From: bu008@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Brandon D. Ray)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs,alt.society.civil-liberty,alt.politics.libertarian
Subject: Hitler Youth Comes to America
Date: 17 Dec 1992 18:48:38 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
Reply-To: bu008@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Brandon D. Ray)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


Message #14 (16 is last):
Date: Thu Dec 17 11:40:44 1992
From: craig@mainstream.com (Craig Peterson)
Subject: kids turning in their parents
To: home-ed-politics@mainstream.com (Multiple recipients of list)
Reply-To: home-ed-politics@mainstream.com


Boy has Second Thoughts About Turning in Parents
Copied without permission From Gun Week, Friday, December 4, 1992

The _Atlanta_Journal-Constitution_ reported on Oct. 10 that Darrin
Davis, the Douglasville, GA, sixth-grader who turned his parents in
for drugs, doesn't really understand all that's happened to him.

He's upset that his parents ever used drugs, angry that police
arrested his folks and confused that friends and neighbors believe he
did a horrible thing.

"Kids are always asking if I'm to blame for my parents' arrest," says
Darrin.  "I tell them they just wouldn't understand it.  When I went
over to my friend's house the other day, his mom told me she couldn't
believe I called the police on my mom and dad."

"She said her son would never do that to her," Darrin says.

The 12-year-old even wrote President Bush telling him how sad and
confused he was: "Our house was always a happy one until I called for
help.  Kids need to know what will happen when they call for help."

He got a form letter in response wishing him "alot of fun during your
summer vacation."

Darrin's problems began two winters ago when, home alone while his
parents were working, he found a small amount of drugs in a drawer.
He called a 911 emergency number to get help for his parents.  The
police came instead and persuaded him to let them search the house.
When his parents came home from work they were both arrested.

Today the case is under review by the Georgia State Supreme Court, and
legal experts say it could set a national precedent on wether police
can use young children to gather evidence against their parents.

Some libertarians compare the case to the way Adolph Hitler or Joseph
Stalin enticed children in the 1930's to snitch on their parents by
offering them awards and medals.

Since the incident became public, Darrin has been pursued by
television cameras and reporters from CBS, NBC, CNN and the tabloid
television shows.  But he has told them all he does not want to be on
TV.

All he cares about is that his mom and dad don't go to jail.

"I told the police over the phone and in person that I wanted my
parents to get help,"  Darrin says.  "I thought the police would come
and get the drugs and tell them that drugs are wrong.  They never said
that they would arrest them.  It didn't say that in the video.

"The police officer held me by the shoulder and made me watch them put
handcuffs on my mom and dad and put them in the police car," he adds.
"The last thing my mom said to me was not to worry, that it was not my
fault, that she was sorry and that she loved me.

"I always thought police were honest and told the truth.  But in
court, I heard them tell the judge that I wanted my mom and dad
arrested.  This is a lie.  I did not tell them that."

Darrin sys he believes drugs are wrong and will never do them, but he
will never call 911 again either.

"I just don't want to hurt anybody again," he says.



[This is evidence of what tactics we can expect from our schools and
government.  They are showing videos in school that tell children to
report their parents for drug use.  With laws in the works which would
limit forms of discipline and child rearing I wonder how long it will
be before the video will include "inappropriate" methods of
disiplining, family rules, etc...  Most school districts already have
the teachers looking for "signs of abuse".  All they have to do is
change the definition of abuse in order to cause major problems.  

Here in the Boston area they are advertising an 800 number to children
during children's TV shows encouraging children to call if their
parents do things the children don't like, giving examples of being
sent to their rooms, spanked, etc.  It's called the "Child Help
Line".

Another risk of TV watching?

--Craig.]



Enter Command: 

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The opinions expressed by the author are insightful, intelligent and very
carefully thought out.  It is therefore unlikely that they are shared by the
University of Iowa or Case Western Reserve University.
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs