It’s kind of late in the game for me. My son is in college. He drives. He Facebooks.
He’s beyond my control.
So I am really upset that I didn’t get this vital piece of parenting advice from Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY-did-you-elect-me) years ago:
“There is no doubt that we need to do more to curb the senseless acts of violence that continue to occur in this country,” Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), an opponent of the underlining gun bill, said. “One of the things we need are parents, parents to be more careful and more repetitive at telling their kids that it is not right to kill people. It’s not even right to bully them. And it’s definitely not right for them to kill themselves. Until we can get that message across to our kids, I hope that we don’t rely on a few votes by this body to make everybody feel comfortable that all the problem is taken care of.” (Clip courtesy of Daily Kos. They got it from Think Progress.)
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Now why didn’t I think of that?
FiftyFourandAHalf 
Oh, for Pete’s sake! I guess that poor excuse for a congressional leader has either (1) never raised kids, or (2) doesn’t realize that kids have minds of their own and can be influenced by all sorts of external nonsense (the Congressman is a case in point), or (3) that he is an idiot! Good grief–who votes for people like him?
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You know, Eleanor, if you and I could figure out why people vote for idiots like this guy, we could solve all the country’s and the world’s problems. So we’d better get to work on it!
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I’m sorry, but until the message of this post is reduced to a meme or ecard on Facebook then I just won’t understand it.
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You better get down to it, TwinDaddy. You’ve got three boys …
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Heck fire, I used to spell out that kind of wisdom on those alphabet refrigerator magnets, just to remind my husband, too!
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The need to do so may have contributed to the divorce, too!
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Yeah, no one reads those darned magnet messages except the person bothering to put them up there, right? 😉
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I wouldn’t recommend anyone taking parenting advice from a member of Congress, especially one from the Republican party. It’s been obvious to me for years that the parents of most politicians forgot to tell them not to lie.
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And not to try to fix problems, either, at least based on recent actions.
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Do you suppose this was news to anyone? On the planet?
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Perhaps some of the nincompoops who voted for this genius.
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It’s amazing that no one in Congress has managed to blow the place up yet.
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The building is lovely. But there aren’t enough people in there now that understand enough chemistry to cause any real damage.
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He’s got a point. I mean, you know how kids are — they never give you their complete attention. So if you only tell them once not to kill people, they’re just going to vaguely remember that you said something about killing people, but they won’t know whether it’s something they’re not supposed to do, or something they’re supposed to do on their way home from school today, or what.
I don’t think anyone ever told me not to kill other people, but I actually do remember my mother telling me not to kill myself. She’d just described Heaven to me and apparently thought it was really important to stress that you don’t get to go there if you kill yourself.
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You may have hit the nail on the head with the inattention aspect of this. I guess I thought telling my son the once was enough. Damn. I wonder if there’s still time …
And yeah, life can be so sucky at time that I do believe heaven would be overcrowded if we got to go there just for doing ourselves in.
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“My Parents have never told me to breath.. but I do. My parents have also never told me to respect women, but I do as I see someone else’s mother, wife, sister or daughter in her.”
So I think these two lines summarizes everything for me. Do not you think, I have a valid point here!! We can never expect parents giving us manuals having ” how to live in this planet following steps i, ii, ….” written in them.
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Our parents DO teach us all throughout our lives. And they do teach us not to kill. But this Senator was trying to blame his cowardly stand (against 90% of Americans) on gun control. He is, in a word, an asshole. A putz. A coward.
Nice to see you, pal!
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Maybe he was trying to say when everything is crushing us down, people are working 2 jobs to survive & don’t have enough time for their families – they should make sure there is at least enough time to teach their kids right from wrong?
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I don’t know if that’s what he means. It seems to me that many in the GOP don’t have such a big problem with folks killing folks, depending on what color the skins involved. Perhaps I am just really, really jaded.
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And he gets paid for this *wisdom*?
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And healthcare for life. I wonder how much it paid for the lobotomy he clearly got recently.
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“Don’t put your elbows on the table” – “Say thank you and please” – “Wash behind your ears” – “Don’t kill people or yourself” – “Brush your teeth before you go to bed”
Maybe Congress should write us a parenting manual?
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A Congressional parenting manual sounds like a great idea. And they all have such fine, stable marriages, perhaps they’d be willing to do a marriage manual, too — so many of them are already trying to tell us how to manage our sex lives.
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You said it. You and Buggs.
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Hope you noticed it was a slightly different version.
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Yup!
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Just keeping you on your toes.
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!
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Brilliance. Again 😦
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Yup. I’m so glad this guy has a pension and healthcare coverage for life. I mean, he’s just so wise we should take care of him.
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Thank goodness I never had kids! I never would have been able to carry out his advice. I am sure I would have been all over letting them kill, bully, and take their own lives…I mean how would have I known otherwise.
I sooooooooooo love the triple face palm.
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It is probably all for the best, Michelle. And you know, you made me wonder if the fact that I am an adoptive parent means that I am exempt from the requirement to tell my son not to kill people.
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As someone who spent time in foster care and was adopted at 16 I can honestly say no one ever told me not to kill anyone, so you may be right. So far I haven’t killed anyone.
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It is unusual, but I don’t quite know how to respond.
Glad you haven’t killed anyone?
Glad you were adopted/survived what must have been an unusual childhood.
I hope I didn’t offend you, my friend. And I’m looking forward to your memoir.
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No…no…no…you didn’t offend me in anyway. I thought your comment was hysterical and I was trying to back you up in a humorous way. Apparently, I’m not that funny but I’m glad I didn’t kill anybody too.
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Actually, I did crack up when I read it. Then I wasn’t sure if I should answer it that way. Then I couldn’t figure out what to say. I should have known, but didn’t want to offend you. If only you’d included a picture I would have been less insecure.
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Heheheheh…
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I thought I’d read that twice just in case it was such a stupid thing to say it must be in my imagination. Now facepalming with both hands…
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I did the same thing, PFS, reread it and then facepalmed. Repeatedly.
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Amidst Captain Obvious’ statement there IS a piece of wisdom that needs to be embraced…
I hope that we don’t rely on a few votes by this body to make everybody feel comfortable that all the problem is taken care of.
I mean I know I don’t, but….
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Yup. Certainly not with this crop of losers. But I will always think it is our fault. We elect these morons. Well, not you and me, but people who don’t pay attention do.
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Thank you for clarifying that. too many doofs not paying attention.
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Way too many. Nobody knows civics. I lecture folks on civics periodically. It started as something for foreign born workers who needed to have a general idea of what the US Government is all about. But then it became clear that nobody remembered junior high Civics. Nobody.
We really need to work that into the fabric of our society so that hopefully we elect fewer boobs. And naturally I don’t mean fewer women 😉
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Again – good clarification. I wonder how it would be possible to bridge the gap between civics theory and civics reality? Do you teach courses on how the government really works? only lobotomized troglodytes would be interested at that point…
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My lecture is on the basic structure of the three branches, how a bill becomes law, what the role of the Executive Branch is and how it impacts drug regulation. We do a lot of work on regulations.
Doesn’t that sound sexy?
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oh yes…read article II again…oh my….
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Yup, I am one exciting woman …
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Sooooo should we bring a note from our parents when we go to purchase a weapon.
Dear Gun Shop Owner,
Please let Billy & Mary buy their guns today. I told them not to kill other people or themselves with it and they said “ok.”
Sincerely,
Mrs. Rainbow Unicorn
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Yes, Tops, we should have a note. Can you write mine because my parents are watching from their heavenly clouds. I wouldn’t want to be without my firearm so that I can not kill people with it.
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Well, that clears everything up. So maybe instead of universal background checks, we can just require each gun to come with a pamphlet instructing people that they shouldn’t use it to kill people, except of course, if you’re defending yourself or you wish to overthrow the government.
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And we know just how important it is to overthrow the government … (ironically, I just saw on the news that a black helicopter just landed in Watertown, MA for the manhunt … this way lies tyranny, right?)
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Oy vey.
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Wow. Just wow. My whole view of the world and life has completely changed now. I guess I must have been doing this parenting thing all wrong all this time?
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Darla, I can’t tell you how it pains me to be the one to let you know just how poorly you’ve done this job. I hope you learn from these mistakes.
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I tell my kids this all the time, but you know kids, they just do it anyway.
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Those naughty kids, Bill. Maybe you should have said it louder.
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It’s not right to kill people, but if your state has Stand Your Ground laws, it’s ok. And it’s not ok to commit suicide, but if you get sick and don’t have health insurance, go right ahead.
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Good point X. We need to keep a poster up in the kitchen so that our kids will be able to distinguish between when killing is state sanctioned and when folks are doing it for no good reason.
But you know, I’m a little bit confused. Since assault weapons weren’t banned, does that mean I can use them?
Life is so complicated, isn’t it.
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Yes, you can definitely use your assault rifle. And make sure you have plenty of high-capacity magazines, too.
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Thanks X. I am so much more informed now.
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It is not right to kill people. That clears almost everything 😀
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Aren’t you glad the good Senator cleared that up. I was wondering.
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I’m here to be the voice of dissension. 😉 While hardly eloquently stated by the representative, I think the point that is trying to be made is that no matter how many rules you put up to stop people from getting guns, people who don’t care about laws aren’t going to follow them. But, that being said, it should not be nearly as easy as it is right now to get a gun. Background checks should be stronger, and we don’t need army-grade guns in untrained hands. People don’t learn or teach their children a proper use of a gun, and people get hurt. People don’t properly store their gun, and it falls into wrong hands. But like knives and many other weapons, if there is an evil motivation and seeking of violence, laws are only going to make so much of a difference. But, we can’t legislate that.
Just my two cents.
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Your money is always welcome here, Sarah.
That said, of course we should teach our children appropriate behavior — that includes not killing people along with looking both ways before crossing the street. Common sense parenting.
Senator Enzi was totally copping out on his vote to go against 90% of the citizens of our country in limiting the availability of guns to those people who don’t listen to their parents.
Senator Enzi’s head is up his ass. And we — the citizens, get to pay for the privilege of listening to what comes out of it.
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I cannot justify it, but I actually laughed out loud when I read his words.
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Clare, I would have worried about you if you’d rubbed your chin and said “My, what good advice!”!
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I’m speechless,………this guy should’ve been too….
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Yup. The world would be a better place. Welcome, Janet!
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Uh – I think when my dad told me not to kill someone, he was referring to my baby brother. I listened – he lives.
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And you are a model citizen, Lorri. Well done your dad.
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I just knew I missed something! Dammit.
I told them women were evil, wear condoms.
I told them Corporate America was evil, no face tattoos or piercings.
I told them their brother loved them, stop punching him in the face where it left bruises.
I told them in my house I was in charge, “come here let me tear a knot off that narrow ass of yours you rude mannerless little shit.”
But nope, not one single time did i ever say, don’t kill people.
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Did you at least tell them to not pull the wings off of flies?
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Yes, and I told them not to pull the legs off of spiders.
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Always enlightening to read your posts, Elyse. Read this one in the nick of time, I did.
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I’m collecting that quarter you promised me in the previous post, Karen. Pronto. All this good advice comes at a steep price.
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Shucks, now I have to dig it out of my kid’s piggy bank. As long as you don’t start charging a quarter per post.
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Especially the way I’ve been shunting them out this week. (When I am taking a class and haven’t done my homework yet ;( )
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:…and more repetitive at telling their kids that it is not right to kill people.”
Really? These are our elected politicians. Who speak on our behalf? Please talk like you (hopefully) graduated High School.
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I really don’t understand why people want to elect stupid people. “I want the guy who’d be most fun to have a beer with” was the question in the 2000 election — and they ended up with George Fucking W. Bush, the alcoholic.
You get what you pay for. Sadly the rest of us are stuck with these bozos, too.
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Wait a minute. When did it become wrong to kill people? Was it before yesterday? If so, I need some people to run interference for me while I dump some “garbage”.
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I think it depends on where you live, Revis. So you’ll be ok but you may need to move.
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Damn. I hate moving. Now I have to debate whether I want to kill someone more than I don’t want to move again…..
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Tough choice.
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You never had that talk? “Don’t kill yourself or anyone else, son.” Really??? Isn’t that considered child endangerment?
My son will soon turn 17, so I better have that talk with him asap! 😉
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Get a move on, little hammy. Get a move on.
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Haven’t been on here in ages – just decided to check back, and found this response (which I had never seen somehow?). My 1st thought was – horror! – I have inadvertently and unintentionally offended somehow… you were calling me a ham (no!!!) because you thought I was serious! Then I read other comments/responses… started to rethink, but was still confused by the ‘hammy’ reference. I am not a ham! I thought to myself. Then remembered that I am ‘poundofodham’ – argh! hope I am right this time. At 54 3/4, confusion is becoming more common than I would like!
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Life just gets more and more confusing. And we forget things (like changing the blog name as I am now 57!). In fact, I had forgotten all about this handy advice! See what happens with age?
Hope you are well. It is nice seeing you, even in our respective confused states!
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Always a pleasure to hear from you Elyse! Perhaps you will inspire me to return to the fold, when I get a clear thought and a minute… 😉
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Who says you need clear thoughts to blog!
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Do you hear that? That’s the sound of me banging my head against the wall. Repeatedly. What a dorkenheimer (the senator, not me…).
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Yup. And you do know that the good Senator was Chairman of the Senate Health Committee for a time. Yup. I feel swell just knowing he’s in office.
And I don’t think you’re a dorkenheimer. Really. I don’t.
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Oh, good. That’s just my sons who think that, then.
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Probably. But I wouldn’t worry about it. They’ll come around. Eventually.
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I guess I was a bad parent. Never once sat my boys down and told them not to kill. What was I thinking?
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Clearly you weren’t thinking. Not clearly, anyway ;).
Welcome MerCyn — I think this is your first comment!
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Too bad I never received this advise. I mean my parents never said I cannot kill people…. hmmm.
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Now now, Alice. Don’t go thinkin’ that Senator Enzi gave you carte blanche. I’m sure the good Senator has specific ones in mind.
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Aw! Taking all the fun out of now. 😦
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Well that clears everything up, then. Everything’s going to be fine now.
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It’s a shame that we all missed a few generations. Damn that.
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