Have things really changed?

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  Today we hear about bombings in Boston against innocent folks and disasters in West, Texas and killings in Baghdad over elections and I just cannot help but think back about the "good old days" but were they really different?
  
  The names and faces and topics change but there is still problems and they are always from the same place, THE HEART OF MAN and the lack of respect for THE RULE OF LAW.  Sure we had discipline and a common purpose in the Osage of raising children to be God fearing adults and we had lots of differences of opinion and just in case you don't remember let me remind you of a few things that got folks really angry.
  
  
  
  • Politics - I remember family getting so angry about their opinion they would shake with anger. In particular I remember my dad getting really angry because Aunt Gladys Snyder (teacher - Miss Snyder) was not being paid as much as male teachers because men had to support their families.  Dad was never a confrontation orientated person but this one got him in an uproar.   In the good old days Democrats outnumbered republicans and probably rightfully so based on the past prejudices toward women and blacks.  Even in the Osage folks thought women should make less than men for the same job.  Before my time people even thought women should not vote.  Lots of folks thought blacks were not equal.  Unions were needed to get things made to be fair.  But guess what happened over time.  Free enterprise and common sense made some changes and it did take some government intervention like civil rights and equal pay legislation to get some corrections made.  But extreme measures were needed and over time they were not needed and I would have to say some folks did not adjust well to those changes.  In other words those extreme views needed modified as well.
  • LONG HAIR - I don't think any one thing brought more frustration for old folks than long hair.  Of course it was more of a symbol for rejection of standards that had been set in stone for years.  I remember when Mr. Treadway (Shidler High Principal) suggested I should either get my side burns cut or get to miss school.  Of course that was back when it was dishonorable to miss school or  be kicked out.  Although I do remember there were a certain set of girls in my class who thought it was a badge of honor to get kicked out of school.  During this adjustment time there were those who would give you  a hair cut for free without you volunteering.  We use to say that Don of Don's barber shop only gave two haircuts, burr or flat top.  
  • Short skirts - Now I would have to say this did not bother me in the least but it sure got the adults in a wad.  As I recall Terry Hustead and a bazillion girls tried to push this issue as far up (get it, UP as in shorter) as possible.  Either the girls in the 60's and 70's had longer legs or the skirts were shorter and they did not wear 6 INCH heels like today.
  • Short Shorts - There was no way that we ever got to see short shorts on high school campuses but at college it was amazing.  We had girls burning their bra's and wearing shorts so short that their butts were hanging out.  At that time I have to say I did enjoy the situation and I certainly was not a Christian at the time.  I would also say after I accepted Christ as my personal savior I still enjoyed seeing the girls on campus at Weatherford, Oklahoma, SWOSU.  Anyway, short shorts were too short and honestly just did not look that good especially on the girl you were dating at the time and wanted to take home to visit the folks, get it?
  Of course these issues are not that big of a deal but folks can get pretty wound up about them.  We get so caught up in single events that we pass laws because of 1 in a million who is an idiot or terrorist.  
  
  
  An easy example of politics and common sense that don't mix is gun control.  Obviously criminals are not going to register their guns and quit frankly are going to steel them or buy them on the black market.  Obviously we should have back ground checks on folks buying guns at stores and gun shows which are stores.  And obviously there are problems with how do you keep guns from getting in the hands of a nut like in the Connecticut shooting or Columbine or the movie theatre in Colorado.  Keeping politics out of this, is there really any law that will stop a nut or criminal from getting their hands on guns or explosives or knives?  
  
  
  One last thing, how long does it take to prosecute a killer caught on film and who admits guilt when in the US court system?  Tim McVeigh took about four years and MILLIONS of dollars.  The Boston boys is a split decision.  The first one was cheap and he is dead.  The second one will cost millions and even though he told the cab driver he was responsible may get away with the murders on technical problems and for sure it will take years and millions of dollars to prosecute.  In the Osage before so many federal and state laws got in the way there were quicker remedies.  Even if you are not for the death penalty what about having all those inmates walking along the roads in chains cleaning up the trash?  I really like that one.
  
  
  Well I best stop as I could go for a while on this one.  
  
  
  What do you learn in the Osage?
  • Common sense prevails and there will never be enough laws to fix everything 
  • Sometimes we need more democrats and sometimes we need more republicans and right now we need more republicans.  I could not pass that one up.
  • Killers who are repeat offenders NEVER repeat offending if taken behind the wood shed and don't return.

  Thanks for spending a little time with me,
  gary@thepioneerman.com