School Searches in Howell

I'll start with this. I hate drugs. I hate the War on (some) Drugs more. The price to pay in the War on Drugs isn't worth the cost. 

It's a different era of school security since I was a student. We didn't have lockdown drills in my day. Things changed heavily after Columbine. Today there is an era of zero sense, I mean zero tolerance, students being arrested for pointing fingers like a gun, police involvement and criminal charges for everything, and comparisons to prison. I'd hate to be a student these days. I'd be lucky to avoid expulsion and spent enough time in the principal's office back in the day as it was. I've never been good with authority. It's why I'm not a democrat. Too many authoritarians.

One thing we all need to remember with the public school system is that these are government officials, and they all have direct lines to the police. If you are a student reading this and are accused of something that could in ANY way be a police matter, don't cooperate with the administration. You have rights, and should use them in a respectful manner. Treat them as cops, and use your 5th Amendment rights. TALK TO A LAWYER. You do not want to end up with a felony or misdemeanor on your record and following you for the rest of your life affecting your future. If it costs you a suspension for insubordination, it's a smaller price to pay than a criminal record. This is a great video here on why you don't talk to the police.

Now this story has my guard up. I don't know all the facts, so I'm admitting to speculation. From the Argus

Some Howell High School students are protesting recent lockdown drills at their school, calling them little more than random drug searches in disguise.
“The big issue is that the school is telling us something that really isn’t true,” said senior Cassie Bondie, who sent an email detailing the concerns to school officials as well as the Daily Press & Argus.
“They should just be honest,” said recent graduate Renee Augustyn of the purpose behind the lockdown drills.
But school officials say they are being as honest as they can.
During the drills, students place their backpacks in a common area for inspection.
“They are lockdown drills but we have brought drug-sniffing dogs in based on information we’ve received,” Howell Public Schools Superintendent Ron Wilson said. “Obviously, we can’t tip our hand.”
Lockdown drills are conducted to practice the procedures to be used should an intruder attempt to enter the building.
Dogs from the Michigan State Police were twice brought in this semester, Wilson said.
“A cache of marijuana” was discovered during one of the searches, he said.
“We have had searches, as have other school districts in our area,” Wilson said, adding that, other than Bondie’s letter, the searches have been conducted without criticism from students or the public.
There was not a search when there was an actual lockdown this semester when a man attempted to enter the high school after trying to enter Hartland High School.
The issue prompted a lively discussion on student Facebook pages.
Bondie and others quoted in her email say they aren’t defending illegal drug use but say the procedure violates school policy and breaks the trust between administrators and students.
Students said they were concerned that randomly searching their personal property, rather than searching suspected school lockers, was a step too far.
“I know that if it happens again, some students won’t be putting their bags out,” Bondie said.
But Wilson said the searches were well within district policies and procedures.

First off, don't do drugs or bring them into school. That said, courts have rules that dog sniffs are not a violation of the 4th Amendment as they aren't considered searches. They can lead to probable cause and a search if the German Shepherd gets a hit.

"I don't do drugs. I have nothing to hide."

If some druggie gets rid of the drugs by sticking them in your bag without you knowing, you have plenty to hide. Why would he do that? He's panicking and needs to discard evidence. Anywhere possible.


I recommend keeping the bags on you at all times in these drills or leaving them in the locker (or vehicle). If the bags are being opened up, refuse. This isn't about safety, but control.

Why does the War on Drugs bring out the worst in our reps?

I don't know Matt Lori. I know of him and know a lot of people who know him. By all accounts I've heard, he's a good guy, and normally conservative. However, this is a real bad idea, one that I'd frankly expect as a part of Obamacare. I don't know what it is about the War on (some) Drugs that brings out the worst in normally good people. I think it's usually due to police lobbies or in some cases, ex cops themselves. If there is one issue that brings out "big government conservatism" it is this. Liberals are also big government on this issue, but they are usually consistent on big government.

As I feel like I have to do every time I post a War on Drugs thread, I don't use them. Drugs, especially hard drugs like meth, are bad. I know this. We all know this. Everybody reading this who doesn't live under a rock knows someone who has been affected by drugs, or know someone who knows someone who has. They affect every corner of the US. They are illegal. They are still used all the time despite being illegal.We give up much of our freedoms, especially the fourth amendment, due to the War on Drugs. Yet, drugs are still used.

The latest is this. Matt Lori wants to require a prescription for some cold medications. Pseudoephedrine aka Sudafed or Actifed. From the Kalamazoo Gazette

State Rep. Matt Lori, R-Constantine, said he has begun work on a law that would make many over-the-counter cold and allergy medications available by prescription only.

It's a move other states have used to curtail methamphetamine manufacturing and the criminal activity associated with do-it-yourself "meth labs."

Lori, a former St. Joseph County sheriff, said he was prompted to seek the change because he is fed up with the massive cost to taxpayers methamphetamine has brought to Michigan.

So because some people make meth, I'm going to have to pay for a doctor's visit when my allergies kick up in the spring (still winter here in Michigan) and pay extra for Actifed that I can get for about $5. That or go to Indiana and Ohio. That's a waste of time, money, and takes away doctor time from those who really need it. I shouldn't have to go to the doctor, when I do about once every two years if that, for allergies. We talk about rising health care costs as an issue, and this is part of it. Too many regulations, like this.

Oh yeah, Indiana and Ohio. Kalamazoo County has a meth problem, much like much of the state. Kalamazoo County is about an hour or so from South Bend. That's in Indiana. I'm a little over an hour from Toledo here. Do you think the drug pushers are going to follow this law? They'll find away around it by going out of state or elsewhere. Besides this, how often do prescription drugs get abused? Vicotin. Oxycotton.

This is another overreach of big government, and the war on drugs is usually the culprit. We do not need this here. Making Actifed a controlled substance will not stop meth manufacturing, the same way criminalizing pot does not stop marijuana smoking.

This will be as successful as the War on Drugs

Four Loko. I'm getting old. I've never heard of this stuff. It sounds nasty. From the AP

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Sugary, high-alcohol energy drinks that are popular with college students who want to get drunk quickly and cheaply came under renewed scrutiny Monday as investigators announced that nine freshmen had been hospitalized after drinking them at an off-campus party.

Several states are considering outlawing the drinks and at least two universities have banned them from campus while the Food and Drug Administration reviews their safety.

Caffeine and booze have been mixed for years. This isn't new. Back when I was in school, it was the old fashion rum and coke, which was my favorite on gameday. There's also Jack and Coke, Irish Coffee, 7up and Seagrums, and countless other concoctions out there.

Four Loko comes in several varieties, including fruit punch and blue raspberry. A 23.5-ounce can sells for about $2.50 and has an alcohol content of 12 percent, comparable to four beers, according to the company's website.

Health advocates say the caffeine in the drink can also suspend the effects of alcohol consumption, allowing a person to consume more than usual.

"It gets you really drunk really fast and it gives you a lot of energy so you're not going to be laying down and sleeping," said 18-year-old CWU freshman Hyatt Van Cotthem of Everett, Wash., who said he's tried the beverage but doesn't drink it because the taste is "nasty." He didn't attend the party.

I agree that stuff is nasty, but extra regulation isn't going to do anything. This stuff is about twice as strong as a beer. It's like a malt liquor or a stronger Steel Reserve which was big for about one weekend when I was at State. It's not as strong as what else is out there. Do you want them all to switch to Bacardi 151 and Coke? Jagr shots?

The way to combat drink related hospital visits in colleges is easier said that done. Age. Maturity. Good decision making. Experience. What isn't needed is more anti-freedom regulations which raise the curiosity of others. I never heard of this Four Loko stuff. I'm not that interested because it sounds nasty tasting, but why make it famous? I'm also well past the age to drink just to get drunk, and can't recover from hangovers as easily as I used to. It's not a forbidden fruit anymore. I'm much more content with one or two Mackinac Pale Ales from Michigan Brewing in Webberville and ending it there.

For about 15 years, it's been the age of zero tolerance. Zero sense. Everyone knows about MIP's and the fact it leaves a criminal record. Misdemeanor. About 90% of the people I know who were 18-20 drank at some time or another. The other 10% didn't drink not because of legalities (unless you count religious aspects). They just didn't drink. You have thousands of people in one city committing misdemeanors every weekend, and hundreds getting fined, licenses suspended (even not driving), probation, court costs, lawyer fees, and good people getting nailed and screwing up their lives for not evil, but stupidity. It doesn't teach respect for the law, but contempt.

The best thing we can teach those younger is to relate our experiences and why we no longer do some of the dumb things we used to do, and hope not everyone learns the hard way.