Posted on 10/14/2009 11:26:56 AM PDT by ctdonath2
Did the Eagle Scout Receive Proper Punishment?
Yes
No
I'm not sure.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Matthew Whalen, The Eagle Scout AND Soldier:
He’s an Eagle Scout, on the honor roll, taking Advanced Placement classes, and never been in trouble with the law. He’s received commendations from the City of Troy and the Boy Scouts of America for saving a woman’s life, and this past summer, he completed Army basic training.
All of it was accomplished before the age of 17.
“zero tolerance” long ago came to mean “zero ability to reason effectively”, especially in the Commissariat of Education
Makes you wonder how they knew he had the knife in the car.
Soldier suspended from school (Eagle Scout, Honors Student Had Pocket Knife Locked in Car)
Matt is my godson. He was on Fox & Friends on Tue. morning and he and his dad are scheduled to be on FNC's "Hannity" on Thu. night.
You need a permit to carry an American Heritage Dictionary.
Those things are lethal!
They asked him if he had a knife on him. He honestly replied no. Then they asked him if he owned a knife. He said, “Of course, I’m an Eagle Scout and a soldier.” Then they asked him if he had one in his car. He brought them out to his car to show them it wasn’t a big deal, because it was only an inch and a half long and therefore not a weapon under NY State law.
This ‘No Tolerance’ type policy is the refuge of the incompetent and idiots. It allows them to proceed heedless of any mitigating factors to a forgone conclusion. Without doubt, this is a policy written to absolve the school from any legal danger if an ‘incident’ should happen. The fact is that I could walk onto that school grounds and find a deadlier weapon than that the first time I picked up a textbook. Two inches is the distance from my 1st knuckle to the tip of my index finger. I don’t think that there is a knife blade shorter than that. Paging the three monkeys - you are wanted to replace these idiots!
The other thing bugging me about this is IT IS NOT A WEAPON! All the rhetoric on _both_ sides accepts the notion that it is (”zero tolerance”, “thumbs are just as dangerous”). I’m flummoxed by the fact that few people would look the administrator in the eye and say “what the he11 are you talking about - it’s not a weapon! now get off the kid’s case!”
Rediculous. The Eagle Scout did nothing wrong, ALWAYS BE PREPARED ...
I am VERY familiar with NY knife law. NY does NOT have a length limit on knives (contrary to popular delusion). It only refers to dangerous knives, which is defined in a manner requiring INTENT TO DO HARM.
Per my prior post: it is NOT a weapon. NY law makes this clear.
Why do those who scream we must have tolerance enact “zero tolerance” stuff?
I can see them cracking down on a thug hiding a knife in his car, but an Eagle Scout? Come on. How is he going to be prepared to defend himself against the thug breaking the policy unless a little bit of leeway is given.
We used to take our shotguns to school because after school we would go pheasant hunting in the fields behind our high school. Also, as Boy Scouts, we always had our scout knives in our pockets. Before during, and after school.
I guess there are just too many kids these days all hopped up on drugs to allow this. It’s a pity how low we have sunk...
Idiot poll. Question should be:
What would be an appropriate punishment for the school officials who suspended this Eagle Scout?
1) Severe reprimand, to become a permanent part of their employment records.
2) Forceful tabbing with a freshly-sharpened pencil.
3) Firing.
4) #2 followed by #3.
Correcting typo:
2) Forceful STABBING with a freshly-sharpened pencil.
I think we can handle this problem with appropriate warning labels on the product. You know, like "Do not use this knife to kill anyone" on the silverware label. (/s)
When I was a kid, EVERYONE had a pocket knife. And nobody ever hurt anyone with theirs.
If West Point admissions officials pay any mind at all to this sort of nonsense, they’re no better than the idiots who suspended the kid.
>> for keeping a 2-inch pocketknife locked in a survival kit in his car.
About 14” shorter than the more lethal 2 pound tire iron.
The kid stated that this might prevent his West Point appointment. If this stupid event does, he needs to go to a school where stupidity is not entrenched.
>> The question SHOULD include a choice “should not have been punished”!
Agreed. Cannot participate in that poll.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.