Will we want to hear what former Bear Clark thinks about his kid’s schooling?

The way we want to think of Desmond

I find the circumstances of former Chicago Bears tight end Desmond Clark to be intriguing.

Clark went to his son’s high school in suburban Vernon Hills to confront officials about what he thinks is unjust treatment, and HE winds up facing criminal charges. School officials say they felt intimidated by Clark’s demeanor.

ACTUALLY BY BOTH Clark and his wife, Maria. He is charged with disorderly conduct, while she is charged with assault. Both are free on $2,500 bond.

The two got arrested for an incident on Aug. 29 at the high school that was supposed to be a discussion about the fact that their son says he’s being harassed on racial grounds.

They wanted to see what, if anything, the school was prepared to do about it. The fact that the high school appeared to be interested in doing nothing about it angered the Clarks – which is totally understandable.

Even though the high school wants to believe they’re the victim in this saga – and I’m sure there are enough people out there who get all squeamish whenever racial issues come up that they’ll be willing to believe that the former ballplayer ought to just shut up about it!

THIS MAY BE the one “cardinal sin” a former professional athlete can commit. Many bad things would be forgiven because of the fact that Clark was once athletic enough to wear the uniform of the Chicago Bears.

But bring up racial issues? That’s very bad, in some eyes.

Most of the news accounts I have read about this incident have been rather vague. Which is why I find it ridiculous that the high school district felt compelled on Monday to say it thinks the incident has been taken out of context.

I’d argue the reports have not put the problem in any true context. We really don’t know what happened, or what the behavior is that the son has had to endure that had the parents so upset.

EXCEPT FOR A WBBM-TV news report where Clark opened up to a little more detail, saying his son has been harassed on racial grounds ever since he started at the school in 2012. Such as being called assorted racial slurs and being told his parents hang from trees in the front yard.

Usually, they'd be proud to have former Bear amongst parents

Totally believable in light of the fact that there are people with their own racial hang-ups, and at that age they’re stupid enough to think their nonsense actually means something.

But the current outburst is related to the fact that Clark’s son was being disciplined by the school for being seen intoxicated while at a rally celebrating the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory earlier this year.

Because of that, school officials said he was prohibited from participating in a lip-synch contest being held at the high school. When the son tried challenging that decision, a school administrator is alleged to have said, “If he wants to act like a criminal, he can get out.”

A COMMENT THAT infuriated Clark to the point where he and his wife went to meet with school officials, and tempers were lost to the point where the school called the police – and Clark is now banned from the high school campus.

A move that strikes me as being motivated more by trying to make Clark look bad when the criminal case eventually goes to trial – or winds up getting settled with some sort of plea deal.

Admittedly, Clark’s account makes it seem like an open-and-shut acquittal for him, particularly since the school is refusing to say much of anything – usually a sign of someone covering up. But I don’t doubt that there are those who wish Clark would just pipe down so we can go back to just thinking of him in terms of those former Sunday afternoons when he took to the gridiron at Soldier Field.

Although if we want to be honest, those people who can’t view ballplayers as human beings and don’t want to address such racial outbursts most often are the real problem our society faces.

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“Concealed carry” just a battle, the war about firearms handling still carries on

For those people amongst the firearms fanatics crowd who thought they had succeeded in ramming their ideals down the throats of all of Illinois when the state Legislature was pressured into backing a concealed carry law, think again.

Twisted ending, but humorous moments

For the basic premise that there are certain places where it is out-of-place to carry a pistol is one that no amount of politicking will overcome.

AND YES, WE’RE going to continue to see fights about firearms-related issues.

Take the far north suburb of Vernon Hills, where the Dave & Buster’s restaurant chain wants to open another one of their video-game laced outlets.

It seems that the municipal officials who run Vernon Hills want to make sure the only firearms within the restaurant are those that are part of the video games, and not those brought in by anyone whose view of the world is so paranoid that they don’t feel they can set foot outside without their pistol at their side. Of course, if Dave & Buster's served more alcohol, the restriction would already be a requirement in state law.

Yes, I write about this in a mocking tone because their viewpoint is so warped that it would be a tragedy for our society if they ever prevailed. It’s as though they want our society to become the real equivalent of the cinematic “The Road Warrior” or maybe even “Waterworld.” (If you really need to see a post-apocalyptic world on film, try “A Boy and His Dog” – which at least has humorous moments mixed in with its message).

I SUSPECT IF our society ever does get to the point where we decline into anarchy, the people we’re going to need protection from are the ones who seem eager to have their firearms now. Perhaps that’s the only way they can see themselves succeeding in society – if it falls apart into rubble.

Sometimes, I wonder if these films ...

But back to the point of this commentary – village officials in Vernon Hills want Dave & Buster’s officials to post signs in their new restaurant saying that firearms are not permitted on the premises; even with a firearm owner identification card and a concealed firearms permit.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a final action by village officials could come sometime next month.

This issue is a matter of local officials expressing the will of the public – that in a place meant to draw crowds, a firearm is probably not necessary and is a possible threat.

... are the firearms fanatic's dream come true

AND FOR THOSE people who are going to claim that the officials are overstepping their bounds, I’d argue that voters can then dump those officials come the next election cycle.
 

That’s a true Democratic society at work. Even though we often have Election Day apathy, it may also be that the majority just doesn’t get worked up over this issue and sees some sense in telling people that there are places where the pistols are not needed.

Of course, the people who feel compelled to “pack heat” (what a silly phrase) are also worked up over Gov. Pat Quinn these days. For the governor on Tuesday signed into law a measure that requires people to report any private sales of firearms, and also makes it an offense to NOT report to the police if one’s firearm is stolen.

I have heard many law enforcement-types say they like this idea. Because all too often, when a firearm used in a violent crime gets traced back to someone, that person tries to claim they didn’t do it and that the pistol was stolen from them.

IT MUST HAVE just slipped their minds that they didn’t report the crime. Or that they own so many firearms that they didn’t notice the weapon missing.

The new law is meant to crack down on the people who sell firearms in these private transactions – which all too often is the way that the criminal element that the ideologues like to rant about (and claim they need protection from) get their weapons in the first place.

You’d think that the firearms advocates would like anything that tries to seriously restrict alleged criminals from being able to obtain firearms. But they don’t.

They seem more interested in whining and complaining about themselves being abused, when all too often it comes across as them being upset that they can’t pick on other people.

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