Posted on 06/16/2012 6:38:40 AM PDT by dewawi
The family of 16-year-old Chiccena Carpenter, who drowned at Cedar Lake last week, also wants to push for legislation to make sure beaches in Minnesota don't stay open without a lifeguard present.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
One of my summer jobs was running a private pool.
The lifeguards are taught to watch more closely for certain ethnic groups.
We had very few incidents, but every single one involved a black teenager. (as this youngster was)
There seems to be a cultural bias AGAINST learning to swim in that group.
So beaches would be closed if there was no lifeguard? People will swim anyway so then would there be a requirement to post guards or arrest/fine anyone caught swimming? Sounds like a winner - more government jobs and revenue... More dependency.
A lot of accidents happen in a bed
and they end up being a boy or girl.
That's the way most bad legislation starts.
Seems simpler to license possession of a child.
Pre-license Test Question #1: “Are your children more likely to drown, commit crimes, be molested, be shot to death by neighborhood watch captains, etc., if you supervise them at all times, or if you let them run wild, expecting the gubmint to babysit?”
Concealed Child Carry requirements would be more rigorous.
“That’s the way most bad legislation starts.”
Ain’t that the truth.........
Put the crack pipe down.... License to swim?? Sheesh...
Lets look at some of the problems in this story...
Chiccena Carpenter’s family said it was unusual for her to go to a lake. After the near-drowning of her older sister around 10 years ago at an unguarded lake, her family was more likely to go to swimming pools or better guarded waters.
Yet last Sunday, Carpenter, who had attended Edison High School until earlier this year, went to Cedar Lake when a friend persuaded her and her cousin to go, unbeknown to her family, said her aunt, Nichole Page.
OK, so she sneaks out and goes to the lake without her families knowledge...
Carpenter and her cousin were on their way to shore from a floating dock when she went underwater. Her cousin called out for help and had to swim to shore before she could get someone’s attention, Page said.
Um... hmm... sounds like she couldnt swim in the first place , now her family wants to post life guards to save kids from their own stupidity... Just like da gubbment...
Beachgoers formed a chain and waded into the water in search of Carpenter, but had to stop when it got too deep. She was missing for about half an hour until search crews finally found her in about 10 feet of water. She was hospitalized overnight but died Monday.
FORMED A HUMAN CHAIN???? a human chain? and stopped looking when the water got too deep???? WTF are these people around water if they cant swim..???
Only if they are made from recycled paperboard.
But seriously, I have noticed two disturbing trends:
1) A bereaved family, raised in and actively promoting the self-esteem culture, cannot fathom the connection between acts and possible negative outcomes.
2) Bereaved families seeking a macabre sort of fame by pushing for more nanny statism under the rubric of a cutesy name like Megan’s Law. Of course, jackal politicians are standing by to push through these intrusive, overreaching bills.
A tragedy is a tragedy. Memorials belong in cemeteries, not in the state code.
I agree. Was commenting as a casual observer. As a legislator or writing to one, the position is “when there is no lifeguard, parents you are it”.
I agree. Was commenting as a casual observer. As a legislator or writing to one, the position is “when there is no lifeguard, parents you are it”.
“Swim at your own risk” means just that!
Walk at your own risk!
Live at your own risk!
Nobody introduced a situation that is inherently dangerous.
Would you like handrails installed on all hillsides across the world?
Black kids are deprived of swimming instruction, apparently.
Another racist plot to reduce their numbers?
We had two black kids (one of whom was a star football and track athlete) drown here in Indiana in the last week.
Somehow they need to get the message: if you aren’t a capable swimmer, don’t jump into 20 ft deep water. Maybe Baraq can make some public service announcements.
The natural consequences of people being stupid and acting negligent is that they and their offspring don’t survive life. This girl did not know how to swim and her parents who are now blaming shifting to the society for their failure, did not bother to guard her life themselves. They probably do not know how to swim either which means their family did not belong at a swimming hole.
If the state should do anything, it is to require a private, certified swimming test at the expense of swimmers and award passes to only those who can swim. Anyone caught there without a pass is subject to serious fines. Either that, or accept the freedom of people to be too stupid and evil to survive.
Both dreadful ideas IMO. If anything, requiring an annual license to swim is a worse idea than requiring lifeguards for a beach to be open.
Adults need to be responsible for themselves—and for their children.
I agree, if people who cannot swim well want the state to provide lifeguards they, the users, should pay for the service.
When I read advocacy stories such as this, involving a tragedy in an urban setting I normally find the articles do not tell the full story (due to political correctness) but often provide enough hints at other underlying facts. Here goes:
1) “16-year-old Chiccena Carpenter” . . . “Carpenter, who had attended Edison High School until earlier this year.” It appears the victim dropped out of school, not uncommon for urban teens lacking guidance from caring parents.
2) “Chiccena Carpenter’s family said” . . . “ said her aunt, Nichole Page”. The article includes frequent references to “the family” and the desires of “the family”. However, there is no reference to an actual mother or father. The only references to a identifiable family members associated with the victim are the aunt and the sister who previously drowned. Could it be the father is absent or unknown and the mother is not involved in raising this child? If there were concerned parents involved in the raising of this child, she would not have been allowed to go swimming without a lifeguard present or an adult family member with the skills to help in an emergency. It can be inferred the only family member the reporter spoke to was the aunt and the reporter is attributing her remarks to “the family” in order to imply there was an intact family unit when there wasn’t.
3) “Sommers said officials aren’t sure why they got so few applications this year, but speculate that it might be the pull of jobs at suburban beaches, or indoor pools that offer year-round jobs.” Translation — Qualified lifeguards prefer to work at suburban locations due to concerns about their personal safety.
4) “Yet last Sunday, Carpenter . . . went to Cedar Lake when a friend persuaded her and her cousin to go, unbeknown to her family, said her aunt, Nichole Page.” The choice of words here is “family”, not parents. It appears the parents or legal guardian of this child were not exercising appropriate supervision if a “friend” could persuade her and the cousin to go away without telling anyone where she was going. The parents were likely as absent from Carpenter’s life as they were from the story.
Could it be the real story here is the victim came from a broken home where neither parent accepted accountability for raising their daughter nor cared enough to monitor her whereabouts? Was the “friend” some troublemaker (pimp or drug dealer) who ran off with this girl and her cousin for some fun? Are demands of the “family” referred to in the article really coming from the family or from a community organizer?
The death of this girl was certainly a tragedy. It is also a tragedy that a 16 year old girl can go off with a “friend” without a responsible adult knowing where she was going. It is a tragedy a 16 year old girl is not attending high school. It is a tragedy when a 16 year old does not have parents who care enough to make sure she is safe at all times. The truth is this child did not die because the city failed to provide a lifeguard. This child died because she did not have a family that cared enough to provide the oversight, guidance, and protection that would prevent her from being in a situation where she could drown.
The root cause of this child’s death will not be solved by more government spending. Until urban communities band together and insist parents be parents as well as throw the pimps, drug dealers, and criminals out, there will be more needless deaths of young people by drowning, shootings, drug overdoses and other crimes of the urban environment. If the community organizers and activist preachers directed their time to really working with these kids instead of pandering to the media and demanding more government money, they could actually save some lives.
“Either that, or accept the freedom of people to be too stupid and evil to survive.”
Freedom isn’t free.
I’m getting so frickin’ sick of this state!
Your analysis is superb.
Unfortunately in this era such discussion is off limits in “enlightened society”.
The “Great Society” was a huge success for statists.
It destroyed the black family structure in less than two generations and has driven illegitimacy rates to 70-80%.
This reminds me of an old Norman rockwell painting of the salesman who parks his car at the bridge. As you follow his path you see his clothes, on down his cigar, then his bald head sticking out of the cool water with a big grin on his face.
No lifeguards anywhere! Call the nannycops!
***-—I am sure glad I crawled under the bed back during the cranberry scare or maybe it was during the “Asian” flu epidemic and have never been out since***
OMG I remember those days! In the Mountain west were were constantly warned to be aware of.....blasting caps!
When my dad dragged us kicking and screaming to the Ozarks, we noticed every town had a watchtower so volunteers could scan the skies looking for RUSSIAN BOMBERS!
Life is scary!
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