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2004 D.A.R.E. International Training Conference
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[edit] Overview
On July 7-10, 2004, URI SSDP's Micah Daigle attended the D.A.R.E. International Training Conference. He prepared three updates which he sent to SSDPtalk from the hotel's internet cafe. These are those updates:
[edit] SSDPtalk Update 1
"Here's your key card, and directions to your room. Enjoy your stay, and be sure to call us if you need anything!"
As I made my way over the quaint indoor bridge which lead over the quaint indoor stream that revealed quaint indoor tropical fish swimming under quaint indoor palm trees, my head spun. Entering the next room, which appeared roughly the size of a football stadium, I stopped in my tracks to marvel at the enormous waterfall feeding into the hotel's version of the Amazon. Along the river, boats ferried awestruck passengers throughout the massive artificial jungle. Hotel patrons dotted the landscape of Venetian balconies which lined the surrounding vine-wrapped walls; reclining in Venetian chairs, drinking fine wine, and enjoying the great (indoor) outdoors. My head spun more.
I was in a fairyland, a dream.
Such close attention had been paid to every detail, that common sense was temporarily deceived. Although I knew every aspect of this paradise was artificial, domestic and deliberate, I still could not escape the overwhelming feeling of being on a tropical vacation. But upon closer inspection, it was all just a façade. "No," I reminded myself, shaking out of this surreal dreamlike state. This is Nashville, Tennessee. And this is no vacation...
This is the first report of four that will detail my experiences at the 2004 DARE National Conference on behalf of SSDP. A week ago, this trip was a fleeting suggestion, but thanks to the contributions of many and the hard work of our national director Scarlett Swerdlow, I am now here, infiltrating the hornet's nest. My objectives over the next two days are twofold:
1. Covertly gather intelligence on DARE (and other organizations in attendance), including their short and long term plans for curriculum of DARE, as well as their political motives, and their interest and role in other programs such as student drug testing. Quite simply, as the DARE Generation, we should know as much as possible about the next DARE Generation.
2. Engage in one on one conversations with as many conference-goers as possible, extracting information, and engaging in dialogue about potential alternatives or improvements to the DARE program. Identify people who might be receptive to other drug education techniques, specifically techniques focused on harm-reduction (like Safety First), and inform them of such programs.
To facilitate the second objective, I will be doing a "research project" on drug prevention strategies. Work on the second objective will start tomorrow, as today was merely a reception and buffet. During all times, I will be recording everything, by camera, camcorder, voice recorder, or pen, so that you can be here with me. On that note, on with the story....
After successfully dodging questions about my affiliations by a pesky DARE person during registration, I slipped on my name-tag, put on my DARE pin (decorated with that super-cool cartoon lion), and I was officially IN. I strolled into a large dining room, complete with chandeliers, puffy white clouds painted on the ceiling, and a hundred little drug-free tots. The room's speaker system crooned a country western song with only one line: "You'd better think twice, before you roll the dice, and throw your life away..."
I picked a seat closest to the main stage -- a prime spot for video recording -- and took a look through my registration materials. To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that Drug Czar John Walters and DEA Administrator Karen Tandy had been selected as keynote speakers! Even more thrilling was that Miss Teen USA would be here! I then glanced up and happened to notice a man in a lion suit groping a tall, attractive woman adorned in a very short skirt and a banner that read "Miss Teen USA." (This made me think that SSDP should have a furry mascot and it should be me.)
What occurred next was what I can only describe as John Walters' version of the Hitler youth brigade. 5th and 6th graders, dressed in uniform black and red DARE shirts, lined up on stage. The inspiring tunes of Mr. Country-Western-Anti-Gambler were replaced by an intense and foreboding piano line accompanied by equally ominous strings. The children, most wearing melancholy faces, began to march in place while singing songs about "staying drug free" and not "being a sap."
Looking back around the room, everybody was blissfully happy. This was especially true for those who wept with joy -- I assumed the parents of these children. I could read their expressions: Their kids will be different than them. Because of DARE, they won't experiment with drugs. They will stay Drug Free, just like Miss Teen USA.
But alas, they were in a fairyland, a dream.
Such close attention had been paid to every detail, that common sense was temporarily deceived. Even though every reliable study shows that the majority of those kids on stage will, in fact, not stay Drug Free, I still could not escape the overwhelming feeling that these kids were really being positively affected. I looked over at the DARE mascot; he was holding a smiling child on his lap. But again, I had to shake this surreal feeling out of my head. "Micah, you know better..."
Later, I saw Miss Teen USA outside, taking a drag off a Marlboro.
[edit] SSDPtalk Update 2
I am Christopher Columbus at a Flat Earth conference. I am Charles Darwin at a Creationist conference. I am Micah Daigle at a DARE conference.
Today I swallowed my pride, and I can tell you, it tasted bitter. As everyone knows, a person seated at the front of an audience during a standing ovation has no choice but to join in or be noticed. Not that I wasn't having a hard time blending in already, being practically the only person without a gun on my hip, as well as perhaps the only college-aged attendee (well, besides Miss Teen USA... growl). So yes, in order to keep a low profile, I shamefully did something that I thought I'd never do. I got on my feet in front of Drug Czar John Walters and limply brushed my hands together a total of three times.
I have washed my hands several times since then.
After the audience members finally retired from their ecstatic applause, Mr. Walters proceeded to tilt his head back, unlock his jaw, and spray bullshit out of his mouth for the next hour or so. For the purpose of this brief e-mail update, I'll give you what I perceived as the tastiest tidbit of fecal matter, painstakingly transcribed word for word from my video tape.
"I also came here to thank some of you who have, and urge some of you who haven't -- your colleagues -- to help us with two other things that I think are important. As you know, one of the great manifestations of cynicism about this problem is the enormous and extensively funded campaign to legalize drugs in the United States. [Editor's note: Extensively funded? Excuse me, Mr. Walters, but out of comparison, I didn't see bio-domes with rivers and jungles and birds in the hotels at the last DPA Conference.] No people are more affected by the confusion this causes than the young people you are trying to work with. We have adopted the aggressive posture of going into states where this has been proposed as ballot initiatives, and will be on the ballots in some states again this year. We have aggressively gone to state legislatures where these measures have appeared in the last year. I want to thank, sincerely, those of you who represent states and officials, some of yourselves, who have spoken up. You know that when you speak up, that this has become a very nasty debate. Of criticism, accusing people who have public responsibilities of meddling in partisan politics, of using money to try to present lies to young people, and to criticize those who stand up and tell the truth. I'm coming to ask you to stand up with us again. They WILL criticize you. They WILL try to stop you. They WILL try to shut you up. DO IT ANYWAY."
The audience erupted in applause. This time, I respectfully refrained.
In case you don't understand the archaic language of this endangered species, here is Czar Walters' speech translated to English: The federal government gets its kicks by locking up terminally ill patients for using a plant that the popular vote has deemed to be legal medicine. We need your help to carry these handicapped folks into our federal prisons, so you'll just have to try to ignore the pleas of the nearly 80% of Americans you are supposed to "serve and protect." Thanks, we appreciate it.
His second request was that DARE officers help to implement random student drug testing in schools. He spent so much time on his "silver bullet" theory that I started getting a strange urge to howl at the moon.
This is Micah Daigle, in a hotel full of cops, signing off.
[edit] SSDPtalk Update 3
Colleagues,
I wish I had the energy to write about everything that happened these past few days, but I am beat! I fly out of Nashville tomorrow afternoon, and I will have a completed report (with picture, audio, and video) posted on a webpage soon. But, again, I have prepared a special treat to tide you over until then.
I would like to share with you a letter that I made 600 copies of and distributed to every DARE officer at the conference during the final banquet. Enjoy. :-)
[edit] A Letter from a DARE Graduate to DARE
Dear DARE instructor,
Slightly over ten years have passed since I graduated from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. I can say that it was certainly a positive experience, as it introduced me to law enforcement at an early age and fostered a lasting relationship between myself and my DARE instructor, Officer Allen. I grew up with a deep seated respect for the sacrifice that you are willing to make every day to protect our communities, and that respect has not left me. Thank you for all that you do.
I also grew up with a respect and empathy for those caught in the clutches of drug abuse. My brother, uncle, and several close friends have fallen into serious addiction with various substances. When I graduated from high school, experience had surely warned me of the real dangers linked to drug abuse, and although I admit to experimenting with marijuana (as most high school graduates do), I thankfully have never become addicted to any substance, legal or otherwise. I have since then directed much of my studies and extra-curricular activities toward reducing the harms associated with drugs. This year, at the University of Rhode Island, I hope to launch a Drug Resource Center. This will be a student operated office that provides information about drugs to the public, and offers counseling for those with drug problems.
I heard recently that DARE would be improving their curriculum, which is why I made the journey to Nashville, Tennessee. I was curious to know if the new high school curriculum would include a “backup plan” in case kids don’t say no (which is most likely the case). Certainly, keeping our children abstinent is a noble goal, but the first priority should always be to keep them safe. The DARE instructors who I’ve spoken with today have explained that indeed, the message has evolved from “Just Say No” to “Just Say No…. but if for some reason you don’t, here’s how you can be safe: don’t drive a car, keep hydrated, etc, etc…”. I’m interested in seeing this new curriculum, but from what I’ve seen and heard, I believe DARE to be new, improved, and on the right track. Thank you!
I also write this letter in response to a few comments that “Drug Czar” John Walters made yesterday, regarding the campaign to reform our nation’s drug policies. Mr. Walters described this campaign as a malicious attack on our nation’s youth, and an attempt to spread more crime and drug abuse through our communities. My research has led me to a different conclusion.
Last year, after meeting a terminally ill woman with multiple sclerosis who had found marijuana to be a more safe and effective medicine than her prescription drugs, I decided to research drug prohibition in this country. I soon realized that MS patients were not the only ones suffering as a result of drug laws. After comparing the amount of funds spent on combating the drug trade with the amount of drugs appearing on our streets, it started to become evident that drug prohibition, like alcohol prohibition before it, has only served to fuel a deadly black market for these easily made drugs. Because there is no regulation of the illicit drug market, sellers often turn to violence, corruption, and gang warfare to maintain their markets. This causes the death of innumerable civilians and law enforcement personnel.
I also realized that drug prohibition does irreparable damage to the relationship between citizens and law enforcement. Since the majority of teenagers experiment with illegal drugs (primarily marijuana), they begin to cultivate a disrespect for police officers. In the year 1921, Albert Einstein said "The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this."
So I started to ask around: “As a freedom loving society, why do we insist on spending so much money and resources locking people with drug problems up instead of giving them the treatment and education that they sorely need?” The answer I received was always this: “To protect the children!”.
If this is the sole reason for locking up millions of non-violent Americans, then this policy is severely misguided. As every survey shows, teenagers find illegal drugs more easily accessible than tobacco or alcohol. And I ask you, why, after billions of taxpayer dollars, would illegal drugs be easier for our children to obtain than legal ones? Because drug dealers don’t ask for I.D.
I have come to the conclusion that this “Drug War” can no longer be waged in our names: The names of the DARE Generation. As a person who grew up during the largest increase in drug enforcement funding, I can say with confidence: Drug prohibition has made our children less safe. Whether you agree with this conclusion or not, I ask you to understand that the people and organizations who seek to reform drug policy have the same goals as you: to make society a safer place.
I encourage you to continue your work on preventing substance abuse before it starts, and teaching children the skills that they need to make healthy decisions in life. Although I don’t necessarily agree with many of the drug laws that you have to enforce, I hold no ill will toward you or you profession. Again, please think about what I’ve said in this letter, and do some research of your own. If you agree with my sentiments, then you agree with the sentiments of many: for there is a growing movement of citizens, law enforcement, teachers, community leaders, and other Americans who are working toward a paradigm of treatment and education rather than one of zero-tolerance and incarceration. Please contact me or refer to these websites to learn more:
- Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: www.leap.cc
- Safety First: www.safety1st.org
- Drug War Facts: www.drugwarfacts.org
- Students for Sensible Drug Policy: www.ssdp.org
- Drug Policy Alliance: www.drugpolicy.org
- Marijuana Policy Project: www.marijuanapolicy.org
Thank you for a great conference, and I wish you good luck and safety as you serve and protect our great country!
Sincerely,
Micah Daigle, Students for Sensible Drug Policy