November 1994	Women & Guns 

Dear Self-Reliant Reader,

	Children are very important to me. I try to be involved in my
children's schools and other activities.

	This year Miss Splendiferous started Middle School. In my
limited experience, these adolescent years are crucial to a young
person's future successes.

	When I received the student orientation materials, I found
that six out of the eight pages were lists of "Do Not's" and the
ramifications of such, and only a small paragraph was welcoming.

	So I signed up for another PTSA. I chair the Spirit Committee.
This encompasses everything from donut sales to teacher appreciation,
from special "dress-like"days to food drives. Because this area had
been ignored for the past few years, the only anchor that I found was
the theme of this year's academic calendar_EXPECT RESPECT.

	 I thought it was trite. But the more that I thought about it,
the more that I realized that it said so much about how one should act
and react.

	A few weeks ago, I went to a football game in southern
California. My husband is an alumni of the visiting team and, is the
custom, our seats were in the end zone of the stadium.

	Approximately twenty feet to the left of where we sat was a
chain link fence about 6 feet high. It started at field level and
continued up to the last row of bleachers. There was a similar
barricade opposite that created a triangular shape. This contained
area comprised about ten percent of the available seats.

	Being in southern California, I assumed that this area had
been quadranted off due to earthquake damage.

	Amidst a sea of our team's bright orange and white colors, we
joked that we were surprised that the home team had not placed us
inside that space.

	There were uniformed police with kubutons stationed at the
front of this area. Those seats began to fill with groups of young men
and women accompanied by parents and other chaperones.

	Upon closer look, I spied a banner that read,
"'Blankety-Blank' Insurance Company Supports Football for Youth."

	I was appalled. These young people were treated to a football
game and stereotyped as unreliable at the same time. It was assumed
that because they were youths, they needed to be contained.

	I rebelled at the concept that not only was there no respect
given to them, there was none expected.

	While society is wringing its hand at the decay of our youth
it is at the same time treating them as if are without value.

	Congress has passed a ban on almost 200 different firearms. It
argued that these firearms have no purpose. The only reason a person
would desire one of these firearms is to do evil. Government is going
to pass a law because its citizens can not be trusted to act in a
responsible fashion.

	Yet approximately six percent of the criminal population is
responsible for ninety percent of the violent crime. Usually, when I
read about a particularly heinous crime committed by a minor, the
youth charged has a long and extremely varied list of prior offenses.
My first question is "what are they doing wandering around on the
streets?"

	EXPECT RESPECT.

	It sounds like a cliche. But phrases become cliches because
they are common thoughts that become trite through overuse_not because
they are not true.

	I have found that a smile usually brings a smile in return.
Laughter is contagious. And you get as much out of something as you
put into it. All unoriginal thoughts but concepts that have proved
true.

	When we approached the start of school, we proposed to hand
out popsicles as a surprise to the students on the first day of
school. I was cautioned that tickets should be handed out for
redemption so that the students would get their treat in an orderly
manner and not storm the volunteers. I suggested that we try treating
the students as ladies and gentlemen and expect that they would react
in a like manner. After all, our motto is EXPECT RESPECT.

	I admit that I was nervous when I saw that many of the eighth
grade students were larger than I am but I persevered. While there may
have been a few students that got more than one popsicle, I am pleased
to report that every other student even said thank you.

	EXPECT RESPECT.

	It is critical that we follow this concept. It is so easy to
give away someone else's rights in the name of the good of the whole,
that it is easy to miss the fact that you have given away your own
rights in the process.

	As the cliche says, you can not legislate morality. But you
can EXPECT RESPECT.

	Get involved with adolescents and teenagers if you can.
Respect them. Respect others. Respect yourself. And say no to any one
who will not respect you.

	This is allowing other people to be self-reliant. This is part
of being a self-reliant person.
	
P.S. To Miss Spectacular and Mr. Stupendous, I send a fish kiss. To
Amy, my respect. To Miranda, a warm welcome. To AMG, thank you for
respecting me. To those of you that wonder what this column has to do
with guns, I would remind you that the Second Amendment is to make
sure that our government respects us.