Comments

1. Failure to perform assigned tasks...

   Failure to perform assigned tasks is an acceptable reason for dismissal from any company within the United States, as well it should be. One should have regular tasks at home, as well as work. I, myself, do the majority of the cooking, dishes, and do my fair share of the housework, and laundry. My children were expected to do their assigned tasks, first among them their studies and homework. Once those tasks were completed, they were also expected to do other chores around the home. My oldest graduated from college, got a job and got married, and finds her stunned by the total lack of commitment others show in the workplace. My second child is now a US Marine, and I know how he feels about those who shirk their duty. Our youngest is attending college locally and lives at home, and he is still expected to do homework and studying first and his chores second. Like both me and my wife, the task that needs to be done is done BEFORE "play" time begins.

   2 months ago In response to Children and Chores: How Much?

2. A triumph for the second rate...

   How sad that such a talent, in one so young, would be used to hold the young boy back. Had it been my son, or daughter for that matter, we'd all still be on the news. Never give up, never surrender. Ayn Rand used to write about things like this, and here, sadly, she is proved right, again. Those with no talent will demand everything of those with talent, and then deride them for their talent. Think about it: if your child was struck out by such a prodigy, would you be offended, or would you tell your child that they should remember the name of such a prodigy, because if he follows the road his talent leads, some day, one day, your child would be able to say, truthfully, "I batted against him once upon my time of childhood." Sad, sad, sad... Hopefully, he will pursue his talents just the same, and one day, we will all see him on the mound, doing that which he does so well. The parents of the other team players should be ashamed of themselves in my humble opinion.

   2 months ago In response to ‘Too Good’ to Play Baseball? Game Over

3. Pollsters...

   I don't lie to them. I just don't respond. Who I am going to vote for is... ready? ... NO ONE'S BUSINESS. EVER. PERIOD. Have a nice day.

   2 months, 2 weeks ago In response to Lying to Pollsters: Bad Vote?

Public Record vs Private Person

While it is true that everyone makes mistakes, myself included, if someone has committed an act of crime that is a matter of public record and then the first responsibility IMHO would be to accuracy. A local man, a badly wounded veteran, asked to use the restroom facilities at a local gas station, when advised there were none available, he relieved himself outside. Not appropriate, but he was in distress, and when arrested, as he had exposed himself to do what he had to do, his name now appears on a public registry available on the internet as a sex offender. While correct (he was exposed, after all) it is not accurate. I do not personally endorse such behavior, but can understand why it would happen. In re: how I (or any member of the public at large) should responsibly use such information? I feel that the responsibility is attached to WHY one is seeking the information. Is the party in question a candidate for hire? A nanny or someone that handles money... that would color my thinking. As to whether or not everyone should have access... it is a matter of public record. Prior to the widespread use of the internet, police records were part of the daily newspaper, and sometimes the evening news.

2 months, 2 weeks ago In response to Neighborhood Watch: Do You Really Know Who People Are?

Trust

It is a matter of trust. As a father of three, I have found myself, again and again, in a position where I had to rely on my children's best judgment. I cannot be everywhere at every moment, so I had to let them be who, and what, they were, are and will be. If the child did something to alert me that my trust had been misplaced, then yes, I did closely monitor what they were doing. I told them, up front, what I was going to be doing, and why. The WHY was always the most important part. They (thankfully) chose to stop the behavior that was causing me to be over their shoulder, and the behavior would stop. To simply make it a habit is questionable at best.

4 months, 3 weeks ago In response to Parenting or Spying: Who’s Watching The Kids?

I question if it will work...however...

As mentioned in another comment on this page, when one's judgment is impaired, whether or not they even will be shamed remains to be seen. The "however" comes when I think about how one can be shamed when it is a matter of public record. I am sure that somewhere there is a website that allows me to see the men that ran Enron. Do they feel shame? Wasn't that the whole point of releasing the movie "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room," or, for that matter, "Sicko" or "Fahrenheit 911," to bring shame onto the parties that the filmmakers believed should be shamed? I guess that rather than having authorities trying to shame the guilty they should be more concerned with prosecuting them.

5 months, 1 week ago In response to Shame Game

What would the show be responsible for?

Or responsible TO for that matter? If I ask a straightforward question, and get an answer I don't want to hear, then where does the fault lie? With me, and my expectations? Or the one that gives the answer? When the premise of the show is that a contestant will be grilled while hooked up to a lie detector, then one should be prepared to hear truth, pleasant or otherwise. My daughter's comment on this show was that if she were to go on as a contestant, she would let us know, and that we might not wish to hear the things she said. That is part of the situation, isn't it? The truth will be told, one way or another, so if you don't want to know, don't watch the show...which is what I do. Bad enough that some shows consist of What Grotesque Thing Are You Willing To Eat For $50,000... this is a low point in television programming

6 months, 2 weeks ago In response to Moment of Truth

Telling the truth

"There is a paucity of truth in our world." Todd Rundgren, from the liner notes of his last album "Liars"... While truth may seem to be subjective, it is the only hope in clear communication between people. I feel that the "white" lies are still lies. I prefer to avoid that situation if at all possible, but when conversationally pushed for a straight answer, I will always use some form of preface ("In my opinion," for example) and still speak the truth. It isn't always easy, but as my grandmother always told me, if you tell the truth then you don't have to worry about what lie was told and to whom

6 months, 2 weeks ago In response to White Lies

Sick

While I understand that physical activities that can lead to violent behavior (like football) are condoned as healthy outlets, I think that putting children into a cage and letting them bash away at each other is mentally ill. I have no problem with children learning self defense, or joining into a sport that could lead to violence, but this particular situation just seems twisted and despicable

6 months, 2 weeks ago In response to Fight Club Junior

Interesting

I was in a similar position once. A young man, not 18, entered into the video rental/retail store where I was assistant manager. He set off the alarm sensors while leaving, and I asked him to give back what he'd taken. He told me he didn't take anything, and I told him if he left, I would have to call the police. He did eventually give the video back, and I told him to get out and not come back. I was advised by corporate that I should have called the police and he would have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I felt then, as I do now, that while the justice system was not involved, that I did the best thing I could at the time, hoping that he chose a different path... I just couldn't bring myself to potentially ruin his life over a video tape. Maybe I was wrong but if I had to do it over again, I would not change my choice.

7 months ago In response to To Catch a Thief

Good job, son

Granted, he will most likely never know that (as of this posting) we all think he did the right thing. He did, in my opinion, and I feel truly heartbroken that any child, for any reason, would be in that position. He took the harder path, made the tough choice, and will have to live with the consequences. Hopefully, dad will catch on that he belongs where he is, and will come to see that his son is a brave young man, a champion worthy of highest praise.

7 months ago In response to Shot Through the Heart

Who decides?

We do. The issues that arise between people are when we cannot come to an understanding of what we each believe, or how to disagree without being disagreeable. A wise woman of my acquaintance was known for always being able to see the good in all human beings, and she was asked what was good about Hitler... her answer? "He was a good example of what we must stand against, and in the future, hopefully, we will have to courage to stand up more quickly." For what it is worth... Peace

7 months ago In response to Morality Bites

You must be joking

If you know it is right to hide someone from a great outside evil, then that is right. The question is whether or not cheating, or any other act that one would consider immoral, could be justified as an end to a means. Committing an act of civil disobedience requires an understanding of what one is doing. One must also accept the consequences of that act. If you and I were in agreement that to pay a tax for what we knew to be an immoral war, would you allow yourself to go to jail, or just stand on the outside wondering what I was doing in there? cf: Ralph David and Henry David. Peace.

7 months ago In response to Morality Bites

We are Society

Whether we like it or not, we are the social order. While I personally do not agree that "it takes a village" to raise a child, it does take parents, parents who are involved with and concerned about their children. The social order begins in the home. Understanding that children are people, and are going to grow into their own selves, it is the parenting that directs them. As to how the children should be corrected, I know from professional experience that a private home-owners policy can cover acts of a minor. The parents need to be aware that, while this is bad enough in every way, they need to look to the future. What if junior chooses to deliberately damage someone's property? What if daddy's little angel shows up on Youtube beating the daylights out of another girl? We as parents are liable for our children's actions.

7 months ago In response to Attack of the 3rd-Graders?

Right Vs. Wrong

Doing the wrong thing, regardless of reason, remains the Wrong Thing.

7 months ago In response to Morality Bites

The responsible thing was to call for help

But... to stop, and put herself in jeopardy? That would have been irresponsible. Should she have put her live and/or health at risk? No. She did the right thing to the best of her capacity.

8 months, 1 week ago In response to Samaritan or Killer?

Dead on, Steve

The media is a business, of course, and they have to meet their own bottom line. While I respect that, I have no respect for the notion that the latest escapades of the Rich and Infamous is worthy of national attention. I cannot fathom why the misadventures of overpaid youth living to excess should be considered of equal importance as the national economy, the status of the political system or anything in which our military in involved(good or ill).

9 months, 2 weeks ago In response to King's Question

Define what responsibility means to you.