getting the look

  At least one expert has suggested that the human brain isn't fully developed until about age twenty five. That is supposed to be based in the science. Legislators here in Maryland now want to change the age of accountability for crimes. Yes, some are saying if you're under twenty-five any offenses should be handled in the juvenile justice system. Those offenses would then be expunged from the record after you reach age twenty-six. I know, a bit incredulous, isn't it? But I'm being told to trust the science on that. This same group of legislators want all previous offenses committed by convicted criminals expunged from the record if the law gets changed. The prime example of that are marijuana offenses, such as selling or possessing pot with the intent to sell. Now that the law has changed the idea is to release all those criminals and expunge their record. Some are even calling for reparations! Well because you got locked up for breaking the law, but the law changed now so you should be compensated for your time spent in jail. That's the logic. No mention of refunds for speeding tickets or parking tickets should any of that change, however. No mention of removing any of that from your driving record either.

  Now this same group of people are the ones saying kindergarten children should get to choose their gender and preferred pronouns. They are in full support of hormone therapy, puberty blockers and all of that nonsense. The same ones saying books and movies about the gay lifestyle should be read to those children as well. Drag Queen story hour must be funded and indeed, encouraged. I guess the thinking is you have to do all of that before their brains are fully developed otherwise you will not be successful. I can think of no other reasoning for that. And these are the same people that place the blame for homicides on the weapons, not the person. It's assault weapons! When we all know inanimate objects do not assault anyone. Assaults are carried out by other individuals. Their choice of weapon makes little difference when it comes right down to it. Remember this:  Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was an American domestic terrorist who perpetrated the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children, injured 680, and destroyed one-third of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal …( from Wikipedia) He used assault fertilizer!  

  In Maryland there was legislation passed recently that no one under the age of thirteen can be charged criminally. A few days ago, on the news it was reported a twelve-year-old called in bomb threats to four different schools. The schools were of course evacuated immediately and the bomb squad responding. It was all a hoax on that child's part. When the investigators interviewed that child, his response was, you can't do anything to me, I'm, twelve. Things is, he is 100% correct. He could not be charged with a crime just referred to a counselor. No record of that offense is allowed to exist. We have to simply forget about that. And now they want to make it unlawful for an investigator to even speak to anyone under the age of thirteen. They have to get lawyered up first! 

  His brain may not have been fully developed but it was developed enough to know he couldn't be charged with anything. The criminals are well aware of all that and often use these kids as mules for their illicit dealings. Hey, you don't have to give a twelve-year-old much to convince them. A pair of sneakers, an I phone, or a new bicycle.

  Now these kids have parents and/or guardians. If we can't charge the kids, we should be able to charge the parents and/or guardians. The argument against that is, but then the kids wouldn't have anyone to care for them, to guide them or provide support. If those kids are doing that stuff, they already aren't receiving any of that! Can't see where it is going to make that big a difference. There has to be accountability for this. I'm sick and tired of hearing all these excuses. I'm sick and tired of no one being held to account. There has to be consequences, immediate and severe consequences. It really is as Barney Fife used to say, you have to nip it, nip it in the bud! 

 Yes, that was pretty funny stuff, but the reality is it works! That's how I was raised. I screwed up and was corrected immediately. It was no one else's fault! Even when it was someone else's fault it was my fault for listening to them. I was reminded, you know better than that! All it took was "the look." You knew the look and you responded to that. The "look" preceded action unless you took the appropriate action to prevent that. That usually involved shutting up and doing what you knew to be the correct response. That's all it took most of the time, the look. After a while you started doing that stuff without anyone having to look. That was what we called integrity. Doing the right thing even when no one is looking. You did that to avoid consequences. Learned that long before I was twenty-five. By twenty-five I had learned two lessons well, nothing in this world is free, and you get pretty much what you sow. The problem with these criminals today is they never got the look! Their parents/guardians are always looking the other way. And now the criminal justice system wants to do the same thing, just look the other way.