BOOMTOWN RATS - I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS 
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s gonna make them stay at home
And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was good as gold
And he can see no reasons
'Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be show-ow-ow-ow-own?

I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I wanna shoo-oo-woo-woo-woo-oot the whole day down

 Most of the people who read this bunch of crap that I spew out are either teachers or people who have spend time working in the education world, particularly is schools. Schools much like the one in New Town Connecticut, that was attacked and savaged yesterday.  We have all spent time in discussions of what to do, how to do it and most everyone thinking that this endeavour was a complete and utter waste of time and energy, because; surely it will never happen... 
If you think about it, a school is a perfect storm for a situation such as this.  No matter how you plan, communicate with parents and employ other safeguards; there is virtually no way to stop what happened yesterday from happing nearly anywhere. How do you stop someone from entering a public venue, particularly when most schools promote and ensure that everything about the school is an open environment?  Parents are encouraged to coooooooooome on in. The school systems demands that our hallways, classrooms and playgrounds be assessable to any parent that wants to 'just see what is going on'. How in God's name can this situation be a safe environment?  
And who has to take the brunt of the stress that goes along with the supervision/guarding of this impossible situation?  The teachers.  The teacher must grow eyes in the back of their heads, know every bloody family situation (even when not informed), who every person is that wanders around the hallways or sticks their head in your classroom.  It is an impossible situation.  Schools lock most of their doors, but not all.  That doesn't include times in which kids leave doors open or put a boot in the door because they think their friend is outside and needs to get in. Parents come and go, in any door they want, often not closing doors properly.  Kids come and go through doors and don't take care to close them.  Getting into a school is the easiest thing in the world.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but shit happens.
Everyone is going to ask why.  Why? Why? Why?  The media machine instantly goes into motion.  CNN was/is a flurry of continuous loops, repeating time and time again the few snippets of information available.  No one will every know what lead this obviously doubled young person to do the unspeakable damage that was done.  The great debate concerning gun control and the availability of purchasing weapons such as were used yesterday, will rage on and on.  God bless that second amendment so near and dear to the American heart.  But let's not forget: gun don't kill, people kill.  Ya, right...
It is not every day that you see the United States President cry.  I am not sure Mitt Romney would have been quite as emotional about this situation, but that is another story.  The obvious pain and disbelief that  this tragedy has produced is hard to comprehend.  Why indeed?  This could happen anywhere, but the fact remains that these type of senseless tragedies occur in the United States of America more that twice as often as any other country.  
So here's the deal USA.  Instead of puffing yourself up again today and continue to spew out the same rhetoric that always comes in these tragic times about how great you are and how great you will be when you overcome yet another disaster, (oh and let's not forget the 'only in America' bullshit),  for once look at your self as you really are: a bullying, self-centered, socially rotting, war-mongering, evil empire that brings their problems upon themselves.  I know that this will never happen.  The American bullshit machine will not allow honest self reflection.  America loves a story and any tragedy that can be manipulated into a 'how great we are' episode will be be worked for all it's worth and in the end the brainless, average American will get that glassy-eyed look on their face and march towards the Kool-aid and drink for all they are worth.  Convinced that they have 'overcome' these tragedies and are better for it because their government tells them how great America is and they wouldn't lie... would they?
I have spent most of my life as an elementary teacher, educating kids the same age as those that were lost yesterday.  Other shootings situations involved older kids, mostly high school and college aged and although these tragedies were devastating, yesterday involved little kids.  Mere babies.  An incomprehensible crime towards humanity.  At least three guns, one being a semi-automatic assault rifle were used.  By a twenty year old 'kid'.  If that doesn't make a nation stand up and reflect upon its serious social problems, nothing will.  

Ticking Elton John

"You've slept too long in silence" Mama said
Remember Mama said
Ticking, ticking
"Crazy boy, you'll only wind up with strange notions in your head"
Hear it, hear it, ticking, ticking