[Winona Online Democracy]
Andrew,
I guess I feel I should reply since I worked for five years for the court in
Chicago and had to empty my pockets and walk through a metal detector
everyday when I got to work. They would also periodically open and search
purses and briefcases. This was a civil courthouse (as opposed to one that
heard criminal cases). I think the reasons for this security were not
unsimilar to school situations. About ten years earlier, this was the only
courthouse in the country where a judge had been killed in court while
presiding over a trial (a divorce case). The likelihood of that happening
again was probably slim, but they added the security and kept it.
I don't want to discount your argument because you make some good points;
but to be honest, the searches didn't bother me. I always felt it was a
case of balancing my individual rights against the common good (people
being able to feel safe and secure in their environment). I never felt
personally offended by it and always viewed it as just a minor
inconvenience.
Again, I share this just to provide some insight as to an adult who was in
that situation (as you asked), not necessarily to discount your points or to
say that this is entirely similar to school security issues.
-Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "andrew thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 9:19 PM
Subject: Re: [Winona] thoughts on school violence
> [Winona Online Democracy]
>
> Reality is exactly what is being ignored in all of this "school security"
> hysteria. Reality is that violence is no more likely to occur in a school
> than it is to occur virtually anywhere else. In many places in this
> country, a school is a much safer place to be than the sidewalk in front
of
> it. Reality is that fears of violence happening in schools are baseless.
>
> My problem is not that my rights are being violated; my problem is that my
> rights are being violated without any good reason.
>
> P.S. I never did get an answer from any of the adults on the list as to
how
> they would react to being searched when they got to work. It's not
> necessary that someone answer, but I think that those who talk about how
> reasonable it is to do such things to students need to try and put
> themselves in our shoes and think about how they would tolerate being
> treated the same way we are treated. Just something to ponder.
>
> >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >Subject: [Winona] thoughts on school violence
> >Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 14:36:00 EDT
> >
> >[Winona Online Democracy]
> >
> >The recent discussions on the issue of violence in schools and the
> >concomitant violation of privacy rights has been extremely interesting. I
> >would just like to add a couple of thoughts from a legal perspective if i
> >may.
> >First, no rights are absolute no matter how much we may want them to be.
I
> >don't disagree with the students who feel their rights are violated by
> >being forced to submit
> >to a search of backpacks, for example. However, in a free society we at
> >times must balance individual rights with the need for a safe, secure
> >society. Remember, one of the main purposes of government, as stated in
the
> >Preamble of the US Constitution, is provide for a "domestic Tranquility"
> >and "promote the general welfare". Remember too that the privacy rights
of
> >the student with a gun in his/her backpack ar also
> >violated when that pack is searched.
> >Further, the 4th and 14th Amendments proscribe only "unreasonable"
> >searches. It is sad, but in light of Columbine and other similar
incidents
> >searching student backpacks may no longer be "unreasonable".
> >The augment has been made that incidents of school violence have been few
> >and the changes of it happening at any given school at any given time is
> >slight. While, that may well be true, it is also somewhat irrelevant to
the
> >issue of rights vs. security.
> >By comparison, the changes of any given flight being sabotaged is slight
> >too, yet all passengers must pass through metal detectors before boarding
a
> >plane.
> >In closing, just let my say that although i agree in theory with the
> >dissenters, at times legal theory has to give way to reality. Sad but
true.
> >
> >Dean Lanz;
> >Attorney-at-Law
> >
> >
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