Many of you probably had your eyes glued to your television sets yesterday, much like my husband and myself did. We were going to take a break, and eat a quick "brunch", as we began to hear the news on CNN. At that time we had not had the opportunity to read any of the breaking news, but it was evident that something potentially bad was happening in several of our airports. As we began to listen to the events unfold, it was an extremely familiar reminder of September 11, 2001. Possible explosives headed for Chicago. Planes possibly carrying packages with explosives in them. Several airports under alert, and also at least 2 airports, one in the UK, and another in Dubai, effected by all of this. It was such a reminder of the morning of 9/11, when the world was glued at that time to their televisions, radios, and anywhere they could to get the latest about airplanes running into the World Trade Center towers in New York, as other ones were a seeming threat to the White House, and also to the Pentagon, as another crashed into that building. It was a living night terror, surreal and just to the point of some of us wondering if it was a huge hoax, kind of like HG Wells, and the alien trick played so many years ago, before television was even invented. It was a huge story line, and his book depicted the "events" in such a manner in a journalistic format, which made the story unfold as if it were real.
Of course, yesterdays events unfolded and all of us knew it was not some elaborate hoax, but was a very real situation. One that now has left us with many unanswered questions. Some we may never know answers to. Others due to the extreme nature of needing to be top secret, the government I am sure is not disclosing, just due to not wanting information to get into the wrong hands.
We are asking things such as why these particular packages were headed from Yemen to the US? Where they actually "explosives" completely set up and designed to be detonated? Were they "pieces" of an explosive device or devices, that were to go into the hands of someone who were put them together and later use them as a bomb plot against us? Is there a further "agenda" by those terrorists involved to watch how we handle the situation, and they are readying themselves for another attack? Is it a test of our Homeland Security, a test of our nations airports, a test of just how capable we are to handle another massive attack? Where they truly meant to explode at a specific location, at a specific time? Or was this just a decoy while they decide their next terrorist move against our country and many other of our allies. We already know these people despise our nation and our people. We already know that many are willing and ready to sacrifice their own lives in the name of religious beliefs, and die for that cause.
Did our "intelligence" work? Did our tactics put in place since 9/11 take care of such a horrendous situation such as 9/11? Are we as individuals and as a whole nation on alert enough, do we have security in the proper places enough, are we watching closely enough to be fully prepared for another night mare such as that fateful September day? My thoughts are that out of the millions of bits of information that are gathered on any given day right here in our nation, along with many other nations, that we have to be doing an incredible job of thwarting these plots. Of course as individuals not in the government agencies, we do not know just how many potential bits of information lead to nothing, or lead to a plausible situation in which we do act upon to stop such a horrific event from taking place again on our own soil. Yet, it is mind boggling between what takes place on the internet daily, the millions of emails, posts, websites, blogs, and such alone that you have to wonder how we could catch such things as the possibility of attacks again. Then you have all types of other ways to communicate, to be mobile, to be around the world in a matter of hours now. We are such a mobile community, with cell phones, computers, fast traveling air planes, the railroad, cars, the wireless internet where you have "hot spots" all over this country and the world now for that matter, than can be used to send information immediately, without any lapse time. Even you just consider UPS, FEDEX, and all of the other ways packages can travel from one continent to the other in a matter of even a day, and that does not include by ships, 18 wheelers, the postal service, etc. that at any one time something can be shipped from somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and be sitting in our of our nations huge city's in a matter of hours. Needless to say when you really sit down and think about the reality of how our Homeland Security Dept. as well as our law enforcement, our several other intelligence agencies, and even us as watchful citizens can be able to intercept such items well before they reach where they are meant to do nothing but harm us, maim us, scare us... all in the name of their own teroristic nature.
It also brings to mind the whole bullying thing that has been in the spot light now for weeks. It just blows my mind to think we are raising young kids that are already developing a hateful nature when it comes to their peers. We know that "teasing" has gone on forever in schools, and anywhere children are in groups. From the time we were all in school, we usually had one or two kids who were trouble makers, and deemed as "bullies" in our schools. Yet, then a "bully" certainly was not the connotation of what we mean as bullies these days. I cannot fathom young kids making such a mockery of their own peers that it causes such a horrific problem for the tortured child, that they even remotely think about wanting to kill themselves. I recall being "teased" and it was not funny at all. I was a bit overweight during my teen years, and I endured some name calling, etc. due to my weight. Until this day some of that does haunt me. Even though I took the weight off just after graduating high school, until this day when I look in the mirror, I see that chubby high school student, and it puts a damper on how I feel, and my self esteem. Some of it caused my own issues with how I feel about my body, how I feel about even gaining a pound, and how I present myself in public... all of it at times stems from those days of being called names in school.
Yet, now, it is far from being the typical name calling about being overweight. These kids are being fully attacked about all aspects of their lies. The hateful and bitterness witnessed today among our youth, is not just a tease but full blown hate crimes in many ways. When you are verbally, mentally, emotionally, and physically attacked by those that should be your allies, those that are supposed to be your peers, it hurts more than just a name calling event.
My question is why this is happening? Where are these kids learning to be so incredibly hateful, mean, and showing no compassion, no decency, no manners, no feelings for those around them. Is this something they see all too often or even taught at home? Is this stemming from lack of parental control, lack of family life being what it used to be, from what they see on video games, hear in music, read in books, see on television, and witness by others where youth are. We definitely as a nation, as schools, as youth events, as parents, teachers and the like need to get a grip on these events. There needs to be punishment, education, and ways that these kinds of happenings are put to bed for good. These kinds of actions can only lead to adults that are going to be more hateful and more apt to hate crimes, if something is not done to stop these kids.
It is an ongoing battle that certainly needs to have attention and prevention done. The answers are probably not all black and white, but shades of gray as to how to handle these events, how to give our kids more self esteem, more empathy, more respect, and more morality. That has to come from home first, then from teachers, pastors, and all adults that are around our nations kids. Respect is something that seems to have been thrown out of teaching. Respect is something that needs to be definitely brought back, for both children and also for many adults.
How to counsel and intervene: 
