Bubble living.

Here's some quick, random highlights about being a kid in the 70's. I'm talking personal ones, not like....bell bottoms and tupperware and pop culture.

1. Riding in the back of my parents truck everywhere.

2. My dad taking me for short rides on his motorcycle...sans helmets.

3. The day I grew the balls to climb up the high-dive at the local pool and not go back down because I was too scared. I jumped. It was awesome.

I'm sure there's others, but I saw something today that reminded me of these things and of a point I wanted to make.

So, this nice lady was attending a baseball game at Dodger Stadium and when Todd Helton (from the visiting Rockies) swung his bat, it hit a ball and shattered. The bat went into the stands and hit her in the jaw. Ouch. Bummer. So now some yayhoo at Yahoo is jumping on board with what has thus far just been scuttlebutt about banning maple bats. Oh yeah, Helton's bat was maple which alot of players are using now because it "feels harder." O.kaaaaay. Anyway, here's the guys article here and it features just sad photos of the lady with her jaw bandaged up:



What bugs me (amongst other things) is how up in arms the writer and the ladies attorney are that the Dodgers won't cover her medical bills. People...right on your ticket it says if you get hurt from a bat or ball, the stadium and club aren't liable. They also announce it at the beginning of the game. I mean, the Dodger organization is total scum (go Giants!) but the whole injury by bat and ball is covered and they are totally right in saying "uhh...pay attention and duck next time." Again, not to be cold...buuut....as fast as MLB is you have plenty of time to duck/put up hands/push a guy in front of you/etc if something flies off the field. Go to a hockey game and track a puck when it leaves the ice. That's fast. Baseball-if you're actually watching the game-allots time for you to move if something comes your way. Or, catch it. You gotta be paying attention though. (Hint. Hint.)

I had an argument earlier this baseball season because all the base coaches in Major League Baseball have to wear silly helmets now because a coach...ONE COACH...one coach in how many years...got cracked in the head with a foul ball and died. So now everyone has to wear a helmet. Sure, it will keep them safer but I thought America was the land of freedom and choice? Well, I feel that a bunch of sorry sack liberals have done their best to ruin that in the name of "safety" and "equal opportunity" and "my best interests."

I don't mean to draw a line in the sand but I feel like it's the lefties who get on the "equal rights" bandwagon and ruin a somewhat harmful activity for everyone. Like...my mentions above of high dives, pick up truck beds and helmet free motorcycle rides. I mean really. Can't people make up their own minds on if they want to wear a helmet or ride in the back of a truck? Shouldn't every kid/teen decide "yes. I want to climb the high dive ladder before everyone in the public pool, gain all eyes on me...and JUMP." Some people don't dig that and that's totally, totally fine. But what happened to options?? What happened to choices?? I know it's weird reading a rant that doesn't accuse the right-wing of something, but I feel like the right wing are submissive to "the law" and just take whatever they're told to do and do it. "Vote Bush?" O.K...don't beat me. "Wear a helmet even though you'd rather just be dead if you crash your hog at 80 MPH? O.K...just don't ticket me." It just fees to me (and I could be wrong) that most changed laws or new ideas about keeping us "safe" come from injured liberals looking to make a buck. Conservatives just kinda "take it" but liberals wanna get paid and ruin it for everyone.

I guess from working with kids my whole life, I'm sensitive to the fact that most every adult has to have things "their" way. Like...if a field trip is scheduled and their kid is in summer school, I should reschedule the entire trip. Never mind the other 50 signed up kids who aren't in summer school...just you and your kid should be adjusted for, right?

Wrong.

In closing, when I was in high school some freaky girl who had a boyfriend who was a 30 year old biker (I'm NOT kidding) did a whole thing in our "speech" class about how it's un-American to make people wear seatbelts. At the time, we all railed against her but now, I think she's right. When does "for your own good" become fascism? When it's deemed "too" pornographic? The movies are TOO violent? Strange religious sects are too stange? Strong alcohol makes weak people do stupid stuff??

This whole potential banning of maple bats plus all the other "helpful" things our government has done just worries me to no end. Aren't we allowed to be free because our freedom allows us and helps us make the right choices for ourselves and our families? Do we need our hands held? I say...no. Bring back the high dives and summer nights riding in the bed of a pickup truck!!!