Silly suspensions over fast food

By William R. Toler

What would you think if your child got suspended from school because of what you brought them for lunch?

Parents of Reidsville Middle School students had to deal with that last week, according to WHGP-TV.

When Charles Finney brought his daughter Brittney a hamburger from McDonald’s, the school sent a letter home warning against it. The next day, when he did it again, she was suspended for three days.

The same day, Destiny Mullins was given an in-school suspension and made to work as a school janitor after her mother brought her lunch from Wendy’s. That was the first…and last time the mother said she would bring fast food.

Another hair-raising suspension

By William R. Toler

A school district in Ohio has suspended a student for showing support for his favorite NFL team…on his head.

Dustin Reader, an eighth-grader at Garfield Middle School in Halmiton, Ohio was given in-school suspension by the principal for having stripes and a “B” shaved into his head in support of the Cincinnati Bengals, according to the News Journal.

The newspaper reports that Reader had barely gotten off of his bike when he was sent to the office. School officials say Reader violated the school’s code of conduct which bans “unnaturally colored hair, extreme/distracting makeup, haircuts and hairstyles.”

 His parents don’t see what the fuss is about. James Reader, the boy’s father, says it’s about his son’s pride in the team’s 6-2 season. “It’s not racist, not drug-related, not gang-related or anything like that. It’s about football.”

Wrong place, wrong time

By William R. Toler

I wouldn’t classify myself as a cop-hater…but several run-ins with law enforcement officials have left me with a less-than-favorable opinion. Two of those occasions happened to be with Jerry’s Brownshirts*. It may be due to my knack for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Just that circumstance seems to infer guilty until proven innocent.

(* A less than flattering term I coined for Craven County deputies under Sheriff Jerry Monette….akin to Jerry Monette and his secret police as described by former Vanceboro Voice publisher Art Manning)

Back in the winter of 2004, I was feeling a little down and decided to take a drive. While meandering through the backroads of northeastern Craven County I felt like being by the water, which usually has a soothing effect on me. Since I didn’t want to go into New Bern, I opted for the Wildlife boat landing just north of Bridgeton. It has a nice open view of the river with a few lights sprinkled about on the other side.

As I drove up I noticed a burgundy Chevy Blazer bearing the markings of the Craven County Sheriff ‘s Office. “Hmmm…,” I thought. “I wonder what he’s doing down here.” I decided to stay because I figured turning around would raise suspicion. Since I was doing nothing wrong I pulled up and parked. The view was dark, but nice on the dark December night.

Jones writes about his regret

By William R. Toler

A North Carolina congressman is writing a book about his regret in a controversial decision.

Walter B. Jones Jr. (R) is penning a book called “My Daddy’s Not Dead Yet” chronicaling his remorse for casting his vote giving former President George W. Bush the go-ahead to invade Iraq in, according to NationalJournal.com.

The title of  the book comes from the quote of a little boy in a school at Camp Lejeune whose father was a Marine serving in Iraq in 2007. “My daddy’s not dead yet,” the boy repeated, which made Jones even more uneasy about the decision he came out against in 2006. “I didn’t vote my conscience,” Jones said.

“We’re trying to police the world,” Jones said. “Every great nation prior to America that tried to police the world has failed economically. That’s why I tell people that I’m a Pat Buchanan American. I want to stop trying to take care of the world and fix this country. Our problems are so deep that there is no easy way to fix them.”