Sorry, I didn’t mean to go a week without posting but real-life responsibilities and all that. Anyway, there hasn’t been a lot of worthwhile news out of Newtown in the past week even though the media seems to think that his hair stylist’s opinion is a big deal.
MOTIVE: Some less reputable websites and news outlets have been saying that the reason Adam Lanza went on a rampage was that his mother, Nancy Lanza, was looking to have him committed. According to the New York Daily News that is not the case…
The friend also rejected a report that Nancy was planning to have her son committed to a psychiatric facility.
“Nancy was so dedicated to Adam,” the friend said. “She would never send him away. She just couldn’t do that.”
As a matter of fact, I think it was quite the opposite of why Lanza went on his rampage. By most reports, Nancy Lanza was actually trying to integrate her son more into the real world by trying to get him to attend a university. Considering how brilliant he supposedly was I doubt he would have a hard time getting into one. However, Lanza was happier being a virtual shut-in playing video games in his mom’s basement. That’s not a rip, he actually played video games in the basement. My thoughts are at this point is that he resented his mother from trying to tear him away from his comfortable surroundings. At least that’s why I think he shot his mother in the face four times. I still have no idea why he would then go on to attack the school. But it does show that like every other school shooter or would-bee school shooter he’s just another self-entitled loser who blamed everyone else for their failures.
COPS IN SCHOOLS: I have nothing against the NRA per se, but it seems that their president Wayne LaPierre is somewhat out of touch with the real world. Then again I shouldn’t be surprised because LaPierre is just another clueless politician except for the office he holds isn’t public. More cops in schools is not only impractical it’s expensive and unfeasible.
As has been mentioned in the press lately there was an armed officer at Columbine, that didn’t stop the shooters. I’ll add to that, there was an armed guard and metal detectors at Red Lake High School. The metal detectors did not stop Jeff Weise and the armed guard ended up dead. In the less publicized Socastee High School shooting the school’s resource officer was the first target and only by the grace of God wasn’t killed. While these measures do help to some degree they are not the be all and end all of preventing school shootings.
BULLETPROOF BACKPACKS FOR KIDS: Seriously? This is the ultimate in fearmongering. First off even though it’s all over the news the odds of your child being killed in a school shooting are like that of winning the lottery, relatively low. Not only that I believe that the backpacks would be mostly ineffective in a real life situation. I mean they may look impressive but let’s look at this realistically.
The backpacks are kind of like taking a self-defense class. It only works if the attacker attacks in such a way that it would make your defense the most effective. In the case of the backpacks, you have to be face to face with the gunmen. If he is behind you, then you’re screwed. Also, kids don’t always have their backpacks within arm’s reach throughout the school day. Not to mention that kids are kids. If this thing is even relatively heavy they’ll just leave it in their lockers. Again while it may be somewhat protective in reality you’ll just be out a few hundred bucks.
VIDEO GAMES: Again, seriously? Do we have to go through this crap again? The people who believe that violent video games cause kids to kill remind me of the people who refuse to vaccinate their kids. There is absolutely no evidence that video games cause anyone to be violent. Those killers who have played video games are usually already violent, to begin with.
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 