Glousta's Blog

I received the following in e-mail.  How times have changed and I'm not so sure it has been for the better.

HIGH SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2008

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.
2008 - 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.
2008 - Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them 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.
2008 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state 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.
2008 - 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.
2008 - 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.
2008 - 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.
2008- 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.
2008 - 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.  

I've only  lived in MA for 10 years now.  So correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the idea of the Big Dig supposed to ease traffic congestion?  Since its "completion" I haven't seen any betterment of the traffic flow.  The SE Expressway, aka Distressway, is still clogged every rush hour.  Traffic coming down from the north and returning  on I-93 is a nightmare and going over the Tobin isn't a joy either.

Do any of you who have driven these highways longer than me see any better traffic conditions compared to the pre-Big Dig?

And that brings me to the thought of increasing the tolls.  Perhaps if the Turnpike Authority, the State Legislature and Governors had properly overseen its construction, toll increases wouldn't be an issue.  But since this wasn't  the case,  we are facing the certainty of increased tolls.  The Big Dig is primarily used by vehicles coming from the north, south and those connecting from the west.  Yet, those coming from the west appear to be getting targeted for paying for the MA government's inept administration of the project.

My wife and I come in to Boston via Rt 1 and the Tobin.  Each day, $3.00.  If that toll is increased, we will be happy to add to the traffic congestion in the surrounding communities as we will not pay any more to cross the bridge.  It has been reported that toll collections are down on the Pike.  Is this because people are finding alternate ways and are avoiding the latest toll hikes at the Weston and Allston tolls?  Can you just imagine what it will be like in the surrounding communities if the significant toll increases being considered are passed?  The Turnpike Authority needs to be disolved.  They obviously can't get the job done.

This morning there was a report on the Fox 25 news that the T is planning on removing seats on the subway cars to make more room for people to stand.

Have they forgotten  just recently the rash of women being gropped on crowded subway cars?  Seems to me by removing most of the seats and making more standing room  this is going to provide the groppers more opportunity.   That is totally unacceptable.

My wife called me at 2:15PM, today (Nov 7th) and told me she had been the victim of a purse snatching on Washington St. in Downtown Crossing.  She reported it to the police and as luck would have it, the police advised that someone had seen two youths drop the purse and he picked it up and turned it into the police.  We don't know who this person was but should he read this, we want him to know how grateful  we are for turning it in since it contained all the money we had.  Our thanks also goes to the Boston Police officers who handled this.

My wife's purse has a shoulder strap and whoever did this, pulled the strap, breaking it.  I would like to caution all ladies who walk on Washington St. in Downtown Crossing to be very careful as the bad guys are out and about.  My wife was talking on her cell phone at the time and was not aware of those around her.  A word to the wise, pay attention to your surroundings and be ever vigilant to suspicious behavior.

This morning's news dealt with loopholes in the sex offender laws in Massachusetts.  It was also suggested that Massachusetts ranks among the most lenient in the nation when it comes to controlling sex offenders.

Sex offenders, particularly those who prey on children, have no place in society.  My suggestion would be, upon conviction of a second offense, the sentence should be life in prison without parole.  No one wants these people living in their communities.  Let these deviates deal with life in prison and put an end to the plague they bring to society.  I would urge everyone to write to their elected Representatives and Senators and encourage them to pass more stringent laws to protect us.

I heard that some of the Northeastern students (I'm assuming along Huntington Ave) were making hot chocolate in their dorms and handing it out to motorists stuck in traffic.  If this is true, I think these students should be given a big thank you for their wonderful thoughtfulness.

As we all know, yesterday's storm left the highway and side roads a mess.  My wife, who works in downtown Boston, left work at 1:00 PM.  Due to the traffic mess on Rt 1, she took some back roads and finally got to 128 near Salem. 

She told me that  there were two snow plows on 128 northbound, neither were plowing snow even though there were several inches of snow on the highway.  They were only putting down salt.

Can anyone tell me why the plow wasn't plowing and what good would putting down salt on several inches of snow would do?  Seems to me that a lot of salt was wasted as eventually, it would be plowed off.

By the way, six hours later, my wife got home to  Gloucester safe but a bit frazzeled!

 

 

 

Have you ever stopped to think about the different ages that one becomes an adult?  Take for example the following in Massachusetts:

The legal drinking age is 21 but if you work as a server or bartender, you only have to be 18

The legal age to buy tobacco is 18

The legal age to vote is 18

The Age of Consent is 16 

Hunting and Fishing licenses is 18

Driving age is 16.5 however you must have a licensed driver who is at least 21 if you are driving with a permit.

Employment - 16 without needing an employment certificate

Join the military - 17 with parental consent

Going to the movies - once you reach the ripe old age of 12, you get to pay adult prices.

And the one that really stands out is at one particular amusement park, those over 53 inches tall get to pay adult prices.  According to one age/height chart I saw, boys and girls reach this height at about age 8. 

So why is there such a variance in when one becomes an adult?  Surely, an 8 year old isn't but pays adult prices at an amusement park yet gets to pay a child's price for a movie.   Then there are our military members who can join as early as age 17, they get to vote at 18, possibly die for their country but cannot legally have a beer until they are 21, not to mention they can't supervise a younger sibling driving.  And why should 18, 19 and 20 year olds be in a bar working when they can't legally drink what they are serving? 

Does maturity  make the variances possible?  I don't think so.  We have all met teenagers who are more mature for their age and we all know adults who should be paying children's prices!   As long as our elected officials are spending time on naming the official state cookie and other important matters, perhaps they could figure out when one is really an adult.

 

 

 

 

 

Recently it was reported that the Massachusetts legislature is considering repealing the motorcycle helmet law.  I'm wondering what my Fox News 25  fellow bloggers think of this.  I did a little on line research and found the following:

4 States, CO, IL, IA and NH do not have motorcycle helmet laws.

20 States have full helmet laws:  AL, CA, GA, LA, MD, MA, MI, MS, MD, NB, NV, NJ, NY, NC OR, TN, VT, VA, WA and WV 

19 States exempt riders over the age of 18:  AK, AZ, CT, LA, HI, ID, IN, KS, ME, MN, MT, NM, ND, OH, OK, SD, UT, WI, and WY 

7 States require helmet use up to the age of 20:  AR, FL, KY, PA, RI, SC, TX

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2002, 3,244 motorcyclists died and 65,000 were injured in accidents.   NHTSA says that per mile traveled in 2002, a motorcyclist is approximately 27 times more likely to die in a crash than in a car.  Head injury is the leading cause of death in motorcycle accidents.

NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of a crash fatality by 37 percent. 

The Crash Outcome Data Evaluation Systems (CODES) study found helmets were 68 percent effective in preventing brain injuries and that unhelmeted motorcyclists were three times more likely to suffer brain injuries than those wearing helmets.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about this (I am not a motorcycle rider by the way).  On one hand I equate the use of helmets with the use of seat belts in motor vehicles. Both are designed to prevent or reduce injuries or death in an accident.  If State legislatures are going to require seat belt use to reduce the injury/death rates in accidents, then why not do the same for motorcycle riders?  Currently, NH is the only state without both helmet and seat belt laws.

On the other hand, I see this as another way of our elected officials trying to impose their personal whims on the adult public.  I have no problems about laws designed to protect our children but I think adults should be allowed to choose for themselves.

Insurance rates, both vehicle and health care, are based on accidents and the resulting claims.  We all know about the high cost of insurance in Massachusetts.  If the NHTSA and CODES statistics are accurate, then by eliminating a helmet requirement would only serve to increase insurance rates.   I could see insurance companies adding an exclusion to their policies wherein they would deny a claim if a motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet even though the law did not require one.  And if the motorcyclist caused the accident, this would create even more legal problems for the other party.

These are some of my thoughts on this proposed legislation and will be looking forward to your comments. 

 

 

 

At 8:40AM, Saturday, June 23, 2007, my wife called me and told me she had just observed a Boston Police SUV driving south on I-95 in the Norwood area.  She stated that the driver of this police vehicle was exceeding  possibly 80 MPH as she was doing 65 MPH and the vehicle quickly sped away.  No emergency lights or siren operating.

I-95 in the Norwood area is outside the city limits of Boston.  So why is this vehicle speeding?  Shouldn't the police being setting the example?

I have observed State Police vehicles speeding down the interstate roads only to find them a mile or so up the road running radar.  Again, shouldn't the police be setting the example?  How often do you observe police vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit for no visible reason?  Routine patrol doesn't include speeding. 

I spent 23 years as a police officer  in a jurisdiction where we strove to set the example.  Violating laws were not tolerated and we didn't have police unions, which seem to dictate policy here.  Had anyone I worked with been caught stealing, in possession of or using illegal  drugs, violating someone's civil rights, etc., the first thing that would have happened is that person would have been fired and then prosecuted.  And, it would have been all over the local  news.  We didn't use any thing on our personal vehicles to identify us a police officers, unlike the black plates with blue horizontal bar used in and around Boston which signifies that this person is a police officer.  By the way, I thought the use of these plates was supposed to be stopped but that hasn't happened.

I have lived in Massachusetts for some 15 years now and it just rubs me the wrong way when I see and hear of police ethical standards that fall below what I was used to.  Where is Steven Segal or Serpico when you need them?   Police are not Above the Law nor should they think they are.  They are sworn to uphold the law and that includes themselves.

 

 

 

So the Boston City Counsel would like to hand out window stickers for those promising to drive safely.  One thing for certain, Boston taxi cabs would not qualify.  If the counsel wants to improve the safety of the general public through safer traffic habits, they should start with the city's taxi cabs.

They cut you off, double park, make illegal U-turns, go through red lights and stop signs.  I've even seen them go the wrong way on a one-way street.  They are by far the worse drivers in Boston and apparently this is alright given I've never seen a taxi cab being pulled over by a police officer.

This would make for an interesting Fox investigative report I think.