Growing up is probably difficult in any society. What may be different in the United States is the lack of a stable support system. The right is probably correct in a sense when they speak of the failure of the family, but the family is part of a larger, and sick, society. Families can be rigid, unfeeling, and downright cruel, but when they work they can be an important support system, just as a neighborhoods and communities can be. Where can a young, tormented child turn? In our culture, John Wayne tells us that good guys shoot bad guys. Today, we have our first adolescent president. Even Kennedy was more mature. In a way, Clinton was in a corner. To do nothing, he knew that the Repugs would attack him for being weak. Clinton, wanting to be strong and respected, like the children of Littleton turned to bombs. Both probably felt justified with their actions. Unfortunately, our commander in chief commands more respect for his violence than the children of Littleton, although he does far more damage. In fact, he will use the tragedy of Littleton to enhance the authority of the government. If children misuse the Internet, control the Internet. If children misuse guns, control guns (although I'm not entirely against him in this respect, I do not feel that it is right to capitalize on this tragedy). I expect that our schools will enjoy more metal detectors, police, onsite cameras rather than more teachers and counselors with better pay. If our schools fail us, then we need vouchers (I expect that the voucher people will jump on this one), more reporting on standardized tests, and the like. Our adolescent president will than prance about pretending to be an adult. One final note: I prefer Bill Bradley to Gore or Clinton. At least Bradley never pretended to be anything other than he was. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
