Copy Cat Massacre Plot Foiled

[N9XR]

Riverton, Kansas (http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=nation_world&id=4102451)

From the land of Fred Phelps and other crazies. This is actually one of 3 towns in Kansas on Route 66. (gettin' some kicks). I guess they were trying to copycat the Columbine massacre from 1999.

I think there should be more challenges for these people in schools. We have had threads where people complain about the school system. We can either do nothing and blame others, or get involved and work hard in the local school district and do something. Towns like Riverton are very small and little is "happening". Joplin, Missouri is not too far away, but it is about 8 miles or so. Amateur radio is about the only thing that could be "happening" around there.

That is what I think, but what do I know? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[k6pme]

Thats a tough question to answer but I believe it's boils down to a lack of respect for fellow humans in general. So whats the cause? Violent video games? Movie's? The Internet? Who knows? I sure don't but it sure is sad to this stuff happening.
Quote[/b] ]The sheriff says one of the suspects had chatted with a woman in North Carolina, who gave authorities a list of potential victims. The sheriff says it included popular students. He says the suspects may have been bullied.

[w5klb]

Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ April 21 2006,08:19)]So whats the cause?
That's simple: It's an oversight in upbringing.

Some parents just want to ship their kids off to school or have a very liberal policy and want to be non-intrusive when it comes to their kid'ss privacy. This will continue until some parents get a clue and get involved with the child's life.

There is no subsitute for active parenting. Parents need to find out what's going on with the child. This could be accomplished by having ALL family members set down, at the dinner table, one night a week, and having a discussion. And, for pete's sake, move the computer from the child's room to the living room so that parents can keep an eye on what the child does and where they go on the internet. Conferances with the teacher and school authories would certainly help.

These very simple steps may not be a "cure all" but will go a long way towards prevention and safety for the child.

One other thing...

Remove any door knobs in the kids room that a child can lock from the inside. Parents pay the rent and own the houses the child resides in, and I believe they have a RIGHT to know what's going on in their own home including their children's rooms.

My .03 cents worth.

[N9XR]

Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ April 21 2006,02:19)]Thats a tough question to answer but I believe it's boils down to a lack of respect for fellow humans in general. So whats the cause? Violent video games? Movie's? The Internet? Who knows? I sure don't but it sure is sad to this stuff happening.
Quote[/b] ]The sheriff says one of the suspects had chatted with a woman in North Carolina, who gave authorities a list of potential victims. The sheriff says it included popular students. He says the suspects may have been bullied.
There is always a "cause" or a "reason" for these things. They are always varied and hard to determine sometimes.

To me, a constant in these is the perps are lacking in a feeling of empowerment. The Columbine boys were from rich families, and I assume these kids in Kansas were not so well off as I have lived near Riverton and do not recall homes like I had seen the Columbine kids living in at that town. Family wealth is not a real factor. Many kids are bullied, and if they all picked up weapons, there would be few left remaining in the schools today. It is commonplace. It should not be.

So empowerment in some way shape or form is required to stop these people lashing out. When kids feel they have nothing to lose, they do not care about the consequenses for what they do. Will Dubya walk out of his ranch and kick Cindy Sheehan? No. He would like to, but he won't because he would have too much at stake. Do the kids in Riverton care if they were arrested and are facing conspiracy to murder? I don't really think so. They will prefer to be sent to prison and possibly spend a lot of time there than to go to Fallujah or sit where they live and face floods every time it rains. They don't have much to lose. They don't have anything they can be proud of.

There should be a large amount of intervention to these schools. Does Riverton have this resource? Dunno. Guess we will have to ask Archie and the gang. No, that was Riverdale! Oh well.

[N9XR]

Quote[/b] (w5klb @ April 21 2006,02:48)]Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ April 21 2006,08:19)]So whats the cause?
That's simple: It's an oversight in upbringing.

Some parents just want to ship their kids off to school or have a very liberal policy and want to be non-intrusive when it comes to their kid'ss privacy. This will continue until some parents get a clue and get involved with the child's life.

There is no subsitute for active parenting. Parents need to find out what's going on with the child. This could be accomplished by having ALL family members set down, at the dinner table, one night a week, and having a discussion. And, for pete's sake, move the computer from the child's room to the living room so that parents can keep an eye on what the child does and where they go on the internet. Conferances with the teacher and school authories would certainly help.

These very simple steps may not be a "cure all" but will go a long way towards prevention and safety for the child.

One other thing...

Remove any door knobs in the kids room that a child can lock from the inside. Parents pay the rent and own the houses the child resides in, and I believe they have a RIGHT to know what's going on in their own home including their children's rooms.

My .03 cents worth.
No doubt the baseline problem is parenting and that is simple. I still have 2 boys in High School, and there is no way that in 5 years I will be saying, "Yeah, I remember my kid. What was his name? Oh yeah, he was the one shot by the kid at school who had bad parenting skills. I sure miss him." Hardly a consolation.

I am serious. We can't expect others to fix these problems. I get envolved with my school and my district and my neighborhood. I stick my nose in and find out what is going on. People know my name.

As hams, we have a lot to offer. We have good professions, and good experiences to share with others.

Some parents do just ship their kids off to school. Many of those are the problem ones. They have no feeling of belonging, or they end up belonging in the wrong place with the wrong elements.

[N6BOA]

I treach high school and we had a lock down because someone was coming to the campus with a gun. I am usually not thinking about stuff like this, but I was yesterday! I have a student who committed rape and murder of a child. He did this right after graduation and is now serving life (a plea bargain). I had this kid for two years too! For the most part I feel safe, but not always I must admit...

[nx6d]

Quote[/b] (w5klb @ April 21 2006,07:48)]Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ April 21 2006,08:19)]So whats the cause?
That's simple: It's an oversight in upbringing.

Some parents just want to ship their kids off to school or have a very liberal policy and want to be non-intrusive when it comes to their kid'ss privacy. This will continue until some parents get a clue and get involved with the child's life.

There is no subsitute for active parenting. Parents need to find out what's going on with the child. This could be accomplished by having ALL family members set down, at the dinner table, one night a week, and having a discussion. And, for pete's sake, move the computer from the child's room to the living room so that parents can keep an eye on what the child does and where they go on the internet. Conferances with the teacher and school authories would certainly help.

These very simple steps may not be a "cure all" but will go a long way towards prevention and safety for the child.

One other thing...

Remove any door knobs in the kids room that a child can lock from the inside. Parents pay the rent and own the houses the child resides in, and I believe they have a RIGHT to know what's going on in their own home including their children's rooms.

My .03 cents worth.
Gary:

You are right on target on this topic.

Parental involvement is CRUCIAL to the child's development. Many parents are so involved in their own fun/drama, they completely ignore their children, or have an attitude of "well, I can't control them". It's not that they "can't control" the child, it's work, and some people just can't hack the whole parental thing.

My view on this is very simple. When the children are very little, keep the rules simple and tight. Don't allow them to be too "cutesy" and only bust them when they do something obviously stupid. As time goes on, gradually loosen control when the kids appear to be able to handle it. You'll get accused of being "nazi-Dad" (like I was) when the kid is little, but you'll end up with a child that is self-confident and able to make good decisions. You don't worry about them because you know they'll make the right decisions because you've given them proper guidance.

I can say I've had ZERO problems with my daughter (who is almost 20). I only had to put up with about 6 months of the hormonal "teenage" period, and even that was relatively minor. I have a friend who's dealing with year 3 of the hormone time and his daughter is only 14!

One last point. If you treat kids like they're stupid, they'll act that way.

Dave WX7B
Sonoma County, CA

[w5klb]

Quote[/b] (n9xr @ April 21 2006,09:03)]Quote[/b] (w5klb @ April 21 2006,02:48)]Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ April 21 2006,08:19)]So whats the cause?
That's simple: It's an oversight in upbringing.

Some parents just want to ship their kids off to school or have a very liberal policy and want to be non-intrusive when it comes to their kid'ss privacy. This will continue until some parents get a clue and get involved with the child's life.

There is no subsitute for active parenting. Parents need to find out what's going on with the child. This could be accomplished by having ALL family members set down, at the dinner table, one night a week, and having a discussion. And, for pete's sake, move the computer from the child's room to the living room so that parents can keep an eye on what the child does and where they go on the internet. Conferances with the teacher and school authories would certainly help.

These very simple steps may not be a "cure all" but will go a long way towards prevention and safety for the child.

One other thing...

Remove any door knobs in the kids room that a child can lock from the inside. Parents pay the rent and own the houses the child resides in, and I believe they have a RIGHT to know what's going on in their own home including their children's rooms.

My .03 cents worth.
No doubt the baseline problem is parenting and that is simple. #I still have 2 boys in High School, and there is no way that in 5 years I will be saying, "Yeah, I remember my kid. #What was his name? #Oh yeah, he was the one shot by the kid at school who had bad parenting skills. #I sure miss him." #Hardly a consolation.

I am serious. #We can't expect others to fix these problems. #I get envolved with my school and my district and my neighborhood. #I stick my nose in and find out what is going on. #People know my name.

As hams, we have a lot to offer. #We have good professions, and good experiences to share with others. #

Some parents do just ship their kids off to school. #Many of those are the problem ones. #They have no feeling of belonging, or they end up belonging in the wrong place with the wrong elements.
Whatya know? Finally something that you and I can agree on.

"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w5klb]

Quote[/b] (WX7B @ April 21 2006,09:40)]Gary:

You are right on target on this topic.

Parental involvement is CRUCIAL to the child's development.
Thanks Dave. I may not be the "sharpest tack in the box" but I do have my moments. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif