# My son asked if he could walk out in protest today..here's how the conversation went.



## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

Son: is it OK if I protest on Wednesday?

Me: protest what? Why would you do that?
Son: protests initiate change; they bring awareness to the issue.

Me: yes, like what...
Son: like civil rights; people had to protest for the right to vote, etc (he went on)

Me: that's true! Protests can be a great catalyst. So what are you protesting?
Son: gun laws
Me: and what are the current gun laws?
Son: I don't know, but they need to change.
Me: how do you know that if you don't know what they are? Who makes the gun laws? Whose attention are you trying to get? State, federal, local...?
Son: I don't know.

Me: then no, you may not protest in ignorance. You don't protest something just because everyone else is doing it. What is happening in our schools is wrong, and scary, and sad, and yes, some things need to change. But you must educate yourself before you can be an agent of change.

I'm all about protesting for change, for justice, and being passionate about a cause; I'm not about blindly following the crowd in ignorance...


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Sums up most of the kids, those at parkland their grief is being used by adults to push anti-gun ideals.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Cait43*, I'm passing your post on to others.
I hope that's OK.


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

Sadly the kids in school are now Political Pawns. The liberal/socialism education system teaches them to Protest first then ask Who, What When, Where later. All the kids know is to Protest! Egads! Good post Cait43!


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

I'm waiting for questions on this from my 17 yo grandson. I'm pretty sure he will duck it on some pretext, since he loves to shoot and is very good at it. But, it's very hard to buck the trend, at that age. Still, if he would, others would follow. Of course, the anti-gunners are likely to be in the minority in my neck of the woods, even in high school.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

My grand daughter who is 13 and I had a similar conversation but I explained how the laws already existing were not enforced.
Then she brought up "protecting children" so I asked if she wanted them to pass laws to protect children then they will not allow children to drive because of all the children who get killed driving, and she did not like that idea. She now gets the idea of unintended consequences and why emotions are bad to make laws from.


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## joepolo (Mar 28, 2016)

https://www.facebook.com/iFIBERONENEWS/videos/1242980629167488/?t=0 Found this on facebook, thought it was one that made sence. I think she understands the problem, and knows it's not the guns. Not sure if the link will work.


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## Greybeard (Mar 17, 2013)

Cait43 said:


> Son: is it OK if I protest on Wednesday?
> 
> Me: protest what? Why would you do that?
> Son: protests initiate change; they bring awareness to the issue.
> ...


Well Said!


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## AZdave (Oct 23, 2015)

Granted most teen agers are smarter than reporters. That is not a very hard thing to accomplish with today's reporters.

But when is a teen ager smarter than an adult? On any subject other than cell phones and video games ?

I can't remember how did the Children's Crusade turn out? I don't think that was a good outcome.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Childrens-Crusade


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Change for the sake of change is never good. Even if it works, all you did was get lucky.


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

tony pasley said:


> Sums up most of the kids, those at parkland their grief is being used by adults to push anti-gun ideals.


Political pawns?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> *Cait43*, I'm passing your post on to others.
> I hope that's OK.


Whatever I post is free to all to pass on......


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

AZdave said:


> ...how did the Children's Crusade turn out? I don't think that was a good outcome.
> https://www.britannica.com/event/Childrens-Crusade


It didn't turn out well.
Most of the children were preyed upon by depraved adults, as the "crusade" passed by.
They never got to Palestine, which is probably a good thing: I suppose that it's better to be sold into slavery in Europe, than to be first abused and then beheaded for trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Now there is at least one historian who calls the entire episode a kind of hoax.
See "Revisionist's View" at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Crusade


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Thank you Steve. I figured you'd see the underlying thought behind what I wrote about the sake of change.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> It didn't turn out well.
> Most of the children were preyed upon by depraved adults, as the "crusade" passed by.
> They never got to Palestine, which is probably a good thing: I suppose that it's better to be sold into slavery in Europe, than to be first abused and then beheaded for trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.
> 
> ...


World History was a required core subject in tenth grade when I went to high school. I was so fortunate to have had one of the best World History teachers in our school. He spoke eight languages, I also had him for three years of French, and he taught part time in the evening at Georgetown University. He was amazing and made history come alive for me. I don't remember everything he taught but I do still remember a bit of it. I am fond of saying that history is your greatest teacher. I attribute that attitude to Mr. Condit.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I, too, had a great history teacher in high school: Mr. Newcomb.
My, oh my, could he tell a story! His lectures were pure pleasure.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

I have to teach history to my grand children now as I had to do with my children. The school systems won't teach real history because it would teach how wrong the progressive ideals are. I use Hillsdale College free courses on line to teach civics. At first they don't like but then a switch turns on and they get into knowing more than the rest of their class.


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## Hawker800 (Mar 16, 2018)

Excellent response OP.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> I, too, had a great history teacher in high school: Mr. Newcomb.
> My, oh my, could he tell a story! His lectures were pure pleasure.


Almost our entire class time in World History was Mr. Condit giving his somewhat animated and highly riveting "lectures" (really just verbal history teachings). He rarely used a book, though of course we did have world history books, and it was just fascinating.

To the OP;

Good lesson for your son. Trying to get him to think critically, logically, and with forethought and knowledge is the hallmark of the educational experience.


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## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

SouthernBoy said:


> To the OP;
> 
> Good lesson for your son. Trying to get him to think critically, logically, and with forethought and knowledge is the hallmark of the educational experience.


I can't take credit...... Found it on Facebook.... I should noted that.....


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

When educating children, you use whatever you need.
It doesn't matter where you find it.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Steve it does matter there is so many false information and misinformation out there. I make sure that what I use can be verified at least 2 different ways with reliable sources.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

We're both right.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> When educating children, you use whatever you need.
> It doesn't matter where you find it.


Just like disciplining them. Use whatever tools you need to raise them up to be responsible, productive adults.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> I, too, had a great history teacher in high school: Mr. Newcomb.
> My, oh my, could he tell a story! His lectures were pure pleasure.


My dad was a Depression-era child of sharecroppers who required the eldest son to skip school when help was needed to feed the family. Because of that, he was a year late in finishing high school, and only finished at all because of a great teacher who provided him with books.

He considered education to be a luxury, most often reserved for well-to-do city kids, but believed it could be overcome with self-education. His favorite subject was history, so, when I would bring my new textbooks home to put the required covers on them, he would examine them, and would always instruct me to bring home my history books, so he could read them (sometimes science, too). What he found within my history textbooks were often the topics of long father-son discussions, and I loved it. He put it all into a narrative form for me, connecting the dots along the way (think Andy Griffith on Paul Revere, here). Consequently, I often knew more history than the various coaches who were forced to teach one subject as part of their terms of employment.

I also had a great 5th grade history and English teacher, who pressured me (and others) to enter writing contests, which usually meant that the subject was history or government. I knew so much history by the time I got to junior high that I had to conceal it from the other kids, so they didn't treat me like a 'braniac.' I played every sport, at the time, and being smart was not really conducive to being popular, which every kid considered important, in those days. Fortunately, I got over that and became an individual, after a few nervous school dances and pep rallies, and was a fairly well balanced adult by the time I graduated high school.

Naturally, I raised my daughters in a similar way, although their lack of excitement about cowboys and Indians and soldiers was a hindrance. Still, they were sweet girls and were nice enough to humor me for several years, and in the process, they still know more history than most kids of their generation.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Teachers:

In my daughter's first year of high school, her English teacher required everyone in her class to enter an essay contest. The subject was "World Ecology."
My daughter wrote her piece as if she were in the far future, looking back at today. But she was a beginning English-essay writer, and all of her verbs were in the present tense.
I pointed out the problem, and helped her to understand the use of the many verb tenses available to her. By the end of her rewrite, she was even able to use the past perfect conditional tense properly.
When she submitted her essay, her teacher looked it over. Than she looked up and said, "You've used all of these verb tenses properly in your essay, but, believe me, the judges are not well-enough educated themselves, to understand what you've done here. I suggest that you change everything into the present tense instead."
So she did, and then she re-submitted the rewritten rewrite.

Making a long story short: She won the contest.

(The prize was to meet our then-ecology-champion-Vice-President, Al Gore. Yeah, she eventually realized that he was a phony.)


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

My introduction to history came from my grand father, and his father, a couple of uncles. Great grand father served in Cuba, Grand father trained soldiers to work with mules during WW I, his cousins went to Frances, uncles were in WW II, Father was in Korea. Mementos and souvenirs Medals and Discharge Papers on the walls and the stories that went with them. The one that stuck with me was about my grand fathers best friend. They enlisted together but they promoted my grand father and had him training soldiers to work with mules because that is what he did for a living. Mr. Hamilton was also a mule skinner but because he was black he could only clean the stables. Mr. Hamilton's grand father was a Lt. in the scout squadron for the Texas 27th Calvary, 1863.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

tony pasley said:


> ...Mr. Hamilton was also a mule skinner but because he was black he could only clean the stables...


_Finally_, we've come a long way, since then.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

tony pasley said:


> My introduction to history came from my grand father, and his father, a couple of uncles. Great grand father served in Cuba, Grand father trained soldiers to work with mules during WW I, his cousins went to Frances, uncles were in WW II, Father was in Korea. Mementos and souvenirs Medals and Discharge Papers on the walls and the stories that went with them. The one that stuck with me was about my grand fathers best friend. They enlisted together but they promoted my grand father and had him training soldiers to work with mules because that is what he did for a living. Mr. Hamilton was also a mule skinner but because he was black he could only clean the stables. Mr. Hamilton's grand father was a Lt. in the scout squadron for the Texas 27th Calvary, 1863.


Tony, that's what got me into history, too, really. But my dad came home from WWII where he was taught to hate Japs and love our Chinese allies. Then, he went to Korea as an Infantry 1st Sgt., where he trained on Hokkaido and was ordered to teach his men that the Japanese were our friends, and the Chinese were the _Yellow Peril_.

So, when he got home the second time, he decided to crack a few books and find out what all this 'war business' was about. That's about where where I entered the picture.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Bisley said:


> ...the Chinese were the _Yellow Peril_...


Ah, so...
Lieutenant Colonel Fu Manchu, I presume?

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu
(Saxe Rohmer's _Fu Manchu_ stories were the origin of the term "yellow peril.")

I recently learned the real history behind white America's unreasoning fear of the Chinese-immigrant "Tong wars," in which laundrymen and cooks were said to go after each other with butchers' cleavers.
The immigrant Chinese were from two different clans, from widely separated areas of Imperial China. The two clans spoke different dialects, which, in Chinese, really means "entirely different languages," and, more important, they were of entirely different political orientations.
_Tong_ indicated "political party," much like Republican versus Democrat. People from different Tongs would be socially hostile to one-another, and loud, vociferous arguments would be a feature of their social interactions.
These loud arguments, in unintelligible languages, struck fear into white-American witnesses. The Chinese seemed as if they were about to attack each other, so the myth grew of "Tong wars" featuring mayhem and even murder.
With very rare exception, it wasn't true. Neither were any of the mythic fears of abductions into "white slavery" in the back alleys of Chinatown, which were based upon America's decision not to allow immigration by Chinese women.

For further reading on the subject, see the writings of Brian Dervin Dillon, Ph.D., in _The California Territorial Quarterly_ magazine.
And, while you're at it, buy one of the marvelous reloading presses made by his family.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> _Finally_, we've come a long way, since then.


In the Confederate States Army his grandfather was a Lt. but in the U.S. army under Wilson he could only be a private cleaning stables.


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