Americans Have Lost Their Minds…

 I just read a couple of fb articles that set my teeth on edge, so I’m going to rant for a moment.
One article, shared by a fb friend related a story about four kids vandalizing a home in NY, causing an estimated $40,000.00 in damages. The homeowner is now facing charges and up to four years in jail for holding the kids in a closet until police arrived. The kids, around 8-10 years of age were "traumatized" by the mans actions. Really? The parents are claiming the man took one of them by the throat and made threats against them. Okay, if he did, he certainly did wrong and should be punished, but where is the PHYSICAL EVIDENCE? If there are no marks or bruises there is nothing to show he did this. According to what I read, the kids were fine when police arrived. These parents should be ashamed of themselves and their kids. At the age of 8, I certainly knew what would have happened if I had been caught in a situation like this. I would have begged to go to jail, foster care, or to be shipped to Somalia rather than go home and face my parents. I would have had the tar taken out of me through my rear end with Dad’s belt and then spent the rest of my formative years working off the debt for the people I had wronged. I’m 52 and I would probably still be driving up to my hometown to provide free labor for life. THAT"S how my parents raised us. You stay responsible for your actions.
The other is this move to ban "sagging". Come on people. As ridiculous and repulsive as I find it, it’s not an issue for the legal system to handle. We all know where it came from at this point, but it no longer has the same meaning to our youth. As stupid and offensive as many people find it (including myself), it is still a form of free expression and should not be legally banned. Again, it starts at home, end it there if you don’t like it. I know every teenager in my area knows by now to pull up their pants before they come within sight of me. It’s much easier to bear for them than my constant ridicule. I haven’t seen a sagging seat of pants in several years in my home, and don’t expect to. As a society, America has long embraced free expression and speech. It’s one of our basic rights as Americans; we can’t take that away just because we find it offensive. People once found Salvadore Dali’s work offensive and disturbing; what if that had been banned? Salman Rushdie took refuge in our country to have the right of free expression, yet we embraced him, and many others like him; the concept is the same.
I don’t like sagging, but I also don’t like young women who walk around in stretch pants that clearly outline body parts that have no business being in evidence in public. Go to almost any public department store, spend an hour, and then tell me you aren’t a little bit offended at what you see walking around. Yet, you won’t see anything on facebook or other social media about banning THAT.
If you don’t like sagging, voice your opinion because I certainly do. I’m not known for my verbal restraint, and I never have been. But this is not something that should be legislated. Society as a whole needs to take personal responsibility, as parents and as individuals, and quit looking to the government to fix what ails us, especially where our children are concerned.
BUT ON A POSITIVE NOTE:
Father’s day was great.  Brandon and Brad took a day off each from work as a suprise.  They didn’t tell me so I went to work Sunday as normal. SUPRISE!  When I got home around 7pm, we watched television and they had made a delicious dinner and cleaned the entire house.  They then treated me to milkshakes and a movie afterwards.  
It continued last night at Brandon’s house where my beautiful daughter in law presented me with a photo collage of my grandsons, which I will find a way to post here soon, because they are beautiful and should be shared with the world, lol.  I also bought a nice used car, and can now go grab the little rascals for time with Grandpa!
All in all, it’s been a great start to my week.