Nanny State of Things

Really it is no different there - in the States - than here - in the Sandbox, when you think about it. In one of the biggest Nanny states, New York, a local school district in Saratoga Springs is telling a mother that she and her son cannot bike three miles each way to school and back. What? Seriously?! The mother, Janette Kaddo Marino, has been told that "she and her son didn't have the right to bike to school together - and that his safety, even beyond school walls, was out of her hands."

When did it become a bureaucratic government authority's job to decide what is or is not safe for a child, with the obvious exception of some kind of abuse? Apparently there is a policy that says, "The riding of bicycles by elementary pupils to and from school is prohibited." Middle school is not elementary school. And, in my opinion, the Mom has a right to decide what she feels is safe or not safe - NOT the school. Once the child is ensconced behind school walls - then it is the school's job. But not before and not after.

The Mom says, "...the initial concerns raised by school officials were misplaced, including worries that her son might be snatched by a kidnapper. I don't know if the fear is warranted. It's almost like (they're suggesting) you stay inside, you get fat, you have heart problems when you get older because there may be a pedophi1e out there." She's right on the money with that statement.

In comparison, loosely... The "nanny state" in the Sandbox says that women should not exercise [I've posted on this - it is somewhere in my archives] because they might "damage" themselves. Not hurt themselves, but "damage" themselves. As in perhaps there will not be proof at some point down the road that a woman is "pure" on her wedding night. [For about $30.00 you can make sure that never happens to you...] And, of course, we all know that a woman cannot leave her home without covering herself. There is danger lurking out there and a man might think that she is asking for something she isn't if she is not covered in head-to-toe black. No worries about pedophi1es though. That is called marriage and is perfectly acceptable.

Here is another example of the "nanny state of things." The jugearedjackass wants to control the internet. Yeah, I bet he does. He doesn't want anyone thinking for themselves - you must only think what the jeja says it is okay to think. [Snort!] There must be no dissent. Sure. Let us know how that works out, because when it comes down to it, we all know what is going to happen. Those dissenting voices will go underground. Where there is a will there is a way. But, again, it is no different than here in the Sandbox where so many innocuous sites are blocked. Okay. Perhaps they are not all so innocuous. And there is probably some dissent out there. But really, is there a reason that something like Gap swimwear or Hormel pork products is being blocked?

So, see? The "nanny state" is about the same there in the States as it is here in the Sandbox. Who would have guessed...