Re: Seniors and water pistols (warning: angry retort)

[Jeff Kirkpatrick <jeffkirk@CONCENTRIC.NET>]

>"First, please remember that squirt guns, water balloons, and eggs are all
>included in the Coos Bay School District Weapon Policy.  Possession of
>weapons or replicas of weapons are prohibited.  Squirt guns are replicas of
>weapons.  Any object, when thrown, may be considered a weapon--including
>eggs and water balloons.  Possession of a weapon at school results in a
>mandatory, one-year expulsion!  Please don't put Marshfield in a position to
>expel any student for next year over a silly prank.  Thanks again in advance
>for your help in making Marshfield a great place!"
>
>Being expelled one or two weeks before the end of school can really put a
>crimp in your college (or any other) plans! BTW - I haven't seen a water
>pistol (at school) for many years!

Thoughtful people:
        Please.
        I'm sorry, but this excuse-laden, criminal vacuousness simply makes
my blood boil.
        Squirt guns (etc.) are REPLICAS of weapons?  So what!  The
punishment does not fit the crime.  As forced by such insanity, I'd surely
sue the hell out of such hysterical, paranoid, child abusing idiots, over
such a "policy," or I would not be any kind of a fit parent.  And think of
the hapless youth whose parent abandons them to such abusive policy.  It
should be no real surprise when they sadly, desperately, and hopelessly
resort to real violence over the impersonal violence shown them in this.
        Just look how such paranoid behavior magically morphs "replicas of
weapons" into "possession of weapons," where the horrid threat is suddenly
no mere replica of expulsion, but the real thing.  These absolute,
abject--as electively modeled--fools, then not-so-deftly blame the victims
in classic style, fawning that those victimized by such insane policies
have "forced" the policy-makers to inhumanely expel those who have been
left, quite obviously erroneously, in their trust, over what is otherwise
nevertheless admitted to be "a silly prank."
        By the modeling of its "leadership," quite apparently Marshfield is
NOT any sort of "great place," bogged down as that marshy field is, with
savage ignorance, masquerading as rock-solid policy!
        Those expelled via such draconian reasoning?  I would expect them
to look forward to having their college educations paid for, after the
accountable crafters of such abusive--on the face of it--policy, are
ultimately appropriately held to account.
        Please.  How may we hope to educate individuals to soundly think
and to reason when we fail to model same?
        Let us stop excusing and indulging simple madness, for we are so
much better than this.
        Take care.

JEK

*****

Editor:
        In Sunday's Post, Scot Adams' Dilbert offers the wise reflection,
"If you treat employees like criminals, they'll leave."
        Now, exactly how is it we are routinely treating our kids in public
schools, these days?
        Take care.

Jeffrey E. Kirkpatrick

*****
        When we allow paranoia to govern us; when we allow ourselves to
reflect--in our words, our deeds, our attitudes, our policies, our
routines--that no kid may possibly be considered trustworthy; what do we
leave for the many kids who are and would be trustworthy, when allowed to
be?  And what do we leave for ourselves, when we insist on (or acquiesce
to) sustaining these stifling, violent, abusive, elective lies leveled at
our very own children?
        Please, where is the good in empowering and sustaining our--and
others'--fears, at the expense of the ones we might trust ourselves to love
and to cherish?


Jeffrey E. Kirkpatrick
Advocate for libraries and education reform, in Aurora, CO
e-mail address: jeffkirk@concentric.net
(previously jeffkirk@sni.net --through 5/22/99)

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