In case you missed it, here is the "Pop Tart gun" incident, as described by the Washington Post:
A 7-year-old Anne Arundel County boy was suspended for two days for chewing a breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun and saying, “Bang, bang”— an offense the school described as a threat to other students, according to his family.More at the link (Pop Tart photo via, child photo from ABC15.com).
The pastry “gun” was a rectangular strawberry-filled bar, akin to a Pop-Tart, that the second-grader had tried to nibble into the shape of a mountain Friday morning, but then found it looked more like a gun, said his father, William “B.J.” Welch.
Welch said an assistant principal at Park Elementary School told him that his son pointed the pastry at a classmate — though the child maintains he pointed it at the ceiling...
Anne Arundel officials could not comment on the pastry incident because of confidentiality laws, schools spokesman Bob Mosier said. He did say, however, that a letter was sent home to families Friday and is posted on the school’s Web site.
In the letter, Myrna Phillips, assistant principal at the school, informed parents that a student “used food to make inappropriate gestures that disrupted the class” but said no “physical threats” were made and no one was harmed.
If children are troubled by the incident, Phillips wrote, parents should “help them share their feelings.” In addition, a counselor will be available to students, the letter said. “In general, please remind them of the importance of making good choices,” she wrote.
I have expressed my own disdain for "zero tolerance" school policies on several occasions (here, here, here, or search the blog for "zero brains"), but an Illinois church (Grace-Gospel Fellowship church near Chicago) has taken it to the next level:
And this from Clash Daily:The story of the little boy suspended over his Pop Tart gun not only inspired legislation to stop such absurd school discipline, it inspired an Illinois church to celebrate “Second Amendment Sunday” with an “assault” Pop Tart gun-biting contest for Sunday school students...
Kirkwood told Doug Giles of Clash Daily that Christians must stop being apathetic and stand up and fight for our God-given rights...
“Each child who wanted to participate chewed a pop-tart into the shape of a gun and the top four would win prizes; in this case a toy gun,” Kirkwood told Giles. Clash Daily reported the following on the awesome prizes:
“Second runner up received a double barrel shot-gun that we nicknamed ‘The Biden,’ and when we presented it we made sure to say what ‘not’ to do with it in a real situation. The prize for runner up was a Navy Seal sniper rifle that we named ‘The Chris Kyle’ in honor of the American Sniper. We felt that it was appropriate,” added Kirkwood, “given the insulting way that this administration ignored the death of this American hero, yet had the crust to send a delegation to the memorial service for Hugo Chavez.”
What was the top award? Kirkwood smiled and noted, “You know, I stood in the toy aisle for a good half an hour to choose just the right one and it turned out to be the biggest Nerf gun that I could find, and the kicker – the box was marked ‘semi-auto’ and ‘high capacity,’ so we named that one ‘the Feinstein.’”
What was the general response to this rather unique worship service? “Well one couple did walk out, though I was told it was for another engagement, but overall the response was tremendous and we plan on doing it every year … and next year the prizes will be even better. Our Bible Boot Camp class (High School age) will be challenged to come up with a 5 minute speech on the right to bear arms and the winner will walk away with a Ruger 10/22,” said Kirkwood, “who knows, maybe by then we’ll have sponsors.”
Last two photos via Clash Daily (where the comment thread is... interesting).
I'll defer any commentary.
Seems schools spend an awful lot of energy not teaching kids these days. Poptarts don't offend overly paranoid educators, creative children do.
ReplyDeleteI think the bigger (no pun intended, in this age of obesity) issue is how any parent who claims to love their kid could put that poisonous crap in their lunch. Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, liquid invert sugar (whatever the hell THAT is), a list of chemicals as long as your arm, and food dye = Blech!
ReplyDeleteIts a sugary treat...big whoop. The kid doesn't look tubby just yet.
DeleteThe "big whoop" is that it's the sugary/fatty/starchy crap like this - masquerading as food - that is causing the epidemic of obesity in North America. An epidemic that is eating up valuable healthcare resources and causing people to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. And it is being cleverly and insidiously marketed to our children by people who spend billions of dollars researching how to make it even more addictive and irresistable. Your flippant comment about the boy in question not looking "tubby" - yet - perfectly illustrates the willful ignorance and intellectual laziness of too many North Americans who refuse to educate themselves about what they're putting into their bodies. Garbage in, garbage out.
DeleteOh no. I ate pop tarts all the time when I was a kid. I guess being 21 and 5'11" and weighing in at 130lbs now is totally because I ate sugary foods when I was young. Herp Derp. Please. The problem is learning how to teach people to have well-rounded diets. Just because sugar isn't the best thing in the world for you doesn't mean you can't have it.
DeleteConsider yourself lucky - or smart, or media-savvy if that makes you feel better - that you've managed to stay slim despite the non-stop overwhelming messages being pounded into us every day to "eat, eat, eat - preferably our brand of fatty, sugary garbage!". You're still young yet; let's see if you're still that slim (and that smug about it) after 15 years of sitting behind a desk.
DeleteRe: your comment about learning to teach people to eat properly, see my original comment about willful ignorance and intellectual laziness. Of course you can have sugar. I love sugar, but that doesn't mean I make it a mainstay of my diet.
So what part of this has to do with the actual article above?
DeleteThe "Big whoop" Is people getting outraged at how other people choose to raise thier childern. You know nothing of thier relationship, so stop it. Just stop being a busybody please.
DeleteA pox on both their houses. A clear case of "the enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend."
ReplyDeleteThe land of the free sures looks weird from over here sometimes. Shouldn't kids be allowed to just play out their fantasies? At least in this innocent age bracket?
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is: Looking towards America is always like looking 20 years in our future. You cannot even laugh about that anymore. The media and some "well meaning" interest groups will bring all that to Europe. No doubt about it.
It must be very disconcerting watching antics like this from close range, but for the rest of the planet the American circus is just beginning to become really entertaining. All the tattoos, body-piercings, nudity, and gender bending is hilarious if it is not your children. Even the soaring suicide rate of their military is rather a cruel joke of sorts.
ReplyDeleteChurches which encourage their minors in the congregation to focus on the second amendment and the right to carry things designed to inflict injuries and death are hugely missing the point of the teachings in which they profess to believe, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteAny church that supports wars and/or supports voting for governmental politics is just an imposter that does the exact opposite of what Jesus did when on Earth.
DeleteI'm amazed that a story about cretins who suspend a child from school for using his imagination, and the reaction of a Church That Worships Weapons, generates a discussion thread that focuses on the nutritional value/nonvalue of Pop Tarts.
ReplyDeleteHope you don't mind, I'm adding an addendum to my weekly blog post on my own blog linking back to this ... great post, as so many here are (hence why TYWKIWDBI is one of my top three blogs to ALWAYS read), and being a farmer (well, working on it), and a huge supporter of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, a 2A post like this rather garners my attention. Thanks for the post, and boy do I wish I lived closer to that church, lol.
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to harvest anything you see here. Good luck to you and Bouncer at the future farm.
Delete“In general, please remind them of the importance of making good choices," This, in the letter from the school that considered a pop tart "gun" worthy of arranging counseling for the other kids in class.
ReplyDeleteTelling the kids "don't play with your food" would likely be more productive, sane, and cost everyone less money.
DeleteWhat a bunch of extremist, ignorant mutants. Looking at their Facebook page it looks like they're one "God Hates Fags" sign short of being like a Fred Phelps type cult group.
ReplyDelete“Second runner up received a double barrel shot-gun that we nicknamed ‘The Biden,’ and when we presented it we made sure to say what ‘not’ to do with it in a real situation. The prize for runner up was a Navy Seal sniper rifle that we named ‘The Chris Kyle’ in honor of the American Sniper. We felt that it was appropriate,” added Kirkwood, “given the insulting way that this administration ignored the death of this American hero, yet had the crust to send a delegation to the memorial service for Hugo Chavez.”
What was the top award? Kirkwood smiled and noted, “You know, I stood in the toy aisle for a good half an hour to choose just the right one and it turned out to be the biggest Nerf gun that I could find, and the kicker – the box was marked ‘semi-auto’ and ‘high capacity,’ so we named that one ‘the Feinstein.’
I think it's a good example of what "zero tolerance" policies do. "Zero-tolerance" starts out sounding very effective and reassuring but I think what's really happening is that a person or group decides to deal with a problem by making a sweeping edict which essentially removes reasonable thought from the process. It's a 'if this then that' mentality that works great for mindless activities... not so much when things get "complicated". Just say "no" to zero-tolerance policies!
ReplyDeleteWow! I never stopped to think how our choices look to everyone else in the world. What a rediculous example we are setting. On behalf of all Americans, and Christians, who really care about our children, I am sorry!
ReplyDelete