I fail to understand or even be amused by all
the students and the president at Virginia
Tech who today stated their confidence in their
campus wide "alert system", which consists of
email blasts and texts to students' cells. Er,
excuse me, but many people STILL resist keeping
a cell turned on and in their hands at all times.
In ADDITION to these worthy-enough electronic
methods, there must be police in cars with electronic
megaphones driving around all the main campus drags,
warning people to seek shelter, lock doors, lay low,
etc.--the MOMENT any campus official ascertains a
gunman is loose there.
Cells fail, run out of minutes, lose battery charge. PCs
freeze, get hacked, attacked by worms, bagels, etc.
I have a PC, have a cell. They are extremely useful, even
fun to have. But:
Personally, I trust in God and my own wits. Those
have saved me in many a dangerous situation, including
my own kidnapping (gun involved) 30+ years ago....
Technology is NOT enough, everybody.
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It's a different world than where we come from. In an open campus setting, lock downs are problematic. Text alerts and emails reach a critical mass almost instantly which is what is needed. More accurate information reaching the immediate area of any incident will save lives.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like grade school where you can hold drills, but colleges are beginning to develop an awareness not just of what to do, but also what the warning signs are as well.
Finding a balance between campus liberties and responsibilities is overdue.
Sadly, if someone wants to kill people, there is little we can do to stop them. We glorify violence and grossly underfund mental health services and make guns readily available to anyone who wants a gun. Like most of our "problems" these acts are symptomatic of a culture without dreams; a culture where gentleness is increasingly viewed as an aberration.
ReplyDeleteGentlemen, gentlemen!
ReplyDeleteBoth of you made correct observations,
of course. MY point is that, adding my suggested action, far fewer than 30+ would have died that day--and the electronic warnings took AT LEAST six minutes. Trust me, someone who's had to understand the meaning
of seconds/minutes in emergencies, this all
plays in.
I wasn't looking for a lockdown, that's pretty
impractical, agreed, R.
C., I've shared your notion about our culture
for years, came up with a saying, which, while
not witty, is heartfelt and true:
"The day that the unity of peace is widely
regarded as more interesting and satisfying
than conflict and violence is when we achieve
civilization." May 25, 2006
Best Wishes,
Best Regards
to you and yours,
Gentlemen. Your
existence and expressed
thoughts give me hope.
Happy Holidays!