Those Wonder Years

Have you ever wondered how you are still alive after the childhood and years of your past that you're still alive? With all of the safety gadgets there are today. I am amazed that I'm still here to write about it. The one that causes me to shake my head are the “Warning” signs that manufacturers have to place on their products because some people don't have the common sense that God gave to a grape. They have to warn folks that coffee is hot or that you shouldn't put glue in your hair. What is even more remarkable is that judges and juries award damages to these brain-dead individuals.

I'm shaking my head as I am writing this piece. Education in the past taught children wisdom that translated into their life outside of the classroom. Knowledge wasn't muddied by trying to indoctrinate children to believe Socialism and Communism are better than the freedom afforded by the Constitution of the United States. Sexual perversion is being taught instead of morality and allowing childhood innocence to flourish.

Gun safety was taught. The value of life was treasured. Deliberate, rampant shootings weren't even considered. The child in the womb was considered precious, not a blob of cells to be wrested from the mother's womb and tossed into the garbage.

Our borders were more secure. Human trafficking was limited. Illicit drugs weren't as large a problem nor were they as readily available as they are today. Our leaders didn't support their use nor want to legalize them. They didn't offer free medication to revive addicts that overdosed.

Politicians didn't turn their face away from violence in the streets. Looting and rioting were dealt with a firm hand. Violence wasn't tolerated. Disrespect for public servants, firemen, police, paramedics was handled swiftly. Killing a cop was a death sentence, not a lifetime behind bars and now many governors want to release these criminals back onto the streets to rob and kill innocent, law abiding citizens. And on top of that, they want to take guns away from those citizens who need them to protect their homes, their family, and themselves.

The real thoughts of survival were of riding in the bed of a pickup truck or no seat belts. How about jungle gyms with iron piped monkey bars or scorching hot metal sliding boards? Then there were heavy seated swings and the dizzying merry-go-rounds. Oh and we mustn't forget riding bikes without helmets or tossing hubcaps like a Frisbee. Baseball and football without protection above and below the waist. We survived. Not because we were offended, but because our parents and us struggled through the difficult times.