Someone deserves a good spanking
Years ago, I went to a Tigers game in Detroit and, as always, I parked on a sidestreet in one of the nearby neighborhoods because in my thinking of cheap, paying for parking is a violation of the 11th Commandment.
As I was exiting my car, a young boy of about 12 or 13 approached me and said he would watch my car for a dollar. Again, not paying attention to my surroundings, I thanked him but passed on his offer. I figured I needed every dollar I had to help pay for the $8 beer inside the stadium.
After the game, we arrived at my car and noticed to our shock that the passenger side window was smashed out and the contents of my glove box was strewn across the street. Nothing was missing, but the point was clear: That was the price I paid for refusing to give that kid a dollar.
In a world filled with crime, I have been very lucky. The malicious damage to my car was one of only few incidents where I have been a victim. Until last week.
I received a text from my credit card company stating there was strange activity going on with my account and that I should check my statement to determine if their suspicions were correct. Sure enough, there was some very suspicious activity going on and I’m not referring to the astounding interest rate.
So I immediately called the number and it was confirmed that I had been a victim of fraud. Someone somewhere, probably Russia, got a hold of my number and made a couple of purchases that were small, but the amounts were certain to grow to big screen TVs or diamond jewelry if their devious plans weren’t stopped.
I was not happy. Here I am, playing by the rules, and I fall victim, like millions of others, to credit card fraud. It ticked me off. And I thought to myself, what type of lowlife, degenerate scumbags are these thieves? And the answer came quickly: They were no sons of Julia Kisonas, that’s for sure.
I grew up in fear of doing wrong. Not only did I have too much respect for my dad to disappoint him with criminal activity, but I was totally afraid of the consequences from my mother. She disciplined old school, not like today.
I will never forget the day I sassed her while I was a youngster. Yes, I do remember that far back. And you know why? Because we were walking down the street, in broad daylight, in front of the neighbors, when she stopped, dropped my drawers and spanked my bare rear end. That might not be acceptable today, but it worked. I never did it again and the memory has stuck with me for more than 50 years.
I learned quickly that if I got that for mouthing off, I could imagine the punishment for something like stealing. No, thanks.
Thankfully, the credit card company stopped the thieves before they could do real damage. And I’m sure they’ll never get caught. But if they ever did, I’d love to suggest their punishment.
Ray Kisonas is the regional editor of The Monroe News and The Daily Telegram. He can be reached at rayk@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Ray Kisonas: Someone deserves a good spanking
