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Another School Shooting

It's not like a virus. It's a side effect of our current culture. We have changed dramatically the way we raise children over the past 50 years. We are seeing the results of cultural changes and attitudes toward the basic unit of society, which was once the importance of family and community.



In 1950 we taught children that they were created by a God, one of whose commandments was "Thou shalt not murder", because human life was sacred. We taught respect for authority and family and tradition, we had strict discipline, and we had no school shootings. I'm not saying 1950 was perfect, there were issues that needed to be resolved like racism and sexism.... but we didn't have Columbine style shootings.

2012: For some fifty years we've been teaching children that they are merely intelligent evolved animals whose existence is not by any design or purpose, but mere chance. We have almost no discipline in school, while children are taught to question everything and diss all authority by pop culture.... and we have a Columbine-clone every few months.



Some people might not like what I just said, but that's probably because there's too much truth in it.
 
I may be called a backwoods hick for this, but in my hometown every pick-up in the school parking lot had at least one gun. Almost always a hunting rifle or shot gun and never one incident. Yes, there were bullies and the bullied. But it was handled with fists or teachers. But, then again we were just a bunch of bubbas clinging to our bibles and guns...what did we know?

Kids aren't raised that way though. A little southern raising probably wouldn't hurt.
 
In 1950 we taught children that they were created by a God, one of whose commandments was "Thou shalt not murder", because human life was sacred. We taught respect for authority and family and tradition, we had strict discipline, and we had no school shootings. I'm not saying 1950 was perfect, there were issues that needed to be resolved like racism and sexism.... but we didn't have Columbine style shootings.

2012: For some fifty years we've been teaching children that they are merely intelligent evolved animals whose existence is not by any design or purpose, but mere chance. We have almost no discipline in school, while children are taught to question everything and diss all authority by pop culture.... and we have a Columbine-clone every few months.



Some people might not like what I just said, but that's probably because there's too much truth in it.

Don't bring religion into this. Religion has nothing to do with parenting abilities and discipline.
 
In 1950 we taught children that they were created by a God, one of whose commandments was "Thou shalt not murder", because human life was sacred.....

we also had state-sanctioned racism, gays were in the closet, women were for the most part stuck at home, etc etc.

1950 wasn't such a fabulous time to mimic.
 
Now it's like a virus, spreading everywhere.

As hard as it may be to stomach for some people, we have become too soft as a society, to the detriment of the mental health in many of our kids. Alot of humans are little more than slightly evolved animals. In the animal world, the young are taught with force that they must control their whims and impulses. This is why you will see a mother cat slap her kitten when it gets too rambunctious or foolhardy. The kitten must learn the meaning of *NO*, in order to preserve it's own well-being. Humans are moving away from this philosophy of rearing their young because they are buying into the idea that they mustn't harm little Johnny's psyche or self-esteem by telling him NO. Just let little Johnny act and be whatever and however he wants, and he will grow up to be a good boy and an upstanding member of society.

Unfortunately, that is a lie. Some little Johnnies will grow up to be just fine if they are handled with a light hand and a loose rein, but other little Johnnies can't handle the responsibility. Alot of kids are not being taught to tell themselves no, and *NO* is one of the most important words that humans can learn, for it helps us control our animal impulses and gives us a sense of control in bad situations.

What we are seeing nowadays is that many little Johnnies can't handle the word NO, and they lose their minds when anything happens to upset their little worlds.
 
Don't bring religion into this. Religion has nothing to do with parenting abilities and discipline.


Bud, if you don't want to teach your children religion, don't. But by whatever you believe in teach them SOMETHING that gives them a reason to have a little respect for their fellow human beings!

Don't assume they have it inborn.... they don't.

Don't assume they'll learn it in school... they won't.

If you don't want to hang that hook on God, you can hang on whatever nail you like.... humanism, philosophy, enlightened self-interest, whatever melts your butter... but if you don't TEACH them to respect human life and other people and to fear the consequences of bad actions, they're not going to learn it on their own.

Unraised children tend to grow up to be barbarous adults.
 
I can't help but think that flooding our kids' brains with images of violence & bloodshed, from video games & movies & tv, has something to do with this.

all conflict resolution they see, is through violence.

all afronts against one's maleness or status, is addressed with violence.
 
This NEVER happened until Columbine. Now it's like a virus, spreading everywhere.

No, you just didn't hear about it.

A couple reasons for this: Now we have more sensationalized media where this kind of news is exploited and at Columbine you had a fairly predominantly white student population in an "average" quiet "It can't happen here" attitude, as we know that is a fallacy.

I posted only multi-victim shootings here, there are several more incidents with single injuries / deaths. If you follow the link there are also some statistics.
School shooting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1980s

• January 20, 1983 St. Louis County, Missouri the Parkway South Middle School, eighth grader brought a blue duffel bag containing two pistols, and a murder/suicide note that outlined his intention to kill the next person heard speaking ill of his older brother Ken. He entered a study hall classroom and opened fire, hitting two fellow students. The first victim, was fatally shot in the stomach, and the second victim received a non-fatal gunshot wound to the abdomen. Then he said, "no one will ever call my brother a ***** again" then committed suicide.

• October 18, 1985 Detroit, Michigan During halftime of the homecoming football game between Northwestern High School and Murray-Wright High School. A boy who was in a fight earlier that day, pulled out a shotgun and opened fire injuring six students.

• November 26, 1985 Spanaway, Washington A 14yr old girl shot two boys dead then kills herself with a .22-caliber rifle at the Spanaway Junior High School.

• December 10, 1985 Portland, Connecticut At the Portland Junior High School, the Principal was having a heated discussion with a 13-year-old male eighth-grader when he locked the boy inside an office. The student then pulled out a 9mm assault rifle and opened fire. The bullet shattered the glass door and struck the left forearm of the secretary and the glass injured the Principal. The boy fled for the 2nd floor, were he encountered the janitor, and he shot him in the head. The boy then took a seventh-grader hostage. The boy's father and another family member came to the school and talked to him over the intercom system. After 45 minutes, he tossed the gun out a school window and was taken into custody.

• May 16, 1986 The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis In a ransom scheme, David and Doris Young, both in their forties, took 150 students and teachers hostage on this spring day. Their demand for $300 million dollars came to an abrupt end when Doris accidentally set off a bomb, killing herself and injuring 78 students and teachers. David wounded John Miller, a teacher who was trying to flee, then killed himself.

• March 2, 1987 Missouri an honours student Nathan Ferris, 12, killed a classmate and then himself.

• May 20, 1988 Winnetka, Illinois 30yr old Laurie Dann shot and killed one boy, and wounded five other kids, in an elementary school, then took a family hostage and shot a man before killing herself.

• September 26, 1988 Greenwood, South Carolina In the cafeteria of the Oakland Elementary School 19 year-old James William Wilson Jr., shot and killed Shequilla Bradley, 8 and wounded eight other children with a 9-round .22 caliber pistol. He went into the girls restroom to reload where he was attacked by Kat Finkbeiner, a Physical Education teacher. James shot her in the hand and mouth. He then entered 3rd grade classroom and wounded six more students.

• December 16, 1988 Virginia Beach, Virginia Nicholas Elliott, 15, opened fire with a SWD Cobray M-11 semiautomatic pistol on his teachers at the Atlantic Shores Christian School. His first shots struck teacher Karen Farley in the arm; when she went down he killed her at point blank range. Nicholas then injured Sam Marino. He turned the Cobray toward his classmates, but the gun jammed and he was quickly subdued by M. Hutchinson Matteson, a teacher, before he could fire another round.

• January 17, 1989 Cleveland School massacre of Stockton, California where 5 school children were killed and 29 wounded by a single gunman firing over 100 rounds into a schoolyard from an AK-47

• May 1, 1992 Olivehurst, California Eric Houston, 20, killed four people and wounded 10 in an armed siege at his former high school. Prosecutors said the attack was in retribution for a failing grade.

• October 12, 1995 Blackville, South Carolina A suspended student shot two math teachers with a .32 caliber revolver.

• February 2, 1996 Moses Lake, Washington Two students and one teacher killed, one other wounded when 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis opened fire on his algebra class.

• February 19, 1997 Bethel, Alaska Principal and one student killed, two others wounded by Evan Ramsey, 16.

• October 1, 1997 Pearl, Mississippi Two students killed and seven wounded by Luke Woodham, 16, who was also accused of killing his mother. He and his friends were said to be outcasts who worshiped Satan.

. November 27, 1997 West Palm Beach. Florida Conniston Middle School 14 year-old John Kamel was fatally shot in the chest at 8:40 a.m. outside school on a sidewalk by 14 year-old Tronneal Mangum, after an argument over an Adidas watch that Mangum had taken from Kamel.

• December 1, 1997 West Paducah, Kentucky Three students killed, five wounded by Michael Carneal, 14, as they participated in a prayer circle at Heath High School.

• December 15, 1997 Stamps, Arkansas Two students wounded. Colt Todd, 14, was hiding in the woods when he shot the students as they stood in the parking lot

• March 24, 1998 Jonesboro, Arkansas Four students and one teacher killed, ten others wounded outside as Westside Middle School emptied during a false fire alarm. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, shot at their classmates and teachers from the woods

• April 24, 1998 Edinboro, Pennsylvania One teacher, John Gillette, killed, two students wounded at a dance at James W. Parker Middle School. Andrew Wurst, 14, was charged.

• May 21, 1998 Springfield, Oregon Two students killed, 22 others wounded in the cafeteria at Thurston High School by 15-year-old Kip Kinkel. Kinkel had been arrested and released a day earlier for bringing a gun to school. His parents were later found dead at home.

• June 15, 1998 Richmond, Virginia One teacher and one guidance counselor wounded by a 14-year-old boy in the school hallway

• May 20, 1999 Conyers, Georgia Six students injured at Heritage High School by Thomas Solomon, 15, who was reportedly depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend
 
we also had state-sanctioned racism, gays were in the closet, women were for the most part stuck at home, etc etc.

1950 wasn't such a fabulous time to mimic.


Bud, I said not a damn word about how great racism and sexism were. I said we had no Columbines in the 1950's and that is true. I said we taught children "thou shalt not kill" and we did. I said we had more respect for authority and we did. Nothing I actually said was wrong, until you start throwing in strawmen.

Racism and sexism needed to be addressed; they have been. Problem is we threw the baby out with the bath water and in the name of critical thinking we threw out almost ALL the values that made us what we were, the good with the bad.

I never said 1950 was perfect, I specifically said it wasn't. I said we had no Columbines and pointed out some differences I think may contribute.
 
we also had state-sanctioned racism, gays were in the closet, women were for the most part stuck at home, etc etc.

1950 wasn't such a fabulous time to mimic.

Yeah, you could leave your doors unlocked, walk down the street without getting mugged. It sucked!
 
Bud, if you don't want to teach your children religion, don't. But by whatever you believe in teach them SOMETHING that gives them a reason to have a little respect for their fellow human beings!

Don't assume they have it inborn.... they don't.

Don't assume they'll learn it in school... they won't.

If you don't want to hang that hook on God, you can hang on whatever nail you like.... humanism, philosophy, enlightened self-interest, whatever melts your butter... but if you don't TEACH them to respect human life and other people and to fear the consequences of bad actions, they're not going to learn it on their own.

Unraised children tend to grow up to be barbarous adults.


I will add, if I may, no matter what we want to teach them in many respects we are the only living version of what we they learn and we are studied every minute of every day.
 
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Bud, I said not a damn word about how great racism and sexism were. I said we had no Columbines in the 1950's and that is true. I said we taught children "thou shalt not kill" and we did. I said we had more respect for authority and we did. Nothing I actually said was wrong, until you start throwing in strawmen.

Racism and sexism needed to be addressed; they have been. Problem is we threw the baby out with the bath water and in the name of critical thinking we threw out almost ALL the values that made us what we were, the good with the bad.

I never said 1950 was perfect, I specifically said it wasn't. I said we had no Columbines and pointed out some differences I think may contribute.

Actually, you did. With the Libbos, everything is good, or everything is bad. Ther's no in between.
 
Bud, if you don't want to teach your children religion, don't. But by whatever you believe in teach them SOMETHING that gives them a reason to have a little respect for their fellow human beings!

Don't assume they have it inborn.... they don't.

Don't assume they'll learn it in school... they won't.

If you don't want to hang that hook on God, you can hang on whatever nail you like.... humanism, philosophy, enlightened self-interest, whatever melts your butter... but if you don't TEACH them to respect human life and other people and to fear the consequences of bad actions, they're not going to learn it on their own.

Unraised children tend to grow up to be barbarous adults.


I'm all for that. I'm just saying that whether or not you believe in God does not affect discipline.
 
I'm all for that. I'm just saying that whether or not you believe in God does not affect discipline.


On the contrary, it absolutely does impact discipline. If you believe in God and raise your children to do so as well, you can have someone watching them 24/7, from whom they cannot hide, who evaluates the morality of their every action and burdens their conscience when they consider doing wrong.

As a parent, I find this terribly useful.

:mrgreen:
 
On the contrary, it absolutely does impact discipline. If you believe in God and raise your children to do so as well, you can have someone watching them 24/7, from whom they cannot hide, who evaluates the morality of their every action and burdens their conscience when they consider doing wrong.

As a parent, I find this terribly useful.

:mrgreen:

excellent points that I never even considered when I was raising my own! I had to rely on their fear of my psychic abilities. :lol:
(j/k :))
 
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those are adults-21 years and older-ie older than the average M16 toting Pineapple throwing claymore mine setting Nam Infantry man. Older than my nephew was when he first was issued a M4 automatic carbine and given the authority to call in a 105 howitzer strike on occupied buildings

I think Liberty University's policy has just recently changed, in December or January, and only those with valid CCW permits are allowed to carry. All are adults. Visitors can only carry in locked cars, and only some teachers are allowed to carry.
 
On the contrary, it absolutely does impact discipline. If you believe in God and raise your children to do so as well, you can have someone watching them 24/7, from whom they cannot hide, who evaluates the morality of their every action and burdens their conscience when they consider doing wrong.

As a parent, I find this terribly useful.

:mrgreen:

It could be a useful tool, but there are other ways to discipline children. I'm not anti religious as I am Christian and proud of it. But an atheist can be just as good of a parent.
 
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It could be a useful tool, but their are other ways to discipline children. I'm not anti religious as I am Christian and proud of it. But an atheist can be just as good of a parent.

There are other ways, no doubt, and the disclipine should fit the child. Some kids need gentle guidance, and others need a firm authoritative hand. Where we have gone wrong is in believing that children are more complicated and intelligent than they actually are. Children are insecure, as they should be. They need to know that someone else is in control until they are able to control themselves. They need to learn that there is more to life than immediate gratification and getting the things that they want at their every whim. Life is hard, and it sometimes causes emotional pain. They need to learn how to deal with painful situations in a controlled manner, otherwise they will be subject to hurting every time something doesn't go the way they envisioned it should. When people don't learn to deal with disappointment, they will do rash and dangerous things.

One of my sisters had three children, all of which were sweet, compliant little angels. I had two boys, both of which had a rebellious adventurous nature (imagine that ;)). My sister's children didn't require much in the way of disclipine. Their natures didn't need it. My boys needed someone with the disposition to handle defiance. It's similar to raising various dog breeds in a way. A doberman needs an owner who can handle him well. A bassett hound just needs to sit in your lap to be happy. :)
 
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Let me tell y'all a true story about a young fellow... I'll call him "Joe" to protect his identity.

Bear in mind, this IS a true story.


"Joe" had a rough time in Junior High. His social skills were mediocre and he was perhaps overly sensitive; he came from a family that was very mild-mannered and didn't tolerate verbal abuse or other uncivil behavior, and the first time some kid called him a m'f'er he almost had a stroke he was so infuriated. He was a country boy who dressed in rugged comfortable clothes and not the latest style, and he was too honest and too trusting for his own good. Well, he got bullied a lot. It was a rough school, there were 16-19yo thugs there who had failed three grades in a row for misbehavior and it was a time when violence was peaking (1970s).

By the end of his first year at Jr High Joe felt like his life was coming apart. He'd been in more fights in six months that in the past six years and had been gang-beatdown, had weapons pulled on him and suffered what he considered daily insults and abuse that never ended. He saw no end in sight to this circumstance and struggled with the notion that he'd rather die than spend another year being tormented that way.

Joe's parents didn't lock their guns up; few people did back then in the country. Joe wasn't supposed to handle any guns without permission, but he knew where his father's pistols were hidden. There were three people at school that Joe saw as the chief architects of his living hell, and one day he sat in his room and gave serious thought to taking his Dad's smallest revolver to school and shooting them.

He fantasized about it, playing it out in his head, how sweet revenge would be on his tormentors and how they would never be able to torment him any more.

But reality came knocking; Joe knew the police would arrest him. He knew, for his parents had told him, that murderers were often executed or kept in a hellish prison for life. Joe didn't want that for himself.

It occurred to Joe that he could avoid that by killing himself after he killed his tormentors. That sounded somewhat appealing... after all, his life seemed to be an endless misery... and another two years at that school felt like eternity to a 13yo.

But Joe's parents had brought him up to believe in God, a God who had this commandment called "Thou Shalt not Murder". Joe remembered the preacher saying that after death every man had to face his God and answer for what he'd done in life.

Joe got the shakes about the idea of facing God after murdering three of his fellow students, and decided that the fantasy of shooting them was going to have to remain a fantasy. He struggled and found other ways to cope with the bullying and insults, and he killed no one.

Because he'd been taught about God and the Ten Commandments.

True story... possible school shooting averted because a couple of parents taught Joe their religion.


Well, how about that.... ;)
 
...True story... possible school shooting averted because a couple of parents taught Joe their religion...

however, one could teach their child about the Crusades, the Inquisition, Colonialism, Manifest Destiny, and that child will learn that violence has its place....even as an expression of faith.

its silly to suggest that teaching about the Bible, will automatically make one a peaceful, kind, and gentle soul.

cases in point: Anders Breivik & Eric Rudolph.
 
however, one could teach their child about the Crusades, the Inquisition, Colonialism, Manifest Destiny, and that child will learn that violence has its place....even as an expression of faith.

its silly to suggest that teaching about the Bible, will automatically make one a peaceful, kind, and gentle soul.

cases in point: Anders Breivik & Eric Rudolph.

Hmm Maybe if TJ Lane got burned at the stake and the barbecue was broadcast widely the next loser who decides to shoot up a school might decide that roasting alive might not be a great idea
 
however, one could teach their child about the Crusades, the Inquisition, Colonialism, Manifest Destiny, and that child will learn that violence has its place....even as an expression of faith.

its silly to suggest that teaching about the Bible, will automatically make one a peaceful, kind, and gentle soul.

cases in point: Anders Breivik & Eric Rudolph.


 
Hmm Maybe if TJ Lane got burned at the stake and the barbecue was broadcast widely the next loser who decides to shoot up a school might decide that roasting alive might not be a great idea

or, we could bring back the Four-Winds.
 
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