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Letter to the Editor: Our Kids Deserve More

The coverage on the latest school massacre in Florida makes me feel compelled to comment. With our kids being older and out of high school, we never expected to experience the pain the parents must feel who lost their children. This is an incomprehensible act. When they confronted their duly elected representatives to action to prevent future school massacres, all they got was the “deer in the headlight” look. Think Marco Rubio when asked about sending his NRA campaign contributions back.

To this end may I suggest, gun control is but a blind diversion, smoke screen and political blah blah blah. Our united focus must be about our children’s safety from all sources of violence.

The knee-jerk response from some of our Current Class of Clowns in Washington to arm teachers is asinine and idiotic! Consider this for a moment. There is an active incident at a school. There are students running everywhere, there are teachers running everywhere, there is total chaos and mass confusion, now add to this mix a person who, to first responders is someone with a gun. Can’t see a problem there, right?

No slam against teachers here either. I have several friends who teach. Give this some thought.

  1.  Secure the school during all school functions, period! No open door policy, no coming and going like the mall.
  2. Metal detectors at the main entrance. Nobody, and I mean nobody, enters the building without going through the metal detector. Students, teachers, parents, delivery personnel, even the school administrators, must go through to enter. No exceptions! Metal detectors are unbiased, not politically correct or motivated. Give our students and teachers the same protection our Current Class of Clowns in Washington enjoy.
  3. Give our teachers the ability to totally secure their classrooms. Keep the students in their classroom, secured and not running around like moving targets at the carnival.
  4. Have a small trained security force on site at all times during school functions. They and they alone will be armed and trained to respond but not teachers.

We have teachers who must supply classroom essentials out of their own pocket. We have schools that must have Astroturf. We have way too much waste. Let’s use some common sense here.

Adjust the school’s budget so teachers can teach without digging into their own pockets to turn out successful students. How useful is this forever green Astroturf with four feet of snow covering it for months at a time? Use our tax money wisely and install metal detectors and a security force. Maybe put some of our unemployed veterans to work.

Lastly, please understand I do not make these accusations lightly. I have experienced violence firsthand. I am a Marine Corps Combat veteran of Vietnam 1968-70. It is totally irresponsible for ius to ignore or lose sight of the real problems: School safety!

Blaming the NRA and the gun control lobby is a lost focus which includes our Current Class of Clowns in Washington who were elected to be proactive and not reactive. These same folks, by the way, experience the tightest measure of security by just walking through the door. Remember this next election. Our children deserve this and more! Our future depends on it!

 

Ed Heyward

Sturgeon Bay/Washington Island, Wis.

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