Is Common Sense Dead?

[2BNTV]

Obituary in the London Times:

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has
been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his
birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be
remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job
that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.


It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent
to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform
parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and
criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar
in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her
lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.


Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.


He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
- Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on.

[Rags123]

Obituary in the London Times:

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has
been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his
birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be
remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more
than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job
that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.


It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent
to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform
parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and
criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar
in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her
lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.


Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.


He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
- Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on.


Trouble brews if I comment, but need to post here to support every single sentiment expressed !

[steveblood19]

All true

[marianne237]

Sigh....so true.

[dbussone]

Recent Example below from my hometown.

By Martha Shanahan
mshanahan@wickedlocal.com
Posted Jun. 6, 2014 @ 5:28 pm

BEVERLY
The parent of a Beverly High School lacrosse player has reported that his son and another player have been suspended from tomorrow’s championship game against Marblehead after a picture of them smoking cigars appeared in the Citizen this week.
John Donovan told The Salem News Friday that his son, midfielder Nick Donovan, and defenseman Dylan Jutras were suspended under Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) rules governing the use of tobacco.
A picture of Donovan, Jutras and two other Beverly High School graduates smoking cigars at the school’s June 1 graduation ceremony appeared in the June 5 edition of the Citizen.
Students who play for MIAA member schools are forbidden to consume alcohol, tobacco or non-prescribed drugs be suspended from 25 percent of remaining regular season games or removed completely from tournament games scheduled at the time of the infraction, according to MIAA spokesperson Paul Wetzel.
Wetzel could not confirm the suspensions, but said that it is the responsibility of local athletic directors and principals to enforce MIAA rules.
Neither Beverly athletic director James Coffey or BHS principal Sean Gallagher could be reached for comment.
The Panthers face Marblehead in the Div. 2 North final tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Bertram Field in Salem.
Beverly lacrosse coach John Pynchon also did not confirm the suspensions.
"We are preparing as a team to play Marblehead tomorrow," he said, offering no further comment.
This story will be updated when more information becomes available.

When idiots and bureaucracy get together.....

[buggyone]

Recent Example below from my hometown.

By Martha Shanahan
mshanahan@wickedlocal.com
Posted Jun. 6, 2014 @ 5:28 pm

BEVERLY
The parent of a Beverly High School lacrosse player has reported that his son and another player have been suspended from tomorrow’s championship game against Marblehead after a picture of them smoking cigars appeared in the Citizen this week.
John Donovan told The Salem News Friday that his son, midfielder Nick Donovan, and defenseman Dylan Jutras were suspended under Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) rules governing the use of tobacco.
A picture of Donovan, Jutras and two other Beverly High School graduates smoking cigars at the school’s June 1 graduation ceremony appeared in the June 5 edition of the Citizen.
Students who play for MIAA member schools are forbidden to consume alcohol, tobacco or non-prescribed drugs be suspended from 25 percent of remaining regular season games or removed completely from tournament games scheduled at the time of the infraction, according to MIAA spokesperson Paul Wetzel.
Wetzel could not confirm the suspensions, but said that it is the responsibility of local athletic directors and principals to enforce MIAA rules.
Neither Beverly athletic director James Coffey or BHS principal Sean Gallagher could be reached for comment.
The Panthers face Marblehead in the Div. 2 North final tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Bertram Field in Salem.
Beverly lacrosse coach John Pynchon also did not confirm the suspensions.
"We are preparing as a team to play Marblehead tomorrow," he said, offering no further comment.
This story will be updated when more information becomes available.

When idiots and bureaucracy get together.....

How about teaching kids that rules are rules - and it is wrong to break the rules - and being stupid about being photographed while breaking the rules?

[dbussone]

How about teaching kids that rules are rules - and it is wrong to break the rules - and being stupid about being photographed while breaking the rules?


Zero tolerance rules are stupid. Not everything is black or white. These kids celebrated a once in a lifetime achievement.

[Birdie Dreamer]

Zero tolerance rules are stupid. Not everything is black or white. These kids celebrated a once in a lifetime achievement.

I'm with Buggyone on this one. I thought your initial post was an example of lack of common sense exhibited by the lacrosse players.

[dbussone]

I'm with Buggyone on this one. I thought your initial post was an example of lack of common sense exhibited by the lacrosse players.


I appreciate your opinion.

[redwitch]

The common sense article is an oldie but a goodie. As to the lacrosse players, not a lot of sympathy here, except for the other players of the team. If you're going to break the rules, at least have the common sense to not let your picture be published breaking that rule.

[graciegirl]

Thank you Joe. I would not trade one soul with common sense for ten geniuses.


You have it my friend, but you could be a genius too.:BigApplause:

[buggyone]

[QUOTE=dbussone;889905]Zero tolerance rules are stupid. /QUOTE]

Zero tolerance rules are stupid? Bringing guns to school is stupid? Selling drugs is stupid?

Sure, there are some zero tolerance rules that are stupid and are carried to an extreme. However, these lacrosse players knew full well that smoking was forbidden and was a condition of playing but they did it anyhow - and were dumb enough to be photographed. They deserve their punishment. They hurt themselves with the ban as well as their team mates.

They should have saved their victory cigars until after the lacrosse season had ended.

[dbussone]

[QUOTE=dbussone;889905]Zero tolerance rules are stupid. /QUOTE]

Zero tolerance rules are stupid? Bringing guns to school is stupid? Selling drugs is stupid?

Sure, there are some zero tolerance rules that are stupid and are carried to an extreme. However, these lacrosse players knew full well that smoking was forbidden and was a condition of playing but they did it anyhow - and were dumb enough to be photographed. They deserve their punishment. They hurt themselves with the ban as well as their team mates.

They should have saved their victory cigars until after the lacrosse season had ended.


By the way, they were officially out of school for the year and that school for life.

We disagree and I guess certain views aren't particularly welcome here on TOTV.

Zero tolerance rules without common sense ARE stupid. Ask the 6 year old who was suspended for shaping a sandwich into the shape of a gun.

[VT2TV]

I think they did the right things. Those guys knew the rules and what would happen if they broke them. Better they learn the lesson of playing by the rules, and that their actions have consequences. An important life lesson learned is much more important than any sports game.

[Blessed2BNTV]

Joe....thanks for your post. So true...so very sad, but true.

[graciegirl]

Joe. There are so many of us who smile every time you post knowing you are here finally, living the dream.

[skyguy79]

I guess certain views aren't particularly welcome here on TOTV. I fail to see where any "certain views" aren't particularly welcome here on TOTV, but I do see where expressing certain "opposing" views are not!

Having stated that, I also believe that this particular rule was properly applied. The rules were made for a valid reason and the players were aware of the rules, the players violated the rules and there should be no exception because of an impending championship game or otherwise. And the reason why there should be no exception in this case is because it sends the wrong messages to other players, current or future, that they can ignore the rules and there will be a good chance that they can get away with it without consequences; not a good lesson in "common sense" to instill on our youth!

Now, I'm not going to say that I never broke any school sports rules, but when I played high school football, I had enough smarts to make sure that I took every step to avoid being detected when smoking a cigarette. A few of us even hid a butt and matches in our football uniforms to sneak a few puffs along the long trek from our school, using a secluded alternate unused route to the practice field that was normally about 15 minutes away. Even though we knew it was wrong, I guess we thought that it was only wrong if we got caught! :angel: :evil6:

[graciegirl]

Skyguy as usual says this far better than I

if someone disagrees with a posters views on things or two or three of their views on things doesn't mean they disagree with all of their views on things. Sometimes people make their point well and change minds and sometimes they don't. We are a stubborn bunch of old-er people. Sometimes we use sarcasm in debate and sometimes we use logic and sometimes we show frustration and disbelief and anger. Very little said here is going to change anyone's mind.

But dagnabbit...I have almost 20,000 posts to show you what an idiot I am to keep trying.

[B767drvr]

Count me in the camp with dbussone.

In my humble opinion and life experience, an infinitesimally small percentage of teenagers truly enjoy smoking cigars. It is a much stronger and harsher flavor than cigarettes, and the smoke itself is more difficult to inhale without choking and coughing for the uninitiated. Therefore, my "common sense" tells me that those boys were merely engaging in a time-honored celebratory "ritual" among men of sharing a cigar to note a special event.

My common sense tells me there is a distinction between "smoking" (as in acquiring an unhealthy addiction - which the school rule is attempting to prevent) and sharing a rare couple of puffs on a cigar with your mates to celebrate a special event. (I highly doubt any even inhaled less they be ridiculed for coughing!)

Common sense would give these boys a pass in my book.

[rubicon]

In order to have common sense you have to have common decency and in order to have common decency you have to be devoid of being egocentric and of relative moralism. Perhaps matters are not black and white but I believe far too many people say that to escape their responsibility.

It was bad enough when good was bad and bad was good. Now it is required that to gain fame you need to be very very bad.

But the worse human condition in today's America is that a person cannot be allowed to voice his/her opinion i n private without the thought police there to destroy hat person such as the CEO from Mozilla. His thought and actions were private concerning his belief in DOMA. contrast that with the CEO of BP who came out gay and not one bad word was uttered.

This is a very damgerous game some people are playing

[2BNTV]

I fail to see where any "certain views" aren't particularly welcome here on TOTV, but I do see where expressing certain "opposing" views are not!

Having stated that, I also believe that this particular rule was properly applied. The rules were made for a valid reason and the players were aware of the rules, the players violated the rules and there should be no exception because of an impending championship game or otherwise. And the reason why there should be no exception in this case is because it sends the wrong messages to other players, current or future, that they can ignore the rules and there will be a good chance that they can get away with it without consequences; not a good lesson in "common sense" to instill on our youth!

Now, I'm not going to say that I never broke any school sports rules, but when I played high school football, I had enough smarts to make sure that I took every step to avoid being detected when smoking a cigarette. A few of us even hid a butt and matches in our football uniforms to sneak a few puffs along the long trek from our school, using a secluded alternate unused route to the practice field that was normally about 15 minutes away. Even though we knew it was wrong, I guess we thought that it was only wrong if we got caught! :angel: :evil6:

Nice post Joe. :smiley:

That was back when there were no cell phones, for someone to take your picture and forward it to the world!!!!

As my uncle Joe used to say, "I just want to do the right thing".

A good way to lead a decent life.

[Uptown Girl]

Common sense, in my opinion, is like a sense of direction or a sense of rhythm. Not everyone comes by it naturally and some may never develop it well, no matter how hard they may try.

However, knowing the rules, clearly understanding them and choosing to break them just because one feels like it, is ego…. which often trumps ANY common sense.

[dbussone]

Skyguy as usual says this far better than I

if someone disagrees with a posters views on things or two or three of their views on things doesn't mean they disagree with all of their views on things. Sometimes people make their point well and change minds and sometimes they don't. We are a stubborn bunch of old-er people. Sometimes we use sarcasm in debate and sometimes we use logic and sometimes we show frustration and disbelief and anger. Very little said here is going to change anyone's mind.

But dagnabbit...I have almost 20,000 posts to show you what an idiot I am to keep trying.


Gracie - right on as usual. I think the amount of uncivil discourse on TOTV is really bothering me.

[Villages PL]

:pray: R.I.P., Common Sense. :pray: I knew him well and life will never be the same without him. :ohdear: