EDITORIAL

A terrorist attack

Posted 10/9/14

Police always take things like bomb threats or other purposely disruptive behavior seriously, but this week what may have started out as a prank became an act of terrorism that needlessly frightened …

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EDITORIAL

A terrorist attack

Posted

Police always take things like bomb threats or other purposely disruptive behavior seriously, but this week what may have started out as a prank became an act of terrorism that needlessly frightened children and caused intense anxiety among parents. In this day and age, threats of harm to children have to be taken seriously because harm to children has become a reality in so many towns and cities around the country.

After experiencing the anguish that all of us felt at the news from Sandy Hook a short time ago, and the dreadful aftermath of the school shootings at Columbine 15 years ago, it is hard to imagine that anyone in their right mind would threaten to hurt elementary school children, let alone promise to behead them.

In the last month or so, we have heard about older children, with no sense of what they are saying about themselves, calling up the beheading of hostages by the ISIS rebels in the Middle East on their computers and showing them to little kids. Parents of those little children report sleepless nights and nightmares that set the children to screaming in the night.

Fortunately, that behavior hasn’t been widespread, but even when we try to spare our children; there are frightening images of seemingly endless wars on the evening news.

They are frightened because we are frightened.

Children are sensitive to the moods and concerns of their elders. They come by that as part of their genetic heritage, going back to when they had just as much to fear in their elders as they had reassurances from them. It helps children survive and it’s doubtful there is a parent anywhere who hasn’t scared the daylights out of their kids with an offhand remark or careless joke.

More than likely, the threatening letter that showed up at police headquarters in Johnston was not a genuine threat; but we live in an age where even the remotest chance that a real threat to our children is out there, we will circle the wagons, call out the guard, and hold our children closer.

Because we know that our children have vivid imaginations and are having those imaginations turn to more and more terrifying possibilities. And we know that anyone who would do that to a child is a terrorist in every definition of the term.

Let’s hope our law enforcement resources locate the origin of that letter and put whoever is responsible away for a long time.

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