Youth and Current Drug Trends

Gone are the days of my youth, when Dad would have a “highball” to relax after a particularly frustrating day. Not that AA isn’t seating new recruits by the boatload, but the modern drugs like Crack – Ecstasy – Crank (methamphetamine) are so much more crude, violent and anti-social, than the recreational drugs of the Hippie movement. Sure kids are probably still sparking up a joint of marijuana, or drinking alcohol, but add to that, the newer versions of street drugs and you are stirring a recipe for disaster.

I looked up some “stats” on school aged teens and the numbers are stunning. Figures from anonymous polls of High School aged kids show that there is a definite rise in the abuse of OTC and Rx drugs – coupled with a flat out denial in the belief that these substances are dangerous or addictive when used occasionally for “getting high”.

New Rx and OTC favorites are Vicodin – OxyContin; stimulants like Ritalin, Adderall and cough syrups. The rate of abuse was “on par” with the abuse of street drugs like ecstasy, crack/cocaine and heroin.

I also noted that: One in five (20%) teens have tried prescription medication to get high and one in 10 (10%) of teens report abusing cough medicine to get high.

Parents, and a strong anti-drug message in the home is still found to be the best safeguard for protecting young people from using drugs to get high. Teens who learn about the dangers of drugs at home are 50% less prone to use drugs. Ninety percent of parents say they have talked to their teens about the dangers of drug abuse, but less than 33% of the teens said they learned much about the dangers of drugs from their parents. Hmmm…we’re missing something here?

Finally, data suggests that inhalants and methamphetamine abuse are two drugs that are a cause for concern and monitoring. (A) Teen use of inhalants has increased over the past three years, and (B) teens trying, or using meth regularly has steadily increased for the same tree year time span.

Mom and Dad! Talk to your kids about the dangers of using drugs!

Toledo Priest Appeals Conviction of Killing Nun!

Ex-priest Gerald Robinson of the Toledo Catholic Diocese has filed for an appeal of his murder conviction. We have all seen it on TV or read about it somewhere – like right here in May!

Well today, the Toledo news mentioned his appeal which appears to be materializing into another trial. Yoy! I hope this guy is innocent and not some psycho-priest, who is going to “game” the system in a lame attempt to get off the hook. I am not writing this in a mean-spirited way, but all of this is being footed by the taxpayer.

Father Robinson had always been the prime candidate ever since the murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl on April 5, 1980. There are rumors that Toledo Police may have covered up the misconduct of certain priests in their Diocese at that time.

One policeman said that the ritual murder crime scene was “smoke and mirrors” (a cover up I suppose?), another said there was nothing abnormal about the crime scene, but one retired Police Officer said that it was definitely a Satanic Ritual murder crime scene. He also stated that the Catholic church always had people they could call upon within the Department to squash bad publicity for the church. The case was eventually sealed up until such time as prosecutors felt they could produce a winning case.

Several more Toledo Catholics have come forward to accuse Robinson and at least one other priest – of having conducted Satanic rituals and of molestation. That heated things up and prosecutors finally opened and won this cold case murder trial on May 11th 2006. The jury returned a guilty verdict against the 68-year-old priest, for killing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl in the sacristy of the chapel, in the “then – Mercy Hospital” on Holy Saturday 1980. He was sentenced to life in prison.

The two-page notice of appeal, which was submitted by John Thebes, an attorney who was a member of Robinson’s defense team, begins what will likely be a lengthy appeals process in the state court system to overturn the murder conviction.

Be careful Moms and Dads – of who you entrust your child’s care and safety to. The local Reverend or Minister is not exempt from suspicion simply because you “like” or attend a local church. We’ll keep our eye peeled on this and try to update you as the appellate procedure heads to court again in the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals. The former Father Robinson will be housed at “Warren Correctional” – a level three or “close security” prison.

Keep Them Guessing!

I’d like to share a few pointers on fighting two opponents simultaneously. It’s really quite simple – once you get used to it. It takes a keen eye, quick reflexes, fast footwork, a lot of aggression and faith in your techniques. Like I said it’s easy!

Actually, my first taste of defending attacks from multiple opponents, came in a Karate school I belonged to. We had a drill called the gauntlet. C’mon you karateka out there – you’ve been through “the gauntlet” haven’t you? Our classes were running high 20’s to high 30’s, for the adult class. I recall just having ordered my first gi (uniform) so I was a very green karate man.

Our Sensei (teacher) would have us line up according to rank – in two rows – and then having us turn to face each other. We’d then be told to take 1/2 step right or left so that no one faced another directly. The course went something like this: high man turns and faces the long line down to the end of the gauntlet. Between him and the end were about 10 to 15 students on each side. The student would have to walk directly down the center and defend attacks that alternated from the right and the left side. The attacks would be launched as the student passed each member of the gauntlet. This was always un-nerving at first, but after a year or so of doing the drill, it became second nature to defend against attackers from either side, in the blink of an eye.

After some “gauntlet drill” nights, our teacher would have us pick threesomes for sparring against two opponents. Given that we had honed our reaction times to a fairly sharp edge, so this didn’t seem like too much of a “step up” for many of us.

I learned many ways to fight multiple opponents in these sparring drills. The most simple ones – are as follows: Always try to keep one of your opponents in between you and the 2nd opponent. That way it’s no different than fighting one man. This is easily achieved with quick footwork, by physically “manhandling” of a weaker opponent, or by deception.

If two men face you at 45 degree angles – simply pattern your footwork to constantly circle to the right or left, leaving one opponent in the other one’s way. You can then attack easily – having a superior attitude, coupled with technique and aggression, you can take the starch out of two smiling opponents in short order. It’s great fun circling to the outside of the weaker link – launching what would then become a “frontal attack” – then physically throw him into the second opponent who hasn’t fully committed to an attack yet. I have seen fighters thrown, and actually tossed quite a few into their co-attackers with such force (based on balance and leverage), that both of them ended up all-in-a-heap on the ground. To sum up, move in a way or manipulate your opponents in such a way, as to keep them tripping over each other to get at you. It makes sense right?

Another great way to really “drill” one or both of your opponents in a two-on-one situation, is to use fakes and feints to draw the other fighter (the sneaky one) to a predetermined spot, where your heel or fist is waiting to intercept him. “Juking” a good fighter, (faking or feinting) is a real pleasure, but not everyone can do this. To do it effectively, you must exert some pressure on your opponent/s and actually throw the shots with “bad intentions” to quote a trainer. If they know you’re just faking they won’t go for it, so it’s important before trying this maneuver to throw the same blows a few times with full extension, to gain that respect you’ll need for this kind of technique to succeed.

One of the sweetest two-man sparring sessions I had was in 1976 during a Black Belt testing in Okinawan karate. My Sensei and his assistant tested me for two hrs. with a quick break (for me to be sick) about 3/4 of the way through. First I sparred with my Sensei and then his Assistant Instructor. Finally, I had to spar them at the same time. Now these weren’t guys you easily fake out, and they’d intentionally “winded” me so they could chew me up in sparring. Uh-uh wrong! I simply used the footwork they had taught me to keep them in each other’s way as much as possible.

The test ended abruptly when one kept holding his ground on my fake left jabs. I noticed the other would keep trying to circle my back when I started to extend. In a moment of 100% lucid thought, I really followed through hard with the jab and was able to land a punishing blow to the opponent who was holding fast – as if expecting the fake – then immediately throwing a full power back kick, catching the other flush in the ribs as he leaped in, expecting me to continue in the direction I’d started. That was what I’d banked on – and with a little bit of “smarts”, luck and skill, I was able to stop the sparring session in two techniques. Results = one fighter with split lips, one with bruised ribs. One fighter with a promotion – yours truly!

Not trying to toot my horn but that worked out to perfection and was shared here to illustrate that you’ll fight the way you train, so don’t forget to work on your “street self defense” strategies and use like-minded training partners to get them down pat by actually using them in practice sessions!