One bad apple flies in the face of fairness

Some of the lessons taught by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary never leave the mind.

One that was stamped indelibly was, “One rotten apple spoils the barrel.”

To a hyperactive, eight-yearold boy, that narrative never made much sense … until he was presented with a more concrete example.

Recess was the favorite time of the day. In fact, it was the only time of the day that mattered to boys of the Baby Boomer era. Games of tag. Teasing the girls. Flipping baseball cards. It was an oasis in the middle of a daily physical activity desert.

It was 20 minutes of time to release all the jitters, burn off some excess energy, blow off some steam.

Until that infamous day when seventh-grader Joey O’Donnell (name changed in case nuns don’t recognize statute of limitations) decided to set off a string of firecrackers in the trash can. He was slick about it … lighting the fuse under cover and fleeing the scene before the noise broke the playful chatter.

Then the inquisition began. It was brutal. Not sure, but waterboarding may have been in play.

Either nobody cracked … or nobody was sure about the culprit. The entire school was called into church for a long lecture … and a longer forced-prayer session.

Then the bomb dropped. Until further notice, recess was cancelled. How could that be fair? The reason was clear: “One bad person spoils it for the rest.”

The “rotten apple” parable had come to life.

Although there had been advance warning -- and the reason for the punishment was clear -- it just didn’t seem fair.

Maybe it was meant to prepare us for life in an unfair world.

Through the years there have been many situations that defied logic … defied rational explanation … and, most certainly, defied fairness.

The latest came after a move to improve the presentation of the Traveling Golfer television show on NBC Sports Philadelphia. After four years of success, it was time to take the next step.

A drone was purchased. The goal was to add some aerial footage to the already award-winning show. No time to rest on our laurels.

As if the cost of the drone was not enough, there were commercial licenses that had to be purchased, as well as insurance. The drone pilot needed to take special training.

Finally, it was time to debut our drone. It was used in one show. Then in another.

And then the word came that the federal government was working on a new set of stricter regulations.

Nothing has dropped yet, but we know it is coming. And it is sure to add more expense and more time commitment for those who want to use a drone commercially.

The reason – “The bad ones spoil it for the rest.”

There are private citizens who are flying

drones without ever getting the simple license needed so that a Federal Aviation Agency number can be attached to the aircraft.

There are others who do not have regard for nofly zones – over stadiums,

over large crowds of people, near airports.

But, more importantly, the criminals of the world, and those who enable the criminals, have discovered ways to use drones. One of the most insidious is to fly drones over prisons

and release contraband inside the walls.

If nothing else, the criminal element in America is ingenious.

In the long run, the “rest” will suffer due to the actions of a few. It has always been that way

… all the way back to the days in the schoolyard.