Tic-tac-toe is simple enough for anyone old enough to understand the rules. The field of play is nine squares and there are three different choices for the player making the first move: the center, the middle of a side, or a corner. No matter what move is made, the maximum number of choices peaks at seven on the third move and quickly dwindles.
Checkers has thirty-two squares in play. Initially, all the pieces are the same and can move diagonally forward, either to an adjacent square or by jumping an opponent. The number of potential moves grows as the game progresses, but the maximum is two for each non-promoted one, four for each king.
Chess has sixty-four squares and six pieces with different rules for movement. Calculating the number of choices rapidly becomes an overwhelming challenge. After five moves by each player, there are 4.8 million possible resulting positions. There is not even agreement on the number of potential outcomes for all the games that could be played.
Thinking about the number of options in a game with clearly defined rules that may be played in under an hour is humbling. How do we make our way through this life, where there is an infinitude of choices? Often we try to find a way to reduce the number of potential options so we can discriminate between them and choose the best one, as we can with tic-tac-toe. Much like how the meaning of discrimination evolved from seeing differences between things to generally being used in a pejorative manner indicating unjust treatment, considering only a few options is not an exercise of good judgment. When there are a multitude of actions and outcomes, it is through practice, feedback from experts, and the push for improvement that we attain the optimal result.
A family-sustaining career in today’s economy requires this “chess-level” approach. It is why the line between training and education is increasingly blurred. Some have traditionally thought of training as a simple set of rules, practices, and skills to be applied to tasks, while education is a depth of understanding that provides a basis for future learning. It is a false dichotomy. Aristotle recognized this, as his concept of “arete” is about finding excellence and the full potential in all that one might do. His goal was that everyone would be educated in the skills of life. More recently, the Irish philosopher Iris Murdoch came to a similar conclusion, with a slightly different take. She sees a full engagement in one’s craft as a way to learn to focus on something outside of ourselves. In this way, one practices an “attentive love” that becomes the foundation for morality, a “good” unto itself.
Southeast New Mexico College is expanding to include more trades and technical studies, but our focus on the arts and sciences remains. We are committed to an emphasis on excellence in all disciplines and fields, and a holistic education that can transform a life. We lead students through the process of learning how to move from discriminating between “tic-tac-toe” choices to the discernment that comes with the development of expertise under the guidance of professors who care deeply about the success of their students. We will rise to the expectations that resulted in a $10 million investment by the Permian Strategic Partnership in our Trades x Technologies Building, and we will serve as a bridge to a brighter future for the next generation. We look forward to realizing it with you.
Kevin Beardmore, Ed.D., is President of Southeast New Mexico College. He may be reached at kbeardmore@senmc.edu or 575.234.9211
ALBUQUERQUE — On Aug. 13, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr co-led a letter to Instagram regarding its new live location sharing maps feature. Among Torrez and Carr, 35 other attorneys general signed onto this letter, which claimed the feature raised “public safety and data privacy concerns — particularly for vulnerable users, including children and survivors of domestic violence,” the letter reads.
This feature was intended to be a “lightweight” way to connect with each other and is automatically turned off unless users choose to opt in, according to Meta. The feature allows users to share their location with people they follow back. Users can also hide their location from certain people or hide their location when they are in certain places.
There have been reports from some users that their location was shared without their consent, triggering Meta to re-examine how the feature works, according to CBS. Some users found geotagged posts appearing on the maps, even when they have opted out of location sharing, according to NBC.
The letter from the attorneys general outlined three key demands: prohibiting minors from enabling location sharing; providing adult users clear alerts about the feature, its risks and how location data will be used; and allowing adult users who choose to opt in to easily disable the feature at any time, according to the New Mexico Department of Justice.
While the letter does not exert any legal power by the attorneys general over Instagram to make changes to the app, it does include the expectation of “prompt action and response to prevent Instagram from continuing practices that endanger the safety and privacy of its users,” the letter reads.
JT Keith Artesia Daily Press jtkeith@elritomedia.com
The Artesia boys and girls cross country team opened its 2025 season at Lovington on Saturday. Both teams took second behind 6A Hobbs. The Lady ‘Dogs had five girls finish in the top 15 (Jema Molina, Aubrey Allison, Mckenna Drake, Lexi Devenport and Caylee Shockey). Molina was third overall.
Bulldogs cross country coach Nicholas Rivera said that he was really proud of Molina who had been dealing with hip injuries. It has been a long time coming for Rivera to see what she could do when fully healthy.
“I could tell she was a little bit nervous,” Rivera said. “But she rocked out and that was good to see. I expect big things out of her. Now that she has the first thing (race) out of the way. I might have her train with the boys. And Aubrey (Allison) and Alexia (Devenport)are not too far behind.”
Caylee (Shockey) was fighting the whole race to stay close Drake, Devenport and Allison. Rivera said it was fun to watch.
Rivera said to win cross country meets, all five runners need to be close and finish together to help secure the high placing as a team.
Hobbs took home first place in the boys and girls at the Lovington Tournament. Rivera said that all he asked for in his team was to be able to compete against the 6A schools.
“Our teams had a great place and finish,” Rivera said, “I am expecting big things out of our team. I am excited to see where we are. We have trained and I know what we need to work on. We did so many good things and I know what we need to work on individually and as a team.”
For the boys, all five runners finished in the top 25, (Edwin Villarreal, AJ Garcia, Wyatt Knudsen, Hector Arenas Maldonado and Xavian Hernandez), with Villarreal in eighth place and first among the Bulldog boys.
According Rivera, there were five personal best were: Alexis Devenport (23:48), McKenna Drake (23:58, Aria Molina (28:55, Aedyn Moralez (24:56) and Villarreal (19:00).
The ‘Dogs also had nine first-time runners racing in a cross country meet for the girls: Shockey, Drake, Allison, Adianez Renteria, and Eleanor Larsen.
The first time boy was Wyatt Knudsen, who battled injuries through the 2024 track season. Coach Rivera talked him into shutting it down and healing to get ready for this cross country season and track season. Rivera said that Knudsen is healthy and now he (Rivera) wants to work on Knudsen’s mental aspect of the running. and is excited to see him grow from the meet experience at Lovington.
Also making his first appearance as cross country runners were Maldonado and Hernandez, and for junior varsity was Justin Rodriguez and Alexander Molina.
“I know the feeling of training and running,” Rivera said of the first time runners. “I know that you don’t want to go out too fast, but you don’t want to go too slow. I am happy the kids know how they are and can compete against other runners. I did see kids be a little nervous and that is something we can work on. I want my kids to be empty and leave it all on the course during the race.”
Rivera said that he thought it was a great first meet for the team. The team had been working and competing on tired legs, by design, and is executing the plans he set forth at the beginning of the season.
Rivera goal is to get his team to focus on competing while they are tired and working as a group. This is eviednce by how the girls finished 11-12,13 and 15, which is what you he wanted to see his team do in meets.
Rivera said the boys were a little more strung out, but closer together on time.
“Now that we have our first race in and the nerves out,” Rivera said. “We can adjust and keep training hard. I am glad we were able to bring some hardware home. The boys and the girls executed the game plan perfectly. We just happened to run into a good team in Hobbs. I am happy with how we competed today and what we can do.”
The ‘Dogs race at Ruidoso High School at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
ROSWELL — While tourism to Ruidoso has been disrupted by forest fires last year and catastrophic floods this year, two decades-old tourist-oriented shops in west Roswell have seen their traffic affected as well.
Cactus Cave Gift Shop, 530 W. Second St, and Wieland’s Yucca Emporium, 3707 W. Second St, offer tourist traffic passing through Roswell a variety of merchandise such as Mexican imports, Native American art and, of course, alien-themed curio.
Yolanda Cisneros, said she has operated the Cactus Cave Gift Shop for 20 years. She said the shop gets some local business, but most of it is from passing tourists. About 70% of her customers are from Texas headed to Ruidoso.
“We’ve been slow … but July was better,” she said, adding that Ruidoso has “been through a lot.”
Cisneros said her gift shop specializes in Native American items such as jewelry and pottery, as well as textiles, pottery and arts and craft items from Mexico. She has leather moccasins from Wisconsin too. Many items featured in the store were crafted in New Mexico, including decorative crosses made by an artist here in Roswell, and other items made by craftsmen in Las Cruces and Fort Sumner.
Wieland’s Yucca Emporium has been on West Second Street for 37 years, owner Leo Wieland said. His shop features concrete sculptures such as benches, fountains and religious figures which Weiland casts himself, as well as pottery and textiles from Oaxaca, Mexico.
He said among his best sellers are sculpted metal flowers made in Arizona. The emporium also caters to shoppers who want Western memorabilia, such as artwork of Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday. He also creates a variety of sculpted objects from as small as refrigerator magnets to as large as alien five-foot aliens.
“We manufacture a lot of southwest yard ornaments,” Wieland said.
He added that having the Ruidoso Downs racetrack shut down due to the flooding has been especially detrimental to his business. Perhaps the local tourist shops can look to the skies to bring in more customers.
Among Wieland’s most recent creations is a refrigerator magnet with a sculpted airplane with a Zia on the tail and the words “Racing Roswell.” Wieland said he is hopeful the upcoming National Championship Air Races scheduled at the Roswell Air Center in mid-September will lead to more people visiting his shop, but he said he is wary of how that will work out due to the event being in its first year.
In addition, he said he has heard a lot of different figures thrown out on how many people are expected attendance at the air races.
“I have seen Roswell get a lot of shots in the arm,” he said. “But a lot of times it seems to come and go.”
In the meantime, Wieland said he gets customers from all over the world.
“Yesterday I had a guy from Holland,” he said.
The man bought a replica poncho of the one worn by Clint Eastwood in the Spaghetti Western the “Good the Bad and the Ugly,” Wieland said, noting that every year is different as far as who shows up in the shop.
JT Keith Artesia Daily Press jtkeith@elritomedia.com
The Artesia Bulldogs showed put their No. 1 ranking in Class 5A on the line Friday against the invading Centennial Hawks (2-1), ranked as the No. 3 team in 6A. The Bulldogs could not stop the run as the Hawks’ rushed for more than 300 yards on the ground, nor could the ‘Dogs contain Centennial quarterback Ruiz Laborin in a 42-38.
“I thought we came out firing in the first quarter and got up 14-0 on them,” said Artesia football coach Jeremy Maupin. “We did not play very good the second quarter offensively or defensively. We had them in a lot of third and fourth down and longs, but we could not get off the field.”
Maupin said the Bulldog defense was unable to stop third and fourth down Centennial conversions. He said Artesia did not play very well in the third quarter, but got rolling at the end of the third and played well in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs (2-1) had a chance to win the game at the end. Artesia needed a stop and the ball back, but could not stop Laborin for the Hawks, as he converted on fourth down and 6 at the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line and ran out the clock. Centennial was bigger on the offensive and defensive line than the Bulldogs, and their running back and quarterback were bigger as well.
“You what is hard here, we have so many guys that play football, but people forget the schools we have played in the last three weeks (Carlsbad, Hobbs and Centennial) have 1,500-2,000 more kids to choose from a for their team.” Maupin said. “They are going to have bigger kids and more choices to pick from, but I am still taking our guys over any of those guys. Our guys believe and they love football, and they are good kids.”
Artesia got off to a hot start, scoring a touchdown on its first p0ssession when quarterback Derrick Warren threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jack Byers to take a 7-0 lead with 11:43 to play in the first quarter.
Maupin said Warren made a good throw because it led him (Byers) right up the field, and he (Maupin) scripted the play and thought Centennial would be playing soft against the Bulldogs.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs converted an onside kick and recovered the ball at the 41-yard line. Artesia scored again when Warren threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Byers on the right sideline to go up 14-0 with 9:37 in the first quarter.
“They run the starburst,” Maupin said. “We had kicked to Hobbs, and we weren’t worried about the starburst, but the way they aligned, we saw that there were some big gaps in some places and we talked and said, ‘Hey if they give us this gap we are going to go for it.’ Corbyn (Dominguez) is such a good kicker that he has put the ball wherever he wants to. It was a big start to the game.”
Artesia’s Jack Byers scores on a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Derrick Warren to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead over the Centennial Hawks with 11:43 to play in the first quarter at the Bulldog Bowl. JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
It did not take the Centennial Hawks long to score after that, as running back Dailen Ramirez earned a 46-yard touchdown with 8:12 in the first quarter to make it 14-7.
With 3:40 to play in the first quarter, the Hawks ran a reverse to Anthony Villa, who scampered 20-yards to tie the game at 14-all.
The ‘Dogs used the right leg of field goal kicker Corbyn Dominguez on a 45-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead with 1:24 to play in the first quarter and lead going into the start of the second quarter.
“If you watched him in the pregame warmups, Corbyn (Dominguez) made three 45-yard field goals and we knew he was feeling it,” Maupin said. “We felt comfortable to give him a shot if we were inside the 40-yard line.”
The Hawks scored again when Laborin threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mateo Marquez with the Point After Touchdown to give the Hawks a 21-17 lead with 8:40 in the second quarter.
The Hawks would score with 3:25 to play in the second quarter to take a 28-17 lead into halftime.
Maupin said he told his team at halftime they had light up the scoreboard in the first quarter and they let their foot off the gas a little bit. He told the Bulldogs that it was about getting lined up, getting off the field on fourth down.
“Our message the whole week was to elevate the person next to you by your play and by your energy and actions,” Maupin said. “Our defense came out on fire in the second half and our offense really struggled the first two drives. Then our offense found a rhythm, and when our offense is in rhythm, they are hard to stop. Our defense did not have any turnovers tonight, they (Centennial) was wrapping the ball up, but we were right there.”
Hawk Ramirez scored on a 26-yard touchdown pas to score with 2:16 to play in the third quarter. Centennial needed just four plays to cover 50 yards and lead 35-17.
Artesia’s team captains walk to midfield for the coin toss before facing Hobbs on Friday night at the Bulldog Bowl. Artesia won the coin toss and the game, 51-41.JT Keith | Artesia Daily Press
Warren threw an out-and-up to slot back Cael Houghtaling for 17-yards with 3:59 to play in the game. Artesia’s extra point was not good, and the Bulldogs trailed 42-38. It took nine plays and 67-yards with the aid of a pass interference call.
With the momentum on the Bulldogs side, Centennial picked up a bloop kick and Anthony Villa returned the kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown to make the score 42-32 with 7:01 to play in the game.
“The kick return was a big turning point,” Maupin said. “We were trying to onside it there and we give that up. A lot of things we still have to fix if we are going to be the team we want to be at the end of the year. It is good to play those guys tight.”
Artesia held Centennial and forced a turnover on downs for the second time in the fourth quarter. On the first play Warren threw a deep pass, but the Hawks was called for a pass interference moving the ball to the Bulldogs 45-yard line, and then Warren threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Egeland on a post pattern to make the score 35-32 with 7:10 left to play in the game.
With time running out in the third quarter, Bulldogs’ quarterback Derrick Warren had to retrieve a snap over his at the Hawks 17-yard line. Warren running out of bounds threw up a prayer to receiver Trent Egeland who scored a touchdown, and Warren ran in a 2-point conversion to make the score 35-25 at the end of the third quarter.
Artesia travels to Deming for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday.
Offensive stats
Derrick Warren was 19-of-35 for 323 yards. He threw for five touchdowns and one interception and had a quarterback rating of 113.5
Cristian Pando had 8 rushes for 33 yards.
Jett Fuentes had one reception for four yards.
Sawyer Whitehead had one reception for six yards.
Cael Houghtailing three receptions for 29 yards.
Trent Egeland nine receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Jack Byers four receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Defense
Julian Baeza, one solo, six assist.
Tootie McNeil, five solo, two assist.
Miguel Soto, five solo, six assist.
Charlie Campbell IV., one solo, six assist.
Thomas Melendez, four solo, four solo, three assist.
Edel Villa, five solo, two assist.
Marco Soto Jr., six solo, nine assist, and one tackles for loss and one sack.
Daelon Pacheco, three solo, three assist.
Alejandro Ontiveros, two solo, one assist, and one sack.
It is with deep sorrow and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Garrett Walter Romine, who was taken from us far too soon. Although his time with us was brief, his impact on everyone who knew him was immeasurable.
A Celebration of Life will be held for Garrett Walter Romine at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at Faith Baptist Church. Officiating the service will be Michael Duff.
Garrett, 24, passed away on August 31, 2025 in Artesia. He was born on October 17, 2000, to Gary and Latisha Romine in Cortez, Colorado.
Cremation will take place under the direct care of Terpening & Son Mortuary.
Garrett a protector by nature and by choice, Garrett lived a life defined by strength, loyalty, and a quiet, unwavering courage. No matter the battle he always came prepared.
To those who had the honor of knowing him, Garrett was a steady presence—a shield in the storm, the first to step in, and the last to leave anyone behind. He stood guard not just with words or action, but with the kind of love that made others feel safe simply by being near.
Whether he was defending a friend, standing up for what was right, or simply offering a steady hand in a moment of need, Garrett gave everything he had to anyone who needed it. His protection came not from duty, but from love—a deep, fierce love for his family, his friends, and even strangers who needed someone to stand in their corner.
Though we feel his absence profoundly, we carry his legacy in the way we look out for one another, in the courage we summon when it’s hard to be brave, and in the love we offer without condition. You were our shield, our strength, and our quiet guardian. You are missed beyond words.
Garrett is preceded in death by Grandma Virgie Romine, Uncle Bo Derrick, His beloved dog Maxine.
Those left to cherish his memory are his mother Latisha Romine; father, Gary Romine; sister Sidney Ryan husband Lance, Brother Tyler Romine girlfriend Ryleigh Kinnibrugh, nephews Augustus, and Calden, baby Tres; Grandparents David Romine, Toni and Scott Robinson, Wayne and Dana Derrick, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, dearest friends Jessica Hagedorn, Ronnie Ellis, Angela Nelson, and AJ Flores.
Information and photos provided by New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
An impending seasonal change from longer days to shorter days has not hampered fishing at New Mexico lakes this week.
In northern New Mexico, along the Pecos River, fishing for trout was exceptionally good using PowerBait and elk-hair caddis and Adams flies.
At Red River, fishing for rainbow trout below the Red River Hatchery was good using Nymph Emerger and Prince Nymph flies.
At the Hatchery, fishing for rainbow trout was good using salmon eggs and slow to fair using leech-like flies.
In eastern and southeastern New Mexico, fishing for largemouth bass was good using Texas-rigged Senkos at Sumner Lake.
At Corona Pond, fishing for catfish was slow to fair when using chicken liver and hot dogs.
Fishing for trout was fair to good using worms at Bonito Lake.
In southern and southwest New Mexico, fishing for brown trout was fair to good using worms at Percha Dam.
Near Truth or Consequences, fishing for smallmouth bass was good using minnows at Elephant Butte Lake.
West of Silver City at Bill Evans Lake, fishing for largemouth bass was good using three-ounce white spinners.
This fishing report, provided by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities.
Bass stocked at Elephant Butte Lake
Bass anglers assisted fisheries staff from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to stock more than 1,300 largemouth bass, ranging from 14 to 16 inches.
“This is significant, as the Department usually stocks small fry and fingerlings when stocking bass,” read a department news release.
The fish were raised at Rock Lake Hatchery in Santa Rosa.
The Party of the Century was held along Fourth Street in Artesia Thursday evening honoring a century of service to the community for J.S. Ward and Son Insurance.
A sign at the corner of Fourth and Main indicates a block party for J.S. Ward and Son Insurance.
Bryan Madrid of DJ BMad provided entertainment for the block party.
Anna Whitmire, Sara Sims and Abbie Butler had fun during the J.S. Ward and Son Insurance Party of the Century.
From left to right: Brittney Ruiz, Terry Hummel and Kara Northrup of J.S. Ward and Son Insurance enjoy food during the Party of the Century.
The word crisis is one that is overused these days when discussing public policy. I’m going to attempt here a factual discussion on the medical issues facing our New Mexico citizens and let you decide whether or not these rise to the level of a “crisis.”
Most estimates indicate that the State is lacking some 300 primary care physicians to meet the accepted (no shortage) ratio of 1 physician per 1500 people. This has resulted in wait times to see a PCP increasing from 2-5 weeks in 2016 to now 2-4 MONTHS in some areas of the State. The problem gets much worse when specialty physicians are included in the number as one estimate had over 2200 positions open in the 2024 job market.
Why the shortage? Several factors are in play. One of the most significant is New Mexico’s medical malpractice environment. We have among the highest malpractice claim ratios in the nation resulting in impossibly high insurance premiums. I was told by a Texas specialist recently who had started his career in Santa Fe that a malpractice claim, in a case where a professional board had completely exonerated him from any liability, dragged on for years. New Mexico law encourages litigating every misstep with the promise of large payouts if suits are successful. We are an outlier in this regard with our neighboring states making the decision to go elsewhere pretty much “open and shut.” Another factor is the low retention rate of physicians educated here. Only about half choose to remain in the state and it’s easy to see why. A third issue is our relatively low rates for Medicaid reimbursements. Almost half our population utilizes this government sponsored program. Medicaid reimbursements are generally accepted to payout only about 60% of what the private insurance market is willing to pay. If the private pay rates are those reasonably necessary to keep doctors in business, the math would seem to indicate that private markets have to make up the difference, that is, half the folks on private pay need to shoulder 70% of the burden of keeping our medical community whole. One of the consequences here is that medical insurance in the private market is more expensive than it might otherwise need to be. Fourth, and perhaps most concerning for the future, is the fact that over 40% of the doctors in the state are over 60 years old and expected to retire by the year 2030. The bottom line is that doctors won’t move here, don’t want to stay here, can’t afford to practice here, and are getting older, in short, a perfect storm.
One other solution that has been proposed in the last few legislative sessions is the prospect of joining medical provider compacts which would allow out of State providers reciprocity with respect to licensing, thereby making it easier for telehealth and other services to come from out of State physicians. These efforts have run aground, again, on the insistence of our legal community that the governing organizations be subject to New Mexico liability law. Another win for the trial lawyers.
Our progressive legislature has, for the last few years, been quietly moving toward a single payer health system in the State in the belief that access to medical care is a ‘right’ that should not be subject to any profit motive. If you like your BeWellNM insurance program, you will love single payer. Most people with an option however do not participate in the State program as it offers a very limited choice of physicians, none apparently who can be located out of the State without a “mother may I” request to State. This is particularly onerous to those in the outlands who acquire quite a bit of their medical care from Texas providers.
We can do better. The problems with New Mexico medical care, or lack thereof, are self-inflicted. Public policy has created the problem, and with the appropriate courage, can fix it. Remember that please the next time you go to the polls to vote.
Larry Scott is a New Mexico senator, representing District 42 which contains parts of Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties.
Leave it to a politician to take advantage of a tragedy and attempt to use it for political advantage.
Following the horrific shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis that killed two children and wounded 18 others, Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said of the self-proclaimed transgender woman: “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone.”
It was a shocking comment as parents and others mourn the dead and injured.
The mayor said nothing specific about the shooter’s YouTube postings that contained hatred for Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, Catholics and President Trump. The shooter didn’t discriminate when it came to bigotry.
The shooter, whose name I will not use, “Scoffed at religion, idolized the nation’s most notorious mass shooters and fantasized about carrying out a public massacre where children would be at their most vulnerable,” reported The Washington Times. In a hand-written journal posted on YouTube before the shootings, the killer admitted he “was tired of being trans” and wished he “never brain-washed himself,” reported the New York Post. I wonder what Mayor Frey thinks of that?
Sadly, a new school year encourages some people with twisted and evil minds to act out their fantasies and bemoan their station in life by killing the innocent.
As with prior incidents something more can be done to safeguard against future repetitions.
I am a supporter of the Second Amendment, but with a caveat. No one should be allowed to buy a semi-automatic rifle as the one used in Minneapolis without a long waiting period and a complete mental health and background check that includes interviews with parents, relatives and friends. The shooter clearly displayed abnormal behavior. His mother allowed him to legally change his name from male to female and his gender identification. She has reportedly hired a criminal defense attorney.
The killer had two other weapons, all reportedly bought legally. If purchased as a minor (he was 22 at the time of the shootings) a parent likely would have had to sign off on it. Where were the guns kept? If they were not secured, along with ammunition, who is at fault? There are people, including possibly his parents, who witnessed erratic and hateful behavior. Did they report it? If not, why not? If they did and nothing was done, again why?
ABC News reported: “The state has had an Extreme Risk Protection Order law (sometimes referred to as a red flag law) … , since last year, which gives judges the ability to remove a person’s weapons following a petition from select individuals, such as a parent or police officer, who proves they are a risk to others or themselves.”
Why wasn’t it invoked and who is responsible for not invoking it?
Other than making weapons designed to kill humans less easily available, an investment is going to have to be made in greater security. This may include increased police presence or security guards inside and outside schools. It might also include blocking road entrances onto school property with an armed security guard checking everyone seeking admission. Identification badges might also help.
Hotels in some Middle East countries where I’ve stayed do some of this and it has virtually eliminated terrorism and other violent acts. Yes, it would cost money and delays, but how much is a child’s life – or any life worth? If it also serves as a deterrent to the sick of mind who search for soft targets, so much the better.
It’s a safe prediction we will see additional copycat incidents this school year if more – a lot more – is not done. The dead deserve it. So do their parents. So do the living.
Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
