Op-Ed by Otis Lewis –
Just read the “Social Host Law.”
We have way too much government. Our County Board of Supervisors has not used good logic and judgment putting this Social Host Law on the books. This law will not solve a thing and purposely way to vague. I can see a “Law” that won’t allow an adult to provide a place and illegal substances to minors that are not their own children. The way this is written is too far reaching. This seems like a law that only law enforcement would create to further their control over private turf as a tool in their war on drugs, which is a lost cause.
Our personal residences, no way should be included, especially when I don’t condone my children’s use of illegal substances and want to correct it myself. Where are my rights? The fact that drugs are illegal doesn’t apply on my turf unless I want to call the law. Your home is your castle. If my kids and bunch of teenagers do what these kids did and I find out about it, I will handle it first. Then if I can’t get it resolved, the children punished, and there behavior changed, then I will call the law and have them prosecuted so I can give them the opportunity and force they need to get their act together.
If I tell law enforcement I want to handle it myself on my property then that should be the end of it. When anyone steps off my property and are breaking the law using drugs, alcohol or any law, then arrest them. First, I want the opportunity as a parent to correct my children’s behavior on my private turf. I want the opportunity to call the other children’s parents and get them involved with their children’s problem. Parent’s rights should prevail here.
This “Social Host Law” is just way to intrusive.
Like I said before, the war on drugs was lost a long time ago. Government should not have taken the rights of parents away to raise their own children. Using a search warrant to usurp a parent’s turf and rights are more rights parents have had stripped away.
I can see trouble ahead! This is just going to drive society’s problems more underground then they are now! I know there are stupid parents that allow their kids to use drugs and alcohol and are way to liberal. I know there are parents that use this stuff with them. Still you just can’t paint everyone with the same brush with a law and expect to create a perfect world. Never going to happen.
Eventually if these teenagers don’t stop their use of drugs and alcohol, they will break the law in a “Public Place. Arrest them there!
Big Brother needs to get off the parents back!
There are many types of Social Host Laws. Some are overly broad, border on being unconstitutionally vague (Illinois had to rewrite theirs in 2002) and the decision to charge or not is left in the hands of overeager or abusive law enforcement. Some versions are carefully written and still require law enforcement to gather evidence in order to charge those who have been able to break the law with impunity in the past. To understand the difference between a well-written Social Host Law and one in which your rights are at risk, visit SocialHostLaw.com. It’s a clearinghouse for information on how to understand your local ordinance and how to protect yourself and family from abusive or overzealous enforcement.
Since the beginning of time, Law has always been there to curb behaviors. The Jews, Romans, and Greeks had them. Be it the Hebrew Law, Natural Law, English Law, and everything in between.
Laws exist, and grow out of need, in the U.S., based upon our Representative bodies which are elected by the people. Thus in a round about way, people make the laws. (I don’t care to cover modern politics, the name calling bores me to tears!).
When society as a whole cannot curb anti-social behavior, it enacts a law. It is correct to think, these reactions reflect the behaviors of a small number of the whole, and thus, places additional restrictions on those who behave accourding to society even without said law.
Yet, it is the consequence to society without those laws, that make it a proper path to take. As it was said in the time of our founding, Freedom comes at a cost. We must read vile language in this venue because speech must be protected. Our neighbors who are members of our Military serve to protect that right. Our press suffers much harassment to protect it’s sources, another guarantee of that right.
So there are all sorts of consequences, more than I can think of for the moment. And that is the beauty of the U.S. It still is a bastion for a free way of life. (Yes, I am ready for Peter L’s comment to the contrary).
When you think about it, we are describing a police state that is run by the Communist/Socialist government we have become. This Social Host Law is only the tip if the iceberg.
Would be nice to turn back the pages of time. The progressive leftist movement has, over the years been able to succeed and take over our lives.
The liberals opened Pandora’s Box and we didn’t even see it.
I think you and I could really get along well. You are right on with this post. I don’t agree with the other two so much though. Trust me, i want to take my country back, hopefully we can start doing that this fall with some NEW change. Anyway, I don’t see where this law is any kind of infringement on our parenting. All it basically does is hold the idiot accountable that lets a bunch of underage children drink at his/her house. I see nothing wrong with that. When people don’t take responsibility and hold themselves accountable, we as a society need to. Especially when safety of children is involved. Are you aware of the gun room at this house? So we have drinking, drugs, and A LOT of unsecured weapons at this house. Yes, UNSECURED. Now, anyone want to argue with me about how this scenario is ok and the sheriff’s dept shouldn’t have done their job? We should be thanking them, we will never know the tragedy that may have gotten averted here. Tan maybe be a real good doctor but he can do much better as a father. He is also an arrogant, condescending, male chauvinist jerk off.
I think you mean fascist right wing republican types that want to stick their nose in every aspect of our private lives while saying get government off our backs and gave you the “Drug War” and loss of liberty in the first place
You have way to much law impeding on YOUR rights because:
You show no respect for even the basic laws,
You take no responsibility for your actions,
You teach the “have it your way” attitude to others,
You feel that laws should be able to be bent to your will.
You treat your children like your buddies,
You expect teachers to discipline your children,
and last but not least…
You are/have eliminating/removed all moral compasses from our society.
To quote Seinfeld… “Not that there is anything wrong with that…”
I personally have not ever felt the LAWS impede on my life… wonder what I am doing different?
What comes first, the chicken or the egg?
From my perspective and looking back at history, parents rights have been consistently chipped away by the Nanny State in the quest to create a perfect world, and a job for those working in the system.
The money we now spend trying to run peoples lives has done absolutely nothing to better families or education.
All the items you listed used to be undertaken routinely by the parents until the Nanny State stuck their nose into the Parents Rights. Today, not only have the Parents stop taking responsibility, now they are participating.
It’s a slippery slope.
Big Brother IS to intrusive and parents need to made more responsible by the having the Schools, DHS, Courts, and Law Enforcement back off.
We clearly need to review and re-write our laws!
Watcher, I don’t often agree with you but on this one you are right on. To many parents want to be friends instead of parents. If parents could be trusted to do their job we wouldn’t need this law. Until then…we do
“I can see a “Law” that won’t allow an adult to provide a place and illegal substances to minors that are not their own children.”
And the problem is…….
The social host ordnance says there are exceptions;
SECTION 4. EXCEPTIONS
a. This ordinance shall not apply to:
1. conduct solely between an underage person and his or her parents while present in the parents’ household,
2. legally protected religious observances, or
3. situations where underage persons are lawfully in possession of alcoholic beverages during the course and scope of employment.
b. The exceptions outlined in Section 4(a) shall not apply under circumstances in which the underage person leaves the home, religious gathering, or place of employment and subsequently violates Iowa Code section 123.46(2), Consumption or intoxication in public places.
Basically it says you can let your children drink, just not other peoples children drink, What is the problem with that. How do you expect to get this law repealed run a campaign with the slogan, “I SHOULD BE ABLE TO LET THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN GET DRUNK AT MY HOUSE”. Good luck with that I am sure the majority will run you out of town.
Now if we are talking about a certain doctor and his attempt to stop law enforcement in a drug investigation, the Supreme Court has ruled time and time again these drugs are illegal and the report the received from a concerned parent warranted the search, and the evidence found supported the search.
I am very glad you cleared that up. I don’t see where there is any concern with this law.
Like it or not, you home is not, nor cannot be a castle when it comes to crimes committed in them.
But let’s step back. If the community does not want this kind of anti-social behavior, one or three people aint gonna stop a law like this from happening. If the community feels strong enough, they will find other ways to correct the behaviors if this does not work.
Maybe a combination of a $5,000 fine or 30 days in jail, or two years restricted driving might persuade some to comply.
If everyone was as logical as you, Otis, we wouldn’t need this law. Unfortunately, we now have a whole generation of parents who want to be their kids’ best buddies instead of their parents.
This doctor has been providing his home and property for booze and pot parties for years. This stupid behavior needs to stop. If my kid gets loaded at another’s house, that person and me are going to have a problem. A bad one.
Again, I agree with you in theory. And I really wish all parents had your point of view. But those days are gone. Sigh…….
So you want to give up your own rights because of all the knuckle-draggers?
Not me. I think the point of the article was right on. Big Brother is too intrusive. Just because you have some rummy that is allowing this to go on, law enforcement and the courts should not have universal power to enter everyone’s home.
At the very least, the term “habitual violator” should have been included in that law and “habitual violator” defined!
liberals and socialist always know better how to raise your children than you do.
Liberals/Socialists raise gays & lesbians thus promoting HIV and government dependency for so many damn slugs !
So Dick Cheney is a liberal/socialist? Get real gays are raised by their parents conservative,liberal or idiot evidentally yours were raised by the latter!
Otis, can’t say i don’t agree with a lot of your logic here but i gotta ask…are you saying it’s legal for you and your kid to smoke crack as long as you’re at your own house??? I too hate big brother but you need to understand all the facts on this one. This isn’t the 1st rodeo for these kids at this this address. So the parents are obviously oblivious or condone it. Either way, they are not PARENTING their children. So when they won’t who should? You want it to slide until someone gets hurt or hurts someone else? Then what? What if it’s your kid that GETS HURT? What if YOUR kid is at someone’s house unsupervised and gets alcohol poisoning and dies? What if the house is that of a rich doctor? You’re not gonna sue right?! B.S.! So when we as parents say “i got this” but DON’T and there is ILLEGAL activity, you want the police to butt out. You my friend are either a real idiot or a real Sh!tty father. Not sure what can be argued about that. This should be a no brainer to anyone that has one. ya, LVS real good article. I’m glad you care about the safety of our children and instead want to bitch about logistics. Sorry, i HATE big brother but the safety of my kids is more important. Sad yours aren’t.
Dave-I raised my kids just fine and taught them the difference between right and wrong and didn’t need bog brothers help and didn’t want it. I taught my kids to be honest and fair and they are but they are also independent and don’t need me to watch out for their every move. Raise them right and you won’t have to worry.
I once called my sister a whore and my mom jumped in to say she was a virgin….3 months later my parents found out she was 5 months pregnant. 4 DNA test later and she is still waiting on a call from Muary why you ask, because my parents trusted her.
That’s great LVS. Why don’t you go to Tan’s and teach HIM that. I agree, i don’t want or NEED big brother either. It’s because WE are responsible! Tan isn’t! That’s why he obviously needs big brother cause he’s a freakin dumbass. Your May 11, 2012 at 11:10 am was just stupid. Sorry. Do you realize Tan has a room FULL and I mean FULL of guns that are not secured. I’d say there’s a safety issue there. You seem like a smart person. Don’t you think it was a good thing the sherrif’s dept showed up? Alcohol, drugs, guns, kids with no adult supervision….recipe for disaster. Come on! Focus on the RIGHT part of the story!!!
Dave-once again, if you raise your children correctly and teach them right from wrong (may include a spanking when needed) and you teach them to be responsible for the actions you won’t have a problem. I have always had guns in my house that were unsecured by your reasoning and never once did my kids go near them. They were taght about the guns right from the start and knew they could be dangerous I don’t know Dr. Tan and I am certainly not sticking up for him but I don’t think you should make a law for one idiot.
LVS, once again YOU are missing the point. I TOTALLY agree…if you raise your kids right! I have kids. I have no problems with them. I have guns too. Actually, MANY guns. This law wasn’t written for one idiot. It was written because there are too many idiots out there that don’t do a good job like you and ME. Can’t you get that???? You can dispense with the telling me how to raise my kids right crap. I know how and what to do. You will never convice me otherwise that it’s ok for the police to drive right on by a house where a bunch of underage kids are drinking alcohol. Sorry, o great parent of this century. I’m glad you did such a great job. I have too. Not everyone does and this Dr. definitely doesn’t. Sorry, you’re an idiot too if you believe that just because you teach your kids right from the start, that means that everyone does that too and we don’t need this. If that was the case, really there shouldn’t be ANY laws right? That’s basically what you’re saying. What’s the difference o wise one? Why have any laws if we just teach our kids right? Hmm? Sh!t we should be living in a freakin Utopia by your logic!
I totally agree with this article. We are a NANNY state with an inperfect Nanny who shows favorites depending on who or what you are. They have no business intruding in our homes or raising our children. What good can it possibly do to give these kids a record that will follow them all their lives. Go catch a real crook.
So should we arrest you? You obviously weren’t doing your job raising your kids so we will keep their record clean and you can go to jail. If you are willing to admit that its your fault and not the kids. We all know that won’t happen you will just blame it on someone else, probably that bad kid your kid hangs out with it must be his fault my kids are perfect. Thats why everyone blames our teachers, they do nothing at home to make sure the kid is not a dumbass and then when they figure out he is a dumbass its all the teachers fault.