Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I've FedEx'd Deep Green a case of Bounty. He should have Indiana high and dry by dinner time tomorrow. We've discussed a few ways for him to join the fray here and
we'll be putting something or other up fairly soon. Given our near diametrically opposed views, a Crossfire ala Old School SNL might be fun. For us anyway, YMMV.

For tonight, I send you on a trip. A quest. Yes, another learning experience.

Neo-Frat Boy Corporate State
This one post has more sublime linky goodness to it than a whole day at HuffPo.

Meanwhile, Driftglass is phoning it in. He's excused because I needed time to wander around his archives some more. Picking a favorite Drifty is like picking your favorite child.
A Week of Solid Driftgold Worth a wander to remind'er. Note the (tm) Driftglass
motto "In the Age of Duyba, you can either be a good American, or a good Republican, but you can no longer be both."

Lastly, a RFO. Request for Opinion.
Once a year, my little town of 15,000 and change does something no sane, thinking place would allow in an inner-ring suburb of Chicago. They hold an All-School picnic.
K-8 students from 7 schools converge on 3.5 acres of parkland for a few hours of chaos. There are lots of adults. Teachers, staff, parents, cops, volunteers etc. but not really enough for a crowd that size. I've witnessed about 15 years worth and it still creeps me out. When my own kids were younger, they were never out of my sight.
(Okay, even when they were older too.) Other kids' parents work at jobs that don't allow time off for such frivolous shit.

A new Superintendent entered the district this year. His misgivings for this event are tough to argue. When something bad happens, what then? Being lucky for all these years can turn to crap in a heartbeat. I may have attended the last such event in this town and I have seriously mixed feelings about it. Defying the odds? Time-honored tradition that is folksy, small-towny and charming? Better safe than sorry or sometimes you just gotta say what the fuck?


If it was my call? Not worth the downside. There are other ways to promote community that don't carry as much risk or liability. What do you think?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

HOSS!

No brainer.

Do the phreakin picnic.

BE THERE and contribute to the vibe.

Let them ramble and roam.

Guns, knives, drugs and violence will find you if yer anywhere.

Do the picnic, and spend YOUR time organizing and lobbying for more parents to supervise.

This Thing Of Yours-It's a must do. You know it.

Do it. It's community. It HAS to happen or you all go into your shells and reload fresh ammo when you HAVE to come out for work, school, shopping, etc.

Rehctaw said...

Update:
More than a week after the event, a parent has filed a police report of an attempted luring (kidnapping)at the picnic. Her 9 year-old daughter told her about a stranger (woman) who talked to her and tried to get her to join her as she walked around looking for her own child.

The "victim" says she doesn't know the woman, or the kids she pointed to and knew by name.

So far the stranger has not come forward. Various videos of the event are being screened to see if they caught anything suspicious.

I smell a lawsuit and the pungent death of the All-School picnic in its current format.

Bittersweet

2Truthy said...

Hey rehctaw, thanks for the plug.

I say more volunteer moms at the picnic to avoid the potential for creepy misdeeds and make them bring their husbands and 's s.o.checkbooks with them.

Where do you live in Chicago, my former stomping ground?