OUT OF STEP!

Maybe it IS just me. Maybe the anger I'm feeling these days is nothing more than my frustration with growing older and a tendency to concentrate too much on what I can no longer do -  as opposed to what I still can do at my age.

Maybe I need to spend more time being thankful for those blessings God has given me despite the fact I didn't always deserve them.

Maybe my anger is just due to a feeling of a lack of power to make an impact on others, not including those folks of course who may take the time to read these sad supplications via my blog and walk away so much better educated and impressed.

Maybe it's because I get so frustrated with what I read or see in the media that it has me desperately examining whether or why it appears  I am the only one who is out of step.

Maybe some time I'll sit down and examine all of the above, but for now I'd rather just remain P.O.'d, tell you why that is, and then what I believe should take place in "Barry's Perfect World" if I were in charge.

It's not that we don't have enough "nut cases" running around shooting people, making bombs and/or bomb threats for which we respond in knee jerk fashion by taking away the personal liberties of the remaining 300 million people who reside in this country and may not be mentally disturbed.

I looked in the bathroom mirror this morning after reading today's paper and pronounced to nobody in particular, "That's it, by God. We'll put drones out there over every major city, wipe out crime via our surveillance superiority and finally be safe once again. Let's get that crime and violence out of Chicago and transfer it to Peoria".

"Oh, it's already there? Well then, what about lesser known habitats in Illinois like the towns of Bloomington and Normal? Surely, they could use more crime like tipping cows that is unfortunately presently away from the invasive intrusion of drones.

How about we chase the fruitcakes as far away from Chicago as to Witchita, Kansas ?"( population: 368,224)

The Wichita school board is scheduled to meet today to consider a request from Superintendent John Allison for the district to spend $3 million to improve a school security system. The proposal calls for the installation of high-definition cameras, computers, keyless entry- doors, a revamped dispatch center and more to provide a centralized surveillance system to monitor more than 100 schools and other sites." (salaries not included, of course)

Okay, that apparently will make the Wichita schools "foolproof ". Those damned "troubled" teen age armed and dangerous idiots will just have to make a trip to Topeka to carry out their demon driven and mind boggling shootings.

Actually, if they lack the transportation capacity to do so, or perhaps are not allowed to drive, they can just go on Facebook and set something up in Topeka with a similarly deranged cousin or friend.

And, by the way, does anybody have any idea what you could do with $3 million in Wichita to improve the education of their kids?"(that is besides enhancing the possibility the Superintendent may someday be the next Secretary of Education for all of Kansas.)

Folks, the simple truth is that we simply do not have enough money in this country to arm our schools and protect every school child - no matter the admirable protective intent to save young lives everywhere.

However, we do admit that the installation of high-definition cameras may reduce the instances of cheating on exams by Wichita kids. I mean, only if Wichita educators really believe they have a problem in that area, of course.

Is there anyone among us who will not admit that they did something crazy as a kid? Something that, if their involved Mom & Dad (kids had them back then), had even a clue as to what we were up to would have resulted in us having a rearend we couldn't comfortably sit on for a week.

But, you know, it's amazing how much this simple parental approach cut down on the number of second time offenders we had in my home town.

Well, you see we DON'T have that recourse anymore. It's called corporal punishment and our educators, psychologists, and talk hosts like Steve Wilkos are convinced that spanking can scar the human psyche for years and falls under the heading of cruel and inhuman punishment.

Perhaps that's why I'm writing blogs like this now that my rear end has healed.

A final thought - this time in that grand old metropolis of Woonsocket, Rhode Island (population: 41,186) where the police force there has uncovered an unfortunate situation that is taking place.

It seems they have been forced to arrest four students in connection with a recent string of bomb threats at Woonsocket High School.

Police said Khalil Oliver, 18 and three juveniles are facing one count each of making a bomb threat and conspiracy. The juveniles are a 16-year-old boy and 15-year-old and 14-year-old girls.

My first reaction when reading this news so early in the morning was:

"Does Woonsocket have a public square? Are there enough talented men and women capable of erecting four wooden stocks in that square for the purpose of inserting these mischievous truants and engaging the viewing pleasure of the entire population of Woonsocket or whomever might decide to come and visit?

Would there be enough lumber left over to nail  2 feet by 4 feet pictures of their parents on a large board overhead of the structure from which the collective head, hands and feet of their misguided kids are now protruding?

Finally, are there some generous farmers thereabouts who would give up feeding a small portion of their (only if extremely soft) overripe fruits and vegetables to their livestock and donate them to the rest of the populace for the sole purpose of a a dollar a throw hurling accuracy contest.

The profits, of which, obviously should go to the enlightened members of local school boards, the PTA, and the Police Benevolence Fund..

Admittedly, spanking would be a less convoluted recourse - if not forbidden.

Or, as an afterthought, (and displaying much more wisdom and compassion on my part), perhaps the good citizens of Woonsocket could just wait until their kids no longer make bombthreats - but actual bombs instead.

If neither proposition is found to be appealing I'm willing to bet it would take one helluva lot less than the 3 million bucks the people of Wichita are contemplating for the gentle folks in Woonsocket to have those same craftsmen and women simply build a barbed wire fence around the Woonsocket schools and strip search the students, the faculty, and school administrators each morning.

Can you imagine what punishment it would be for the school kids to actually carry those school books and packed lunches by hand versus storing them in their now recently forbidden backpacks? Now, THAT is cruel and inhuman!

Of course, all of that was just my "first thought" this morning.

See, like I said, obviously I'm THE ONE who is out of step.