Hateful Ham

Sometimes I wonder whether the internet promotes sanity or destroys it. In my case there is question about my current state of mental stability anyway. So I suppose the exposure to "the world" I get here isn't going to do much damage. I love the Internet for it's diversity, including the crazy things I see and read here (Relax, I wasn't referring to your E mail replies). Every day I learn just how odd the world is, and though I have no proof that we are more or less odd than pre Internet days, I sure do enjoy earning about it. Well, recently I read this story that is good example of it...
LEWISTON: One student has been suspended and more disciplinary action could follow a possible hate crime at Lewiston Middle School, Superintendent Leon Levesque said Wednesday.
On April 11, a white student placed a ham steak in a bag on a lunch table where Somali students were eating. Muslims consider pork unclean and offensive.
The act reminded students of a man who threw a pig's head into a Lewiston mosque last summer.
The school incident is being treated seriously as "a hate incident," Levesque said. Lewiston police are investigating, and the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence is working with the school to create a response plan.
Haha I am not kidding about this, though it may appear to you I made up that news story. In fact such things happen with great frequency every day And today is is about a kid who played a school prank who may be charged with a"hate crime". Although docile in nature, I guess the ham sandwich is the natural predator of that Muslim middle-school student who was "terrorized" by it. We know that while often disguising itself as a lunch item it can get close enough to the Muslim to consume its soul.
Apparently a "hate crime" in this country is when a white person does anything to offend a "fill in other race/nationality" person. That's what I have determined, because only members of this race seem to have their "crimes" categorized that way. Oh, my....I'm ashamed to be of the same race as the perpetrators in this case. I hope the victims of this horrible crime get the counseling they need to recover from such a tragedy.
Hmmmmmmm One wonders if "hamburgers" are equally offensive? Maybe I should not eat a hamburger in front of a Muslim? That could be a hate crime too because even though they don't have ham in them, the three letters are there spelling H A M. Muslims of the world... forgive me if I have in past offended you for my hamburger meals.
Whatever happened to silly school pranks? They are a part of growing up, aren't they? Should we overreact to them or deal with them calmly? Whatever has happened to youth? For a 12 year old be charged with a "hate crime" for this action would be an absurdity. How long before grocery stores are not allowed to handle pork? How about restaurants? Some unsuspecting Muslim may accidentally wander in and be assaulted by the aroma of honey glazed ham. Food for thought, make it ham if you wish.
Instead of kneeling to the demands of unreasonable groups who imagine offense and that their rights to supersede all others, why not just give that prankster student a detention for his boyish prank. Is it really an issue of importance to the community? I think we should just could move on to the more severe stuff... like kids who put chocolate cakes in front of Weight Watcher groups or when I am offered tofu instead of donuts....