Signs of the times, just a simple observation

[Eagle]

HIGH SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2010

Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2010 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2010 - Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it

Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2010 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The family gets extra money (SSI) from the government because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2010 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school..
1957 - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock
2010 - The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2010 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2010 - ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents -- and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2010 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

[modwiz]

Thanks for an example of people who had too much time and money to get an education doing worthless crap, like interfering with all of our lives with a nanny state. The problem is all of this was done via incrementalism so we, most of us, did not see this coming. Like a cut we ignore that then become a gangrenous, limb threatening infection, our government has become just that.

It looks like the immune system better kick on and some serious germ killing ointment be applied. The ointment may hurt, even a lot, but losing a limb would be ignorant.

[music]

When I was 19 and living in a shared house in Sydney, we were all bored and I said "let's take the .22 out past St Mary's and get some rabbits for dinner. We piled into the car, which broke down a couple of miles out passed St Mary's. It only cost $50, so we said "stuff it, lave it there" and headed back home. Someone pointed out I shouldn't carry an uncovered gun through St Marys, and on the train home, so I grabbed an old towel from the boot to cover it.

It was a hot day, and about halfway to St Marys station there was a pub. We decided to go in and get a case of beer for the train ride home. We walked into the cool room, grabbed a case, and headed to the counter. When we got there, the clerk was piling all the money from the cash register on to the counter. I wondered what he was doing, then remembered I was carrying a .22, the barrel sticking out of the towel. I started laughing, and said "no mate, this isn't a robbery, we just wanna buy a case a beer". He started shaking and said to me "don't f**k with my head man, just take the money." We cracked up, left the money for the beer on the counter and headed to the station. About 50 yards from the station, a cop car pulls up. Today, it would have been shoot first, ask questions later. Instead, the two cops got out p*ssing themselves with laughter. "Boys, boys, boys! No, you can't just stroll around with a gun!" All they did was make me come back with a car to get the gun. For some reason they wouldn't let me take it on the train, even after I told them it wasn't loaded, the bullets were in my pocket!

A more innocent time, and only as far back as the 80s

[Pamela]

I have a friend who is in their late 50's early 60's and he was telling a story of when he and his buddy's had been out drinking. On their way home they pulled over on the side of the road to toss out their bags of trash with the beer cans in it so their parents would not find out. While they were there a police officer pulled up behind them and asked them what they were doing. They admitted they had been drinking and were on their way home. The officer looked at them and said, "I cannot believe you were going to throw all that garbage on the side of the road and leave it there! Pick it up and I am going to follow you home to make sure you get there safely!"

Now if this happened today, all of them would have been arrested, their car would have been towed, and their mug shots would be all over the internet the next morning.

I am not saying that drinking and driving are okay - but just making an observation that yes the times have changed... and not always for the better.