Finally: Life's "easy button" has arrived in Connecticut

We stole the video below from KT who uses the no-touching policy at a middle school in Milford, Connecticut as a metaphor for the concept of "competition" in global markets and the ultimate folly of attempting to establish fair outcomes in those same markets.






We don't even know where to begin with this. This is the evil twin brother of the "zero-tolerance" policies at schools where, seemingly, school administrators just threw up their hands and said "screw it" - for myriads of reasons, we're sure, teachers and school administrators, unable to enforce the existing policies decided to opt for the room temperature I.Q. easy button of "no-touching".

There are parallels here with the young lad here in California who was told to take the flag off the bike he rode to and from school. The rational response would have been to identify and take the appropriate measures against those who threatened violence upon the kid. Instead, the "easy button" response, the truly no-brainer response prevailed. Whew. Didn't have to work to hard to solve that problem, right?

If you can't enforce against fighting, bullying, rough housing or "badly kicked in the groin", we suppose the next logical step is "no-touching".

And pity the kid at the end of the clip. He is absolutely baffled. He is attempting to explain this new Bizarro world for which there is simply no rational explanation and his tone and demeanor seem to ask, "Where are the adults, man?" Son, the adults have left the building.

And to bring it full circle: this is the logical extension of attempting to ensure "fair" outcomes. This is the logical extension of years and years of awarding ribbons and trophies to kids in junior leagues for merely participating instead of achieving anything of real consequence.

The leftist dream of eliminating pain, challenges, accommplishments, individual achievement, unequal outcomes and life's necessary and inevitable ass-kickings has been realized in deep blue Connecticut.



P.S. We went to the school's website to see if there was anything there regarding the school's no-touch policy. It seems their no-touch policy extends to the website as well. Not sure we've seen a more dreadful design and layout. Oh, and mum's the word on the touchy.

P.P.S. In the spirit of being ungovernable, how cool would it be for the students to execute a school-wide high-five at lunch when they get back from Thanksgiving? It would be the coolest thing ever, that's what.

Right now, we're doing exactly what Americans should be doing

Via MSNBC, here is Stewart Baker, who worked at the Department of Homeland Security as its first secretary of policy under President George W. Bush, and had this to say regarding the TSA controversy:

“Instead of making this Wednesday National Opt-Out Day in which a bunch of self-appointed guardians of liberty slow down the line for everyone by asking for pat-downs,” said Baker, “maybe what we need is a day when everyone who goes through the line says, ‘Thanks for what you do.

We're not going to argue the merits of what Baker is suggesting you do on pain-in-the-ass Wednesday as that is not what grabbed us but rather it was the (in our humble assumption) snide "self-appointed guardians of liberty" swipe.

At the end of the day and especially with respect to the TSA debate, who the hell does Baker feel are the guardians of liberty? Is not Baker familiar with the words and larger context of "We the People"?

And this is why we have spent as much time on this subject, because it is a debate regarding liberty and it is we the people who are initiating it. It is also a debate regarding national security and the most effective means of screening so the bad guys cannot get on the plane.

The American people, contrary to what Baker may think, are doing exactly what they should be doing right now: Questioning authority. And right now, authority has been doing a pretty piss-poor job of justifying these new enhanced TSA security measures.

If We the People, do not behave in an ungovernable fashion and ask difficult questions of the people who work for us, then who the hell is?

What is happening right now is precisely what should be happening in a healthy and vibrant democracy? While newspaper editorial boards across the country are telling us all to just shut up and bend over, the American people are demonstrating that demanding accountability of those in authority is no longer solely an election year exercise.

To paraphrase the First Lady, we've always been proud of our country but we are exceedingly proud, right now.




As always, be exceptional and...






(Correction: Anon, in the comments, alerted us to the fact we had quoted the wrong person. It is indeed Stewart Baker to whom we will direct the ire if not the full and glorious intention of this post - that is for you our dear friends. The post has been amended to reflect the same. Thanks, Anon.)

Some would rather us be "content free"

“It’s not the content of their activity – that being the national anthem – it’s the location,” he said. “A couple steps and it would have been no problem whatsoever.”

Instead of doing as they were instructed, Gassman said the students resumed the song – an impromptu form of civil disobedience.

Or as the President might have said, "They acted ungovernably."

Left Coast Rebel has more, here.