I must say it is not a bad idea...I do not own guns and will never own a gun but heck it would make you feel safer for your kids. Of course I have no clue how we would fund this but...Love the protesters - why don't they protest the crack house dealers and all the gansta head quarters. i see no reason why we cannot ban automatic and semi automatic weapons

We have a big enough police force in Seekonk & Attleboro to have a cop at the schools. I have a child in middle school and feel good about her safety with or without a cop. I'm sure the police departments would say they would need to hire more cops, but when don't they? Who cares what the NRA says? The NRA cares about the NRA!

I say it is a terrible idea. Do you want a bunch of George Zimmerman trigger happy zealots.

mine as well put up electric fences & barb wires around schools so they can look like prisons insted taking guns off the streets what an idiots

Great job by the NRA, exploit a national tragedy to advance an agenda to increase spending on weapons and domestic security. What a bunch of despicable dirtbags. Did they at least wait until after the bells tolled at 9:30 this morning?

Oh and I just saw that they blamed the media and violent movies for the gun-crazed culture that they have aggressively cultivated and fostered over the past 140 years. I wish I were not an atheist, at least then I would get to believe that these scumbags would someday burn in hell.

Do I understand correctly that the NRA offered to pick up the tab? :)

Didn't Seekonk have an officer assigned to the high school for bully prevention or drugs or something like that? How was that officer funded?

Unless we're satisfied with having shoot-outs at the schools, we need to look broadly for systemic solutions to our culture of violence in this country. The Acting Superintendent of Schools in Seekonk reached out to me Wednesday evening about discussing the idea of nonviolent communication, conflict resolution/mediation, and nonviolent methods of social change. That's one important element of long-term systemic change. It conceivably could mean better BOS meetings in the future if we can draw from our school system candidates who have learned good communication skills and how to resolve conflicts.

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Wire,_The

Nice link from the wire with Avon Barksdale. I enjoy the mixed signals you're sending. Maybe you should be a little more sympathetic towards parents affected by gun violence, perhaps they have the true perspective. You are by no means an expert as to the motivation of a serial killer as the FBI cannot determine motive at this point.

And as always I'm sure you'll respond in a demeaning manner as to belittle what I say and claim I'm either stupid or have no idea what I'm talking about.

So much for mass shootings at malls and theaters....

@paul... "Mommy dearest was an accomplice, ..."

If Mommy was an accomplice, so was Daddy by his absence. It seems he dropped the kid two years ago. No contact. Daddy went on with his life. I wonder if thinks about that today. Thinks that maybe he might of made a difference.

This is a horrendous tragedy with enough blame to go around.

About armed security around schools, I think an armed officer wouldn't be an overwhelming expense to a town. He could be the good guy with a gun.

While this study is 10 years old it is still relevant. The points made by Wayne are contradictory to this report. http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ssi_final_report.pdf

Key findings from the report
1-Incidents of targeted violence at school rarely are sudden, impulsive acts.
2-Prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker’s idea and/or plan to attack. In most cases, those who knew were other kids–friends, schoolmates, siblings, and others. However, this information rarely made its way to an adult.
3-Most attackers did not threaten their targets directly prior to advancing the attack.
4-There is no accurate or useful profile of students who engaged in targeted school violence.
5-Most attackers engaged in some behavior, prior to the incident, that caused others concern or indicated a need for help.
6-Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures. Many had considered or attempted suicide.
7-Many attackers felt bullied, persecuted, or injured by others prior to the attack.
8-Most attackers had access to and had used weapons prior to the attack.
9-In many cases, other students were involved in the attack in some capacity.
10-Despite prompt law enforcement responses, most attacks were stopped by means other than law enforcement intervention and most were brief in duration.

Daniel: She was following up on something I wrote on Patch. I'm no more important than anyone else in town, but I do have experience in this particular field, having organized nonviolence training for the Providence police that led to officers running an academy for at-risk youth; organized nonviolence training for Providence school teachers; and run a nonviolence program at the Rhode Island Training School for Youth. Why would we not want to use a multi-faceted approach to violence reduction?

The principles of nonviolence are a good place to begin. The first is: Nonviolence is not for cowards. It's a way of life for courageous people." U.S. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) was arrested 26 times during the civil rights movement and bloodied with police batons in Selma, Alabama, never retaliating with violence. We raise boys to think that it's cowardly not to meet violence with violence and then wonder why they lash out in violence. There is most definitely a gender component in these mass-shootings. Maybe it's time to rethink what we teach boys about manhood. Absent the nonviolent movement of the 1960s, this country may have descended into a bloody civil war.

@Reason: ... "The mother in this shooting was not a responsible gun owner."

We will never know, but the guns could have very well been locked up. The shooter was clever enough to know where the key was. Personally, I don't think the mother should have ever had guns in the house. I often wonder if she was thinking clearly, herself. But, most mothers cannot imagine that their beloved child would ever turn on them, no matter how obvious it would be to other people. I think it's called blind love.

It appears the NRA to a page out of the democrat play book - never waste a crisis...

Avon go rotate on it

@paul... "She was living in fear of her own child and she knew he was dangerous. Don't ever turn your back on him but take him to the rifle range,..."

You are making an awful lot of this stuff up, but I do agree that she was probably under a lot of stress and was making bad decisions. If you want to slander her for that, go at it. I'm guessing this was a dysfunctional family. They occur all over the United States. We have many of them right here in Seekonk, just read the police logs.

As for the mother locking the son away at 18 years old, let me tell you it ain't that easy.

@paul... "...every move he makes comes from the GOP playbook."

And just what is the GOP playbook relative to the tragedy in Connecticut?

You sure are cranky, today.

Suggestion: Use Patch to communicate with others, not simply with yourselves. Mrs. Bosco responded to an entry I made addressed to "Mrs. Bosco and the Seekonk School Committee." My Sagar sent me an e-mail in response to my "Thank you, Selectman Sagar!" entry after the last BOS meeting. Others read Patch, even if they don't write in.

Sorry, Mr. Sagar

Carol has the backbone to put her name out there. To be known for her word and to stand by her word. To apologize on the occasion when she makes a misstatement. She's part of the solution, IMO, not part of the problem. Nicknames are part of the problem. People tend to make statements that are not responsible as if they had to put their names.
Also many PATCHes have a rule that you use your real name.

Gretchen: Thanks. I wonder sometimes what people are saving themselves for. Two of my very favorite quotes:

“When we go before Him, God will ask, 'Where are your wounds?' And we will say, 'I have no wounds.' And God will ask, 'Was there nothing worth fighting for?'" -- Rev. Allan Boesak of South Africa

"In Germany they first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me – and by that time no one was left to speak up." -- Pastor Martin Niemoller, imprisoned at Sachsenhausen and Dachau Concentration Camps, 1937-1945

There's been a long line of mass shootings in schools and on campuses, at shopping malls, etc. When will we have the courage that we are all part of the "culture of violence" problem in this country and all need to be part of the solution? We keep saying someone else is at fault and fail to look at what we've contributed by commission or omission.

"None so blind as those who will not see."
To which I add, "none so ignorant as those who willfully refuse to see." Who live in their cozy homes with plenty of food, educated, privileged compared to most of the rest of the world, and living like emperors compared to how most of humankind have lived for most of human history.

I'm not saying my way of 'seeing' is better than anyone else or my worldview. It's that we have to let information in that we disagree with and consider it. Or else we're rigid and defensive. And we become crankier the more someone presents us with an alternative point-of-view.

CBS reporter this morning said she thinks of acts of mass violence in our country not as 'domestic violence' but as "domestic terrorism." I agree with that. It puts the killing of doctors who perform legal abortions into the class of terrorists. Or who bomb Black churches, or shoot at congress members like Gabrielle Giffords, shooting a 9 year old girl to death.
It's painful to look at this reality, the reality of our culture of violence. But it was constructed by humans and it can be dismantled by humans. Let's hope in the new year that "the times they are a-changing" -- and then act to make it so.

Paul: If the Town of Seekonk requires as a condition of employment that employees give up their right to free speech or any other constitutional right, that's sad, indeed. I was under the impression that the town paid most employees for 35-40 hours a week and beyond that the town had no claim on their thinking or their lives. If employees feel intimidated exercising their right to free speech when they're not on town time, we should fight that. Last I knew, we weren't a fascist or communist nation.

no it takes real courage to stand up and do/say the right thing at the right time.
Where would the US be if during the "Saturday Night Massacre" when Nixon wanted Eliot Richardson, and then his second in command (?) to fire Harvey Cox, the Special prosecutor. But Eliot Richardson resigned and so did his second. (And so it fell to Robert Bork, who died this week, to do the deed).
Who will be remembered well? Richardson of course. For his integrity and decency. And courage.

Paul: I understand your concern having been the subject of death threats from a neo-Nazi group, rumor-mongering by veterans, a frivolous lawsuit, house break-ins with political papers stolen, and other forms of harassment -- all while living in Seekonk. But I care about this town, care about the people in it and care about preserving democracy in this country, so I get up again each day and take another step forward. If you care to have a personal discussion with me about making it safer for employees to speak up, tell Jonathan Friedman that I've given you permission to contact me directly.

violence and threats of violence, overt or implied, are one step away from what a CBS reporter called this morning "domestic terrorism." There are always those who want to control, dominate others by silencing people (or running them out of town). Bullies escalate their tactics, alas. No body should have to go through what it sounds like Paul has gone through.

Gretchen: I wasn't suggesting Paul has gone through this. I have.

sorry for my egregious misreading.

In the Beatitudes we hear: Blessed are the peacemakers.
But first the peacemakers get targeted by all sides.

I read the news from Seekonk and shake my head. I am sorry for your troubles and if I can be of any help, support, let me know.

Declare guns "potential weapons for mass murder", just as we did with weapons of mass destruction, and then outlaw personal ownership of them. (12,000 gun deaths last year)

Set up a national armory system similar to a library system and loan guns to hunters and others for target practice. A hefty deposit of $500 or more (credit card) would be required and then returned to the user on a due date. The user would pay a nominal rental fee.

Meanwhile, if anyone is caught with an unauthorized gun, they would be severly punished with a fine and jail time.

Gretchen you are nasty in your own right - enough of your holy than thou p.c. B.s- I was stating the facts do sorry if I hurt feelings

Great idea. Where there's a will, there's a way.
the NRA, gun manufacturers, and the gun lobby, council passivity. But the nation will not be passive, not this time.
The NRA has a small constituency compared with orgs like AARP. But their bullying tactic and the addictive relationship guys have with their guns creates a huge hostile band. But many, many NRA members differ with many NRA actions and positions. Their membership is restive.

Indiana: I'm not attacking. I'm trying to challenge. There's a difference.

not with some, naming no names, but there is less name calling and some good discussion.

While I applaud the Seekonk School Department for their current actions that they took regarding the horrific shootings that took place at Sandy Hook, I do believe that immediate action needs to take place right now. As a parent, I would feel more comfortable if we had police presence at all of our schools at the beginning and the end of the school day. I know this is only a temporary solution but it's worth implementing until a more viable solution can be determined.

Shane you are on the right track, Only the coverage needs to be during all operating hours. I am sure seekonk can find the funds. Like the money we found to seed that rezoned property on rte 44 for Habitat for Humanity. Come on selectman! Do someyhing right for once! And I do mean accomplish something, Not Discuss it, table it, then review the minutes at the next meeting!

We need a teacher in every gun store more than we need a cop at every school....

"It'll be a sad day
for this country
if children can
safely attend their
classes only under
the protection
of armed guards." -- Dwight David Eisenhower
regarding occurrences at Central High School
in Little Rock, Sept. 23, 1957

my point is that local, state, and national efforts are necessary. I just don't want our children to grow up feeling like they are in a prison. Or like hot house flowers scared of coming out from the protection of the NRA, government para-military forces. Where will they learn the freedom of spirit of feeling safe and secure in the woods, on the sidewalk, riding their bikes, etc. if we have to hover. That's not an enviable childhood. Yes, think short term and then, together as a nation, we can figure it out.

Here's an analogy I like.

"Following the example set by the NRA, Alcoholics Anonymous will now suggest more whiskey to cure alcoholism..."

Actually, Todd, people were warning that the mainland USA might be targetted for a terrorist attack. I remember this. People in Europe had experienced terrorist attacks and warned us that it was likely we might be next. But we have this sense of invincibility....like 'no one would attack US!"
And we later learned there was a lot of electronic communications going back and forth between the Middle East and the USA. The CIA (I think) and other agencies monitored it but lacked enough Arabic speaking translators to do the job right. And why were there not enough translators. Many were fired by the military for being gay.
This is from memory but I'm sure it's written down.

but not as a permanent solution!

Todd,

I appreciate your passion, but there was an armed guard on duty at Columbine. This Landa wackjob was wearing a full suit of body armor and carrying one of the most lethal hand-held weapons known to man. Chuck Norris would've likely offered little resistance. And let's not talk about the armed security guards working at malls who are ineffective in stopping the shootings there. Think an armed guard would've stopped the Batman theater shootings? Even when armed guards are around, they are a very expensive and very ineffective asset.

My earlier comment is my solution - train and license the heck out of gun owners. I have to get a CDL license to drive a semi, because they are dangerous on the roads. Yet all I need to do is prove I"m not a felon to purchase an AR 15 and enough ammo to wipe out 100's of people. It's insane how easy it is to obtain these combat-worthy weapons. We don't let people have grenades, tanks, nuclear weapons, or apache helicopters. We should include high-capicity weapons in that group, unless the owner has passed numerous licensing tests and renewals.

Todd:
I don't believe that I was 'telling" your "beliefs are not good." I was asking people to rethink their presumptions and views: on gun ownership, the NRA, and things like the gun lobby's great power in Congress.
Yes, I do think we want to protect the children in the US. I want to protect the children of the world but that may sound immodest, so I will say as a mother and grandmother, I feel a responsibility to care about children worldwide, whether they die from bullets or starvation.
I am glad you are starting a blog. That sounds like a good next step. And I hope you limit those would just vent. We need wide ranging discussions and the asking of the hard questions.
But finally, it's not up to anyone here to give you answers. You have to find your own and use your human decency and integrity to discern what is truest - what is right-- for your understanding. And this is a process. I think sites like PATCH work best when people do what's called a 'caring confrontation' of each others blind spots and closely held preconceived ideas. That's hard to do without some trust-building before hand.
It is true that I need to have more patience with people, as Indiana would probably agree. But such a forum as this is new. We never actually meet one another. Sometimes I have to forgive myself and others for being where we are, for making mistakes in how we say things, for getting irritated with others. And then, if we stick with it, to begin again.

I do not trust armed guards in schools. What if the cop or security guard is having a bad day or is mentally unstable, or on drugs? How would any of you feel if a child was shot by accident? Cops shoot people by mistake all the time, it happens. It's a catch 22, don't think by putting cops in the schools that your kids are more safe, it could be the other way around.

This whole notion that putting an armed police presence in schools is going to turn them into a prison is ludicrous. Government schools have been a virtual prison for as long as I can remember. I am pretty sure they were structurally designed to keep kids in. In fact, I even remember back in the ninety's when the principal (Goyette, I think) demanded a gate be installed so kids who drove could not go AWOL. So where do we go from here? I have no idea. I think one security person with technological resources (cameras, monitors) might be part of the equation.

Paul, drones attacks are vetted by President Obama and many, many liberals, like me, are against them on several grounds. The most important one is the loss of innocent life.

I get a magazine called "In these times" (Liberal, of course) http://www.inthesetimes.com/
One of their lead articles for January is "Executioner-in-Chief: Drone attacks and the pathology of presidential power" by Elizabeth Sanders.

"The American presidency is, I have come to believe, a pathological institution that turns good men into killers without reflection of remorse." That would apply to both Obama and Bush II, and other presidents, too. Truman giving the okay to drop the atom bomb on Japan--twice. All have blood on their hands.

This kind of power in one man's hands was not what the nation's founders intended to happen. They set up a series of power sharing entities in government to prevent just what we have now. These have been dismantled by what Eisenhower warned of, at the end of his presidency, the military-industrial complex. Now the military-industrial-technilogical complex by some. It has taken on a life of its own and spends trillions on security with no financial oversight.
Again, both parties are fostering this so this is not a partisan issue. However, I am hugely disappointed with Obama and the moral compass I thought he had. Just shows you the power of these hidden entities, that Eisenhower, too, came up against.

Good one Avon - How it must be great to be the Rachel Maddow of MA...with no solutions for your "make believe land"