(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) I know that the column's name is "On The Silly Side" and hopefully next week I will get back to being silly. But a few weeks ago I merely scratched the surface of a problem that is reeling out of control.

Bullying is not just limited to school aged kids. We encounter bullying every day. Did you ever have a boss who got right up in your face and yelled at you so as to even spit in your face? He is a bully.

Did you ever have a neighbor who parked a foot across your driveway even though you repeatedly asked him not too? Bully.

I know that I am a bit more defensive that a lot of people which makes me very aware of bad attitudes. Now, I realize everyone can't go around with an ear to ear grin on their face all the whistling happy tunes. Some people may have very difficult situations to deal with that keeps them from being happy. They may have a chip on their shoulder which is perfectly understandable. However, they can't go around bullying innocent people. Our kids pick up bad behavior from the examples they see.

The guy who cuts you off in traffic is a bully as is the clown that tail gates you. The burly guy with the mean look on his face that you see all the time is a bully. If there is a man blocking his path he will bump into them. He is looking for trouble. Even when you try to make small talk with him he is such a moron that he just shrugs it off and makes you feel like an ass.

If kids keep seeing adults acting like jerks what are they supposed to do? The guy who swears out the car window in traffic is not setting a very good example for his kids.

The Super Bowl winning quarterback who has been in the news for pressuring a young girl while his goons acted as lookouts should be ashamed of himself and prosecuted. What a disgraceful role model.

When I was in high school we had behavior enforcers known as building masters. Even the name is intimidating. Some of these building masters were very mean and abusive. Thank God things have changed.

Did you see the footage on the news where the guy in the subway attacked the smaller in stature T inspector while hurling racial slurs? That slug must have been a bully his whole life. Hopefully surveillance cameras will help put this crazy man away.

It has to stop. Intimidation and bullying goes on everywhere we go. For no reason I was pushed violently into a wall while in the men's room of Gillette Stadium by a drunken bully. It goes on and on.

As someone who works with the youth of this city, all I can ask is that we as parents set better examples for our kids. If you bully your kids, they are going to take it out on someone else. One thing I have noticed about bullies, is that when they are alone, they usually keep their mouths shut. They need that support of the group to make them brave.

Someday I may write a book about the bosses who bullied me. I would have probably gone a lot further in my various careers if I hadn't stood up to these loudmouths and said, step off! I was brought up to stand up for myself and I did it to a fault.

No one should be bullied. No one. It has to be nipped in the bud. As Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young said, "teach your children."