Utah Kids Call Cops After Finding Dad's Marijuana Stash

 

Less than a month after father's day, a Salt Lake City man was arrested for pot possession when his 12- and 13-year-old kids turned him in to the police.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, dad "faces two third-degree felony charges of child endangerment and one class B misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance."

While Salt Lake City proper apparently doesn't have a DARE program, the executive director of Utah DARE told Reason that she hadn't heard about the arrest, that "parents are going to do what they're going to do" and that the DARE program "teaches life skills" to kids. One of which is narcing on your parents. (The Salt Lake City youths mentioned above didn't need DARE to develop that one.)

Jacob Sullum on more drug war indignities facing school kids.

Comments

[Crackpot]

While Salt Lake City proper apparently doesn't have a D.A.R.E. program...

...we'll blame them anyway.

[dunphy]

that was my first response.

i'd BLAME THOSE MEDDLING KIDS!

[Crackpot]

Tip for Ms. Steigerwald: If you're going to indict a scapegoat, try not to exonerate the scapegoat in the same paragraph.

[SIV]

New here?

[Crackpot]

Is this a common argumentative technique here? And does the peanut gallery always buy into it?

[Fartriloquist]

Pavel Morozov would be SO proud.

[Aresen]

Thank you. I was trying to remember that little stukach's name.

[Fartriloquist]

De nada. I think we'll all be remembering him more often in the future.

[rac]

I hope these little bastards get what's coming to them. Not like Pavel, but a nice ass-kicking would be appropriate.

[A Serious Man]

Actaully Pavel was on the verge of starvation when he died. In fact, it's very doubtful that he informed out of personal conviction and love for Comrade Stalin, but rather because his family was starving and his father had abandoned the family.

[Pro Libertate]

I thought it was generally known that the Soviets made up all that shit about Pavel.

[A Serious Man]

He was a real boy that was murdered and he apparently did inform on people. The Soviets just mythologized it for propaganda purposes.

[Pro Libertate]

The shit being the part about him being a loyal Communist.

[A Serious Man]

Yeah, in defense of Pavel he was probably acting out of self-interest, not fanatical loyalty to the Party. But he's still a potent symbol as to how horrible that kind of ideaology is.

[Hand Banana]

Oh I am sure that they are getting a new perspective on life at the hads of CPS or whatever they call it in Utah. I hope dad leaves the little shit staines there until they are 18.

[kiwi dave]

Dictatorship - the fetish worship of one man - is a passing phase. A state of society where men may not speak their minds, where children denounce their parents to the police, where a business man or small shopkeeper ruins his competitor by telling tales about his private opinions; such a state of society cannot long endure if brought into contact with the healthy outside world.

Winston S. Churchill, 16 October 1938
The Defence of Freedom and Peace (The Lights are Going Out)

[Gray Ghost]

It's really funny to think of how Churchill would react if you dropped in the middle of 2011 Britain.

"Knives! You banned knives?!"

[I, Kahn O'Clast]

"Pavlik" to many so schooled!

[Marked One]

Or Paul to the common man.

[Aresen]

Kid looks like a good little future stasi.

[Otto]

Kid(s). Maybe they thought the reward would be greater if they turned him in together.

[Joe M]

That is literally what Orwell wrote about in 1984. I can only begin to imagine the sense of betrayal the father is feeling.

[Aresen]

Orwell, when writing about the arrest of Wilson in 1984, was echoing the Pavel Morozov incident that Fartriloquist referred to.

[Mo]

Huh, according to teh Wiki, it appears to be a folk legend rather than fact. Doesn't change that it's what inspired Orwell, but interesting nonetheless.

[Otto]

I can't imagine it at all. However, the state will probably see that such an unfit father never gets the chance to have his kids again, so he probably doesn't need to fear the awkward reunion.

[Colin]

++good.

[Episiarch]

What type of demented little shit do you have to be to call the cops on your own parents? I mean, in whose mind--even a child's mind--could that ever seem like a good idea?

[Joe M]

Because cops are good, and drugs are bad, mkay?

[Or]

Since you're ignorant of the kids' motives, why not blame Mormonism?

[Colin]

Sounds good.

[rac]

Romney!!!

[toxic]

Maybe he raised the kids to be a little too straight laced.

Or maybe they got tired of him tooling up on mom or making them to to bed at 8 and put a dime bag in his sock drawer. Insufficient information to decide.

[Dan]

You'd have to imagine that the dad is some kind of asshole and the kids don't respect him.

[sevo]

"You'd have to imagine that the dad is some kind of asshole and the kids don't respect him."

Not sure I'm going with this, but the facts as represented really don't tell me who's zooming who.
Kids could be rotten little sucks, or dad could be drunken bozo beating on the family.

[Jennifer]

Or the kid could be well-meaning but clueless, and really truly does believe "Oh, no, I must turn in Dad so he can get help, before the evil marijuana rots his brain and ruins his life forever and ever!"

Which is why the police lock him in prison and slap him with a felony record -- so he won't ruin his life.

[Mensan]

It's not just DARE that teaches kids to call the cops on their parents. The schools go a little overboard with the child abuse training. Almost every LEO I know has at least one story of a kid calling 911 becuase they were spanked or punished in some completely non-abusive way.

[dunphy]

i've had DOZENS of those calls. i had one the other day. kid called because grandma slapped him because he was texting at dinner after she told him to knock it off!

[James Ard]

You go, grandma!

[dunphy]

that was my response

[Abdul]

You go, dunphy!

[mustard]

So another kid learns that the police don't care about child abuse. Right, that's what our society needs.

[dunphy]

slapping a 14 yr old after he repeatedly refuses to obey grandma is not child abuse.it's called "reasonable discipline"and is ENTIRELY legal under the RCW.

[Duncan20903]

There's a TV police drama called Southland that fictionalized such an event. It was done very well, the cop treated the accusation with the gravitas it deserves, but after determining that it was just a spoiled brat trying to use the system and that the kid skipped school and lied about it and had been a general pain in the ass and Mom had simply given the boy a well deserved spanking he tells the kid that he not only approves of what the mother did, he'll wack the kid himself if he ever reports his mother to the police like that again.

http://www.afterelton.com/tv/r.....5?page=0,3

[generic Brand]

but after determining that it was just a spoiled brat trying to use the system and that the kid skipped school and lied about it and had been a general pain in the ass and Mom had simply given the boy a well deserved spanking he tells the kid that he not only approves of what the mother did, he'll wack the kid himself if he ever reports his mother to the police like that again.

So in other words, after weeks of police investigation into the private lives of a family, it was determined that the family was perfectly within their rights in punishing the boy anyway. Gotta love bureaucracy.

[robc]

Did you bend him over your knee and give him an additional spanking? Which I would be okay with.

Or did you go straight to the tasing (which I wouldnt be okay with)?

[mikey]

Our 14-year-old threatened this once. We'd just taken away some privilege. My wife handed him the phone handset and started to dial. He chickened out.
Seems a friend of his had done this to some effect. Cops and DHS (or whatever) came and made his parents life miserable for awhile. Kid then had a real lever his folks - which he had been using.

[Gray Ghost]

Was it Chris Rock or Cosby that had the bit about the kid threatening to call CPS and the dad responded, "Go ahead, it'll take them 30 minutes to get here. In 30 minutes, I'll have done something worth going to jail for?"

Though if things have gotten to that point with your teenager, I think you've already screwed up as a parent somewhere along the way, just like if you're a parent using home drug testing kits/swipes on your kid.

[dunphy]

need more info. maybe the guy was a TOTaL asshole dad and they can't stand him. it's still wrong of course, but there's just not enough info to know. heck, there have been cases of kids killing their parents so turning them into the cops for weed is not unimaginable.

it's unimaginable for any normal kid in a normal relationship with their parents, but for all i know these guys are menendez juniors? i mean who knows?

[Pro Libertate]

Maybe they thought Dad was going to Casey Anthony them?

[Otto]

Well, apparently, he liked to party.

[Pro Libertate]

About her, what do you think--porn star or porn star?

[Pro Libertate]

I mean, what other options does she have?

[Pro Libertate]

Other than fucking offing herself, like she should've done in the first place, I mean.

[jacob]

Reality TV

[generic Brand]

At least playboy. Here's hoping pornstar, but I don't know how likely that is.

[dunphy]

exactly. who the hell knows? the Natural Reason Approved Assumption (tm) which very well MAY be true - is that this is a result of the WOD (and let's agree- the WOD is a terrible thing) and DARE mentality, if not DARE proper - since these kids don't go to DARE school.

otoh, these may just be some incredibly assholish kids or dad may be a tyrant they loathe with every fiber of their soul such that they'd turn him in for anything

[Mr. FIFY]

Apparently, Vivid offered her a "movie" role...

[Pro Libertate]

As a director?

[Mr. FIFY]

Oh, noes, she didn't get the gig!

http://blogs.laweekly.com/info....._vivid.php

It has become obvious to us that Vivid fans, and people in general, want nothing to do with her and that includes a XXX movie. We want to make movies that people want to watch and we now believe that we underestimated the emotional response that people are having to the verdict. A movie starring Casey Anthony is not what people want to see.

Bonus linky:

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/casey anthony oj simpson yfrog.JPG

BWAhaha!

[Moron Hordes]

there's just not enough info to know....i mean who knows?

WE ARE ENTITLED TO OUR OPINIONS!!

[yonemoto]

it's unimaginable for any normal kid in a normal relationship with their parents

I don't know about you, but i had an extremely normal relationship with my parents, and I can see that I might have done something like this when I was younger.

[Paul]

What type of demented little shit do you have to be to call the cops on your own parents?

An abused demented little shit?

Without knowing the backstory, it's possible dad had it coming.

[Anonymous Coward]

Epi, children are evil. Every single one of them. Perhaps moreso than adults as adults have, under the best of circumstances, acquired either empathy or a healthy fear of retaliation from an aggreived party by the time they reach adulthood. The only thing that restrains the evil of children is the immediate consequence of their action.

At least the kiddies ratted out their parents instead of, you know, someone who doesn't give a damn about their continued comfort or survival.

[Tulpa]

Maybe the kids were pissed at dad for not buying them a Wii.

Kids tend not to think through all the consequences of their actions.

[yonemoto]

Kids tend not to think through all the consequences of their actions.

Exactly. You don't even need to invoke the 'kids were pissed at dad'. If someone at school tells you to tell on your parents if you find weed, the kid who seriously loves their parents STILL MIGHT DO IT.

[Indeed]

There's no evidence presented that their school had anything to do with it.

[B?nzli]

I'm going to go with Radley Balko on this:
"[...]the only thing about an ounce of pot that puts your kids in danger is what the government will do to you if it finds out you have it."

http://www.theagitator.com/201.....er-family/

[Aqua Buddha]

Anything the govt wants to ban is harmful, because the govt will cause you to suffer harm if it finds you with it.

[Mensan]

I'm going to paraphrase that and claim it as my own original thought.

[yonemoto]

yeah I was wondering why Steigerwald didn't give a hat tip. Stupid interns need to respect their elders.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

That was definitely my bad. I hadn't needed to hat tip before.

My level of respect for Radley Balko is so high that were I to meet him he would probably have to beg me to stop praising and admiring him.

[sage]

What better way to demoralize
When your own children are your spies

[sage]

I would have expected the Reason community to Name. That. Tune. by now. I am disappoint.

[Fritz]

I hope they enjoy their new reduced family income and their rapid emergence into full self-sufficiency on their 18th birthday.

[sloopyinca]

I Love Lucy.

[Ken Shultz]

Utah has orphanages, right?

Or at least emancipation?

Because obviously these kids must be perfectly capable of supporting themselves.

[Otto]

...[the father] faces two third-degree felony charges of child endangerment...

All for keeping a non-toxic substance in the same house as his kids. Maybe Obama will laugh at this tonight, too.

[Shirley Knott]

"Kids ratting their parents out to the government" was one of the BIG horror stories used to sell us on the evils of communism in the midWest in the 60's.

And meanwhile, here in mid-Michigan, a man is at risk of losing his daughter because he tested positive for marijuana. He has a medical marijuana permit...

no hugs for thugs,
Shirley Knott

[blogimi Dei]

quit calling me surely

[sloopyinca]

No way this guy faces felony charges. Unless they found it on him, he can say it wasn't his or that he found it in his sons' rooms and have them carted off to boys town.

That said, do they let Mormons wear their magic underpants in jail?

[Aqua Buddha]

He should say it was the kids'.

[Matrix]

Well, it would serve the snitches right.

[Mensan]

Maybe it was the kids'. Maybe the dad found it in their room and took it away, so they called the cops on him as payback.

[sage]

You're assuming the guy is smart enough not to talk to the cops in the first place. I wouldn't give him that much credit; he does live in UT, after all.

[Zuo]

Felony charges of child endangerment? Is the danger from the ganj itself, or from the triggy-happy reefer-maddened pop?

[Matrix]

Well, the endangerment is because the SWAT team could bust down the door, guns blazing if this situation was not resolved swiftly... kids could get shot, you know. So yeah, the father is endangering his children.

[Sy]

So yeah, the father SWAT is endangering his children.

[Tulpa]

I thought I had the worst sarcasm detector here, but even I got that.

[Citizen Nothing]

No. You do.

[West Texas]

If I had hair I'd be pulling it out right now. Holy shit this is sad.

Seriously, in Commonsense-Land, the cop would backhand the kid and tell him to shut the fuck up and be ashamed of himself. Wow.

[Matrix]

when I was in school, the DARE officer wanted us to narc on our parents.

[But]

"Salt Lake City proper apparently doesn't have a D.A.R.E. program"

[Paul]

Back in my day, there was no fancy D.A.R.E.

[Fist of Etiquette]

That's going to be an awkward Thanksgiving dinner. When the old man is allowed back within a hundred feet of his kids again, that is.

[Mensan]

That's going to be an awkward Thanksgiving dinner.

Do you mean in November 2021 after he gets out of prison?

[dunphy]

what do you want to bet he serves no jail time (assuming he has no priors)?

[Otto]

It's Utah, dunphy, not WA. Still, I'd say it depends on what kind of DA gets the case, and how much they want to make of "child endangerment."

Right now I'd go $10, more if I got odds.

[dunphy]

ok, i'll take a bet for that or 10 quatloos, but how about giving me a 5 day jail sentence fudge factor? just in case he gets some time served thang or something

[Otto]

Fair enough. I'll go a month fudge factor, but it has to be time served. 5 days max new sentence.

While I see your point - I can see a judge giving him mandatory "counseling" with his family or some such, I can also see some clueless warrior type seeing no difference between this and a dad handing his 5-year old his hooker friend's used heroin works to play with. (And consequently, giving the guy serious jail time.)

[Otto]

To be fair, I think this all depends on the DA & judge. If the guy gets ones with a clue, he'll be okay. If he gets warrior types (or some ones looking to "make a point"), he's SOL.

[Gray Ghost]

But ain't it the truth: you take your chances with the law, justice is only a roll of the dice. A flip of the coin. A turn... of the Wheel.

[P Brooks]

The heirs of Erich Honecker have taken over.

[Hy Perbole]

It's an epidemic!

[Sy]

Kids narcing their parents to the "authorities". What's the 'hyperbole'?

[Hy Perbole]

The Erich Honecker reference. Not quite a Godwin, but in the same family.

[Skr]

Godwin only counts if the comparison is not apt. Children turning their parents over to the police on the grounds that the parents are in possession of a fairly harmless plant being compared to a historic police state spuds pretty apt.

[Skr]

Effin autocorrect

[Hy Perbole]

Oh, I see. Utah (and by extension the U.S.) is East Germany. No exaggeration there. Perfectly sane argument.

[wef]

Dad's two heterosexualist errors got him in trouble again.

[blogimi Dei]

look at what your parent's heterosexualist is getting into again...

[blogimi Dei]

error error error

[OO]

those mormon kidz r on their way to being jesus to their own planet! plus they get that special underwear

[sloopyinca]

Next time, try a bit of originality.

[Zuo]

Their dad was a no-good low-down Lammanite!

[P Brooks]

"It's for your own good, Dad. These are good people; they're here to make you a better person."

[R C Dean]

I can maybe see a little kid doing this.

But 12 and 13 year old kids know that they are sending their dad to the big house. Or they're retarded.

[Tulpa]

The child endangerment part seems to be the most serious charge, and I could definitely see even 12 or 13 year olds not realizing that would happen.

[R C Dean]

I disagree. I doubt the little brats saw the child endangerment charge coming, but they ratted him out on a drug charge. The working assumption has to be jail time for drugs.

[Pro Libertate]

What I don't understand is why the kids didn't simply execute him themselves.

[Zuo]

The Boondocks Latter-Day Saints.

[jacob]

Threadwinner

[Ska]

*barf*

[Warty]

The best part of this is anonopussy trying so hard. Try a little harder, little dude.

[capitol l]

But!|7.6.11 @ 5:13PM| #

I can only whine so much!!!

[P Brooks]

When I was that age, the overwhelming majority of the kids I knew would have just pilfered some.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

Definitely a "kids today!"-worthy rant here.

[Mainer]

and yet those kids are now the adults enforcing this shit....go figure.

[James Ard]

tell me about it.

[James Ard]

I have no idea why the spam filter wants to ban the four words "tell me about it". Damn anonbot, he always gets his posts through.

[Waggoneer]

I don't think the kids thought their cunning plan all the way through.

[Mike C]

Guess who just made Santa's naughty list!

[FXKLM]

I don't really see the outrage here. It's only wrong for kids to turn in their parents for having pot in that pot shouldn't be illegal in the first place. If the dad was doing something that should be illegal, turning him in would be the right thing to do.

[Joe M]

Illegal does not equal immoral.

[Meiczyslaw]

Maybe, but you're ignoring the importance of the Rule of Law. Disrespect for the Law (and I don't mean dunphy) is in itself immoral.

Folks here gripe that liberals seem to think wrong equals unconstitutional, yet use the same logic when drugs are mentioned.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

I disrespect so, so many laws.

[Meiczyslaw]

I'm not arguing that it's a good law.

The point is that -- for any kind of system to work -- the Rule of Law needs to be paramount. The reason is that, once you decide that a law can be ignored, then you set the example, and someone else could ignore a law that you thought was good.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

No, you're arguing something almost worse. That a devotion to the system and the capital Rule of Law is somehow more important than not teaching kids to call the cops on daddy and not locking up people for smoking a plant.

Things that should be paramount: your family, your brain, your morals.

Calling me a crazy an-cap, but teaching people to disrespect and ignore laws like marijuana prohibition will not magically make them question why bayoneting babies isn't legal and disrespecting the prohibition there.

[Meiczyslaw]

Nah, they'll just bomb Libya or send drones to Somalia. Or screw GM's investors.

Tame stuff like that.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

I wish that politicians didn't ignore the laws they're supposedly party to as well, but the legality of a war is just an extra -- hoped for -- hindrance to it occurring. World War I was nice and legal. It was also an idiotic slaughter.

If you have any kind of respect for the individual, you can't possibly suggest that following every evil, moronic law until they're abolished (if ever) is the lesser evil.

[Phlogistan]

Lucy stop tip toeing around the issues. You can say it here. It's not dead yet.

Honor

EEEK! There it is! Quick! Run away before some one catches you looking at it!

[Phlogistan]

Ah yes the Bayoneting Babies conundrum. I can blow them to smithereens with a hellfire missile, but cant bayonet them.

Tell me why daddy?

[dunphy]

so do i.

[Skr]

For some reason this makes me smile

[Pip]

Like the ones your fellow pig cops disregard asshole pig cunt.

[dunphy]

smooches, pip!

[Hy Perbole]

asshole pig cunt

Imagine Pip's glee when he discovered the internet and could finally put away his spray cans.

[Meiczyslaw]

But all that said, this is weird. I can't help but think there's some serious problems with their relationship with their dad.

[dunphy]

this is utter horseshit. rule of law requires neither a legal nor moral duty for kids to rat their parents out for drug possession, etc.

i don't think you understand what rule of law MEANS.

i'm all for rule of law, but that is NOT rule of law.

generally speaking, with rare exception, our legal system places no legal burden on the average joe to report a crime. it certainly places no burden for kids to rat out their parents for fucking pot possession.

[Meiczyslaw]

Sure, there's no requirement, but how do you solve crimes if people don't testify against each other?

The problem here is that the law is issue, not the kids. If you don't want kids informing on their parents for a particular crime, then maybe it shouldn't be a crime.

Think about it: we'd have no problem with the kids fingering their dad for murder or bank robbery, but for drug possession offends us.

[Hugh Akston]

Murder and bank robbery cause harm to people.

[dunphy]

exactly.

there are two ends of the spectrum - "stop snitching" where NO crime is worth talking to police about - even a serial killer (yes, i have heard people claim that even with a serial killer next door NEVER turn them in to the cops)

the other end says turn in your parents because (god forbid) they might toke mj !

they are almost equally stupid

[Bar Student]

I would say the opposite, respect for the Law as it currently stands is immoral.

[Hugh Akston]

This Friend speaks my mind.

[L13]

Rather Thoreauvian point of view.

I like that!

[R C Dean]

The Rule of Law rests on the legitimacy of the laws. If it is undermined because people feel free to ignore bad laws, the fault lies with the people who pass and enforce the laws, not the people who ignore them.

[R C Dean]

If the dad was doing something that should be illegal, turning him in would be the right thing to do.

A violent career criminal? Maybe. Anything short of that? I have a hard time with it.

What would you drop a dime on your parents for, FXKLM?

[dunphy]

kids routinely call cops when one parent is beating the shit out of the other parent. THAT is a good thing. but this case is ridiculous

[Tulpa]

So basically the things you, RC Dean, think should be illegal are the only things you can turn your parents in for.

I mean, I understand where you're coming from but you guys have to realize that not everyone in the society is a libertarian. You can't expect them to draw a line between things that should be illegal and things that shouldn't be illegal but are in the same way you do.

Would you approve of a kid who turned his dad in for insurance fraud or counterfeiting or bribery? None of those are violent crimes.

[L13]

Probably not.

[Sy]

Would you approve of a kid who turned his dad in for insurance fraud or counterfeiting or bribery? None of those are violent crimes?

A child? No. An adult? Yes.

[R C Dean]

So basically the things you, RC Dean, think should be illegal are the only things you can turn your parents in for.

I wouldn't turn anybody in for doing something I don't think should be illegal. Hell, I would have spent most of my time from about age 16 through 30 ratting people out, otherwise.

And I think most people do draw exactly that line. Even (or especially) kids, because they don't rat their buddies out for smoking pot or having an underage beer or whatever.

Would you approve of a kid who turned his dad in for insurance fraud or counterfeiting or bribery?

No, I wouldn't approve. Would you drop a dime on your parents for those things? Really? I seriously doubt it. And if you would, I feel sorry for you.

[Gray Ghost]

I dunno, RC, I can see it for fraud, in a case like the Madoff's, if nothing else. Of course, Madoff's kids were in the same line of work, and had fiduciary duties to rat out Bernie.

But you're really having to stretch the point like taffy to get there, not like that it's unusual for Tulpa to do so.

FWIW, I can remember the DARE prick at my elementary school telling me to rat out my parents and siblings too, and saying that doing so would "help" them.

[Pro Libertate]

What? I'm not turning my folks in for anything barring them turning out to be the Unibomber or something.

[Pope Jimbo]

Also, if the reward money wasn't high enough yet, you might want to let the folks mail a few more bombs.

Once the reward is high enough you can "suddenly recognize" their handwriting on the manifesto.

[Bar Student]

Yeah, and I can't imagine what I would have to do for my parents to turn me into the police. And we don't exactly agree on politics or moral behavior. Who would wish prison on their own blood?

[Tulpa]

So you discriminate against people on the basis of genetic relation.

So, if you see some stranger making counterfeit $100 bills you'll call the FBI, but if you see your dad doing it you'll let it slide. Even though your dad is causing as much damage to the monetary system as the stranger is.

At some point your principles have to outweigh genetics.

[Bar Student]

Of course I do, who the hell doesn't? I wouldn't report somebody making $100 bills either, far more trouble than it is worth.

[Jim]

I wouldn't turn in the stranger for making the bills, either. The faster we can burn this system down, the better, so keep that machine a cranking!

[Sy]

At some point your principles have to outweigh genetics.

Yes. In this country, it's when you turn 18. Expecting an 8 year-old to hold allegiance to The State instead of Mom and Dad is a little bizarre.

[roystgnr]

The nice thing about libertarianism is it lets you *avoid* discriminating based on genetic relation or other personal biases. All you have to do is, instead of choosing laws with the Freakudicial "If I wouldn't want my daughter to do it, it should be illegal" test, choose them based on the "If I wouldn't want my daughter thrown in jail for it, it should be legal" test. The latter rule of thumb is much easier to apply impartially, whereas with the former rule everybody tries to weasel out of it just as soon as they find that their daughter or friend or favorite President decided to break the law anyway.

[Mr. FIFY]

Counterfeiting and smoking a J are not on the same page, Tulpa.

[Pro Libertate]

I use my judgment. Mine. Not some political hacks' that have made some decisions based on pleasing some constituency which usually doesn't include me.

[R C Dean]

So you discriminate against people on the basis of genetic relation.

And you don't? You treat your family just like you treat random strangers?

[Joe M]

So the lesson here, folks, is make sure your kids understand that blood is thicker than water.

[R C Dean]

Those felony child endangerment charges are almost sure to lead to Dad being barred from any contact with the kids until CPS says different.

I'm guessing Dad probably loses his job, too, and with background checks these days being what they are, he will have a hard time finding any job that isn't pretty manual/menial.

So, while the little a-holes may have wanted to get rid of Dad, I doubt they realized that they were also getting rid of his paycheck. Oopsie!

[sloopyinca]

Exactly. No mention of the mom in the article, oddly enough. Now, if the lovely Miss Steigerwald would promise a follow-up when more info trickles in, I'd be willing to take bets that this is a disgruntled ex-wife pushing the buttons of her children who accidentally told her they saw dad with his hot, young girlfriend smoking something that smelled funny by threatening them that their dad was going to take them away from her unless they turned him in

[Old Mexican]

Utah Kids Call Cops After Finding Dad's Marijuana Stash

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, dad "faces two third-degree felony charges of child endangerment and one class B misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance."

Those marijuana stashes are certainly dangerous to keep around. Stories have been told of little children drowning inside unsupervised marijuana stashes, and others being injured by stashes letting go shots by accidental, unsupervised handling... You know, really fucked-up shit.

[Mr. FIFY]

Child endangerment?

You mean, he let them giggle, play the piano, and then get in a car and drive really fast and hit someone?

[Reefer Madness reference]

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Mr. FIFY, a very excellent reference. But next time be a little more subtle. I'm sure the H&R readers will get your references. But let it come naturally.

[Mr. FIFY]

That was for the benefit of Drug Worriers like "Juanita" and Charlie Rangel.

[Dogzilla]

That's why I favor abortion up to the 57th trimester.

[Old Mexican]

The stash was planted... by the kids.

[?]

You'd have to imagine that the dad is some kind of asshole and the kids don't respect him.

My first-thought mental image of "guy with pot" has apparently changed from a foul-smelling but otherwise pleasant dude-type dude to a legalize-mine/prohibit-everything-else weed-Puritan cunt, because my first thought was something like "Take that, Whitey."
There's about a 98% chance he forced his kids to recite The Emperor Wears No Clothes while locked in a sense-deprivation tank with piped-in dubstep. I'm glad they got help.

[blogimi Dei]

A SENSORY-DEPRIVATION TANK WITH PIPED-IN DUB-STEP?!!

i want somma that shit! with some Dub-Division or Dub Dread pumped in!
Hell! Yeah!

[bernieyeball]

This is just one reason I got a vasectomy years ago!

[Josef Stalin]

Can you believe the little shits actually turned in their own father?

[blogimi Dei]

you had me giggling in my chair comrade.

[Ghost of Hitler Youth]

WE did it, and we were proud!

[dunphy]

it's also notable that in many jurisdictions, this much pot would AT WORST get you a civil infraction ticket ... iow, it wouldn't even be criminal.

the child endangerment thing, otoh, sounds like creative prosecutor work and was probably done for show and so they'll have a bargaining chip during plea bargaining. it sounds pretty absurd to me, and i've never heard of such a charge where i live for similar circ's

[R C Dean]

it's also notable that in many jurisdictions, this much pot would AT WORST get you a civil infraction ticket

I'd be interested to know how many states actually have a civil-only penalty for less than an ounce.

[Gray Ghost]

For UT, it seems to be one ounce is the dividing line between a Class A misdemeanor (1 year in jail, $2500 fine) and Class B (6 months, $1000 fine) Add court costs, atty's fees, and probation/supervision costs on top of that, of course. http://www.utcourts.gov/howto/.....=PRNT_VRSN For TX, it's two ounces.

The following wiki may be of use: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.....ted_States

[R C Dean]

So, they didn't rat him out on a civil violation, they ratted him out on a crime.

Little morons. I'd love to know what they thought they were doing.

[Mike Brady]

You know by tattling on your friends, you're really just tattling on yourself. By tattling on your friends, you're just telling them that you're a tattletale. Now is that the tale you want to tattle?

[Lucy Steigerwald]

A+

[Tulpajoinder]

If your friends are doing something wrong, why are you friends with them?

[PattyDucker]

I hope the life skills they are teaching those kids included how to survive in an orphanage.

[dunphy]

start with "please sir, may i have some more?"

[irwin mann]

DARE TO KEEP COPS OFF DOUGHNUTS!

Doughnut
Abuse
Resistance
Education

[East Bay Jay]

Casey Anthony, foster mother.

Too soon?

[Juanita]

You people disgust me. He should be locked up a long time and permanently lose access to his children for using these drugs. What is one of them had gotten hurt? Do you really want a man high on these drugs driving them to the hospital? Or what if he were too high to even notice? If you have children, you should not drink or use drugs.

[dunphy]

troll-o-meter: .0001

[Ballchinian]

Workmanlike effort, but the "do you really want a man high on these drugs driving them to the hospital" bit was over the top. I give it a 6.5.

[Juanita]

When a stoned man driving a car kills you or a family member, you will see it differently.

[Ballchinian]

See, the whiny attempt at a response just weakens the overall effect. 4.5, now.

[Mr Whipple]

I was killed by a stoned driver, in a previous life. I was also stoned by driving man.

[Mr Whipple]

Ya know, you shouldn't do that. My Mother killed a man while driving stoned once. ONCE.

[Mr. FIFY]

If you are killed, Juanita, how are you going to see ANYTHING differently?

God, are you a stupid fucking cunt.

[Phlogistan]

Indeed Juanita, the police got there just in time to prevent the purple unicorn from sodomizing the unattended children.

[Mr Whipple]

Right. You shouldn't have sex, either. I walked in on my mom and dad having wild animal sex on top of the refrigerator, and I haven't been able to get a glass of milk ever since.

[GroundTruth]

Juanita; perhaps a nice cup of tea? or would that be too invigorating for mom and dad. After all, they might bounce poor junior too hard on their knees.

Get a life, and leave others to theirs!

[Old Mexican]

You must be the same Juanita that calls the Joe Pags Show every Tuesday just so the audience can hear your squeaky, vile voice.

[Mr. FIFY]

Dig this, OM:

http://twitter.com/#!/JoeTalkShow/statuses/3068898538684416

[Mr. FIFY]

Go. The. Fuck. Away. Juanita. You. Cunt.

[HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN]

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!
JUSTICE CLINTON MYRA YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!
[I'm Hercule Triathlon Savinien Myra]
Now, we do a lot of surfing the news around the internet, surfing
at La Jolla, isn't in the cards any longer, and one of the sights we
check out is ( http://www.TheDailyBeast.Com ), a guy by the name of
Drudge run's the site, but we're not allowed to post on the site,
Drudge sent a little E- mail saying his lawyers, said it wasn' t to
good of an idea to let us post, but at least the boy had the
curtsey to let us know it weren't his idea, and you know how
them lawyers are. But that being authors make a mistake and let
you know how to get ahold of em' which in my case is a bad
plan, well Myra Adams, and Mark McKinnon wrote an article
entitled Justice Clinton? And, Myra gave her E- mail contact
address as ( http://www.TheJesusStore.Com ), now not being a Deist, and
not a Clinton Fan we couldn't pass this up, no way, no day. So of
course we sent Myra an E- mail, and it must not have dawned on
her she gave permission to post her E- mail address, cause we got
back a reply saying;
Who are you? Just curious.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Well, we once again informed her that we were Hercule Triathlon
Savinien, so to all you authors don't make the same mistake,
especially when the Secret Service pays me visits and lawyers
don't want me blogging.
[Are You Out Of Your Cottin Pickin Head???]
Well, what was in this E- mail that warranted any reply, that's
simple my opinion of Hillary Diane Rodham-Clinton being
anything in the government and the answer is [YOU HAVE GOT
TO BE KIDDING!!] , and a Supreme Court Lifetime Appointee,
[YOUR OUR OF YOUR COTTIN PICIN HEAD];
* Hillary Diane Rodham-Clinton is a stuck up, snob, from the
suburbs of the Windy City, Chicago, Illinois, they always figured
they were somehow better than us across the Cook County line,
in Richard J. Daily's City, which we never understood, because
Daily never walked down the Cook County hallway to his City
Office, and Presidents came to see him, and no body put his city
down or in danger, wasn't going to happen. And some how they
were better than us in the Windy City, YA RIGHT! And a Yankee's
Fan adding insult to injury.
* We informed Myra that we believe that the marriage of Hill and
the Media Messiah Imperial President was a marriage of
convince, made in Swell, that was about [18M ] Million votes, and
that from what we can see there seems to be trouble in Paradise.
We're guessing that the Chicago boy Rahm Emanuel, and White
House Chief of Staff, has about as much liking for our Park Ridge
Bee-Itch as we do, there are a lot of indications.
* Hillary goes over to Germany and gives an interview that she
can't she herself as (SOS ) Secretary Of State, that this [24 -7]
twenty-four hours a day- seven day a week grind was wearing her
down, she was not going to be a [SOS ] if the Messiah got another
term in office, but was going to retire to write and teach, and this
after an [18] month, winner take all battle with the Messiah for
the Oval Office, an upon returning to [ConUs] The Continental
United States, the lower [48 ] forty-eight, the story changes, Hillary
couldn't be happier in her job, and with the people she works
with, that she was just as snug as a bug in a rug. Like the boy
over at State really want her; You've got it wrong," Lavrov
commented with a smile. He then explained that the words the
Americans chose ? "peregruzka" meant "overloaded" as opposed
to "reset" (The correct choice of word should have been
'perezagruzka'). But the Russian minister nevertheless thanked
Clinton for the warm intentions. Them boys over at State set her
up, Hillary is letting her alligator, mouth overload her
hummingbird backside, the interpreters must have had a chuckle
over that one that would been worth opening a brand new bottle
of Vodka and sitting down at the table, you don't get up until its
drained.
* Then we have Hillary now looking at Marcy Manor, the
Governors House of the State of New York the Empire State, well
if you can't live in the White House of the American-Israeli
Empire why not the first capital of the Empire, but no, Hillary
wasn't really interested in that either.
* Then it was well maybe Biden would step down as [VP] Vice
President, taking Hillary's job at State, Biden always wanted to be
[SOS ], like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi would simple set
aside being one step closer as Number [3] Three in the Presidency
Line, President- Vice President- Speaker of the House- Secretary of
State, and Nancy is going to miss her place in history for Hillary,
that is a cat fight we' d like to see.
* And, now Hillary wants' to be a lifetime appointed Supreme
Court Justice, now this is not just a political appointment, this is a
HOT BUTTON, political appointment, it means decades of political
clout, and the vetting process is not about well I'm Bills Wife the
guy who got Impeached and the Supreme Court Justice was at the
impeachment. We would really like too see how all those named
in the Vanity Fair article Bubba Trouble, The Comeback Id by Todd
S. Purdum, July [2008] , ( http:/ /www.vanityfair .com/ politics/
features/2008/ 07?printable=true &current; ) would really feel
about that vetting process, and then there is the Clinton Library
all over again. Plus Bill's girlfriend in the northern county of
America's Finest County, San Diego County, so far its been, only
know around the county, but the vetting will uncover her name,
and its not that hard to do, since its been going on from the
White House days and its not Monica.
[Something is Wrong in Paradise]
So, something is wrong in Paradise, so what's new with a Clinton,
they leave a wake of disaster behind them [1. 6km] One- Point-Six
Kilometers wide, and enough dirt to build a land bridge between
Contintents, my best guess is Hillary and Bill, well, running the
White House from the State Department ain't working to well,
especially when your door is thru Rahm Emanuel, with the boys
at State cutting your legs out from under you. So once again to
Myra JUSTICE CLINTON MYRA YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING!!!
HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN

[Zuo]

1.6km = 1 mile. Coincidence? I don't think so. Something evil's afoot Herc. I smell [THE EMPIRE]. You must investigate these continent-violating schemes.

[SHORTER HERCULE TRIATHLON S...]

"Now, we do a lot of surfing the news around the internet"

We are legion.

[HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN]

WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony! WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony! WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony! WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!

[Brian from Texas]

Joseph Stalin would be proud. He actively encouraged children to denounce their parents too.

[Farmer Johann]

Reason next time you post a pic of some weed, can you find an image of something quality and not some nasty butthole schwag culled from wikipedia/ thx

[Phlogistan]

Agreed!

But then again showing off that ditch weed makes the tragedy more apparent.

[Troy]

It looks like Reason got it pic from the DEA

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pho....._loose.jpg

Now this is some dank shit.

http://www.marijuana-picture.c.....purple.jpg

[Phlogistan]

Second pic looks flavorful. But I prefer a much more "Sparklie!" and "Frosted" appearance.

[Troy]

I was looking for the frosted look but couldn't find anything on such short notice.

[Phlogistan]

heh aye these threads do seem to have a timed game show feel about them.

[Mr Whipple]

Snitches get stitches, bitchez.

[knowa]

So what happen now, when they get old enough to realize that this failed and destructive war. And the sacred cow that the prohibitionist hold on to for their job security. Has now got them in foster home and has ruined their family because now Dad wont be able to get a job. They will soon despises every cop they see. I wonder what the founders of Utah thought as they made the the trek in their Cannabis Covered wagon. The US was founded on Cannabis do your conscience a favor and Google the true history of prohibition and not the Government lies. God will thank you.

[Confused]

Hi. I'm Confused. How ya' doin'? Anyway, the father wasn't arrested in a 4 A.M. no-knock raid, and he wasn't tasered. No dogs were shot. Why is this a H&R story? Thanks.

[Phlogistan]

Think of the children!

[GroundTruth]

"Junior, you just became self sufficient. Where would you like your stuff shipped, and what form of payment will you be providing, or shall I just call the Salvation Army to have them take it away?"

[HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN]

WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony! WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!WE HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN, MYRA! Down with the [EMPIRE] Down with Antony!

[jacob]

I clicked on the link to the article. Unfortunately, my eyes were drawn to the comments section. I was able to come across this gem which reminds me why I never visit Huffpo

Why is it any time an article comes up about POT, the users crawl out of the wood work to proclaim THEIR RIGHTS. What about the rights of these teens ????? I applaude them. They made a tough decision about what they will allow in their lives, AT GREAT RISK. As for the users, I've been there and done that. I don't anymore and I'm not out to save the world from itself. I have lived two different live styles and I CHOOSE not to escape or avoid reality. It would seem these two teens made a similar choice as to what they wanted for their lives. The circumstan?ces in the household weren't disclosed but there probably were other conciderat?ions involved. First off if the drug is ILLEGAL. The message he is passing on to the immediate family is not the RIGHT one (i.e PICK AND CHOOSE THE LAWS YOU WANT TO OBEY). Secondly, the two felony charges were for CHILD ENDANGERME?NT. This doesn't suprise me because the dopers I KNEW ( INCLUDING ME ) only thought about themselves and protecting their own RIGHTS to use their drugs. I wasn't conciderat?e enough to be concerned about how my behavior effected others. Oh yea, the excuses your using to protect your RIGHT to get F*CKED UP aren't even original. Their the same b*llsh*t ideas I used back in the day.

[Phlogistan]

That is funfrackingtabulous! Even fake ex"dopers" recognize they have rights!

[Mr Whipple]

Would it be a violation of the non-aggression principle to just shoot dumb motherfuckers like this?

[PP-l]

I think you could make a good case that stupidity of this magnitude constitutes aggression justifying a violent response in self-defense.

[sevo]

Unfortunately, yes. Shunning would not, however.

[Dan]

Learn the facts i bet you drink or smoke tobacco, cannabis has been scientificly proven to be less harmful and also NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM IT

[sevo]

Sorry, but I still don't see enough to chose a victim in this.
Dad could well be a sleazebag that the kids had enough of. Or the kids could be adolescent twits.
Dunno.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Maybe Dad was beating up the kids. But then, why didn't they call the cops about it? They are obviously willing to call the cops on dad for dope, presumably they would call the cops for abuse.

I suppose there is some factor I'm missing here. If there's more to the story, then probably the cops will soon leak it to sympathetic reporters.

[R C Dean]

Seriously, some guy is looking at multiple felonies for less than an ounce of pot, and you don't see a victim anywhere?

[Jim Walsh]

I recall a case like this in the eighties, where Nancy Reagan openly praised the little snitches.

Bitch...

[Juanita]

How dare you? You're a stoner, aren't you?

[Tortillapete]

When I was a kid, rattin' out your pop for smokin' weed would get you you run through a bong...what's the world coming to? and get the hell off my lawn god damnit!

[Duncan20903]

When I was in high school my best friend and I found his old man's headstash cleverly concealed in a block of frozen hamburger meat we did what normal teenagers do, we smoked it.

[Old Mexican]

Re: Meiczyslaw,

Disrespect for the Law (and I don't mean dunphy) is in itself immoral.

I agree with you. For instance, there could be no greater sin that can land you in front of the very gates of Hell than not trimming your hair according to law.

[Mr. FIFY]

Next step:

Get kids to turn in parents for making a profit.

[Obama]

Sounds good to Me.

[paul]

it will be funny when them kids are 15 and 16 and their dad calls the cops on them when he finds their weed stash.

[Darrel Reeves]

Wow thatss sad, these rat kids need a serious beating.

http://www.total-privacy.ua.tc

[Stee]

"You're grounded until I get home!"

[Dan]

The father probably like to have a little pot after a long day of working his ass of for his snitching little fucking children, cannabis is allot less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, There the drugs that are harmful cannabis has a 0 death rate NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM IT those little shit kids need to learn some fucking respect for there father

[Cache County]

Brett Gyllenskog, Smithfield, Utah