LAW ALLOWING DRUNKEN MINORS TO CALL 911?

I saw the following editorial in The News Herald on Sunday, January 29, 2012 and cut it out of the paper. Two of my granddaughters had called earlier and asked if they could spend the day with us and I thought “what a great opportunity to pose this question to them.”

When they were here I asked them “if you and your friends were out drinking, and you know that you are all underage and not supposed to be drinking, but one of your friends drinks way too much and becomes ill and then passes out, would you call 911 or would you be afraid of getting into trouble for underage drinking?

They both responded, without hesitation, that they would call 911 to get help for their friend. I was so proud of them and told them how proud I was of them and that they had made a very “adult” decision.

I then told them about this bill introduced in the Michigan Legislature that could make the decision to call for help much easier.

(I have paraphrased or shortened the editorial somewhat).

EDITORIAL: Bill allowing drunken minors to call for help makes sense

Published: Sunday, January 29, 2012 in The News Herald

Picture this: A couple of teens are drinking. One drinks way too much and passes out. The other, recognizing the risk to health and life, is ready to call 911.

But wait…it’s a crime to be in possession of or drinking alcohol if you’re under 21. Does the teen really want to make that call on behalf of a friend? The adult response, the answer from most adults, would be “Of course!”

Teens don’t always think that through. Nor for that matter do all adults. A bill pending in the Michigan House of Representatives would remove the hesitation.

Introduced by Rep. Anthony Forlini (R-Harrison Twp.), it would waive prosecution and grant amnesty to minors who have been drinking but who contact authorities seeking help for themselves or another person.

Waiving prosecution for a greater good seems uncommonly smart. “Underage drinking,” Forlini said, “is prevalent on our college campuses and through the communities. “Dangerous situations can occur when a minor drinks too much. Students put their classmates in danger because nobody wants to call for help because they fear being charged with “a minor in possession.” The bill makes it quite clear that they wouldn’t get in trouble by making that call.

Forlini said he doesn’t “want to see any parent lose a child because a teen was afraid to call for help.”

And he doesn’t want to see a minor punished for doing the right thing, regardless of who is being helped. It appears to us a legal chink in the false protection of zero tolerance, and that’s all to the good. We’re not sure what the limits of Forlini’s bill will turn out to be. Will a drunken teenager be in trouble if he seeks help for an entirely sober stranger? Will kids somehow learn to game the new law? Will the law operate differently if someone in a group of drinking teens calls 911? Surely not all would merit amnesty. The bill has advanced to the House floor. However it deals with the questions above, it deserves to become law.

What are your thoughts, how do you feel?  And so the journey begins...

SAD

Well, here I go again. I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Which is defined as: “Episodes of depression that occur at a certain time of the year, usually during winter.”

I have had this most of my adult life, however, it didn’t seem to bother me as much when I was working. I guess having something to get up and out of bed for is beneficial in this respect.

Isn't that sunshine pretty?

The definition goes on to say:  “Like other forms of depression, it occurs more often in women than in men.” Yay, for me...

The definition also states that:  “People who live in places with long winter nights are at greater risk for SAD.”  NOW knowing this, I have repeatedly asked my husband if we could become Snowbirds...Hello, we’re still in Michigan!

I love blue skies and fluffy clouds.

The definition further says:  Other factors that may make SAD more likely include: Amount of light, Body temperature, Genes, and Hormones. Symptoms usually build up slowly in the late autumn and winter months and are usually the same as with depression:

• Increased appetite with weight gain Again, yay for me....

• Increased sleep and daytime sleepiness
• Less energy and ability to concentrate in the afternoon
• Loss of interest in work or other activities
• Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
• Social withdrawal Big one for me...
• Unhappiness and irritability And another biggee for me...Woo Hoo

My poor husband doesn’t know what to do or how to help, but God love him, he tries. 

So, to those friends and family who are wondering what is going on??? All I can say is: “It’s not my time of the month...It’s my time of the year.”

As the saying goes, "Hang on because it is going to be a bumpy ride."

See you in the spring!  And so the journey begins...

THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING

I love e-mail, it is such a wonderful way to stay in touch with people. Unfortunately, we have to face facts, in our society we no longer write letters (what a shame). What I don’t like are WARNING e-mails. I should clarify, “unsubstantiated” WARNING e-mails.

I do not like to forward garbage on to my family and friends, so when I get one of these WARNING e-mails I will type into Google the WARNING and see what pops up on my screen and proceed to investigate.  Many of them are Urban Legends, some of them are scams by hackers, and some are just gathering names and cities for what purpose I don’t know. I recently received an email warning me about onions and mayo causing illness (I checked it out...it was false). The most recent warned me about purchasing cards made by Hallmark, stating they were all made in China (I checked this out at my local store and found it not to be the case).

So, if I may, before you send our your next WARNING e-mail, check it out for validity before you send the proverbial THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING that was unleashed by Chicken Little.  And so the journey begins...