I know I'm diving in to Very Very deep water with this topic, but I think it is worth discussing. The topic of this post is about the ongoing threats made towards schools, not school shooting. The school shooting topic is one I don't wanna get in to.
Since the Marshall County HS catastrophe, the list of schools that have been cancelled or placed on Lockdown status because of threats made is getting ridiculous. All of the threats I have seen have been unfounded. There could be some I don't know about that have been credible.
My point is, the Commonwealth Attorney's for the counties where these situations are happening need to press for the maximum penalties and put these kids on trial in adult court. This will continue to be a trend until kids are shown there are real consequences for these type of actions.
Social media messages and posts do come with consequences. The kids in school now have grown up with an iPad or cell phone in their hands, living on social media. Any type of violent threat or similar situations needs to be dealt with in a court setting. Our kids, for the most part, feel entitled and that they can get away with anything and have no type of punishment. This is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken.
Kentucky has led a sheltered life. But after a history of enjoying a level of insulation from things like shootings or threats of shootings, and even terrorism, Kentuckians are to large extent awakening to some of the dangers faced by their metropolitan brethren.
Meanwhile the left argues incessantly for policies like open borders, which can only serve to exacerbate the encroachment of violence. Violence which has come to call now on our own doorsteps, and which is 100% attributable to America's moral collapse. And yes there are some haunting specifics involved, like the lack of parental guidance and support, drug and alcohol abuse, hunger, homelessness, along with any number of the similar social ills of which we have been beset. But I agree, people calling in or by other means making terrorist threats against any entity, state or private, should be hit as hard as the law will permit.
In the general sense, though America's citizenry continues to be among the most liberal givers in history, they are nonetheless being blamed for those social ills, as they are tagged by the left with false accusations of selfishness racism and intolerance. And let's be honest here, who really gets more incoming flak in this country and around the world than the true Church? Christianity is under tremendous attack in our time. Not in the form of classically overt attacks by the State, at least not here in America, (though I believe such attacks will eventually come). But you can bet they have and will happen in other countries. Here in the US the attacks come via more subtle means, such as the attack on Vice President Mike Pence's sanity by the likes of Joy Behar. Censorship of Public Schools is a national shame, as is our having abandoned the very foundation on which our system of law was established, that being God's Word. And there are endless examples along those lines which could be cited.
Other than man's natural bent for rebellion against God, up until recently I didn't quite have the handle on under what false pretense AntiChrist might reasonably be able to unite all of mankind. One possibility which occurs to me could well be an effort to eliminate want for all peoples. The left calls that unrealistic goal economic equality in this country. And the last Administration attempted to bridge what they saw as economic 'inequality' using a system of redistribution of wealth. Under such a flag, globalism will flourish and for a time, world economics could well enjoy a boom time like no other. And people will submit willingly to such a cause because on it's face, trusting a benevolent 'State,' will suit the natural man's palate much better than trusting in the benevolence of God.
But though we, (America) find ourselves floundering in increasingly dire straits of general lawlessness and foreign and domestic terror events like shooting up high schools, we're seemingly not ready to submit to the demands of the globalist quite yet. That is the nationalist hope I expressed in suggesting that the choices American's have made of late, in opposition to the left, might afford her some more time prior to the inevitable coming judgments of God which will surely fall on all the inhabitants of earth. I don't know that, it is just my hope that America will repent, and reclaim her humility before Almighty God.
In suffering all of our woes however, one thing should be clear. We didn't get in this jamb overnight, we got here through decades of denial regarding the foundational structures on which this country was built. In 1947, in recognizing the now famed distortion of Separation of Church and State, the SC denied America her authority to self govern. Our system of law and the methods by which we enforce law since that unfortunate day, have become more pourous than the coarsest sieve. In fact there are no unwanted elements of US society to strain-out in our time, that would be intolerant. "Tolerance is the last virtue of a dying society.” –Aristotle
For those that don't know me, I am a conservative. I'm 33 & from the hills of Eastern Kentucky. Graduated with an AAS with a double emphasis (Criminal Justice option & Law Enforcement option). I have been employed since February 2007 in some type of Law enforcement (KY. State Corrections, Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Federal Bureau of Prisons). I am not going to name any particular individuals, but I have been in charge of some very high profile state and federal inmates. This is not a post about my life story, but I feel the need to give some type of history about myself so people will know I'm talking about issues I don't know about. Not by any means an expert, but I do feel I have more experience and knowledge than most people about this specific topic.
I know I may come off the wrong way in the sports forums, but it is only sports. Sports are entertainment for those not actually competing in the contest. What has been going with all of these threats towards our schools is the product of a multitude of factors. Below are my opinions
Violent video games
- Awarding points for drug dealing, shooting/killing people, running people over with vehicles and rape/sex acts towards women.
- Learning how/where to aim with a firearm. Learning how to load/reload, move tactically and how to avoid being seen.
I realize these games are not high level law enforcement or military training, but they are a learning tool..... Monkey See, Monkey Do. All of these games come with zero repercussions or consequences once the device is turned off. Getting a 33 kill streak has no effect in real life.
Violent music
Lyrical content and glorifying drug/alcohol use, violence/crime & explicit sexual content in the music videos.
Violent Television shows & Movies
Saturated with drug/alcohol use, violence/crime & explicit sexual content. YouTube, Netflix & other streaming services have completely changed the landscape.
Unmonitored use of Social media
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter.... the list goes on and on. Teens and younger have grown up posting life events and updating statuses multiple times a day. High school aged kids, for the most part, have been able to post just about anything with zero repercussions or consequences.
An all-out media blitz
We get our news faster and more abundant than any time in history. The major news networks always has their "Breaking News" or "Alert" icon on the bottom of the screen.
Kids love/need attention
Love is spelled T-I-M-E when dealing with kids. Kids that don't get the desired attention will act out, just to be noticed. Trying to do funny stuff or shooting up a school, these are cries for attention.
The culture of not being punished
No matter what it is, if somebody thinks they can get by with something, they will do it.
Throwing a tantrum, crying, acting innocent, saying they didn't realize what they were doing.... the excuse list goes on and on. We have allowed kids and adults to feel this way. I know our court system is not perfect. Innocent people are wrongly convicted and guilty people are released. That is a different issue all together, but the underlying principle is their no fear factor of getting arrested for a crime, court proceedings or getting sent to prison.
Undiagnosed or unrecognized mental health issues
We have a mental health epidemic in our country. The proof is all around us. I realize not everybody of people would agree with this, but I think it would be a major improvement to decrease the violence in our nation. Psychiatrists or psychologists should evaluate school aged kids at least once every 4-6 years. Kindergarten, 5th/6th grade, 11th/12th grade. That would be three evals in their school aged years. If an illness detected, treatment could start young enough to help the person before the condition destroys their life or destroys the life other people.
So let's recap....
Violent video games and Violent Television shows & Movies.
Unmonitored use of Social media.
An all-out media blitz.
Kids love/need attention.
The culture of not being punished.
Undiagnosed or unrecognized mental health issues.
These topics are so interconnected, it's not even funny.
The media gives so much air time to school shootings..... A certain kid is not getting the attention he needs at home..... This kid has been in trouble at school before, but hasn't been dealt with properly at school or at his house for a variety of reasons..... This kid has depression, but has never been diagnosed or even mentioned by his teachers to his guardians.... This kid is a loner because of his depression and plays games like GTA or COD all the time when he is at home because he cannot communicate with his peers properly due to his mental health.... This kid is able to research and study videos on different streaming sites on shootings and how to commit a school shooting because he sees it everyday in the news and wants to get attention.... the guardians are law-abiding citizens that legally own some firearms, he waits til his parents are gone and then removes them from the house without their knowledge......... THIS IS A PERFECT STORM for a school massacre like we have seen the past few weeks. Our nation has got to start looking at solutions for these problems. I realize we are a free nation and the 1st amendment covers the majority of the topics I mentioned. Until steps are taken to correct these issues, we will continue to see these acts of violence.
Guns/Gun Control are not the issues. The majority of inmates that are doing time are doing so because of drugs. Drugs are illegal. Yet, they were still able to get their hands on these banned substances.... why? I'm glad you asked, because they are criminals. Believe it or not, criminals do not follow the laws. Chicago and Washington DC have some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, but lead the nation in gun murders. Why? I'm glad you asked... CRIMINALS DO NOT FOLLOW THE LAWS!!! It's not the object used, it's the intent of the person using said object.
Pressure cookers, knifes, Kool-Aid/Poison, flammable liquids, hammers/screwdrivers, rocks, water, vehicles...... if somebody wants to commit an act of violence they will. Knifes are illegal in prison, but there are stabbings and homicides every day in jails and prisons across the country. Criminals will find a way.
The only questions I have do any of these other factors exist in other countries?
what is the rate of mass shootings compared to the U.S. if factors are different?
what is the rate of mass shootings compared to the U.S. if factors are the same?
Not taking political talking points, I really don't know the answer to the above
I doubt that you could get an accurate answer on any of those questions. School/mass shootings aren't something that any country wants to advertise.