...About Perspective

We, as humans, seem to lose sight of perspective sometimes. Actually, most of the time. We have a natural tendency to make things much more important than they should be. 

The (2nd) definition of perspective is: • true understanding of the relative importance of things; a sense of proportion. 

We've all heard, and likely been accused of "blowing things out of proportion." This would be losing perspective. That's not really what I'm addressing here. I'm looking more at the things we place great importance upon, which, truth be told, are probably not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.  

As usual, I can best relate my meaning with a story. 

My friend Mark is the Director of Bands at Troy University. The Sound of the South is a very widely recognized college band, so Mark has occasion to be in the company of others high in the field of marching bands. At some gathering of "those people," he was in a group that was huffawing and snootily pontificating about the glorious "Marching Arts." Conversation about how "...we in the marching arts should one thing or another..." and "...those not engaged in the marching arts are so often this or that..."  Mark listened for a minute, with his head cocked to one side like a dog hearing a high-pitched whistle, and finally asked, "What are y'all talking about? What are the marching arts?" 

One of the assembled poo-poos began an answer of, "why, the beautiful artistic creation involving musicians on an open plane creating a myriad of entertainment, enhanced by silk flags and creative dance." 

Mark, being Mark, said, "Man, I don't know where you're from, but in Alabama we call that 'marching band'. And it's not that big a thing. It's just entertainment for people at a football game. It's not that big a deal -- it's just marching band. Now when we go out and do a show, and it cures some disease, then it will be important. Until then, it's just marching band!" 

THAT is keeping things in perspective! Of course Mark wants the band to do well. Of course there is aggravation when it doesn't go as well as it should. But you know what? It's just marching band.  

For many years I was one of those really uptight kinda people. I lived on the precipice of stressed out! Years ago it was acceptable to smoke in a private office. I was living in Memphis at the time and working a very high stress job. One day, I was talking on the phone in my office. The conversation was not a pleasant one. After I reached over and hung up the phone, the buttons on my sport coat caught the side of the pen on my desk and it fell on the floor by my foot. I grabbed the 9"x9" ashtray on my desk and slammed it down onto the desk, breaking it in to 10,000 small pieces all over the office. How'd that feel, Paul? Better?  No. In the end, I still had to bend over and pick up the pen, and I now had to clean up 10,000 pieces of broken ashtray, and sweep the floor!  I had allowed the stress to promote whatever small issue it was WAY out of perspective. 

My assistant came running in like I had fired a gun, looked at how mad I was, and softly closed the door without a word!  But... I digress. 

I think that we all probably have a story like that. If we are honest, we will admit that we let too many things become bigger than they should be. Yes - things have to be right and orderly and proper, but I think we all might do well to take a deep breath and really look at what perspective we assign to things in our lives. Our jobs are very important. But do we have the right perspective of them? Are we making things more important than our spouses, or our children, or our families, or our faith, or our close friendships? I think Maybe. 

I am beginning to look a bit more carefully at things. I try to remember to tell my family and friends that I love them. I find myself more relaxed. I am proud to say that very few things now have control over me because of misplaced perspective. 

Maybe we could all relax just a little bit if we all put things into a better perspective. Don't sweat the little things. There are PLENTY of major things we have to truly fret over. Let the little things be little things.  My wife always says, "Don't waste brain cells over something you can do nothing about." She's a pretty smart ol' broad! Maybe we can all look a little closer at what's really worth getting worked up over. Maybe, just maybe, we can all relax a little more.  

I mean, really, it's just marching band. 

.

...About Stupid Talking Heads

Now that the hype is over after the killing of one and the capture of the other Boston Marathon bombers, the news channels can get back to their regularly scheduled snooze programs. I was one of the quazillion people following the coverage. I would hang with it for about a 1/2 hour at a time. But it didn't take very long for me to get mad... not just miffed; yell-at-the-TV angry. Why? Because I get so tired of the stupid, hoity-toity, know-it-all, hot-air-bag talking heads who ramble incessantly about the same drooling drivel for HOURS! 
In one of my recent blogs - Wait! Just the other day! - we talked about how the media sensationalizes the news events. Now we are discussing how ridiculous they appear when they talk out of their bums about things they know little to nothing about. 

What has happened to TV anymore? Programs are not what they promote themselves to be. Headline News - the 24 hour news source - has about 15 minutes of news, then repeats it over and over. Don't think so? Watch a morning newscast. [It will have to be morning, because after about 11:00, it's all "other" programming - not headlines!] Robin will stumble on a word and make comment about it. The next time that story runs, same stumble, same comment. I used to live on Discovery; not anymore. There is no "discovery" to it anymore. Shows like "How It's Made" don't live there anymore. Now it's "Duck Dynasty" and "Swamp Dumbasses" and "Deadliest Catch" over and over and over. 
TLC, The LEARNING Channel, NOT! It's "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Little People Big World" and "Bridezilla." 
CMT is NOT Country MUSIC Television anymore; it's everything BUT. All of the channels have sold out in a panic, scratching for more viewers. MTV... NOT.   History... NOT!  For example, as I write this, Headline News - the source for news headlines 24 hours a day - is running many, many hours of "Mystery Detectives" one after another. REALLY???? But... I digress! 

Because they are fighting for face-time, the well-known authorities on news say some of the stupidest things. These are some of the actual statements I heard during the broadcasts: 

"We know that he must have had a gun because he did get into a gunfight with authorities." 

"The suspect is alive, which will be important as they try to get information from him." 

[Impacting music and deep voice-over] "This a FoxNews ALERT!" 
[Reporter] "We are still waiting for some information from officials regarding the house to house search being conducted. We've been told nothing for the last few hours." 

[Reporter 1] "We just heard what sounded like 8 or 9 gunshots. (Reporter 2) what did you hear?" 
[Reporter 2] "We just heard what sounded like 8 or 9 gunshots." 

"He exchanged gunfire with them, so he was indeed armed." 

[Reporter] "We're going to talk now with (name), who witnessed the murder of the MIT Policeman. Name, tell us what you saw." 
[Name] "I wasn't there when it happened, I got there about 10 minutes after it happened, and nothing was going on. So I followed some policemen over to (somewhere else)." 

[Police Official] "The homeowner noticed blood on his boat cover, he walked over and looked under the tarp and saw the bloody suspect in the boat." 
[Reporter - seconds later] "It seems that a neighbor or passerby saw blood on the tarp over the boat..." 

You can see how ridiculous this all is. The talking head remarks are equalled, if not surpassed by the foolish speculation about background training, indoctrination, blah, blah, blah.  

The early reports I heard after the bombing said that the 3rd victim's parents did NOT want her name released. "All we know is that she was a graduate student from China."  Someone - apparently not interested in the parent's wishes - decided to release the name. Why? Why weren't the wishes of the parents honored? Why couldn't her friends from school honor that?  I wonder how the parents feel now?  

I get the whole thing about providing the news. I get the whole "ratings wars" stuff. I get the whole "Freedom of the Press" crap. What I don't get is why newsies would rather stay on the air and look stupid, rather than break into programming when there is something intelligent to say. Maybe the need for face time IS the motivator, but I have to wonder... Do these people ever go back and watch themselves? Don't they SEE how stupid they look? 

For many years, when driving down a country road and passing a cemetery, my buddy Ralph has always said, "See that out there? There are a whole buncha people who thought the world couldn't live without them."  I relate that to large, thick, big-city newspapers - "There's a whole lotta news nobody wants to read." And now, I relate that to these mindless talking heads - "There's a whole lotta crap nobody wants hear." 

To me, it is a perfectly applicable example of the old phrase - "It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." 



.

...About Media Sensationalism

It has always been accepted that when you tell a fish story, the one that got away was "thiiis big!!"  Well, maybe not THAT big, but it was close!  Also - that girl he saw at the bar was scoping him out BIG TIME! "Man, she wanted me and you could tell it!" Actually, he was standing in front of the bar TV. Yeah, but that's OK. We accept that a story is good if it's a bit outrageous. 
But these days, making stories sound that overblown in the media has become almost criminal; all in the name of viewers. I don't want sensationalism from the people who are supposed to provide the facts. 

The dictionary defines sensationalism as follows: 
sensationalism |senˈsā sh ənlˌizəm|

noun

1 (esp. in journalism) the use of exciting or shocking stories or language at the expense of accuracy, in order to provoke public interest or excitement

During local coverage of the (tragic) Boston Marathon bombing, the NBC affiliate in Mobile did a story of a local who was at the Marathon cheering his wife (I think). The text at the bottom of the screen grabs your attention: "Local man just yards from the bombing." Note that they say "yards." In the interview, the man says he was "a block or so away" from where the explosion occurred. When I say to you that something is "yards away," you expect that to mean somewhere in the area of 10-12-15 feet away. When I say it is "a block or so from here," you get the hint that it's "a little piece away." BUT - the story is not near as exciting if the TV station says "Local man not far from the bombing." Nothing in that phrase makes me want to stop chewing to hear the story. 

In this morning's reporting of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX, the reporter is interviewing a local official. He was (apparently) struck by flying debris and has several small cuts on his face and forehead. There is blood trickling down and drying on his head and face. If you or I saw this, we would say, "Here... use this towel to wipe your face and take care of yourself." Oh how foolish I am! The reporter asks one mundane question after another with no regard for the blood, because blood sells better TV! She will probably win some local 'Reporter of the Year' award for her stellar coverage of this tragic event. 

Time after time after time we see this. Whether the local news, national news, the Weather Channel (that Jim Cantore sure can make one hell of a story, can't he?), or an ad for Jim Bob's Furniture Store's Going Out of Business Sale, the more we sensationalize it, the more we grab the viewer by the throat. 

To me, the cause of all of this is 24 hour news &/or weather channels. In the need for ratings and viewers, these 24 hour droolers... er... news anchors will tell any story and sensationalize it to sound newsworthy. If it's not gripping, why would you watch that instead of Dick Van Dyke reruns at 2:30am? 

Talk about 24 hour news drivel - a 2nd grader goes to school with an orange mohawk. The principal (whether right or wrong) says it is distracting to other kids and has the mom come get the child. Why does this make national news? Because the 24 hour newsies need SOMETHING to talk about. That's why we have so many lawsuits - because ANY worthless piece of flesh can call Headline News and get put on the air to support their cause. "We can care about whether or not it's a real news story later... right now, we need the ratings, and Robin needs some hair spray." But... I digress! 

And everybody does this aggrandizing. After yesterday's vote about gun control background checks, the president acts all mad and pouty, the vice-president has his face in his hands, and they are surrounded by the Newtown families and Gabby Gifford. Sensationalism. You and I both know that the president has some staffer who is smart enough to have known what the vote was going to be, and all of the hoopla was staging to make a point with whomever will buy into it. (And by the way... Why the hell were the Newtown families flying around on Air Force One?? Who is paying for THAT partisan waste of money?? You and ME!)    

Now don't take this as an attack on people who work in the media. I know a buncha folks in the media. I was a part of the media for a long time. I am simply saying that we have gotten to the point where we aren't shocked by much anymore. As a result, the news industry must make a larger effort to command our attention. I get that. I just think it's a crying shame that the method to get that attention is to make that fish bigger and bigger everytime we tell the story. Tell me the facts. If I think you tell the facts better than the other channel, I will choose to watch you. 

All my life my father would stop me when I was telling some 'whopper' and say, "Why don't you just be quiet? Nobody wants to hear all that nonsense."  

Now I know exactly what he meant. 

.

...About Customer Service

So I pull into Arby's to get some lunch. I like Arby's for a change from the other drive-thru offerings. I pull to the speaker, wait patiently, and then it starts: "Welcome to Arby's may I take your order?"
"Yes, I would like a number 2, com..."
"Combo or sandwich?"
"Combo - reg..."
"What size?"   
I couldn't stand it. So, being the jerk I am, I said, "If you will let me, honey, I'll tell you everything."
Silence.
"I would like a number 2 combo, regular size, with Dr. Pepper to drink, and an apple turnover - and that will be all."
"Will that be all?"  DEAR, LORD!!  I don't think the new pope could maintain civility at this!

Many years ago, while in college, I worked at McDonald's. The best lesson I've ever learned about customer service was at that McDonald's. The owner was Bob Binford. He was a loud, large-and-in-charge guy. When I was hired, he told me (and a couple of other newbies), "The second time I get a complaint about you, you're fired. The first time I'll give you some benefit of being new, but the second time, you're fired. There are a thousand other high school and college kids who want a job. I don't have to tolerate bad customer service." And he didn't. And maybe more fast-food owners shouldn't.   But.... I digress!

This was McDonald's in a college town, mind you. BUSY! I get the whole customer service thing. There is a big difference (to me) between good customer service and being obnoxious. When a customer orders, let them order through as far as they can go. When they seem finished, ask them for what they left out. Hands down, the greatest fast-food customer service ever is at Chik-Fil-A.

And before you say it, Yes, the opposite extreme is also aggravating. My friend Mark went into a convenience store to get a Diet Coke. When he got to the register, the cashier was behind the register sitting on a 5 gallon plastic bucket eating from a styrofoam "to go" box. She didn't even acknowledge him. After a couple of seconds, he very congenially said, "I hate to interrupt your dinner just to ring up a drink." She looked at him very indignantly and said, "I ain't gettin' up."  A co-worker who was over there putting stock on shelves came over to wait on him. Can you believe that?? Bob Binford would have puked!

In a department-type store, I appreciate a sales person coming over and asking if I need assistance. I appreciate that they are doing their job. When I smile and say "No thanks, I'm just looking for now", I expect to be left to my own devices. I want to drop-kick the ones who continue following me through the furniture department. "Yes, sir! That's a great recliner" or "Right now we're having our Semi-Monthly Store Manager's Everythings-Gotta-Go sale on all items of furniture and all items are 25 to 86% off."  I can read the signs. I want them to wander off and graze over there until I beckon, whistle, or wave.

I also get miffed with telephone customer service. I don't want to tell you my account history to simply ask if there are supposed to be 6 or 7 of those bolts in the box. One thing I do like is the "Chat with our customer service rep" on a website. Questions are quick and to the point, and I don't have to hear your nasally, heavy-accented, mumbly, talk-too-fast-to-understand voice.  Quick in, quick out. See ya!

I suppose what all this is getting to is that good customer service is an art. It's not that hard to do, but you have to want to provide good customer service. I learned over all my years that people really can hear you smile on the phone, or through the speaker. Some of the greatest experiences I've ever had were with the customer service person - not the salesperson, or the manager, or whomever. When I am enjoying the customer service I'm receiving, I will tolerate a lot of things. You can tell me "No" if you handle it the right way. If you act snotty or indifferent, all I want to know is "Who's the manager and where's my gun??!!"

You want to see the GREATEST customer service in the galaxy, go to a retirement area (The Villages in Florida comes to mind).  Older folks who want to get out of the house and are glad they have another day on the green side of the grass are so pleasant. So, too, are the young people who work in those types of communities. They have figured out that the old folks won't tolerate sassy, indifferent, "I ain't gettin' up" service. Old folks will talk loud and ask for the manager! And the manager is more concerned with the one who has money - not some young whippersnapper.

With my luck, the manager would be Bob Binford. Shoot me now.



.

...About Being Stunned

Like everyone in America, I am stunned by the tragedy in Newtown, CT. I have been trying to determine what I want to say, but there are no great words of wisdom. There is nothing to say that will comfort anyone. All of us feels a sense of anger; a sense of outrage; a deep sense of sadness; and a sense of confusion. We all ask, "how can such an horrific act happen?" And, of course, there is no answer. 

All of the questions we ask in this terrible moment are rhetorical. "How can this happen?"  "What would make someone do something so sick?"  "Why would someone so gruesomely attack innocent people?" And likely the most unanswerable - "What can be done to stop this?" 

We've all seen the news coverage. We've been reminded again and again about the recent mall shootings, the Colorado movie theater shootings, the shootings at places of worship, the massacre at Virginia Tech, and Columbine. And every time, we ask those same rhetorical questions. And, sadly, there truly seem to be no answers. 

The first thing we hear everyone say is that we need to outlaw guns. Of course we know that is not the single answer. I know it's considered overused, but I have to say I agree: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."  Would it make a difference if guns were outlawed? Probably not, if the person plotting to kill people is serious. Some here and there might be deterred, but not the true monsters. I would venture an uneducated guess that Newtown, Va Tech, Colorado, and Columbine would not have been avoided. Something as large as these examples, and many others, doesn't happen on a whim because someone happened to see a gun sitting on the table. But I am not trying to exhibit support for one group or another either. Imagine the OK Corral shootouts that might occur if everyone had guns. 

I have heard opinions for quite a long time promoting that video games have desensitized  people to a point of no return. There have been opinions that many of the young Soldiers currently serving our country are able to do their job so robotically because they have lost the sensitivity to death. The proponents of that argument believe the intense killing and life-like graphics in today's video games makes it less horrific to someone to take a life. I don't know. I know many guys who have played the hard-hitting video games and they show no sense of lessened remorse toward death. Maybe that is also a grasping at straws. 

It certainly seems that there is little or no real ability to "read" someone as a potential killer. It would be great if there was some highly-visible sign - like maybe some bright facial rash - when a person was about to commit such an unspeakable act. But there is no sign. Think about how many times we see the news interview with the neighbor who tells that there was nothing out of the ordinary about the killer. "I've lived next door to him for 5 years. He's never been anything but a good, quiet neighbor."  What are the signs? What do we look for? I wish someone could give us real, tangible signs to look for. But there seem to be none. 

So what do we do? I wish I had some answer. We all wish we had some answer. For now, I suppose we can only do what everyone seems to feel at times such as these: Hug those close to you a little tighter; a little longer. Pray to God for guidance and protection. Never miss the opportunity to say "I Love You."  I know I will be saying it more. 

And, as horrible as this will make me sound, maybe we can hope that these terrible monsters, these cowards who attack innocent, unarmed people and then kill themselves, will cut to the chase. Before they go out and find innocent people to murder, just turn to the last page and kill themselves first.  

With the grip something like this places on the heart, today I do not digress. 


.

...About My Armpits

There are people who think I have strong opinions. I do. I have always said that "opinions are like armpits -- everybody has a couple and they all stink!" Today's little sermon is FULL of my armpits. I hope you can stand it. 

All my life it has been a joke with my father that "it's too bad everybody can't be like we are." That feeling, or the sense of it, was a big fodder-piece for the destruction of my relationship with the 1st former Mrs. McNeeley. All of us believe that what we feel strongly about is the way life should actually be. I mean, after all, as a matter of fact, I DO know everything!  But... I digress!  

Here are some of my opinions and feelings. 

Cam Newton is a pretty good quarterback. He was while at Auburn, and is in the NFL. Is he the greatest? No. But he's pretty good. He makes things happen with his ability to run, pass, read defenses, etc. BUT - I absolutely despise all of the "it's all about me." He makes a good play - maybe even a great play - and it's the dance and "Superman" shirt peel and arms waving demanding applause. I get the exuberance and the adrenaline flood. Control yourself; there were 10 other people who made that possible. You can do great things, but not by yourself. What I truly enjoyed were the several weeks during which the Panthers weren't winning - badly weren't winning. I enjoyed how sad and pious and humbled and defeated he sounded during the press conferences after the games. Good enough for you. Be a gracious winner like Drew Brees or Aaron Rogers or Eli Manning or Peyton or so many others whom you, Cam, can only hope to be like one day. 

I have had enough of the other countries in this world being in better shape than our own. We are putting our people out of work every day by taking our industries to other countries so the big-wigs can make more money. I get the whole profit thing. I understand the desire to cut expenses and increase the bottom line. Do you know that we import $50 billion each year from China just in computer equipment, while the largest export from the U.S. to China is $8 billion worth of... wait for it... waste paper and scrap metal. Things our workers don't make. 
A man I know owns an embroidery business. He and his wife opened a small business in north Alabama. They grew their business large enough that, at one point, every flag emblem on the pocket of a TOMMY HILFIGER shirt was sewn by them! Every Polo pony on a RALPH LAUREN shirt was sewn by them! They bought over $1 million of additional high-end equipment to keep up with the customer's needs. And in a very short time, in the blink of an eye, BOTH companies yanked their business to farm out to other countries to make more money. He and his wife were devastated. 
We MUST stop this from happening. We MUST return to insisting on products that read "Made in America!" My friend Jon pointed out that if we spend just $100 per month on US goods, instead of Chinese goods, we will bring BILLIONS back into our own economy each year. If we don't, we will continue to see our neighbors lose their jobs and the fat boys of the big companies grow fatter. And more importantly, other countries will begin to replace us as the greatest country in the world. NOT ACCEPTABLE. 
This is also true of education for our children. We MUST make the education of our children better. We are so concerned with who might be left behind, or losing our summer vacation, or  being politically correct in our schools, or making little Johnny or Susie feel good about themselves that we have lost focus on the process that educating children is the only way we will stay a leader in this ever-advancing world.  

During the "Occupy" bullshit... I mean movement, I saw a picture of a guy publicly defecating on an American flag while the large crowd around him cheered. I know that it's his right as an American to do that. I also believe that, if I had been there, I would likely have exercised my right as an American to pummel the living hell out of him.  'Course my buddy Kevin would advocate that it should be my right as an American to put a .45 cal round right between his beady little eyes. I agree. 
Because we tolerate this kind of disrespect for our own country, we are the laughing stock of the rest of the world. It's one thing for some less-than-stellar individuals in another country to get sand in their crack and burn our flag, but to allow it at home is unconscionable. 

[This is the point where I was going to address the government issues like Healthcare, Fiscal Cliffs, and politicians, but that's going to be lengthy also, so I'll save that for the next time.]

Here is my platform for being elected: The other countries around the world hate us. Fine. Bring every one of our people home. The Germans hate us. Fine. Close our huge Ramstein Air Base and bring our people and all of that revenue the Germans love home. The Middle East countries hate us. Fine. Bring every one of our troops home. When you finish destroying your country and yourselves, we will come in and plant our flag and rename it "America Annex 32." 
Next, take all of our Soldiers and put them shoulder to shoulder around the outline of the United States. NO ONE gets in. You want into America? Apply. Go through the proper, legal steps and come on in. I bet our Soldiers would love to stand guard at our borders and sleep in an American bed each night. 
Next, when a plane lands at an airport from out of the country, stand at the bottom of the stairs and check IDs. You ain't from here? Get back on the plane. You want to be here? Read the paragraph above. 
Now before you get in a twist, I'm not against people coming to America. DO IT THE RIGHT, LEGAL WAY. That's all I'm saying. 
Next, there is no more welfare. No more Government assistance. Get a job. "There ain't any"? Now there are. The people who were here illegally, who have gone home to apply for entry and citizenship, left all the jobs. You start work tomorrow picking oranges, or potatoes, or onions. We will pay you minimum wage. Problems for farmers, solved. You don't want that job? Get another one. You don't like that job? Tough. Get another one. Whatever. We ain't paying for you to sit at home and have babies and drive an Escalade anymore. Stop your whining, put on your big-boy panties and get a job, pay your bills, and pay your taxes -- LIKE I DO!  
Now... go vote for me!! 

Today's rant over. 



.

...About Our Society's Stupidity.

Sorry I've been away so long. I'm back now. And I've got something to say. 

It has gotten to the point anymore where I wonder just how much more we, as a Society, can take. Our country is on the verge of blowing up. Not because of the current pending political elections; though that doesn't help much of anything. Not because of the wars we have been deeply lost in for the last decade-plus. Not because American Idol can't seem to keep judges anymore (like I give a damn!). But because we have gotten to the point that we will allow and accept anything. We are so damned concerned with what some poor, mealy-mouthed, cry-baby pansy is going to say, we let ourselves become foolish-looking to the rest of the world. 

I have a vision; it goes like this:  George and Larry (someone will get offended if I say "Achmed and Abdul") are sitting on their mats in the sand. 
George: We should attack America. 
Larry: Are you crazy?! That's ludicrous! 
George: Why?? 
Larry: Because America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. They will kill us!! 
George: It will never happen... they will be too concerned about hurting our feelings. 
Larry:  Oh. OK, let's do it. 

But, I digress! 

Here is an actual story from today's newspaper here in Florida: 

A 43-year-old woman was arrested for throwing a cup of Coke in her husband's face. The incident occurred Oct. 13 at a Plympton Road residence. According to an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office arrest report, the two, who have been married for 17 years, became involved in an argument. During the argument, the woman threw a cup of Coke on her husband, "causing the liquid to strike the victim in the face, neck, and chest area," the deputy wrote in the report.

The woman was charged with misdemeanor battery and has a Nov. 6 court date. 

WHAT THE HELL???? Are you kidding me? THAT is an arrest-able offense??!! If my wife did that to me, we'd "play wrestle" and end up laughing like hyenas. Last summer she pushed me into our pool fully clothed! Obviously she should have been sentenced to the electric chair!! 

Here's another I found: 

A Brooklyn graffiti artist was reportedly caught in the act last week, and a neighbor reported the tagging incident to authorities, who then sent a warning letter to the alleged criminal. The catch? The perp was a six-year-old girl drawing with sidewalk chalk on her parents' stoop. If officials choose to take action, the family could face up to a $300 fine. 

Some absolute, total jackass reported that little girl! When I was a kid, lo, these MANY years ago, my mom was generally glad we didn't write on the walls and cut each others' pinkies off! I suppose sidewalk chalk was actually meant to be used in the toilet. 

Yet another one: 

A ten-year-old girl was arrested last month because of what she brought for lunch. When teachers saw that the student had brought a steak knife in her lunch (for the odious purpose of cutting her steak), they reportedly called law enforcement officials, who arrested the girl. Sources note that the fifth grader rode in a patrol car and was handed weapons charges, since having knives on school property is against school policy.  

This poor 10-year old will be scarred for life. Every boy who takes her on a date to a steak restaurant will have to deal with a screaming banshee when the silverware roll is opened! I hear that screeching music from Psycho... scree*scree*scree*scree*scree*scree!  

My point is this: If we, the "Silent Majority" don't retake control of this country and invite the really, really stupid people to shut up and sit down, we are going to get to the point that if you spank your child, you will be arrested, charged with assault, and likely lose your child. WAIT!!!!  TOO LATE! 

I am sick to damn death of having the worthless, whiny-baby, politically correct pansies tell us what we can and can't do now. I get the whole ABUSE concern; and that's NOT what I'm talking about. I'm talking about allowing children (and those not smarter than) to run how we, as grown, God-fearing adults will be governed. 

When I win the lottery, I'm buying an island. And the invitation list ain't very long. 

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