We Must Protect the Children

It never fails. I wake up optimistic and in a great mood, I read the headlines and am transformed into a manic pessimist. Today’s transformation was triggered by news from Baltimore, where two students, members of their high school lacrosse team, were arrested for possession of a two-inch pen knife and a lighter. The school, acting under the zero tolerance policy instituted by liberal politicians, had no choice but to report this incident and the police had to place handcuffs and fingerprint the students. The lighter was described as an “explosive device.”

This is another example of the insanity of the nanny state and cowardly administrators who could have confiscated the knife and the lighter and avoided the stigmatization of two kids who will have a permanent record, and will have to write yes in every employment application that asks if the applicant has ever been arrested.

Let me act now as devil’s advocate. Let’s assume that the two kids were carrying these dangerous weapons for nefarious reasons. The lighter to obviously smoke a cigarette, thus leading to the destruction of our healthcare system and pollution of the planet leading to global warming, and the other carrying a two-inch penknife for the purpose of hurting someone. Should such violent kids be allowed to carry lacrosse sticks? What about a five-inch sharp number two pencil?

And so it goes. Some imbecile politician ( Senator Schumer comes to mind) introduces legislation to “protect the children.” Who would dare to vote against it? The legislation passes and metastasizes into a monstrosity that criminalizes penknives, lighters, aspirin or medication for menstrual cramps, drawing of guns, pointing a finger with the thumb up in imitation of guns, toy guns, plastic soldiers who have a gun, and any other element deemed politically incorrect. Lacrosse sticks, baseball bats, golf clubs, tennis rackets, are okay. After all, no one has ever been hurt by a baseball club, but we all know of the dangers of a lighter. Sorry. Explosive device.

Ubiquitous Explosive Devises