Author's Notes

This is the link for Latitudes & Attitudes new Trop Rock music site. So click on the picture and then one more time when you get to Latts & Atts web site and then get ready for great beach music. You will here many of Eric Stones best songs, along with Rob Mehl, Mark Mulligan, Brent Burns and many others.

Here's another suggestion, Brent Burns has a new song and video. "Pain at the Pump", follow the link and enjoy it. The song hits the nail on the head with the price of gas at $4 a gallon. http://www.brentburns.com/

Coast Guard Top 10 Drug Busts

The Coast Guard and its partners interdicted more than 9,000 pounds of cocaine and 250 gallons of liquid cocaine in September 2007. Each gallon of liquid cocaine can be made into approximately 4.4 pounds of pure cocaine.

Its time to get off your butts and head to the Keys. if you don't want to travel that far, my friend has a house on Sanibel he rents.

Islamorada's rich sport fishing heritage is to be highlighted during the Islamorada Sport fishing Festival set for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 26-28.

Poker Run Bikers to Travel Florida Keys' Overseas Highway. Motorcycle enthusiasts from around the U.S. are to travel the Keys' scenic Overseas Highway from mainland Florida to Key West to raise money for charity. Stops are arranged throughout the Keys with a final celebration in Key West.. Sept. 18-21

Mercury Redbone Celebrity Tournament. This the first of the annual fall Redbone Trilogy events that raise money to fight cystic fibrosis. Top anglers and celebrities will attempt fish for tarpon, permit and bonefish with light tackle. Sept. 5-7.

Herman Lucerne Backcountry Fishing Competition. Up to 100 anglers will be competing for snook, tarpon, redfish, sea trout, snapper, bonefish and black drum, with the backdrop of Everglades National Park. Sept. 12-14

Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival. The peak of the fall birding season, this event includes presentations, field trips focusing on education and conservation as they relate to Keys birds and wildlife, and an environmental fair. Sept. 26-28

Billy Craig has just released "This Side of Somewhere" a folkrockcountry CD as he calls it. So go to Billy's web site by clicking on the link above and enjoy the samples of his songs. I have addedd his music to my growing collection.

There is no place like the United States of America. May God continue to bless our country.

I have changed around the drug awareness page, so that the law enforcement has its own page. I have deleted my daughters section in order to male room for the "Enforcement Page".

I continue to write and my plans are to release Book 3 in late fall or around Christmas time.

I came across the poems below during some drug awareness reading on the net one day not long ago and thought I would share them with you.

Some people call me Old Glory, others call me the Star Spangled Banner, but whatever they call me, I am your Flag — the Flag of the United States of America.

Something has been bothering me, so I thought I might talk it over with you, because you see, it is about you and me.

I remember some time ago people lined up on both sides of the street to watch the parade and, naturally, I was leading every parade, proudly waving in the breeze. When your daddy saw me coming, he immediately removed his hat and placed it against his left shoulder so that his hand was directly over his heart — remember?

What happened? I’m still the same old Flag. Oh, I have a few more stars since you were a boy and a lot more blood has been shed since those parades of long ago.

But now I don’t feel as proud as I used to. When I come down your street and you just stand there with your hands in your pockets, I may get a small glance and then you look away. Then I see children running around and shouting — they don’t seem to know who I am.

I saw a man take his hat off, then look around. He didn’t see anybody else with theirs off, so he quickly put it back on. And what about that night at the ball game, when they played the “Star Spangled Banner” and I waved so proudly in the breeze, but nobody bothered to sing? Oh, they stood up, all right, as sort of a mild patriotic gesture, but then they talked among themselves about the game and weather, but they did not sing. I felt hurt.

Is it a sin to be patriotic? Have you forgotten what I stand for and where I have been? Anzio, Guadalcanal, Korea, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf. Take a look at the memorial honor rolls sometime — names of those who never came back — who gave their lives to keep this republic free.

I may not be coming down your street for a long time, as it seems that patriotic parades are a thing of the past. But when I do, will you do me a big favor?

Stand up straight, place your right hand over your heart, and if they play the “Star Spangled Banner,” sing out loud and clear. I will salute you by waving back.

For more than eleven* score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom for generation after generation of Americans. Born amid the first flames of America’s fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from a little group of thirteen colonies to a united nation of fifty* sovereign states. Planted firmly on the high pinnacle of American Faith my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions. Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage. They have looked upon me as symbol of national unity. They have prayed that they and their fellow citizens might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free men. So long as men love liberty more than life itself; so long as they treasure the priceless privileges bought with the blood of our forefathers; so long as the principles of truth, justice and charity for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts, I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America.

During the time frame of September to December 2007, I have worked diligently to get the word out about the evils of drugs to elementary students. With the help and financial backing of my Elks lodge I have been able to visit many elementary schools in our county and city. It has been a great pleasure to meet and help the counselors of the schools. I have a new found respect and a great deal of admiration for the school counselors. They go wide open from the time they walk into the school until they leave each day. I don’t see how they do it. It takes a very special person to be a school counselor, but I am truly glad that we have them and that they are dedicated to their work.

In talking with the counselors I have learned that not every student/child had the parents that I was lucky to have. Parents, who love you, take care of you, feed you and nurture you. There are many that don’t do this. I wouldn’t even give them the name of parent. It’s heart breaking to know that the human race are giving birth to a child and then not take the responsibility to raise them. The biggest blessing and pleasure I have been given in my life time was the birth of my two daughters.

One counselor in particular told me that the school was like a real home for some of the students. It was a safe place for them, a place to receive love and to be fed. The school was a place to come and stay warm and out of the cold during the winter months if only for a few hours a day. Students who show up to school in shorts, when its 40 degrees outside and not even a coat.

It has been an eye experience to see the gratitude from a student who was given a dictionary for their very own. To have them say it’s the first book they have been given. I and my kids grew up with shelves of books to read. It is puzzling to say the least that a parent wouldn’t want to have books available for their children to read. Reading is by far the most important thing a human being on this earth needs to be able to do. You can’t learn without reading and comprehension. If you can’t learn then you can’t succeed in life. How else can you take care of yourself or your family?

It’s a technology world in this day and age. Without a good education you cannot compete. The good jobs go to the ones who have the best qualifications. The same can be said for being educated about drugs. How can anyone make the right decision about drugs, if they don’t know what they can do to your body and mind? I’ve never heard anyone who is successful say they can think their drug abuse for their success. It just doesn’t happen. What a drug addict will say is that their life was ruined because of drugs. That it was a long and terrible fight to get off of drugs and that they hurt their loved ones deeply by their drug addiction. Hum, it makes you think doesn’t it?

There is actually a politically party that thinks drugs should be legalized. That what you do in your own home is your business. What about the child who takes “meth” accidentally, that their parents have in a cup with fruit juice. When the drug stops their heart and their turn blue, it’s still the right of the parent to do drugs. Anyone with a brain and a heart would have to say NO to this way of thinking. Our children have to be protected from this way of thinking if you want to call it thinking. I see no intelligence with this thinking. It’s scary to say the least.

What about the parent who gives their kids drugs to keep them from reporting them? It happens, and quite often. I did have one counselor tell me that they didn’t have to worry about drug awareness. Their school kids were protected and shielded. It was a private school I had recently visited. I was actually dumbstruck by that statement and lost for words. What do you say to someone with that kind of naïveté?

Its time to wake up and pull our heads out of our little worlds and see what is happening. If we as adults and citizens in our counties and cities don’t care, then who will? Our children are being targeted by the Mexican cartels. I have been told this by federal law enforcement. So what are WE as adults going to do about it? Will you talk with your kids and I don’t mean just once, but weekly or monthly. Let them know you care. Will you support organizations like DARE to educate your children about drugs and what they do to their bodies and mind? Besides taking them to church its one of the most important things you can do for your children.

Who said it would be easy to raise a child. There is no playbook to go by. Its blank pages and you learn and fill it in as you go. If you truly love them then take the time and effort to educate them.

Is suicide the most selfish of acts a human can do? How do they get to that point in their life that killing themselves will be better than living? If that choice is taken, then how can you ever know if things will get better? If your life is that low of a point, then wouldn’t it be logical to think that it would have to get better from that point in time. Life ends when the heart stops beating.

Stop and think about your loved ones instead of yourself. Think of the pain that you will cause them from taking your life. If you realize this, then you can bounce back and stop such a terrible act. Most of all remember there is all ways someone to talk to and to pray to for comfort.

Over the last several years, millions of Americans have rededicated themselves to pushing back against illegal drug use. As a result of the balanced anti-drug strategies being implemented at the Federal, State, and local levels, there are 860,000 fewer young people using drugs today than there were in 2001.

According to the latest Monitoring the Future Study (MTF), long-term trends of decreasing youth drug use have continued from 2001 to 2007:

When we push back against illegal drug use, youth abuse of other substances decrease as well:

Use of alcohol, including binge drinking, and cigarette smoking have decreased by 15 and 33 percent, respectively According to the latest Monitoring the Future Study (MTF), long-term trends of decreasing youth drug use.

In the context of the continuing long-term progress, there are still challenges that remain:

ü Overall, youth prescription drug abuse is second largest category of abuse, only behind marijuana.

MTF has been conducted by the University of Michigan since 1975. The 2007 Study surveyed 48,025 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in a nationally representative sample of 403 public and private schools. www.WhiteHouseDrugPolicy.gov

Here is an update to start the New Year. I hope that all you had a safe and happy New Year. Mine as usual is spent with family and a time for being thankful and reflection. I never make any resolutions. I prefer to work towards being a better father, husband and citizen each year.

I will be adding a short story to the update in about a week. I wrote it over the past couple of days. Just needs to be edited and loaded to the web site. It’s just a day in the life of Simon, my main charter. I will be writing short stories about once a month this coming year, since I won’t publish the third book until next year at this time. Both New and Old Tides will continue to be available through all the same outlets. I will also continue to advertise with the best sailing magazine Latitudes and Attitudes. If you are not a subscriber and you enjoying sailing, it is a must….

There is some good information from SAMHSA in this update about drinking and driving, especially with teens.

I want to congratulate my friend Ron Russell, (Bertie’s drummer) for his playing drums in a gospel band called Redeeming River Band.

“Prayer is love raised to its greatest power; and the prayer of intercession is the noblest and most Christian kind of prayer because in it love-and imagination-reach their highest and widest range.” Robert J. McCracken

Operation Ramen Noodle culminated on December 13 in Los Angeles and resulted in the indictment of 10 members of a methamphetamine and ecstasy trafficking organization that did business in Vietnam, Australia and Canada. Timothy L. Landrum, Special Agent in Charge of DEA's Los Angeles Division said the indictments followed an 18-month investigation, multi-agency investigation that successfully identified members of a high volume narcotics distribution ring operating throughout Southern California, Canada, Australia, and Vietnam.

As a result of the operation over 55,000 pills of MDMA, 18 pounds of methamphetamine and over $2 million in cash were seized by agents.

U.S. federal, state and local authorities were assisted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Australian Federal Police throughout the investigation.

Over $27 Million Seized In Two Operations that Targeted Mexican-Based Trafficking Organizations

DEA has arrested 47 people and seized over $27 million in cash as a result of two operations that targeted Mexican-based trafficking organizations that used the Atlanta area as a base for their drug smuggling activities.

Operation Shooting Star and Operation Latitude Adjustment, both initiated in 2006, culminated in early December with a fury of arrests and seizures. In the first week of this month alone, 111 kilograms of cocaine, 17 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, approximately $8,000,000 to $10,000,000 in cash and at least 32 firearms, including handguns and assault rifles have been seized.

Investigators determined that the targeted organizations regularly transported large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana from the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Guerrero, and Michoacan to the Atlanta area, and then transported currency accumulated from the sale of the drugs back through Atlanta to be smuggled across the Southwest border to Mexico.

DEA and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced the extradition of Hussein Karimi, an Iranian national previously living in Romania, on charges relating to the importation of heroin into the United States from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Karimi was extradited from Austria to New York and faces life in prison if convicted of the charges.

"For nearly a decade, Hussein Karimi Rikabadi ran an international drug conglomerate suspected of distributing heroin in the Middle East, Western Europe and North America," DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. "His organization moved hundreds of millions of dollars worth of heroin from Pakistan and Afghanistan through Iran and Turkey. Now this globetrotter's journeys have taken a detour to a courtroom in the Southern District of New York where he will face American justice."

Kenneth Cortez Minor, 46, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced on December 3 by U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow to 14 years in prison followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. According to his guilty plea, Minor was part of a drug trafficking conspiracy which operated in Montgomery County, Maryland throughout 2005.

Minor was arrested on February 2, 2006 after a joint investigation by DEA and the Metropolitan Police Department. However, he did not go quietly into custody as he fired two shots at police officers before barricading himself inside his bedroom for over an hour. In addition to Minor, three of his co-conspirators also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking offenses. They all received sentences in excess of 10 years apiece.

Julio Cesar Lopez-Pena, a high-ranking member of the notorious Norte Valle Cartel in Colombia, was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S. on December 5, 2007, following a six-day jury trial in Manhattan federal court. Lopez-Pena, who worked closely with Norte Valle Cartel leader Wilmer Alirio Varela, participated in the shipment of multi-ton quantities of cocaine, worth an estimated $100 million dollars between 1998 and 2003.

The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, although the United States provided assurances to Colombia as part of the extradition process that a life sentence will not be sought. Therefore, Lopez-Pena faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison.

To facilitate the Norte Valle Cartel's cocaine importation operation, Lopez-Pena used violence, including kidnapping and murder, bribery, extortion, and various methods of counter-surveillance.

Research shows that alcohol abuse costs the United States an estimated $184.6 billion a year, due to crime, medical consequences, lost earnings, lost productivity, motor vehicle crashes, and other social consequences. A large part of that can be attributed to the costs incurred by the criminal justice system—estimated at 6.2 billion. Here, Linda Chezem, a trial court judge by profession and former special assistant to Dr. Ting-Kai (T. K.) Li, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), explores the impact that alcohol abuse has on the court system and how community coalitions can help lessen that impact.

Q. As a former trial court judge, about how many of the cases that you saw were alcohol-related?

A. The courts are awash with alcohol-related cases. While I can’t quantify the

exact number of cases that I saw related to alcohol abuse, some estimates say that about 80 percent of the criminal caseload involve alcohol in some way. Alcohol seemed to be the underlying cause for many of the cases we saw.

Q. What were the most common reasons people with alcohol-related issues would end up in the criminal justice system?

their parents were unwilling to get sober to care for them. We would see everything from children being hit by parents in a drunken rage to alcoholic parents neglecting their children.

Q. What are some things that could enhance the way cases involving alcohol abuse are handled in court?

A. We need to figure out a way to increase judges’ knowledge about the science of alcohol abuse and treatment. Judges and lawyers need access to the science research and they need it in ways that will enable them to apply it in their cases.

Q. What can community coalitions do to lessen the impact of alcohol on the justice system?

A. Community coalitions and other advocates can do a number of things. In terms of the law, they can look at how their local ordinances related to alcohol issues match with their state laws. They can identify discrepancies and push for policy changes. Community coalitions can also work with their local courts to ensure that the courts have the necessary materials and resources available for people who enter their court in need of treatment for alcohol abuse disorders. For example, it’s important to determine what the court has available for parents who are about to have their parental rights terminated because they are abusing alcohol. Also, the courts are involved in a lot of cases involving children and youth, so it’s important that coalitions work closely with their local courts to ensure that the judges are taking the necessary actions to prevent youth from developing alcohol use disorders. There are strategies that have been proven to decrease the possibility of a child developing an alcohol use disorder. Let’s make sure that the courts know what these strategies are.

Q. What are some of the biggest challenges or problems you saw with the justice system?

A. I went on the bench in 1975 and the first six months I started to see the same people in my court for DUI or public intoxication. I wondered why the same people kept coming back. I soon realized that these people did not have access to treatment. It just wasn’t available then. So, in 1978 I applied for and received a grant to start a court alcohol program, the first alcohol program accredited by the division of addiction services. I was then able to work with the local community mental health center to provide therapists to treat individuals with alcohol use problems who went through my court. To this day, treatment that’s available through the justice system is not at the level of quality that it should be, so access to treatment continues to be a problem. Data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) shows that only about 25 percent of those who have alcohol use disorders are able to get into treatment, and I don’t think that includes people who are going through the criminal justice system. I think that if more people had access to treatment programs, fewer people would end up in the criminal justice system.

Q. What can the community do to ensure that people in court for alcohol-related issues have access to the necessary treatment?

A. Community organizations can work with the courts to ensure that their community has treatment facilities available that are geographically accessible and economically accessible. This is particularly important for people in rural area. Coalitions can help identify good treatment programs and link the courts to these programs. Coalitions can also help shed the stigma associated with people who enter the criminal justice system. Not everyone who enters the criminal justice system is a bad person. They may be making bad decisions, but it’s often because of an untreated alcohol use disorder not because they are choosing to be jerks. We can’t lock everybody up just because they have an alcohol use disorder and coalitions can help increase awareness about this. After all, sending someone to jail doesn’t mean they will be alcohol free. We have other options, like treatment programs or the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous. Coalitions are in a good position to ask the hard questions and identify ways to make our criminal justice systems work better.

Linda Chezem, J.D., has been an educator, influential judge, and public health issues advocate for more than 30 years, and her work continues to create educational outreach opportunities that connect health-related research, justice systems, and communities. She recently completed a term as special assistant to Dr. Ting-Kai (T. K.) Li, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). She is also a professor of Youth Development and Agricultural Education at Purdue University and also serves as a part-time professor with the Indiana Alcohol Research Center at Indiana University School of Medicine. She is a retired appeals court and circuit court judge.

Large numbers of American adolescents are putting themselves and others at great risk by driving while under the influence of illicit drugs or alcohol, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2006, 30 percent of high school seniors reported driving after drinking heavily or using drugs, or riding in a car whose driver had been drinking heavily or using drugs, at least once in the prior two weeks. These findings are based on data from the Monitoring the Future study, in which nationally representative samples of high school seniors have been surveyed annually since 1975. The data analysis is published in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

"These findings are another wake-up call that we cannot afford to be complacent about this great public health risk," said Elias A. Zerhouni, NIH director. "This study shows that not only are too many teens putting themselves and others at risk by driving under the influence of drugs, but that there has been little improvement in the past six years."

Although there was some progress between 2001 and 2003, with rates declining from 35 to 31 percent, between 2004 to 2006 rates leveled off at just under 30 percent.

Dr. Patrick O'Malley, the lead author of the study observes that, "Driving under the influence is not an alcohol-only problem. In 2006, 13 percent of seniors said they drove after using marijuana while ten percent said they drove after having five or more drinks."

"Most teens are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, yet many ignore it. And many don't seem to recognize the dangers of driving after using illicit drugs, including marijuana." said Dr. Nora Volkow, NIDA director. "Educational efforts need to be targeted to include the dangers of both drinking and drugged driving."

To inform prevention efforts, the researchers also sought to examine what demographic and lifestyle characteristics were associated with these behaviors. For example, males were more likely than females to drive after heavy drinking or marijuana use. And although there was little correlation between impaired driving and socioeconomic status or geographic region, individual lifestyle factors such as high religiosity, good grades, low truancy, or having two parents living at home were all associated with a lower likelihood of engaging in risky driving behaviors. For example, only 20 percent of those students with an A or A- GPA exposed themselves to these situations as opposed to almost 39 percent with a GPA of B- or below.

"Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 20," added Dr. Volkow. "Combining the lack of driving experience among teens with the use of marijuana and/or other substances that impair cognitive and motor abilities can be a deadly combination."

A growing trend among college students is to mix alcohol with energy drinks, such as Red Bull, but now a new study conducted by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center finds that this combination can put students at a higher risk for injury and other alcohol-related consequences.

The researchers found that students who consumed alcohol mixed with energy drinks were twice as likely to be hurt or injured, twice as likely to require medical attention, and twice as likely to ride with an intoxicated driver, as were students who did not consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks. Students who drank alcohol mixed with energy drinks were more than twice as likely to take advantage of someone else sexually, and almost twice as likely to be taken advantage of sexually.

For their study, Wakeforest researchers administered web-based surveys to 4,271 college students from 10 North Carolina universities. Of students who reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days, 24 percent said they consumed alcohol mixed with energy drinks.

The study notes that mixing energy drinks with alcohol is a highly dangerous combination, because the stimulant can mask the effects of the alcohol so students may not realize that they are intoxicated, and continue to drink. This study comes after a report released earlier this year by the Marin Institute raised concern about prepackaged energy drinks that contain alcohol, such as Spykes.

“Students whose motor skills, visual reaction times, and judgment are impaired by alcohol may not perceive that they are intoxicated as readily when they’re also ingesting a stimulant,” said Mary Claire O’Brien, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine and public health sciences and lead researcher on the study.. “Only the symptoms of drunkenness are reduced – but not the drunkenness. They can’t tell if they’re drunk; they can’t tell if someone else is drunk. So they get hurt, or they hurt someone else.”

Compared to current drinkers who did not consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks, students who did drank significantly more during a typical drinking session (5.8 drinks versus 4.5 drinks/typical session). They reported twice as many episodes of weekly drunkenness (1.4 versus 0.73 days/week). The greatest number of drinks in a single episode was 36 percent higher for students who reported drinking energy drinks with their alcohol (8.3 versus 6.1 drinks.)

Researchers are calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the health risks of energy drink cocktails, and recommend that students be made aware of the dangers as part of efforts to reduce high-risk drinking.

SAMHSA Releases 2006 Data from National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released findings from the 2006 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS).

N-SSATS is an annual census of substance abuse treatment facilities that provides data on the location and characteristics of alcohol and drug abuse treatment services throughout the United States. It also provides information on how widely these facilities and programs are used.

Nearly 13,800 facilities participated in the survey, reporting more than 1.1 million clients in treatment on March 31, 2006. Facilities operated by private non-profit organizations made up the bulk of treatment facilities (59 percent). Private for-profit facilities made up 28 percent of these services in 2006, with the remaining facilities operated by local governments (7 percent), state governments (3 percent), the Federal government (2 percent) and tribal governments (1 percent).

The 2006 N-SSATS shows that a growing proportion of patients are being treated in private for-profit facilities (from 26 percent in 2002 to 29 percent on March 31, 2006).

Eighty-nine percent of clients in treatment on March 31, 2006 were in outpatient treatment programs, 10 percent were in non-hospital residential treatment programs and 1 percent were in hospital inpatient treatment settings. These proportions are nearly the same as they were in 2002.

Nearly 92,000 clients in treatment on March 31, 2006 were under age 18 – roughly 8 percent of all clients in treatment that year. This proportion was consistent with data going back to 2002.

Nearly half (46 percent) of all clients were in treatment for both alcohol and drug abuse on March 31, 2006. Approximately one third (35 percent) of clients were in treatment for drug abuse only, and 18 percent were in treatment for abuse of alcohol only.

Ninety-one percent of all non-hospital residential beds and 90 percent of all hospital inpatient beds designated for substance abuse treatment were in use on March 31, 2006.

The majority of treatment facilities (59 percent) received Federal, state, or local government funds for the provision of substance abuse treatment services.

Copies of this report and all its detailed findings are available on the Web at http://oas.samhsa.gov/DASIS/2k6nssats.cfm. They may also be ordered free of charge by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). Request inventory number SMA06-4296. For related publications and information visit the SAMHSA Web site at http://www.samhsa.gov/.

It’s been a while since my last update. I continue to edit Book 3 and finish up chapter 5 of Book 5. With Red Ribbon week just taking place I haven’t put much effort in the books. Working with the counselors of our local schools has been more important. Teaching kids about the dangers of drugs is one of the most important tasks an adult can do for their community or so I believe.

I had the pleasure two weeks ago of setting up a drug awareness tent at a fund raiser with two activist who belong to “BAM”, Bartow Against Meth. It is a group that was founded to help combat the meth problem in our county. One of the most important things I learned from talking with Tom and Betsy was that only 3% of people who are addicted to meth can be cured. One other interesting fact brought up was that meth is used by all and genders. White, black, rich or poor, and age, It doesn’t discriminate. Meth reminds me of cancer.

Last weekend I attended a drug awareness seminar in Atlanta, sponsored by the Elks. The guest speaker was an agent fro the Atlanta division of the DEA. Agent Thornton was a powerful speaker and my knowledge of what is taking place in my state and country is scary to say the least. Below I will list some facts, but first I want to mention a couple of things first. Apparently Atlanta is now the Mecca for drug trafficking thanks to the state having such a large group of illegal aliens. The facts are there to prove it. More drug arrests and seizures took place in Atlanta in 2006 than any other state in our country.

Something else Agent brought up was the fact that the country has a lousy group of parents. Who ever said parenting would be easy. There is no playbook. You live it every single day.

D) 4,348 adolescents ages 12 to 17 try an illegal drug for the first time. It could be your child. Think about it and talk to them.

H) Due to the crack down of meth labs in homes and trailers, Meth is now being made while people are driving around in cars. The way the agent described the danger was, “It’s like having an IAD inside a car.”

I) The most important thing Agent Thornton mentioned was this. The drug cartels want to go after 10 year olds. The want to start of children on drugs as soon as possible. He showed us a picture of a young pretty 15 year old girl and then when she was 16. In one years time she looked 50.

J) Last thing I want to bring up is the groups in our country who want to legalize drugs. Marijuana doesn’t help the side of affects of Chemo or radiation treatments. It’s all a big lie. I have been through cancer treatments and my doctors prescribed medication that helped most of the time. You just have to suck it up and deal with it. Praying is comfort.

K) There are some new buzz words out there. It’s called HARM Reduction. They have conservatively dressed people who are nothing more than pimps for illegal drugs, going to governments and school boards trying to say its best to legalize drugs. Here’s a cold hard fact and its one that comes from a European country that has already legalized illegal drugs like cocaine. Instead of 2 million cocaine addicts, the country now has 20 million.

It was a busy week with working on Elks drug awareness issues. Calling school counselors and talking to teachers about the poster and essay contests. All of my drug awareness information is on a first come basis.

On Friday I met with the Commander of our local State Patrol barracks and talked about the dangers to 16 year old drivers. Commander Fowlers statistic's were eye opening and scary to say the least. They will be listed below. We have an outstanding group of troopers who have to cover two counties. They are undermanned by about 9 troopers and they have quite a daunting task. More equipment is needed an it looks like our governor has let the State of Georgia down. Our county commissioner needs to step up to the plate also. Commander Fowler said he hoped to move into a new and more up to date barracks in the near future. Their present barracks is around 50 years old. The best possible location would be right on I75.

Saturday the Bartow Against Meth "BAM" held a big rally at the park. I met with many of the activist/volunteers who are working hard to stop the rampage of meth in our county. Our Sheriffs department was also present. They work hard to stop the making and distribution of meth in our county, but they are short manpower also. Its time for our local and state governments to prioritize the business's of the voters and citizens. The streets aren't' safe for our children. Its as simple as that.

Worked the first part of the week editing the first chapter of Book 3. Its time to get it ready for publishing before my agent at AuthorHouse quits emailing me. Its been a good week with meeting with Investigator Richie Harrell of Bartow County's DARE unit. He and Investigator Morgan do an outstanding job of getting the word out about drugs to our kids in the school system. 200 Drug Awareness comic books promoted by the Elks and Marvel comics were donated to 5th graders in the city school system.

I have also received as of this afternoon Elk Drug Awareness pamphlets dealing with subjects ranging from marijuana, meth, steroids, drinking and tobacco. I also a a guide called A Parents Guide to Inhalant Abuse. This has become a serious problem in the past couple of years. A bonus was receiving a 1000 coloring books to get out to the elementary schools.

Inclosing this update please take the time to talk with your kids about drugs and the effects that can have on them. They are dangerous regardless of what the pro-drug organizations, rock stars try and spout. We are born with only one brain.

I have loaded quite a bit of information to my drug awareness page with lots of web sites to go to in order to be informed.

I received Eric Stones long awaited new CD in the mail this week. His newest work is called Trinidad to Tortola. It's his best work so far and I highly recommend it to all you trop rock listeners, pirates and beach goers. It's been on the CD player for three days. So sit back with a boat drink, close your eyes and take a musical journey from Trinidad to Tortola. Eric is a true troubadour of this century. You can order Eric's latest and all his other CD's from his web site. Go to my link section for a quick click to Eric's web site.

In the past week I have been to a clinic for Drug Awareness chairpersons for the BPOE. I will be receiving a large quantity of brochures in the mail shortly dealing with Inhalant Abuse, Steroids, Meth, and many other illegal and legal drugs. I will be glad to send a packet to anyone who would like one, free of charge. Please remember that as parents its up to you to be informed and to always talk to your kids. I will also keep a few of the Marvel comic books available also. Go to the the drug awareness page to see the cover of the comic book.

SAMHSA has just reported that drug use among our youth has been cut by half since the 1980's and continues to be on the decline. This drastic reduction in illegal drug use is because of education, prevention, law enforcement, treatment and our communities becoming active. Drug use has never declined where a nation has legalized drugs. in fact there is an increase in drug use.

This is something I feel strongly about and takes precedent over the books I write or the beach. The youth of this great nation has to come first. If we don't take this kind of stance then how can we continue to be a leader in the free world.

My friend and fellow Elk Steve S. called me the week before last and ask if I wanted to go with him to his place on Sanibel Island. He had some things to take care of and would I ride shotgun. Steve has a two bedroom home located in the center of Sanibel Island. It’s within 500 feet of Bowman Beach. Take a left by the Sanibel Fire Station and go 100 yards and park. It’s another 100 yards to the beach.

I told Steve sure why not and that I would be glad to drive. I wanted to try out my new Toyota Tacoma on a long ride. It would be a nine and half hour ride to the southwest Florida Island. We left out last Thursday morning July 19^th at 6:30 in the morning. Traffic was light and we made it to the Georgia –Florida border by 11:00. Stopping for gas and Red Bulls we took off for the last leg of the long trip. I would pull into Fort Myers on fumes at three o’clock in the afternoon.

The truck rode superbly and we arrived fresh and ready to hit the beach without feeling beat. We crossed several brides to get to the island and Steve’s home was just off the main road which is the Sanibel - Captiva Road. The home is a very nice rental property and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get away for a week or more. It has a rustic look with all the vegetation surrounding the home. The house will sleep up to six people. You also have the choice of showering inside or outside. There are more than enough trees and vegetation to give you total privacy and the privacy fence surrounding the shower gives added privacy. Before heading to the beach I fixed us a Smirnoff Ice with a slice a lime and to the beach we went.

Sanibel itself has the feeling of an uninhabited island with the way the local government keeps growth to a minimum. You have to be careful when driving along Sanibel-Captiva Road or you will miss Steve’s home or many other places. It’s very tropical and there is a unique quietness to the island. You don’t need your valium if you go to Sanibel. It is absolutely tranquil.

A third of the island is a wildlife refuge by the name of J.N. “Ding” Darling covering ¼ of Sanibel Island. You have the choice of driving your personal vehicle, walking or biking through the 4 mile refuge. There is an additional two mile bike path inside the refuge. It is one of over 540 wildlife refuges around the country. It stretches over 95 million acres. It includes both land and water ways which can be navigated via a small boat or canoe.

Steve took me to a small restaurant-bar called the Lazy Flamingo the first night. The beer was ice cold and the grilled grouper sandwich was about the best I’ve ever eaten. We ate at Doc Ford’s for lunch the next day having a Bacardi Mojito and another grouper sandwich. The restaurant is owned by the best author in the book business today, Randy W. White. Great atmosphere at the place with a couple of antique wooden canoes hanging from the ceiling and of course you can get all of Randy’s books. We ate at place called Timberland’s the last two meals and it was good eating with a crab cake sandwich and steamed shrimp to finish of the weekend. A fee bottle of white wine was thrown in by the restaurant.

We left Sunday morning at 4:15 and I almost wiped out a family of Raccoons, but Steve’s good eye sight stopped me just in time. It was a great 4 day weekend.

I wanted to share this with you today. Once again our country takes care of its fallen service members. My God Bless the Di Salvo family and the closure they now have.

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Pfc. Domenico S. Di Salvo, U.S. Marine Corps, of Akron, Ohio. He will be buried July 12 in Seville, Ohio. In late November 1950, Di Salvo was a member of Company F, 2^nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, of the 1st Marine Division then deployed near Yudam-ni on the western side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Nov. 27, three Communist Chinese Divisions launched an attack on the Marine positions. Over the next several days, U.S. forces staged a fighting withdrawal to the south. Di Salvo was lost on Dec. 2, 1950, as a result of enemy action near Yudam-ni. He was among several in his company buried by fellow Marines in a temporary grave near the battlefield. During Operation Glory in 1954, the North Korean government repatriated the remains of U.S. and allied soldiers. Included in this repatriation were sets of remains associated with Di Salvo's burial. That year, U.S. officials identified five of these individuals. One repatriated individual could not be identified at that time and was buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (The Punchbowl) in Hawaii. In November 2006, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) exhumed remains from the NMCP believed to be those of Di Salvo. Among other forensic tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the JPAC used dental comparisons in Di Salvo's identification.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners: men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall and straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of the declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: Freedom is never free! I hope you show your support by sharing this with as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out that Patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

I want to start off with telling you about a new friend. His name is Russell and he is a Mobile Bay, Cajun. He and his father have been shrimping for 100 years. Russell and his father are the true Bubba Gump's of shrimping. He was a virtual story book of stories about living off the Gulf of Mexico waters. Its a hard way to make a living, but the office is beautiful.

Russell cooked a low boil at a family get together just outside of Birmingham, Alabama and it was exceptional. He uses fruit in his low boil which gives it a different set of flavors. Russell uses oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes along with a spicy mix. When he was finished with his low boil there was 50 pounds of potatoes, 50 ears of corn, and 85 pounds of colossal size shrimp (10 to the pound). Russell also brought along 100 pounds of the next size shrimp and for $6 a pound I came home with 35 pounds of (10-12 count) shrimp. it was a great weekend and I leaned something new for my own low boil.

I also want to thank Mike and Pat for having all of us at the farm. It was kind of them and its really hard to find the right words to sat thanks to them.

Also in this update I am including pictures in the "recipe section" of different recipes I have been cooking lately. You can also find more recipes hidden at the bottom of the recipe page. I haven't had time to hyperlink them to the menu section.

This is a new book by my friend and coworker Brian. He has been apart of Electroherbalism movement for over a decade and is well known in the community of alternative medicines. His web site is listed in my link section. It's taken me many years and lots of discussions with Brian to become a believer in Electroherbalism.

The Electroherbalism Frequency Lists, Third Edition, contains frequencies that people use for electrotherapy instruments such as EMEMs, Rife machines, Rife-Bare devices, function generator pad devices, Hulda Clark function generators, Tesla therapy devices, and other alternative bioelectronic instruments. This compilation includes the Consolidated Annotated Frequency List and the Non-Consolidated Frequency List, also known as the CAFL and NCFL, and the newly revised CAFL Cross Reference List (CAFL XREF) as well as the chapters "Introduction to Alternative Bioelectronic Therapy Devices," "Electrical and Frequency Effects on Pathogens," and James Bare's "Understanding Our Frequencies Through Harmonic Associations." The Electroherbalism frequency lists are some of the most-used references for frequency researchers the world over.

D.A.R.E. America announces its new partnership with Life-Prints Solutions, a provider of software that aids in child abduction prevention.

Life-Prints child safety software allows parents to keep an up-to-date, comprehensive profile of their children to transmit to authorities in case of an emergency.

A very tasty marinade for beef or chicken dishes. I have used this marinade many times on shrimp and grilled them. With shrimp only marinade two hours or they can become mushy.

When to marinate: For flavor only, marinate for 15 minutes to 2 hours. For tenderizing, marinate for at least 6 hours.

Ø Turn meat occasionally during marinating so that all sides are equally exposed to marinade.

Ø Allow 1/4 to 1/2 cup marinade for each 1 to 2 pounds of beef. This recipe yields approximately 1/2 cup.

Ø Place all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well, and set aside until later.

Ø Gently place the scallops in the pan. Use a spatula to turn scallops with. Be careful. Allow the scallops to cook undisturbed for at least two minutes before attempting to turn them. While scallops are cooking, season them with a pinch of salt and black pepper.

Ø Remove cooked scallops from the pan and place on a paper towel while you prepare the sauce.

Ø Pour sauce into same pan over medium high heat. Stir continuously for one minute. Just long enough to lightly cook the garlic and turn the chili (or red bell pepper) bright red. Do not over cook.

Ø Place the seared scallops directly in the pan with the sauce. Gently turn the scallops to cover with sauce.

Ø To serve, remove scallops out of the pan and place on a serving plate. Now pour the rest of the sauce from the pan over the scallops.

Tampa based Odyssey Marine Exploration announced this past week that they have found and retrieved what could be the richest find in treasure hunting to date. Seventeen tons of gold and silver coins from the colonial era were brought up from the sunken ship. Each coin could be worth of to $1000 each. The ship dates back to the seventeenth century. “WOW”

Here’s a tidbit of information on sea trout. Surveys tell us that the spotted sea trout is the most sought after fish in many southern coastal states. Sea trout are members of the drum family – a distant relative to a redfish. There are several close varieties, including spotted sea trout, yellow mouth, sand, silver, and several varieties of weakfish. They all use their air bladder to “drum”, making grunting noises that scientists believe relate to schooling and spawning behavior.

"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?'' Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?