Arkansas Blog

I will comment only by passing along this item: "The attack... led the Bush administration to call for a school violence summit to discuss possible federal action to help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath. " [AP]

Bush et al. could start by entertaining the possibility that they have fueled the fire by ALWAYS acting as if violence could only be answered with more violence.

I was astounded to hear this morning that even Bill Frist has finally acknowledged that Afghanistan cannot be won with guns. Said defeating the Taliban would require a more complex type of engagement and cooperation-- working with people instead of shooting them. Claimed he learned this from a "briefing."

Excuse me, but isn't that just what the "Vast Leftwing Conspiracy" has been screaming for YEARS?! If it took such a "brief" message to get through to Frist, why did it take five years?! Indeed, isn't it something a true leader would have learned at a far earlier point in his career. Say, when he took the Hippocratic Oath...?!

It reminds me of something an academician once told me about her hard fight to persuade others of her thesis: "When I was the only one saying it, they called it impossible. But the instant two people said it, the critics dismissed my contribution by saying, 'Well, of course-- EVERYone knows that!' "

Dang, if we could somehow succeed in turning Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice into converts.... I'd even let them take the credit for their own conversion!

Please help us by not passing along any gossip or unsubstantiated facts. . . let's be very careful about what information we pass along. - Max
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You forgot to qualify this with " . . . unless it is political in nature."

Excuse me, but isn't it illegal for students to have cell phones, pagers, and other hand-held devices on the campus of a public school in Arkansas? Please advise.

Neuorglider,
Why do you want to turn this particular thread into a political discussion? Children have died. If you were truly concerned, you would know that these conferences have been held annually since the Plano suicides - including during the Clinton administration. States and districts hold these crisis meetings yearly. Each school in Arkansas has a crisis plan as mandated by State Law since Jonesboro.
Do you just want to point fingers to prove your political position? OUR, yours and my children are at risk from pedophilles and mentally unstable people, all you want to talk about is "The War"and how the current administration may or not have mishandled a situation? " Point made: Children and teachers and administrators are expendable.

Dear Curious,

In my view everything is political. The word comes from the Latin "politicus," meaning "of citizens or the state." Therefore, if it pertains to us as citizens, it is "political."

I never criticized the conferences. I'm sure the local organizers of such are entirely well-intentioned.

My theme was inspired by my view that so much of what is wrong with the world today arises from misguided leaders who believe in the fallacy of "an eye for an eye." Revenge is the most common sentiment one senses in our justice system, and many politicians seem more than willing to take advantage of raw emotions in that regard. The natural consequence of such a mode of action is escalation.

I honestly believe that we are becoming a more violent nation and that our leadership is promoting that slide. Again, it seems to be just what one would expect as more and more people see their own government (which is, collectively speaking, us) torturing the innocents along with the guilty, killing tens of thousands in "collateral damage," and otherwise mocking the Christ to whom Bush and friends so opportunistically pay lip service.

Individual behavior is strongly influenced by public (i.e., "political") mores. And as the average attitude becomes increasingly hostile, we will continue to see an increasing number of individuals walk into schools, churches, businesses, and courts attempting to address their grievances in the same way this administration has chosen to: at the end of a gun.

It should be obvious that I think this is wrong-- tragic, in fact. There is nothing about my hope for peace that suggests students, teachers, and administrators are expendable.

Dear Neuroglider,
"Individual behavior is strongly influenced by public."
"I never criticized the conferences. I'm sure the local organizers of such are entirely well-intentioned. "
Hmmmm, my limited experience into the realm of the language of Latin does not allow me to respond to your comments or even the personal translation thereof.
The first teachers of citizens are parents, not the public. Individual behavior is a choice, either positively or negatively reinforced by the family system. There are exceptions, but not many.
You certainly did not criticize the conferences, you criticized the opportunity to hold a conference that has been in existence for years to suit your personal political views. I am quite unsure about your personal experiences within the judicial system. I do know, I would not be willing to trade what we have here for what else is out there, even though there are deficiencies. I will repeat the original question:
Why do you want to turn this particular thread into a political discussion?
Children have died and there are other very sick folks out there who want to, at least, give the impression that it could happen again.