Maryland AG was a parent first, official second

I have two issues with the story about Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler refusing to break up a party at a Delaware beach house where underage drinking was taking place.

Should Gansler have intervened and broken up, or at least reported, this party with underage drinking going on? Even though the party did not occur in his state, even if his son was there, does he have a responsibility to uphold the law?

He said it’s “not his job” to parent your kids, which I find a bit funny coming from an attorney general. Still, does he have a point?

And were the parents who planned, chaperoned and set the rules for this week-long house party just acknowledging the realities of teenage behavior and doing their best to minimize the dangers? I credit the parents for having a list of rules to prevent DUIs, sexual assault and other serious crimes, but it came at the cost of some beer for the teens.

Every year we hear the tragic stories of teens on graduation night who never make it home. Say what you want about the parents’ decisions, but all these kids came home safely.