Hey, you monkeys...

Be sure to read this morning's Northwest Herald article on Page 1C about the woman who spoke to children playing in a tree in front of their own house. Not her children, her neighbor's children. Not her tree; her neighbor's tree.

She apparently told the children to "quit playing in the tree like monkeys."

The neighbor and the children complained to Carpentersville Police that they were "alarmed or disturbed", and the woman was cited for disorderly conduct.

Well, I am alarmed and disturbed by reading this!

Should I have Tom Musick and the Northwest Herald cited for disorderly conduct this morning?

Should I have the Carpentersville Police Chief and his officer (s) cited for disorderly conduct for alarming and disturbing me?

Based on the information presented by Tom in the article, this has to be a gross miscarriage of justice and a gross misuse of police power. It serves to squelch free speech and threatens every resident in Carpentersville.

Should I be afraid to drive in Carpentersville because obeying the speed limit might alarm and disturb some idiot behind me who wants to go 60MPH in a 35MPH zone? Will I be arrested for disturbing her peace?

Now I can admit that there might be "some" circumstances when a "like monkeys" comment might be construed as a hate crime. Not very many circumstances, but there might be some. If so, then charge her with a hate crime.

Come to think of it, I get alarmed and disturbed a police car runs a red light at 25MPH. Should I have the driver charged with disorderly conduct? Of course not! He's not breaking the law, which permits him to go through a red light (carefully, which he was). But was I alarmed and disturbed? That would be a pretty stupid assertion, and I would expect the police department to have the guts to stand up and say so. And I believe they would.

But life is different in Carpentersville.

And why would there even be any mention that the woman cited was a Carpentersville Village Trustee? What does that have to do with anything, unless she ran out to the tree and said, "Look! I am a Carpentersville Trustee, and I'm telling you to quit playing in the tree like monkeys."

Is the article correct that this incident occurred last Saturday and she was already fined $75.00? I doubt it. She might have been cited on Saturday. Unless she coughed up the $75.00 and pled guilty or no-contest by signing the ticket and forfeiting any $75.00, she is entitled to a hearing.

I urge her to fight it. When she is found Not Guilty, I hope the Northwest Herald will grant the same amount of space to this "news."

And, the next time the monk - - , errr, children, are playing in the tree, just look the other way when they fall and get hurt. If the mom happens to wonder why the kid is lying on the ground, not moving, not crying, then she can get around to going outside and checking on the kid. Hopefully, the child will only be stunned and will still be breathing.

And then she'll probably charge the (Trustee) neighbor with disorderly conduct for being alarmed and disturbed that the ought-to-be-concerned neighbor wasn't minding the kids up in the tree. And since the neighbor is a Trustee, maybe she'll also charge the Village. After all, there must be a deep pocket somewhere.

By the way, why wasn't the complaining neighbor's name in the article?