this week’s topic challenge is one that hits close to home as several of the contestants have been affected by school shootings in one way or another. It becomes a very controversial topic as the players discuss the motives of violence and the current state of security in schools.
"It was only 3 years ago last month that their was a school shooting in my hometown of Jonesboro, AR! I feel like our community is not the same. You would think of us as being a rural area and we would not have to face such problems. However, the problem seems to be everywhere. My personal opinion in this matter is that parents need to start spanking some kids ass!!! I don't mean beat the child---I mean discipline the child for heavens sake. I'm not married yet and I have no children, but the thought of bringing children up in todays society just scares the hell out of me. The best bet for someone like me and my worries is homeschooling." –stephanie
"I found out that the exec. producer of a show I used to work on had moved to Littleton and was the youth minister there. You may remember him from news reports. His name is Jim Beckman. He was the person that told the story of the girl that died because she refused to denounce God. This simply drove the point home to me even more that this was a real problem. It was too easy to look at stories like this and say "oh poor them- that's too bad... ok back to my life." It took it hitting close to home to make me realize that it is a REAL national problem that affects us all. It is a shame that it took it happening at a "topnotch" school like Columbine for people to sit up and take notice. It is an illustration that many people in this country have yet to identify this as a problem. We see school violence escalating. What is the remedy? Honestly I'm not even sure. Gun control is a start. Parental involvement is a start." –larry
"The whole situation of school shootings brings up some really tough constitutional questions. Putting metal detectors in schools, having uniformed security guards with weapons, locker searches, etc. I would assume that most people would be willing to lose some of their civil rights in order to eliminate the possibility of injury of death but the problem is that school administrators go overboard. Zero tolerance plans just make no sense and do not work. So, I think there is no answer to stopping the problem by taking preventative measures." –dave
"We all have our breaking points and it is tragic that children are pushed to that point and felt that they must act out in such a violent and finalistic way. There had to have been warning signs. Why weren't they picked up on? I don't blame the parents either. I think that the victims include those murdered, those that survive, the parents and yes even the killers. If we want to place blame and find a villain I suggest that we point a finger at society." –larry
"However, victims of something or not, there is NO EXCUSE for what they did. Don't forget, the two Columbine killers didn't just kill the people who alienated them. They killed a teacher, they killed one girl for not denying Christ... if they were so upset about the way the jocks treated them, why didn't they just target them?" –john
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