The parents of Ryan Schallenberger undoubtedly saved a lot of lives when they turned in their son as a potential bomber. Authorities said he had all the components he needed to make several deadly bombs.
Ryan Schallenberger had used E-Bay to order 20lbs of ammonium nitrate from a supplier in Kentucky. The teen has been described as being "mad at the whole world". In a search of the family home, Law Enforcement officers discovered hate filled writings in which he praised the Columbine killers.
Having just returned from a Threat Assessment workshop at UCLA put on by Gavin De Becker Associates, I was able to identify many of the same characteristics that we looked at when examining other teenage killers who have wreaked havoc in schools across the U.S. Teens like this tend to have a "chip on their shoulder" and feel like they need to cause grave damage in order to "get even" or "teach people a lesson". Unfortunately, the "copy cat" phenomenon is a common denominator and these troubled teens seem to look up to those who have killed previously.
We all have a part to play in keeping schools safe. More parents need to emulate the Schallenbergers, who were willing to turn their own son in, knowing that he will most likely be locked away for a very long time thereby ensuring the safety of others. Class mates who hear rumors need to alert guidance counsellors and teachers and not be so quick to dismiss their fears and concerns. We need to get rid of any feelings that might suggest:"this could never happen at our school".
It is a sad fact that this terrible trend looks set to continue and violent behavior is capable of happening in any school where adequate security precautions are not taken. Whether it is from television, video games, broken homes or any other contributing factor, our youth are being exposed to higher and more toxic levels of violence every day. Perhaps we can do a better job at home and help to nip this evil trend in the bud before our classrooms begin to resemble battlefields.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Teen bomb maker stopped in his tracks in South Carolina.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Fidel Castro exports his criminals, but we give guns to ours.
I was shocked to hear the news on CBS yesterday that the Army and Marine Corps are allowing convicted Felons to join their ranks. Are recruiters that desperate or just plain lazy?
The newscaster said that the Army and Marine Corps are going to open their doors to Felons who have been convicted of Robbery, Burglary, sex offenses and making terroristc threats. What can they be thinking? Have the lunatics started running the assylum?
These are some of the worst offenses on the books. I could somewhat understand if they said: "we are going to make allowances for those who have been convicted of multiple DUI/DWIs and as a result, have been declared felons". This new policy sounds like a plot taken straight out of Hollywood...."The Dirty Dozen" springs to mind.
One would think that the military upper echelon have enough on their plate everytime a story breaks about a young girl being raped in Iraq or Japan by U.S. military personnel. One can only imagine the future problems that will arise when they willingly open their doors to convicted child molesters, rapists, robbers, burglars and terrorist sympathisers/radicals.
The Navy and Airforce should be congratulated on failing to stoop so low. I hope they resit the temptation to put the same uniforms that have been worn so proudly in the past by decent human beings on those who should be wearing prison jump suits.
Maybe if the Government paid soldiers a decent salary, which is to say, much more than the $3,000 per month that they now get to put their lives in harm's way instead of giving it to Government contracting companies who charge the Government as much as $250,000 per year per contractor AND many times overcharge and over-bill the very same Government who are willing to pay a king's ransom in the first place.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Parents who say "No" to guns, but also "No" to metal detectors?
If there ever was a case of "having your cake and eating it", this must surely be it.
Daniel De Vise, a reporter for the Washington Post wrote an article that recently caught my attention. The title read: "Suburban Schools Reject Metal Detectors". The word "Why" kept ringing in my ears as I read the story. Apparently, many parents feel that metal detectors in schools make the schools seem like camps or prisons. Surprisingly, consensus is building against the machines even at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, where last week, three loaded guns were found in a locker.
As if this was not bad enough, the article claims that many school officials view metal detectors as costly, impractical and fallible. Costly? Compared to what? If a metal detector saves even one life (and from what we have been witnessing at school shootings, single shootings are the exception while multiple killings are the "norm"), has that machine not paid for itself for the rest of time?
Another complaint amongst teachers appear to be the fact that the detectors will slow down access and leave children a few minutes late for class. I have not conducted a poll amongst parents but I am 100% sure I know what the result would be if I polled parents on which was most important: their child being five minutes late for class because they had to walk through a metal detector to keep them safe or getting to class in time but possibly becoming the victim of a deranged classroom killer who was able to bring a weapon into school because there was nothing to stop him.
I recently returned from a Threat Assessment workshop at UCLA hosted by Gavin De Becker and Associates. We studied school killings in greater detail. The one thing that was repeated throughout the course was the fact that many people are in denial. They want to believe that it couldn't happen to them or at their school. The sad fact is, it can happen anywhere that does not have adequate security. We live in more violent times and there does not seem to be any sign of things getting better any time soon. Sticking our heads in the sand and hoping the "Bogeyman" goes away is not the answer. We have got to act responsibly and demand that schools take every measure they can to keep our children safe.
The problem with Government contracting
I am often asked if we "do government contracting'. When people in the Washington D.C. metro area find out that I am the president of a private security firm, they immediately think "government". While there are small (and not so small) fortunes to be made in that arena, it is also rife with problems.
The Washington Post on Friday ran a story about such a problem involving Air Force officers "steering" a contract to a company that "barely existed" but had a recently retired four-star general onboard. The article describes how the head of the selection team almost immediately "caved" and gave in after the highest ranking officer in the room, Maj. Gen. Stephen Goldfein advised them that if he could pick the winner, it would be SMS (the company with the recently retired four-star General)
Another member of the team described it as the dirtiest thing he had ever experienced. This is one ofthe reasons why so many small businesses can not compete in the lucrative but unfairly biased world of government contracting. While we work hard to attract customers and retain clients AFTER we run the gauntlet of bureaucratic requirements: licensing, federal and state compliance, insurance, building permits, etc. - those with a retired general on their payroll can win a $50 million dollar contract when they barely exist.
My question is this: if we are willing to jail unscrupulous CEOs who act fraudulently and unethically, why can't we send these high ranking officers to the brig (USDB) at Ft. Leavenworth after they have been stripped of their rank and pensions? I have a feeling that this action would send out a pretty clear message. These brassed-up bullies need to be taught a lesson. It's about time that we gave the "little guys" a break and punished the bullies.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Heartbroken mother of slain children speaks out about the Montgommery County court system
Amy Castillo's three little children were drowned by their father in a Baltimore hotel bathtub last week when he had them on visitation.
After the father, Mark Castillo, had drowned the little children, one by one, he attempted suicide my swallowing Motrin tablets and stabbing himself in the neck with a steak knife. Apparently, he was more accomplished at murder than suicide, and his half-hearted attempt to kill himself failed. He has been charged with first degree murder.
Understandably, Mrs. Castillo takes little comfort from his arrest. She feels that the court system needs to better understand mental illness and her case is living testimony to this. Mark Castillo had been diagnosed with depression and had been invouluntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2006 after planning to kill himself.
One wonders why the courts could not take this into consideration when allowing him unsupervised visitation a short while later. It was not as if he had visibly turned his life around. According to the article in the Washington Post he was unemployed and having issues. his ex-wife described him as: "I think all around he was in trouble. I think he was getting more and more angry".
We are often hired by clients to document the behavior of a parent. Sometime the client is an ex-spouse but quite often it is a concerned grandparent whose only motivation is love and wants to make sure the child(ren)comes to no harm. Many times the children are living in reckless situations and are lucky that their fate is not being left up to the courts and social servcies. While these authorities mean well, they do not often act in an expeditious manner such as in the Castillo case.
To parents we say: keep voicing your concerens until someone listens. If you have to go to a judge with a video of erratic or dangerous behavior or just the gut feeling of a parent, do not give up. Do everything you can and maybe your concerns will be heard and the slow bogged-down system will work for you.
