jump to navigation

NOTE: The spam filter is being unusually aggressive. If you comment does not immediately appear, it has simply been placed in moderation and I will approve it as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.

"Murphy was an optimist!"

Knox County Schools Wastes Students Time April 21, 2009 12:24 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Education, Health
, 12comments

Knox County Schools wasted an hour and a half of our children’s lives today by having every student walk through a metal detector as they entered Bearden Middle Schoool and randomly searching every eighth student. This waste of money, teacher resources, and student time produced no weapons. Randomly searches are ineffective and counterproductive which is why I begged that that the school board vote no to random searches. This is the beginning to the end of your civil liberties. The principal went so far as to say that we need to get used to this because one day we will have to walk through metal detectors just to get in the grocery store. Seriously?! Are you really that scared?

The point of terrorism is to cause terror, sometimes to further a political goal and sometimes out of sheer hatred. The people terrorists kill are not the targets; they are collateral damage. And blowing up planes, trains, markets or buses is not the goal; those are just tactics.

The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the killing. The real point of terrorism is not the act itself, but our reaction to the act.

And we’re doing exactly what the terrorists want.

[Source, Bruce Schneier - Security Expert, Refuse to be Terrorized]

Know what I fear? The emotional damage you are causing my child by putting him through the stress of a pointless random search.

12comments

Quite Neighborly April 21, 2009 11:15 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life
, 2comments

My wife had a meeting this morning. She called shortly after leaving to let me know that our neighbor’s girlfriend who parks at the end of our street was out at her car wearing only cowboy boots, panties and a white, open bathrobe. I really have to get out of the basement more often!

2comments

Are you stressed? April 21, 2009 9:45 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Health, Mental
, add a comment

I recently had a friend ask if I felt stressed. After giving it some thought, I answered, "Yes, for about 10 years now."

add a comment