On Father's Day ...

On this Father’s Day, I’m spending an inordinate amount of time thinking of two dads. One is mine. The other is a dear friend I lost to leukemia in April.

Bobby J, or Robert E. Jensen Jr., died in May 2005 after a lifetime of smoking cigarettes and several months of being riddled with tumors. He was one of those dads who’d infuriate you one moment, then ingratiate himself to you, just by being the salt-of-the-earth.

No matter the situation, he had a way of breaking things down to its most common of denominator. He always gave great advice, and he was always there for you, even if it was to tell you that you were full of crap. He was usually right.

When he died, I delivered the eulogy. For years before his passing – my brother and I talked about how it was inevitable, the way the man chain-smoked – I knew the hook to my speech. Who was I going to call?

My father and I had this thing. During a Mets game, at a crucial moment, I’d call and banter. Sometimes we’d swear together at our screens, simultaneously - we're talking about the Mets here, after all. And often, we’d just hang on the phone, silent, and watch the game together.

Maybe a movie we loved would come onto the screen and I’d call. Just a heads up. He’d usually already be watching. Maybe the dog show would be on the MSG network. He loved the doggies. Or during holidays, one of us would call the other with a reminder that the Charlie Brown special was on. We hated missing them.

Then he passed away. Who was I going to call? Charles Turner.

Charles had me by a few years, but his kids were about my kids’ ages. After a rocky and somewhat humorous initial meeting, during which we Alpha-dog barked at each other while coaching at opposite ends of a youth basketball game, we ended up on the same sideline. Charles and I bounced thoughts off one another on a regular basis - about coaching, about kids, about life - and I hope I provided as much of a sounding board for him as he did for me. He was every bit the salt Bobby J was. Then Charles succumbed after a 15-round barnburner with cancer.

So today, Father’s Day 2009, Dad and Charles are right here, their words, their theories and their antics fresh and foremost.

The following was first published in mid-December of 2004. The headline read “My son’s brush with the A-word, and a valuable lesson learned.” It was the epitome of Bobby J and, I suspect, Charles may have agreed with the overall tenet.

My son knows the A-word. And that’s apparently a problem.I’m sure I’m to blame, or maybe it’s my father. Probably both.

From the time the boy was an infant, he’d sit near enough to the two of us as we suffered through Giants football games that he engrained some of the words kids shouldn’t learn until they’re old enough to recite the entire starting offensive lineup.

But as it goes, it’s not a perfect world and, invariably, the Giants lose and things like the A-word and various other lettered words slip through. The upside of all this is that my first-grade son is a fantastic reader. Fact is, just a few weeks ago as my wife and I were seated in tiny chairs across a tiny desk from our son’s teacher, she gave a glowing report. She’d love to have 30 just like him in her class, she told us.

So last week when my son skulked into the kitchen with something to tell about his day at school, it was a little out of character. “He has something to tell you,” my wife said, continuing, “Tell Daddy what happened today.”

He said he didn’t want to, then he started to cry a bit. He was clearly shaken. We went to the living room, sat down and he started his story. “I was in line at lunch,” he said, “and Colin was saying he knew what the A-word was.” Then, he said, another friend mentioned that he, too, knew the A-word. My son, not to be left out, bragged he knew it as well.

“Then what is it?” asked one of the boys, to which my son provided the proof. The problem was, there was a teacher standing behind him and she nabbed all three culprits. The story went that this particular teacher alerted my son’s teacher of the three hoodlums’ transgression. She’d be calling all the boys’ parents that evening, she told them. Most upsetting in all this for my son was that he would potentially "lose Reindeer Day,” a special day set aside at school to draw, read about and construct in craft fashion this season’s most popular mammal.

While my son and I still sat on the couch, my wife hit “play” on the answering machine, and there it was. A message from my son’s teacher, who said she’d call back later. I went to a meeting that evening and missed the call-back, but when I got home, I was briefed. Our son’s retelling had been on the mark. All but for the part where, my wife said, the boy’s teacher made it a point to say that she was following through with all three boys’ parents - because she said she would. My translation? Even the teacher realized that she was committing at least a minor overreaction.

Much more easily than calling kids’ parents to tell them the boys know and used the A-word, she could have taken them aside and mentioned that “we don’t use that word, or words like it in school.” Over time, if it had become a chronic problem, I’d have expected a call. But I already knew my son knows the A-word and some others you shouldn’t use in school, and as I did that evening on the couch, I’ve always told him that, yes, these are words you should not use. There are always better alternatives.

If this isn’t a situation derived from frustrating moments watching football, it might be my wife’s fault. To explain, I like hot and spicy food, so my wife brought home a canister of hot and spicy mixed nuts. On the can was a depiction of a donkey, sometimes known as an A-word. On the can was the slogan, “(A-word)-kickin’ something-something.” My son read it. A few days later he was nailed for knowing it.

I’m not so bothered that my boy knows some of the typically unmentionable words. I’m happy to provide him with guidelines and a few realistic lines you’re not supposed to cross when it comes to the A-word and its cousins. He’s a good boy and I chalk up the lunch-line muttering to a moment of boys being boys. Testing the water. Coming of age. If I’m wrong, then this is certainly my father’s fault.

When I was a kid, someone knocked on our front door. They had a petition for my father to sign. They wanted to ban from the Susquehanna Valley High School library Kurt Vonnegut's “Slaughterhouse Five.” Dad asked if they’d read the book. Not so surprisingly, as such things typically go, they had not. My father had. They left without a signature.

I told my father about the A-word incident. He countered by telling me he’d recently purchased a new Oxford dictionary. His Webster’s version, he said, had been bothering him for a while. When he'd bought that particular dictionary, he mentioned it to a friend. This friend, another word guy, asked my father a few questions.

“Does it have the F-word?” My father said he didn’t know. “Does it have the MF-word?” Didn’t know. “How about the CS-word?” Same answer.

It turns out, Webster failed to include those words. The Oxford version, however, contains them. They’re words that my father said he doesn’t necessarily need or want to use on any regular basis (although he does, as needed). He said he just felt better knowing they're there.

“I’m not sure if that makes sense,” he said, “and if you don’t understand, then I don’t know of a better way to explain it.”

“No, I agree with you,” I told him.

“Good.”

It’s along the same lines as someone banning a book from a library. The Webster people, or people putting pressure on Webster people, at some point decided they’d “keep us safe” from the “bad words.”

“This obsession with words - there aren’t any bad words,” Dad said. “Just lousy people who use certain words to hurt others.” That sentiment might be a more valuable lesson for a child than to place a moratorium on words. Even words beginning with the letter A.

Charles would routinely remind me, after I'd rant about people, in general, "Steve, can you control what other people do?"

"No."

"Who can you control?"

"I get it, I get it."

I hope more kids get to be influenced by people like Bobby J and Charles Turner. These two men might come from different angles, but likely would end up at the same point on most issues.
I was fortunate to be able to call both of them.

------

Happy Father’s Day to my friends and family …

* Matt, Donald and Matthew
* Mario and Michael
* Hank
* Mike and Scott
* Tom, Bob, Bill, Bernie, Randy and Tom
* Victor, Art and Peter
* Wes, Tim, Derek and Jose
* Brook, Pop, Dane and Scott
* Mike, Christian, Randy, John and Bill

And to every other Dad who’s enjoyed this day.

The Curious Case of Victor Salcedo

Shown here are interior photos of properties owned (and rented to college students) by Victor Salcedo, who was arrested because he missed a court date to answer charges of chipped paint.

Or as I like to call it, "What in the bloody name of Touchdown Jesus is going on with the city's Code Enforcement Department?"
Spoiler: This story culminates with Victor Salcedo being handcuffed at his home, taken to the city lock-up, where he was put behind bars.

Granted, this entry is a long one, but then again, Salcedo's journey is, too.

Full disclosure
1. I consider Salcedo to be a friend.

2. Salcedo and I argue weekly about politics, social issues and his affinity for mini vans (although the upgrade to the shiny, newer one is a vast improvement over the old, piss-yeller transport my children still refer to as The Magic School Bus).

3. I have coached (and during said practices, yelled at) his children in basketball.

4. And years ago, while I worked for Mayor Rich Bucci, and Salcedo was the chairman of the local Independence Party, I strongly advised Bucci, a Republican, to politely decline Salcedo's offer to endorse Bucci in a re-election campaign. Over some Red Cat in my dining room, I have since come clean to Salcedo about that.

5. I consider Salcedo one of the brightest bulbs in the pack. He is also an eccentric. My wife says she understands why he and I get along.

I also have been inside one of Salcedo's rental properties, as has my wife. We agreed we'd love to live there. It's meticulously cared for, and immaculately updated throughout.

Now, at the same time, I've also chided Salcedo for falling behind on mowing his lawn(s) while he battles the city's code meanies (OK, singular, not plural), and there have been moments when we've clashed over his tack in "fighting back."

But by-and-large, the man has great points, and he certainly has made major investments in the city, to the clear betterment of whatever neighborhood in which his properties sit.

What follows is one version of how things have unfolded in ... The Curious Case of Victor Salcedo.

Order to Comply
March 18, 2008
Issued by Chris Schleider, city code enforcement officer
Stated re-inspection date: On or before May 16, 2008 (3 p.m.)

In layman's terms, Salcedo was socked with some code violations at one of his properties, this one on Seminary Avenue.

Letter to Code
March 30, 2008
From Salcedo, to Dave Chadwick, director of code enforcement requesting a July 30, 2008 extension date.

Salcedo complies with most of the violations (April 9, 2008). According to Salcedo, a contractor completely reconstructs the side porch roof of the property in question, and installs new soffit and fascia where damaged. Meanwhile, Salcedo reports that another contractor helps prime and paint the new deck fascia and door trim(s).

Re-Order to Comply
May 8, 2008
Said Salcedo, "This was the last article of paperwork ever received from either Code Enforcement or City Court, or any other agency in City Hall regarding this alleged continuing violation."

From there, Salcedo notes that Chadwick grants an extension, to be performed on or before June 15, 2008 (3 p.m.)

Salcedo notes here that Schleider, the inspector for the case, chooses to completely ignore the new side porch roof and repairs, fluted moulding, plinths, decorative blocks, and new architectural metal house number plaque adorning both front doors at the Seminary property.

"He also ignored the aluminum fascia on the new front porch," Salcedo says. "There are absolutely no updates, observations or remarks recorded by Chris Schleider regarding work performed and completed at (the property) to date, which has brought the property to exterior compliance. I consider this a glaring failure on his part and, via this disconnect, a huge disservice to due process.

Yadda yadda yadda ... Salcedo alleges he is harassed via telephone by Schleider.

"Over the course of several days, I received very early morning phonecalls (7:45 a.m.), repeated voicemails, and hang-up calls from Chris Schleider demanding that copies of estimates and contracter contracts be faxed to him at his office," Salcedo says. "I told him I don’t have a fax machine. He demanded they be mailed then. I considered this a presumptious, invasive and absolute abuse of municipal authority.

"Strangely enough," Salcedo adds, "Schleider records making some of these phone calls in his reinspection reports."

Appearance Ticket
August 29, 2008
Issued by Chris Schleider on August 29, 2008 at 3:10 p.m. for a court appearance date, scheduled 1:30 p.m. September 18, 2008. Violation stated therein: “Failure to maintain structure.” Specific violations are "missing or invisible address numbers," "unstable, rotten side porch roof," "broken siding," "peeled and chipped paint."

Work in Progress
Salcedo reports that the following work was performed: painting, woodwork, aluminum wrapping of windows, as of September 15, 2008. The work is performed by a contractor, and Salcedo says he is able to produce a signed invoice and estimate sheet dated August 28, 2008.

Salcedo also says he completed more than half of the house’s windows on or about September 3, 2008. He says he has photos to prove this.

Accusatory Instrument
September 9, 2008
In this report is stated that Salcedo “... allowed paint on trim to be worn and chipped and siding to have breaks."

Meeting of the Minds
September 11, 2008
Salcedo says an impromptu meeting occurred between him and Schleider at the property in question.

"I very civilly expressed dissatisfaction as to how (he) had handled this entire bureaucratic episode thus far," says Salcedo. "Upon calling him the moment I see him across the street, and after I introduce myself to him for the first time, I remember saying, 'Do you not see all the work completed here? And that is still obviously ongoing? Did you notice the new roof? The new windows? Where’s the chipped paint on the 26 brand new windows? Do you not remember what this house used to look like?"

Court Appearance #1
September 18, 2008
"I was fully prepared to personally appear and document all the work already performed, my good-faith performance and conscientious ownership of (the property in question) over the years, before and after photographs, dated work orders, and argue the finer points of my chronological compliance and correspondence with City Hall," Salcedo says. He contrasted that approach to what he called Schleider's "obsession over chipped paint."

According to Salcedo, Brian Seachrist, the city's assistant corporation counsel, did not allow Salcedo to offer full input. Instead, says Salcedo, Seachrist argued on his behalf to Judge Seiden for another extension so that Salcedo could complete "everything" by November 13, 2008.

Additional Estimate
October 10, 2008
The estimate for the work to be done on the remaining windows is received from a contractor.

Court Appearance #2
November 13, 2008
According to Salcedo, the case was "tabled and adjourned by Brian Seachrist to May 8, 2009 to account for the terrible winter weather now and to come." Salcedo says he received nothing in writing through hand delivery or via mail. He showed for court, he says, wasting his time.

Court Appearance #3
May 8, 2009
Salcedo admits that he simply spaced this one. "I forgot about it," he said, adding that he did not receive any notice by mail, e-mail or telephone. "Nothing in writing was ever handed and/or mailed to me at any point, by either City Court, Code Enforcement, or any other agency in City Hall so as to notify and/or confirm for me this adjourned and rescheduled court date assigned to me six moths prior."

Amazed yet? Oh. Stick with me. It gets better, beginning ... right about now.

Bench Warrant: Victor Salcedo
May 8, 2009
A generalized, undated document. Signed by Judge Seiden. Go arrest Victor Salcedo. Book 'im, Dano. Toss him into a cell with a gang-banger nabbed the night before from over Court Street way.

So, Salcedo's worked along with the city's druthers to update a property once a heap of crap and now a desirable living location for discerning college students, and Seiden, assigned by the mayor to replaced the shamed Bob Murphy, puts out the dragnet.

Is this a reasonable application of municipal power and resources in the handling of a missed, re-scheduled court date regarding “chipped paint” that was never served? Hell, even the two police officers probably felt stupid following through on this one.

After Salcedo was processed, he was asked by a police officer if he was suicidal. He said he laughed. Soon thereafter he appeared in front of a different city court judge, Bill Pelella, who, according to Salcedo, was surprised about the turn of events. He sent Salcedo home and rescheduled him for his code court date. According to Salcedo, Pelella said essentially this: "Wow. OK. This is Judge Seiden’s deal. I’m simply going to assign this a new court date for May 21st. Thank you, Mr. Salcedo.”

Oh, another thing ... the bench warrant was mailed to Salcedo May 14, 2009. He was arrested at his home at 9:07 a.m. May 15, 2009.

The mailed bench warrant? That arrived in the mail ... around 3:15 p.m. May 15, 2009 (6 hours after he was arrested).

Apparently, there were no other warrants available in the stack this fine day. I, for one, feel better knowing a louse like Salcedo was ... OK, I can't even joke about it.

So, Salcedo was treated as a flight risk. Then he gets another court date from Pelella (who, of course, is an innocent bit player in this comedy).

Salcedo, like a lot of people would have been, was outraged. As an outspoken critic of the current mayor and his minions, few would consider him paranoid to say he was targeted. Count me in that camp.

After all, several former employees at City Hall, with whom I worked while employed there from 1996 through the end of 2003, have shared with me a sentiment that covers all their commentaries about working under the current "leadership." Best summed up as: "You wouldn't even believe it ..."

So Salcedo contacts the media, and within its small window, Channel 34 does a story. To be fair, this isn't the type of story a TV newscast can tell well in 60 to 90 seconds, which is a long, long story by TV news standards. Meanwhile, the local newspaper is willing to listen, but the Press & Sun-Bulletin, for a reason not known to me, shies away from a lot of "political" stories these days.

Something I found interesting in the development of the Channel 34 story, though, was an e-mail sent to the station's reporter, Jan Carabeo, from Andrew Block, the mayor's community relations director.

Note that the following e-mail is verbatim (I took out the exact address of Salcedo's property, though), including incorrect spelling and court date errors. It was sent on May 15, 2009. (I broke up the paragraphs to make it easier to read.)

From: Block, Andrew
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 2:38 PM
To: CARABEO, JAN
Subject: comment from City

Hello, Jan,

I just called your phone, but only got your machine. Please see my email below.

I was informed by Corp. Counsel that you were seeking the City’s comment on a story concerning Victor Salacedo. Please see the below for background on this matter. Please also consider it our comment on the matter.

“Victor Salacedo was cited for code violations at (his property) for failure to maintain the exterior structure, which is in violation of the New York State Property Maintenance Code and our local ordinance. He was given a notice of violation on March 18, 2008. He was given until May 16, 2008 to complete the work.

He was granted several extensions and the work was never completed. He first appeared in court on September 18, 2008. He pled not guilty to the violation and was granted an extension until October 30, 2008. On October 30, 2008 he appeared again in court and the work was not complete.

He was given another extension to November 13, 2008; the work was still not completed but considering the inclement weather in November, the matter was again put off until May 7, 2009.

Mr. Salcedo failed to do any more work on the property and also failed to appear in court on May 7, 2009 as directed. A bench warrant was issued by City Court for his failure to appear on May 7, 2009. It is our policy to enforce City laws fairly and equitably, and we will to do so."

Best,
Andrew Block
Director of Community Relations, Office of the Mayor
38 Hawley Street - Fourth Floor, City Hall

Binghamton, NY 13901
Office: (607) 772-7001
Mobile: (607) 343-3670
Fax: (607) 772-7079
awblock@cityofbinghamton.com

Seems incorrect to have stated, on the record to a media outlet, that Salcedo "failed to do any more work on the property ..." Fairly judgmental on Block's part. Ironic.

According to Salcedo, "The aluminum wrap for the remaining windows was pre-cut and pre-bent inside the garage of (my property) during the cold, winter months. How in the world would Block know what I was doing during the winter months? Did he bother to ask? No."

For the enter lay of the land, as it were, let's take a look at all the work performed by Salcedo, or by contractors on his behalf, at his Seminary Avenue property:

* New boilers, 2 of them 2004 WINTER
* Updated plumbing 2004 WINTER
* New electric service 2004 WINTER
* New vinyl windows, 25 of them 2004 WINTER
* New front doors, 2 of them 2004 WINTER
* Completely renovated interior & esthetics 2004 WINTER/SPRING
i.e.: ornamental woodwork, period ceilings, updated wiring, overhead lighting, wired smoke detectors, plastering and sheetrock, refinished wood floors, updated kitchen cabinetry, ornamental scrollwork, painting.
* Siding and flashing repairs 2004/2005
* New garage doors, two of them 2005 SPRING
* New driveway 2005 SPRING
* New driveway apron 2005 SPRING
* Updated gas service and main move 2005 SPRING
* New wrap-around porch 2005 SUMMER/FALL
* New landscaping, PHASE 1 2005
* Masonry work/stone wall, PHASE 1 2005
* New garage roof 2006
* New fencing 2007
* New main roof 2007
* New side porch roof 2008 SUMMER
* New soffit and fascia repairs 2007/2008
* New landscaping, PHASE 2 2008 FALL
* Fencing ADDITIONS 2008
* Fluted exterior door moulding 2008 SUMMER
* Aluminum window trim 2008 SUMMER/FALL
* Decorative porch elements 2008 FALL/2009 SPRING
* Masonry work/stone wall, PHASE 2 2008 FALL/2009 SPRING

Salcedo says the exterior and surrounding landscape at his Seminary Avenue property are still works in progress, but he adds that his progress has been consistently impeded by gyrations from City Hall.

"The history and clear intent of my continued renovation activity at the Seminary Avenue property matters just as much as how a bench warrant for my arrest is handled by the Warrant Division of the Binghamton Police Department," Salcedo claims.

"Civil liberties and due process do not take a second seat to housing court business, good faith correspondence, and attempted penalty extractions by a mayor or a code enforcement officer with, respectively, a clearly selective, discriminatory, and illegal spot-assessment track record and a clearly-voiced hatred for student housing providers on the West Side."

There's more, of course. But perhaps for another day.

Meanwhile, in this curious case, unfortunately for Salcedo, these types of events have gotten old. After all, he's not getting any younger.

And now ... something completely different.

The Truth About Horses' Asses

As we look ahead to another historic event, and a pretty cool area connection to next Saturday morning's scheduled Space Shuttle Endeavour launch, it's also important to read our e-mail with discretion. In other words, as author Ernest Gaines once wrote, question everything.

This week Owego Free Academy graduate Doug Hurley prepares to pilot the shuttle out of Kennedy Space Center (7:17 a.m. June 13), so when I received an e-mail over the weekend from my Uncle Mario (who, maybe coincidentally, is retired as a career engineer and parts designer for Grumman), there was a strange connection. The e-mail was pretty cool. An interesting read.

But in all those cases where things just seem to fit together too perfectly (if you're a parent who's ever tried to assemble a kid toy on Christmas eve, you know what I'm saying), things don't work like that.

Here's a spoiler. What you're about to read isn't completely true. Pieces of it are, and it's pretty creative and offers an opportunity to take a well placed shot at anyone who's ever been in charge of anything. But as my good friend Paulie likes to say, "Love the Snopes.com." So without further adieu ... here's a bit about a bunch of horses' asses.

The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the U.S. railroads. Why did the English build them like that?

Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used. Why did "they" use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long-distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old, rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long-distance roads in Europe (and England ) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since.And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever.

So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder "What horse's ass came up with it," you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horses' asses.)

Now, the twist to the story: When you see a space shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.

The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.

So, a major space shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over 2,000 years ago by the width of a horse's ass. And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important? Ancient horses' asses control almost everything. And current horses' asses are controlling everything else.

With a nod to the late Paul Harvey, and thanks to "The Snopes," you may now have the rest of the story.

Riddle Me This: Mike Vick and Pedophiles

My apologies: Yes. There is a Tony Massar appearance in this video.

As I so often remind my children, be aware of what's happening around you at all times.

Perusing the blog of New York Giants free agent George Wrighster recently, the veteran tight end "twitted" that he didn't get it, referring to the equational balance that sends a person found guilty of abusing dogs to jail for two years, while many child molesters receive far less jail time. Some, none at all.

Michael Vick, former NFL star of the Atlanta Falcons, and a quarterback who, despite having been maligned the past two-plus years, nearly secured for that franchise the league's Holy Grail (the Falcs lost Super Bowl XXXIII to the Denver Broncos, 34-19). You likely recall that Vick was sentenced in December 2007 to serve 23 months in federal prison and three years' probation for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy.

To many, Vick was (is) a bad man. So two years later, we tune in to see any one of a number of TV news crews parked outside Vick's home as he tries to start his new life.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the City of Binghamton is inundated with pedophiles who have "done their time" and who are funnelled back into our society, dotting the landscape with festering little red marks on Internet maps. Regardless of the level at which the state's criminal justice service assigns to these dregs, post-conviction, these sex offenders continue to be a potential threat to children, in addition to the damage they've left in their collective wake.

We see it on TV shows like "To Catch a Predator," we read it in the news and we hear about it in our neighborhoods. Not long ago, in fact, just a day after a teen-aged girl was the target of a scumbag attempting to whisk her into a van somewhere in Endicott, my elementary school-aged son let me in on another incident that occurred just blocks from our home.

During his daily after-school call to my office, he mentioned a female classmate who had been the target of an adult male - he followed her, he chatted her up, as the story went - within blocks of their school. It wasn't friendly banter, and the little girl was rattled.

The girl reported the incident immediately upon her arrival at the school. Her mother was called in, my boy said. His classmate cried a lot. Something she'll likely remember the rest of her life.

I have a solid rapport with our principal, so I e-mailed him to ask about the situation. He let me know that it was more "harassment" than it was an attempt at anything else. A couple days later, we received an official school district letter, saying as much.

Within a week of all this, I gave a ride to one of my son's sports teammates. We were off to practice that day. The incident with their classmate was still fresh in their memories.

"He lives right there," said my son's friend, as she settled into our back seat. She pointed to the house across the street from hers. Even with my old rag-arm, I could have thrown a baseball through the guy's ratty front window.

"He's really weird," she added.

There's a fine line between arming our children with confidence, attitude and the awareness that there are bad people out there, as opposed to having the kids live in fear. My wife and I have an ongoing conversation about this and unfortunately, it's a necessary evil when you look at charts that tell you Level 3 and Level 2 pedophiles are your neighbors.

When it comes to convicting sex offenders of all levels in the state of New York, just how much time they serve in prison depends on the type of crime, it depends on the guidelines in the state's law(s), and it depends on human beings' discretion - that of a judge and/or prosecutor. For this reason it's important to support the appointments and elections of judges who will push for the strictest penalties for sex offenders, and despite recent news that it's becoming less and less likely to happen in this state, civil confinement for the most dangerous offenders upon their release from prison.

In the meantime, educate yourself. As I so often remind my children, be aware of what's happening around you at all times.