So what are we teaching our children in school? I don’t mean about reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic. I’m talking about what their role is as a citizen in a free country.
If we convince them that being a citizen means blindly following arbitrary authority, how will we ever stop abuses of authority in the future?
Already we force them to piss in a cup while authority figures watch, not as the result of legitimate suspicion, but merely as the entry fee to participate in chess club. We tell them they have free speech, but not if it has anything to do with bong hits (even outside school property).
And we teach them that authority doesn’t need to be logical, fair, or lead to a positive result. The mere fact of authority is all, and even innocent citizens should bow to it saying “Yes, sir, may I have another?”
On Tuesday at River Valley Middle School in Jeffersonville, Indiana, a 13-year-old student says someone handed her the prescription pill Adderall during gym and she quickly handed it back saying she didn’t want it.
But she was called to the office later and admitted she had the pills in her hand for a few seconds.
Patty Greer says her daughter is now facing a five day suspension because she had possession of the pills, even though it was only for a few seconds.
The district policy says even handling the pills for any period of time will land you a suspension.
The zero-tolerance nonsense has given us tons of stories like this one. What’s the lesson given? It’s not a lesson about drugs. It’s not a lesson about responsibility. It’s a lesson about being servile.
Or how about this one?
Robbins became aware of the surveillance in mid-November of last year when Harriton High School Assistant Vice Principal Lindy Matsko accused him of “improper behavior”—taking drugs—inside his bedroom. She warned Robbins that the school had the smoking gun against him: snapshots of him popping pills from the laptop computer’s webcam that he borrowed from the school. Robbins says the pictures show him eating “Mike & Ike,” his favorite candy.
Fortunately, that one is at least getting some attention. Feds are investigating. I guess the line of arbitrary authority maintained by school officials stops somewhere inside a child’s bedroom.
Not one week ago, these very words came out of my mother’s mouth:
“You have to do whatever a police officer tells you do to. The only words that should ever come out of your mouth when talking to the police is ‘Yes sir.'”
Hard to believe this country ever had a revolution, considering how brainwashed and docile the population is. It will be interesting to see how long the predatory corporate/police state can keep going before the wheels come off. Weimar.
You should listen to your mother–less broken bones that way. Saying “Yes, Sir” may be a little much to swallow, but be polite and do what they say. If you decide you must refuse one of their “requests”, think carefully before you do.
I’m not saying that you must do whatever cops tell you, or answer any questions they ask, rather just to be wary. If you’re getting a traffic ticket, keeping it polite and cooperative can avoid getting tasered and bludgeoned. If they want to search your car, that’s different. We’ve had that debate here before.
As for the public schools, you can see that things really go off the deep end there, sometimes. I think zero tolerance at schools is not so much the policy they want as the policy their lawyers set for them. It is much safer, legally, for the school to act robotically than to use judgement. If they give some kids a pass but punish other kids, why, that could be racism! The inconsistency opens them up to second guessing at court and multi-million dollar judgments, so the seemingly insane zero tolerance policy is their defense. The problem is in the law more than the school.
On the other hand, the webcam thing is hilarious. What were they thinking?
The only thing our Soviet style education system is teaching is how to be good little consumer serfs. You will respect my authoritay! Haven’t the heartless control freaks done enough in this stupid adventure known as the race to the bottom. Anyone showing any original thoughts or leadership will be weeded out or drugged senseless on some real world version of Soma.
Wow, I’m surprised you missed the 13 year old middle school girl that got a police escort to the principal’s office for refusing to say the pledge of allegiance.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587278,00.html?test=latestnews
Wow indeed. How about the 12 year old girl in NYC that was arrested, handcuffed, and taken to jail…for doodling on her desk? (See article posted on a href=”http//www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/26896″> The Smirking Chimp for more on this terrorist young lady.
What this young lady did wrong was she said “No, thank you” when offered Adderall. She, like everyone else, has been told a million times, Just Say “No”.
I remember it took us WEEKS to figure out where to put the “Under God” in the Pledge. I thought we’d never get it right, as a group. LOL That story made me remember that for some reason.
It is sad . We are teaching kids to just be servants to the state. We see this sort of conditioning more and more everyday. Hell if you get a clap of thunder outside they put all kids in”lock down” till its safe. Who the hell treats kids like they are in prison? Lockdown does not belong in a school. I wouldnt be like by teachers in school these days. “Lock down hell, Im outta here fools go ahead suspend me”. I used to laugh at that one, suspension. They also wouldnt like me if I still had kids in school. I’d instruct them to not be a “good lil serf” . Independant thinking is a danger to those in power , there need to be more of it. Thats why those in government conside those such as my self a danger,terrorist,extremeists…I am a danger to their power, thus they condition our childern to obey authority wherther its right or wrong , good evil , free or tyrannical. Long live the REPUBLIC !
I don’t know how many times I have posted this, but it goes a long way towards explaining why public schools are more concerned with instilling unthinking obedience than actual education.
This is atrocious,but then,our educational format is also
in the dark ages. They are trying to add some of the technological advances,while still trying to hold students in age groups and large classes. If the President wants to overhaul something,have his old lady get up behind education reform. Almost every student graduating from high school today has 2 more years of school necessary just to get out of the minimum wage earning bracket.
What the heck, that’s horrible man! She didn’t even do anything, just hand them back right away and she got suspended!?
I found this story over at alternet. Tried to post but something was wrong with the site but, this would also be good topic for drugwarrant. So here is my post fot it.
http://www.alternet.org/story/145834/arrested_for_doodling_on_a_desk_%22zero_tolerance%22_at_schools_is_going_way_too_far
Zero tolarance….Now doesnt that sound familiar. It seems to me that is something that came out of events like Columbine and
policies such as th…yes …the war on drugs. So at what point does this “Zero tolarance” spill out into the lives of
average citizens? It has in many ways. NO? Dont see it do you. How about all the rules that have sprung up over being
‘Politically correct”? Pc is just zero tolarance in adult form. It all happens because of someone big Idea to impliment
policies that are a blanket. No individual discussion , no looking at the situation and using critical thinking . If you fall
under these blanket policies , your guilty. Guilty of what? What ever the power tripping people in ‘Authority” of these
policies deem you are guilty of. Yes its good to keep kids from bring guns to school and killing their peers , yes its good
to keep drugs out of schools but, the road to hell has always been paved with good intentions and tyranny always follows. So
here we are , arresting kids for what…? doodling?, bringing a one inch toy lego gun to school to play with …? for being
kids and wanting to act as kids? Hasnt these blanket policies gone to far? Why are we suddenly treating our kids and schools
as prisons and prisoners? IMHO its a soft conditioning for what is coming for all of us. Increasingly private life has become
not so private. Blanket laws that allow “authorties” to intrude in your life for the smallest of things are seen more and
more.The scary thing is you see the zombie masses following along as if it dosnet matter , as these teachers are doing to our
kids. These things are all based in fear , fear a terrorist will attack , so we get laws that effect us not them , fear you
will get hit by a distracted driver(better stop talking to your passenger) , now we have texting laws, fear of the mexicans and jazz musicians coming across the
border with their “herb” , we get the war on drugs and a slew of laws that effect us not the drugs or cannabis. Shall I go
on? The only thing we have to fear is fear its self and the laws created because of it. I have been saying for a very long
time , “WE are lawing ourselves right out of freedom.” With that said , I think it would be easier to make laws on things we
are allowed to do than what we are not. trust me , when that happens, freedom will be a distant memory and the chains of
tyranny will be firmly fixed upon us. Lets not go there. Use some common sense NOW while its not illegal.