[FITZ]

discipline, the backing of parents, and the ability to expell students who didn't cooperate.

We don't have that here, it's a different kind of society, knives would definitely get used in some of these fights if they had them with them. It's a good way to get the trouble makers out ---sometimes good kids get caught because they brought a knife or gun --but then they can go to an alternative school, sometimes if they do well there they can come back. It's good because by high school, most of the non-performers and punks are gone.

[Maximum Leader]

You're right. On balance, zero tolerance is not a bad thing. Ditto with airport searches.

In an ideal world, school administrators (or TSA security officers) could use their discretion about guns or drugs they find. In the real world, alas, we have trial lawyers.

If administrators used discretion, does anyone doubt that a disproportionate number of minorities would be getting in trouble?

Every time, a prinicipal kicked out a gang member with a gun, he'd be facing a civil rights lawsuit. Even if the culprits were white (like the Columbine duo), their parents would still be calling their lawyer to get their poor babies off the hook.

It's unfortunate that so many kids get in trouble for keychains and aspirin, but with our present legal system, zero tolerance is the only way to keep the genuine threats out of the schools.