Savingthefutureofkids

Dear editor,

This week is drug and alcohol week and we are in the age of the information superhighway, but yet we still have people who know little about the problems that some of our society faces. I am not talking about the drugs that are illegal; we have all heard how they can lead you down a path of regret. What I am referring to is the drug that you would not think of as being a drug.

This summer I had been sequestered as a juror in the Media Courthouse. I had been called and dismissed from three trials and was almost finished with my juro; obligation. I was called in for a fourth time, and I was picked, I did not know why. As the case was read to us I kept asking myself how I got involved in this whole mess. The case was about a trial that involved the Ronson Butane Corporation and the estate of a 13-year-old boy. The estate of the boy was suing Ronson, because their son had been inhaling the contents of one of Ronson's refillable lighter fluid containers. The boy and his friends had been inhaling the contents since they were in the fourth grade. Even after reading the warnings, they still continued to huff the contents, mostly because the older kids in the neighborhood had been huffing for years and they had seen no side effects.

I know what you are thinking. Why should the boy's family be allowed to sue the corporation for the mistake that their son made? But read on and then make your decision.

What concerns me the most is that the parents had known about their son's use but when they questioned their son about it, he denied using it. They did not know the effects of the butane. And with all the means of communication, we still have problems communicating the ideas that mean the most. If you are like me, you probably are asking two questions. How can this be done and why would someone want to do this? Well, the boy and his friends had learned that they could get a quick high if they put the canister up against their teeth and depressed the valve. The subzero butane fuel would give the boys a sensation that was indescribable.

Why?

Well, it did not cost them more than a dollar to feel this sensation.

The Ronson Corporation bad a warning on the back that read, "this product should be use as directed, if ingested it could be fatal." But legally, the company has the responsibility to ensure the safety of all of the potential users. They have to foresee the intended and misintended use. The warningthat was on the container was not adequate in warning the harmful effects of the deadly gas.

The reason why I writing this is because most of us have heard about the drug problems and use that appears in the schools butnot many of us know about the dangers of the drugs that you purchase off of the shelves every day.

The purpose of this trial is not for the parents of the boy to become rich; it is to inform companies and public that these problemsexist. The Ronson Corporation had had eight other cases occur since the 1980s and they have not taken any measures to help deter young kids from inhaling an instantaneous death. You can not measure a person's life by the amount of money that they are worth after death. A person's life is measured by the amount of lives that one touches while they are on this earth. This boy and his family's pain have touched my life and I hope that they have touched yours enough to reach out and touch the lives of others.

Thanks for listening,

Gavin Mirigliani

Sheddingsomelight

Ona Student

Dear Joe,

I must begin by saying that I am sorry, Joe. I am sorry that you are such a bitter and angry young man, when you have so many years ahead of you (barring any unforeseen choking episodes with overcooked french fries.) The years ahead are filled with promises and hopes, aspirations and triumphs, none of which you seem to recognize.

Perhaps your anger stems from unfulfilling academic needs: do you feel challenged enough at Cabrini College? Are your courses offering you an opportunity for critical thinking? Do you not have enough homework to keep you stimulated? I am concerned, since I would hate to think of your four college years as being devoted to agonizing over multi-colored ham and lead-footed drivers.

Oh, be assured I acknowledge the gravity of a situation as dire as having only three flavors of yogurt from which to choose. The greatest scholars coming out of higher education institutions these days write scads of essays lamenting the less-than-homemade quality of institutional foods. I only wish that, when I was in college and graduate school, I had the insight to devote my mental energies to championing the cause of fresh burgers.

The recurring theme in your editorials is that of a sense of feeling cheated, of being treated unjustly, of being a victim of the "machine." It is my hope that, by the time you have graduated, Cabrini College will have recognized your incisive critical skills and your penchant for constructive advice. I hope that this institution, whose very strength lies in its ability to educate the heart, can see its way to lightening yours.

P.S. I believe the word you were looking for in your last article was "implore."

Yours, Penny Becht

A Concerned Cabrinian

AlcoholAwareness

I was stunned when I read the quote of Karen Pollack, health educator. I would like to rephrase Karen's statement in issue 5 of the Loquitur. It should be, "It is not okay to drink!" It is a healthier and safer decision not to drink. Remember that the first drink may impair your judgement. So much for responsible drinkin_g.

Your Truly, Ann D. Servey Faculty