Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
While I know and completely understand that raising children is not the responsibility of our law enforcement professionals, it's an unfortunate circumstance of life that we, and society, often have to deal with the results of what I believe is poor parenting. In today's world, far too many children are being raised by music video, movies and television and common sense (apparently) plays little role in their upbringing or day-to-day life. As an example I offer up the story reported today through multiple outlets about the 20-yr old university football player who refused to pull up his pants to cover his underwear and argued so hard about it on a plane that he ended up arrested. According to
this story on CNN, Deshon Marman refused to wear his pants to cover his underwear while boarding an US Airways flight in San Francisco bound for Phoenix. The plane's captain apparently decided that if Mr. Marman wasn't going to wear his clothes properly (in what the Captain deemed to be a decent fashion) then he wasn't welcome aboard the plane. Now, understand this: The plane's pilot / captain, much like the Captain of any ship, has the ability to refuse to allow any passenger a seat and has the authority to have said passenger removed fromt he plane. Unless the Captain is making irrational demands, it's best to comply with his directives and requests. Mr. Marman made such a big deal out of it that the Captain had the other passengers cleared from the plane and had the police - whom Mr. Marman resisted - remove Mr. Marman from the plane. Really? Over a pair of pants not worn correctly? YES. Some folks read that and think, "Wow; that captain really blew things about of proportion and the police should have known better." Other folks read that and think, "Wow; how stupid was that man that he not only doesn't know how to wear his clothes properly but he was dumb enough to ignore the Captain and then fight the police." I submit to you, dear readers, that Mr. Marman's parents failed him, or he failed himself once free of their home. In today's world where some people think it takes a village to raise a child, I submit to you my belief that it takes
active parenting to raise a child. Neighbors and friends who tell us when our children act stupidly are helfpul. How you wear your clothes is a matter of common sense.
Underwear is called underwear because it's meant to be worn UNDER your clothes
and not be visible. To me, seeing your boxers, that you so proudly and carefully show off, is just as offensive as seeing your butt-crack. (That goes for you young ladies too who choose to wear low-rider jeans with your t-back showing or your butt-crack showing off). If you're not going to dress correctly, then why dress at all? If you want to show it off, go out naked - but don't be surprised when you get arrested for indecent exposure. Perhaps more importantly for the readership of this board, if you're given a lawful order by a plane's Captain, obey it. If you choose not to and he has the police come to escort you off his plane, don't resist or fight. Wearing your underwear on the outside is strike one; ignoring and/or arguing with the captain is strike two; fighting or resisting the police is strike three. DUH! What do you all think?
