For Virginia Tech and all of Us

To You, the almighty eternal Creator,

Lord, we pray turn this evil into Good; Let this remind us how fallen this doomed world is; That our true Hope is in You alone; How much we all need You and Your eternal Truth. Encourage those who can to bring comfort where it is needed most. Be with those injured physically and emotionally, with those families and friends. Remind them how Real You are; How Real Your promise of Heaven is for anyone who persists in trying to know You personally until it is You they love.

In the name of the Messiah; God in the flesh who chose incredibly to be the Lamb of God on that awful cross; Him who came so we might begin knowing not only our own unworthiness, but Him above all, and through Him our Eternal home.

In His name we ask it, Amen.

I am a member of my town's (pop: 40,000) Emergency Preparedness Committee of nine volunteers. Tonight it happened we were meeting to hear a report from the Principal of our largest high school to hear about a bomb threat against that school of 2500 students a month ago (It was my daughter's former high school). I post about this because it gives some perspective about what is going on in Virginia now, and raises the issue of how secure Liberty and Justice for All may be after 911.

Our case was different from Virginia Tech since there was a direct threat against occupying the school, not a shooter attacking students. Around 0800 AM a note was found with a disabled grenade. It threatened ten more real devices with remote triggers. The Principal was emphatic about how well everyone did their part. The students and staff evacuated in the rain to the athletic field in four minutes. Some sixty law enforcement including SWAT responded. Later came the Feds: FBI, ATF (gun and bomb law enforcement), and FAA (with portable gear to control helicopter air traffic), then eventually twelve bomb squad people (two squads). If there had been a need for even more force over time (like for an earthquake or WMD threat), today the local law enforcement could bring in the National Guard, who can likewise escalate response to include activating local reserve military.

The other differences after 911 are interesting. Pre-911 it was the Principal who had control of the school campus and decided whether the it was safe to occupy, and of course law enforcement attempted to go carefully to unnecessary harm.

Now the Principal's only role is to help everyone meet law enforcement's requirements. There were possible bombs, so no one could use a cell phone because those can be a bomb trigger (as in Iraq). The school became a crime scene, so no one could go back for emergency supplies, handheld HAM sets to indirectly reach a phone system, a phone list, or a portable loud-speaker. The evacuated students and staff had to leave the field because that was part of the crime scene. The local transit system happened to have a couple buses available so the people were bussed to my son's nearby middle school, and all the kids were home safe by 1 PM. No bombs were found. The investigation continues but the Principal expects no students were involved because he gets great cooperation from them and no one has offered clues for the reward.

The other big difference from pre-911 is: the SWAT team has already walked the campus to identify their firing positions in case of shooters there. Their immediate goal responding to shooters now is to kill the perpetrator(s) as soon as possible. I expect that means no negotiation, no waiting. Another consideration the Principal pointed out:was that the anniversary of Columbine is 04/20 Friday.

To anyone who knows me: that Principal wouldn't want the school identified with that bit about the SWAT team. I am likewise avoiding mention of exactly what law enforcement body was involved.

How has all our local and federal 911 planning become a concern for Liberty and Justice for All? Every organizational response is in place now. All it would take is enough key people to agree that Federal control over civilian life is a urgent emergency, and that could be initialized over a week or so. Notice that is exactly what many folks already want regarding Global Warming: a government takeover regarding civilian involvement in possible causes of Global Warming.

Our father's God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
to Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's Holy light.
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.