But What Do I Know?

I've been wanting to write for a while, and a close friend (actually a couple close friends) suggested I write.  But struggling to decide what to write about.

Until February 14, 2018, when Nikolas Cruz, with cold murder in his heart and no amount of humanity remaining in his soul, caused the lives of 17 people to come to an end.  And politicians getting on the TV assuming they alone have all the answers.

I don't profess anything.  I'm the least qualified of anyone in America to write about how to "fix" the wiring in these kids' heads... that causes them to commit such an act.  But the First Amendment allows me to opine on the subject.

​You can make up a million-and-one new gun laws.  Maybe perhaps we could actually enforce the ones we have now.  

But here's the thing:  

Nobody can stop evil people from doing evil things.  

Their hearts are corrupt and damaged beyond repair.  

Shooting up a school is no different than an ISIS operative lobbing off someone's head.  

The person doing it has been broken of their humanity.  Their heart has been destroyed.

Until you somehow "fix" the root of a person's heart, this kind of thing (or similar) will continue to happen, over and over again.  

Socialism isn't going to stop it.  Books upon books of gun laws isn't going to stop it.  Maybe it will slow them down, yes, make it a little harder... 

...but if a person is truly set to do evil, they'll do it.  

And it's a conscious choice on their part to do the act.  

When a person takes the time and money to buy a weapon (or multiple weapons), either legally or illegally, they take the time to plot out an attack, they physically take themselves to the location, and carry out the attack.... that's all a conscious choice on their part. 

All of the other factors that politicians and brainless "celebrities" like to endorse -- the gun, society, Donald Trump/Republicans/GOP, the green grass, depression, drugs.... none of that matters anymore. 

The person carried out a deliberate act. 

Of their own volition. 

Someone who is "crazy" doesn't plot out something like that.  

Blaming anything/everything else... that only provides the actual killer with aid and comfort.  You make excuses for them.  You're helping them.  

Me?  I think "fixing" the problem should start at home.  As parents.  

Parents... not "society at large"... have the responsibility of raising their kids.  Monitoring their social media accounts.  Being educated on the latest text-message shorthand acronyms.  Staying one step ahead.  

Society/government should not be the mommy and daddy.  If you think they should be, then why don't we just surrender all children to the State the day after their born?  Why not?  

By saying it's society's role or government's role to raise children, essentially that's what you're advocating.  You're jettisoning your own responsibility as the parent. 

If the two of you created that child, why can't the two of you be responsible for raising that child?  Teaching little Johnny or little Suzy right from wrong.  Rewarding them when they make correct, good, and honorable choices, and lowering the boom on them when they don't.  That's how they learn.

Parents tell their child not to touch the burner on the stove... but you let them do it because that's how they learn.  They learn, real quick, "Shazaaam, that kinda sucked.  Maybe mom and dad aren't as dumb as they look."  

And yes, this should even include invading so-called "privacy" such as a journal/diary, or their room, or their computer / phone / tablet.  

An article on Fox News documented that a Washington state grandmother likely thwarted another tragedy by reading in her grandson's journal... he had made "upcoming and credible threats" of a plot to attack a high school.  Turns out he had the means and capability.  But she had the courage to invade his so-called privacy, alerted law enforcement, and now the 18-year-old is in jail.  Where he belongs.  

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/15/grandmother-thwarted-washington-school-shooting-by-looking-at-students-journal-cops-say.html

Setting rules and boundaries, and initiating punishments when those rules or boundaries are broken.  

NEWS FLASH:   As a parent, you're not your child's "BFF."   They are not "equal" to you in rank in the household.  "That's not how any of this works."

Kids don't respect authority because they're being brought up not to respect authority in the home.  You're the parent.  You're the authority.  They're the child.  It's not a democracy.  

NEWS FLASH:   Your child shouldn't automatically get everything they want, even if they stomp their foot and throw a temper tantrum.  Shove them in their room, shut the door, and let them scream it out.  They'll survive.

NEWS FLASH:   Giving little Johnny a firm pop on the behind or speaking to him in a sharp, loud voice when he steps out of line isn't going to make little Johnny the next Nikolas Cruz.  On the contrary, it'll probably make him a better citizen.  

We didn't have school shootings "back in the day," even though there were gun racks in every pick-up truck.  Children learned how to handle and fire weapons... at a young age... and also learned to respect the instrument that was in their hands.  

We didn't have school shootings "back in the day" ... because parents were allowed to actually discipline their children without the fear of some government moonbat in a suit showing up at the door with their own guns drawn... because you dared pop little Suzy on the rear end when she stepped over the line.

There are some societial influences... society isn't totally blameless:  We didn't have school shootings "back in the day" because we didn't have video games and music that glorified such actions.  Not one time did Pac-Man or Qbert pick up a gun to shoot another kid.  Super Mario fired little fireballs at jumping turtles with wings.  I'm not aware of any piece of music or rap before the 1990s that advocated gun violence and killing people for sport.  Instead of playing violent games and listening to violent music, kids were outside playing in the dirt, drinking from a garden hose, hitting a ball with a stick.  

But guess what?  They also played cops-and-robbers, and good-guys-and-bad-guys, and cowboys-and-indians (without being called racists!), all without having the impulse to kill everyone in sight (for real).  

I myself got plenty of beatings as a child.  I very much remember what it was like getting the yard stick (that was the "switch" of choice in my household growing up).  In actuality I probably should have had even more beatings.  

Nathan has it easy in my home, yes.  I'm nowhere near as strict as I should be.  But he knows right from wrong, and he also knows very well when he crosses a line ... it doesn't end well for him.  While he has it easy, my home is still not a democracy.  It IS a dictatorship, and I am the judge, jury, and executioner.  He doesn't get a say in the matter.  Like I said, when he DOES cross the line, it usually ends up with tears on his part.

No... you don't beat your kids to the point of submission or numbness.  That, too, crosses a line.  There's punishment, and then there is abuse.  A pop on the behind is the last resort.  

The movie, "A Christmas Story."  When Ralphie drops the f-bomb at dad.  He ended up with that bar of soap in his mouth.  I'm honestly surprised that's allowed to be shown today... I'm amazed some leftist group hasn't come out condemning that as blatant child abuse.

Image Credit: Riotfest.org

Actually if we do that a little bit more, 8-, 9-, 10-year-old kids wouldn't have language saltier than brine.  

What does any of this do to "fix" the corrupt, wounded hearts of kids now?  Nothing.  That's where we probably should be more proactive. 

It's unfortunate, but having armed security at schools, OR arming the teachers and staff.  Have them undergo extensive background checks, and when they pass the checks, train them, and arm them.  I'd have no problem if I pulled in the parking lot to drop Nathan off at school if I saw Mr. Worthington with a piece holstered on his belt.  It would actually make me feel quite good.  

Metal detectors at each entrance/exit.  Locking down once the school day has begun... having a "double entry" where you enter one set of doors and are met with an armed 'greeter' to find out who you are and what you want, and then step through the metal detector. 

Yeah, our schools will seem like prisons, but if it keeps the kids safe, I'm all for it.  

But that doesn't FIX the problem.

"Lets make this law" and "lets make a new law" -- none of that works.  You'd think these idiot politicians would get that.  As I said much earlier, all the laws in the world aren't going to stop someone who woke up this morning with cold murder in their heart.  They're going to do it.  The only hope is to have the courage to stop them before they can act upon it, like the Washington state grandmother.  

The answer, in my view, doesn't lie with the State.  Politicians only care about themselves and getting rich.  A large, large part of fixing the problem starts at home.  

But what do I know?