Published March 2, 2006 in issue 0509 of the HooK.

After reading the comments by those out of the know, namely Waldo Jaquith [February 9: "Explosive: Details sketchy in school plot"], one wonders why 9/11 is referred to when 4/20/99 is the real start of terror in the schools?

As the shock of 4/20 has shown us, it's better to err on the side of caution than to regret our inaction latter.

Plastic explosives or Molotov cocktails do destroy both buildings and lives. Authorities have no obligation to satisfy our curiosity while a case is still being investigated as Jaquith would like. That's what the judicial system is for.

Rather than minimizing what could have been childish pranks-- as some would prefer-- I would view the facts of a person who loves guns, loves to use them, and may have a grudge with a school system he has been up against before as enough reason to be very active in dealing with this potential threat to our students and community.

To hear one of the parents say what a great kid his son is makes me wonder how well he really knows his son and if he knows how he uses the Internet.

We are not dealing with innocent elementary students here, people!

Lisa Miller
Charlottesville

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