Start with Congress and state legislatures. Puts a new meaning to "drill, baby, drill." Those who were in the hallowed halls during J6 should remember every day what that felt like. Even Josh Hawley.
I don't disagree that they should remember, but there is a huge difference. January 6th MUST be seen as abnormal - it was the first of its kind, if nothing else. All the adults present must know that they are quite unlikely to face something similar in the near future. That was traumatic in every sense of the word, but they likely have excellent medical coverage and can afford to work through that situation with a good counsellor.
But children face chronic trauma with repetitive drills, news reports of school shootings, adults whispering in the next room every time another shooting hits too close to home, and their own distortions as the kids talk about this among themselves or run the images they saw/heard about/imagine through their heads as they close their eyes to sleep. The chronic nature of this trauma has a far worst cost than a one-shot occasion. And there is the added insult that too few children would be able to access trauma counselling because of limited or lack of medical coverage or because the insurer(s) have found ways to avoid covering it.
We didn't have them - "duck and cover" drills. We lived at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, surrounded by armed forces bases, 176 miles SSE of Washington DC - so we knew all through the Cold War that we were a prime target if warfare erupted. Why didn't they make us little kids practice surviving an enemy attack? Because we knew that the "enemy" would just lob a bomb in the bay, and we would all drown in a tidal wave (what it was known as back then). I and my classmates talked about it when we were out of earshot of the adults. We had learned about this "plan" by overhearing adults talking about it in the next room - kids' hearing is far more acute than that of adults, so we could sneak up and listen to them when they didn't know we were there. You might think that kids don't understand death, but they do understand some stuff about the end of life.
Some of us had seen pets die by being run over by cars, some had seen parents play a more active role when a pet wasn't welcome anymore, and some, like me, had seen a father beat a cat until it stopped moving, while forcing his kids to watch and then shooting the poor thing in the head - "just to be sure." Before you ask, I don't have a clue why he made us watch (well, that's a lie - I have clues, lots of them, but that is another story), but I wouldn't be surprised if he knew we were listening in to "adult conversations" and sort of enjoyed the fear it generated.
But, back to what happens when kids play and replay catastrophic events over and over and over - either as a drill in school, as a quiet playground conversation, or as the images of impending death being the last thing in their thoughts as they drift off to sleep - they have nightmares, they do anything to stay awake, or maybe they wet the bed. I was one of three children, the oldest, so by the time it was time to sleep, I was exhausted, always feeling responsible for my younger siblings, and my reaction was nightmares – my younger sibs got the other two. I had them for years, and they even showed up from time to time in my adulthood. It's been over 60 years since I moved away from the bay to another country where I don't live near open water - I still remember those nightmares.
Have pity on the kids! Don't make them choose between feeling terror and not feeling anything at all. Because that is the other thing that happened to me - I learned to be numb.
We are going to go through a 4 year never ending poke in the eye on a daily basis just to entertain a certain orange clown who will think he’s being funny. It won’t be funny for millions of people who for years will suffer the reverberations of his demented behavior. Good show MAGA you really stuck it to the libs.
Active shooter drills is just as affective as ,"Thoughts and prayers." It does nothing to fix the situation and is only performative in nature. The fact that people care more about their guns than they do about children being mowed down in schools always bewilders me. To lose a child in these types of situations is unconscionable.
The fact is nobody cares until something tragic happens to them or their family members. These days, people have no interest in putting themselves in someone else's shoes.
It's appalling to me that congressman would wear an AK47 pin to the floor of Congress and see that as a flex. It shows how disconnected they are to the people they are supposed represent. We are the only first world country who hasn't figured out assault rifles should not be allowed to be purchased by civilians. It's a recipe for disaster.
I agree. I also find it discouraging how so many people tell you not to question these drills. Like, why can't we have a conversation about whether those drills cause more harm than good. The US has been largely brainwashed already, and it's only going to get worse.
That is true. There is a trauma aspect to it that most people probably don't consider. I can see why a child would have nightmares after being subjected to it over and over again. They may be causing more harm than good.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I was a school psychologist on 9/11 in California. I saw this unfold at home that morning but I had no fear about going to work. When I got there it was chaos. Parents demanding how we were “going to keep their kids safe” and children traumatized. Now it is these drills which are worthless because it is obvious that a desk isn’t going to save you from an AR15. I saw a documentary about the Parkland school massacre in Florida. The teachers and students were left for hours with no backup as the shooter continued his killing spree. The real fact is that our country has no gun control. If you look at Australia and the UK, it took one massacre to put in place stringent gun laws. In our country anyone can obtain a gun. Maybe we should revisit this issue?
If you'd like to write some articles on this which draw on your professional perspective, please let me know. I bet I could get something like that Boosted on medium (you don't have to write with your real name if that's a concern).
This is a Genius Idea. Absolutely what we should do. You describe it so well and matter of factly. So Logical! It is only fair. Thank you very much. I want this idea to take hold.
As a teacher I have thought this, and experienced the chaos and inconsistency of the messaging, media and support for the process. Parents were angry with admin (me) for following the rules to ‘protect’ their children!
If only the process (both scheduled, surprise and actual event) was required in the halls of congress and corporations.
It’s also a money grab, from orgs that train for tragedies to lock systems and innovative ways to ‘protect’ —foldout rooms, bulletproof backpacks—crazy stuff. Not to mention the trauma impact of toddlers to adolescents, parents and teachers. All totally unnecessary with a little lawmaking.
I am old enough and young enough that I was on the tail end of nuclear bomb drills in first grade. At 6 years old, I knew these drills were performative, as if getting under our desks was going to prevent us from dying in a nuclear blast. They felt ridiculous to me. At 6. I cannot imagine doing a drill for an active shooter at my school. I don't know how I would have felt or thought, but that threat is a real one that some may not survive. I don't know how learning can be achieved in that environment.
I remember when the Devil and being cast into hell was enough to keep children in line. My cousin was one of those who laid awake at night being terrified of those possibilities.
My brother is a teacher of junior high science, and they do these drills. They cause nightmares among some of his students.
Stories about the devil are now and have always been abuse. I find kids behave much better if you don't threaten them with punishment. I'm old enough to have endured nuclear bomb drills too. What cruelty!
Finally! A Dad who really gives a good gad damn about his kids and sees the bull crap for what it is. Schools are the new 'gold rush frontier '. The place to hack asinine esoteric products and 'notions', snake oils and toxic services. How many contracts does the education department sign? Walls that roll out , bullet proof backpacks, trainers in stopping a bleed out from a bullet, teacher open carry fire arm certification, contracts for Bibles, contracts for bathroom stalls, drills DIY how to carry the special needs normally from chair to on your back or how to leave them behind without guilt. Triage education drills 🤕⛑️🪖🎓🎒🦺 books 📚? Yes, expand the market to the vast general public 🤑🥸🤡Gun freedom is Amazing 🤩
Thank you so much for that kind comment. There are deliberate assaults on public education, and permitting gun violence and shooter drills is part of it.
I was living in Houston during the Cuban Missile Crisis and for months we had frequent drills where we were herded into the halls and made to scrunch up as small as possible on our hands and knees in front of the interior walls. And you’re right - I never heard my dad say they had such a thing at work. It was especially ridiculous because it’s unlikely any of us would have survived in the first place, had the school been hit by a Russian missile.
I am the front desk receptionist at a community center. I started thinking about what I would do if an active shooter entered the building.
Then I realized - if one entered the building, I would undoubtedly be the recipient of the first shot. It would proverbially be “over my dead body”. Therefore, there’s nothing I could do to stop them - or protect the others in the building.
I fear that in December 2024, you’re spitting into the wind. If you complain like this to the incoming regime,they are most likely just going to cancel the drills. It’s not impossible that if they start losing oligarchs to shooters who have been told guns are the answer that they just might act after they finally decide that the cost of bodyguards has risen too high.
That is true - we have just witnessed the first of the out-in-the-open reactions to behind the scenes supporters of Donald Trump (not MAGAots, the actual supporters of the man who will make them richer than they are now), and it smells like fear to me. Of course, I'd be afraid. too, if I had been a CEO making an obscene amount of money while people were literally dying because of my policies and directions to the staff who were charged with denying policy holders benefits they had paid for.
Great idea! A man was upset with his wife's care in the mental hospital so he shot up the place. One worker was killed. After that all of the staff where I work was subjected to run for cover drills. They said best hiding place is behind metal doors if you can get there in a very big building. Bullet proof windows were installed in the staff office. We were told to keep them locked. Of course they wouldn't. It was quite distressing.
Start with Congress and state legislatures. Puts a new meaning to "drill, baby, drill." Those who were in the hallowed halls during J6 should remember every day what that felt like. Even Josh Hawley.
I don't disagree that they should remember, but there is a huge difference. January 6th MUST be seen as abnormal - it was the first of its kind, if nothing else. All the adults present must know that they are quite unlikely to face something similar in the near future. That was traumatic in every sense of the word, but they likely have excellent medical coverage and can afford to work through that situation with a good counsellor.
But children face chronic trauma with repetitive drills, news reports of school shootings, adults whispering in the next room every time another shooting hits too close to home, and their own distortions as the kids talk about this among themselves or run the images they saw/heard about/imagine through their heads as they close their eyes to sleep. The chronic nature of this trauma has a far worst cost than a one-shot occasion. And there is the added insult that too few children would be able to access trauma counselling because of limited or lack of medical coverage or because the insurer(s) have found ways to avoid covering it.
We had nuke drills when I was in school, talk about miss guided education, that desk was never going to stop a nuclear weapon,.
Me too. I have an article about that that I need to share at some point. Thanks for reminding me!
We didn't have them - "duck and cover" drills. We lived at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, surrounded by armed forces bases, 176 miles SSE of Washington DC - so we knew all through the Cold War that we were a prime target if warfare erupted. Why didn't they make us little kids practice surviving an enemy attack? Because we knew that the "enemy" would just lob a bomb in the bay, and we would all drown in a tidal wave (what it was known as back then). I and my classmates talked about it when we were out of earshot of the adults. We had learned about this "plan" by overhearing adults talking about it in the next room - kids' hearing is far more acute than that of adults, so we could sneak up and listen to them when they didn't know we were there. You might think that kids don't understand death, but they do understand some stuff about the end of life.
Some of us had seen pets die by being run over by cars, some had seen parents play a more active role when a pet wasn't welcome anymore, and some, like me, had seen a father beat a cat until it stopped moving, while forcing his kids to watch and then shooting the poor thing in the head - "just to be sure." Before you ask, I don't have a clue why he made us watch (well, that's a lie - I have clues, lots of them, but that is another story), but I wouldn't be surprised if he knew we were listening in to "adult conversations" and sort of enjoyed the fear it generated.
But, back to what happens when kids play and replay catastrophic events over and over and over - either as a drill in school, as a quiet playground conversation, or as the images of impending death being the last thing in their thoughts as they drift off to sleep - they have nightmares, they do anything to stay awake, or maybe they wet the bed. I was one of three children, the oldest, so by the time it was time to sleep, I was exhausted, always feeling responsible for my younger siblings, and my reaction was nightmares – my younger sibs got the other two. I had them for years, and they even showed up from time to time in my adulthood. It's been over 60 years since I moved away from the bay to another country where I don't live near open water - I still remember those nightmares.
Have pity on the kids! Don't make them choose between feeling terror and not feeling anything at all. Because that is the other thing that happened to me - I learned to be numb.
We are going to go through a 4 year never ending poke in the eye on a daily basis just to entertain a certain orange clown who will think he’s being funny. It won’t be funny for millions of people who for years will suffer the reverberations of his demented behavior. Good show MAGA you really stuck it to the libs.
Pretty weird when I think about it now.
Active shooter drills is just as affective as ,"Thoughts and prayers." It does nothing to fix the situation and is only performative in nature. The fact that people care more about their guns than they do about children being mowed down in schools always bewilders me. To lose a child in these types of situations is unconscionable.
The fact is nobody cares until something tragic happens to them or their family members. These days, people have no interest in putting themselves in someone else's shoes.
It's appalling to me that congressman would wear an AK47 pin to the floor of Congress and see that as a flex. It shows how disconnected they are to the people they are supposed represent. We are the only first world country who hasn't figured out assault rifles should not be allowed to be purchased by civilians. It's a recipe for disaster.
I agree. I also find it discouraging how so many people tell you not to question these drills. Like, why can't we have a conversation about whether those drills cause more harm than good. The US has been largely brainwashed already, and it's only going to get worse.
That is true. There is a trauma aspect to it that most people probably don't consider. I can see why a child would have nightmares after being subjected to it over and over again. They may be causing more harm than good.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I was a school psychologist on 9/11 in California. I saw this unfold at home that morning but I had no fear about going to work. When I got there it was chaos. Parents demanding how we were “going to keep their kids safe” and children traumatized. Now it is these drills which are worthless because it is obvious that a desk isn’t going to save you from an AR15. I saw a documentary about the Parkland school massacre in Florida. The teachers and students were left for hours with no backup as the shooter continued his killing spree. The real fact is that our country has no gun control. If you look at Australia and the UK, it took one massacre to put in place stringent gun laws. In our country anyone can obtain a gun. Maybe we should revisit this issue?
If you'd like to write some articles on this which draw on your professional perspective, please let me know. I bet I could get something like that Boosted on medium (you don't have to write with your real name if that's a concern).
Thank you, Walter!
This is a Genius Idea. Absolutely what we should do. You describe it so well and matter of factly. So Logical! It is only fair. Thank you very much. I want this idea to take hold.
Absolutely agree with this concept. Isolation and arrogance prevent empathy and action.
Thank you. If people were forced to experience the consequences of their dumb beliefs, they wouldn't be so quick to defend them.
As a teacher I have thought this, and experienced the chaos and inconsistency of the messaging, media and support for the process. Parents were angry with admin (me) for following the rules to ‘protect’ their children!
If only the process (both scheduled, surprise and actual event) was required in the halls of congress and corporations.
Yup. It's frustrating how little opportunity we have to even discuss this.
It’s also a money grab, from orgs that train for tragedies to lock systems and innovative ways to ‘protect’ —foldout rooms, bulletproof backpacks—crazy stuff. Not to mention the trauma impact of toddlers to adolescents, parents and teachers. All totally unnecessary with a little lawmaking.
I am old enough and young enough that I was on the tail end of nuclear bomb drills in first grade. At 6 years old, I knew these drills were performative, as if getting under our desks was going to prevent us from dying in a nuclear blast. They felt ridiculous to me. At 6. I cannot imagine doing a drill for an active shooter at my school. I don't know how I would have felt or thought, but that threat is a real one that some may not survive. I don't know how learning can be achieved in that environment.
I remember when the Devil and being cast into hell was enough to keep children in line. My cousin was one of those who laid awake at night being terrified of those possibilities.
My brother is a teacher of junior high science, and they do these drills. They cause nightmares among some of his students.
Stories about the devil are now and have always been abuse. I find kids behave much better if you don't threaten them with punishment. I'm old enough to have endured nuclear bomb drills too. What cruelty!
Finally! A Dad who really gives a good gad damn about his kids and sees the bull crap for what it is. Schools are the new 'gold rush frontier '. The place to hack asinine esoteric products and 'notions', snake oils and toxic services. How many contracts does the education department sign? Walls that roll out , bullet proof backpacks, trainers in stopping a bleed out from a bullet, teacher open carry fire arm certification, contracts for Bibles, contracts for bathroom stalls, drills DIY how to carry the special needs normally from chair to on your back or how to leave them behind without guilt. Triage education drills 🤕⛑️🪖🎓🎒🦺 books 📚? Yes, expand the market to the vast general public 🤑🥸🤡Gun freedom is Amazing 🤩
Thank you so much for that kind comment. There are deliberate assaults on public education, and permitting gun violence and shooter drills is part of it.
I was living in Houston during the Cuban Missile Crisis and for months we had frequent drills where we were herded into the halls and made to scrunch up as small as possible on our hands and knees in front of the interior walls. And you’re right - I never heard my dad say they had such a thing at work. It was especially ridiculous because it’s unlikely any of us would have survived in the first place, had the school been hit by a Russian missile.
Yeah, it's performance theater and it's insulting. Thanks for your comment!
I am the front desk receptionist at a community center. I started thinking about what I would do if an active shooter entered the building.
Then I realized - if one entered the building, I would undoubtedly be the recipient of the first shot. It would proverbially be “over my dead body”. Therefore, there’s nothing I could do to stop them - or protect the others in the building.
A fun little thought exercise…
I fear that in December 2024, you’re spitting into the wind. If you complain like this to the incoming regime,they are most likely just going to cancel the drills. It’s not impossible that if they start losing oligarchs to shooters who have been told guns are the answer that they just might act after they finally decide that the cost of bodyguards has risen too high.
I've shouted into the void before. My silence isn't going to help anything. I expect that a lot of people are going to be shouting soon.
That is true - we have just witnessed the first of the out-in-the-open reactions to behind the scenes supporters of Donald Trump (not MAGAots, the actual supporters of the man who will make them richer than they are now), and it smells like fear to me. Of course, I'd be afraid. too, if I had been a CEO making an obscene amount of money while people were literally dying because of my policies and directions to the staff who were charged with denying policy holders benefits they had paid for.
100% agree …
Thanks Gene!
Better yet, maybe it would push voters to force Congress to pass reasonable gun laws
Great idea! A man was upset with his wife's care in the mental hospital so he shot up the place. One worker was killed. After that all of the staff where I work was subjected to run for cover drills. They said best hiding place is behind metal doors if you can get there in a very big building. Bullet proof windows were installed in the staff office. We were told to keep them locked. Of course they wouldn't. It was quite distressing.
Only in America
Yeah, and it's shameful.