Anonymous wrote:
I think the March in DC will show the strength in numbers these future voters have. Theynwill be voters by 2020 in huge numbers! We did not gomtomschool in world they have today. When elementary schools have shooter drills ( not called this in granddaughter's E'S by name), this is why the teens marching matters. I was in DC as a college student at GWU and remember quite well the marches of the late 1960 involving poverty, racism and the Vietnam War and public mobilization can matter.

And the future voters at those marches.... who did they grow up and vote for?? Oh right!! Reagan.

Anonymous wrote:So the kids were generally quiet and stood outside for 17 minutes.

And this principal is gushing such praise on them for that?

They did absolutely nothing. They gave nothing. They sacrificed nothing.

This is what passes for amazing accomplishment from our snowflakes today?

LOL. Exactly. Wonder how many were on their phones????

Though I am in favor of gun control, I see the protests as simply our students finally saying, "Keep us safe." Period.

It will likely narrow down to gun rights at some point, because we can't legislate "good parenting" and locking up students simply because we suspect they may resort to violence in the future.

However, for now, the kids just want this issue to stay front and center. We have failed them miserably for decades; even the slaughter of kindergartners had no effect.

All those who claim they don't care and just want selfies, and are equating their protests with Disney vacations: Shame on you. I sincerely hope you are a bunch of crabby retirees with too much time on your hands and not currently parents yourselves. I feel sorry for your children if so, that you would have so little faith in their ability to believe in a cause and affect change. If that's the message you are sending, then YOU are the one who needs to be checked for parenting skills.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1 These kids learned more about our system of government yesterday than they would sitting in any class for the same 17 minutes.

Exactly what did they learn about "our system of government" by standing outside for 17 minutes? Were they directly lobbying any lawmakers? Nope. That time would have been better served by writing letters to their local representatives. These marches are simply about the optics. Virtue signaling at its finest.

What did they learn about our system of government yesterday? I think this piece provides at least a partial answer to that question.

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2018/We-Will-Remain-Persistent-Until-There-Is-Change/

Meanwhile, my MS kid did write letters to local representatives, in class -- followed by a walk-out.

np. Link won't open for me. Can you summarize?

2,500 high school students from Montgomery County went to DC yesterday, protested in front of the White House, then went to the Capitol and talked to and heard from representatives and senators.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Additionally, these werent random protests, that kids are going to start having every week: it was a Naional Protest, as in all over the country, kids walking out to demonstrate that they want to be safe at school.

Yes, exactly as they did on Feb. 21. Is this going to be a monthly thing?
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/school-walkout-gun-control-protest_us_5a8d9afae4b00a30a251a02d

School shootings are at least a monthly thing.

Gang murders are a weekly thing. Texting-while-driving deaths are a daily thing. Much better to focus on those.

You focus on the things you find important, I'll focus on the things I find important, and these kids will focus on the things they find important.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Additionally, these werent random protests, that kids are going to start having every week: it was a Naional Protest, as in all over the country, kids walking out to demonstrate that they want to be safe at school.

Yes, exactly as they did on Feb. 21. Is this going to be a monthly thing?
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/school-walkout-gun-control-protest_us_5a8d9afae4b00a30a251a02d

School shootings are at least a monthly thing.

Gang murders are a weekly thing. Texting-while-driving deaths are a daily thing. Much better to focus on those.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1 These kids learned more about our system of government yesterday than they would sitting in any class for the same 17 minutes.

Exactly what did they learn about "our system of government" by standing outside for 17 minutes? Were they directly lobbying any lawmakers? Nope. That time would have been better served by writing letters to their local representatives. These marches are simply about the optics. Virtue signaling at its finest.

What did they learn about our system of government yesterday? I think this piece provides at least a partial answer to that question.

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2018/We-Will-Remain-Persistent-Until-There-Is-Change/

Meanwhile, my MS kid did write letters to local representatives, in class -- followed by a walk-out.

np. Link won't open for me. Can you summarize?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Additionally, these werent random protests, that kids are going to start having every week: it was a Naional Protest, as in all over the country, kids walking out to demonstrate that they want to be safe at school.

Yes, exactly as they did on Feb. 21. Is this going to be a monthly thing?
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/school-walkout-gun-control-protest_us_5a8d9afae4b00a30a251a02d

School shootings are at least a monthly thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1 These kids learned more about our system of government yesterday than they would sitting in any class for the same 17 minutes.

Exactly what did they learn about "our system of government" by standing outside for 17 minutes? Were they directly lobbying any lawmakers? Nope. That time would have been better served by writing letters to their local representatives. These marches are simply about the optics. Virtue signaling at its finest.

What did they learn about our system of government yesterday? I think this piece provides at least a partial answer to that question.

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2018/We-Will-Remain-Persistent-Until-There-Is-Change/

Meanwhile, my MS kid did write letters to local representatives, in class -- followed by a walk-out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have spent 26 years raising children. I have always gone out of my way to make sure my kids don't miss any school. It's been hammered into our brains how every day/hour/minute of classroom instruction time is extremely important. Then they cave in to this and lose all credibility with me.

Suddenly, my Disney trip when the airline rates are low doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

Oh please. Your kids' schools never did a pep rally? Fundraiser assembly? Dance as a reward for good behavior?

Go ahead and take your Disney trip for Pete's sake. Kids can spare 17 minutes for a lockdown drill, they can spare 17 minutes to raise awareness for the need for gun control.

+1 These kids learned more about our system of government yesterday than they would sitting in any class for the same 17 minutes.

Exactly what did they learn about "our system of government" by standing outside for 17 minutes? Were they directly lobbying any lawmakers? Nope. That time would have been better served by writing letters to their local representatives. These marches are simply about the optics. Virtue signaling at its finest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Equate missing days of school to go to an amusement park with missing less than an hour to participate in an historic protest?

Okay then.

This isn't an historic protest. Seriously no one will care next year. And, the protest could have been done on Saturday.

Good luck getting any of these kids to show up on a Saturday. That would involve some level of effort.

They might commit to a Facebook status update, but that's about it.

That's about the extent of yesterday's marches - a nice photo op for their Instagram/Snapchat stories. Lots of selfies.

Anonymous wrote:Additionally, these werent random protests, that kids are going to start having every week: it was a Naional Protest, as in all over the country, kids walking out to demonstrate that they want to be safe at school.

Yes, exactly as they did on Feb. 21. Is this going to be a monthly thing?
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/school-walkout-gun-control-protest_us_5a8d9afae4b00a30a251a02d

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have spent 26 years raising children. I have always gone out of my way to make sure my kids don't miss any school. It's been hammered into our brains how every day/hour/minute of classroom instruction time is extremely important. Then they cave in to this and lose all credibility with me.

Suddenly, my Disney trip when the airline rates are low doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

Oh please. Your kids' schools never did a pep rally? Fundraiser assembly? Dance as a reward for good behavior?

Go ahead and take your Disney trip for Pete's sake. Kids can spare 17 minutes for a lockdown drill, they can spare 17 minutes to raise awareness for the need for gun control.

+1 These kids learned more about our system of government yesterday than they would sitting in any class for the same 17 minutes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Equate missing days of school to go to an amusement park with missing less than an hour to participate in an historic protest?

Okay then.

sophisticated reasoning not a strength for some of these posters . . .

But smugness and sanctimony certainly is...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Barf. "Teens today" are also the ones responsible for a lot of these shootings-- not sure we want "the future of our nation" in the shooters' "great hands."

If they wanted to do something moving..... organize a trash pick up. Organize a campaign to write to lawmakers. Stage a peaceful "walk in" at a gun show ON A WEEKEND.

I'll do you the favor of taking your crass rebuttal seriously.

Many of these kids, including mine and most of her friends, will be at the DC march next weekend and at dozens of regional marches happening simultaneously.

They are also writing to and calling lawmakers, although for those of us who are DC residents, it's a moot point. (They'd probably have to write to Marco Rubio, who loves to play with gun laws in DC in order to raise his NRA rating, but obviously he won't listen to our kids.) What makes you think that they aren't also doing those things?

For obvious reasons, it wouldn't be safe for teenagers to protest outside gun shows.

The same kids who are attending these marches and organizing these walk-outs are also the kinds of people who will become community leaders who "organize trash pickups" when they are adults.

Until that happens, any praise now is grossly premature.

In that case, so is any condemnation now.