Scholastic Testing Police State Style

U.S. Drug Czar John Walters is in Tampa touting local programs aimed at stopping students from using and abusing prescription drugs...

In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools could conduct random drug testing of athletes, expanding that in 2002 to include students involved in extracurricular activities.

Again with the "Czar", and I repeat my standard question:

How come they never say Führer?

I don't get how this isn't a violation of the Fourth Amendment. You can explain it 'til the cows come home, and I still won't get it.

This article doesn't make it clear if now all students, as opposed to those engaged in extracurricular activities, will be subject to random testing, and if it will include public, as well as Catholic high schools. And I don't pretend to know the circumstances of the SCOTUS case where they smothered 4A in their robes, but here's a thought, perhaps already tried and discarded, but as far as I know it's original:

If the random testing applies to all students in public schools, since attendance up to a certain age is generally compulsory,wouldn't subjecting them to an involuntary search under those conditions be a violation of the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination...?

In any case, isn't it nice to know that government, instituted among men to secure the blessings of liberty, is teaching young people to be suspects and inmates, whose bodies are the property of the state, rather than sovereign Citizens?

A Warranted Response?

An official from Loudoun County Public Schools has sent an email to principals explaining how to go about obtaining a warrant should a student refuse to mask [More]

I don't suppose the parents will have the option to withhold equivalent taxes?

And just to keep them out? I'll bet Loudoun County Public Schools Director of Safety and Security John Clark wishes he could make the warrants "no-knock" with 3 a.m. flashbangs...

[Via Mack H]

But It's for a Good Cause...

The national school walkout for gun control that took place at many public schools across the country Wednesday likely violated the Constitution. That is because the government — in this case, public schools — made a special accommodation for a political viewpoint that it would not make for the opposing view, or for any other view. [More]

Kurt asks a relevant question of those with standing.

[Via Felix B]

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Hundreds of Chicago Public School students are expected to converge on the James R. Thompson Center Tuesday morning, urging state legislators to enact stiffer gun laws after a student was killed in the parking lot of the Simeon Career Academy on Saturday.

More than 400 Simeon students will be bused by the district to attend the protest outside the Thompson Center, which houses Illinois state offices. Students from other schools such as Jones College Prepatory High School are also expected, officials said.

Ah, an appeal based totally on emotion by the most ignorant and inexperienced among us, designed to further restrict unalienable rights! And "Public Schools chief" Arne Duncan makes the agenda clear, just in case anyone needs something to throw in the face of those who call the "slippery slope" paranoia:

[W]e know the cure for this public health epidemic—getting rid of guns.

Of course he means for someone else go about that task.

And, of course, they somehow have the money for this at a time when "The state is looking at a $750 million deficit" and the state board of education is slashing funds for education while pouring them into pork projects. You'd at least think they'd pour some of it into the lambs they're exploiting in a shameless propaganda display worthy of Joseph Goebbels.

Remember the line from The Blues Brothers, "I hate Illinois Nazis"?

So many, from legislators to educators to an apparent majority of the stupid, dependent and herdlike Eloi electorate are worthy of that contempt.

Still Recovering--Abbreviated Blog

The blog is going to take an abbreviated format today as I continue recovering from what turned out to be pneumonia, and which put me in the ER a couple nights ago after I came to on the floor following the mother of all 3 a.m. coughing fits.  I'm doing much better, and humble thanks to those of you who sent prayers and well-wishes my way.

I am going to try to do another GRE today, but in order to get that done, I need to minimize things here.  It's already after noon and I am just getting started due to an interrupted sleep schedule and the need to fight my natural inclination to gut things through.  As such, instead of multiple blog posts, I'm just going to add links and commentary to this post as I go through the day--so expect this post to grow as I add more items. And my apologies, but I'm going to need to forgo credits and reply emails today.

Again, please hold off on emails and comments until I signal things are back to normal.  Here's the list I'll be adding to:

We're the Only Ones Apologetic Enough

"The cops are having the threats…. they are scared," he told us.

Then the Second Amendment does work as a deterrent against jackbooted police state tyranny?

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Bossy the Cow

Sesame Street is in trouble now.

“I think the word ‘bossy’ is just a squasher,” “Glee” star Jane Lynch says in a campaign PSA, while Beyonce states: “I’m not bossy… I’m the boss.” Actress Jennifer Garner asserts that “being labeled something matters,” and famed fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg adds the kicker that we “should just ban the word 'bossy'.”

I guess it doesn't strike these privileged cows as ironic that they're being ... uh... bossy about this?  Leave it to the Prozis to not be satisfied burning books -- in their insatiable quest to control everything, including and especially the language and the framing of terms -- they demand to ban words.

---

With Malice Aforethought

How the NSA Plans to Infect ‘Millions’ of Computers with Malware

Talk about chilling the First Amendment. How is this not an act of war, justifying a physical retaliation against their facilities if no peaceable means of redress are available?

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Indoctrinating the Inmates

Grand Island Student Refuses to Change NRA T-Shirt

Good for the kid.  He's certainly a better man than the "adults" running the school.  I know a recurring comment on stories like these is to take your kid out of public school.  For some families, overburdened by taxes where they are paying for public schools anyway, and a manipulated economy, that could mean the difference between getting by or living in poverty. Massive and deep changes must be made to "the system" itself before it's realistic or fair to expect that of them, which is why being an involved parent leading by example and taking responsibility for instilling and guiding values is still the first and best defense in preparing children to deal with the outside world and the insanity it often tries to impose.

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The Difference Between Demanding and Doing...

...explains the difference between Moms I'd Like to Honor and the stupid MILMs.

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A "Progressive" Oregonian Dilemma

Can you imagine how useless this p***y would be if his family were ever faced with a real threat? This is the type that needs to disarm you and me, for obvious reasons.

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Ain't Gonna Take My Gun

You Tube music video from Russell Jinkens and the Sinners...

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NRA to Score Murthy

I just received this email from WarOnGuns Correspondent JM:

I just watched Chris Cox on The Kelly File flatly state that they would be scoring the Surgeon General vote in the Senate. Mr Codrea, I want to thank you for being a decisive factor in this. Without the pressure and public shaming of the NRA, they certainly would have weaseled their way out of scoring this vote as they were clearly attempting to do.  Thank you! I apologize if this is bothering you because you have been sick, but I think you deserve credit for causing the NRA to do what it's membership wants for once!

I hope I played a small role in making that happen.  Mike Vanderboegh told me "I await the NRA official announcement but the trend is good."

I await it, too.

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"Jim Vernon," Liar

If anybody knows this creep, tell him there is no excuse for this and shun him. Tell the folks here, too.

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From the GREs:

• Workman: Idaho governor signs guns-on-campus bill, cites 'sworn responsibility' 
• Hofmann: Worst of CT cop's 'bang your door in and come for your gun' rant underreported

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About Yesterday's GRE:

Just fyi, I am not endorsing this effort--I tried to do a straight reporting job on this to allow people to learn more and to assess the pros and cons for themselves--I believe their hearts are in the right place and don't want to discourage grassroots activism, but I also tried to steer folks to understand some of my concerns and some of the flaws.

That said, commentator russn8r expertly defines those flaws.

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Dubious Mayors Against Legal Guns

Capital Research visits a wretched hive of scum and villainy -- no, not Mos Eisley.

Black Congressman to Jewish Democrats: Gun Owners are Racists

Rep. Alcee Hastings told an audience of Jewish Democrats Wednesday that they should be wary of Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin because “anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks.” [More]

Oh, I dunno, Mr. Ethics--it's not us trying to disarm them, it's you and your fellow traitors in government, who made the following declaration of war a while back:

INTRODUCTION OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT OF 1993 -- HON. MAJOR R. OWENS (Extension of Remarks - September 23, 1993)

[Page: E2233]
---

HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

in the House of Representatives

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1993

Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Public Health and Safety Act of 1993 on behalf of myself and nine of my colleagues: Mel Reynolds, Bill Clay, Jerry Nadler, Eleanor Holmes Norton, John Lewis, Nydia Velazquez, Ron Dellums, Carrie Meek, and Alcee Hastings. This legislation, first introduced in the Senate by Senator John Chafee, would prohibit the transfer or possession of handguns and handgun ammunition, except in limited circumstances. It would go a long way toward protecting our citizens from violent crime.

The need for a ban on handguns cannot be overstated. Unlike rifles and shotguns, handguns are easily concealable. Consequently, they are the weapons of choice in most murders, accounting for the deaths of 25,000 Americans in 1991.

Most other industrialized countries have virtual bans on handgun sales, which account for the vast difference in homicide rates between the United States and these other nations. In 1987, the U.S. homicide rate for men of the ages 15 to 24 was 22 per 100,000, compared to 0.5 for Japan, 1.0 for Germany, and 1.2 for England.

Gun violence is getting worse in this country, not better. In either 1990 or 1991, San Diego, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Washington, New York, Boston, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Oakland, Colorado Springs, Minneapolis, Rochester, New Orleans, and Columbus all surpassed their previous murder records.

If we do not act now, the gun culture will continue to thrive, growing like a fungus in our schools, and sapping our health care system of its much needed resources.

No longer do students bring apples to school for their teachers. Instead, approximately 100,000 students bring guns to school each day. From 1986 to 1990, at least 71 students and employees were killed by guns at school; 201 were wounded; and 242 were held hostage. And in January 1992 at Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, a student killed one teen and another bystander, bringing the school's death toll for the school year to 56.

We cannot expect our children to learn in the classroom if they are looking over their shoulders to see if the next bullet has their name on it. A 1991 school crime survey conducted by the Department of Justice revealed that 37 percent of public school students and 27 percent of private school students fear attack at or on the way to school.

We also cannot expect to reign in the costs of our health care system if emergency rooms are overflowing with victims of gun violence. Hospitals across the Nation are closing affiliated trauma centers because of the spiraling costs associated with treating gunshot wounds. From 1989 to 1991, the average per-patient cost of gunshot wounds at a major New York hospital was $9,646. None of this even considers the costs of ambulance services, follow-up care, medication, and rehabilitation. The estimated cost of firearms injury to the U.S. health care system exceeds $4 billion per year.

The Public Health and Safety Act would abate the rising tide of handgun violence. It would prohibit the importation, exportation, manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer, receipt, possession, or transportation of handguns and handgun ammunition. Violators would be subject to penalties of up to $5,000 and up to 5 years in prison.

A 6-month grace period would be established during which time handguns could be turned in to any law enforcement agency with impunity and for reimbursement at the greater of $25 or the fair market value of the handgun. After the grace period's expiration, handguns could be turned in voluntarily with impunity from criminal prosecution, but a civil fine of $500 would be imposed.

Exemptions from the handgun ban would be permitted for Federal, State, or local government agencies, including military and law enforcement; collectors of antique firearms; federally licensed handgun sporting clubs; federally licensed professional security guard services; and federally licensed dealers, importers, or manufacturers.

I urge the Judiciary Committee to consider this legislation without delay, in conjunction with the President's crime package. While passage of the Brady bill would help to reduce gun violence by requiring a 5-day waiting period on handgun purchases and encouraging law enforcement agencies to conduct background checks, it would be an initial step toward stemming gun violence, instead of the giant leap forward this country so desperately needs.

The Public Health and Safety Act of 1993 represents a moderate, middle-of -the-road approach to handgun control which deserves the support of all members of Congress who want to stop gun murders now. If this legislation is not passed swiftly, handguns will continue to be sold over the counter as easily as aspirin; the Nation's at-risk youth will continue to attempt to resolve their problems by turning to handgun violence; and all of us will continue to fear for our lives when we step out of our homes at night.

I wonder if it's an indicator of sorts that he spelled "rein in" with a "g"? Well, at least we know what they mean by "a moderate, middle-of-the-road approach."

Hastings' latest accusation, of course, is nothing but vile slander. Those who applaud it are nothing less than domestic enemies. If you'd like to tell this Marxist piece of crap what you think of him, please do.

For the Children

I love it. [Read]

Turn Down $400 Million Deal, 16% Pay Raise...
Highest Average Salary In Nation...
Average $76,000 per year before benefits...
SOME SCHOOLS OPEN -- BUT JUST TO SERVE FREE MEALS...
400,000 STUDENTS UNLEASHED...
Cops Pour Onto Streets to Deal With 'Unsupervised Kids'...
GODFATHER 'DISAPPOINTED,' VOWS TO END STRIKE...
Rahm's kids' school open; attend elite $25,000-a-year 'lab'...

And this one's my personal favorite:

He says he’s working with the Chicago Public Schools to make sure rival gang members aren’t placed in the same school.

Forget it Jake, it's Chitown.

Pretty Much

Schools Are Closing Not Because They Should, But Because They Can. [More]

Don't get me started on public schools.

[Via Michael G]

A Variety of Perspectives

In putting together the panel, we sought input from a variety of perspectives so that we could have a frank, unscripted discussion of the many issues and complex web of problems that have led to the tragic deaths of these young people. We had representation from the faith community, the public schools, the police, family members of those killed and those accused of killing and community leaders and we met directly with students from some of the most affected schools.

Ah, the Queen of the Authorized Journalists weighs in. ABC 7 President & General Manager Emily Barr sounds like she actually believes her own line of ...

RELATED:

• A Panel of Experts
• Stop the Snuf...uhh...Violence

Stop the Hate

A handful of well-heeled hometown snowflakes made a point of holding a public virtue-signaling where the space could not be safer. [More]

White people of privilege wouldn't be quite so tolerated a few miles north.

Hudson is an old abolitionist town. I live a short walk away from John Brown's old tannery farm, a street is named after his father, and much of the family is interred in a local boneyard. Locals take great pride in telling stories about townspeople taking slave catchers prisoner and putting them on trial, and even though much of the town is still moderately moderate Republican, they place great stock in being regarded as "progressively" tolerant.  There's probably nothing that would horrify them more than being accused of racism, which makes me find humor in the one unsatisfactory grade their public schools got from the state, where they excelled at everything but "diversity." (I posted on this a few years back and have to go back when I have more time to see if I can find that link.)

Meanwhile, I got a call from my kid brother the other day, concerned because he was on the road and had heard rumblings of looting at the local mall, not all that far from his house. He wanted to know if my feelers had picked up anything.  Turns out it was just a jewelry store smash and grab, that is, just a bit of "symbolic taking" by justice-demanding people we are told are incapable of racism.

Meanwhile, Over at the Public Trough

The Republican Party chairman of an Oregon county is suing Portland Public Schools for allegedly coordinating efforts between district officials, the school board, teachers, and gun control groups for anti-gun walkouts, and for indoctrinating students on stricter gun control. [More]

Don't think of it as a tax. Think of it as an ideological bullet fee.

[Via Michael G]

Violent White Militia Extremists Fire on Commonsense Gun Safety Law Advocates with Weapons of War

The holiday was originally celebrated on April 19, the actual anniversary of the battles (fought in 1775). Since 1969, it has been observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts[16] and in Maine[17] (which until the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was part of Massachusetts). The Monday holiday creates a three-day long weekend. It is also the first day of a vacation week for public schools in both states and a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private. [More]

Gotta give another stay-at-home day to the nonessential people who abhor what is being commemorated the most.

To the rest of you, have a reflective Patriots' Day. 

And yeah, I see the misspelling.

Why More Meadows WILL Die.

It’ll make one also question their faith in public schooling altogether and perhaps compel readers to get more involved in their local public schools. [More]

Where do I even begin...?

[Via Mack H]

'With a Fresh New Twist'

"Santa's Husband"... [More]

And fear not if your local bookstore runs out. Thanks to your and my earnings being appropriated and transferred for the commonweal, chances are your public library is helping disseminate the agenda. I know mine is.

Any guesses if public schools are also stocking it?

Wayne to the Rescue

The day a gunman killed five students at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, it was more than an hour before Dr. Connie Catellani knew that her son Tony Skelton, an NIU senior, was safe.

So she's used her new-found indignation to presume to dictate on our right to keep and bear arms, and the ignorance, hysteria and distrust she employs are straight out of the Brady playbook.

And because she's a doctor, the media accords her more "authority" on the subject than they would if she were, say, a sex worker. Not (completely) meaning to be facetious, but would either of those professions be consulted for meaningful input if your TV was on the fritz, or your car had a funny noise coming from the transmission?

But because this person is an MD, we're supposed to listen to her on RKBA? Couldn't using that as a credential to give her voice special credibility be considered malpractice of sorts?

Someone who does have credentials, John Lott, was given the opportunity to present a rational alternative to "gun free zones." But what I found disturbing was that Dr. Catellani's most damaging argument against him, at least as far as the general public is concerned, came from someone ostensibly on "our side." Listen at 25 minutes 50 seconds into the recording (access via link on Lott's post--it's a big file, so those of you on dial up will need patience), and who does she cite? Not Paul Helmke, Peter Hamm or Sarah Brady, not Josh Sugarmann, but the biggest name in "gun rights."

And what does she cite?

This:

First, we believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.

We believe America's schools should be as safe as America's airports. You can't talk about, much less take, bombs and guns onto airplanes. Such behavior in our schools should be prosecuted just as certainly as such behavior in our airports is prosecuted.

[Via HZ]

"This is Not a Right"

Kevin Reece relates the outrageous tale of Cecelia Beaman, a middle school principal victimized by TSA JBTs for accidentally having a bread knife.

It's what Reece doesn't say that catches my attention. Like most Establishment reporters, he doesn't dig very deep.

For example:

"...a security screener announced..."

"...screeners refused to give her paperwork or documentation..."

"'They said "no" and they said it's a national security issue. And I said what about my constitutional rights? And they said "not at this point ... you don't have any".'"

Who "announced"?

Who "refused"?

Who "said"?

Do these people have names? Why do we know private citizen Cecilia Beaman's name, but not those of her thug oppressors?

Case in point:

We know the name of Elian Gonzalez.

We know the name of "fisherman" Donato Dalrymple.

Quick--who's the guy in the goggles?



One purpose of the press is to act as a watchdog over oppressive government, yet time and again I read stories where the agents committing abuses remain anonymous. By not identifying who they are as individuals, they face no personal consequences. They can continue abusing sovereign citizens with impunity.

If some Naziwannabe on the public dole is telling citizens they have no Constitutional rights, I want to know who that creep is. I want him out of any position of "authoritah".

Meanwhile, don't feel too sorry for new civil libertarian Cecelia Beaman, who is shocked, shocked that this could happen to her. As principal of Pacific Middle School, she presides over warrantless searches of charges she suspects of wrongdoing as a matter of policy.

Funny thing about Highline Public Schools' "SEARCH AND SEIZURE (BOARD POLICY 3231-3232)". They admit at the outset: "All students possess the constitutional right to be secure in their persons, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures." But instead of obtaining a warrant based on "probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized," the bar at HPS is lowered to mere "reasonable cause for school authorities to believe that the possession constitutes a crime or rule violation."

So, Cecelia, before you scream too loudly about your rights, maybe you could tell us how many lockers you've ordered searched without a warrant--and what you would do, under the doctrine of "zero tolerance," to some hapless student caught in a situation similar to yours.

---------------------------------

[I found out about the TSA story via FreedomSight, via End the War on Freedom, via What Really Happened.]

Oregon Citizen Disarmament: It's Academic

The Oregon School Boards Association has filed an amicus brief in an effort to prevent trained, licensed, school employees from having self defense firearms on school property.

This is no surprise as the OSBA has a long history of opposing self defense in schools. But now the Oregon Department of Justice has joined the battle against self defense with their own amicus brief.

So what's the problem? Pragmatic gun lobby organizations agree:

[W]e believe in absolutely gun-free, zero-tolerance, totally safe schools. That means no guns in America's schools, period ... with the rare exception of law enforcement officers or trained security personnel.

So the Oregon Firearms Federation is just being divisive. Besides, it's a political non-winner. If you talk about guns in school, it will just scare the general public into thinking all gun owners are extremist maniacs, and it will make us all look bad.

No?

If you disagree with that, you could argue your case in "Comments," below. But I would suggest if you really disagree, it wouldn't hurt to show how much, by sending a contribution to help fight this battle in court.

[Via Jeffersonian]

How Very Inclusive

 A Boston student is in custody after she attacked her principal and knocked her unconscious, according to the Boston Police Department. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said that the assault happened Wednesday afternoon during dismissal at the Upper Campus of the Dr. William W. Henderson K-12 Inclusion School. [More]

It looks like they have nothing left to teach her and she's ready to be released into the wild...

[Via Steve T] 

Meanwhile, Over at the Birthplace of Liberty

Bake sales, the calorie-laden standby cash-strapped classrooms, PTAs and booster clubs rely on, will be outlawed from public schools as of Aug. 1 as part of new no-nonsense nutrition standards, forcing fundraisers back to the blackboard to cook up alternative ways to raise money for kids. [More]

Oh, wise permission givers--save us from our choices and ourselves!

Why would you trust someone with a gun if you don't even trust them with a cupcake?  And do you get the feeling Dr. Lauren Smith and State Sen. Susan Fargo would like nothing better than to put us all on a strict regimen of Timothy hay and kibble?

Too Much, the Magic Bus

Just received this email from Mack H:

Bloomberg bus arriving at Va. Tech, Blacksburg, VA, Friday 6/21 9:30AM‏

From some of my emails:

Fwd: The number to call is 212-788-2439 for a ticket to attend. 

I just called that number to "get a ticket", and was told that no ticket is necessary - event is open to the public, and in a public venue, near the B-burg police station. I was advised that I could bring family,friends & neighbors... "to get the public out in force". We should be there in force too, and to hand out GSL stickers!

Well then, Bloomberg is coming to our backyard. Thought you should know.

I called the number too--it sounded like a private number as the woman answered by saying "Hello."  She confirmed no tickets were needed.

I'd like to see some further confirmation from others in the 24060 - 63 zip code area, just to make sure no one is setting up wild goose chases -- I mean, the antis wouldn't lie, would they?  I'd like to see an actual forwarded MAIG email from someone whose 2A cred can be validated.

You all know how to sign up and everybody has, right?

UPDATE: Discussion here.  One thing I'm getting from this is they may be doing these things within 1,000 feet of schools wherever they can... 

I still need to see an actual MAIG email.   Otherwise, my suspicion will be they're trying to send pro-gunners off chasing their tails.