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"A Tribute to Lost Lives"
Who is to Blame?
"Let's not take the easy path...."
Are the guns to blame? No.
Is rock music to blame? No.
But I know who is to blame and I'll tell you.
If you work in a school and you've ever turned a blind eye
to violent outbursts by a kid because you feel sorry for them,
you are.
If you're a parent and you've ever backed off from
a school employee when they have failed to enforce discipline
because you didn't want to make waves,
you are.
If you are in law enforcement and have ever "let it slide" because after all,
the courts will just let them go and nobody cares anyway,
you are.
If you have ever witnessed a law enforcement official "let it slide"
and failed to hold their feet to the fire and made them do the job right,
you are.
If you are a judge and have taken the easy path
by not holding juveniles accountable for their behavior out of
frustration, laziness or misguided feelings of sympathy,
you are.
If you work in a store and have ever overlooked shoplifting because
you didn't want to get involved and have to confront the thief,
you are.
If you are a member of the clergy and tried to explain away youth behavior
to the parents as something that will pass, just a phase,
you are.
If you are a reporter and have ever taken the safe path of blaming violence
on things instead of placing the blame on people where it always belongs,
you are.
If you are a kid and have ever seen a friend carry a gun or knife to school,
beat up on other kids, sell or use drugs or
any other serious threats to the safety of both you and your friends,
and have not told your parents or an adult at the school,
you are.
If you are a parent and have ever advised your son or daughter
to just stay away from "that kid" when they came to you
with a report of dangerous behavior by another kid at school,
you are.
If you are that kid and let your parents get away
with that spineless response,
you are.
Or, if you are an American, young or old, who has spent
too many hours watching the news, clucking your tongue
and pronouncing loudly that "somebody ought to do something,"
you are.
But more than anyone,
because I have been guilty of so many
of these gutless acts during my lifetime,
I am.
Let's not take the easy path and write this horror off to guns.
That is the easy way out.
For once let's put the blame where it belongs...
on our own shoulders.
This is our country and these are our kids.
They deserve better than lip service when it comes to their safety.
Being a kid is tough enough without having to endure
the constant terror of living under battlefield conditions
caused by lack of resolve on the part of adults.
If we would all just...suffer the inconvenience,
we could make a difference.
A real difference. Real change.
Volunteer at the local school to help enforce safety before or after school.
Sponsor after school clubs for the kids
that have nothing much to do after school.
Ask the Scout troop if they need another adult leader...
...excerpted from an item written by Jim Wilson
VirtualPROMOTE Gazette - April 22, 1999.
"A Prayer For The Children"
We pray for the Children
who sneak Popsicle's before supper,
who erase holes in math workbooks,
who can never find their shoes.
And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places where we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.
We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.
And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.
We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories, who shove dirty clothes under the bed,
who never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in church and scream in the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at and
whose smiles can make us cry.
And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children
who want to be carried and for those who must,
who we never give up on and for those
who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother and . . .
for those who will grab the hand of
anybody kind enough to offer it.
In Memory of........
Natalie Brooks, student age 12
Paige Ann Herring, student age 12
Stephanie Johnson, student age 12
Brittany R. Varner, student age 11
Shannon Wright, Teacher age 32
This is in memory of the children and teacher killed
in the shooting on
Tuesday, March 24, 1998 in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Please send this to everyone you know. If this gets to the town of
Jonesboro,
I'm sure they will be grateful to know that we all care.
"For The Families and Loved Ones of All Who Have Died"
"Neverforget"
Victims of School Violence:
Dec. 6, 1999: A 13-year-old student in Fort Gibson, Okla.,
allegedly arrived at school and opened fire with his father's
9 mm semiautomatic handgun. There were no life-threatening injuries
but five of his classmates were injued, four from gunshot wounds
and a fifth who suffered bruises in the chaos.
Nov. 19, 1999: A 12-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed a female
classmate at the end of lunch hour outside a middle school in
Deming, N.M., about 33 miles from the Mexican border.
The boy was wearing a camouflage jacket when he allegedly
fired the single shot from a .22-caliber handgun.
April 20, 1999: Two young men wearing long, black trench coats
opened fire in a suburban high school in Littleton, Colo.,
injuring as many as 20 students. In all, 15 were killed,
including the two gunmen.
June 15, 1998: A male teacher and a female guidance counselor
are shot in a hallway at a Richmond, Va., high school.
The man suffers an injury to the abdomen that wasn’t life threatening;
the woman is reportedly grazed.
May 21, 1998: A 15-year-old student in Springfield, Ore.,
expelled the day before for bringing a gun to school,
allegedly opens fire in the school cafeteria. Two students are killed.
The suspect’s parents are later found shot dead in their home.
May 21, 1998: Three sixth-grade boys had a "hit list" and were plotting
to kill fellow classmates on the last day of school in a sniper attack
during a false fire alarm, police in St. Charles, Mo., say
.
May 21, 1998: A 15-year-old boy dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound
to the head in Onalaska, Wash. Earlier in the day, the boy boarded a
high school bus with a gun in hand, ordered his girlfriend off the bus
and took her to his home, where he shot himself.
May 21, 1998: A 15-year-old girl is shot and wounded at a suburban Houston
high school when a gun in the backpack of a 17-year-old classmate goes off
in a biology class. The boy is charged with a third-degree felony
for taking a gun to school.
May 19, 1998: Two boys are suspended from school in Johnston, R.I.,
after being accused of writing and handing out threatening notes to classmates.
The notes said things such as, "All your friends are dead."
The boys are ordered to remain out of school until they have been evaluated
to determine whether they are dangerous.
May 19, 1998: Three days before his graduation, an 18-year-old honor student
allegedly opens fire in a parking lot at Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, TN.,
killing a classmate who was dating his ex-girlfriend.
April 28, 1998: Two teenage boys are shot to death and a third is wounded
as they played basketball at a Pomona, Calif., elementary school
hours after classes had ended. A 14-year-old boy is charged;
the shooting is blamed on rivalry between two groups of youths.
April 24, 1998 : A 48-year-old science teacher is shot to death in
front of students at graduation dance in Edinboro, Pa.
A 14-year-old student at James W. Parker Middle School is charged.
March 24, 1998: Four girls and a teacher are shot to death and 10 others
wounded during a false fire alarm at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Ark.,
when two boys, ages 11 and 13, open fire from the woods.
Both are convicted in juvenile court of murder and can be held up to age 21.
Dec. 1, 1997: Three students are killed and five others wounded while they
take part in a prayer circle in a hallway at Heath High School in West Paducah, Ky.
A 14-year-old student pleads guilty but mentally ill to murder
and is serving life in prison. One of the wounded girls is left paralyzed.
Oct. 1, 1997: A 16-year-old outcast in Pearl, Miss., is accused of killing his mother,
then going to Pearl High School and shooting nine students.
Two of them die, including the suspect's ex-girlfriend. The 16-year-old is sentenced
to life in prison. Two others await trial on accessory charges.
Feb. 19, 1997: A 16-year-old student opens fire with a shotgun in a common area
at the Bethel, Alaska, high school, killing the principal and a student.
Two other students are wounded. Authorities later accuse two other students of
knowing the shootings would take place.
Evan Ramsey was sentenced to two 99-year terms.
Feb. 2, 1996: A 14-year-old boy wearing a trench coat walks into algebra class
with a hunting rifle and allegedly opens fire, killing the teacher and two students.
A third student is injured during the shooting
at a junior high school in Moses Lake, Wash.
~God Bless You All.....From my family to yours...
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"A Prayer For The Children"
We pray for the Children
who sneak Popsicle's before supper,
who erase holes in math workbooks,
who can never find their shoes.
And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places where we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world.
We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.
And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.
We pray for children
who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories, who shove dirty clothes under the bed,
who never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in church and scream in the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at and
whose smiles can make us cry.
And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who have never seen a dentist,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.
We pray for children
who want to be carried and for those who must,
who we never give up on and for those
who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother and . . .
for those who will grab the hand of
anybody kind enough to offer it.
In Memory of........
Natalie Brooks, student age 12
Paige Ann Herring, student age 12
Stephanie Johnson, student age 12
Brittany R. Varner, student age 11
Shannon Wright, Teacher age 32
This is in memory of the children and teacher killed
in the shooting on
Tuesday, March 24, 1998 in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Please send this to everyone you know. If this gets to the town of Jonesboro,
I'm sure they will be grateful to know that we all care.
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"For The Families and Loved Ones of All Who Have Died"
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"Neverforget"
Victims of School Violence: Dec. 6, 1999: A 13-year-old student in Fort Gibson, Okla.,
allegedly arrived at school and opened fire with his father's
9 mm semiautomatic handgun. There were no life-threatening injuries
but five of his classmates were injued, four from gunshot wounds
and a fifth who suffered bruises in the chaos.
Nov. 19, 1999: A 12-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed a female
classmate at the end of lunch hour outside a middle school in
Deming, N.M., about 33 miles from the Mexican border.
The boy was wearing a camouflage jacket when he allegedly
fired the single shot from a .22-caliber handgun.
April 20, 1999: Two young men wearing long, black trench coats
opened fire in a suburban high school in Littleton, Colo.,
injuring as many as 20 students. In all, 15 were killed,
including the two gunmen.
June 15, 1998: A male teacher and a female guidance counselor
are shot in a hallway at a Richmond, Va., high school.
The man suffers an injury to the abdomen that wasn’t life threatening;
the woman is reportedly grazed.
May 21, 1998: A 15-year-old student in Springfield, Ore.,
expelled the day before for bringing a gun to school,
allegedly opens fire in the school cafeteria. Two students are killed.
The suspect’s parents are later found shot dead in their home.
May 21, 1998: Three sixth-grade boys had a "hit list" and were plotting
to kill fellow classmates on the last day of school in a sniper attack
during a false fire alarm, police in St. Charles, Mo., say
.
May 21, 1998: A 15-year-old boy dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound
to the head in Onalaska, Wash. Earlier in the day, the boy boarded a
high school bus with a gun in hand, ordered his girlfriend off the bus
and took her to his home, where he shot himself.
May 21, 1998: A 15-year-old girl is shot and wounded at a suburban Houston
high school when a gun in the backpack of a 17-year-old classmate goes off
in a biology class. The boy is charged with a third-degree felony
for taking a gun to school.
May 19, 1998: Two boys are suspended from school in Johnston, R.I.,
after being accused of writing and handing out threatening notes to classmates.
The notes said things such as, "All your friends are dead."
The boys are ordered to remain out of school until they have been evaluated
to determine whether they are dangerous.
May 19, 1998: Three days before his graduation, an 18-year-old honor student
allegedly opens fire in a parking lot at Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, TN.,
killing a classmate who was dating his ex-girlfriend.
April 28, 1998: Two teenage boys are shot to death and a third is wounded
as they played basketball at a Pomona, Calif., elementary school
hours after classes had ended. A 14-year-old boy is charged;
the shooting is blamed on rivalry between two groups of youths.
April 24, 1998 : A 48-year-old science teacher is shot to death in
front of students at graduation dance in Edinboro, Pa.
A 14-year-old student at James W. Parker Middle School is charged.
March 24, 1998: Four girls and a teacher are shot to death and 10 others
wounded during a false fire alarm at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Ark.,
when two boys, ages 11 and 13, open fire from the woods.
Both are convicted in juvenile court of murder and can be held up to age 21.
Dec. 1, 1997: Three students are killed and five others wounded while they
take part in a prayer circle in a hallway at Heath High School in West Paducah, Ky.
A 14-year-old student pleads guilty but mentally ill to murder
and is serving life in prison. One of the wounded girls is left paralyzed.
Oct. 1, 1997: A 16-year-old outcast in Pearl, Miss., is accused of killing his mother,
then going to Pearl High School and shooting nine students.
Two of them die, including the suspect's ex-girlfriend. The 16-year-old is sentenced
to life in prison. Two others await trial on accessory charges.
Feb. 19, 1997: A 16-year-old student opens fire with a shotgun in a common area
at the Bethel, Alaska, high school, killing the principal and a student.
Two other students are wounded. Authorities later accuse two other students of
knowing the shootings would take place.
Evan Ramsey was sentenced to two 99-year terms.
Feb. 2, 1996: A 14-year-old boy wearing a trench coat walks into algebra class
with a hunting rifle and allegedly opens fire, killing the teacher and two students.
A third student is injured during the shooting
at a junior high school in Moses Lake, Wash.
~God Bless You All.....From my family to yours...
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