The Goat Pen

For ticking time bumbs, I'd say your house...

If you have questions about bumbs, ask an Ay-rab.

Try No-Thumbs McGinty in Belfast.

John Bolton is an asshat of the highest order

Belfast was a war zone in the 70’s but is a nice place now. I recommend visiting the new Titanic museum.

We were all 16 once. I'd love to see a video of someone asking me what my worldview on things were back then. I'd probably consider it very cringeworthy.

My daughter was part of the walk out yesterday. My wife got in her shit about it last night, which surprised me because I didn't think she would have - and my wife works at a school. I asked her the day before if her school was going to do it and if she would participate. She told me yes and then talked about how they were going to do it. I dropped the subject after she finished.

Kids are easily influenced. I'm not upset at the kids. I'm more concerned about the people that led this to push kids to stage a nation wide walk out, to put words in their mouths about what they believe and then to push them in front of a microphone reading from index cards and printed scripts. Yes, I believe that many kids were sincere - that as a result of media coverage and lack of awareness they believe they have a real threat to shot at school, but I also believe the majority of these kids saw this as an opportunity to be a part of something that makes news, gives them some minor notoriety and gives them a break from the mundane activities of school.

I'm upset at the administrators who welcomed this walk out to push for their agenda when they would have punished the kids for doing it for anything that didn't influence them otherwise. There is no way school administrators would have tolerated indirectly or directly supported a nationwide walkout for children protesting issues like child prostitution, cost of college education or raising minimum wage. Even in the era of SJW, Snowflakes and safe spaces, activism in high schools is disruptive to the goals of school, the community they answer to and the funding they receive.

"I'm not upset at the kids. I'm more concerned about the people that led this to push kids to stage a nation wide walk out, to put words in their mouths about what they believe and then to push them in front of a microphone reading from index cards and printed scripts."

That's like blaming the drug dealer for the kid's habit. I can't abide that...

"There is no way school administrators would have tolerated indirectly or directly supported a nationwide walkout for children protesting issues like child prostitution, cost of college education or raising minimum wage."

Or legalization of heroin...

hedge wrote:
That's like blaming the drug dealer for the kid's habit. I can't abide that...

I am at a complete loss as to figuring this statement out.

Hopefully these kids will stay engaged as they get older and help change this batshit insane culture we have here.

Cletus wrote:Hopefully these kids will stay engaged as they get older and help change this batshit insane culture we have here.

they might, they might get their first taste of activism and decide its a path for them or they might be crushed when they realize all this doesn't change anything.

It depends on if they decide in college they believe activism against existing social injustice is putting a mask on your face and hitting someone with a bike chain, or if its creating a well reasoned debate while observing other Americans individual, constitutional and civil rights.

one will result in a bloody head and a night in jail, the other might lead to becoming a U.S. Senator.

eCat wrote:

hedge wrote:
That's like blaming the drug dealer for the kid's habit. I can't abide that...

I am at a complete loss as to figuring this statement out.

I'm kinda joking, as I seem to have been forced into the role of drug advocate, but it is true that many parents (and many people in general) blame the drug or the drug dealer or anybody but the kid themselves for any drug situation that happens to them, somewhat like you are blaming these outside "forces" for brainwashing these "kids", simply b/c they are of an opinion contrary to your own. As far as drugs are concerned, most of the time they are getting the stuff from one of their peers, who is also using it himself. It's just an activity that they are all willingly participating in. Yes, if you go up the ladder and start talking about cartels in Columbia and Afghanistan, that's not the case, but then you have to look at our government's own very active and hypocritical role in that whole process. It's a can or worms, a house of cards, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma...

I'm not saying these kids don't have a valid opinion on it , in as much as they can have a valid opinion on anything

but I am saying they aren't capable of organizing a nationwide walkout, and in that sense they are puppets of the administrators and whoever is influencing them to do so.

It's not that hard to organize at scale these days if everyone is on the same social media network.

a podium with microphone at the mall in DC?

I like what these kids did. Never to young to fight the power.

Yes, looks like the indoctrination has taken .

teaching them young in Chicago

we should thank them for reminding everyone why we need guns during a gun protest

Especially in Chicago. The need for guns for self-defense and as insurance against anti-Constitutional tyranny has never been greater.

Nor the need for you to STFU...