- I'm not to the point where some of my erstwhile libertarian friends are in re law enforcement (i.e., using hashtags like #****thepolice), at least not yet, but when I watch a guy like Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel operate, I understand why people feel the way they do. Israel's department failed in every conceivable way and yet he's still strutting around like he deserves a medal, primarily because his solution for his own department's incompetence is to take away millions of guns across the land. His grandstanding performance in the
Wellstone FuneralCNN Town Hall on guns was disgraceful, especially since Israel knew full well his officers did nothing to stem the carnage inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Israel ought to resign in shame, but it's likely he won't. The only person in recent political life who was more infuriating in his passive-aggressive bureaucratic serenity was John Koskinen, Obama's top IRS droog. Students are expendable, but bureaucrats are bulletproof. - Do we want guns in school? No. Do we need them? That's a separate question. No one is seriously saying we need to make the faculty at the average high school a SWAT team, but if a school district were to say they are giving their schools the option to have a certain group of personnel get the training they need to confront a school shooter, the chances are greater that such school will minimize the danger. I will be curious to see if the Osseo school district takes up the idea.
- We've spent a lot of time on music in the last few days. Fearless Maria performed at the Minneapolis Convention Center with the MMEA All-State Jazz Band, and we spent Saturday at Irondale hosting drumlines and color guards for our annual Winter Music of the Knight show. The nasty snowstorm that arrived Saturday afternoon really hurt our attendance, but it was still a happy event. While we're not likely to miss the 10+ days involved in putting on a show, we remain grateful for the many opportunities our family has had through our involvement in the music programs at Irondale. The kids have a chance to do remarkable things and while there's a cost involved, it's been well worth it.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Lightning Round -- 022618
Busy weekend, mostly spent away from the news. But what I've heard deserves comment:
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3 comments:
Congratulations on the music-filled weekend, my sympathies on the weather. As Roseanna Roseannadanna once said, "It's always something."
It seems sadly funny to see the progressives claim that greater centralized control results in improved safety, even when that premise is proved false. In Broward County, we have one of the most progressive counties in the state, with almost complete control by the Democratic Party. In this instance, it seems pretty clear all the politicians from the School Superintendent, the Sheriff, and the Social Services programs administration failed in what should have been their primary task, "protect the student."
The answer is, of course, to blame something beyond their control as the causal factor, for self preservation is one of the strongest of human instincts.
The "all-the-way-to-11" response to Trump saying teachers should be allowed to be armed appears to be "Trump wants to require all teachers to be armed and fill our schools with guns!!!" I don't think that is actually what he has proposed (or even just thrown out for consideration), but reading through all the "stories" out there is tedious, as well as deleterious to peace and sanity (which might be the objective). To bring it down to the nugget, is it that extreme to allow teachers who voluntarily want to have a weapon - and the training to go with it - so anathema to the Educator Priesthood? How many teachers might actually appreciate the opportunity for themselves, or support it for other teachers at their school - especially if they should suddenly hear gunfire in the hallways?
I read a note today that mentioned that in Israel, schools have many exits, but only one entrance, and that is guarded. That's pretty much what you have to do if you want to have safe schools without armed teachers or guards policing the halls.
And really, even with armed guards who've been in combat, there is still the chance that they'll "flake" and leave kids undefended. You more or less need to take steps to make sure that in the case of an attack, they will be cornered and forced to fight. Easier said than done, obviously.
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