Why's the kid asking for a present that will work around his school's security that doesn't tolerate weapons, alcohol, drugs, or violence?
It's funny to see the neocons get upset about zero tolerance. Yes, it is ridiculous.
So why not let the schools exercise judgment? One word: equality. When schools were given discretion, racism crept in. So now the policies are for absolute equality. The equality neocons so desperately crave when seeking to tear down affirmative action or stop hate crime legislation from passing is used in our school systems for zero tolerance.
Of course "zero tolerance" is a Bad Thing and should be ridiculed. Look,what are we to expect from a mindset that apparently seriously believe that the solution to school violence is more weaponry....
"Things would have turned out differently if only some of those teachers at Columbine had had guns as well...."
I do agree with this comic insofar as there have been some stories of way out of line zero tolerance polices. Like little kids being expelled because they were playing cops and robbers with their fingers or a girl being expelled because she was bringing a can of food on the bus because of a food drive at school.
I agree with Tinshley here, but I suspect his motive.
The bulk of the rational world: "zero-tolerance policies tend to oversimplify matters, get hung up on technicalities, and often don't catch the problems they're meant to catch while annoying the heck out of a lot of people and making the school system look buffoonish."
Tinshley: "ME LIKE GUNS! LIBRULS WANT FOR TAKE AWAY GUNS FROM CHILDREN! ALSO BOOZE FROM ME!"
Also, we should note that this is the first time that Tinshley has ever come down on the side of tolerance.
It's not really zero tolerance per se that the teabagging right have a problem with. It's the fact that 1st-graders can't bring handguns to school. To them any policy that restricts gun-rights at all is "zero tolerance". I even heard some dumbass right-wing senator say that if other students had had guns during the VA Tech massacre less people would've died. My head nearly exploded. I guess a hundred Va Tech massacres is better in his mind.
Is opposition to ZT really a conservative issue? Conservatives tend to support zero-tolerance laws like the 3-strikes rule, trying 16 year olds as adults, unreasonable statutory rape laws, and over-the-top penalties for sex offenders.
So why not be "tough on crime" in schools as well? Surely conservatives can't possess such cognitive dissonance...!
Let us not forget the Zero Tolerence drug laws that have led to people having all their property seized and sentenced to oppressive jail terms for being in possession of so much (or little) as a joint.
I'm sure Mallard Fillmore is against those Reagan era laws as well.
I think Tinsley's referencing a comic from a few years back, when he threw a hissy fit because a girl was suspended for bringing a steak knife to school. It's as stupid now as it was then.
A policy which has no room for exemption is completely ridiculous. The world is not black and white. Leeway to make a fair judgement must be granted to any who must determine the fate of another. But a policy which makes a general assertion such as "Possession of any weapon will result in immediate recomendation for expulsion" "Wherein 'weapon' is defined as any object which may be intentionally used to harm oneself, other persons, or to damage school property" is clearly not allowing any leeway. It is institutionalized policy taking precedence over the complications of real life, and is a terrible thing. On the other hand, I despise Mallard Fillmore, and hate to agree with him.
16 comments:
Well, at some point Tinsley had to crawl back up the collective neoconservative anus...
Tinsley: What've you got that doesn't violate my court-ordered "zero-tolerance" policy?
AM/PM clerk: Here you go! O'Doul's.
Tinsley: Man, I drank 50 of these last night and they didn't do $*@#!
Why's the kid asking for a present that will work around his school's security that doesn't tolerate weapons, alcohol, drugs, or violence?
It's funny to see the neocons get upset about zero tolerance. Yes, it is ridiculous.
So why not let the schools exercise judgment? One word: equality. When schools were given discretion, racism crept in. So now the policies are for absolute equality. The equality neocons so desperately crave when seeking to tear down affirmative action or stop hate crime legislation from passing is used in our school systems for zero tolerance.
Sigh....
Of course "zero tolerance" is a Bad Thing and should be ridiculed. Look,what are we to expect from a mindset that apparently seriously believe that the solution to school violence is more weaponry....
"Things would have turned out differently if only some of those teachers at Columbine had had guns as well...."
I do agree with this comic insofar as there have been some stories of way out of line zero tolerance polices. Like little kids being expelled because they were playing cops and robbers with their fingers or a girl being expelled because she was bringing a can of food on the bus because of a food drive at school.
Simply put, I think George Carlin was right.
I agree with Tinshley here, but I suspect his motive.
The bulk of the rational world: "zero-tolerance policies tend to oversimplify matters, get hung up on technicalities, and often don't catch the problems they're meant to catch while annoying the heck out of a lot of people and making the school system look buffoonish."
Tinshley: "ME LIKE GUNS! LIBRULS WANT FOR TAKE AWAY GUNS FROM CHILDREN! ALSO BOOZE FROM ME!"
Also, we should note that this is the first time that Tinshley has ever come down on the side of tolerance.
Not hateful; no obvious falsehoods; Tinkley must be slacking off for the holidays.
Meanwhile, Randy Cassingham's Zero Tolerance pages are always worth reading, especially about the guy jailed on ZT grounds.
It's not really zero tolerance per se that the teabagging right have a problem with. It's the fact that 1st-graders can't bring handguns to school. To them any policy that restricts gun-rights at all is "zero tolerance". I even heard some dumbass right-wing senator say that if other students had had guns during the VA Tech massacre less people would've died. My head nearly exploded. I guess a hundred Va Tech massacres is better in his mind.
Neocons feel the same way about wild-west-style shootouts in school as they feel about wars: they LOVE 'em! ...As long as they involve someone else.
Is opposition to ZT really a conservative issue? Conservatives tend to support zero-tolerance laws like the 3-strikes rule, trying 16 year olds as adults, unreasonable statutory rape laws, and over-the-top penalties for sex offenders.
So why not be "tough on crime" in schools as well? Surely conservatives can't possess such cognitive dissonance...!
"Is opposition to ZT really a conservative issue?"
It's as much of a conservative issue as smart-phones.
Let us not forget the Zero Tolerence drug laws that have led to people having all their property seized and sentenced to oppressive jail terms for being in possession of so much (or little) as a joint.
I'm sure Mallard Fillmore is against those Reagan era laws as well.
I think Tinsley's referencing a comic from a few years back, when he threw a hissy fit because a girl was suspended for bringing a steak knife to school. It's as stupid now as it was then.
A policy which has no room for exemption is completely ridiculous. The world is not black and white. Leeway to make a fair judgement must be granted to any who must determine the fate of another. But a policy which makes a general assertion such as "Possession of any weapon will result in immediate recomendation for expulsion" "Wherein 'weapon' is defined as any object which may be intentionally used to harm oneself, other persons, or to damage school property" is clearly not allowing any leeway. It is institutionalized policy taking precedence over the complications of real life, and is a terrible thing.
On the other hand, I despise Mallard Fillmore, and hate to agree with him.
This time he's right.
Steve-O,
I've heard the same thing.
Unfortunately, suicide is the #2 killer of college students, behind accidents, and WAY above massacres.
So if it's all the same, I'd rather not encourage college students to get an easy tool to blow their own heads off come finals time.
Zero Tolerance makes some sense. I brought a pistol to high school in 1973, and some shithead stole it.
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