LETTERS
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A BAD DECISION Thanks to Illinois Times and Scott Faingold for the excellent article on the Museum’s Research and Collections Center, “Extinct.” It is another very good example among many of why the quick, ill-informed decision to close the museum and all of its facilities is a very bad one. Nicky Stratton Springfield
SECURING THE SCHOOLS School shooters know they have a limited time (usually five to seven minutes) before law enforcement shows up, and then about 80 percent commit suicide, so any hindrance can reduce fatalities. Concealed Carry magazine has a school security checklist of items that can help foil a shooter. The list is as follows:
Front doors: Is there a secured door that visitors must be cleared through before entering the school? Can the door withstand gunshots? Can the door be bypassed or are all visitors funneled through this entrance?
Lockdown procedures: Who can initiate a lockdown? Can it only be initiated from the front office or are multiple methods of initiating a lockdown available? Can teachers initiate their own lockdown if they hear what they believe is gunfire or if they see an intruder?
Classroom doors: Do the doors have a deadbolt that can be secured quickly without a key? Do the doors have a backup lock such as a throw-over lock such as a hotelstyle throw-over lock, a door jammer or a similar security doorstop? Are the classroom windows security windows with embedded laminate? Can the windows be quickly and completely blocked out with a shade or curtain?
Barricades: Do classrooms have barricades, such as movable cabinets or bookcases which can be quickly be pushed or dropped in front of doors?
They also state there is an alternative weapon that is nonlethal, Simunition firearms, with ammunition that can stun and disorient a shooter without killing them or others around them. Tyre W. Rees Springfield
A SUNNIER OUTLOOK I have been reading newspapers for the Tri-States Audio Information Services (AIS) for many years. For the last few years the newspaper has been Illinois Times. The AIS provides access to printed materials via the radio and the Internet for individuals who are blind, visually impaired, learning disabled or physically disabled.
This service is based at Western Illinois University in Macomb.
Today I read James Krohe Jr.’s article entitled “The light that turns people on: Springfield must adopt a sunnier outlook.” I was enjoying the article, and then was personally struck when I read this sentence, which is based upon Krohe’s personal outlook, “I know that every time that I went outside and felt the sun on my face, I instantly felt calm and contentment oozing over me.”
Over the years I gradually adopted a verbal sign-off at the end of my reading. Given that many of the AIS listeners have either a visual or physical disability, I’ve wondered about their ability to get outside on a regular basis. With that thought in mind, I began to use this sign-off, “May you get out this weekend and feel the sun upon your face.”
However, there are times when I do not say this, like maybe if the weather outlook is poor. After reading your article, I have resolved now to use it every time that I read.
Thank you, [Krohe], for your inspiration. It helped my outlook for the day. I also enjoyed the touch of whimsy to your writing, and I can still see in my mind’s eye, a video of Randy Newman, motoring in a convertible down the streets of L.A., while singing “I Love L.A.” Thanks for the memories. Bill Jacobs Macomb
