I met one of Washington state's finest the other day: He clocked me at fourteen miles per hour over the posted speed limit (Washington hasn't gone metric yet), and now I am ten times that amount lighter in the wallet.
I wanted to protest that I didn't know they had lowered the speed limit just a couple kilometres, er, miles, back; I also wanted to argue that I needed to get to the Sea-Tac airport to pick up my daughter; and I wanted to tell to tell him that it didn't seem fair that the other ten cars around me were doing the same speed.
Actually, I wanted to tell him a few other things, but they were both unmentionable and unprintable.
The truth be told, I was speeding, and it's against the law to speed. I broke the law and I was wrong. You see, I was raised by two very good parents: Remember those old-fashioned moms and dads who loved each other for decades, who had a firm yet loving idea of discipline, who co-operated with various institutions (local school, church, and police)?
They raised me and my older brothers with that quaint notion that if you “do the crime, you do the time.” Okay, they weren't that funny; that's the role of some witty newspaper columnist, who read it himself somewhere else.
The point is simple: A generation ago, we were producing families from good homes who knew what it was to face consequences for breaking the law. It's changed somewhat these days, what with knowing the difference between right and wrong, truth and error, good and bad, not quite as clearly defined any longer. I admit that those comments (in terms of good and bad parenting skills) are on the slight generalization side of things.
Last time I checked, lawlessness is lawlessness. The only difference is in degrees: some are big, some are bigger, and some are the biggest of all.
Over the past year or so, we have tolerated the Occupy movement, the Quebec university student movement, Idle No More movement, all in the name of freedom, rights, and justice. I see them as activities done in the name of lawlessness.
Trouble is, there may be some token justification for their cause, but they are going about addressing or solving it in a very wrong and dangerous way.
I suppose there are two extremes are both worth monitoring, namely, a police state and a lawless state. My concern here is the latter. As always, it starts in the home, where children must learn to obey the laws of the parents. From home we move on to day school—whatever form it takes—where the students must follow the rules of the school.
Whether it's home or school, for the most part, said rules are generally there for the good of all members of that community, no matter how small. Little outbursts can lead to out-of-control tantrums and physical violence, schoolyard pranks can lead to community vandalism, if not held in check.
Kids need to learn to obey mom and dad, teacher and principal, because one day they will get out into the real world and be forced to obey a boss here or a cop there. Even in the workplace, wildcat strikes, unnecessary absenteeism, and slacking off, are all forms of lawlessness. On the other hand, unions are often formed because there is an attitude or practice of lawlessness among the management.
Whether it's the mobs on the lakefront streets in downtown Chicago, the sandy climes of Daytona Beach during spring break, or some railroad track just outside of Milton, Ontario, lawlessness of any stripe is unacceptable in a civilized society. Note: I said “lawlessness,” not peaceful protest. Do not get the two confused.
If I have issues with the government, I don't shoot the leader; I vote for a more acceptable candidate—then hold him or her accountable. The former is lawlessness, the latter is peaceful protest (or exercising my democratic right). Or if I am horrified with the butchering of defenseless babies, I don't shoot the killer doctor; I support victims, I promote adoption, and I encourage abstinence. And I would vote for those who agree with me.
I would have exercised my democratic right last week on the Interstate-90, but Canadians can't vote in America. I simply voted with my foot and slowed down. That makes for a cheaper, wiser, and saner response.
Come to think of it, cheaper, wiser and saner sounds like a good response to a lot of things these days.
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