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It’s been awhile since I’ve lambasted my hometown newspaper, known by this blog as the Capital City Gazette (to protect the not so innocent). It’s not for lack of things that have annoyed me with this newspaper. There’s not a week that goes by where I’m not irritated by something, usually in the OpEd page and often in the Letters to the Editor.

I missed my opportunity awhile back to craft some scathing commentary about a letter to the editor where someone was complaining because of the frequency the National Guard helicopters were flying at night. The helicopters in question are part of a medical unit which has since been shipped to Afganistan. Again.  However, nothing I could craft for a response could’ve beaten the response from the National Guard unit itself, an open letter in the paper inviting the letter writer to the sending off ceremony that took place about a week ago. It’s unknown if the person infact went.

But this morning, I found this piece which really took the cake. I’m talking USDA choice stuff here.

And for DA I don’t mean Department of Agriculture. Instead I mean, Dumb Ass.

Here is the letter, as it appeared, with only the names changed to protect the idiots.

As a Hazzard High School student and on behalf of teenagers: Please, let us get some rest.
Adults don’t rise at 6 to start work before 8; they know that sleep is helpful. In the winter months, we wake before the light, all in the name of something that will improve if we get to sleep. Sports can go later (we have lights), homework will get done (if not more efficiently), and everybody will actually be ready for class. If we really are the hope for the future, then let us rest for the occasion.

Sleepy Dozeopedic
Hazzard

First of all, this letter reads slightly incoherent and perhaps the writer really does need some sleep. But the line that just sent me into the stratosphere was, “Adults don’t rise at 6 to start work before 8.”

What? They don’t? Holy crap, what the hell have I been doing wrong all this time?? I’m up at 5:30 to get ready for my job and be there by 8, and I don’t have a long commute. Boy does this kid not have a clue or what? Let’s have a show of hands of all y’all out there who get up early in the morning, say 5:30 or 6am to be to work by 8am because you have, perhaps, an hour commute? Yup…wow, lookit at all the hands…

I’ve heard often over the years about how teenagers need more sleep. This was true when I was a teen. But I went to bed early because, unfortunately, I had to haul my ass out of bed at 5:30 in the morning to get in line for the bathroom which three other people had to use as well and be out of the house by 7 to catch the bus (school started at 7:45am). I guess this kid either lives right next door to his school or he just rolls out of bed and jumps on the bus or he doesn’t have to worry about catching a bus. Perhaps his house has more than one bathroom as well. Maybe his parents don’t work at all.

If the young people are really the hope for the future, this kid should just go back to bed and stay there because he certainly doesn’t make me hopeful.