The New Gun Battle

There have been a couple of excellent posts from the Feedlot and Joe's Crabby Shack (a very well written take found thanks to a link from the Feedlot) among thousands of others on the gun control debate that has been brought on by the events at Virginia Tech last week. I completely agree with many of them that people should have the opportunity to carry a weapon if they meet a certain criteria (mentally competent, no felonies, etc., just your basic). I believe businesses also reserve the right to not allow you to bring a gun into their buildings. I grew up having guns in my house, albeit mainly for hunting. I grew up in a town where it was OK to have one in the back window of your truck. People knew what you were going to do with it.
One link that the Feeder had was to an editorial from the Roanoke (VA) Times. One of the Virginia Tech grad students, Bradford Wiles, wrote an editorial in which he has been "adamant" with the university about wanting students on campus to have the ability to carry a gun. I understand Mr. Wiles' point: If someone in Norris Hall would've had a gun, the other 30+ lives may have been saved. I think college is a place where we have to draw the line for being able to carry a gun. If you want to carry a gun, live off campus. As I read that, I thought back to many nights with all of my friends and what would've happened if there would have been a weapon around. I don't think there is any place for it. College is a time where many boys and girls are out on their own for the first time. Parents are worried about alcohol and drugs in dorm rooms. Do you really need to add guns to the list of things that parents are worried about in the residence halls? As a resident adviser at my undergrad institution, I knew of a student who didn't get along with another RA at all. Neither could do anything right to the other. So what happens when one of them gets drunk, etc., and decides to bring the gun out and talk business? What if it "accidentally" went off? How do you explain that?
There is no right or wrong answer. Some people will do anything to get revenge or wreak havoc. No law, either allowing or prohibiting, will stop them.

The Amazing Race Discussion

Nope, not the TV show. In case you've been hiding in a bomb shelter, race issues have covered the news like nothing I've seen since Anna Nicole Smith died...oh wait. First, Don Imus finally said something that offended enough people that his sponsors forced NBC & CBS to give him the boot. Now, we get a little taste of it in our own backyard:
The Benson Gazette, student newspaper at Omaha Public School's Benson High, published on article on the n-word, the derogatory term used to describe an African-American person. I've got no problem with that. It appears to be an informative article aimed at reducing the use of it at their school. Congrats to them and their sponsor for creating stories on societal issues. What a concept, I know. But, here's where it gets good: OPS puts the principal on administrative leave because they don't like it. Isn't the principal busy enough? Shouldn't editing the paper be one of the first things he/she delegates? If you're going to suspend someone, what about the sponsor? The kids? The principal probably doesn't even read the stupid paper! Regardless, I don't think anyone should be suspended. Don't stimulate their knowledge any more than you already do. And it still gets better: The Omaha World-Herald, in printing, on their front page, an excerpt from the Gazette story, don't censor the n-word. Like I couldn't figure it out?! If everyone is up in arms over the use of this word, why print it? I don't care what the Gazette did. I don't pay money to read the paper (nope, didn't even know that they had one until yesterday). You wonder why your reader numbers are down. What editor took the day off? Apparently the only one with common sense.
Kudos to the students and staff at Benson High. Thanks for stepping up to the plate to tackle a real-life issue. As for OPS and OWH...never mind. It's not even worth it.