>From: "Peter McWilliams" >Subject: DARE should run SCARED from US! >Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1999 15:35:00 -0800 >X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 >X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 > > >Look at these wonderful letter to EB about DARE! > >Bravo, all! > >------- > >I go to your encyclopedia for factual information. It should not be a >surprise that I am dismayed at your decision to support DARE, an >organization which spreads disinformation. Where can one go for the truth? >Unfortunately Britannica has tarnished it's name. I trust you will >reconsider, in the name of honesty and truth, not to mention professional >decency. > >------- > >It has recently come to my attention that the >Encyclopedia Britannica is donating a couple million >dollars to the DARE program. > >This program is a proven failure as well as a divisive >issue in the overall 'drug war' strategy. It should not >be hard for an organization with your research acumen >to confirm these assertions. > >Do not be fooled into thinking that what 'sounds like good >public relations,' is actually helping the goodwill of your >company or the children of America. > >Might I suggest you contact Governor Paul Johnson of >New Mexico and get his input about a more practical >use of your money in this regard. > >Thank you, > >--------- > >Dear Editor, > >It has come to my attention that The Encyclopaedia Britannica organization >is about to donate a significant sum of money to D.A.R.E. America. I >myself am very interested in the drug problem in America, and I can >confidently assert that money spent on DARE is worst than wasted. Children >should be protected from premature adulthood, and I believe that we should >regulate substances which are currently available in every school in the >country due to prohibition and the realities of black market commerce. It >is bad enough that children have access to drugs, and to add "official" >education (which is merely inaccurate propoganda in any case) only advances >a dangerously premature cynicism. It is also highly immoral to confuse >children by painting their otherwise law-abiding parents as criminals >simply for engaging in consensual behavior. In their hysteria, the >government has created the most anti-family values initiative ever DAREd. > >If The Encyclopaedia Britannica is truly interested in mitigating the harm >of drugs in today's culture, which I am most certain is the case, then >these sum of money can be best spent on what your organization does best: >Dissemination of the truth about the War on Drugs. Funding DARE is about >the most un-encyclopaedic thing I can think of. > >I would appreciate it if you would share your thoughts with me on this. > >Thank You, > >-------- > >Dear Sir, > >I notice that Britannica is considering making a substantial >contribution to the D.A.R.E program. Before you do, I VERY strongly >suggest that you find out more about the program, and a good start >would be http://www.drcnet.org/DARE/ > >You will find that DARE is NOT a successful program and children who >"graduate" use no more or less drugs than others. However it is an >extremely invasive program, putting police officers into schools, >teaching children to be afraid of authority, teaching that spying on >friends and family is a good thing. > >Rethinking D.A.R.E (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/april97/dare_4- >25.html), found via your own Britannica search engine, indicates that >D.A.R.E is indeed less useful its proponents suggest. > >I can easily see how DARE appeals to a totalitarian regime and am at a >loss to see how it appeals to a democracy. The War on drugs has already >cost this country so much. Do not compound the errors already made by >making this contribution to yet another program that does more harm >than good. > >Yours Sincerely > >-------- > >Dear Editor, > >It is my understanding that Britanica is consider making a >donation to DARE. I think this would be a sad and counter-productive >use of resources. Recent research by the Triangle Institute has shown >that as opposed to lowering drug use among children the dare program >graduates show a small but statistically significant increase in drug >use when controlled against students that are not subjected to such >government propganda. If you are concerned about keeping kids drug >free until they are wise enough to make their own choices about which >substnances should enter their bodies, then I suggest you support >organisations like: >www.norml.org (national organisation for thr reform of marijuana laws) >www.drcnet.ord (Drug Reform Coordination network) >or many of the others that are fighting for an open and honest discourse >on the current drug prohibition. > >Thank you, > >------- > >Encyclopedia Britannica's promotional campaign to give money to charity >is laudable -- except D.A.R.E. is not a charity a reputable organization >should be supporting. > >There are many of us who recognize that addictive street drugs are a >genuine social concern and who see it as a public health issue. The >arguments for this point of view are strong and have been articulated by >many thinking people, some of whom have no doubt contributed to your >pages. > >There are also many people who would offer evidence that corrupt and >greedy police did much to get the bad drugs to the street. > >Educational initiatives which involve the police coming into schools >with their "Just Say No" message are really not educational at all. >Education, to many of us, means encouraging the curiosity which is >already present. There is so much false information about drugs -- >including many pharmaceuticals which are arguably as dangerous as street >drugs -- in the "educational campaigns" which now prevail that the >intelligence of truly curious students is assaulted. Telling kids lies >is NOT educational. It is brainwashing. > >Criminalizing the curious and jailing addicts are not charitable acts. >Encyclopedia Brittanica could surely find a group with more objectivity >and genuine educational goals than D.A.R.E. > >Thank you for giving me this opportunity to express my point of view. > >------- > >I suggested that they make their donation >conditional on the DARE officers checking their >"facts" with the Brittanica for accuracy. > >------ > >THANK YOU, EVERYONE! > >ENJOY, > >PETER > > > >================================================================ > >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list . >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: