Are we headed for a police state?

Last week, I had a post written up and ready to post about the tragedy in Connecticut, but decided not to post it as I'm sure everyone and their mama is sure to have said something about it, and would still be talking about it for the next few weeks, months, or until something else more tragic happens. I also wasn't going to go into how some people are already trying to turn this political. Between that and the fact someone went in and shot up a bunch of kids, it just makes me sick!!!

In response to the shooting, many schools tightened up security ad have considered taking further (drastic) steps to keep this from happening again. This has spurned the whole debate about guns, which I won't get into here, as I prefer to keep political opinions to myself.

With that said, this what my lovely employers are considering....

WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH, LA (NBC33) — Schools in West Baton Rouge Parish are looking for ways to make sure their kids stay safe while they learn. That's why the district will hold a meeting in a few weeks with principals, sheriff's officials and a crisis management team. The goal is to find ways to help lessen the chances such as the one in Newtown, Connecticut. Superintendent David Latona says all options are on the table, including arming teachers and staff with guns. "Security now is an opportunity to buy some time until the authorities or someone can get there,” David Latona, WBR Superintendent, said. “The politically correct thing to say would be to rectify the matter. The real issue is to take that person out."

My first thought when I read this was at least they're doing something. This district is run entirely by coaches who do nothing unless it involves sports, while our academics are near the bottom of the state, but that's a topic for another time.

My second thought is, if this goes through, what happens if the wrong student gets on the wrong side of the wrong teacher on the wrong day? Out will come the gun and down will go the students, as well as the teacher's career.

Guess what will happen after that goes down? There will be another debate about guns and whether or not teachers should have guns. I'm sure someone will propose arming students as well. I think we know how that will turn out.

Some places have resorted to using police and military for protection. One school had an alumni who had recently returned from his deployment standing outside the school, unarmed, just as a deterrent. I fear this may give ideas to the military, though.

Maybe I've watched too many movies, but what happens when our schools are overrun by police and military? What's next?

All of this because one parent wasn't responsible enough to know what her child was doing. Is TV, movies, music, and video games to blame, the way the NRA (such a credible source of morality..note the sarcasm), and a population seem to believe? No, because truth be told, there are millions of kids who are exposed to the same, yet they don't go shooting up elementary schools, so that point is invalid.

Anyway, I'm eager to hear what you have to say about this matter. What do you think about us teachers carrying guns? Good idea or bad idea?

Thanks for reading!

Chiming in

I'm sure you've all been hearing about this Trayvon Martin case. If you haven't, then good for you for living under a rock and not having to endure every which way you turn.

Now, I don't want to make this a long, drawn out (mainly because it's kind of late), but it seems like the main thing people seem to be bringing up is race.

Yes, Trayvon is African American and was shot by a...well, some reports say he's white and others say he's Latino. They really need to make up their minds about what the guy is.

Anytime you see Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton somewhere, you know they're going to start up some racial stuff, but shouldn't the real topic here be the face that a young man...a 17 yr old boy was shot!

When I hear people talking about this, that seems to be the one thing everyone is forgetting, in favor of digging up all kinds of dirt and useless facts meant to besmirch the names of these two guys involved.

I'm not sure what sickens me the most, the fact that this guy "allegedly" shot this kid because he looked suspicious, the overexposure this has gotten in the media, or the fact that it has been a month and he's still free.

Since when can you shoot someone and not be at least detained until the investigation is completed? Maybe the fact that his father is a judge has something to do with that, though...hmmm

Look at these other crimes...and how fast the culprit was arrested

Kim Kardashian had flour thrown on her and they arrested the person on the spot
Michael Vick ran a dogfighting ring and wasn't arrested for about a year (no humans were killed, just dogs)
Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg and was immediately detained (once he got out of the hospital)

Those are just a few examples. Now will someone tell me why it is that this guy is running free? That child molester guy up at Penn State is free, yes, but he has been arrested about 3 or 4 times since this came out, but keeps posting his bail, so that's a different story

I guess the main thing here is justice. I mean if this guy gets away with shooting like this (he claims its self-defense), can you imagine how unsafe it'll be to walk down the street? If someone thinks you're suspicious they'll shoot you and apparently get away with it.

*SIGH*

So, what say you, dear readers?