In the days after the mass shooting in Maine, the usual people raised the normal go to red herrings, “IT’S THE GUNS!” etc. I posted on this last week, and I’ve been thinking it over since the shooting occurred. After watching the news on several other items, it made me think of the real issue. Plastic bags.
Go with me here. Ages ago I was patrolling Houston’s 3rd Ward, aka Da Hood. I was stopped somewhere and I saw a teenage female with a plastic bag. She took out a snack, and what does she do with the plastic bag? Throws it on the ground of course.
Not my problem, let someone else pick it up, or words to that effect. It reminded me of something I read earlier. I occasionally check the blog of a teacher in Colorado (learned about him through a mutual friend). He’s mentioned in his younger days he spent some time teaching English in Japan. And two things that stuck with him.
No one left their trash for someone else to pick up. People always cleaned up after themselves. If someone forgot a used lunch bag, newspaper, etc. on a bus stop, another person would pick it up and throw it in the trash. Also, if someone left a package at the bus stop/train stop, it would be left alone. He mentioned how he watched noticed a woman get on a train without taking her bag. He wasn’t sure what to do, but he sat and waited. Twenty minutes later the woman came back, picked up her bag, and departed.
Anyone think that this would happen in New York, LA, or Chicago?
Now, let’s look at a few recent events on American culture. In September I posted on the murder of Andreas “Andy” Probst. Mr. Probst was a retired police chief from Bell, CA. After calling it quits in Bell, he moved to Las Vegas and onto his second career. In the early morning of August 14, 2023, Probst was riding his bicycle when he was run over by two thugs in a stolen car. As they approached him riding in the bike lane, the passenger (16 YOA) told the driver (17YOA at the time, now 18), “Get his ass!” Mr. Probst was killed on the scene.
When his wife, Mrs. Crystal Probst, was asked by a reporter, “What was your reaction?” her answer was, “He’s an entitled little s^&&!” (see 3:55 on the video). Later, Mrs. Probst and their daughter Taylor Probst were asked, “What do you have to say to his family?” Both answered, “You failed, badly. It’s the toughest job to raise a teenager, and you failed” (see 4:40 on the video).
But is this the only recent example of entitled teenagers run amuck? I would have to say, no.
A teenage boy accused of punching and kicking his teaching assistant in a row over a Nintendo Switch has appeared in court charged as an adult.
B****** D***, now 18 but who was 17 at the time of the alleged beating, was led shackled into court to face charges of aggravated battery – a felony.
He allegedly attacked teaching assistant Joan Naydich, 57, at Matanzas High School on February 21. The savage assault was caught on school surveillance cameras.
The 6ft 6in and 270lb student was caught viciously beating the ‘humble’ mother-of-two until she was unconscious, with Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly warning it ‘could have been a homicide’.
In shocking video he is seen knocking Naydich to the ground before pounding the unconscious woman at least 15 times in the back and head…
Over a video game.
Now the defense council wants the case thrown out because the “child” has Autism. This report does not detail where on the Autism scale he is, but the fact he is in a regular high school indicates he’s on the Level 1, not requiring significant support.
I have friends with a child on the spectrum (not sure if it’s 2 or 3, but their kid is beyond 1) and they have spent years to get him more functional. I’ve know him his entire life and I don’t think he would ever strike a person like that. And his parents would not try to justify it if he assaulted someone like that.
Another example, close to home. In April 2023, a student at Lamar High School in Houston had his phone confiscated by a teacher. He was not happy, “Give me my f—king phone, n—a!” Afterwards, he sucker punched the man in the face.
As I typed this, I have just returned from Austin, where I saw a close friend promoted at work. I rode up with another mutual friend. Both of us are cops, and we both carried firearms. Did you hear about any mass shootings in Austin today? No. We’re cops, we carry firearms habitually.
Again, it’s generations of children (since the “Great” Society of the LBJ years) who have been born, but not raised. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called by a parent because, and I am not joking, “My kid won’t go to school.” I try to not show my, “You actually called me out for this s$%^” face as I walk up.
No, Mr. Citizen, I’m not here to raise your kids. Yes, you can use physical discipline on your kid, but after 12 years, might be a little late. Yes, I know you pay my salary…hey, I’ll give you a penny for your share, you can keep the change.
Sarcasm, yes. But again, and yes, I’ve made this point countless times, the issue is not objects, but people. Like the young lady at the beginning of this column, she was not raised to respect anything. And we have to change that.
A saying I was told years ago fits. “You raise your children, you can spoil your grandchildren. You spoil your children, you will have to raise your grandchildren.” If we start raising children again, a lot of other issues will go away.
Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.
Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.
If you enjoyed this article, then please REPOST or SHARE with others; encourage them to follow AFNN. If you’d like to become a citizen contributor for AFNN, contact us at managingeditor@afnn.us Help keep us ad-free by donating here.
Truth Social: @AFNN_USA
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/afnnusa
Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/2_-GAzcXmIRjODNh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfnnUsa
GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/AFNN_USA
CloutHub: @AFNN_USA
1 thought on “Again, It’s Not The Guns. Or The Cars. Or The Phones.”