Courtesy of Gene — this is just atrocious. Some 17 year old pissant just set his own father up for 5 years in jail for the crime of growing dope. The worst part is that it comes out all too clearly in the article that the kid was just doing it for attention. He felt neglected by dad, who he said paid more attention to his sister’s accomplishments. Worse, he blathers on about how he was inspired to do it by his ROTC classes and The Red Badge of Courage. Not because either had a particularly strong anti-drug message, but because they made a big deal of bravery, and golly did little Trever feel “heroic” (as he told the interviewer) when he turned in ol’ dad. The message that had gotten to him, he said, was one of not just following the herd, standing up for yourself, etc. etc. Maybe, if he’d had some coherent principled objection to pot, that would be applicable, giving his loathesome act some minute glimmer of nobility. Does he? Well, no, “it’s illegal” is about as far as his analysis got. Oh, and kids — his siblings — shouldn’t have to grow up around drugs. Well, maybe heroin, but pot? Why? Apparently, because twice some of dad’s buddies stopped by for dope. I’m sure the kids were scarred for life… whereas having dad locked away in prison couldn’t possibly do them any harm.

This isn’t the first kid to ever turn his parents in for drugs, of course. But the extent to which he clearly considers himself some sort of paragon of bravery and brash individualism for being the unthinking tool of an incoherent drug war is deeply galling. He’s even shocked and disappointed that, for some crazy reason, much of his family disapproves of what he did. Just disgusting. If there’s any justice in the world, every decent person he meets will consider him a pariah for the next five years — the amount of time his dad now stands to serve for comitting horticulture. Maybe that’ll be long enough for him to grow a brain, or a conscience.