IWTS Blogger Interviews Drug Dog Expert

Read I Was The State blog. An interview with a certified canine expert reveals that the efficacy rate for drug dogs is about 52%. At firt glance that seems outrageous, as well it should. But actually, it's probably pretty close to being in line with average efficacy rates of drug testing and alcohol breath testing. The 2% over the one-half mark probably makes it "good enough for government work" in the eyes of the police-state zealots.

MADD Prohibitionists

I Was The State blogs frequently about MADD and their prohibitionist agenda. The constitution has been shredded in the name of the so-called "war" on drugs and it is being further trampled by MADD. Why is that? MADD started out with a goal to reduce accidents caused by drunk drivers, which is laudable. But they have completely lost sight of that goal. They have gained a great deal of political power, and they use it to make sure anybody accused of drunk driving is deprived of their rights. MADD is downright scary. We are funding a lobby with taxpayer money. In concert with the government agency National Traffic Safety Administration, they push to lower legal BAC's, (admitting the goal is 0.0); they want to eventually have an IID (ignition interlock device) on every car (from the factory). They target bars, where there is nobody driving, on the pretext that they MIGHT drive. They use intimidation, coercion, demagoguery, and whatever else they deem necessary to their cause. Read Grits for Breakfast, I Was The State, DUI Blog, for more information on this subject.

The "Drug War" And the Pesky Ol' Constitution

I have spent the past 21 years trying to help folks get off or stay off drugs. I am not for drug use. But I am for things like probable cause, due process, etc. A blog that I have in my links called "I was the State" is owned by a former prosecutor, who is now a criminal defense attorney. He blogs often about the fallacies of the so called drug war. IWTS against drug prohibition, maintaining that the drugs which are now illegal should be legal and regulated, much like alcohol. There is a lot to be said for this argument, although I wouldn't flat out advocate it without some research. It is not politically feasible at the moment, anyway. But in the future, I want to talk about the fiasco at Tulia, Texas and it's implications. Most importantly, the fact that Tulia was not an isolated event. It happens every day on a smaller scale. That has probably improved since the demise, (or semi-demise) of the "task forces", which got so bad that even Rick Perry couldn't stomach them anymore. That, my friends is pretty bad. More later.

I Was The State: I GOT THESE GUNS

I Was The State: I GOT THESE GUNS

South Texas Chisme: Perry's HPV vaccine cronies cash in anyway

South Texas Chisme: Perry's HPV vaccine cronies cash in anyway

Public Defender Offices

It is no secret that money talks when a person is accused of a crime. Court appointed attorneys don't want to spend a lot of time on a case because they are not getting anywhere close to their normal fee. Prosecution has the advantage. It was supposed to be the other way around. The framers of our Constitution, (it had 10 original amendments, instead of the present 7, since the 4th, 5th, and 6th have been effectively eliminated by the "wars" on drugs and terror). Public Defender offices need to have the same resources as the prosecution, such as funds for expert witnesses. The Texarkana Gazette has a piece about Bowie County, which will have a public defender's office soon.

Lubbock Police Morality Squad Foiled Again

Lubbock's police department is gaining momentum in it's quest to become a laughing stock. When the Chippendale dancers came to Lubbock a few months ago, they were arrested along with the manager of Jake's, a local sports bar and grill. Then they arrested the manager of a lingerie shop for allegedly selling a sex toy to an undercover agent. In this story from the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, we learn that they have done the same thing to the same shop 3 times in the past. Interestingly, one cop named Bill Bates has been instrumental in all of these witch hunts. The CDA has dropped all the charges, every time. Your tax dollars at work!

New Rehab Programs for TDCJ, Prisons, Parole, and Probation

The Texas legislature appropriated over $200 million to replace programs they axed in 03 and 05, as well as add new programs. Many of these programs will be substance abuse treatment and education, but nobody has said where the counselors are going to come from. We have a counselor licensure law in Texas for all counselors, including Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselors (LCDC). Since 1995, when then Governor George W. Bush took over as Governor of Texas, LCDC's have not had an easy time of it in Texas. One of Governor Bush's first official acts was to place the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in conservatorship, and close 80% of the publicly funded treatment beds. This was done by alleging fraud on the part of most of the treatment centers, much like Governor Perry has done with the Community Colleges. They sent the Texas Rangers to most of the treatment centers to audit, and they came on like gangbusters. They immediately cut off funds to any treatment center who was even suspected of wrongdoing, causing most of them to close. The allegations were mostly proved false by Bush's own investigators, but by then it was too late for many. Counselors have yet to recover from this attack, and many have left the field. Many more left the field in 03 and 05, when the Lege cut off funding for most TDCJ programs. These counselors are not standing around waiting for these new programs to open up, and many would not work for a TDCJ program anyway. I wouldn't. So where are the qualified counselors coming from? The short answer is: They're not. They will hire whoever they can get. TDCJ is above the counselor licensure law; always has been. If you want to be a counselor, but don't want to mess with the pesky ol' education, training, etc., this may be for you!

Welcome to My Blog

This is my first foray into having my own blog. This blog is along the lines with Grits For Breakfast, talking about politics, hyprocrisy, politics and hypocrisy, criminal (in)justice, etc. It will be mostly on local and state levels. I have worked in the substance abuse field for 20 years, with most of it being in the Criminal Justice realm, but in practically every venue and modality in the field. Welcoming your comments.