post the eightieth, 2013

of course i feel for the parents of the 8-year old who was killed by the bombs in boston, but i can't help but notice that the young men who did the bombing were 8-year old boys not that long ago. do i think little martin, who'd just greeted his marathon-finishing dad, would have grown up to be a killer and it's a good thing he was stopped in his tracks at 8? well, of course not, but then that begs the question: when the bombers were 8, did anyone foresee their futures? we presume the best of children. we want to see nothing in them but innocence and potential. however, clearly, not everyone fulfills that potential. should we be more discerning with children? well, that's easy to say "yes" to. now that we've agreed we'll be more discerning, you just go make a list of everything we need to look for in the young ones, and i'll help you discern.