Newspaper Thoughts

This AM's newspaper included a front-page story, "Tempers boil over at white nationalist's speech."  Richard Spencer, the white nationalist, was speaking at Michigan State.  The venue, on a remote part of the campus, was the scene of a protest.  I immediately wondered if a similar protest would be evoked by the appearance of, say, Louis Farrakhan.  I somehow doubt it and don't even vaguely recall any such protests by the leader of the National of Islam despite his blatant anti-Semitism, his fundamentally anti-white theology, etc.  I know, I know......  "But that's different."  Of course it is.  Some racism is objectionable and some racism is acceptable.

BTW, at the protest, a Michigan State trooper was whacked across the face by "a baseball bat or some other blunt object," according to an MSP statesman.  The trooper will be fine, but I guess for some folks, violence is OK in those circumstances.  I would assume someone somewhere has a phone video of that.  It would be great to turn it over the to MSP so the attacker can be arrested, tried, and prosecuted.

I enjoy listening to Dennis Prager on the radio.  I like him better than any other radio talk show host since Bill Bennett retired several years ago.  (Yeah, that takes a lot for me to say.  Bennett was a Purple Cow!)  Prager is thoughtful and articulate, well-rounded and reasoned.  Yet, he reminded me today that we still disagree on some things. One of them is character among public figures, namely politicians.  Today he said he gained nothing from knowing of Bill Clinton's indiscretions.  "I didn't benefit at all from a blue dress."  He added that he was glad he knew nothing of JFK's escapades.  I disagree.  I still think character matters.  If one can't be trusted to be faithful, loyal to a spouse, how can I trust that person either.  (I understand the dynamics of marriages.  Still......)  A Biblical scholar, Prager then talked about the Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery."  I think he caught himself because he said, "Of course, adultery is a sin, but this is different."  Yep, there it is again, "But that's different." 

Before I listen to any arguments that include getting rid of guns in the wake of the Florida school shooting, some questions need to be answered with a high degree of satisfaction.  One of them centers around this federal program of the previous administration known as "PROMISE."  The idea is to avoid suspending, expelling, or even arresting students who engage in behaviors such as "assault," "battery," and other "disorderly conduct."  The original intent was to address the disproportionate rate of suspensions, expulsions, etc. among black youths, but since has been expanded to include all.  Instead, despite the number of chances (I don't know if that's in the law, but it is in practice according to critics among some teachers and school administrators.), counseling and mentoring are prescribed for these crimes.  They are punished or disciplined by being forced to participate in "healing circles, obstacle courses, and other esteem-building exercises."  I'll bet those hurt!  "Healing circles??????"  In fact, as was the case in Florida with the murderer there, the criminals don't even warrant a police report.

This monster in Florida, had he been arrested or at least have had criminal reports filed in the numerous instances of his "disorderly conduct," likely wouldn't have passed the criminal check to purchase the rifle he did last year.  And according to a number of teachers and administrators in districts who have participated in the program, assaults against them by students have increased since students know no charges--no expulsions, no arrests--can be brought against them.  I don't know how many school districts have bought in to this program, but Broward County was one of them.

According to several newspaper reports, the Broward County "reward" for signing on to this federal program was some of the millions of dollars of federal grant money.  Some of the grant money would go to pay bonuses to administrators who kept suspension/expulsion and criminal rates low.  A great way to do that is to ignore offenses that deserve suspensions, expulsions, and criminal reports.  How many of these offenses were ignored in Parkland?

I also want a real answer to this question.  If people's guns are taken away, how are many of them to protect their families, themselves, their businesses, and their property?  Are we to trust the government to protect us, esp our kids at school?  From my perch, the government hasn't done such a hot job of that.  In fact, it's failed miserably.

I'd like to see some sort of study on the effect of virtual violence in people's, esp kids', lives.  From television, movies, rap music, and particularly video games, I'd guess kids encounter deaths thousands and thousands of times. Granted, they are virtual deaths, but there are so many of them.  It would seem this would have at least some sort of desensitizing effect on the value of human life.  How else do we explain the shooting in Detroit last week over a gas pump?  Shoot someone because he is using the gas pump you want??????  I suppose there are doubters, but aren't these video games the same as advertising on television?  Advertising works and works well, inducing people to behave in certain ways, such as buying a product or service.  Millions and billions of dollars are spent; that's how effective they are.  If such a message is so easily and effectively conveyed in the medium of television, why not violence in video games, etc.?  I wonder if the military has studies about this, video game training for soldiers to prepare them for combat.  Hmmm......

The other day I read an op-ed calling for an end to public sector unions, including teacher unions.  It may have been in response to the now eight-day old West Virginia teachers' strike.  I fully understand the downsides and abuses of unions--the protection of the worst and laziest members, contributing members' dues to political causes that may be popular among the elitist leadership, but not so among the rank-and-file, etc.  (I've seen such abuses in person.)  But such a view of unions ignores the history and even current status of American workers, esp teachers.  Do cursory research on blue collar workers in US factories of 100 years ago, no, even 80 years ago.  If a foreman wanted a job for his brother-in-law, a 20-year employee could find himself unemployed just like that.  If the assembly line went down for two hours, workers had to stay and work an extra two hours, gratis--for free.  It must be nice for an employee, apparently like the author of this op-ed, to work for an employer who doesn't routinely or at least frequently lie and deceive, making sure the bosses are taken care of while the staff is short-changed yet again.  (Again, I've see such abuses in person.)  Yep, it would have been nice to work for people like that.