By David K. Shipler
Years ago,
driving through the Wild West Bank, I was stopped by an Israeli army checkpoint
on the road up the Jordan Valley. The young soldier asked if I had any weapons
in the car. No, I said. Well, in that case, he advised, it would not be a great
idea to continue.
That’s the
kind of America envisioned by the NRA: Don’t send your kids to schools where
teachers can’t sport .45 Magnums on their hips or keep Tec 9s in their desks.
Don’t lull your kids into thinking there are safe places, free from marauding
crazies, where they can concentrate on learning. Remind them every moment of
every school day how scary the world is, how vulnerable they are, how
consistently high their stress and sense of danger should be. Beginning in
their early years, keep those cortisol levels elevated to make sure they greet every
affront as if it’s a dire threat. With teachers as role models, every kid will
want to carry a weapon. What a wonderful country we’ll have.
