In [formerly] Great Britain...

LEGO figures are getting angrier

The wussification of Great Britain continues apace. Seriously, these guys have way too much time on their hands.

A zero tolerance WTF moment.

A year ago a second grader in Broward County, Florida was expelled for bringing a toy gun to school. The School District has a zero tolerance policy toward weapons and they had no choice. The parents of the child could have sent their child to a local school of thugs but chose not to. A year later the School Administrators are still refusing to allow the child to return to school. Zero Tolerance is what bureaucrats do when they're to lazy or frightened to actually make a decision. The parents are home schooling their child. That's probably best since if the administrations behavior is any indication the school system has nothing worthwhile to teach anyone. Stupidity at this level by a government employee should be a firing offense.

NY: Nine year old gigged for 2-inch toy gun

In New York a nine year boy got yanked into the principal’s office for bringing a 2-inch toy Lego gun to school. In the end the boy wasn’t sent home or suspended rather he was made to sign a statement promising not to bring it to school again. The fact that an issue was made over a toy that in no way could have been mistaken for the real thing and was a threat to no one is amazing. Once again we have zero tolerance bushwah or more probable the school principal’s attempt to push an agenda. As amazing as it is, it’s not surprising. What is surprising is the reaction by the parents although it shouldn't be. Usually when I read about incidents of this sort I find the parents agreeing that the student shouldn’t have done what he did but claiming the school’s actions were excessive. Here, the parents appear in your face and call bullshit exactly what it is. That’s refreshing.

H/T to Dick.

More self-defense news from the UK.

In the UK a woman noticed two thugs trying to break into her garden shed. She shouted and them and waved a kitchen knife. They fled. She called the cops and was told her actions were illegal. She was in the house with her daughter and wasn’t allowed to defend herself or child.. In the UK you can’t even defend yourself or family in your home or on your property. That’s really wacked. But some in the UK realize how wacked it is and are trying to make changes. Good luck. Once you give up rights it is damn hard to take them back from the powers that be.

H/T to Zendo Deb.

Seriously?

A teacher in MA writes about guns in schools and says a couple of things that would damn sure cause me to take my kids to anywhere he wasn’t teaching.

An alternative to lockdown is immediate exodus via announcement. Although this removes potential hostages and makes it nearly impossible for the shooter to acquire preselected targets, it unfairly rewards resourceful children who move to safety off-site more shrewdly and efficiently than others.

And…

But as a progressive, I would sooner lay my child to rest than succumb to the belief that the use of a gun for self-defense is somehow not in itself a gun crime.

He rather all the children be at risk than save a few because its unfair to the less resourceful and he’d rather his child, and by extension, other people’s children die rather than use a gun to defend them. His ideals are more important than the life of a child?

And this git still has a job?

H/T to Uncle.

UPDATE: Some people are convinced the letter was satire. Maybe so.

More "zero tolerance" stupidity

Another example of bureaucratic cowardice in action. An eagle scout had a pocket knife locked in his car with his scouting gear and was suspended for 20 days as a result. They had to be consistant in their application of the policy. It simple cowardice that they might get sued if they exercise judgement and acknowledge that the circumstances in each situation are different and require a difference response.

Via Instapundit

Oh for crying out loud...

A first grader takes a camping utensil that includes a spoon, fork, and knife to school and the school suspends him and sends him to reform school for 45 days. The reason is their zero tolerance policy toward weapons. Zero tolerance ppolicies exist so bureuacrats don't have to make decisions or take responsibility or accept the consequences for the decisions they would have to make if such policies didn't exist. They're a form of cowardice. A knife is a tool. It doesn't become a weapon until I stick it into somebody.

UK: You're kidding...right?

The Health and Safety Executive caused outrage by declaring that officers confronted with dangerous situations-while fighting crime or trying to guard the public 'may choose not to put themselves at unreasonable risk'.

Its guidance published yesterday firmly plays down the need for officers to show bravery in the course of their duty if they make a 'personal choice' not to.

It states: 'There is often an unrealistic public expectation that officers and staff will put themselves at risk to protect the public.'

It seems to me that the personal choice of which they speak was made when the officer chose to enter the profession. There are times when an officer will have to put his ass in harm's way. If they can't handle that risk then find another profession. People in the UK are well and truely fucked.

H/T to Kevin.

UK: Scouts without knives?

Maybe its me but I thought the whole point of Scouting was to teach Scouts to be responsible adults. To do that you have to give them opportunities to be responsible. Among those opportunities being, teaching them to properly handle a knife as a tool. The Brits have apparently decided that's too big a risk. Hell, they might become members of the "knife culture". A Scout without a knife, fixed or folder, ain't a Scout.

H/T to Roberta X

Lockerbie Murderer Released

A man involved in the mass murder of 270 people was released from prison today on "compassionate grounds". This would be Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi the only person convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. He served eight years. He has prostate cancer and so has been sent home to Libya to die and be greeted as a hero. In Scotland the price of 270 lives is eight years. Compassion, in this case, should have been a needle in his arm and a ride home in a box.

The weapon of choice: pizza cutters

A 28 year old woman went into a store in once great Britain to buy a pizza cutter and was asked to show ID before they'd sell it to her. I shit you not. This wasn't government policy [yet] but the store insuring that the evil bladed item didn't fall into the wrong hands that being someone under the age of 25. They've got to reach the bottom of that slippery slope sometime soon. Right?

Thanks to Radley and Ken

The age of wuss is...

...upon us. Actually, it has been for a while. A prime example is this charlie-foxtrot today at Princeton. They shut the campus down for an hour because four "juveniles" came on campus and one had a dark green plastic "toy" gun. The police "investigated" the matter and the press actually reported the story. All involved should have been utterly embarrassed by their reactions. Wusssss.