Watch out. You too can be arrested for weilding...a french fry...

[MegoMark71]

Having a brother who i lost when i was 17 to Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy, my biggest pet peeve are people who park in handicapped spots. I cannot keep from saying anything to these idiots who do it. I will say something every time. Just yesterday at my post office i watched a huge F350 pickup truck pull up and park right in one of the handicapped spots. I didn't see anything on the front plate, or anything hanging from his rear view mirror. So i walked around to the back of the truck and no tag there. But what i did see made me so mad. The guy was a darn fire chief. So i took a picture with my camera phone as i have a ton of cop friends and they told me to do that. At the point of taking the picture he came back out. Asked me what the hell i was doing. I asked him the same thing back. I even told him how happy the local paper would be to publish the picture of our own fire chief breaking the law. Best part is there must have been at least 15 other spaces available. I will do or say something every time i see it happen. I know first hand what went into taking my brother in and out of our van.

[MIB41]

And honestly I have been beaten up before so if someone wants to hit me then it is their choice but I would also press charges which would be my choice.

I wouldn't presume to question you there. I bet you have. Of course you threatening a man's spouse and then him taking you down in defense of that, is not a case that would likely find the husband in as much hot water as YOU. Chances are good you would have a two for one special. First a visit to the hospital, then a trip to the pokey. My family has police and a Mayor in it. And terroristic threatening is a crime in my state. So I guess all I'm trying to say is be careful. I know your intentions are good, but understand the turf you walk on too. Lots of crazy folks out there. Don't let an impulsive moment ruin your life. It's good to hear conviction though in people who believe in doing the right thing. It's just how you do it, that makes the intent worth while.

[Brazoo]

Wouldn't it have been even more funny if her 6'4, 235 lb husband walked up from behind and said the same thing to you afterwards? Now THAT would be priceless. I don't think imposing your parenting values on others is a recipe for a long life. I was raised old school, so I got whipped. I grew up just fine and my kids have seen very little of it. But I don't presume to think every time a child is being disciplined, it immediately means "abuse". The message in our society is entirely too soft on making kids accountable before it becomes the taxpayer's job once they turn 18. And then we wonder why we have so many idiots committing heinous acts. It's because no one ever taught them consequences to those actions. Unless a child is getting pummeled, I think it's wise to back off.

I googled the item you posted and found other articles that clarified other details of this case. The police were called by the child's mother, so I don't see how this is a case where society is dictating how two people raise their child. The child's mother was clearly not okay with this and considered it abuse.

Personally, I don't condone spanking, but I don't see how tossing "hot and oily" fries into an 11 year-old's face in anger could be considered normal disciplinary action by a parent.

I'm honestly getting a little lost on your point too. If your point is that we as a society are too often sticking our noses into domestic disputes then aren't you doing the same thing by posting this article here?

I'm not trying to insult you - I legitimately don't get the thinking here.

[Brad]

I wouldn't presume to question you there. I bet you have. Of course you threatening a man's spouse and then him taking you down in defense of that, is not a case that would likely find the husband in as much hot water as YOU. Chances are good you would have a two for one special. First a visit to the hospital, then a trip to the pokey. My family has police and a Mayor in it. And terroristic threatening is a crime in my state. So I guess all I'm trying to say is be careful. I know your intentions are good, but understand the turf you walk on too. Lots of crazy folks out there. Don't let an impulsive moment ruin your life. It's good to hear conviction though in people who believe in doing the right thing. It's just how you do it, that makes the intent worth while.

I should have been more clear in my response. As far as being hit/punched/beaten up I played baseball, basketball, and football and I probably got involved in more fights doing that then anything else. My nose has been broken 6 times and operated on once. 2 of those times were while playing basketball. That was what I meant by being hit/beat up before. Hopefully it wasn't taken as meaning I go mouthing off and starting fights with tons of people as that would be far from the truth. I was only pointing out that bully's don't scare me as I have been hit/beaten up before. I can only recall one time where I actually started a fight and I was 13 years old and still regret it. I just don't believe in hitting people no matter who they are unless it is truly in the act of defending myself or someone I care about from actual physical harm. Not just because of an insult or something verbal either.


Quick story. On one of my birthdays (19th I think) my girlfriend and I met my folks for lunch. Leaving the parking lot two guys a bit older then I were racing through the lot in their parents Caddy and cut me off. I flipped them the bird. They got out of the car as did I. We fought. I was doing just fine until the brother of the one I was fighting (he took the first punch) came up behind me and yanked me to the ground by my hooded jacket. They proceeded to start kicking me in the head. I got up and the same thing happened twice more before it ended, in part because one of the "tough guys" also hit my girlfriend in the face as she was trying to break it up. I told them I would see them in court and one of them smugly wiped off the license plate on the Caddy. Guess who was found guilty of assault in court? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't me and those two weren't so smug when we left the courtroom. They were also out a few dollars in restitution plus one of them was already on probation for fighting.


I do understand your intent and appreciate that but read verbatim what I said to her. There is no way that anyone could prove that it was a threat of personal harm or bodily injury. I do know enough about the law (especially now after serving nearly 6 months on a grand jury) that I can assure you I would not be in the pokey. If someone hits you then they are the one that will go to jail almost every time. It is very hard to prove that it was "justified" and in this instance impossible as I never threatened her with bodily harm. I just told her I would give her something to cry about. I could have been talking about McDonalds french fries for all anyone would know. If I had told her I would slap her face then it would have been different but I am not foolish enough to make a remark that could get me into trouble legally, at least in that type of instance.


Here is the definition of terroristic threatening and what I said does not even come close to that.

http://attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/schools/laws/11delc621.htm

[MIB41]

I googled the item you posted and found other articles that clarified other details of this case. The police were called by the child's mother, so I don't see how this is a case where society is dictating how two people raise their child. The child's mother was clearly not okay with this and considered it abuse.

Personally, I don't condone spanking, but I don't see how tossing "hot and oily" fries into an 11 year-old's face in anger could be considered normal disciplinary action by a parent.

I'm honestly getting a little lost on your point too. If your point is that we as a society are too often sticking our noses into domestic disputes then aren't you doing the same thing by posting this article here?

I'm not trying to insult you - I legitimately don't get the thinking here.

Okay...no problem. Let's clarify this case first though - The child was not hurt. No burns, no bruising, not even a scratch. And if you've had young kids, when was the last time you saw one throw a french fry at the other? If you've taken them to McDonalds it's likely happen more than once. My kids did it when they were little and I see it to this day. Now at no time have I ever witnessed a child getting hurt by a french fry. Or even several french fries. I've never heard of a lawsuit for injuries due to hot fries and most of the time my fries are luke warm (if I'm lucky). And outside of the residual from touching the fries, I have never received a container of fries "hot and oily". If you have, I would file a complaint. So characterizing this situation as if the person willingly threw something he universally thought contained dripping hot oil is quite frankly an exaggeration of epic proportions. And I've been burned pretty well by hot oil and it didn't come from McDonalds. So whether it was one fry or the whole container, it would have burned her good if it had any hot oil or grease still frying away in the container.

So what is my point in this particular case? We have better things to do than worry about a scuffle with french fries. If I was there, I would have watched with curiosity and then walked off thinking they were all idiots. And everyone else probably reacted more to the verbal quality of the feud than the french fries. I highly doubt anyone panicked as the french fries went flying out. "Hit the deck! Grease at high noon!!! Call Swat!" See my point? The whole thing is overstated and honestly not worthy compared to matters far more pressing in our world. People do stupid things when they get upset. And yes, sometimes they cross over boundaries of good taste out in public. Does that mean we need to be locking up everyone each time we deem a situation "inappropriate"? The system is already overloaded with criminals that aren't getting the time they DO deserve. So what are we doing throwing people in the slammer for french fries? It just doesn't make sense. It costs taxpayer money to hold that guy in prison. And while we can sit here and split philosophical hairs over the act and his intent, the bottom line is the girl wasn't hurt and their relationship is likely permanently broken after this escapade.

So I think we need to pick and choose our battles carefully in life. And that applies to other areas as well. I think sometimes folks get a little too caught up in this morality play of a moment. I guess some of that probably comes from reading comic books and watching fictional stories about these heroes. And I say that only because it's the same psychology in play. It's one person administering justice according to how he personally measures it. I didn't stick my nose into any of this. I wasn't there. And in Brad's example I simply pointed out the pitfalls of involving himself where he didn't belong. If he has a family , I'm sure they don't want to read about him getting hurt or killed because he overreacted to a domestic dispute. Doesn't he have a greater responsibility to his family than to that stranger? He can't help his family if he's locked up or down and out on the ground. Now does that mean I believe in walking away under any circumstances? No I don't. But it has to be a life threatening situation to put me there. Because I've got a wife and kids (and now a grand son) that depend on me. I have to make sure I'm making the right choices in life to assure I am there for them. It's never just about me and what I want.

[Hector]

Not in a TRILLION years would I personally get involved with other family matters.

First of all, it's none of my business.

The only way I'd get involved is if the parent is actually trying to kill his/her kid...but other than that...like spanking their kids in front of me...that's their business.

[Brad]

And in Brad's example I simply pointed out the pitfalls of involving himself where he didn't belong.

This is where I respectfully disagree. When you do it in public then you have made it the business of everyone who witnesses it. If you want privacy then don't do it in public.

As far as the french fry case goes it is only media worthy because many folks will only read the headline and think it is a huge overreaction by the police. But if it was the wife that called the police then it was her choice to do what she thought was right. I can only guess that this was not just one instance but if it was then yes, the mother over reacted. But she called the police and the man did legally assault the child in public so the police were only doing their job in this instance. I guess my entire point would be don't do something like this in public if you don't want to suffer any possibly unfavorable outcome.

I do agree that you do have to pick your battles but if you pick none then all I can think of is the quote attributed to Edmund Burke.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing."

[Brad]

Not in a TRILLION years would I personally get involved with other family matters.

First of all, it's none of my business.

The only way I'd get involved is if the parent is actually trying to kill his/her kid...but other than that...like spanking their kids in front of me...that's their business.

Hector, I am curious as to know what your thoughts are on the area between spanking and trying to kill. By that I mean what if you saw an adult punch a child in the face? I have seen children spanked in public and never payed much attention to it. But when I see a 2 or 3 year old slapped hard across the face, in public, then I guess that crossed the line IMO. Had she hit her with a closed fist then it would have been even that much worse IMO.

I actually like discussions such as this one as I do enjoy seeing other peoples thoughts on stuff like this and appreciate the input. Maybe I did overreact. But I would also do it again if I was in the same situation. Right or wrong it is just part of my makeup. Fortunately I am rarely put in that position and I certainly do not go around like some type of superhero trying to right all the wrongs in the world. I am just a very average guy in that regard.


Now why does this discussion keep making me think of the final Seinfeld episode.

[Hector]

If a parent punches their kid in the face (which I have never witnesses in person)...I'd take a picture of the arsewipe with my iPhone...and immediately call the cops. I'd be a witness to that crime.

[MIB41]

I do agree that you do have to pick your battles but if you pick none then all I can think of is the quote attributed to Edmund Burke.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing."

I never said never. I pick and choose. French fries and a parent disciplining her kid is a nonevent for me. In my eyes there is no crime here. It's an overreaction by both parties. And if your there, that would make three people overreacting. And that's usually when someone ends up really getting hurt. Why? Because your an outsider coming in advocating violence to resolve the matter. Your looking for nobility in being reactionary without thinking it through. I don't see 'evil' in what either party did and I see absolutely no 'good' in you jumping in to stop it. Both kids are fine and the mother you barked at probably went home and really took it out on the kid. So you likely made life harder for the one you desired to protect by being vocal. I think we both agree on the principle that both acted inappropriately for a public setting. We'll just have to agree to disagree on what we would do from there.

[Werewolf]

You have to admit, the title of the thread is a little bit misleading. It's not like somebody got the police called on them by a random person and arrested for shaking a fry at some one else.

In my opinion, a grown man does not discipline a child by throwing food in their face. You'd expect that from a couple of kids getting into a fight. Not from an adult parent or guardian. That's just not normal behavior for an adult. The Mother disagreed with what he did (overreact or not) and had the right to. It was from the very beginning only between the two parents and the child. I don't see this as society stepping and controlling what we do kind of thing. I'm just not getting it.