Remember when
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May I say that many of us in this room remember the days when we were sent to the principal's office for chewing gum, running in the hallways, swearing, or wearing our shirt tales out. Today we have security guards watching the hallways for alcohol, drugs, and guns.
We remember when it was fun to walk home from school, kicking cans, playing tag, or looking at the shapes of the clouds. Today, we must teach our children to look straight ahead, walk home quickly, and run when a stranger approaches them.
We remember when no one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked. Today we often hear the car alarms sounding out, designed to protect the property we have worked so hard for, even if we didn't leave the keys inside.
We remember when it was cool (and legal) to cruise the boulevard, peel out, lay rubber and watch drag races, and we went steady with girls who wore our class ring with an inch of wrapped dental floss or yarn so it would fit her finger. Today it is illegal to drive a main strip more than once each way or to demonstrate the slightest bit of excessive speed. And many high school girls today have traded those class rings for wedding rings, and have to squeeze studying in between feeding times.
We remember playing baseball when it was simply a game to us...