Greetings to 2019 and its first baby

My neighborhood sounded like a war zone Monday night as New Year’s revelers fired shotguns and lit firecrackers. The explosions began at about 10:30 p.m. and when I fell asleep sometime after 2 a.m. they were still at it.

Baby New Year took its time making an appearance this year. Often the baby is born in the first few hours of Jan. 1. This year it wasn’t born until after 7 p.m. Tuesday evening.

This marks about the 20th year I have had the pleasure of greeting Madera’s newest resident on behalf of The Madera Tribune. I am not one of those women who go goofy when a baby comes into the room. It is just easier for my colleagues if I take this important assignment. The first decade I did the story I lived in Parkwood, less than a mile from Madera Community Hospital.

Since New Year’s is one of a handful of holidays on the Tribune’s yearly calendar, I continue to cover it so my coworkers don’t need to interrupt their holidays. When we were a daily paper, New Year’s Day ran a skeleton crew from the production and editorial staffs. As a twice-a-week edition, the schedule is a bit more flexible.

I can’t help but wonder what kind of world this Baby New New Year child is inheriting. Is the system of Political Correctness just a passing fancy or will it only get more constrictive? Parts of the system human rights recognition, women’s rights and racial equality have been strengthened.

The downside is what used to be a joke now can be a trip into very hot water. A simple misunderstanding can lead to a civil case of enormous proportions.

Then there are the people who seem to be looking for a reason to be angry or worse, a victim. Being an injured party has turned into a lottery ticket for both the litigant and their attorney. The richer the target the bigger the risk.

Some of the awards given to these plaintiffs are nothing short of obscene. I won’t debate the settlement in a wrongful death suit because one person can’t put a price on the worth of another’s life. To the people who loved the deceased, they were priceless. Even the ones who are career repeat offenders and convicted felons.

Have you noticed when they interview the family of these guys how often the parent begins their lament with “He was a good boy (or girl?) He made some poor choices but he was a good boy…” Reminds me of the insult “He had a face only a mother could love.”

If we need bigger prisons to keep these criminals locked up, then find the money to build them. The inmates on death row need to be executed. I fear the new governor will be as soft on crime and criminals as the old governor. The Democrats and the Republicans in office need to learn to work together for the good of the country. Congressional term-limits are desperately needed.

When an injustice is corrected the tendency is to go too far the other direction.

The 2018 #metoo movement was a good example. Alleged crimes that have gone unreported for decades are now being made public.

Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh will forever be remembered by the accusations levied against them by Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford respectively.

While these women were unable to keep these men off the highest court in the land, they too will be a sordid footnote in history.

I am probably a traitor to my feminist sisters but women have worked too long for wage and power equality for some of these women to become the poster girls for the rest of us. They need to take responsibility for their own poor decisions. The “do anything to be a film actor,” attitude has “disaster” written all over it. When one makes a deal with the devil they can expect to get burned, and rather severely.

Agreeing to visit a man’s home or hotel room unescorted is an invitation for whatever mischief he has planned. Be smart and don’t fall into that trap.

You need to teach your daughters that lesson. The conversation will be awkward and uncomfortable. That is better than helping them recover from the incident that will change their lives forever. Have distressing conversions with your sons, too. Don’t just educate them about the birds and the bees. Make sure both your children understand sexual assault and harassment can be made up of little things that build up and wreck their reputations and shame their families.

Welcome to 2019, may you have long days and pleasant nights, and have a great weekend.

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Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter