Pubdate: Mon, 16 Jul 2007
Source: Post-Tribune (Merrillville, IN)
Copyright: 2007 Post-Tribune
Contact:  http://www.post-trib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3349
Author: Martin Henrichs
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

WE NO LONGER HAVE TIME TO CALL TIMEOUT

We live in a timeout society and, if we don't watch out, it will destroy us.

It starts at home, when parents think they are punishing their 
children by sending them to a timeout. In reality, children learn 
that a timeout means the child has won the battle of wills. It's the 
parents who need the pause from conflict. The child grows up without 
respect for the word "no" and no respect for authority.

Timeout is further ingrained in our America spirit with our love of 
sports. When the going gets tough, call "timeout."

As we sit watching television, with excitement building to a fever 
pitch, the station calls a commercial timeout. We learn to depend on 
it for a bathroom break and a bag of chips to enhance our obesity.

These are merely the first steps leading to a habit of avoiding 
problems in our society. Timeout fosters disrespect, stalls justice 
and undermines enforcement of laws. Consider these recent trends.

- -- Teenage criminals are treated with kid gloves, getting a break 
with each crime they commit. This faint-hearted approach leads to 
youthful cynicism and lawlessness.

- -- Nowhere is timeout abused with such impunity as in the court 
system. Just when a victim of crime is certain that justice will 
prevail, a lawyer cries, "Timeout!" Listen to the stories of women 
trying to collect child support.

- -- The most frustrating job in America must be that of a police 
officer. The problem started in the 1960s, when the Supreme Court 
declared police officers must read a criminal his or her "rights." As 
expected, crime skyrocketed. People now provoke police officers to 
instigate a lawsuit.

- -- The death penalty is fair punishment for some crimes, but there is 
always a do-gooder with a placard trying to delay the execution. 
Relatives of murder victims suffer, while murderers enjoy years of 
food and housing at our expense.

- -- Forty years ago, we began fighting a war on drugs. Pressure groups 
responded with timeouts. It didn't take drug dealers long to realize 
the only serious warriors in this struggle were the other drug 
dealers. Society should deal with this problem the way it used to 
stop horse thieves, with a very public demonstration of our resolve.

- -- About the same time, our government declared a war on poverty. 
People took a timeout from work and started looking for the poverty 
money. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton found lifetime careers.

- -- Americans were united and ready to wage a war on terror after 
losing 3,000 lives on 9/11. Who would have predicted that Cindy 
Sheehan and the timeout crowd in Congress and the media would quickly 
divert our attention from fighting terrorists to quarreling among 
ourselves? The terrorists depend on our wimpy timeout culture to defeat us.

- -- So many people have been calling timeout regarding illegal 
immigration that the illegals have become legitimate players in the 
American game of life. Is it any wonder they refuse to "go to their 
rooms" when told to leave? They know American laws are toothless.

- -- Finally, leave it to Al Gore to call a timeout from debate about 
global warming to organize "high energy use" rock concerts to urge 
wiser use of energy.

Where is the tough, principled, wise and moral leadership our country 
needs? The presidential wannabes leave much to be desired.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman