Dumb Youth and Dumber Parents

I saw three examples this weekend of kids that need to be slapped, but not until their parents are slapped first. While waiting in line to pick up our dinner on Friday night and head to the football game, a father and son came in. The son was probably junior high age. As we stood there the son proceeded to berate his dad and demand that he recite the son's order precisely so there wouldn't be any mistakes regarding what he wanted. He was loud and obnoxious and it was clear that he was in charge and dad was the servant whose job it was to keep junior happy. It was embarrassing to everybody in the store, and the kid should have been punted into the next county for talking that way to his dad, especially in public.

On Saturday night the Mrs. and I headed over to Disneyland. While walking in from the parking garage I noticed another girl, probably around junior high or early high school age, who clearly had "issues". Her hair was multi-colored and she was dressed in a fashion that could only be described as "early slut". She and her mother ended up in the tram line right behind us, and while waiting we heard her tell her mother that she was a "sh***y mother". Well, based on the kid's dress and attitude, I'm not sure I could argue with that, though once again, the kid was in charge and in need of a swift kick that she wasn't going to get from this thoroughly cowed mom.

And then there's this story from AOL News:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Oct. 14) - Upset by the war in Iraq, Julia Wilson vented her frustrations with President Bush last spring on her Web page on MySpace.com.

She posted a picture of the president, scrawled "Kill Bush" across the top and drew a dagger stabbing his outstretched hand. She later replaced her page on the social-networking site after learning in her eighth-grade history class that such threats are a federal offense.

It was too late.

Federal authorities had found the page and placed Wilson on their checklist. They finally reached her this week in her molecular biology class.

The 14-year-old freshman was taken out of class Wednesday and questioned for about 15 minutes by two Secret Service agents. The incident has upset her parents, who said the agents should have included them when they questioned their daughter.

On Friday, the teenager said the agents' questioning led her to tears.

"I wasn't dangerous. I mean, look at what's (stenciled) on my backpack - it's a heart. I'm a very peace-loving person," said Wilson, an honor student who describes herself as politically passionate. "I'm against the war in Iraq. I'm not going to kill the president."

When you write "Kill Bush" on your website, what is the Secret Service supposed to think? Just another dumb kid, or possibly a real threat? They don't have the luxury of making that call without investigation.

The story goes on to try and make a helpless victim out of this idiotic 14 year old:

After they left, Kirstie Wilson sent a text message to her daughter's cell phone, telling her to come straight home: "There are two men from the secret service that want to talk with you. Apparently you made some death threats against president bush."

"Are you serious!?!? omg. Am I in a lot of trouble?" her daughter responded.

Moments later, Kirstie Wilson received another text message from her daughter saying agents had pulled her out of class.

Julia Wilson said the agents threatened her by saying she could be sent to juvenile hall for making the threat.

"They yelled at me a lot," she said. "They were unnecessarily mean."

Poor baby. Maybe if mom and dad had done a little more yelling instead of coddling, she wouldn't have been writing "Kill Bush" on her website in the first place. And maybe if mom and dad bothered to moniter what she was posting on her website, this whole episode could have been avoided.

However, it appears that instead we're going to have a budding Junior Moonbat on our hands:

Julia Wilson plans to post a new MySpace.com page, this one devoted to organizing other students to protest the Iraq war.

"I decided today I think I will because it (the questioning) went too far," she said.

Hey kid, a little discipline hurts, doesn't it? It's probably the first time you've ever had to deal with some serious blowback for your actions.

I'm guessing Cindy Sheehan will have an extra tent for you in Crawford the next time she sets up camp down there. Don't worry, you won't have to get your parent's permission - they wouldn't dare tell you "no".