January 17, 2013

It has been just over a month since those horrible shootings in Connecticut and we have already lapsed into the same old mindless banter in its wake.  Of  course the issue of gun control has come up and some idiot spokesman from the NRA has found it necessary to make numerous moronic public statements regarding the matter.  My personal favorite was something along the lines of "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

What really bothers me is that no one is talking about one of the key issues at hand and that is the how we treat children with mental disabilities in this country.  As I said in my last post, we all knew a variation of the young man who committed that horrible crime: a very bright, socially awkward, somewhat disaffected individual who was ignored, bullied or both.  There are kids just like that in class with your children now.  Perhaps you know that child.  Think about how he or she is being treated at the school.

There is a boy in class with my son who falls into the above category.  This young man has been through some tough emotional things and has some issues.  He has engaged in some pretty questionable acts at school and as far as I can tell, is not receiving proper care or attention.  This scares me.

Again, our schools are truly the first line of defense.  At some point it has to stop being about money and being about what's right.  In the midst of this retreaded and ridiculous gun control discussion, why hasn't anyone stepped up and mentioned the care and treatment of young children with special needs?  Why aren't our procedures and protocols being questioned?

Think about that while you're thinking about your children.