What was the lesson that Eve learned?

Another one of those impulses today to get all Andy Rooney-esque and offer a pastiche of my thoughts on eclectic subjects. I don’t know if the incentive to ponder relatively commonplace questions is a matter of age – for I am not as old as Mr. Rooney, but nobody is – or just a matter of divesting myself from some of the genuine woes of the world. Like the Seinfeld show, this particular blog is about nothing. Yet, our ‘nothings’ truly are more important than the earth-shattering ‘somethings’ of the world.

On the other hand, those earth-shattering somethings do happen, and sometimes those 'somethings' are for our betterment. We always hope that is the case.

For example, today (at the time of this writing) is the day of the US elections. I don’t know how it will come out. I know how I’d like it to come out – I think, though quite frankly during my years on the planet I have never come across a politician that didn’t ultimately disappoint and disenchant – but I have no power over that. Therefore, I must accept that people will vote as they will, and the final tally will be the result of that.

Later: Of course, we now know how the thing played out and it played out to the satisfaction of many, many people, myself included. Regarding my statement about how politicians invariably disappoint, I truly do hope I am wrong this time because I feel quite pumped about the entire matter. I cannot recall the last time I misted up over the acceptance speech of a politician (I don’t even bother watching them as a rule), but in the case of Mr. Obama, I did.

I will say, or reiterate, in fact, that I believe everybody should get to vote in the US elections since the results in that nation will impact all of us. Actually, you could carry that further, since we all share this mudball; everybody should get to vote in every other country’s elections. Wouldn’t that make for an interesting world?

Otherwise, moving on:

We had a nasty vehicle accident about 70 miles south of here the other day. It involved a whole bunch of kids from this community, however. In the incident, the kids (high school age) had been at an overnight bush party and were all piled into a van in which seats had been removed so they would all fit. Seatbelts were, of course, out of the question under the circumstances. According to scuttlebutt they had all been drinking so they decided their designated driver should be a young girl who only had a learner’s permit. They came out a side street to the main highway and then this unskilled driver proceed across four lanes of traffic to turn onto the highway and the inevitable happened: they were hit. One kid died and the rest suffered various injuries when they bounced around like BBs in a boxcar with the impact.

Further scuttlebutt holds that the van was parentally owned and that somehow some person with the legal entitlement to have children thought it was a fine idea for kids to do an overnighter 70 miles from home at which the booze would flow and that those same kids would make responsible choices.

They didn’t. One young woman’s life has been destroyed in the wake of one of her classmates being dead.

Let us dispel a currently-held myth. Young people are not capable of making reasoned choices. Their brains aren’t even fully formed, and they are governed by hormones. So, folks, lose your fear of stifling their brilliant independence, rein them in and establish some boundaries of responsibility. Otherwise, you have no right to have them.

I know this all from personal history and think back at some of the ridiculous, testosterone-driven decisions I made, and the risks I took when I was very young. I also know this from having watched my stepdaughter in her formative years. She was an intellectually rather brilliant young lady, but many of her decisions needed to be tempered by reasoning adults.

There is, after all, a reason why armies always want their soldiers to be young. They’ll take risks sensible adults wouldn’t.

Another case in point. In the drybelt interior of BC there is an extensive wine industry. The wineries have tastings, as wineries do. According to a newspaper article today, it has become fashionable for young males to get a bit of a snootful at the tastings and then, as only young males can do, go out to test their manhood by harassing the rattlesnakes that abound in the area. Doctors have reported a huge increase in potentially lethal snakebites as a result.

Back in the political realm again, the Sarah Palin rumors just don’t quit. Surf the net, it’s such fun. Latest offerings include the observation that Sarah wanted to speak following McCain at the time of his concession speech. His team refused her, and left her all pouty. Oh, and in the world of Sarah, the continent of Africa is a country – which I guess makes Kenya a province or a county, and the national membership of NAFTA is a blank in her knowledge, despite the fact that Canada, a member, is right next door to Alaska.

“What’s the difference between Sarah Palin and a pitbull? Eventually a pitbull lets go.” This is a tale repeated by the British Ambassador to the US and was supposedly told to him by McCain himself.

Enough.