Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Then and Now...

25 year old teacher Debra Lafava, convicted of having sex with a student.
My grandson Max on his first day of pre-school...
I had lunch with a younger friend yesterday and while we were sharing a meal, he mentioned to me that he's a little upset with his ex-wife, as she has their 2 children, ages 8 and 11, walking a few blocks to school. I continued chomping as he spoke and didn't offer an opinion. He stopped and asked me what I thought about that. I swallowed, affording myself a quick opinion and answered this. What's wrong with that? When I was a small child, we walked over a mile to school everyday, through questionable neighborhoods, that I might compare to the African Rain Forest. There were busy streets, streetcars, buses, taxi cabs, few laws enforced, violent crimes going on, adverse weather in Chicago's Windy City and an occasional riot and somehow nothing ever happened to us except a few beatings by gangs of other kids.

He asked me what I thought about the sexual crimes against children, molestation and such. It made a painful point come to mind. I told him I didn't think there was any more of that sort of thing now, as compared to then. That it's just that censors now allow the media to talk about it, when in the past it was a taboo. Along with hearing them use the word "ASS" during prime time television, we are also privy to announcements that child molesters are lining the city streets. Sex offenders are compelled to register with the state and TV stations can boost their rating when they discuss teachers that fondle their students. Those things went on in the past and will probably go on in the future, it was just never thrown in our faces before. Rotten tomatoes have always smelled bad, we've just never had them under our noses before!

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