Only in America

One of the stories I read today. There are so many things wrong with the parent in this story that I can't begin to count. I suspect it will be the basis for the next Cohen brothers film. And the background is perfect; Middle America and Walmart. That said, it sure beats the political bullshit that's dominating our papers. I wish someone would do this to Stephen Harper:


Elkhart boy trapped inside toy machine for an hour

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - A 3-year-old boy upset that his mother wouldn't let him use a crane vending machine to try to win a small stuffed animal took matters in his own hands. He climbed inside up the chute to get the prize himself.

Danielle Manges said she took her eyes off her son, James, for a moment to pick up a juice bottle he threw. When she looked up, he was in with the plush toys.

"I bent over to clean it and within two seconds he had climbed through the hole, into the chute and pushed the door shut so we couldn't get him out," she said. "He climbed up in the toys and was in there for a good hour."

Manges said James has been sick and sleeping odd hours so they went shopping about 3 a.m. Thursday at a Wal-Mart in the city some 15 miles east of South Bend. She let the boy play on some of the rides, but wouldn't give him money for the vending machine.

At first, Manges thought it was funny.

"He was playing with all the toys and hanging from the bar like a monkey," she said.

Manges said people leaving the store went back inside to buy disposable cameras to take photos of her son. She bought one herself.

She became upset, however, when Wal-Mart employees said they did not have a key to let James out. So Manges called the fire department for help.

"I expected his hand to be caught in the machine but it was his entire body in the machine," firefighter Anthony Coleman said. "He was swinging from a bar, jumping around. He was having a ball."

About 40 people watched as the firefighters removed the back of the machine and freed him.
James still came up empty handed.

"He definitely didn't get a toy after that," Manges said.


I'd love to make a dumb American joke here, but I can't. Because yesterday as I drove home from running some errands, I saw kids fighting in the street with FIREWORKS!!! As if it wasn't bad enough that they were shooting each other, they shot the car in front of me. And to top that off, I saw another fireworks fight two blocks later...AT A GAS STATION!!! It was like driving through three solid blocks of the Trailer Park Boys. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not blaming those lovable rascals. I'm a fan myself. But somebody needs to teach these kids the difference between the things we see on tv and the these we can do without blowing up a whole city block in reality. I did some dumb things as a kid - I think we all did. But this is too much. I'm going to be a better parent than these kids have. It's my resolution. 'Kids, don't eat yellow snow (or brown for that matter), don't get (or get someone) pregnant before you're 21 and don't shoot Roman Candles at each other while at the gas station.' Think that covers all the bases?