Saturday, May 12, 2012

A Couple of the Biggest 'Ifs' In History

Speaking about the recent discovery of gold and other precious metals, a potential source of phenomenal wealth for poverty stricken Haiti, a Haitian official, Bureau of Mines Director Dieuseul Anglade, said:

"If the mining companies are honest and if Haiti has a good government, then here is a way for this country to move forward,"

I think honest mining companies and honest government in Haiti have got to be a couple of the biggest 'ifs' in the history of the world!

All the best,
Glenn B

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/11/prospectors-ready-to-tap-haiti-buried-gold/#ixzz1ufsHGloh

There Are Some Things In Which The State Should Never Involve Itself

High school pranks, in which no one is injured, are a good example of when the state should not be involved. Nope,  am not talking about Mitt Romney's alleged HS prank, I am talking about a case of video voyeurism. It has been reported that two high school students apparently conspired to do an up-skirt video of one of their teachers, then posted it online and told others where to view it. This amazingly enough is a class D felony and both have been arrested and charged with the crime.

One of the reasons the current condition of our society is so messed up is that we, or many of us, seem to have a need and an overwhelming desire, for the state to control everything. Thus a high school prank carried out by evidently immature teenagers has led to their arrests on felony charges for something as petty as them taking a video of their teachers panties, then giving others an outlet to view the video. (Note: As I have not seen the video, I am assuming she was wearing a pair of panties. However, the article reports: "According to police reports, the video was pretty graphic and showed the teacher's buttocks and genital area."  Te article also said: "Police say the video showed a "clear view" of the teacher's "private areas." To actually see her private areas would mean, at least to me, that they were uncovered. Egad, wasn't she wearing panties and if not why not and was that already known by the students because maybe she had been exposing herself! It is something to think about if her privates were exposed in the video. Panties are not usually considered private areas, that term is usually reserved for body parts. I also am forced to wonder how short was the skirt she was wearing and if this was in any manner encouraged by the actions of this teacher. Note, I said I am wondering, I am not accusing, I am not blaming the teacher and would not do so unless there is blame that is due her. It is just that  the possibility for such should be investigated, considering the fact that police said her genitals were clearly visible and that certainly would seem to be rather scantily clad for a teacher with teen boys in her classroom. I simply have to wonder why she was so scantily clad, if that was indeed the case, since the classroom is not the place to be attired in such a manner.)

A shameful act, yes indeed. A very bad thing to have done, yes again. A disrespectful act, most certainly. One that should rise to the level of a felony and thus that quite possibly ruin the lives of these two morons youths, I think not. Don't get me wrong, I think they should be punished if they actually did it. However, I believe the state should have no part in it, unless it was a state run school in which instance the state would have a part only by way of school officials having a part. First of all, if they did it and the evidence was clear and convincing, such as a confession, then I believe that school officials should have given them both a good amount of detention, and have had them removed from the class the teacher in question was teaching, and have them repeat the class next year. If they were seniors, tough noogies, they will be seniors again next year. I think the school should have also called in the parents immediately and the parents should have showed up post haste. Then I think the parents of the two boys should have beat the ever loving dog piss out of them, well - maybe not quite that severe but a good arse whooping certainly seems in order. A belt to the backside, pants down, even on an older teenager would do wonders to assure they learned a lesson that what the did was wrong and should not be repeated. Chances are, they would cease and desist from any such further behavior after some corporal punishment.

Instead, we have the state butting in, making arrests, now having to do an investigation, possibly incarcerating the youths prior to court proceeding, oh yes there will likely be court proceedings, if they plead not guilty they will most assuredly be entitled to a trial and that trial can be by jury if they so desire. There may even be two trials, if they can arrange to be tried apart from one another. Then, if found guilty will come the punishment if any. That could mean jail time. This could cost in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars and all over what. All because of two horny, disrespectful, young bucks who do what boys have been doing for ages, looking up women's skirts (yes they did in in a modern age way with a video camera/phone) and maybe, and I only say maybe because it was reported that her privates were clearly visible, in part because a teacher was not wearing undergarments. If such was the case, is she going to be charged?

All of the actions, expensive actions that we pay for as tax payers, mentioned in that last paragraph, could be avoided if parents were allowed to parent and teachers were allowed (as they were when I was young) to knock some sense and fear into kids and thus creating some honest to goodness sense of respect for others in those same kids. Does it work for every child, every time? No it does not but it worked a whole lot better than what we have now. If you doubt me then look to the percentage of the population of our kids now compared to kids 40 years ago as to how many of them are doing poorly in school, are truants, are in gangs, are on drugs, and or are in jails. I bet the stats will support me. 

I think that if this is the first time that these two boys have done something like this, then they should not have been arrested and charged by the state, they should have had the board of education put to their asses. But oh no, the majority of us now seem to prefer to be whiners to defer to the Nanny State instead of being ass kickers tough but fair parents and have allowed the state to step in and take over in a job that should have been accomplished by parents (95%) and by teachers (5%). The Nanny State really needs to take a break and once again allow parents the power and control they need to be parents and parents need to 'man up' and take over the responsibility for rearing their youngsters!

All the best,
Glenn B