Statistics
Feb
12
Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence
February 12, 2009 | Tagged Cherokee Trail High School, Culture of informers, Marie Morrow, Zero Tolerance | 4 Comments
By now, you have heard the story of Marie Morrow, the Cherokee Trail high school senior in Aurora, Colorado suspended for ten days after classmates saw three cadet-type drill team training “rifles” in her vehicle in the school parking lot. Ms. Morrow is a “leader in the Douglas County Young Marines,” which, oddly enough, has a drill team.
The Cherry Creek School District could, and probably will, expel Ms. Morrow for the rest of her senior year. (Ms. Morrow has already secured a scholarship to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, which may or may not be affected by this nonsense.)
When questioned, school officials fell back on the old, “Orders are orders!” ploy, which didn’t work so well at Nuremberg. (For recent public high school or college grads, the trials for Nazi war criminals were held in that German city.) Apparently, Colorado State law does require a suspension for a real firearm on school property, as well as for “a firearm facsimile that could reasonably be mistaken for an actual firearm.”
(When I was in high school ROTC back in the 60’s, patriotic students were evidently more responsible or school officials and legislators less hoplophobic. We used real (Gasp!) semi-automatic rifles in drill team routines. It’s a wonder that we didn’t go berserk and kill everybody in the school and surrounding neighborhoods.) (This is an example of sarcasm for anyone educated primarily in “self-esteem” and “social justice.”
By the way, hoplophobia is an unreasoning fear of weapons. See my August post, ”Displacement as a defense mechanism in the irrational fear of guns,” under the Category: “Psychology.”
Ms. Morrow’s case got more interesting, when Denver talk show host Peter Boyles engaged attorney David Lane to represent the student. The school district responded by moving up the hearing on Ms. Morrow’s indiscretion to today, probably to limit time for fundraising activities for her legal expenses. To Mr. Lane’s credit, he did offer his services pro bono. (If you recently went to public school, look it up!)
The Rocky Mountain News editorialized on 12-11-09 that the law needs to be more flexible. (”Safe needn’t be stupid…,” Rocky Mountain News, Denver Newspaper Agency, page 34.) Yuh think?
Schools have suspended children for drawing pictures of guns. One child drew a picture of a fortification. When he said there was a gun in the fort, his school suspended him. I know from the coach of a student shooting team that national-level air rifle and .22 caliber rifle target competitors are forced to call in sick to school in order to attend out of town shooting matches. This madness with Ms. Morrow is merely the latest in a long series of paranoid abuses caused by Zero Tolerance.
Who actually believes that Zero Tolerance or “Gun Free Zones” are going to deter a sociopath bent on murder and destruction? The Columbine High School killers, nameless here forevermore, violated about 22 state, federal and local laws. Did school regulations stop them?
Who is going to serve in the police or military, if educators and legislators instill a superstitious dread of firearms in the minds of American students? Oops! I forgot. In the brave new age of Obama, we will just sit down with criminals and our international “neighbors” and talk out our differences. It didn’t work with Hitler, but then Chamberlain wasn’t “The Chosen One.” (If you recently graduated from public school, you know the drill…)
By the way, the schoolyard informers received food coupons as a reward for their efforts. In psychological research, this handy arrangement is called a token economy. When the experimental subject does what the researcher wants, the all-powerful, all-knowing scientist rewards the subject. (positive reinforcement) Roll over! Sit! Stay! Good job! Is this a great country or what, Comrade?
On a more positive note, let’s repeal the Zero Tolerance farce and restore some semblance of sanity in our school systems. Republican State Senator Kevin Lundberg and “other lawmakers” are considering legislation to improve the situation. Please give them polite encouragement.
Def Mech
Comments
4 Comments so far
I’ll also remind def-mech that in our high school, yes, we went to the same school, there were also real, functioning, machine guns in the ROTC armory! (More Gasps) He’s right, no mass-shootings.
This was also a time in which when we did lose a class mate, the government (uncle sugar) didn’t send in the ‘grief counselors’, we didn’t need them, we had friends. But that was a different time.* We didn’t even know what a grief counselor was. Too bad we are becoming such a nanny state.
*When we start talking this way, I’m reminded of the opening lines of L. P. Hartley’s ‘The Go-Between’ it begins with “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”
Fortunately this story had a good outcome, but it definitely makes you think about how people are better to react about something like this, then let it go. I mean the over reaction was substantial, but what happens if that were a real gun and someone intended to do harm with it?
Also, I know a gun is a different weapon of sorts, but there are plenty of other items that high school students have at school. From baseball bats, to lacrosse sticks, etc.
I am glad she was sparred from having her entire life nearly ruined by this experience and that she will be able to get into the Marine program.
I am a high school teacher in Idaho. We have a day in the spring where for half a day we do some other activity with the kids. The teachers plan the activity and kids sign up for what they are interested in. Last year our school board approved (with parental approval)me taking some kids out to the local police range and, under the guidance of sheriff’s deputies, shoot handguns! Can you believe that. Already kids are asking me if we are going to that again this spring.
The Cherry Creek School District could, and probably will, expel Ms. Morrow for the rest of her senior year.
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