On the one hand, we shouldn't even need this shit...

[Junkenstein]

IME, the parents often DO get outraged.
Nobody gives a shit.

I've said it a dozen times...This is the sort of shit America DEMANDED for decades.  The hair shirt punishment freaks INSIST on voting for people who will "get tough on crime" in a system that is already tough on crime.

Eventually, to get elected, you have to expand your working definition of crime.

The bold gives rise to many of the fucked up decisions in history. I wonder, will there eventually be a shift from "Freed from" legislation to "freedom to"?

A lot of stupid laws to me seem based in the need to free or reassure people that they will not encounter X, or if you do there is some kind of recourse. I think a shift to "You are free to encounter X, and there is no recourse if you do" If this law was from the opposite angle and it's kind of hard to disagree with.

It also builds a degree of "Deal with it" into law, which I suspect 'Merika could really do with.

Anyway, on topic, I'd say the best way to deal with this would be for every parent who disagrees to send their child in with a pop-tart-penis. Let everyone shit themselves over potential lawsuits until they realise it's just food and fuck off. This is why I would be a terrible parent.

£5 says the kid grows up to make erotic cakes anyway.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

It really is sad that there is a need for a law to tell people to use common sense.
What's even worse is that there isn't every single parent at the school where these stupid suspensions are happening getting outraged and making the school change policy. The "It's not my kid" and "That's just how it is, what can you do?" way of thinking has become too entrenched I fear.

THIS.  If this happened at my daughter's school the Super, Principal, and School Board would be getting an earful on a daily basis until they reversed course. 


I'm surprised the school didn't ban pop-tarts.

This is the face of zero tolerance, RWHN.

[Cain]

Let me see if I have this straight there is no effort to legislate at all on gun ownership or access to guns.

but if a twelve year old makes a pretend gun people raise hell?

For me that is worse then no effort at all.

Faust, it's almost impossible to explain to a European just exactly how insane the United States is.  Canadians have a good idea, in the same sense that you might know that your neighbor is a little nutty, but you've never been in his basement, so you don't know exactly how nutty he is.

We're that neighbor.  And those Goddamn Canucks aren't seeing the basement without a warrant.

I think the Pop Tart looks like a square stylized penis and balls, and they need to press charges on this kid for molesting himself.

Please don't give them any more ideas 

I believe children have been arrested on child pornography related charges for sending naked (or half naked or whatever) pictures of themselves, to other kids of their own age.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

IME, the parents often DO get outraged.
Nobody gives a shit.

I've said it a dozen times...This is the sort of shit America DEMANDED for decades.  The hair shirt punishment freaks INSIST on voting for people who will "get tough on crime" in a system that is already tough on crime.

Eventually, to get elected, you have to expand your working definition of crime.

The bold gives rise to many of the fucked up decisions in history. I wonder, will there eventually be a shift from "Freed from" legislation to "freedom to"?

A lot of stupid laws to me seem based in the need to free or reassure people that they will not encounter X, or if you do there is some kind of recourse. I think a shift to "You are free to encounter X, and there is no recourse if you do" If this law was from the opposite angle and it's kind of hard to disagree with.

It also builds a degree of "Deal with it" into law, which I suspect 'Merika could really do with.

Anyway, on topic, I'd say the best way to deal with this would be for every parent who disagrees to send their child in with a pop-tart-penis. Let everyone shit themselves over potential lawsuits until they realise it's just food and fuck off. This is why I would be a terrible parent.

£5 says the kid grows up to make erotic cakes anyway.

Just leave the wrapper on. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sethyg/2374167074/

[Junkenstein]

In the UK, Europe and US if google is to believed.

"Sexting" appears to be the term the kool kids use. I recall a few cases where the child was charged with manufacturing child pornography by taking/sending the picture.Can't see immediate details about results, I would hope that a few got dropped as it's bloody stupid. I suspect others resulted in some kind of legal entanglement that is court locked due to the ages of those involved.

[Junkenstein]

IME, the parents often DO get outraged.
Nobody gives a shit.

I've said it a dozen times...This is the sort of shit America DEMANDED for decades.  The hair shirt punishment freaks INSIST on voting for people who will "get tough on crime" in a system that is already tough on crime.

Eventually, to get elected, you have to expand your working definition of crime.

The bold gives rise to many of the fucked up decisions in history. I wonder, will there eventually be a shift from "Freed from" legislation to "freedom to"?

A lot of stupid laws to me seem based in the need to free or reassure people that they will not encounter X, or if you do there is some kind of recourse. I think a shift to "You are free to encounter X, and there is no recourse if you do" If this law was from the opposite angle and it's kind of hard to disagree with.

It also builds a degree of "Deal with it" into law, which I suspect 'Merika could really do with.

Anyway, on topic, I'd say the best way to deal with this would be for every parent who disagrees to send their child in with a pop-tart-penis. Let everyone shit themselves over potential lawsuits until they realise it's just food and fuck off. This is why I would be a terrible parent.

£5 says the kid grows up to make erotic cakes anyway.

Just leave the wrapper on. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sethyg/2374167074/

I was thinking more like:



Subtlety is not the way to go here. Tie it in to HIV/Sex/gay pride awareness week or something for extra awkward conversations.

Edited to show picture. Apparently it's 1000 words so this is one of my longer posts.

[Juana]

It really is sad that there is a need for a law to tell people to use common sense.
What's even worse is that there isn't every single parent at the school where these stupid suspensions are happening getting outraged and making the school change policy. The "It's not my kid" and "That's just how it is, what can you do?" way of thinking has become too entrenched I fear.

THIS.  If this happened at my daughter's school the Super, Principal, and School Board would be getting an earful on a daily basis until they reversed course. 


I'm surprised the school didn't ban pop-tarts.

Because schools really DO reverse course if you stay on their ass, instead of lying and trumping up even MORE absurd shit on your kids.

RWHN: Makes a big pretense of enforcing sobriety because he's mainlining Derpfairy dust.

Well, they used to, sometimes. I suspect that as this lovely little culture of fear we've developed settled into schools, it's become near impossible to get stupid-ass decisions like this reversed. Zero-tolerance is total horseshit, btw, RWHN. 100% fact.

It really is sad that there is a need for a law to tell people to use common sense.
What's even worse is that there isn't every single parent at the school where these stupid suspensions are happening getting outraged and making the school change policy. The "It's not my kid" and "That's just how it is, what can you do?" way of thinking has become too entrenched I fear.

THIS.  If this happened at my daughter's school the Super, Principal, and School Board would be getting an earful on a daily basis until they reversed course. 


I'm surprised the school didn't ban pop-tarts.

Because schools really DO reverse course if you stay on their ass, instead of lying and trumping up even MORE absurd shit on your kids.

It just happened here.  The school department wanted to go through a redistricting process and shuffle kids all over the place.  The citizens city councilmen's families and other smalltown "elite" got together, said "Fuck No!", and the school nixed the redistricting.  It took some work and rallying to pull it off but it did work.

Also, redistricting doesn't fall into the culture-of-fear thing like poptart guns do.

[AFK]

It really is sad that there is a need for a law to tell people to use common sense.
What's even worse is that there isn't every single parent at the school where these stupid suspensions are happening getting outraged and making the school change policy. The "It's not my kid" and "That's just how it is, what can you do?" way of thinking has become too entrenched I fear.

THIS.  If this happened at my daughter's school the Super, Principal, and School Board would be getting an earful on a daily basis until they reversed course. 


I'm surprised the school didn't ban pop-tarts.

Because schools really DO reverse course if you stay on their ass, instead of lying and trumping up even MORE absurd shit on your kids.

It just happened here.  The school department wanted to go through a redistricting process and shuffle kids all over the place.  The citizens city councilmen's families and other smalltown "elite" got together, said "Fuck No!", and the school nixed the redistricting.  It took some work and rallying to pull it off but it did work.

Nope.  The meetings were full of poor, blue-collars and Somali families.  About as far from elite as you can get. 

[AFK]

It really is sad that there is a need for a law to tell people to use common sense.
What's even worse is that there isn't every single parent at the school where these stupid suspensions are happening getting outraged and making the school change policy. The "It's not my kid" and "That's just how it is, what can you do?" way of thinking has become too entrenched I fear.

THIS.  If this happened at my daughter's school the Super, Principal, and School Board would be getting an earful on a daily basis until they reversed course. 


I'm surprised the school didn't ban pop-tarts.

Because schools really DO reverse course if you stay on their ass, instead of lying and trumping up even MORE absurd shit on your kids.

RWHN: Makes a big pretense of enforcing sobriety because he's mainlining Derpfairy dust.

Well, they used to, sometimes. I suspect that as this lovely little culture of fear we've developed settled into schools, it's become near impossible to get stupid-ass decisions like this reversed. Zero-tolerance is total horseshit, btw, RWHN. 100% fact.

No shit?  That's why I've lectured to school administration that zero-tolerance drug policies are wrong and shouldnt be used.  But have fun having at the man made of straw.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

It really is sad that there is a need for a law to tell people to use common sense.
What's even worse is that there isn't every single parent at the school where these stupid suspensions are happening getting outraged and making the school change policy. The "It's not my kid" and "That's just how it is, what can you do?" way of thinking has become too entrenched I fear.

THIS.  If this happened at my daughter's school the Super, Principal, and School Board would be getting an earful on a daily basis until they reversed course. 


I'm surprised the school didn't ban pop-tarts.

Because schools really DO reverse course if you stay on their ass, instead of lying and trumping up even MORE absurd shit on your kids.

RWHN: Makes a big pretense of enforcing sobriety because he's mainlining Derpfairy dust.

Well, they used to, sometimes. I suspect that as this lovely little culture of fear we've developed settled into schools, it's become near impossible to get stupid-ass decisions like this reversed. Zero-tolerance is total horseshit, btw, RWHN. 100% fact.

No shit?  That's why I've lectured to school administration that zero-tolerance drug policies are wrong and shouldnt be used.  But have fun having at the man made of straw.

Sorry, dude.  Zero tolerance is the inevitable outcome of prohibition.

[Juana]

Certainly on the drug front. But not on the violence one, like the poptart gun.

[Juana]

The zero-tolerance policy on violence is humans being dumb, panicky animals.

[Cain]

30 pages.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The zero-tolerance policy on violence is humans being dumb, panicky animals.

Naw.  I think it's a little more sinister than that.

The zero tolerance policies are driven by insurance rules.

The zero tolerance laws are driven by lobbyists from Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), who are primarily responsible for the sort of laws that make school a pipeline to prison or the military.

Now, I wonder if CCA owns any stock in the insurance companies that insure the schools?

[Juana]

Hmm, good point. The US prison population skyrocketed 1,664% between 1990 and 2009, and ZT became a thing in 1994. So yes, that makes sense.