Momma Always Told You, Don't Play In The Street

In the cold early morning hours of Saturday,country store that serviced the little community,
February 16th, 2008, before the St Valentine'smom always warned, "walk on the side of the
Day Celebrations had subsided, about twenty (20)highway... stay off the road". A toe stumped on
miles south of Washington, D.C., Eight (8) peoplethe asphalt and bleeding (not to mention hurting)
lay dead in the street along Route 210, a four lanewhen arriving back home was a dead give away
highway, in Accokeek, Maryland. Why? Becuaseand earned an extra punishment which seemed
no one listens to momma any more.pretty severe until the computerman had a
Some Twenty (20) years ago the Tennesseeteenage step daughter killed by a car while she
Mountain Man transported telephone equipmentwas crossing a city street.
around the southern states and up the easternMany years ago, Johnny Cash recorded a song
seaboard for ma bell. A prominent sign wasabout a momma's warning. It was to her young
displayed at the exit for each of ma bell'sson and entitled "Don't Take Your Guns To
maintenance shops which read, "You Are AboutTown".
To Enter The Most Dangerous Place In TheThe first verse was:
World... An American Highway. Buckle Up!". Iraq,"A young cowboy named Billy Joe grew restless
Iran, Afghanistan and other hot spots around theon the farm
world notwithstanding nothing has changed andA boy filled with wonderlust who really meant no
the warning is as applicable today as it was allharm
those years ago.He changed his clothes and shined his boots
Concerning the Accokeek deaths, according toAnd combed his dark hair down
FOX News, Prince George's County Police CaptainAnd his mother cried as he walked out
Donald Frick said "there was a speed event going[Chorus]
on". That has to be the understatement of theDon't take your guns to town son
year. There had been an illlegal drag race thatLeave your guns at home Bill
resulted not only in the high number of deaths butDon't take your guns to town".
several injuries and an unlimited number of livesAs strange as it may be, that was the first thing
that have been changed forever because thethat popped in the Tennessee Mountain Man's
immature must play... even if it could reasonablymind upon learning of this tragety that happened
mean they die.on a dark unlighted stretch of suburban highway
A "speed event" is the Daytona 500 which wasfifty-five (55) miles north of Boston. As the two
scheduled to run the following day or Power Boatracing cars sped away and the spectators
Racing... events scheduled and licensed under thestepped into the roadway to watch, an eighteen
appropriate authority in a relatively safe place with(18) wheel tractor trailor and a car appeared
safety precautions and viewer protection adheredbehind them from nowhere. Not being able to see
to. This was a clear criminal violation whichthe people standing in the middle of the roadway
resulted in injury and death, and yet the police dodressed in dark clothing against the dark of night
not know, they say, whether charges will be filedcompounded by the smoke from cars and burning
against anyone or not. Can you say, "duh"?tires there was little the operators of those
The Computer man grew up in the backwoodsvehicles could do to avoid the by standers.
country atop Sand Mountan in Jackson CountyFor a little fun, a restless crowd of somewhere
Alabama. Running in front of the old home placebetween fifty (50) and two hundred (200) souls
about fifty (50) feet from the front door was ahad assembled on a busy roadway in the dark
dirt road which mom always told us to stay outnight and gambled their life against a little
of. There were less than ten (10) vehicles a dayentertainment, and in only a short moment in time
that literally crawled down that road, but momthey lost.
insisted "stay out of the road".Listen to your momma. She warned you, "don't
When one of the children was required to make aplay in the street".
trip the three quarters (.75) of a mile to the