*and If I were queen.....this is one area I agree with CHina on. I believe the government needs to be involved in the choice to have children.*

China doesn't judge your fitness to be a parent, they simply limit you to one, or they did--that might have changed.

Since boys are more valued in their society, more females were aborted, leading to a society that will soon be male-heavy.

When societies are male-heavy, they often turn to war as they have no outlet for their, um, urges. So be careful what you wish for, because neighboring India is male-heavy as well, so you've got the potential of states with populations in excess of a BILLION, both nuclear-armed, going to war with each other or numerous neighboring states. And we'd be bound to get dragged in somehow.

What I wouldn't pay to give this man an IQ test!!!!!

NVGRF...and If I were queen.....this is one area I agree with CHina on. I believe the government needs to be involved in the choice to have children. Obviously more and more people have NO IDEA other than animal instinct (as browneye said) on how to be parents. I seriously can't believe that the government wants to pull the choice for abortion. Just imagine if the people who chose abortions in their past would have become parents? AT least they KNEW they couldn't do it!!

Hey, Kid: We're ready for your address. I want to MapQuest it!

comedy.

You need a license to hunt, fish, drive, but not to procreate. If I were king.......

Did anybody notice the fact that the fair always seems to 'bring them out of the woods'? This guy is one of 'them'.

I can't believe someone actually would do that kind of thing in public with a 2 and 4 year old!! But....I've sure met quite a few odd people in my profession (as a teacher) in which I'm wondering how their brains even worked to reproduce, except that they survive on basic animal mentality- eat, sleep, and reproduce.
I have to admit, when I was little, my sisters and I would have random sips from our dad out of his beer when their friends were over, but it was small and limited...but I think I was older than 4. I can't even imagine doing the same thing to my 4 year old niece. But here's the kicker- we had beer (on tap!!!) and liquor in our basement growing up. My sisters and I did not abuse it or drink underage (well, college was a different story). But we never abused it then either. We saw it used appropriately in our house and I actually thought beer was gross for the longest time!

You might be a redneck if.........

Think......, I was thinking Oreos but ounce works too.

I'd be worried that thekid's lava lamps and beaded curtains would give me flashbacks to that time I was walking through the Bronx and trippin' out on that dead bum laying in the street.

thekid, beer is made from barley and hops. Other kinds of alcohol are made from other kinds of plants.

Is the event at your house BYOO?

ThinkAboutItOnce, seems to have it right. Anyone under 21 is underage but the term "minor" is a more specific way of defining a certain age range: 0 to 18, an age range in which drinking is not allowed, period.

But there IS legal sanction for underage people, 18 to 21 (who, of course, are not minors) to drink alcohol.

Unless I'm wrong, in which case thekid benefits from the law of averages and is correct on this one.

anyones invited to my house for some 'plant':) anytime. the only catch is ya gotta watch THE dvd and listen to my rant in person;)
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no: im bein serious here, what do you mean by alcohol at one time a plant??

optimism~You are probably right about using it as a "sleeping device" I've seen parents blow pot in baby's faces just to get them to go to sleep. Some parents will do whatever it takes to not have to deal with their child. And those parents are the ones that should NOT have kids. This man is disgusting and does not deserve his children at all!

Daddy was probably using the beer as a sleeping pill so he could put his kids to bed in the car all passed out and he could continue carousing the fair grounds for some carnie booty. This is absolutely disgusting, and I would smack the guy myself if I saw it happening. I don't even let my ALMOST 17 year old have a sip let alone a whole beer. Some people should be euthanized!!

*LEGAL for a 4 year old to drink. who cares about morality an all that bs its LEGAL. im a criminal for simply possessing a PLANT. keep up the good work uncle sam.....*

Gosh, are you talking about marijuana or peyote or coca or poppies or psylocibin or ?

Alcohol was at one time "just a plant", too, btw.

And, yes, the establishment has the right to refuse service to anyone...unless of course it is for racial, ethnic, or similar reasons...but that's a different story.

Hey Sherim44? What is so wrong about teaching children that premarital sex is dangerous and wrong? Oh yeah, the thinking is that if you don't provide them the right tools to be safe, they'll do it anyway.

Notice that the article Didn't say that guy got ticketed for letting his kids drink. Notice it doesn't say anything about Social Services being called. The only thing the guy did wrong legally was disagree with the officer, and probably a bit loud in doing so.

However, laws only sometimes apply when making a social critique of someone. How many parents get in trouble for letting their children play tag? I once knew a lady who got in trouble for buying her kid a 'big coat' that the child could grow into over the school year. The school claimed it made him look more intimidating and therefore was a threat. A coat? C'mon.

The problem is that there are far too many people second guessing the people who shouldn't be second-guessed and then turning away from the people who should have their attention.

villajanesville "And screw the law...If you think it's okay to let a two year old or a four year old sip beer, you don't deserve custody of YOUR kids, either."

Well said!!!

There is nothing in this story to indicate the guy was intoxicated...Extremely stupid...yes...but not necessarily drunk.

concernedwi...You are absolutely correct on the legality of this issue.
Parent, legal guardian or spouse of legal drinking age CAN legally give their underage child or spouse alcohol. That means whether the underage person is 4 or 20 it is LEGAL....not smart....but legal...and this includes in your home or bar...wherever alcohol is legally served.

Oh my God! What is wrong with people? Think about it, if he's willing to do this in public, what is life like for these kids at home. I only pray that social services gets involved.

Just a note to all. This is why they have signs that say we have the right to refuse service to anyone. This should have been refused on the servers part!!

Thinkaboutitonce: The law refers to "underage person" because the law talks about more then minors. If it said only minors, then it would not include the 18-21 year old range. For example, tobacco laws talk about minors because its legal after 18. The statute is intended for the parents, legal guardian, or spouse who as attained legal age to give an underage person alcohol during a religious service.

As for your employer not allowing it, that is an administrative decision, either based on a concious decision to promote legal 21 and over drinking, or because they are misinformed on the law. Liquor establishments are not required to serve underage people just because the law says they can.

To mentor397"But, but... isn't that what we all wanted? For children to learn a responsible way to drink from their parents? I'm not saying that he went about it in the best way. But a supervised drink with a parents or guardian might just save a lot of grief later"

What would be so wrong with teaching your children, especially if you have ever had a drinking problem in your family history,that drinking is extemely dangerous and unhealthy. Is there a safe and supervised way of introducing your kids to crack or heroin? If the kids NEVER see any family member drinking I think it is possible to teach them that for your family it is poison and just as dangerous as drugs.

Legal...illegal...why would you do something so controversial in a public place? As Bugs Bunny would say, "What a maroooooon."

Stereotypical Wisconsin story. Sad really. He definately should have those kids taken aways for a while (over a year).

Who cares what the law is, these are 4 and 2 year olds and these people make me sick. This guy should not be taking care of his own children.

thinkaboutit~I was not saying he was RIGHT as in it was right for him to give his children beer. I was saying the law is saying he can. And no you can NOT drink with your parents after your 18. I would stop in the bar if my mom or dad was there before I was 18 and I could drink (if I chose to) After I turned 18 I was not even allowed in the bar after 9pm. And I knew the people. It is the law.

Fond du lac sure has been in the new for "interesting" things lately: Frist the guy who has the world record for eating the most Big Macs....and now this!

But, but... isn't that what we all wanted? For children to learn a responsible way to drink from their parents? I'm not saying that he went about it in the best way. But a supervised drink with a parents or guardian might just save a lot of grief later.

Unfortunately, too many other people get involved in such situations.

Im with "Iwonderwhy" on this.

ThinkAboutItOnce,
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Before I was 18-years-old, my mother would let me drink alcohol on special occasions (i.e. family gatherings) starting at age 15. This was completely legal. Nowhere does it state that they have to be 18+ for a parent to allow them to drink alcohol (with the parent around). To make sure this was legal, we even asked a friend who was an officer at the JPD.
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If you notice the officer's response here, he did not state that the man was wrong [about the law] but rather that the children were too young to understand what they were drinking well enough to be able to decide yes or no.

Who's to say the kids drank the whole beer. I remember as a kid my dad would be doing yard or fixing something and he would say "get me a beer." We would get the beer and open it and drink some of it before taking it to him. We were young to and we turned out just fine. I am not saying it is right to give a four year old or a two year beer but if they only had a sip they will be fine.

Thinkaboutitonce: I believe that you are wrong about the law. The law states that it is legal for a minor to be served alchol by a parent or guardian. WI law states that the legal drinking age is 21. So if you are an adult at 18, then from age of 18-till you reach 21 you can not drink (it is call the absolute sobriety law). Even if you think you are giving your child (who is 18) a drink you are infact giving it to an adult (under the legal age limit). You might want to review the law before you make comments about it. So was the father legally able to give his son's beer, answer yes under the drinking law....but I would question why there is not a child endangerment investigation going on. Obviously the father has a problem with common sense.

jethrobodean is right, the beer is actually less harmful healthwise to the kid than artificial sweeteners in diet pop.

The guy is sickening for doing this, though.

Thekid3477 is 100% correcrt. When are we going to get some marijuana reform? Let's join the 21st century!

This article made me sick to my stomach. This man deserves to be put in jail for this. But the reason the DA isn't charging him with certain things could be that the man is right. A child can drink if they are with their parents. I just don't think that law was made for a 2 and 4 year old. And why would they let him leave the fairgrounds????? Why not arrest him for public intox????? That way you can get the kids somewhere safe for the night. I know almost every kid has taken a drink of their parents alcoholic beverage when it was sitting on the table. I know I grabbed my mom's miller shorty and started chugging it until the taste settled in. But maybe that makes her a bad parent. (joking) I'm sure someone will have something to say about this.

Way to raise your alcoholics...I mean your kids. What else is this great father sharing with his kids behind closed doors?

Maybe it is time to overhaul all of Wisconsin's alcohol-related laws: drunken driving penalties, drinking age (including section regarding parents allowing a minor to drink), drive-thru liquor stores, etc.

Actually the beer in small amounts is probaly better health wise for the childern than the artifical sugar sweetner soft drinks.

This is why there was the debate a few months back on here about if this legal clause was good or not. Some said "they're my kids, I can decide for them." You can, yes. But, unfortunately, there are few idiots who ruin it for the rest with their inability to navigate through grey waters and abandon common sense. If it's bad for a 2 and 4 year old to drink soda, why on Earth would this numbskull think it is ok to give his sons beer at that age! It was only a matter of time before a story like this made the news.
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fiveonearth: I doubt it. The DA had a chance to charge him with endangerment or neglect and instead recommended he be charged with disorderly conduct. Why? For becoming belligerent with the 5-0. Wonder if he and O'Leary graduated from the same law school?

4 and 2year olds are way too young, maybe wait till they're 10 or 11. It's a joke so relax.

Those are children...I can't belive someone would actually try to use the "it's legal for minors to drink with parents" crap. I don't have a problem with parents giving their teenagers a beer if that is what the parent chooses but come on...4 and 2. Nice parenting skills.

This seriously made me ill...

Someone please tell me Social Services is seriously investigating this matter.

LEGAL for a 4 year old to drink. who cares about morality an all that bs its LEGAL. im a criminal for simply possessing a PLANT. keep up the good work uncle sam.....

Wow, that guy's a real winner. Way to raise your kids.