By most accounts, it was a good parade this year. Credit for a job well done goes out to the parade organizers, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council for a job well done. They work hard to make everything go off with precision. There were plenty of floats, a lot of good marching bands, a few Rock bands, the ever-popular Bagpipe and Drum groups were plentiful and the biggest favorite of all of the kids – there were horses and fire trucks. And like all great parades, the military presence in the line of march was large, impressive and by the super response and the cheers the troops always get, very much appreciated. They make us proud.
There were differing opinions about the crowds of spectators that braved the cold, blustery weather to travel to our community to help us celebrate. I guess it mattered where you watched the parade from, because the behavior of many of them left a lot to be desired. In a lot of locations along the shortened route, there were the traditional families with happy smiling kids loving every minute of the loud and colorful procession passing in front of them. Dressed in their festive green, they seemed like they would rather be here than anywhere else on this festive holiday. Local teens with visiting friends were for the most part well behaved and respectful of their surroundings. College age revelers were here ‘en masse’ and taking it all in, while having a great time, many of whom, especially those here for the first time were amazed at the intensity and energy with which so many people were partying together. These are the groups that were clearly in the majority and made up one of the 2 crowd classifications.
But then, as always, there was the other segment that always seems to find their way into our neighborhood each year at this time. These are the ones who feel it’s a requirement to arrive here just about legless, puking and believing it’s their right to use our streets and people’s back yards as their bathrooms. Some come here to get into brawls and, more often than not, wind up on the losing end. They act here like they would never even consider acting in their own home towns and often spoil the day for everyone they come into contact with. It’s this particular segment of the parade crowd that is not welcome here, but like the flu, they come back every year. To those people, if there are any of them that can read, how about next year you just stay the hell home? That would make for a perfect celebration.
President Trump, in New Hampshire on Monday to discuss the raging drug crisis in that state and across the entire country laid out his plan for dealing with it. A few of his suggestions touched a nerve with reporters and ‘progressive’ activists. Among his controversial courses of actions is to eliminate so called Sanctuary cities and increase security on the Southern border; including the building of the wall. An unprotected border allows the cartels to flood the country with their poison and the sanctuary cities create a safe haven for those who do, and everyone knows it. But what seemed to be the most controversial point of all is when the President suggested the death penalty for drug dealers in some situations. And personally speaking, I have no problem with that one at all.
If a dealer sells deadly drugs to kids or adults and those drugs result in death for those who take them, well, isn’t that akin to murder? And if the threat of the death penalty looms over the heads of these dealers and discourages some of them from continuing, which could result in saving innocent lives, wouldn’t it be worth it? There probably isn’t one person reading this column today who doesn’t know of someone who has become addicted and even died from the poison these dealers are filling American cities and towns with. Since nothing else seems to be discouraging the dealers, drastic measures might help cause them to consider career changes. With all the death and heartache drug dealers have caused for so many families, they deserve no sympathy in my opinion. President Trump is right. Those addicted should be able to get the treatment they need but the dealers, well, in certain cases they should get what they deserve.
I’ll close this week with a recent quote by the great Doctor Ben Carson who said the following: “America is a unique country and we don’t have to be like everywhere else. People who want to come here need to conform to us. We don’t need to conform to them”.
