Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Page 6 Homes bear t v. My high school alma mater underwent commencement exercises Saturday, and I'm told mi?? ~7i the f graduates KENLEY YOUNG t lt columnist ^ | ? ? 1 ueorgetown 1 High School administration, still deeply disturbed by the tragic Columbine High School shootings and already concerned for students' safety, had been receiving threats prior to the ceremony. My mother is a teacher at Georgetown, and she said police officers actually were considering frisking the graduates'gowns for concealed weapons before they took the field for commencement. HI bet my former high school isn't alone in its fear. And I'll also bet my alma mater wasn't the only school this year to take the kind of extreme precautions that some people (including me) deem ridiculous. The Columbine incident certainly has struck a nerve with educators, legislators and law enforcement agencies across the nation, and rightfiilly so. It has cast an ominous shadow over this country and the way its various institutions and social constructs operate, also rightfiilly so. But what's next? FBI agents replacing hall monitors? S.WAT, teams blockading the football field? Federal marshals frisking the valedictorian before he can reach for his graduation speech? And if these absurd exaggerations aren't the answers, then what is? For Charlton Heston, Ted Nugent and thp rpst nf thnsp Piin-tnrincr frpaks at the National Rifle Association, I guess the solution is obvious: Simply allow teachers to carry weapons to school. Why didn't we think of that earlier? That'll really put an end to school violence. A much more effective recourse than detention, the AK-47 is sure to strike fear into the hearts of even the most disruptive of pupils. I've got news for Heston, the has-been actor, and Nugent, the never-was rock star: If my teachers were allowed to cany guns to school, many of my best friends would have been shot a long time ago. i And you think postal workers are disgruntled? Ask the average South Carolina teacher just how disgruntled he or she is. Ask teachers about the i pittance of a salary they're paid and the < even lower gratitude they receive. Ask them about the httle hellions they have i to control all day because someone's ] mommy and daddy decided to skip < lessons on proper behavior and respect, ] and I'll guarantee you won't want >urden of teac "The Columbine incid struck a nerve with ed and law enforcement j nation, and rightftiUy: i i. i._ i i.i_ i J ./'/ euucaujrs uu iiave inai Kinu 01 nrepower at their disposal. Don't get me wrong. The right to bear arms is a constitutionally protected right, and so to condemn the NRA for championing that right is patent nonsense. But if a hunter needs an M16 assault rifle or a semi-automatic handgun with a super-vision scope to shoot a deer, then he or she must have pretty crappy aim. I mean, if you're that horrible of a shot, then what the hell are you doing hunting for sport? You could kill someone and quite possibly yourself. Consult our nation's lawmakers, and they'll tell you the answer is more laws; tighter restrictions on gun sales and more meticulous background checks. Unfortunately, I hardly think that's going to be effective, either. After all, those Columbine gunmen, children themselves, didn't just waltz into the local discount armory and buy explosives. With the help of the omnipotent Internet, even the most illiterate of computer users can find out how to make a bomb. A bomb, for bods sake. The law is always about three decades behind technology. You see, if more laws would do it, the United States of America wouldn't have any crime or violence to worry about. Does anyone think a criminal, who by definition is a person who breaks laws, is going to wait an extra two months to buy a gun that will help him pull off some illegal activity? Of course not. Criminals will find another way. That's what they do. So where do parents look for their culprit? The next logical place; the cesspool for the degenerates of this great nation, America's nest of sin and debauchery, the very den of immorality in this country ? cable TV Here we go again. Let's blame Marilyn Manson, gangsta rap and a professional wrestler known as The Undertaker for Uolumbme. Poor Mr. Manson. Will he ever escape attack? Is he to be blamed for everything that goes wrong in this country? Does he drive everyone to evil? I suggest that Manson's opponents actually read an interview about him before they go blaming him for another catastrophe. He knows what he's doing. Try as it might, government can't restrict the perceptions cable television forms in its viewers' minds. Qnlv narents can do that by turning the boob tube off Before we turn our schools into minimum-security detention centers, let's realize that the prevention of CJolumbine-scale violence must start at lome with parents. Those Colorado gunmen were VIEWPOINTS hing morals ent certainly has 1 .ucators, legislators agencies across the so." outcasts. Hiey were teased and ostracized for being different Fve been there before, and I assure you its no fun to be laughed at by your peers. I wonder whether anyone ever tried to reach out to those students. Children must be taught respect and courtesy and tolerance for those who are different These are things the NRA, the government, the police, public educators and pop icons simply cannot teach, but they're the only keys to ending senseless violence. ( 7! con PARKL Annoi y ^ /Maui Jim [s/VV Arnette tg|| r r hug hobi! >sungl Anarchy "y*Y -< Gargoyle sale! Vuamet ++ _ i.V^ ' jA" - J KinerLoop * VyN Student gains r money from on SCHOLARSHIP continued from page 5 better term to describe this bunch. I can't describe in words how I felt by the end of that weekend, but the intrinsic spirit of giving and fellowship I'd experienced in those three days really did something to me. It was then 1 that I realized this scholarship wasn't just about money. The foundation was started by i former Gov. James F. Byrnes, but the I life of the scholarship program today depends on contributions that alumni give to the foundation for future scholarships. They contribute without making any sort of deal about it or ! expecting anything in return ? a perfect 1 example of the selfless giving I just i talked about. 1 This weekend will be my third i | General Cinema. umbia Mi Cinema ANE ROAD at U.S. 1 788-766 mces r L N FEATURES MAY BE EXCLUP [a. Ray-Ban m >7 Bolle' B lE Xy Suncloud I ACC< Bucc' I Stussy B It Oakley* I Costa Del Mar I 'Large selection of Oakley products I available, but not discounted. I Wednesday, June 9,1999 nore than just e scholarship luncheon as a Byrnes scholar, and it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation. Ironically, the day of the luncheon is also the day that would have been my dad's 50th birthday. Coincidence? Perhaps not entirely. That little ad in the paper which first told me about the scholarship didn't say anything about how wonderful being a Byrnes Scholar would be. I was fortunate enough to receive a couple of other scholarships, but I won't remember those after I graduate like I will this one. Being a Byrnes Scholar is for life, and I look forward to being able to help provide future students with the same experience that the current foundation is providing for me. \ ill 4 W\ AT I EATS!* ALL DAY! J ED J