“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” These words from FDR, dating back to his 1933 inaugural address at the height of the Great Depression-era of desperation, are quite famous enough, but take on new significance in a post-9/11 and post-Sandy Hook-era of undue panic and fear of death and killing around every corner. As usual, everything is blown completely out of all proportion. Instead, the shock of response from authorities themselves has become an equal or even greater concern than the relatively rare acts of terrorists and school shooters. Is our sense so lost that we can never find it again? Take a look at what happened at a middle school in Winter Haven, Florida just days ago: The disturbing event happened early in the school day at Jewett Middle Academy on Thursday, November 13th, 2014. Without explanation, the principal announced at 9:00 a.m. that the school was being put into lockdown. Moments later, police officers swept through the school, classroom-by-classroom, with weapons drawn. The bewildered children and teachers actually thought they were in real danger. “We actually thought that someone was going to come in there and kill us,” said 7th grader Lauren Marionneaux to FOX affiliate WTVT. The event was an “active shooter drill,” which are becoming commonplace in America’s public schools, with varying degrees of realism and notification.
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