Arming the Teachers

Sean Kenny

Wed Jan 30

Red Day, Block 2

Arming the Teachers

        I completely understand that school shootings are serious, and need to be treated gently, and in away that keeps both student, and teachers safe. So, if a gun is what has caused all of this previous violence, is putting them in the hands of somebody surrounded by children really a good idea? Just a thought, maybe they could have a little more security in schools (metal detector, locked doors, etc.), and a lock-down/panic room in between each class.

Simply by having the teacher carry the gun can make them responsible for protecting the children and other staff. This in itself puts the teacher in danger. I agree with the statement in the article "A gun safety course and good aim are not enough to prepare someone for a once-in-a-lifetime gunfight in a crowded school full of vulnerable students. Police and military personnel train strenuously to prepare for these situations, and even they sometimes make a mistake." So why traumatize half the kids shooting down an intruder, when you can prevent him or her from entering the building armed.

Bring Back the Draft?

Sean Kenny

Mon Jan 28

Red Day, Block 2

Bring Back the Draft?

        Some people are arguing that we should bring back the draft. They believe we are making reckless decisions with our soldiers, only because they volunteered to fight for our country. They also believe that the public should 'have a stake in the wars we fight'. I think what we should do, is have people who have previously served or are currently serving make the decisions for our soldiers, not the president our the public. But not reinstating the draft. Not letting people have a say in weather or not they should fight is unfair, and some people really aren't meant to be in the armed forces. Putting these kind of people in could lead to even more of what happened over the past decade; more than 2 million soldiers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iraq war took more than 4,422 lives and wounded some 32,000 in nine years; to date, 2,168 American soldiers have died and 18,215 have been wounded in Afghanistan. Soldiers who did sign up to fight ended up in these conditions, people who are forced could be left even worse, and those numbers could grow, very fast.

Can We Do Both?

Sean Kenny

Jan. 7th, 2013

Red Day, Block 2

Can We Do Both?

 

I believe the best course for us to take would be simply by watching how we mine. And It's true that we need jobs, but, we also need to protect the environment and water health. By watching ourselves, maybe we can do both. If anything gets "out of hand," we just need to slow down, and change how we do it. There must be a way to mine while we keep our surroundings in check.