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Editorials - 06/08/00Adults should set better example |
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Last week in this space we wrote how proud we were of our high school graduates as they went out into the world.
We're still proud, but like parents, sometimes we aren't proud of what kids do. A case in point was the ill-advised party on Caney Fork following Smoky Mountain High's May 29 graduation. Actually, our disappointment is not directed so much at the students as it is at adults who supplied 10 kegs of beer and at other adults who seemed to condone the action. Kids will be kids - sometimes they don't make the best decisions. We would hope adults would be wise enough to do the right thing. Some grown-ups have said the party gave graduates the chance to drink in a safe environment so they would not be on the road drinking and driving. We disagree on two counts. For starters, there's no guarantee that party-goers would stay at the site after drinking. Who's to say a student or students wouldn't hit the road? That's dangerous enough on any road, much less one as narrow and curvy as Caney Fork. Drinking and driving is not the only issue. There's the scary thought of alcohol poisoning. Two teenagers have died in Jackson County from alcohol poisoning in the past few years. One of those was on Caney Fork. Fliers were distributed at the high school inviting one and all to the party. Reports are that some in attendance were as young as 13. It wouldn't take much drinking for a person so young to become seriously ill or worse. We commend officers from the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and state Alcohol Law Enforcement for their work in breaking up the party. They went undercover, even paying the cover charge, to infiltrate the party and break it up before things got out of hand. It's clear the officers weren't out to make a big bust. If they had wanted, we're sure they could have written an untold number of citations for underage drinking. Instead, they broke the party up early and wrote only four tickets. Two of those were for the people who supplied the alcohol, and unfortunately that included the student body president. Safety was the primary concern of the officers. Drinking responsibly is one thing, but there's nothing responsible about underage drinking in any circumstances. The timely intervention of law enforcement officers may well have prevented a graduation night tragedy, and we're grateful to them. We only wish the adults involved had acted as responsibly. Editorial policyThe opinions expressed on this page are those of the Sylva Herald Editorial Committee. Opinions are derived independently and owe no allegiance to any group, organization or political party. We welcome opposing views. |
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