I heard something yesterday that was very encouraging. It was not politically correct. It did not cushion a gentle suggestion in empathy.
Louisville's Chief of Police Paul Humphrey made a bold, unapologetic and true statement yesterday about bad kids walking around town with guns.
"Ultimately, it is the parents and the community's responsibility to take care of this. You need to know where your kids are ... You hear it all the time: 'Oh, they just got caught up in the wrong crowd.' No, your kid is the wrong crowd. Your kid is the wrong crowd. They're a reflection of you."
In a culture that often conditions us to see ourselves as victims of our own missteps rather than accountable for them, that statement stripped away the convenient excuse to cast your children as victims of the very chaos they create.
For many of us, it is awkward to have our excuses swept away. It offends our delicate sensibilities when someone is direct and truthful with us. We seem to get even more defensive when they are right! Well, get over it. I applaud straight talk from our leaders. We need more of it.
If you were offended by Humphrey's statement, it doesn't make him wrong. Maybe ...
"You can't handle the truth!"
I'm Bill Lamb, and that's my Point of View.
