Tuesday, October 03, 2006

American Schools

In a week of horrible school shootings all over the country, it has now hit close to home. Fortunately all matters were dealt with correctly and at this time there is a sigh of relief...however things will never be the same again.

Just this afternoon my mom called to inform me that my youngest brother, Matt, was threatened yesterday and then later found to be on a hit list. While at football practice a boy that Matt has had problems with since 3rd grade (they are now in 7th) freaked out on him and said "YOU and YOU (while pointing at him and another kid) will be dead tomorrow...I'll see to it." After further investigation by the proper authorities, a hit list was found.

My hometown maybe has a population 4,000 people...so people feel as though they are immuned to the violence of city life. They are so wrong.

A few years after I graduated from high school there was actually a shooting at the school. This was before Columbine and Jonesborogh by a few months. A boy that was pissed off at the world had made comment that he'd come in and "shoot the place up." When he didn't show for school the next day, and his parents hadn't called him in sick, the school went on lock-down. Eventually the kid showed up with a sawed-off shotgun ready to kill. The kid was finally pinned into a bathroom where the janitor locked him in, and the cops were brought in.
By pure luck, grace, or chance the cop is here to talk about it. As he entered the bathroom and swung open the stall door the kid shot him in the head. All the police officer got was a graze wound, though he was less than 3 feet away from the kid. (this kid went to prision at 16 and will be released next month at the age of 25...gee, will he re-offend? He's never lived on the outside as an adult!)

So with that... when my mom called to tell me what was going on, my heart sank. My baby brother!!

To explain Matt from my perspective I'm sure is far off from what the kids at school see. I'm almost certain that if I were in his class I would have not been in his group of friends. He's very popular and a great athlete. To top it off he's a fantastic student. I was a good student, friends with most everyone, and played sports (but wouldn't consider myself as a great athlete)

My version of Matt is that he's Mr. Macho with a heart of gold. He's a softy but puts up a strong front. He's totally a mama's boy but I think that stems from him being so young when my mom was sick with cancer.

Matt is my daughter's favorite person in the entire world! Since day one he has totally gushed all over her. He is the best uncle out of the 4 she has. Jason's brother Tom is rarely around, as is my older brother Dan...Mitch is wonderful with her, but he's just a little older and not as interested. If I needed a babysitter, he'd be there in a second. I have photos of Mitch changing MacKenzy's diaper when she was little....with a nasty brownie in her pants too!

Matt...he's her buddy! They play non-stop when we're visiting! He wrestles with her and he slips her treats when we're not looking.

I can now only hope and pray that the powers at be keep my brother safe and free of harm. Though maybe this kid thinks he's the worst kid ever, I know the real Matt and would put my life on it that he's a fabulous person! He would never intentionally go out of his way to make some else's day miserable. He's told my mom all along about the problems with this kid...its not as if Matt is instigating everything.

I love my Matty-cakes to death and can only hope for the best and be thankful for all of the smart people that may have deverted something awful already.

No comments: