A practical solution worth implementing in our schools right now

Ultimately, what all the pundits ignore in the ongoing 'gun debate' is the root of the problem. Blaming gun safety organizations while ignoring the governmental failures and passing more restrictive legislation for the criminally deranged to ignore aren't practical solutions when we continue to witness a growing deficiency in the value of LIFE. Parents, role models, those with a voice, must reemphasize this value, both in word and deed, and begin to generationally reignite the notion, which will accomplish more than any legislator's agenda. 

In lieu of a sudden societal enlightenment towards rediscovering our moral compass however, perhaps there's a practical model out there specific to school safety, one that's actually been provided for decades, that can be implemented now, but has just never been tried or applied in our schools...

NJH: In 1974, Israel suffered the Ma'alot Massacre in which terrorists took 115 people hostage at Netiv Meir Elementary School. Twenty-two children and three others were killed and 68 injured. Israel now requires schools with 100 or more students to have a guard posted. The civilian police force handles the entire security system of all schools from kindergarten through college. The Ministry of Education funds shelters and fences, reinforces school buses, and hires and trains guards.

Guards check everyone entering, and can engage any threats. Also, all students are trained. Instead of just hiding, or freezing in times of danger, students are taught proactive ways to make the gunman's job more difficult. This includes using things found in the classroom to form a barricade around the door, taking opportune moments to get somewhere safe while the shooter can't fire due to reloading or weapon malfunctions.

The guards carry firearms to protect school personnel and students, create a sense of security, deter the ill-intentioned, and provide self-defense. The threat is dealt with almost immediately while the first responders and local police are on their way.

Gun control debates are a distraction and impractical, and criminals ignore laws anyway. Crazy people are obviously not being dealt with properly.

After 9/11 the airports were changed forever and the TSA was established. It's time that we adopt a method of protecting all our soft targets, especially our schools. Banks, courthouses, city halls, government facilities, even sports venues are already protected.

Ex-veterans, retired law enforcement people and other professionals can be hired. This civilian security force can be sworn in as Sheriff's deputies and assigned to local schools. Armed, well-trained teachers can also add to this security force.

Let's adopt the Israeli model of protecting our most vulnerable. This is a practical solution.

We protect our money, our politicians, most celebrities are ironically secure, but we can't assure our children's safety at school? We're made to pay for every social-engineered program under the sun in our schools, but we can't pay to protect the most precious assets in them? This has been nonsensical for far too many years, and there's no solution in the unending polarizations...

Appointing and/or hiring trained professionals to deter this wickedness and safeguard our most vulnerable should be the practical direction of the debate, alongside our necessity to rediscover that crucial value mentioned earlier. What should not be is the foolishness that consumes too many's senses with the collective bullhorn of misguided media.

Related links: A distracted federal bureaucracy is not the solution...but there are answers, many locally
Should America Embrace Israel's School Safety Model?

In memoriam: 'America's Pastor'

One of the greatest evangelical leaders of our time, Billy Graham, 'America's Pastor' has passed away at the age of 99 at his home in Montreat, N.C. His sojourn here has come to a close, but his impact is lasting. He now joins the saintly host in Heaven, but while we're on this social platform, one way we can honor this man and reflect on his inspired teachings is to take a simple yet profound stroll through an assortment of his Facebook posts in this 100th year...

Billy Graham January 1 · "Don’t drift aimlessly through another year. Instead, as this New Year begins, turn to Jesus Christ and commit your life to Him. God loves you, and Christ gave His life for you. Why not give Him your life in return?" —Billy Graham, answering a question on New Year's resolutions #BG100

Billy Graham January 3 · "Many people go through life without ever realizing who they are, or why God put them here. On the outside they may be successful, well-liked, even envied by others. But down inside something is still missing.
Advertisers promise happiness and fulfillment—if we will only use their produce. Pundits and politicians promise abundance and world peace—if we will only listen to their wisdom and vote for them. These promises, however, always fall short. We spend all our time and energy pampering our bodies and minds—but if we ignore our souls, we will end up spiritually starved and malnourished. Don't let this happen to you!" —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 4 · "You and I can't add anything to what Christ did for us, because He has already done it all. If Christ's death was not enough ... if we needed to add our own good works to His in order to be saved ... then we could never know for sure that we will go to Heaven when we die, because we could never be sure if we have done enough." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 5 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 6 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 7 · "One of God's most comforting promises is that we can bring every need and burden to Him." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 8 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 11 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 12 · #BG100

Billy Graham January 14 · "Don’t be disillusioned because of a few who claim to be following Jesus, but aren’t. Instead, make sure your faith and trust are in Christ. He alone is worthy of your trust." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 17 · "All the positive thoughts in the world won’t bring hope and healing to those who are victims of injustice or sickness or famine or war. But Christ can give us the love we need to help a hurting world." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 18 · Billy Graham's lesson on faith, from the Bible story of Bartimaeus:

"The blind man, Bartimaeus, threw off his cloak and ran trembling to Jesus. And Jesus said, 'What do you want me to do for you?' He said, 'Lord, that I may receive my sight.' In that moment as he said, 'Lord,' his spiritual eyes were opened. And Jesus said, 'Your faith has made you whole.'

Notice, not your intellectual understanding, not your money, not your works—but your faith. Faith! That’s all it takes! Immediately Bartimaeus, who had been blind all of his life, began to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the face of Jesus." #BG100

Billy Graham January 19 · "You cannot possibly be a happy, dynamic, and powerful Christian apart from a daily walk with Christ. Christ is calling Christians today to cleansing, to dedication, to consecration, and to full surrender. It will make the difference between success and failure in your spiritual life. It will make the difference between being helped and helping others. It will make a difference in your habits, in your prayer life, in your Bible reading, in your giving, in your testimony, and in your church membership. This is the Christian hour of decision." —Billy Graham on "the secret to real living" #BG100

Billy Graham January 20 · "Happy is the man who has learned the secret of coming to God in daily prayer. Fifteen minutes alone with God every morning before you start the day can change circumstances and remove mountains!" —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 21 at 7:56pm · "The secret of a happy home is that members of the family learn to give and receive love. Let us take time to express our love in a thousand ways." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham January 27 at 10:18pm · "The family and the home can never exert their proper influence while ignoring the Biblical standard. ...The only way to provide the right home for your children is to put the Lord above them, and fully instruct them in the ways of the Lord." —Billy Graham on parenting #BG100

Billy Graham January 28 at 7:08pm · "God has given us the power of choice. Some people today do not wish to accept the responsibility for their actions. They blame society. They blame the environment. They blame the schools. They blame the circumstances. But Adam sinned in a perfect environment under perfect circumstances. We can’t blame it all on somebody else. We must accept the blame ourselves for our part. Society is made up of individuals. If we have social injustice, we’re the ones who are wrong; we’re part of it. Let’s accept our responsibility to do something about it." —Billy Graham on "the power of choice"

Billy Graham January 30 at 3:06pm · "Most thoughtful people recognize that man is a paradox. He is both dust of earth and breath of God. He is a contradiction of discord and harmony, hatred and love, pride and humility, tolerance and intolerance, and peace and turmoil. The depths to which he sinks only dramatizes the heights to which by God's grace he is capable of rising. His very misery is an indication of his potential greatness. His deep yearnings are an echo of what he might be." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 2 at 2:30pm · "Prayer is not using God; it is more often to get us in a position where God can use us. I watched the deckhands on the great liner 'United States' as they docked that ship in New York Harbor. First, they threw out a rope to the men on the dock. Then, inside the boat the great motors went to work and pulled on the great cable. But of course the pier wasn't pulled out to the ship; the ship was moved snugly up to the pier. Prayer is the rope that pulls God and man together. But it doesn't pull God down to us; it pulls us up to Him." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 5 at 8:42pm · #BG100

Billy Graham February 8 at 10:00pm · #BG100

Billy Graham February 11 at 2:54pm · "The most distant galaxy … the littlest seed … even the smallest sub-atomic particle—everything was created by Him, and is under His sovereign control. God is that great!" —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 12 at 10:36am · "I've known the thrill of winning a tough ball game and of winning a golf match on the last hole. But to me the biggest thrill is to win the big one—the spiritual battle of life." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham February 16 at 2:39pm ·

Billy Graham February 18 at 9:11am · "The world in which we live is full of pessimism. No Christian has the scriptural right to go around wringing his hands wondering what we are to do in the face of the present world situation. The Scripture says that in the midst of persecution, confusion, wars, and rumors of wars, we are to comfort one another with the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming back in triumph, glory, and majesty." —Billy Graham #BG100

Billy Graham 21 hrs · "If you went for a walk in the woods, but then decided to wander off the path, and found yourself surrounded by a thicket of thorns and poison ivy, who would you blame? Would you blame the person who built the path? No, of course not. Instead you’d blame yourself if you were honest, because you alone were responsible for wandering from the path.
In a far deeper way, this is what happens when we decide to leave God out of our lives. For a time, it may seem like wandering away from Him doesn’t make any difference; it may even seem easier and freer. But eventually it catches up with us—just as wandering off that path and into the thicket caught up with you." —Billy Graham #BG100

...God Bless this holy man, his devotion, wisdom and insight, his ministry, and his impact upon this nation to bring the common man to Christ.

REMEMBER thy servant, Billy, O Lord, according to the favor which thou bearest unto thy people, and grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, he may go from strength to strength, in the life of perfect service, in thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Happy President's Day!

Here's a little history that explains why and how we celebrate President's Day in our contemporary era, when the original holiday was established (and still is 'officially') to celebrate George Washington's birthday, which isn't until the 22nd...

History: Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

So with that, I decided years ago to personally celebrate President's Day by acknowledging three of America's most liberating presidents, who all happen to have February birthdays, and who all made huge impacts in their respective centuries: George Washington, the first president who helped establish a nation's independence, freeing from foreign bondage; Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president who accomplished the realization of our founding freedom for all the citizenry, while preserving the union in the midst of civil war; and Ronald Reagan, the 40th president who reminded America of its exceptional place in the world, rejuvenating the belief in ourselves and the possibilities of a better tomorrow.

A distracted federal bureaucracy is not the solution...but there are answers, many locally

Thanks for the pic, CNN. I happen to agree with everyone of these tweets, so guess I'm 'far-right' too! Considering what's become of that news outlet, I guess most of us are, though.

These points of view aren't simply pulled from the ether. We've witnessed for the better portion of a year an executive branch law enforcement agency mired in scandal, corruption, and totally bogged down with this phony, unending Russian collusion nonsense. It stands to reason that maybe if they could devote as much time to actually investigating these kind of early warning signs, they could assist local law enforcement in preventing such tragedies. That's all.

But even putting that distraction aside, there's no getting around this deadly screw up...

"Twice, people saw something, said something, and the FBI blew it!"

THEY KNEW: FBI Admits 'Protocols Were Not Followed' On Tip About Florida High School Shooter

And it's an even bigger systemic breakdown. Such a tragedy shows us yet again how government failures have helped enable at least four recent mass shootings. Perhaps before screaming "GUN CONTROL!" however, which continues to be proven ineffective the world over, the left might attempt to understand the existing realities of a highly regulated industry and the government incompetence that has failed to prevent these kind of criminal acts from occurring. There are solutions that would thwart criminals while protecting gun owners. They just haven't made there way to Washington. Go figure.

Glaring failures of the US federal government have at least partially enabled four of the worst mass shootings that have rocked the country in recent years.

As many people call for more gun control in the wake of yet another appalling and heartbreaking attack, it's important to scrutinize the efficacy of such proposals with clear eyes, as well as weigh the serious trade-offs. Emotionalism is understandable with more than a dozen teenagers dead, but viable solutions are much harder to come by than angry blaming. Perhaps before considering any new measures -- and I'm not opposed to discussing options -- we should take a hard look at the existing system, the disastrous errors and oversights of which have failed to prevent a terrible amount of bloodshed. Maybe it would be wise to fix what's clearly broken before piling new responsibilities upon a government structure that is already whiffing badly on its current obligations. On that score, here are several concrete ideas worthy of careful examination:

Five gun reform laws that could make a positive difference w/o abrogating gun rights https://t.co/5ihk8fJNgr

— Ryan Fazio (@ryanfazio) February 16, 2018

And while I'm with the President and others who advocate for a broader focus on mental health, in addition to enforcing existing laws, I'm also with Levin on not only turning off the politicians for the time being, but more importantly solving the issue of better protecting our children at the local level...

CR: Levin advised his audience to ignore the usual hysteria from leftist politicians, noting that politicians do not have the experience or knowledge to provide solutions. He called on listeners to look to people who have to deal with these issues, such as first responders, teachers, and law enforcement.

He reminded listeners that evil killers do not represent America. Instead, look to the heroism of Aaron Feis, the high school football coach who sacrificed his life to save his students.

Levin stressed that a federalist approach through local governments and local school districts can solve these issues more effectively than Washington politicians.

“How about protecting our babies in the womb and protecting our babies who go to these government schools?” Levin asked.

“How about we get into the safety, health, and protection business?” he added. “If we want to protect our children in these public schools, we need to put people in these public schools who can protect our children.”

There's no 'magic law' that can stop mass shootings, but there are solutions and answers, and you might be surprised to find many locally.

Continued prayers for these precious souls, the grieving families, the school, the state and the nation. May evil subside, justice prevail and goodness grow exponentially in the land of the free and the home of the brave. #turn2GOD

Related link: Here Are the 17 Victims of the Tragic Shooting in Florida

A turnaround in optimism that we've sorely missed

Obviously, this writer is at an ebb when it comes to discussing the political banter of the day (or week or month for that matter). Hey, what can I say? I've been busy with LIFE outside of politics...and it's actually been a pretty nice stay-away-cation! Certainly more peaceful for the mind, body and spirit. But just to break the silence and show that I'm not completely out of the loop and ignoring everything amidst, I'd like to briefly mention a few points of optimism that I've noticed developing over the past month. No, I'm not referring to anything from the media, punditry or even politicos. Quite the contrary, and in spite of them. Rather, I'm referring to our head of state.

Before I'm derided as a Trumper, I'm certainly not implying perfection here. I've had plenty of issues throughout his first year, most of which I've voiced on this blog. However, with the new year, I'd be remiss to ignore what appears to be the President's near Reaganesque streak, not so much in reference to policy (although such is the case in some areas), but rather a reestablishment of American optimism.

Beyond the elephants and asses (certainly accurate for the latter), beyond the day-in, day-out strife (or actual collusion in too many cases) of the Washington cesspool, there's been a more optimistically cohesive tone in the President's voice, speaking out for common sense, liberty, security, patriotism, faith, family...all in all, a more positive promotion of Americanism that supersedes a mere slogan.

Whether through accomplishments or proposals last month...

...or consolation just this morning...

...there can be little denial of the stark turnaround from our nation's former lopsided messaging and direction under the prior administration, a turnaround that I'd dare describe as a more genuine fulfillment towards hope and change for Americans.

Perhaps it's a result of finally settling into the presidential role; and if so, that's a very good thing. And maybe I'm only just now noticing, which I'm sure someone will tell me. However, this feels like something more, like a turnaround in optimism that we've sorely missed. Refreshing.

You don't have to agree with every proposal, and I'm highly skeptical that we can 'get the job done' with the current crop of politicians, but to experience this sea change of optimism in both direction and tone is a noteworthy accomplishment in itself towards the effort to (yes, now I'm gonna use that slogan) make America great again.

Let's hope these sensibilities continue...I pray they do.