Daily Archives: October 9, 2007

One Too Many

This entry was posted in Government on by

Some folks are getting tired of all the candidates debating each other. Personally, I like to listen to, even participate in, complex, nuanced debates about important issues. I’m looking forward to this happening sometime.
Still, I have a bit of empathy for this yearning for a simpler process:

Man, I am tired of debates. Pakistan has the right idea: instead of 16 presidential candidates, or however many we have these days, just one. And no vote of the actual, you know, people. Says Generalissimo Musharraf, “Democracy means majority, whether there is opposition or no opposition.” So much more succinct than the Federalist Papers.

Yet, one is still too many holding this type of office.

It is time to start getting serious about No One for president!

It Could Have Been My Mom

This entry was posted in Culture on by

But for the grace of fate this could have been my Mom:

City of Miami police charged Shenika Shanatle Vicks with one count of child neglect after police found the toddler walking barefoot about 8 a.m. Sunday.
…..
Police kept the toddler at police headquarters until Vicks, 27, reported her son missing about 1 p.m.

The difference, at least according to oft repeated stories at family gatherings, is that my Mom knew I was gone rather quickly and was out searching for /finding me in short order…15-30 minutes. None of this 5 hour crap for her.
The linked story doesn’t provide much detail. Maybe Vicks was out looking for him for five hours before reporting him missing. On the other hand maybe she didn’t know he was gone. The latter would be neglect!

Another difference was that back when I was a young’n we didn’t keep our doors locked. We didn’t keep kids under lock and key because of desperate fear of the world around us. Even so, 2 was a little young to be doing this much wandering but by the time 1st grade we were out learning about the world around us without having to deal with parental myopia.