Rules and rights
There are two problems that need addressing and the ensuing rule is aimed at both. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect by authority figures, including policemen, teachers, employers etc. On the other hand everyone is expected to comply with orders from the police, their teachers, their employers and if the order is wrong, pursue justice later through grievance or whatever.
The rule should be this: If one complies with an order from an authority figure (within limits) then any physical abuse by the authority figure should be prosecuted. That means if a policeman says “stop” and you stop, no physical punishment is merited at all, period. In the latest incident a student took out a phone, was told to put it away by the teacher, she refused and instead started praying loudly. The teacher called for help, an authority figure of some sort arrived, told her to get out of her seat and come with him. She refused. He then physically grabbed the student pulled her out of the chair and physically restrained the student and then removed the student from class.
Why should anyone be free to defy orders from an authority figure and expect they can do nothing to you physically? If the gal won’t get out of the chair what is suppose to happen——some sort of daylong verbal negotiation? Move the class to another room? If a policeman says stop and you continue to run, what is suppose to be the next action? An endless chase for blocks or miles not even knowing what kind of weapon, if any, the person running has or who might get injured or killed during the chase? The gal in the classroom says she had done nothing wrong. Really? If so, then the time to punish the authority figure is via a filed grievance. That is what grievances are for.
When I taught, back in the long ago days, I was not exactly built to bodily throw people out of the classroom, but it was simple, create a disturbance and the lecture is over and the students could learn the material from the book. A disturbance never happened a second time because other students would make life miserable for the student who caused the lecture to end.
Ok, high school is different, calling off the class would probably be met with cheers, at least by a good number of students who don’t even want to be in class. If a student cannot be told by a called authority figure to get out of their chair and come with them, all is lost. Apparently a perceived student causing a disturbance is entitled to engage in a verbal debate with the authority figure for the rest of the class and then I guess the teacher is the one who is required to file a grievance against the student to achieve any kind of punishment? My heavens, no wonder the educational environment in many cases is a farce.
These are not good days to be an authority figure. In some states every college student can be sitting in the class with a gun strapped to their side or in their purse. Discipline? At what potential cost? Go to a social gathering or a public gathering? You might not have an enemy in the world but that hardly matters since the trend these days is to murder bunches of people at random. At least we can all be safe in our homes with our guns for protection. I can visualize the encounter now. A man wakes up and hears a noise downstairs. But he is ready, rushes downstairs and confronts the thief: “You came to the wrong house buddy. Yes siree, you are going to regret this” he bellows at the thief. But he is, unfortunately, a responsible gun owner and keeps his gun locked in a safe. So he races to the safe, but is so excited he can’t remember the combination, so he yells to his wife, “What is the combination?” She responds, “It’s my mother’s birthdate”. The poor guy explodes: “For Christ’s sake, how would I know your mother’s birthdate?”. But all end’s well, the burglar escapes realizing people are home and awake.
A lot of families sometimes have real angry emotional clashes. Now that people tend to have guns hidden all over the house or even strapped to their side, these emotional family arguments can be a tad more dangerous. Might get something more than a punch in the nose or a head lock. Studies show most guns are used most often to kill family members or friends. Good thing I have no immediate family or friends. Smile. Probably the safest person around.
People ask why, since I wander around Chicago neighborhoods often, that I do not carry my pistol. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I do understand that any robbery is most likely to be teenagers or those in their twenties, an emotional age if there ever is one, and I will not know I am being robbed until my hands are pinned to my side or a knife/gun is sticking against me, and soon these emotional young gangsters will have my gun. It is embarrassing to be shot with your own gun. I choose to avoid this possible embarrassment. If people are going to be allowed to carry guns around in public I think the rule should be: once they have selected their target they must be a block away and announce loudly their intentions. Then maybe I would carry my pistol. Even then I would be reluctant to shoot——only the person I was aiming at would be safe.
People sometimes encourage me to do more exciting things, socialize more. Huh? Hey, I know what kind of exciting things are happening out there socially these days. As long as Sheebiejiebee the cat doesn’t claw me to death when hungry or Riva the horse doesn’t kick me in the ass as part of her training me, I have it made in the shade. Just two days ago someone held a birthday party in a backyard for like 40 people. Two of the people got angry about something, got in their car and plowed the car into the gathering in the back yard. Happy birthday!!! or maybe “Happy Last Birthday”. Thank God parties are not my thing these days.
One last thing. If any of you have demands to make on me, like “shut up” and other such ilk, better do it gently lest I get modern and take you and others out with me on my way to Heaven. God likes me, I am not so sure about the rest of you. Besides, never bother anyone who will be dead in the short run---regardless. Now if I can just remember where I have stored all my weapons.
