10 May 2011

Zero Tolerance = Zero Brains

What happens when you mix liberalism and political correctness with education, and add in a pinch of zero tolerance for good measure?  You have quality, student athletes getting suspended for lacrosse stick repair tools, more commonly known as pen knives, multi-tools, and lighters.

I wish I could say that this story was an isolated incident to our wonderful leftist state, but unfortunately, that is not the case as it follows a national trend of zero tolerance policies lunacy.  Darwin would NOT be proud! 

The short version summary (full version read above on the initial link) is that two students were suspended after a search of their lacrosse bags failed to yield alcohol (as was suspected), but did net one pen knife (apparently a concealed deadly weapon warranting a 17 year old's arrest) and one lighter (apparently an "explosive" device).  Would someone please beam me up to the starship Enterprise, because this shit is not out of left field, it's pure moonbattery! 

What happened to common sense?  Are humans incapable of adjudicating rules, intentions, and mistakes in conduct that run afoul of prescribed ethics or actions?  So much so that two young men face the potential black mark against their educational careers that could alter their lives, permanently.  And for what reason?  Simply because they are victims of playing a sport that requires using tools that ordinary, common citizens use every day of their lives!?  I mean, holy-hell, a concealed deadly weapon as a minor in school could land the one player in jail for three years (and thus disbar him of his 2nd amendment civil rights)!  Anyways, not the point I'm trying to make here (at least, not about firearms and civil rights).

The lack of educators to reason and critically think through consequences for a student's misguided (or misinformed) actions, is reprehensible on its face, but it is rooted in a poor policy of rights suspension.  Once those kids step foot onto school grounds, they are bound to forfeit their rights prohibiting unreasonable search and seizure.  All it takes is for one high school advisory with a vindictive nature to "accuse" a student of carrying contraband in their personal belongings and initiate an investigation, thus subverting their civil rights  and potentially landing them into this kind of a mess.  We try to teach high schoolers civics (well, they claim to "attempt" to teach it), yet school policies themselves are totalitarian in nature and reinforce "police state" to the minds of our impressionable citizens. 

Not only is this asinine, it is archaic and tyrannical.  If minor children are required to behave like citizens outside the classroom, then they should be treated as such from within the classroom, including access to their civil rights and a comprehensive "student justice system" that can properly adjudicate the injustices and inequalities that come with human behavior.  Ignorance is no excuse, but neither is a failure in compassion or morals.  Perhaps we just need to have some teachers with better sense and more balls to stick up for the rights and actions of quality human beings!

I can personally speak from a situation where I understand what has happened to these two young men.  At current, I am aged 29, and this short story is probably 20 years removed from my memory, but it is a lesson that I am able to recall to this day quite clearly.  Growing up in a rural area, it was nothing for youth to hunt with their fathers (in this case it was dove season, so say between Labor Day and mid to late September).  After spending an afternoon hunting with my father on a Saturday, I attended school the next week and wore the same camo jacket.  Obviously, as September weather changes quickly in Maryland, the jacket was that of convenience on a chilly morning, and I did not even notice the 20 gauge shotgun shells (loaded) that remained in its pockets, until I was already at school and the day was 1/3 or better gone. 

Now, mind you, as a 3rd grader, you run into a very difficult situation.  You know you have broken a school rule, and you have two choices.  Either cop to the fact that you made a mistake, purely out of accident and you have no means (gun) to fire the shells, nor the intention to do it anyways, or tell no one, keep the shells in your pocket, hope you don't get caught and correct the mistake by telling your parents (or no one) once you get home.

Having been raised to be honest, I chose to cop to the mistake in school, to my 3rd grade teacher.  Her punishment?  Nothing.  Absolutely zip, zero, zilch, nada, nothing!  That's right, she told me to keep the shells in my pocket, tell no one, take them home and make sure they never came back; and that was exactly what I did.

So, I can't image things have changed that much in the last 20 some odd years, that the same reasoned thinking by our teacher level educators (and the administrators as well) couldn't come up with a better solution to the initial story.  Though, for that to be the case, that would mean that teachers and administrators might have to think outside their lib-progressive box, and admit their policies are wrong. 

First rule of politics (and everything socialism) never admit failure or defeat. 

New Posts Are Coming...

Dear readers, I'm assuming you've noticed the pattern.  I have energy to post, and blitz you into education submission, and then fall off the face of the earth for a bit. 

Frankly, lately, all the news has been so horrid, I have not had the motivation to write.  So, this week, you will see some new posts, with new material, along with old dated news items.  Throw the Maryland Monday and Finance Friday topic days out the window, while I try to publish things I've wanted to write.  We'll get back to a "format" once the back log is done. 

A personal note...I missed out on the NRACon and wish I had been there.  Hopefully the next time it comes back east (or into a State that I'd like to travel to), I'll block out my schedule to make it. 

So, hello and welcome back!