Just what are they reaching for?

Who says that federalism can't work in our lives?

 

From WHNT in Huntsville:

Police say Brandon Scrushy, son of former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy, was arrested last night on drug charges.

From NPR news in Washington:

Former Vice President Al Gore's son was getting treatment Thursday after he was arrested for illegal possession of marijuana and prescription drugs.

Round-Up?

NPR reports that Columbia is giving up on the Bush Administration's program for fumigating coca plants. As reported on NPR:

Coca hasn't been cut back, and cocaine trafficking continues unabated. The punitive approach also has driven poor farmers to grow more coca and to help the guerrillas.

The government says manual eradication is far less venomous, and it is moving in that direction, quietly.

"Manual eradication" means that Columbia has crews going through the countryside pulling up the coca plants using hoes and hands. Columbia says this method is more effective than aerial spraying of herbicides and prevents the herbicides from drifting onto farms and causing damage to crops.

I'm wondering why manual eradication is preferable to spraying herbicides at ground level. It seems a bunch of guys with sprayers strapped to their back would be able to quickly handle the coca plants. We in the south know how well Round-Up works.

Fine Print

I used to read a column by James J. Kilpatrick called "The Writer's Art". Kilpatrick wrote about the use - and misuse - of the English language. He also released a book called Fine Print: Reflections on the Writing Art. I probably am a nerd, but I enjoyed the columns and the book. I guess that's because I like to write and I try to find ways to make my writing better. As a side benefit, mistakes that people make when they are writing can be humorous.

And, so, to the point of this post. I was driving along the main drag in Prattville the other day and saw a sign that read:

Alcohol
The Most Abused Drug By Teens

This message is a fine example of civic-mindedness. Someone wanted to remind folks that teenagers often have access to alcohol. And then it hit me. The message implies that teens actually make the alcohol!

Okay. The way we read and interpret words and sentences these days, I know that people will understand that the prepositional phrase "by teens" modifies the adjective "abused". But I picture teenagers hanging around a still like Uncle Jesse and "them Duke boys."

A better wording for the sign would be:

Alcohol
The Drug Most Abused by Teens