Signs Of The Times: Ohio School Hosts 'Counter-Terrorism' Bus Hijacking Drill

from the our-old-nemesis,-fear,-conquered-and-re-established-yet-again dept

Nothing makes schools safer than preparing for eventualities that will likely never happen. Fire drills may seem mostly useless, but fires are still common enough that a little precaution is a good idea, especially since schoolchildren tend to rank nears cats on the Herdibility Index.

But a simple fire drill can't teach today's kids about the number one threat to buses and bus safety -- a hijacking by some sort of terrorist.


Leonore Skenazy at Free Range Kids finds the whole thing (correctly) baffling.
Yes, it's a terrorist drill on a school bus.

I truly could not understand from this report (or Googling) if the students knew the attack was fake or not. They probably did, or just imagine the lawsuits. Nonetheless, it is nothing less than bizarre that while they were being "hijacked," school administrators and sundry responsible adults sat in folding chairs in a parking lot across town watching a big-screen live feed of the event.

And then, as the audience watched, into that lot drove — the bus! A waiting SWAT team took over, puncturing the bus tire and "liberating" the hostages.
Compare that writeup with 13abc.com's, which makes it sound like those excluded from the "counter-terrorism" drill are some of the unluckiest students alive.
ROSSFORD, Ohio - A training exercise this Rossford Wednesday morning left students literally hanging on to the edge of their seats.

In the scenario: A school bus is en route to an event when suddenly it's hijacked! A camera inside the bus captured the whole thing while an audience of school teachers, administrators and transportation directors watched it all unfold on a live feed.

The hijacker even tied some of the students up and told them to keep their heads down. The bus eventually ended up at Owens Center for Emergency Preparedness.That's where first responders and SWAT teams were ready to move in.
This is most notable for its injudicious (and apparently sincere) use of an exclamation point, which makes it sound more like a sudden but somewhat expected turn of events in a lousy YA novel rather than a bit of perverse showmanship in servitude to the War on Terror. Skenazy points out that the DHS considers bus drivers to be point men in our nation's anti-terrorist efforts, as buses are theoretically "soft targets" for attention-seeking hijackers.

Now, the kids who participated were informed that something out of the ordinary would be happening during this bus trip to a parking lot according to Chief of Police Glenn Goss:
Thank you for your concern for the students and children within our school district and community. I too would be concerned for any child who unwittingly was held hostage, tied up and threatened at gunpoint. The problem is: none of this happened.

This was a well planned training exercise in which all participants (children and bus driver included) knew well in advance that they were participating in a training exercise to prepare for such an event to take place – which is very possible in our world today.

Each student and participant signed waivers that acknowledged their participation in this training.
There it is again -- the baseless claim that a bus hijacking is "very possible in our world today." And the addition of "our world today" makes it clear that Goss has bought everything the DHS is selling -- that we are in infinitely more danger today than we were pre-9/11. The more "dangerous" our world is, the more "necessary" these training exercises are, and the more "necessary" they are, the less likely anyone is to roll back policies or cut off funding.

And, make no mistake, this drill had everything to do with the War on Terror.
The Rossford Police Department is very proud to be part of a community that prepares for such incidents, even though we hope we never encounter them. Our proactive approach to counter-terrorism, active killers and other such incidents hopefully will save lives in the future…especially the lives of our children.
Thank god for the "proactive approach." It allows agencies like this to advance the notion that kids should live in fear and trust their government. And it's nice to know that "active killers" are being prepared for. I would hate to see federal dollars being thrown at "inactive killers," the kind that can't be bothered to load their weapons, much less get off the couch. Altogether, the whole thing looks like nothing more than an excuse to break out the SWAT gear and let the locals know where all those tax dollars went. It does absolutely nothing to make anyone safer.

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Filed Under: ohio, school kids, terrorists, training


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  • icon
    Akari Mizunashi (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:53am

    Well, there is a silver lining here. None of the students fought back using handguns, so they won't be expelled.

    Though, we're probably not getting the full story of the students who pretended to have one using their hand or the crafty girl who chewed her sandwich into the shape of an AK47.

    Sign of the times indeed.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ninja (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 5:04am

    Obviously Mr Tim "Lion" Cushing cannot see the larger picture being Lord Masnick minion. Bus hijacking has happened before. But no amount of imaginary threat is enough to make Techdirt face the grim reality that terrorism is upon us. Arabs using bomb belts would be running amok on our streets if it wasn't the zealous watch of NSA, FBI and our great Government! And the children! And unicorns!

    Ahem. Terrorism and "for the children" used at the same time. Must be some sort of double hyper combo..

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:19am

      Re:

      I remember seeing that on the TV news, it ended in a fireball at an Airport! Unless you like krispy kiddies we must Do Something! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMTDQZzQMKk

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Richard (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:33am

        Re: Re:

        I remember seeing that on the TV news,

        You sure that was the News - maybe you dropped off to sleep and then the movie started...

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:00am

      Re:

      "Bus hijacking has happened before."

      And that was a totally realistic depiction of what could happen, especially the part where the bus jumped the bridge gap under construction. In a similar fashion, I'm convinced the simulated school bus rescue was completely realistic.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Ninja (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:51am

        Re: Re:

        Isn't it? Newton would be thrilled seeing that bus jumping the gap! Reminds me of Bruce Willis hoping on a goddamn military jet as if the body of the plane hadn't suffered a lot of friction and heated. Because die hard...

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 1:07pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          Reminds me of Bruce Willis hoping on a goddamn military jet as if the body of the plane hadn't suffered a lot of friction and heated. Because die hard...

          THAT is your complaint about a Bruce Willis movie? ;-)

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous, 22 Aug 2013 @ 2:21pm

          When a bus is hijacked, forget Willis. Call in Eastwood!

          Ask yourself...do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:52pm

      Re:

      actually...twice in US history...1995 and 1964.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Anonymous Howard (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 5:55am

    Terrorism

    Here's two definition of terrorism:


    - ineluctably political in aims and motives
    - violent � or, equally important, threatens violence
    - designed to have far-reaching psychological repercussions beyond the immediate victim or target
    - conducted by an organization with an identifiable chain of command or conspiratorial cell structure (whose members wear no uniform or identifying insignia) and
    - perpetrated by a subnational group or non-state entity.

    Terrorism is defined as political violence in an asymmetrical conflict that is designed to induce terror and psychic fear (sometimes indiscriminate) through the violent victimization and destruction of noncombatant targets (sometimes iconic symbols). Such acts are meant to send a message from an illicit clandestine organization. The purpose of terrorism is to exploit the media in order to achieve maximum attainable publicity as an amplifying force multiplier in order to influence the targeted audience(s) in order to reach short- and midterm political goals and/or desired long-term end states


    Do you know any such organizations?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:23am

      Re: Terrorism

      Do you know any such organizations?

      NSA,FBI,DHS,TSA,DEA,ICE,DOJ,FOP

      Well at least they are not all four letter words....

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Zakida Paul (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:36am

      Re: Terrorism

      Entire US government?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:56am

        Re: Re: Terrorism

        The IRS and EPA are, oh wait, never-mind.

        Maybe the Parks Department is ok?

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:02am

        Re: Re: Terrorism

        Hardly limited to just one government

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Namel3ss (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:13am

    But we are...

    "that we are in infinitely more danger today than we were pre-9/11"

    But we are. From our own govt.

    Sorry for the empty post above.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:18am

    I wouldn't be so hasty....

    I don't think it wise not to think this isn't as possible as a fire. School bus hijackings happen as often as school fires and in this economy, criminals are getting really desperate.

    While I can't agree with the DHS's excuse for doing this, I can say that school bus hijackings have happened more frequently than you think.


    By the way, the "it's never going to happen" attitude only keeps us unprepared for such events. It's not as if the state of Ohio or the city of Rossford are being unreasonable. They're just beimg prepared.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Richard (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:37am

      Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

      School bus hijackings happen as often as school fires

      [citation needed]

      In reality schools are amongst the most common buildings to be set on fire - but school bus hijackings - never heard of a single instance.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:03am

        Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

        I was thinking exactly that.

        Wally is often as bad as AJ.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:47am

          Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

          Hi AJ!! How are you? Sorry that you think I am like you....why haven't you shown up as AJ?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        mrong (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:11am

        Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

        A quick google search has shown me roughly two results, one in 1976, one in 1995.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:21am

          Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

          Then That means that they do happen. People often never though about practicing lock-downs in Ohio, before Columbine. The Chardon, Ohio incident only confirmed that reasonable measures need to be taken to ensure that the minimal amount of people get hurt.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:37am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

            I believe people were mainly arguing the point that it does not happen as much as school fires, such as you stated. Not that it couldn't happen and never would.

            I highly doubt a group of terrorist are sitting in a smokey back room talking about their master plan to hijack a Rossford city school bus in the middle of nowhere Ohio. I mean seriously, not even hard core terrorists want to actually go to Ohio.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 10:00am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

              Like I said, the excuse they used was deplorable. Anyone could consider a hijacking.

              On the thought that "oh it could never happen"...keep in mind that, until 2010, Mount Vernon, Ohio hadn't had such a gruesome murder in 150 years....yet it did happen. If you ever visited the town before 2010, you would have gotten the idea that murders do not happen in Knox County...let alone its County Seat of Mount Vernon....yet it still happened.

              The reason I bring up the murder case where an entire family, save the daughter, was cut up into pieces and stuffed into a tree is because the case was solved relatively quickly. The Knox County Sheriff's Office and Mount Vernon PD's detective units were drilled over the years to deal with such cases. Matthew Hofffmen was arrested and apprehended and convicted all within a time span of 3 months due to the "unnecessary" drills those law enforcement officers used as training.

              So even if things may or may not happen or seem like they aren't going to happen, they will at least be prepared for it. Given that the students were the ones being drilled, I would say that, while 9/11 is a poor excuse for it, at least the children are prepared for the situation.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            John Fenderson (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:58am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

            reasonable measures need to be taken


            We may not agree on what is considered "reasonable".

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:33am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

              Then I will list what I thought was reasonable.

              1. They gave students a fair warning that something out of the ordinary was going to happen.

              2. They conducted it in a manner that told the students that in these types of situations, they need to keep calm and diligent and aware to their surroundings to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to escape.

              3. The drill was conducted in the same manner that a school bus fire drill would have occurred. Only this time it was a hostage situation.

              This is no less reasonable than practicing for bomb threats, fire drills, and school lock-downs. It's not meant to fear monger children, it is meant to teach them to stay calm in an emergency situation and not try to play the hero role. The state has been doing this type of thing since the Columbine School Shooting.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:55am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                "It's not meant to fear monger children,"

                LOL - good one ... oh wait a sec. You were serious?

                link to this | view in chronology ]

                • icon
                  Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 10:26am

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                  You're trying too hard to discredit my valid opinion. I need you to cite where it is not a good idea to conduct drills to keep people safe in general.

                  By the way, you not only questioned this drill mentioned in the article as being keeping students prepared, but also questioned the "for the children" "mentality" towards fire, tornado, and lock-down drills that are also "for the children"...

                  You see, by your logic, since most of the fires in schools mostly only ever happen during off hours it is unnecessary to drill students in that.

                  Just watch the video...it was for the benefit of the students and faculty staff of the school distric. It is a bit reassuring to the students to know that someone will be there to stop the situation no?? Not entirely useless to keep calm or to be trained to be assured that help will be on the way methinks.

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

                  • identicon
                    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:04am

                    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                    The fact that you point out "It's not meant to fear monger children," implies you think it is an issue.

                    I stated my opinion that this "use" of children was unnecessary, and never will be.

                    link to this | view in chronology ]

                    • icon
                      Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:57am

                      Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                      Because of the unpredictable nature of a hijacking, the best thing to do is to stay calm. The drilling makes sure that the students don't be too rash and act like a hero when they could be killed. That is why they drill children into procedures meant to calm people down and stay orderly so that rescue workers can more efficiently do their jobs...it stifles panic that would otherwise cause more injury. It doesn't mean that the students won't get upset or nervous...but at least it won't be on the levels that would get them killed making stupidly rash decisions.

                      link to this | view in chronology ]

                      • identicon
                        Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:37pm

                        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                        Just more excuses for a completely the deplorable act which transpired courtesy of tax dollars.

                        link to this | view in chronology ]

                        • icon
                          Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:43pm

                          Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                          You do realize that the officers involved with the drill were on their day off and volunteered for this so resource use would be a minimum cost right?

                          link to this | view in chronology ]

                          • identicon
                            Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:42pm

                            Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                            Oh gee, in that case it is all a-ok then.

                            link to this | view in chronology ]

                  • icon
                    nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 1:23pm

                    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                    You see, by your logic, since most of the fires in schools mostly only ever happen during off hours it is unnecessary to drill students in that.

                    If there had been two school fires in the history of the United States, do you think it would be a good use of time and money to conduct fire drills at schools?

                    link to this | view in chronology ]

                    • icon
                      Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:50pm

                      Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                      Yes......because the reason why we have them now is that it happened enough to become a regular ongoing standardized event to have a firee drill or tornado drill several times a year. This drill was nothing more than to just show people what the police would do if a certain scenario occurred elsewhere in the state of Ohio. People involved with it volunteered.

                      link to this | view in chronology ]

                      • icon
                        nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:56pm

                        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                        So if it's only happened twice, ever, then we should drill for it in case it happens again. I can hardly believe you actually said that. How about if it's happened just once? How about if it's something that's never happened?

                        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:53am

      Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

      Except with a fire, there are very specific things that the kids should do (evacuate the building, assemble in a specific location(. That's less true with a bus hijacking.

      "School bus hijackings happen as often as school fires"

      "I can say that school bus hijackings have happened more frequently than you think."

      OK, you need a citation for that, by which I mean you are just wrong. How many school bus hijackings have occurred in the US in the past 30 years? How many school fires? Also, the "fire" drill can be useful as a generic "evacuation" drill. The bus hijacking drill? Useless for the students, who are probably simply told to follow the orders of the hijackers and then follow the orders of police.

      I suppose that, while useless for the students, this may be mildly useful for SWAT team training. Although their solution was to first puncture the bus tires. Wouldn't that be the signal for a terrorist to just start shooting the kids?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:25am

        Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

        "Except with a fire, there are very specific things that the kids should do (evacuate the building, assemble in a specific location(. That's less true with a bus hijacking."

        The more we practice things, the more we know what to do in an emergency. Fire Drills were an integral part of my K-5 education. Thanks to bomb threats, we knew go immediately to the safe zone if we become separated from our class. Ohio's education system requires preventative preparations for all sorts of scenarios.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:10am

      Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

      Let's assume your points are valid ... do they really need to involve children? I do not see any advantage to this or than indoctrination.

      I think a better drill would be if the school district administrators and other public officials who dreamed up this charade were subjected to being terrorized (bound wrists, duck taped mouths, berated, kicked, etc) on a school bus.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:45am

        Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

        From the article itself:

        There it is again -- the baseless claim that a bus hijacking is "very possible in our world today." And the addition of "our world today" makes it clear that Goss has bought everything the DHS is selling -- that we are in infinitely more danger today than we were pre-9/11.

        First off, the State of Ohio has been implementing these types of measures since Columbine. The problem is that it is human nature to become complacent and secure if things don't happen for too long. Let's look at the key thisgs that differentiate this from any other state in the US


        Rossford City School District did make sure of the safety of their students by informing them that this wasn't a typical bus ride. Now, before anyone cites 9/11-isms, they need to think about how often these things don't happen. A lot of things have happened lately to rural Ohio in the last few years to places that one would typically think nothing ever could happen. Mount Vernon, Ohio had its first 3rd degree murder in 150 years back in 2010. If you want something sachool related, Chardon, Ohio had a school shooting in 2012. Complacency towards nothing happening makes a potential target, no matter how slim the odds, to anyone who would want to take advantage of the situation. Complacency is one of the biggest issues because many schools distract in Ohio...particularly those with lower population counts...never have these sort of issues to deal with.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:56am

          Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

          Lots of words ... however you failed to justify the use of children in this so called drill.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:36am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

            "Lots of words ... however you failed to justify the use of children in this so called drill."

            If you had red the article...it was not a SWAT training exercise. It was a School Drill...therefore CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES PRACTICING THE DRILL....

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:58am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

              Helloooo ... you still have not justified the use of children in this drill.

              You can dance around it all you like, and the audience will applaud I'm sure - but the use of children for this activity is inexcusable.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • icon
                Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 10:45am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                "Let's assume your points are valid ... do they really need to involve children? I do not see any advantage to this or than indoctrination."

                That is not a question asking directly for justification. But I will answer it shorter than I did before.

                Yes, Children need to be involved because they need to learn how to handle the situation in real life if a person hijacks a school bus. tHE DISTRIC IS LESS THAN 11 MINUTES AWAY from Downtown Toledo. The advantage is that they will be calm if or when it does happen to them. The intent of the board was to show that the capability to defuse a nasty situation, should it arise, is there. The reason they might not have told the students anything outside of "something different may happen on this ride to school" is to make sure that they understood this was only a drill.


                Can you justify for m how it is not justifiable to "use" children in a fire drill when they are supposed to be practicing evacuation from a building...same thing only with a hostage crisis...letting whomever is in charge stay in charge of negotiations until the problem is defused.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

                • identicon
                  Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:07am

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                  "Can you justify for m how it is not justifiable to "use" children"


                  Does anyone really need to explain this?

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

                  • icon
                    Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:53am

                    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                    Yeah....you do....because apparently you think it unjustifiable for students to volunteer of their own free will to participate in such drills. That's the other thing about all this...it was all voluntary for the students to do this drill. Can you justify any claims that this was fear mongering given that the students actually volunteered for the activity.

                    link to this | view in chronology ]

                    • identicon
                      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:45pm

                      Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                      No I don't.

                      Students volunteering is not the issue here.

                      So, by definition it is not fear mongering when there are volunteers - good to know.

                      link to this | view in chronology ]

                      • icon
                        Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:40pm

                        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                        "Students volunteering is not the issue here.

                        So, by definition it is not fear mongering when there are volunteers - good to know."

                        Fear mongering (or scaremongering or scare tactics) is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end. The feared object or subject is sometimes exaggerated, and the pattern of fear mongering is usually one of repetition, in order to continuously reinforce the intended effects of this tactic, sometimes in the form of a vicious circle. You want a good dose of fear mongering and what it is....watch Reefer Madness on NetFlix or any negative campaign ad during the election season. Or watch this advertising campaign ad for the reelection Lyndon B Johnson implying that his opponent, Richard Nixon who vowed to keep it cool with the USSR and try to talk peace with them for a nuclear arms armistice treaty.

                        http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Commercial-LBJ1964ElectionAdDaisyGirl. ogv

                        link to this | view in chronology ]

                        • identicon
                          Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:45pm

                          Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                          I've read about this.
                          There are some people who do not recognize nor understand sarcasm. I'm not sure how to deal with this.

                          link to this | view in chronology ]

                • icon
                  nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 1:26pm

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

                  Yes, Children need to be involved because they need to learn how to handle the situation in real life if a person hijacks a school bus.

                  But only those particular children involved in this drill?

                  tHE DISTRIC IS LESS THAN 11 MINUTES AWAY from Downtown Toledo.

                  And what is Toledo, the number 3,448 target for terrorist attacks? And they're only ELEVEN MINUTES AWAY??

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:17am

          Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

          "Complacency towards nothing happening makes a potential target, no matter how slim the odds, to anyone who would want to take advantage of the situation."

          But having a known plan may also make you a target. Sounds crazy, but it can be true. For example, I think it was Columbine where students were evacuated from the building and then were sitting ducks because the door was locked behind them. It worked because the killers knew the procedure that would be followed.

          And students cannot prepare for a bus hijacking. Tell, me, if your bus is hijacked, what is the proper thing to do? Try to sneak out your phone and dial 911? Try to exit through the back door and run? Have the football team try to tackle the hijacker? Just sit back and let it happen? This depends on so many factors that you cannot simply run a drill and say you've prepared those students.

          I suppose you could run multiple drills and really, really train those students for all scenarios. Awesome. Maybe next you can prepare your students for what do to if they win over ten million in the lottery. That's probably got a better chance of actually happening to them.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:45am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

            "But having a known plan may also make you a target. Sounds crazy, but it can be true. For example, I think it was Columbine where students were evacuated from the building and then were sitting ducks because the door was locked behind them. It worked because the killers knew the procedure that would be followed."

            How many people outside of the school building were shot for being outside?

            "And students cannot prepare for a bus hijacking. Tell, me, if your bus is hijacked, what is the proper thing to do? Try to sneak out your phone and dial 911? Try to exit through the back door and run? Have the football team try to tackle the hijacker? Just sit back and let it happen? This depends on so many factors that you cannot simply run a drill and say you've prepared those students."

            Because of the unpredictable nature of a hijacking, the best thing to do is to stay calm. The drilling makes sure that the students don't be too rash and act like a hero when they could be killed. That is why they drill procedures meant to calm people down...it stifles panic that would otherwise cause more injury. It doesn't mean students won't get upset or nervous...but at least not to the levels that would get them killed making stupidly rash decisions.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 1:29pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

            For example, I think it was Columbine where students were evacuated from the building and then were sitting ducks because the door was locked behind them.

            There is an excellent book called Columbine that has a detailed reconstruction of the events of that day. I don't remember anything about kids being evacuated and then trying to get back into the building. In fact, I don't think any kids that got evacuated were shot. There were some fatalities outside, but IIRC they were from the initial minutes of the incident when the shooters were firing from a second floor landing, before police arrived.

            Not that any of that is on topic.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:25am

      Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

      "School bus hijackings happen as often as school fires and in this economy, criminals are getting really desperate."

      Really? So these criminals are so desperate for new battering rams, flash-bangs, H&K MP5s, etc., that they'll stick-up a bus full of brats for their lunch money?

      I find that rather far-fetched, considering that the kingpins set the tax rates, and their lieutenants in the DHS have thus far supplied their enforcers and street-soldiers with whatever their little black hearts desire.

      On the other hand, from a moral perspective I wouldn't put it past 'em.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:00am

        Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

        "criminals are getting really desperate"

        I agree ... politicians and their cronies that is.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      JMT (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:48pm

      Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

      "School bus hijackings happen as often as school fires..."

      Still waiting for even a shred of info to back up this preposterous claim.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        nasch (profile), 23 Aug 2013 @ 6:22am

        Re: Re: I wouldn't be so hasty....

        Still waiting for even a shred of info to back up this preposterous claim.

        You won't get any. He has silently revised his claim to "it's happened before" (which is barely true) and is now acting as though he never said it's as common as school fires.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:29am

    SWAT toys

    Police departments have cool toys. Drills give them a chance to play.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:31am

    Perfect

    Each student and participant signed waivers that acknowledged their participation in this training.

    Now we're literally training our kids to be victims.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Richard (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:39am

      Re: Perfect

      Each student and participant signed waivers that acknowledged their participation in this training.

      given that a waiver is a document that absolves responsibility if something goes wrong it seems we're admitting that the cure might be more dangerous than the disease!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 10:49am

        Re: Re: Perfect

        "given that a waiver is a document that absolves responsibility if something goes wrong it seems we're admitting that the cure might be more dangerous than the disease!"

        No...it only means that if they chose to participate, it was of their own free will and that the school's insurance policies wouldn't be able to cover them because of that.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:41am

    This is the same as the nuclear bomb drills of the past. Them commies are coming to get us with their nukes! Hiding under your desk will make you safe!
    Look over your shoulder, that guy could be a commie! Better report him to be safe.


    I guess the real silver lining in all of this is that it prepares kids for SWAT teams kicking in their doors pointing guns everywhere. That is more likely to happen to them than a terrorist hijacking.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Atkray (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:13am

      Re:

      "I guess the real silver lining in all of this is that it prepares kids for SWAT teams kicking in their doors pointing guns everywhere. That is more likely to happen to them than a terrorist hijacking."

      It saddens me that I had to mark this as insightful.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:04am

      Re:

      "This is the same as the nuclear bomb drills of the past. Them commies are coming to get us with their nukes! Hiding under your desk will make you safe!
      Look over your shoulder, that guy could be a commie! Better report him to be safe."


      Considering how many nukes were actually built by both sides...ummm...I would say it was a fairly legitimate fear.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 1:36pm

        Re: Re:

        Considering how many nukes were actually built by both sides...ummm...I would say it was a fairly legitimate fear.

        Absolutely. I wonder how likely it was though to be at the right distance from an explosion that your actions could have any effect. Too far away, and it doesn't matter because you're safe anyway. Too close, and it doesn't matter because you're dead anyway.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:42am

    This was almost certainly a training exercise for the SWAT team, to give them experience of dealing with kids in a constrained environment, which include trains and planes. If done right, the exercise will result in a write up for other teams, and include useful lessons learned for dealing with kids in a high stress situation. The kids had a bit of excitement, and the SWAT team has probably learnt some valuable lessons.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:05am

      Re:

      "and include useful lessons learned for dealing with kids in a high stress situation"

      Except the kids are not actually under high stress. They aren't necessarily going to act the same way when confronted with an actual terrorist. For example, no kid would jump out of a moving bus during a simulation, or attempt to attack the hijacker, but they might during the real thing if they saw an opportunity.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:35am

        Re: Re:

        True, but they cannot put kids under that level of stress. However the exercise did give them some excited kids, and some idea of what dealing with a group of kids is like. The main point is that in that sort of exercise, the kids are the teaching by being kids, rather than being taught anything.They exercise probable taught lessons about 'herding' kids under stress that are useful in many situation, emergency evacuations from damaged building etc.
        There is a general problem of training people to act under high stress, and to also deal with others under stress, and this can only be carried so far

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:05am

          Re: Re: Re:

          "The main point is that in that sort of exercise, the kids are the teaching by being kids, rather than being taught anything"

          I disagree. Clearly children are being indoctrinated into the Be Afraid world constructed around them. This is really despicable, and to make excuses for it? ... holy crap.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:22am

      Re:

      I call bullshit.
      1) It is not a valid test when the subject is aware of the test.
      2) It is certainly not acceptable to subject children to such experimentation - ever. The end does not justify the means.
      3) It shows questionable judgment to subject adults to subject adults to these types of "drills". Several instances have occurred in the past, those responsible received many well deserved condemnations.

      Oh - I have a good idea, let's fly attack helicopters over a major metropolitan city while shooting blanks from our awesome fully automatic weapons. This is going to be great!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    AndrewLee, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:44am

    1994 Style

    They should probably run the test in motion not letting the bus drop under 50MPH.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:47am

    A gas truck full of fuel would be a far better terrorist target then a school bus.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    TheLastCzarnian (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:08am

    History repeats itself all over again

    Can anyone say, "Duck and Cover"? (Look it up on YouTube if you're under 45)
    The cold war was over, the old revenue streams were drying up, then, "Terrorism!!!"
    Now they're inducting the next generation. Never too early to plant the seeds of fear in the hearts and minds of people.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    icon
    EverNewEcoN (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:13am

    Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

    (Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids)

    Obviously when governments are invested
    in maximizing the breadth and maximum
    take, the key goals in constructing the
    architecture of monopoly, from the
    following scheme:

    Privatize The Profits, Socialize The Costs.
    Marry To Monopoly For Maximum Effect.
    Cost Brake With Simpson-Bowles.
    Use The Adversity As A Profit Center.
    Where Sufficiently Severe, Use To Privatize.
    (Except Today Pre-Texted Ready-
    Privatization�s Been Invented.)

    they need more than obfuscation as to
    the above.

    Making people see demons instead of
    seeing through the above is facilitated
    by the fact that it encourages and elicits
    the very things our mental health professionals
    work to reduce, like paranoia.

    Though These Kids Look
    Impressively Level, I Think Others
    May Be Expected To Internalize
    Fear And Control As Being Some
    Kind Of Normal State.
    To Me, For These Kids, It
    Should Hardly Matter Whether
    The Control's Coming From The
    Imagined Threat, When GMO's Are
    A Real Threat (See Below,) Or
    If It's These Police Exerting The
    Control.
    All Irrationalities And Hurtful Or
    Unfair Causes Are Traceable And
    Nothing Should Cause Anyone To
    Spend A Moment Knowing
    Anything But Being
    Relaxed And Carefree.

    Meanwhile, Back At The Farm,
    While Those Cops Are Scaring The
    Wits Out Of Our Children Till
    Someone Hands Them A Sangria
    http://www.vinoandfriends.com/files/9013/6803/7587/sangria.jpg
    To Chill And Stop Seeing Demons,
    Across The Pond They're
    Preoccupied With Annoying
    Fathers And Sons.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2396222/Branded-paedophile-hiking-son-WILL-SELF-revea ls-nightmare.html


    Meanwhile, They Reflect A
    Curious Observation Fail.
    The Oligarchs Are Simultaneously
    Monopolizing And Destroying Our
    Sustenance And Jeopardizing Their
    Own Kids' Habitats (With Destruction
    Currently The Safer Bet.)
    And While It Only Takes One
    Disgruntled Group To Justify In The
    Minds Of Some A World Of Control And
    Fear, Though That Happens To Also Be
    The Political System Of Gangsters, The
    Above Also Implies Not Simply Fear And
    Control Replacing Democracy And
    Freedom To Associate With People And
    One's Son, But -0- Prospect Of
    Regaining A Relaxed And Carefree
    Absent Relief From The Paranoia And
    Inner Hurts Of The Disgruntled.

    I've Proposed Mimicing The
    Counselor/Capt.
    http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21900000/Deanna-Troi-star-trek-the-next-ge neration-21949623-1024-768.jpg

    Duopoly From Star
    Trek, Balancing The Obnoxiousness,
    And Balancing The "Equities," As A
    New Approach To Foreign Affairs,
    Wherein Mental Health Professionals
    Join The Process Of The Diplomatic
    Search For Commonalities. That
    Defines A Radical Departure In Its Own
    Right. Though Diplomacy Is Supposed
    To Be About Seeking Commonalities,
    Obviously The Oligarchs Prefer Divisions.
    The More The Merrier.

    But The Converse Of Only One Tiny
    Disgruntled Group Ostensibly Having At
    Its Disposal The Basis For The End Of
    Democracy Is Our Having A Simultaneous
    Universality Of Winners Or Losers.
    One Small Band Makes Us All Losers
    By That Formula. If They Don't Destroy
    A City, The Oligarchs Will Destroy A World.
    They Depend On Angry People Suffering
    Classic Unsettled Hurts, It Seems, And
    Who See Demons. Of Course We Do
    Have Bad People--Rich Frauds Foreclosing
    Our Children's World.

    The People Hiring Trolls To Divide Are
    The People In The House We Know
    Have Some Kind Of Problem. Hiring
    People To Divide Others Is Not Sociable.
    When Chileans Say They Don't Want
    GMO's From A Cartel They Don't
    Trust And It's Forced Upon Them,
    Something Radically New Is Happening.
    It's Economic.
    Companies In The Past Found Success
    By Wooing Customers.
    Forcing Products On Them Is Glaringly A
    Different Economic System.
    It's Something In Mental Health.
    When Someone Forces Himself On
    Others, Is That Not Rape?
    These Are Issues That Actually Only
    Qualified People Are Able To Handle.


    Frankly, To This Day I'm Still Astounded
    By Mental Health Professionals' Ability
    To Do Their Job.


    Some Control Freaks Are Half Informed.
    Others Are Put Up To It.
    Others Knew Control And Fear In Their
    Homes. Others Are Angry.
    When A Doctor First Meets A
    Patient She's Confronted With
    Essentially An Infinity Of Possibilities,
    Though There're Certainly
    Common Problems.
    None Is A Basis For Judging, Though
    That's All They Know.
    Some Can't Hear A Joke Being Told
    But Defensively. It's Their Lives
    Lost First. Pity Them. Some
    Might've Been Poets.
    Mental Health Is About Just So
    Much More Health Status And
    Morbidity, And Not Judging, Though
    The Latter May Characterize The
    Patient's Compulsions.


    Why Arming Teachers Is Also A
    Process Of Predictably Having
    Teachers Accidentally Shoot
    Your Kids:
    http://pages.citebite.com/i1i2f8m1y4ubq

    (I'd Worry More About
    The Kids Eating This.)

    https://duckduckgo.com/?q=australia+gmo%27s+pigs+stomach+inflammation

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:23am

      Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

      tldr

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:49am

      Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

      The drill is not about control...it is about being prepared for an event that can happen, no matter how small the probability that it can happen. Go piss on yourself or wake up to reality.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        John Fenderson (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:02am

        Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

        So where are the meteor strike drills?

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:02pm

          Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

          Meteor strikes will kill everything anyway so it is kind of moot ;-) Personally I would be a bit more worried about comets and NEO asteroids.

          This is the point:


          Because of the unpredictable nature of a hijacking, the best thing to do is to stay calm. The drilling makes sure that the students don't be too rash and act like a hero where they could be killed if they dud act like one. That is why they drill procedures meant to calm people down...it stifles the panic that would otherwise cause more injury. It doesn't mean students won't get upset or nervous...but at least not to the levels that would get them killed making stupidly rash decisions.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:51pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

            "Meteor strikes will kill everything anyway so it is kind of moot"

            Yeah, so let's not even look into what it might take to stop, or even be aware of, such an impending event. Mankind is too stupid to do anything about it anyways and the money could be better spent destroying the planet ourselves.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:07am

        Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

        "The drill is not about control."

        Yeah - right.
        Heh, some people will believe anything.


        "no matter how small the probability that it can happen"

        no matter how small the potential profit - ftfy


        "Go piss on yourself or wake up to reality"

        False dichotomy

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:08pm

          Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

          "no matter how small the potential profit - ftfy"

          Can you please cite who made a profit from this considering that the State of Ohio funds its schools based on local property taxes?

          "
          Yeah - right.
          Heh, some people will believe anything."

          Yup, and you believed this drill had something to do solely with 9/11 without watching the video. Quit projecting your backwater assumptions on people you deem stupid for being at least prepared.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:55pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

            " cite who made a profit" ... (or will potentially make a profit)

            The defense industry is massive - in case you were unaware.
            Be afraid, be very afraid.



            "you believed this drill had something to do solely with 9/11"

            Don't recall ever stating that.

            "Backwater assumptions" - good one, really nailed me there huh.

            Never said people should not be prepared.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:23pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

              "The defense industry is massive - in case you were unaware.
              Be afraid, be very afraid."

              ??? So tell me how the school profits from doing as they did. after all that was my question you failed to answer. Just to make sure we are both on the same page here, and please keep in mind that it was a local school district who set this up with the local municipality, not the other way around:
              Note, people took unpaid time from their day to do this and that the industries you mention aren't paid except via contract with the local municipality and city board.

              Can you please cite who made a profit from this considering that the State of Ohio funds its schools based on local property taxes?

              I'm not the one wearing a tin foil hat it seems.

              Note, people took unpaid time from their day to do this and that the industries you mention aren't paid except via contract with the local municipality and city board on a yearly basis for upkeep..municipalities have a finite amount of budget to work with.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:02pm

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

                "Can you please cite who made a profit from this considering that the State of Ohio funds its schools based on local property taxes?"

                I don't know for sure, but there's an excellent chance that this whole thing is related to a federal grant. Most likely not for the school, but for the other organizations involved. The school probably just went along because hey, why not.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        art guerrilla (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 10:46am

        Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

        1. wally, maybe *YOU* have pissed your panties, and want Big Daddy to make ALL the bad men go away (hint: there will be nobody left), but some of us put on our big boy undies a long time ago, and realize that to live is to risk death...

        2. great reasoning: no matter how INFINITESIMAL the chance, we should drill on it, right ? so we'll have alien invasion drills, and zombie drills, and cane toad licking drills, and meteorite drills, and, et cetera ad infinitum ad nauseum 'drills' ? ? ?
        it would be easier if people just grew a pair...

        you are about 8-10 times more likely to be killed by officer friendly than you are any terrorists... get a clue...

        art guerrilla
        aka ann archy
        eof

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:11pm

          Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

          "great reasoning: no matter how INFINITESIMAL the chance, we should drill on it, right ? so we'll have alien invasion drills, and zombie drills, and cane toad licking drills, and meteorite drills, and, et cetera ad infinitum ad nauseum 'drills' ? ? ?
          it would be easier if people just grew a pair..."

          The ones you cited are pretty much not going to happen in this lifetime. Here's the point.


          Because of the unpredictable nature of a hijacking, the best thing to do is to stay calm. The drilling makes sure that the students don't be too rash and act like a hero where they could be killed if they dud act like one. That is why they drill procedures meant to calm people down...it stifles the panic that would otherwise cause more injury. It doesn't mean students won't get upset or nervous...but at least not to the levels that would get them killed making stupidly rash decisions.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:58pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

            You keep repeating that same tired excuse - why?
            It must be in three or four of your posts now.

            You should make it your signature appearing at the end of all your posts, like OOTB and his Google obsession.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:08pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

              I posted my point several times and that repeated point was the original rebuttal to you. Yet you still had the gull to say that I hadn't answered your question like a whiny little baby....I repeated myself because I got tired of having to think of something new when what I wrote was actually justified. I am sorry you missed my justification to your otherwise completely pointless question about the ethics of involving "unknowing" children.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:40pm

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

                You put the word unknowing within quotes as though I typed that, not sure why.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 2:03pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

            The ones you cited are pretty much not going to happen in this lifetime.

            So it isn't "no matter how small the probability"?

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:55pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

              "They can't happen" and "they won't happen in our lifetime" are the same thing.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • icon
                nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:51pm

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

                "They can't happen" and "they won't happen in our lifetime" are the same thing.

                You obviously don't understand probability very well.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 2:06pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

            "The ones you cited are pretty much not going to happen in this lifetime."

            Building evacuation was actually needed in my school in a non-drill situation. It's uncommon but it happens enough that you want a plan. Bus hijacking? Seriously, how often does that happen? If you spend an hour preparing for each million-to-one scenario, you literally won't have any time left for anything else.

            "The drilling makes sure that the students don't be too rash and act like a hero where they could be killed if they dud act like one."

            It could very well be that their hijacker is planning to kill them, and an act of heroism is NEEDED to keep them alive. Think 9/11, where the passengers on one of the flights attempted to take the plane back. It didn't work, but sitting back likely would have resulted in them dying AND one more landmark destroyed. But hey, let's train our citizens to be docile whenever anyone threatens them.

            And you insist that this was training for the students. Gee, I hope that if terrorists decide to hijack a bus in that district, they hijack THAT bus, because otherwise the students won't have had the benefit of this drill. It's not like they repeated it for every bus in the district. And if they do cooperate and hijack that particular bus, it better also be very soon, because those looked like high school students who presumably won't be using those school buses for much longer, either when they get their license or when they graduate.

            For crying out loud, this was obviously training for the SWAT and first responders, NOT the students. Those people are much more likely to encounter this situation than the students. For one thing, they aren't going to graduate next year. For another, the first responders and SWAT would likely be involved in the situation if they got a call that ANY bus in the area was hijacked, instead of having to be riding on the bus at the time. It's like the difference between the odds of you personally winning the PowerBall jackpot and the odds of someone in your county winning the PowerBall jackpot.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:04pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

              "Building evacuation was actually needed in my school in a non-drill situation. It's uncommon but it happens enough that you want a plan. Bus hijacking? Seriously, how often does that happen? If you spend an hour preparing for each million-to-one scenario, you literally won't have any time left for anything else."

              The hijacking drill is a one time a year thing it seems. So it demonstrates what to do in those situations should they arise.

              "Think 9/11, where the passengers on one of the flights attempted to take the plane back. It didn't work, but sitting back likely would have resulted in them dying AND one more landmark destroyed. "

              Terrorists are not the only types of criminals capable of hijackings. Anyone can hijack a school bus if they are that infinitely desperate.

              " For one thing, they aren't going to graduate next year. For another, the first responders and SWAT would likely be involved in the situation if they got a call that ANY bus in the area was hijacked, instead of having to be riding on the bus at the time."

              They often use actors to do this sort of simulation work. They have radios that are connected to the bus station where they could talk down a hijacker. When drilling you have to cover most of the things that could happen. anyone can use twitter to do that f none of their followers are on the bus. Or simply dial 911 on their cell phones silently.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      AC Unknown, 22 Aug 2013 @ 10:02am

      Re: Appealing To Control Freaks' Many Issues With Some Chasing Demons Distracts From Monopoly Priviatization And GMO's, Which Are Hurting Kids

      Go away and spam elsewhere.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Charlie, 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:44am

    Our World Today?

    Two years ago I saw a Looney Tunes cartoon from the 1950's which included a fake news report that included the words "in these troubled times". Quite frankly, I cannot remember there not being troubled times since I was born in 1978! Either there's never any good times or television has been fear mongering us since the 1950's!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:14am

    Oh man, I think is just me, but I would have loved those drills in my day, the opportunities for mischief are just infinite in such scenario, I hope the kids get a good laugh out of it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:48am

      Re:

      Not likely. They've been brought up in a world that is teaching them to take these things seriously. They are being raised in part by people that think it is reasonable for a kid to be traumatised by a pastry that has some vague resemblance to a pistol.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    RickMan (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 9:33am

    The is a Promo

    This "drill" is not a waste of time but a promotion advertising that new show Starring Dermot Mulroney.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    art guerrilla (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 10:50am

    *and* if the lock-and-load crowd had their way...

    ...we'd have Joe/Jane Concealed Carry Teacher, or Joe Concerned Bystander Citizen who saw this going down and didn't realize it was a drill, start ventilating the (not so) fake terrorists'...

    bet THAT scenario is about 100 times more likely to occur than a real terrorist attack from brown-skinned natives...

    art guerrilla
    aka ann archy
    eof

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 12:15pm

      Re: *and* if the lock-and-load crowd had their way...

      Yes, but since the local police department and Sheriff's Department are involved....I am pretty sure that the 911 dispatchers aren't dullards...and I must note that school buses some times have tinted windows and that hijacker isn't always visible.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 2:10pm

        Re: Re: *and* if the lock-and-load crowd had their way...

        Yes, but since the local police department and Sheriff's Department are involved....I am pretty sure that the 911 dispatchers aren't dullards...and I must note that school buses some times have tinted windows and that hijacker isn't always visible.

        Yes, clearly it's possible for the drill to go off without anyone being killed, which was not art guerilla's point.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:53pm

          Re: Re: Re: *and* if the lock-and-load crowd had their way...

          He didn't say anything about people getting killed and I didn't imply the real life situation wouldn't kill people. I am only saying that this was merely a drill that is like a fire drill or tornado warning drill or bomb threat. Ohio does this type of thing all the time.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:52pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: *and* if the lock-and-load crowd had their way...

            "He didn't say anything about people getting killed"

            What do you think is implied when someone says the following:

            "Joe/Jane Concealed Carry Teacher, or Joe Concerned Bystander Citizen ... start ventilating the (not so) fake terrorists"

            Mouth to mouth resuscitation?
            Holy crap - it's like you don't even read the post to which you respond.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            nasch (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:53pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: *and* if the lock-and-load crowd had their way...

            I am only saying that this was merely a drill that is like a fire drill or tornado warning drill or bomb threat.

            Except that with those drills there's no risk of a passerby trying to kill participants.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    kP, 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:56am

    If Scorpio tries any of that shit here in Ohio, WE GONNA BE READY!

    Perhaps the money should be spent on teaching and feeding the kids?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 1:01pm

      Re: If Scorpio tries any of that shit here in Ohio, WE GONNA BE READY!

      "Perhaps the money should be spent on teaching and feeding the kids?"

      You damn liberal socialist muslims are going to ruin everything.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    kP, 22 Aug 2013 @ 11:56am

    If Scorpio tries any of that shit here in Ohio, WE GONNA BE READY!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDiF5wRMcSU

    Perhaps the money should be spent on teaching and feeding the kids?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    John85851 (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:59pm

    A lot of things have happened before

    "Bus hijacking has happened before."

    You know what else happened before? Asteroid strikes. One hit the Earth 65 million years ago and helped kill off the dinosaurs. Another one hit Siberia in 1902. Why aren't we training our kids for this eventuality? After all, an asteroid strike can do a lot more harm than a terrorist.

    You know what else happened before? Someone won the lottery. Yes, someone usually wins the lottery (just like a bus *may* get hijacked), but the chances of it happening to you are beyond slim. Check out any lottery website for the official statistics. However, we live in a society where people believe it can happen to them and they'll beat the 100-million-to-one odds and become a millionaire. I suppose if people are planning on becoming millionaires, we might as well teach our kids to plan for things that will never happen also.

    I just don't get the idea of planning for something that statistically won't happen.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 6:55pm

      Re: A lot of things have happened before

      Wally trains for winning the lotto every week.

      link to this | view in chronology ]


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