Posted on 09/22/2004 8:00:47 AM PDT by knuthom
Muskegon County emergency officials, along with school and hospital personnel, learned a lot from a mock terrorist exercise Tuesday, but the incident also became a lesson in sensitivity for one of the event organizers.
In the exercise, a domestic terrorist group -- dubbed Wackos Against Schools and Education -- plants a bomb on a public school bus loaded with students. According to materials handed out to explain the fake scenario, the "Wackos" believe everyone should be home-schooled.
But the name and scenario used in the exercise "bombed out" with home-schoolers across the nation.
The Chronicle and local officials were deluged with phone calls and e-mails from across the nation, complaining about the choice of words.
A Monday Chronicle story previewing the event, and describing the fictitious "Wacko" group, was posted on the newspaper's Web site. Home-schoolers then discovered it and apparently distributed it, via mass e-mails, to other home-schoolers.
Chris Klicka, senior counsel of the Home-Schooling Legal Defense Association based in Washington D.C., called the characterization outlandish.
"Home-schoolers have never been accused of violence against any school," Klicka said, after calling The Chronicle. "There's an outpouring from the nation -- it's a mockery against what home schooling is and the contributions home-schoolers have made to the country.
"To label them even in a fictitious context is uncalled for and unneeded. Home-schoolers are one of the most patriotic groups in the United States."
The Chronicle received similar complaints in phone calls and e-mails from at least a dozen states.
"Likening home-schoolers to disgruntled postal workers would be bad enough, but terrorists?" wrote Debbie Nelson of Savannah, Ga. "I vehemently oppose instigating fear of home-schoolers by public servants and the school system. Home education is a legal option in every state of the U.S."
Daniel Stout, chief deputy for emergency services with the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department, said he never meant to offend anyone.
"That's just what I decided to use," he said of the name choice for Tuesday's drill. "It may have been a poor choice, but that's what was used ... I'm the one who wrote the scenario."
Planning for the event began last year, he said, and no one indicated that the name would offend anyone until a few weeks ago. Stout said he decided not to change the name. He said it will not be used again.
Last year, a similar terrorism exercise at Muskegon's Heritage Landing was called "Wackos Against Relaxation and Recreation," he said.
Fictitious group names often are made up for anti-terrorist drills. Stout referred to a May 2002 exercise in Manistee County where the domestic terrorist group was called ELF, which stood for Ethical Liberation for Fish.
Area school officials, bus drivers, students and parents participated in the drill, along with county agencies, hospitals and emergency responders.
The Muskegon Area Intermediate School District Tuesday issued a statement saying the areawide organization was not aware of the scenario, but nevertheless apologized.
The statement said the MAISD "shared the disappointment of others when we learned the emergency preparedness drill referenced home-schoolers as the fictitious group responsible for a mock disaster. We apologize."
It said the MAISD and local school districts "were not aware of the scenario, and it was not shared with students or parents who took part in the exercise."
"We sincerely regret offending home-school educators. We believe that all parents are educators and do important work at home with their children," the statement said.
He knew "a few weeks ago" that the name would offend people and he decided to use it anyway!!!
Of those accused of committing violence upon schools and students, most of them attend(ed) public school.
Stout probably has family ties to a public school teacher or administrator. Clearly he had an agenda here besides emergency mangement.
"He knew "a few weeks ago" that the name would offend people and he decided to use it anyway!!!"
I think he intended the name to be offensive, that seems to be a goal of most liberals these days.
Most home-schoolers don't believe EVERYONE should be home-schooled, and definitely don't believe that everyone should be mandated to be home-schooled, like this fictitious group.
For "normal" home-schoolers to be upset by this is ludicrous. It would be like Paula Abdul being upset every time someone speaks out against Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorists!
And this is different than the view of home-schoolers towards public schools how?
Trying to poison the little children's concept of home-schooler's eh? Next thing we read, little johnnie will be cowering in the basement with a pillow over his head when his ex-best friend, homeschooled little timmie down-the-block rings the doorbell.
The illusion that public schools exist for the education of children is peeled away for a moment! The phony human faces stripped off to reveal the alien lizard beneath.
The public schools are at war with American children and families.
Kids - disrespect wrongful authority!
But Islamic fundamentalist terrorists exist. Homeschool terrorists do not. And there are Muslims who act offended when someone speaks out against Islamic fundamentalists. Ever heard of CAIR?
The gov't schools always come up with new justifications for our decision to homeschool.
Why?
Captive children = $$$$
Typical bigotry of the left: Christian Homeschoolers evil, radical Islamics ok.
Something is missing from your analogy, like terrorists tend to be predominately Islamic Fundamentalists not Christian Home schoolers. I missed the last meeting of Christian Home schoolers declaring a Jihad.
It does make sense that they would have picked a "group" like this. If a religious, racial, or national group had have been selected, the outcry would have been far too much, even if it had have been more accurate.
Personally, I would have selected something even more fictitious like EMMA: Enemies of Mystery Meat Association, which would have attacked the school because of horrid school lunches. Of course, that might have been the spark to actually create that group! lol
I would disagree with you on one point, however. There truly are home-schoolers that hate public schools so much that they terrorize the school system. Maybe not through the normal means that we think of as terrorists, but I have seen some have to be removed from school board meetings by the police because they caused such an uproar and would not respect the civility of the meeting. I've never understood this. If you wish to home-school your kids, that's you for it. I don't have a problem with that. But if you do so choose, stop trying to "reform" the school system. It's kinda like voting . . . if you don't participate, don't complain!
They have a point.
Just last week, a public school in Russia was trashed and 350 people were killed by radical homeschoolers eager to bring everyone over to their cause. (sarcasm in case any Muskegon government officials are monitoring)
The point is that Paula Abdul, like most Arabs, is not an Islamic Fundamentalist. On the same token, most home-schoolers would not be a member of this home-school terrorist organization. What's missing from that analogy??
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