Continuation - Discussion of the Amanda Knox case

[Matthew Best]

Well, finally a topic I have some experience on! I don't know if Amanda and Raffaele did coke, I haven't seen anything regarding that yet. I do know that what happens after that hour of happiness, or once the coke runs out, is really ugly. It is the worst, most horrible feeling you can imagine. You aren't comfortable in your own skin, you feel like you'd rather die that sit there without any coke. It's an indescribable feeling. I can see someone coming off of coke (called as being on a "downer") killing someone or becoming violent.

I think it's wrong to extrapolate from your own personal experience of drug abuse like that. I'm fairly sure your experience is not the experience of everyone else who takes cocaine, habitually or occasionally. If it were, I don't believe nearly so many people would be users.

 

[Maya C]

Jumping in here.

There isn't any such thing as an occasional coke user. Anyone who tells you differently is not being truthful because they are ashamed of themselves and can only admit to doing it "on the weekend" or some other "special event". It's bull.

 

[lane99]

...And on and on. Why should Italy be the only place without flawed police?...

One gets the sense that those asking the type of question you're responding to are fairly ignorant about the topic they're discussing. Not to mention oblivious to the irony (when discussing the Knox case) of asking "Why would somebody do that?". At least, it's ironic as far as it's meant to suggest "there's no motive for someone to do this, and therefore, it's unlikely they did".

With regard to police planting and tampering with evidence, two interesting examples are:

-the Stock murder case in the US. Where the police planted evidence in order to try and frame the two people that they already arrested (based, surprise, surprise, on a false confession) for the murder

-the beating death, by police, in Italy, of teenager Federico Aldrovandi. It is reported that police tampered with evidence in this case (phone records, and blood samples).

 

[Amazer]

Jumping in here.

There isn't any such thing as an occasional coke user. Anyone who tells you differently is not being truthful because they are ashamed of themselves and can only admit to doing it "on the weekend" or some other "special event". It's bull.

Your claim is flat out wrong.

 

[Withnail1969]

Jumping in here.

There isn't any such thing as an occasional coke user. Anyone who tells you differently is not being truthful because they are ashamed of themselves and can only admit to doing it "on the weekend" or some other "special event". It's bull.

I'm not sure about that. I did coke a few times in the 90s, never done it since. Didn't really like it. By your logic i would be sucking on the crack pipe by now.

 

[Solange305]

I think it's wrong to extrapolate from your own personal experience of drug abuse like that. I'm fairly sure your experience is not the experience of everyone else who takes cocaine, habitually or occasionally. If it were, I don't believe nearly so many people would be users.

Actually, it was the person whom I responded to who did that. He said cocaine only makes you talk and talk. My response was to point out that no, it;s possible to cause violence. And in my next post to him, I was even more generous in my agreement, but my point was to prove that just because his experience was that cocaine doesnt make you violent, doesnt mean that is always the case. Yet surprisingly, you chose to accuse me of doing this.

 

[Matthew Best]

Jumping in here.

There isn't any such thing as an occasional coke user. Anyone who tells you differently is not being truthful because they are ashamed of themselves and can only admit to doing it "on the weekend" or some other "special event". It's bull.

This claim is nonsense.

 

[Kestrel]

Jumping in here.

There isn't any such thing as an occasional coke user. Anyone who tells you differently is not being truthful because they are ashamed of themselves and can only admit to doing it "on the weekend" or some other "special event". It's bull.

Your comment may be appropriate for a 12 step program. It fits in with the mantra that anyone who drinks is an alcoholic. But it doesn't have a basis in reality.

We do science here, not religion.

 

[Scorpion NITE]

halides1, did you see what loverofzion has written in post 7874?

"Anyone with any traianing in human behavior would see very quickly that she possessed psychopathic chracteristics; she lacked empathy and had an overblown sense of her own importance, all hallmarks of a narcissistic personality."

Food for thought.

ETA: The part about loverofzion having training in human behavior, that is.

Hi Mary.

Hmm. Let me reflect.

Like a mirror.

 

[Solange305]

I received the following information in regards to the HIV testing, this person is someone whom I would consider knowledgeable in this subject:

In the occurence that an ELISA test turns out positive-which in presence of concurrent infections such as HSV is more likely to happen than what the diagnostic kit insert sheet claims, doctors have the moral and legal obligation to tell the patient that the test "might be positive".The patient must be warned that there is a minimal chance that he/she could be infecting any partner by engaging in non-protected sexual activities, or by performing other activities such as attempting to donate blood, sharing sharp utensils with family members etc.

Finally, the number of non-diagnosed infections in Italy is estimated to be > 40,000 in 2009, of which over 40% among heterosexuals. The age range at highest risk is represented by youngsters < 25 years and people > 50 years of age. Anybody who has had multiple partners without using protections is considered at risk (CDC recommendations)

Notice how Amanda falls into the "at-risk" category. I think that sounds reasonable, do you guys disagree?

 

[Maya C]

If you have only tried coke 1 or 2 times, you aren't a user. Someone used the phrase "occasional coke user". I've known a few and worked with many more to be aware that it doesn't happen. Sure, they might have to wait a few days for a means to procure more, but they're doing it several times a week. They will be quite happy to tell you they only do it once a year, for a White Christmas, though.

Nothing in the trial evidence or even things reported in the media have suggested Amanda or Raffaele were using cocaine, does it? I sure haven't seen it.

 

[quadraginta]

Jumping in here.

There isn't any such thing as an occasional coke user. Anyone who tells you differently is not being truthful because they are ashamed of themselves and can only admit to doing it "on the weekend" or some other "special event". It's bull.

I'm afraid you're mistaken about that. It's quite possible to be an occasional user. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was the more common circumstance, statistically.

We don't have any reliable information about either Knox or Sollecito as far as that is concerned, though, so it is irrelevant to anything but idle conjecture.

 

[Maya C]

Your comment may be appropriate for a 12 step program. It fits in with the mantra that anyone who drinks is an alcoholic. But it doesn't have a basis in reality.

We do science here, not religion.

I avoid religion myself.

I could have worded it a lot better, agreed. Anybody who does coke on a regular basis isn't an occasional user. Doing it once a week makes you a cokehead. The only reason a person who uses weekly isn't doing it more than weekly is because they can't afford it and isn't yet willing to steal for it.

Go to a party and people who don't normally will sit down and smoke that joint, won't they? Right in front of everyone. Where are the cokeheads? Locked in the bathroom. Two reasons, they don't want to share if asked and they are ashamed because their little habit is a lot more consuming than they'll let on.

 

[Matthew Best]

Someone used the phrase "occasional coke user". I've known a few and worked with many more to be aware that it doesn't happen.

More nonsense. And irrelevant nonsense at that.

 

[Withnail1969]

If you have only tried coke 1 or 2 times, you aren't a user. Someone used the phrase "occasional coke user". I've known a few and worked with many more to be aware that it doesn't happen. Sure, they might have to wait a few days for a means to procure more, but they're doing it several times a week. They will be quite happy to tell you they only do it once a year, for a White Christmas, though.

Nothing in the trial evidence or even things reported in the media have suggested Amanda or Raffaele were using cocaine, does it? I sure haven't seen it.

i probably did coke between 50 and 100 times during 1998-1999, but completely lost interest in it once i was no longer around anyone who did coke. it just seems like such an inane boring drug.

 

[Mary_H]

Hi Mary.

Hmm. Let me reflect.

Like a mirror.

Sorry, SN, I don't follow. Could you clarify?

 

[Matthew Best]

I avoid religion myself.

I could have worded it a lot better, agreed. Anybody who does coke on a regular basis isn't an occasional user. Doing it once a week makes you a cokehead. The only reason a person who uses weekly isn't doing it more than weekly is because they can't afford it and isn't yet willing to steal for it.

Go to a party and people who don't normally will sit down and smoke that joint, won't they? Right in front of everyone. Where are the cokeheads? Locked in the bathroom. Two reasons, they don't want to share if asked and they are ashamed because their little habit is a lot more consuming than they'll let on.

Maybe you should start another thread to pontificate about drug use and have your misconceptions pointed out to you over and over again by people better qualified to talk about it than you?

 

[Withnail1969]

Sorry, SN, I don't follow. Could you clarify?

white lines on a mirror?

 

[quadraginta]

Jumping in here.

There isn't any such thing as an occasional coke user. Anyone who tells you differently is not being truthful because they are ashamed of themselves and can only admit to doing it "on the weekend" or some other "special event". It's bull.

<snip>

I could have worded it a lot better, agreed. Anybody who does coke on a regular basis isn't an occasional user. Doing it once a week makes you a cokehead. The only reason a person who uses weekly isn't doing it more than weekly is because they can't afford it and isn't yet willing to steal for it.

<snip>

I think I see the problem here.

 

[Ampulla of Vater]

i probably did coke between 50 and 100 times during 1998-1999, but completely lost interest in it once i was no longer around anyone who did coke. it just seems like such an inane boring drug.

Yeah, me too. And I will say I never wanted to kill anyone because of it. I totally disagree that coke would have any part in this murder. On the contrary - if they had been doing coke, they would have been far more preoccupied with doing and/or getting more than killing someone. Amanda had money in the bank so it wouldn't have been motivated by robbery motivated by coke either.