PROTECTING WRONG FREEDOMS

A few weeks ago, I listened to a call-in show about why we are losing
the ``war on drugs.'' The guest speaker seemed to favor the
legalization of drugs (since the consumption of alcohol was not
totally eliminated by prohibition) and also felt that prison sentences
should be relaxed for persons convicted of drug crimes. Naturally this
generated a lively call-in debate.

However, I was disappointed that no caller mentioned that the ``war on
drugs'' is directly related to the ``culture war.'' He said that the
``DARE'' program didn't work. The DARE program was based totally on
the freedom to make choices, hoping the kids might be encouraged to
make good choices. What was not emphasized in the DARE program was
that ``taking drugs is the wrong thing to do.'' Not taking them is the
right thing to do. The convoluted mind-set about morality vs.
immorality precludes the mention of those words in the schools.

I have also heard on radio lately public service commercials about
parents talking to their kids about drugs. For more than a decade the
message that kids get in the schools is: ``You make your own
decisions, your parents don't make them for you'' and that most
parents are probably from a much different era so they probably
wouldn't understand modern thinking. With that type of indoctrination,
what kid is going to listen to his parents? Instead, peer-group
thinking is encouraged, especially in problem solving discussions with
no judgmental comments permitted from the ``facilitator'' (teacher).

No wonder we are losing not only the war on drugs but the culture war
as well!

Which freedom do we really want protected by law?

Lucille Raymond,
Polk City