October 11, 2006
Wednesday

After reading the letter by Ms. Newlun, I too am up in arms about this subject! Here is a case where a "Youth Counselor" shows her own ineptness. She makes it very clear that she condones behavior which is contrary to the laws which have been developed to protect the public. I am sure that I'm not the only person in this great state that has not been "targeted" by law enforcement, in fact I value their hard work and dedication! The underage drinking issue is a sad commentary to the breakdown of the family and parental involvement in the daily activities of their children.

If you read Ms Newlun's letter please take special note of the statements: "for one of his charges" which makes it blatantly obvious that he is more than a one time offender. She also states: "You can see how this can impede with going to college " This statement in itself is ridiculous! Can you imagine the issues this kid is going to have in college? Has she not looked at any statistics about underage drinking, alcohol binging, deaths by alcohol poisoning, etc? NEWSFLASH . GOOGLE IT!

How about this one: "If a youth is caught, on school grounds, in anyway involved with marijuana, they are convicted of a felony" - This is a law put on the books to protect our school age children from drug dealers, pushers (yes the bad kids), and hopefully get the kids through grade 12 with enough responsibility ingrained (again with the parental involvement) to then proceed to college where they can further their education.

And this: "I am a single parent and that has put my children in an at risk situation" - Oh no it can't be - Blame it on circumstance, not yourself. Many single parents raise responsible young adults. Wait, I just said young adult! That is what they are Ms Newlun, YOUNG ADULTS. Therefore it is time for them to make the choices that may possibly follow them for a lifetime.

Ms Newlun states that her son was mistreated by the "jailers" because he cussed at one of them. YEAH, RIGHT! If anyone else out there just about fell out of their chair laughing at this accusation guess what, me too! Here is a more realistic scenario: Son walks in displaying an obnoxious attitude, tells the officers (oh, by the way Ms. Newlun, they are Officers not jailers) where they can go, then begins to lash out. Then I bet the Officers took reasonable action to contain a combative person. End of Story!

What I read into this entire tirade is that the parent of a delinquent kid is lashing out at the protectors of our streets and our families. She says she wants a Mayberry City; well guess what you never saw in Mayberry Underage Drinking, Meth Use, Marijuanna Use, not to mention: Rapists, Child Molesters, Killers, Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse, Child Porn, Need I go on? Look at the papers for the last year here in Ketchikan and you will find instances of all of the items listed above. Let's see Andy and Barney take care of this stuff! Face it, the world is different and it's not because of the laws, it's because of people who feel that flagrant disregard of the law is acceptable behavior.

Oh and by the way, I am a single mother who has 2 sons in Law Enforcement and 1 pursuing a law degree. And you know what? I think I will take responsibility for how they turned out That is what a responsible parent would do, isn t it?

Kathy Fox
Ketchikan, AK

Received October 11, 2006 - Published October 11, 2006

About: "I am a lifetime resident of Ketchikan Alaska, I work here, fish here, and support our great community. I support our troops both those deployed, and those who work hard to protect our communities."

Related Viewpoint:

Police and law enforcement in Ketchikan By Vicky Newlun - Ketchikan, AK

 

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