incriminating evidence in her backpack or locker, a planner which she allegedly had 'loaned' to a 'friend' was recovered with the aforementioned contraband. Luckily this 'evidence' was enough to enact Zero Tolerance policies which allowed two school officials to strip search the girl, checking her bra and panties to ensure public safety and the right of students to receive an education in a drug free environment.
When Savana was found to be clean, her left wing raging liberal parents decided to sue the principal in court for of all things a violation of the 4th Amendment. I'll bet that this wouldn't be the case if the school officials had done their job proper and initiated a cavity search. I mean c'mon with liberal parents like that I'll bet ibuprofen wouldn't be the only thing they found, am I right?
What is clear to me is that Zero Tolerance is a strategy that we know is working, despite beatnik statistics which reveal their bias in their failure to demonstrate this fact. Today's children are out of control and must be closely watched in order to ensure public safety. But beyond this I know in my heart that Zero Tolerance attacks the source of our nation's problems.
Punishment for violating Zero Tolerance policies does not stop with the child, and this is because clearly the child's parents and by extension, family are to blame. Furthermore, none of the blame should be placed on the highly effective "Just Say No" or "DARE" education campaigns. This is why after a juvenile delinquent is identified, his or her family is burdened with the high cost of relocation or private schools after mandated expulsion. This financial stress coupled with lowered expectations of academic success will hopefully create enough discord within the family to teach them that America means business in the 'War on Drugs.'
Of course I could be wrong...
Labels: 4th Amendement, Savana Redding, Zero Tolerance
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