The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: philw on February 06, 2010, 05:08:19 PM
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An irate Staten Island mom blasted a grade school principal Wednesday for treating her son like a pint-sized Plaxico Burress after he brought a 2-inch-long toy gun to school.
"This principal is a bully and a coward, and needs to be held accountable," said Laura Timoney, 44, after her teary fourth-grader was nearly suspended for playing with the tiny toy at lunch.
"The school should be embarrassed. This is a common-sense issue."
Patrick Timoney, 9, was terrified when he was yanked into the principal's office to discuss the teeny-weeny plastic "weapon."
"The gun was so little," the boy said. "I don't understand why the principal got so upset. I was a little nervous. They made me sign a statement."
Patrick and a friend were playing with Lego figures in the school cafeteria on Tuesday when he pulled out the faux machine gun and stuck it in the hands of his plastic police officer.
Boom! Trouble ensued, with Patrick's mom getting a phone call from Public School 52 Principal Evelyn Mastroianni saying her son had somehow gone from straight A's to the NRA.
"I was in disbelief," the still-fuming mother said. "Why didn't anyone step up with an ounce of common sense and put an end to the harassment of my child?"
Timoney said her boy loved the toy figure because her husband is a retired police officer.
The elder Patrick Timoney, a former 72nd Precinct cop, couldn't believe his son was nearly busted over something so obviously inauthentic.
"It's a 2-inch gun," he said. "She went overboard. She should have said, 'Put the toys away,' and that would have been the end of it."
After a meeting between the principal and the parents, the boy was spared any disciplinary action. City school officials said Patrick agreed to leave the "gun" at home.
"I'm never bringing a toy to school again," said Patrick, whose favorite subject is math.
Laura Timoney remained upset. Her son, a typically eager student, asked to stay home yesterday because he thought the principal was mad at him.
The mother said she expects an apology and may sue.
"The toy gun is not the issue," she said. "A lack of common sense is the issue."
Several parents at the school felt the principal overreacted, including Kim O'Rieley - whose son was playing with Patrick in the cafeteria.
Her boy's Lego man was toting a tiny ax, which the principal deemed less threatening.
"It's ridiculous," said O'Rieley, 36. "He felt so bad for his friend. They're taking things way too far ... No one is saying guns are okay.
"Come on, it's a Lego."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/02/04/2010-02-04_big_trouble_over_this_tiny_toy_mom_fuming_at_a_lack_of_common_sense_as_son_buste.html#ixzz0enfZAyfR
(http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/02/04/alg_plastic_gun.jpg)
(http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/02/04/amd_plastic_gun.jpg)
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Pens are used to write ransom notes, they should take them away from kids, too! I think even "Zero tolerance" still means you can use your brain to handle a situation. How about saying, if you saw a real one you should 1. Stop 2. Don't touch 3. Walk away 4. Tell a grown up. Isn't that what a good educator and someone who cared about kids would do? What a Maroon!
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Zero Tolerance rules are for the ignorant who are too lazy to think for themselves
Grab your ankles guys. This is only going to get worse
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Zero Tolerance rules are for the ignorant who are too lazy to think COWARDS WHO REFUSE TO TAKE RESPONSABILITY for themselves
Grab your ankles guys. This is only going to get worse
FIFY ;D
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Quote from: philw on Today at 05:50:45 PM
Zero Tolerance rules are for the ignorant who are too lazy to think COWARDS WHO REFUSE TO TAKE RESPONSABILITY for themselves
Grab your ankles guys. This is only going to get worse
FIFY
The principal is nothing more than a leftist/statist demanding complete authority and control. This is not about ignorance or laziness or even cowardice - this is about people abusing what has been in American history a hallowed institution (even if unconstitutional) for their own power aggrandizement. People like her need to be removed and provided with about 10' of hemp - and a streetlight.
Tom, if you can't keep it together, I will have to find someone to replace you on the ticket! Or do you need a teleprompter? ? ? ? ;D ;D ;D ;D
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CAN NO ONE IN GOV"T SCHOOLS (insert profanity) THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX??
Geez.......Those No. 2 Ticonderoga pencils can be sharpened to the point of being a lethal weapon also......
They may have to ban them and switch back to crayons..... >:(
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Pens are used to write ransom notes, they should take them away from kids, too! I think even "Zero tolerance" still means you can use your brain to handle a situation. How about saying, if you saw a real one you should 1. Stop 2. Don't touch 3. Walk away 4. Tell a grown up. Isn't that what a good educator and someone who cared about kids would do? What a Maroon!
+1
And don't forget, they need to ban forks too...that would obviously solve the childhood obesity epidemic....
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From Pathfinder
Tom, if you can't keep it together, I will have to find someone to replace you on the ticket! Or do you need a teleprompter?
Good grief, I'm planning to chase them all out of the country or hang them, what more do you want ?
As for the tele prompter, it would not do any good since I won't have even notes to put on it. That's something Hitler Definitely had right.
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From Pathfinder
Tom, if you can't keep it together, I will have to find someone to replace you on the ticket! Or do you need a teleprompter?
Good grief, I'm planning to chase them all out of the country or hang them, what more do you want ?
As for the tele prompter, it would not do any good since I won't have even notes to put on it. That's something Hitler Definitely had right.
I was miffed at your casual non-reference to rope in this case, simply ascribing her actions to cowardice and failure to take responsibility. It may well be cowardice, providing her a nice "wall" to hide behind, but never forget - it is about the power and control. We have to keep that message in the forefront of people's minds.
BTW - got'cha ;D
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Yep, yep, common sense be damned. I was doing my job (armed) in a hospital and one doctor pointed at my hip and in that elitist tone of voice said, "Is that necessary in a hospital?".
Eyeballed him, smiled and replied, "Yeah! If I didn't have the holster and belt my pistol would hit the floor."
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We should FIRE school officials that lack commonsense! >:(
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A few years back, a gal I work with, son got in trouble for a "gun" in school. It was even smaller than the one in this story, It was basically charm size that you get out of a gum ball machine and was on his key ring. If I remeber correctly, part of the punishment required that he get consoling. I would think that the only consoling he would need would be for the trauma these a$$holes bestowed on him.
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The school should be embarrassed. This is a common-sense issue."
You see this is the problem. The "no-tolerance" policies that get implemented in US public schools make no room for common-sense nor intent.
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I'd really like to see someone with Standing sue the crap out of the school systems and win! We need to get the rights of these children restored! As far as I'm concerned their 1st, 2nd, and 4th amendment rights have been violated by these idiotic policies!
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We should FIRE school officials that lack commonsense! >:(
Every child in this country would have to home schooled if we did that.
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Mandatory minimum sentrnces, "three strikes" laws, and zero tolerance polices. All are symptoms of grandstanding politicians, cowardice, and a lack of common sense. Politicians like to sweat testostarone when it comes to seeming to be "tough on crime", bureacrats hate having to make a judgement call where they might be proven wrong one way or the other (they much prefer a rigid policy that gives them no leeway, and thus no need to accept responsibility) and people are forced to judge just the "crime" rather than the criminal. How do you make politicians and bureacrats happy? Turn off your BS detector and let them set a "neutral policy". We have done this to ourselves and shame on us for it. Make them make the judgement calls and hold them to account. Its what we pay them for after all, it and sounds a whole lot like the private sector. >:(
FQ13
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When I was in 6th grade a kid in my class corrected our history teacher when she was talking about the Revolutionary war. She referred to a long gun in the text as a "RIFLE" when in fact is was a flint lock musket. She pulled him out of the class and threatened to have him suspended for, not correcting her, but for his "obsession" with guns and knowing too much about them. Then add to the issue he had in his bag a copy of the latest American Rifleman. He was an NRA member. After that day he and I were best friends and to this day that's still the case. He introduced me to shooting with his dad. His dad taught me to shoot with his S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman in .357mag. Loaded with .38s except the last round which was a full on .357 MAG. Of course he did the same thing years later when he took me out to shoot clays. Loaded 12 gauge target loads except for the last round which was a 3" MAGNUM slug.
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When I was in 6th grade a kid in my class corrected our history teacher when she was talking about the Revolutionary war. She referred to a long gun in the text as a "RIFLE" when in fact is was a flint lock musket. She pulled him out of the class and threatened to have him suspended for, not correcting her, but for his "obsession" with guns and knowing too much about them. Then add to the issue he had in his bag a copy of the latest American Rifleman. He was an NRA member. After that day he and I were best friends and to this day that's still the case. He introduced me to shooting with his dad. His dad taught me to shoot with his S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman in .357mag. Loaded with .38s except the last round which was a full on .357 MAG. Of course he did the same thing years later when he took me out to shoot clays. Loaded 12 gauge target loads except for the last round which was a 3" MAGNUM slug.
A slug? I won't even ask if you hit the clay. ;D
Fq13
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Not even close. We were out 10 miles or so from anybody and in the desert around us the only living things to worry about were the kind that you typically try to kill with a .22 or an AR so no harm no foul.
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Not even close. We were out 10 miles or so from anybody and in the desert around us the only living things to worry about were the kind that you typically try to kill with a .22 or an AR so no harm no foul.
Not dinging you on safety. When I was a kid, we used to shoot at hand thrown clays with .22s at my grandads ranch. Isolated enough to be safe, but still.... :-\
FQ13
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Yep, yep, common sense be damned. I was doing my job (armed) in a hospital and one doctor pointed at my hip and in that elitist tone of voice said, "Is that necessary in a hospital?".
Eyeballed him, smiled and replied, "Yeah! If I didn't have the holster and belt my pistol would hit the floor."
I just heard the radio commercial jingle while reading this... "Real men of genious."