makes ya shake your head....

My son and his new wife arrived back from their honeymoon to discover their apartment had been broken into. Now, as bad as that is, it could have gone much worse. They lost an X-Box, a bunch of games, a laptop (brand new) and a bunch of dvd's. They bad guys crowbar'd the door open.

My son's new mother-in-law was supposed to go and drop off all of the wedding gifts while they were gone, but just didn't get around to it. Thank God for that.

Interestingly, the apartment super had a crew in there replacing windows while they were gone. My son is convinced they saw stuff they wanted, and then one of the crew came back and took what they wanted. Could be, there are cameras all over (it's a high rise 8 floors with bunches of apartments on each floor), and the owner says they've got nothing on camera.

Fortunately, my son has a friend in the police force and he's looking out to see if they can get something done. I've gotten robbed once, never heard another thing from the police. And I get that, I mean, my stuff is small potatoes in the big picture. Still sucks though.

It seems to me these days that evil flourishes. Nice guys finish last.

So where does that leave the good people? Are we just to be fodder for the evil do-ers? Or, do we turn in to the back stabbing pricks that seem to have it all their way these days? It makes me feel impotent, and a bit foolish, to expect people to behave in a civilized manner anymore.

There is no accountability (I really hate that word, but it fits).

Seems to me people do whatever they 'need' to do to get what they want - illegal, immoral or otherwise, and there is no justice, no comeuppance. There is no Kharma, evil wins.

Recent example from my home town. A principal of a high school here illegally suspended a senior for nearly two months, without true cause. (there were allegations that she wore a hoody to school and used her cell phone while at school) There was media coverage, special investigations, board meetings both public and private. This principal has a history of running that school like her own little fiefdom, running teachers right out of the school if she had a mind to.

After months of investigations, the principal was found to be 'in the wrong', but because of protection from the union and the district, was not disciplined. At all. Nothing.

So what is the moral of that story?

Look, I know I'm being a real bummer here, but how are we to teach our children and young people (or grown ups if you can find one) the right thing to do , when the wrong thing will get you farther? How do we teach that doing wrong - IS wrong - when they get exactly the results they want without any consequence?

(Hey, OJ how's that golf game? Hey Enron execs, how your villa in Florence doing?)

I know I can be a cynical prick sometimes (really I do), but I want so badly to believe in the goodness of people, despite the evidence to the contrary. I try to do the right thing, and even if lying, cheating, stealing could get me what I want, I couldn't live with myself. (Lord knows I'm not perfect, but I'm tryin')

So, there it is.
Maybe it's just me.
Maybe I just have an overdeveloped sense of justice,
Maybe I'm out of touch.

Could be.

Still feels wrong to me and I don't know what to do with it.
m.