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My family gave me the most
wonderful Christmas gift ever this
year and I can't help but share my
happiness.
And no, while there is nothing
like the sight of a 6-foot, 2-inch
man dressed in a pink bunny suit,
exactly like the one Ralphie wore
in A Christmas Story to lighten up
any Christmas celebration, that
wasn't it.
Sure, there he was, with the
fuzzy, furry, flamingo-pink bunny
suit, tail and all, stomping around
in the matching slippers and wig-
gling the accompanying ears,
throwing the entire family into a
state of hysterical laughter.
It was pretty funny, but that
wasn't it.
The gift of the suit came from
his “little” brother who for years
has been vowing revenge for the
leg lamp from the same movie he
was presented some time ago.
He's been stuck with that horrible
(FRA-GEEL-LAY) lamp in his
home office ever since because
his wife finds the thing hilarious
and as it was a gift from his broth-
er, well, he's been stuckwith it.
So he plotted his revenge care-
fully and this year, when the huge
box was opened and the bunny
pajamas revealed, he felt vindicat-
ed.
His brother immediately went
and dressed up in the PJs, and the
entire family nearly stained the
carpet laughing. To say he was a
good sport is quite a serious
understatement. Both my sons
share a sense of humor and fun
that is enviable. They disagree on
just about everything. Politics,
religion, philosophy, gun control
and what color is the sky, but
when it comes to practical jokes
and having fun, these two are a
force to be reckonedwith.
Another thing they share is
their love for their families. Their
wives and children can always
count on them, no matter what,
and they treasure those relation-
ships beyond anything in their
lives. That becomes more and
more obvious at Christmas when
we are all together and I get to
watch them interact with their
kids and their spouses.
This year I was nearly over-
whelmed with emotion when I
realized that my grandchildren
really are pretty special, and not
just because they aremine.
They are special because they
are examples of what loving,
devoted and dedicated parenting
can do for a child. My sons and
their wives have no higher priori-
ty in their lives than raising their
children. They are now realizing
the fruits of all the hours they
spent calming temper tantrums,
drying tears and gently instructing
and correcting behavior.
My youngest grandson is now
12 and he is, without a doubt, one
of the kindest, sweetest and gen-
tlest young men anywhere. He
already has core values, like his
sister and his older cousin, and
exemplary manners that will take
him a long way in life. He, like his
Dad, is somewhat of a jock and
spends most of his free time on
the baseball diamond or hockey
rink. But he alsowrites poetry, has
a deep appreciation for his family
and loves his parents above all
else.
My granddaughter, too, could
give Miss Manners some etiquette
pointers and my oldest grandson
shares his male relatives' gifts of
wit, humor and good-natured fun
tempered with intellect and
respect.
So it was a sobering moment
for me as the 6-foot bunny jumped
around flop-
ping his ears. I
realized that
there could be
no greater success in my life, no
greater sense of accomplishment,
nothing ever asmeaningful as see-
ing my sons this happy, this pro-
ductive and with this indomitable
ability to love their families so
deeply.
That realization, that under-
standing, that these finemenwere
the best and most important
things I could ever accomplish
was the best Christmas gift I've
ever received.
And to think, they turned out
this well in spite of everything I
didn't know and all the mistakes I
made.
Now that is a Christmas mira-
cle.
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
January 3, 2013
The chief says they are just a coddled bunch of employ-
ees who need to learn to take direction. They say he has
put their lives and the safety of the city in jeopardy and
interferedwith crucial investigations.
Reading the complaints of the two unions that repre-
sent the entire police force in Inkster, it seems that there is
a great deal of doubt as to the argument of Interim Police
Chief Hilton Napoleon. The complaints go on for 10 pages
and cite dates, case numbers, officers who witnessed the
actions of the chief in situations where he interfered with
the interrogation of suspects or witnesses, barged into bar-
ricaded gunman situations and actually warned a suspect
of the impending arrival of officers, allowing them to
escape arrest.
The litany of actions of the chief, including speeding in
a car he assigned to auxiliary officers while taking away
the city car from the detectives, disbanding the Special
Response Team and arbitrarily changing officer's reports
of timeworked, are pretty convincing.
Napoleon says that the incidents are all untrue and that
the officers should be ashamed of themselves for telling
untruths. More should be expected of police officers, he
says, and repeats that these men know better and have
omitted crucial facts and evidence that exonerates him.
We are solidly behind the opinion of Lt. Jeffery Smith,
however, who said that he feels that Inkster City Manager
RonaldWolkowicz needs to appoint an impartial person to
investigate the complaints and the charges made by the
officers who unanimously approved the vote of no confi-
dence inNapoleon.
Smith says that these allegations should not be investi-
gated by the man who is being accused, but that a third,
independent person needs to take a hard look and come to
some conclusions about the veracity of the union concerns
and Napoleon's claims of unfair and untruthful allega-
tions.
We also wonder at the response of the chief, who sent a
memo to union steward Phillip Randazzo asking for more
detail and more information about several of the charges,
while completely ignoring several of the more damning
incidents. He actually states in the memo that he wants
more incidents” (other than the barricaded gunman inci-
dents) where Chief Napoleon has endangered the lives of
officers or citizens.”
While that may just be an oversight, it certainly looks
like an admission that the chief did, in fact, act in theman-
ner the complaint describes, endangering the lives of offi-
cers and citizens.
We strongly believe that some type of independent
mediation is needed no matter who is right here. The offi-
cers cannot continue to work under a leader inwhom they
have no confidence and Napoleon cannot depend on men
who do not respect himandhis abilities.
We understand the dire financial straights in which the
City of Inkster finds itself, but for the safety of the residents
and the preservation of the police department, an inde-
pendent andunbiased look at this situation is necessary.
As Smithput it. “It's an officer safety issue.”
He actually states in the memo that he wants
more incidents (other than the barricaded
gunman incidents) where Chief Napoleon has
endangered the lives of officers or citizens.
”
Independent investigation imperative in Inkster
Closure
was right
decision
Last week, one day before the
holiday recess, Van Buren Public
School District officials faced a
toughdecision.
For days, ever since the school
shootings in Sandy Hook, there
had been rumors of potential vio-
lence at Belleville High School on
that Friday. There was also esca-
lating hormone-fueled hysteria
about the predicted end of the
world as dictated by the Mayan
calendar.
In short, what administrators
had on their hands was hundreds
of panicky adolescents, some con-
tinuing to fuel the rumors and
threats of impending doom and
some genuinely frightened by the
situation. Superintendent of
Schools Michael Van Tassel took a
deep breath and did something he
is always loathe to do. He shut
down the high school a day early
to avoid the continued build up of
anxiety and fear.
We think he made the right
decision considering all the cir-
cumstances.
Canceling high school classes
for any reason is always perilous
because the very nature of teens is
to repeat whatever caused the clo-
sure to ensure at least one more
day of freedom. We've seen it
before and Van Tassel understood
the inherent consequences of clos-
ing the school. But we also know
that with the kind of hysteria and
panic that can be generated
among teenswith veryminor stim-
ulus or effort, this was the right
thing to do, the right action to take.
In a statement, Van Tassel said
that the current atmosphere at the
school had become a deterrent to
learning and created a high level
of anxiety. We think he got that
right, too. Despite their cloak of
sophistication and understanding,
many teens were really affected
by the Sandy Hook shootings.
Many of them, despite their cava-
lier facades, had some deep and
unfocused fears after watching
the nearly constant news reports
of young children being killed in
their classrooms.
As for the Mayan calendar
fears, well, who knows. Perhaps
there were those parents who
took it seriously, and that fear
spread to their offspring who took
it with them to add to this bub-
bling stewof impending disaster.
Our point is this: Van Tassel
and the administration in the
schools did exactly the right thing
by considering the mental and
physical welfare and safety of the
students above the scheduled
classes. They put the students'
needs first and realized that
nobody would be learning any-
thing in an environment of fear
and anxiety.
And to think, they turned
out this well in spite of everything
I didn't know and all
the mistakes I made.
”
The unexpected joy of a 6-foot bunny