November 21, 2003

Adolescents lying terrified on the ground as police officers with guns drawn walk through the hallway of their school while police dogs sniff their backpacks; these images that were flashed across televisions all over the world last week, did not come from Pyongyang, Havana or Tehran. They originated from Goose Creek, South Carolina. Has America gone mad?

The Police went to Stratford High School looking for drugs. The school's principal, George McCrackin, had summoned them after observing suspicious activity on video collected by cameras throughout the campus. The authorities strongly suspected some youths were selling marijuana and prescription drugs so they decided to take action.

The selling of narcotics on school grounds is unacceptable, but does it take a full blown police raid to put a stop to it? Most people can remember when those who misbehaved in school were summoned to the principal’s office, along with their parents, and warned or punished for their behavior. If the warning or punishment did not suffice suspension and or expulsion would soon follow.

It seems as though the school administrator and police were trying to teach the children a lesson. They may have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, since the lessons learned by the students at Stratford High School that day were many and will probably never be forgotten.

As they were ordered on the ground by the gun toting police officers and had their backpack sniffed by dogs, they learned that the fourth Amendment may look good on paper but it doesn’t really apply to anyone. I’m assuming these children had been taught about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (then again this was a government school).

While the police officers barked out orders, shoved and handcuffed their classmates, the more astute students would realize that many policemen are not really their friend. They would also notice that, regardless of their own innocence, those in positions of power could abuse them and needlessly put them in peril.

When they were told that the suspicion had arisen from footage shot from cameras in their school, they learned that they should never expect any right to privacy. When they become adults they should not be shocked or surprised when cameras are placed on street corners, in government buildings or other public places.

The most important lesson learned on that tense day came when the police walked away empty handed. Though they had used overwhelming force and had access to video of the students behavior, the government officers were unable to apprehend their suspects. This could lead impressionable minds to believe that crime does pay. Perhaps the more discerning students will also get the notion that government is inefficient and populated mostly by inept fools.

This incident brought two colossal government programs to the forefront, public education and the War on Drugs. Public (I.E. Government) education is the darling of liberals, though it fails miserably in educating our children. Despite its shortcoming, liberals fight any proposed competitive changes in government education ferociously, while at the same time confiscating more and more of our money to feed this inefficient bureaucratic beast. The War on Drugs is most conservative’s favorite son, in spite of the fact that most of the legislation it has spawned is unconstitutional and violates the most basic human and property rights. This latest event amongst many, sheds light on the fact that America has been turned on its head, from the noble ideas of its founders of individual rights, responsibility and freedom, to the totalitarian collectivist mess we have today.

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