An Alligator In The Window

Just when you thought you’ve heard it all, along comes this recent headline from the major newswires:

CUSTOMER THROWS ALLIGATOR IN DRIVE-THRU WINDOW.

Picture this: A man pulls up to the drive-thru window of a South Florida Wendy’s fast food restaurant. He places his order and then, after taking his food, tosses a four-foot gator into the window, just as the unsuspecting server turns away.

In a subsequent interview, the accused man’s mother dismissed her son’s actions as a prank. She said “he does stuff like this all the time because he thinks it’s funny.” Law enforcement officials however were not amused and charged the prankster with aggravated assault — and, I quote — “possession of an alligator with intent to use unlawfully.”

We can hear that story on many levels. It’s an amusing depiction. It makes for interesting conversation. It could be used in a comic film. But funny as it may seem, it reminds us that clownish stunts and…