Going to bed early has its consequences. For two nights in a row, I’ve missed late messages that would have altered my morning had I been able to respond to them in time. Dear friends, I no longer exist in an environment where I have good reason to be up late. There are some nights when I am, but it’s by no means consistent. As a general rule, for anyone, messages need to be sent before 9:00 PM. Anything after that runs a high probability of being missed until the next morning or, perhaps worse, getting an angry response from someone who doesn’t appreciate being woken. A little consideration goes a long way.
Another consequence is that, once something does wake me during the night, I tend to stay awake. Last night, that meant I was still struggling to get back to sleep at 3:00 AM. Even the cats get annoyed when that happens because my tossing and turning makes it impossible for them to stay still. The cats start hissing and batting at each other, and that causes the dogs to run for cover. Now, no one is getting any sleep. The cats settle back down the easiest, and Belvedere, the hound, usually isn’t far behind them. Hamilton, the lab, has more trouble getting settled. His favorite place? Right across my pillows. Yeah, that’s a lot of fun.
Tipper is excited about going to ComicCon today and G is excited about doing a shadow day at a nearby company. The difference between attitudes on school days and today is extreme. I’m still nervous about Tipper being downtown, but Kat is working today which puts her just a little over a mile away from the convention center should she be needed. How things go today will likely determine whether I go camp out at a coffee shop tomorrow or Sunday. I still don’t trust the conflagration of sports fans and ComicCon attendees. Both have plenty of jerks in their midst and it only takes one sarcastic taunt to cause trouble. Putting both within the same mile square seems to me like a bad idea, but hey, it’s money so there’s no way the city is going to turn either down.
There’s a lot I don’t understand. For example, explain to me like I’m five why anyone still thinks that when a fight happens at school that it’s appropriate to punish the victim. Tipper was telling me of an incident at her school yesterday where one person, who is perpetually causing trouble, intentionally dumped chocolate milk and applesauce on someone who was minding their own business. I wouldn’t have blamed the second person had they gotten up and punched the living daylights out of the first person, but they didn’t. They sat their and took it hoping to avoid getting in trouble. That’s not what happened. Instead, because of the school’s “no tolerance” policy, both were suspended.
Have we not learned that policies like this are a defamation of justice? When there is a clear victim, are we supposed to ignore their trauma, and their pain, and blame them for simply existing? Why are we complicating the lives of children who already live on the edge in an environment where too many people are beating up on them in too many ways? Explain to me like I’m five, please, why we think this is an appropriate way to treat young people. I just don’t get it.
Again, there are consequences to our actions. One of the issues facing Democrats, in particular, this election season is that young voters, the ones who exist in numbers large enough to sway the outcome, are so upset with the state of government that they’re boycotting elections. First of all, young people need to understand that boycotting elections never works in the favor of the ones boycotting. Instead, we end up with a government even more corrupt, even more incapable of positive change, and dangerously close to dictatorship. Why risk that outcome? At the same time, however, how has either side proven that they can be trusted? Looking at their parents, their teachers, their local leaders, and their national representatives, young people see nothing but chaos and inaction. There’s a lot of talk and ruckus, to be sure. There are a lot of threats tossed back and forth. What young adults are not seeing is an example of responsibility from either side. This results in complacency because if the last eight years have taught them anything it’s that they can’t trust the geriatric crowd at all. They can’t trust them to keep kids safe at school and they can’t trust them to run the fucking country.
What scares me is that it’s probably too late to change attitudes before this election. I don’t see either side making the decisions that would cause young adults to feel that their leaders are trustworthy. Too many politicians are calling for violence if they don’t win. If schools have taught us anything it’s that the victims are the ones who suffer the greatest consequences in those instances. Are we all screwed? That’s certainly how it feels.
Meanwhile, both the Kansas and Missouri attorneys general filed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting the idea that presidents are immune from any prosecution for anything. Here we go again, the culprit, this time a sitting president, gets away with breaking the law and there are elected officials who are STUPID enough to think that’s just fine and, worse yet, the geriatric set just keeps voting for them! WHAT THE LIVING FUCK? Have you lost your ever-loving mind? One of the basic concepts of democracy is that NO ONE, not even a president, is above the law! We were all taught that in fifth grade! What’s with the complete stupidity here?
Churches aren’t helping, either. Television evangelists are telling their viewers that this election is “for the soul of America” and encouraging violence if the outcome doesn’t go their way (Republican). First off, this type of maneuver isn’t remotely Christian. There is no educated statement one can make that supports such filth. Second, what the fuck are religious nut jobs doing mixing politics and religion? Oh yeah, they want to speed us along to the “end of the age” because … uhm … Jesus. Sure, let’s kill billions of people so a few million can get their “heaven?” Are we supposed to believe any of that makes a lick of sense?
Oh, and Kentucky coach John Calipari, the king of one-and-done freshmen, once again blames his youngest players for losing to a 14-seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Heaven forbid the coach take some fucking responsibility for how his team plays. Heaven forbid Calipari set a good example. Heaven forbid the university to live up to the promises it makes to young athletes. When the geriatric league behaves like this, what choice do young adults have but to put as much distance between them as possible?
There are too many reasons to not trust politicians over 50. Fuck 80, this current group got too old too fast and is no longer good for being in charge of anything. I doubt they can even take their medicine without assistance. I can’t tell my kids to trust anyone when I don’t trust anyone who pretends to be in charge. The under-30 crowd is on their own, having been abandoned by the parents, the teachers, and the leaders they were told had their back.
But I’m supposed to be okay with sending my 14-year-old daughter to ComicCon this weekend.
I have multiple coffee shops staked out.