Good news from the one American city I truly do like!

[gimmethesimplelife]

The police (and here I have something positive to say about the police for once) caught the package bomb perp! I'm relieved and grateful for this. I just hope there are not going to be attention-seeking copycats now. Fingers crossed on this. Rob

[pinkytoe]

DD and other family still live there so we were watching closely and the city was very nervous. Surprised to hear it was a religious (Mormon maybe?) home-schooled young man. A square peg who couldn't fit in. What a relief in any case!

[JaneV2.0]

Not surprised as to who it was at all.

[Alan]

Not surprised as to who it was at all.
Did you know him?

[JaneV2.0]

Not surprised that he fit the domestic terrorist profile: young (or youngish), white, male, with right-wing views. Unless he operated outside social media, we'll probably find out that he frequented Breitbart and other alt.right sites.

ETA: I should have mention Christian-identified, also.

[pinkytoe]

According to Austin news, he was fired from his job some time ago. I sometimes wonder if it is a good thing to cloister kids in a home schooled environment - never exposed to different kinds of people and ideas.

[bae]

I sometimes wonder if it is a good thing to cloister kids in a home schooled environment - never exposed to different kinds of people and ideas.

I wonder why people believe that home schooled children are "cloistered"?

When we were homeschooling, our daughter was exposed to many more different sorts of people and ideas than if she'd been going to the public school. She wasn't kept locked in a cupboard under the stairs and slipped Bible passages under the door....

[pinkytoe]

I don't know too much about home schooling except by observing the Mormon families in our hood, but I am sure there are varying levels of participation in the outside world. Th families here don't venture outside of their families and church much as far as I can tell.

[rosarugosa]

I wonder why people believe that home schooled children are "cloistered"?

When we were homeschooling, our daughter was exposed to many more different sorts of people and ideas than if she'd been going to the public school. She wasn't kept locked in a cupboard under the stairs and slipped Bible passages under the door....

Then you've got the Turpin kids on the other end of the spectrum.

[Teacher Terry]

I am not a fan of homeschooling but it is a right that parents have and it should be.

[bae]

I am not a fan of homeschooling but it is a right that parents have and it should be.

When we began homeschooling, the superintendent of our local school system told me that it wasn't legal to do so. (Wrong.) And that I had to have his approval anyway. (Wrong.) And that he had to approve our course of study. (Wrong.)

When I asked him "so, what if we just go hop in our yacht there, sail off across the state and national border which is a couple miles offshore here, and spend a couple years homeschooling at sea?"

He replied "I'd stop you from getting on the boat!"

He doesn't work here anymore.

What arrogance!

[Williamsmith]

According to the census there are about 1.5 million homeschooled children in the US at any one time. So, that means that approximately 1.5 million minus 1 ...did not become a homicidal serial bomber.

[CathyA]

Wasn't the Goodwill bombing done by a copycat? Nothing further has been said about that.

[pinkytoe]

The Goodwill incident was caused by an incendiary device of some sort that was accidentally donated. Or that was the story anyway.

[LDAHL]

Not surprised that he fit the domestic terrorist profile: young (or youngish), white, male, with right-wing views. Unless he operated outside social media, we'll probably find out that he frequented Breitbart and other alt.right sites.

ETA: I should have mention Christian-identified, also.

Now there’s some Olympic-level conclusion-jumping.

[pinkytoe]

One of his home-school friends was quoted as saying “It’s just very difficult for a lot of (home school) kids to find a way to fit in once they are out in the real world.” Cops said his vendetta was due to personal struggles and not any sort of political or idealogical views. Sad for all:(

[Tybee]

I am really surprised that folks are pointing to homeschooling as having any connection at all with this kind of violence.

I have taught many homeschooled children over the past 30 years when they have arrived at college, and have generally found them to be better educated and better adjusted than the typical public high school educated student.

I really wonder at the news coverage of this, if it is not a convenient chance to lobby for more government control over parents' rights to educate their children in the best manner for that particular child.

[CathyA]

What I find very disconcerting is that (supposedly) his parents had no idea he was having problems. How can this be??

[catherine]

According to Austin news, he was fired from his job some time ago. I sometimes wonder if it is a good thing to cloister kids in a home schooled environment - never exposed to different kinds of people and ideas.

My son didn't fit into the traditional school system, was failing badly and in danger of taking up with unsavory sorts of people and we took him out and homeschooled him. He brightened up immediately, got a full time job (one of our "assignments" for him as he was over 16), and did extremely well in all those things that his public school basically prevented him from doing.

He was not cloistered at all--in fact, his personality vehemently defies cloistering.

I know he was older than the traditional homeschooled kids, but I would never make assumptions that homeschooled kids are disadvantaged in any way.

[catherine]

What I find very disconcerting is that (supposedly) his parents had no idea he was having problems. How can this be??

If you have 15-20 minutes to spend, this was a very frank talk by Dylan Klebold's mother, which may answer some of your questions.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXlnrFpCu0c

[flowerseverywhere]

I am really surprised that folks are pointing to homeschooling as having any connection at all with this kind of violence.

I have taught many homeschooled children over the past 30 years when they have arrived at college, and have generally found them to be better educated and better adjusted than the typical public high school educated student.

I really wonder at the news coverage of this, if it is not a convenient chance to lobby for more government control over parents' rights to educate their children in the best manner for that particular child.

interesting conclusion. I have met several Home schooled children who were awkward, but exceedingly polite and religious. One family who did not seem particularity organized or bright so not sure how that turned out. But then again I know several families who homeschooled kids who did very well in group sports situations, rate very high in test scores and are extremely social, polite and respectful. In other words, nothing our society would deem as abnormal. Again, assumptions and painting with a broad brush really influence us all.

Perhaps if we considered what are the causes of these mass shootings/bombings and is there anything that can be done. We must be able to do better.

[ApatheticNoMore]

It seems it obviously depends, and mostly on the parents: if they are isolated from the world, dysfunctional and even abusive it will have one result and if they are very involved in the world and not abusive and loving and functional another. I mean if they really think they can raise a kid all alone and it doesn't take a village they are off on the wrong path. Intent matters some too: if the intent is to protect a kid being bullied or even increase exposure to the world it is one thing, if the intent is to isolate form the world it is another (even then it's usually better to isolate in say a religious community than in NO community although both can be risky and limiting). Obviously the result of just sending a kid to school is the safer more standard choice as all heck goes on in abusive families and at least with standard schooling they are guaranteed some other exposure and respite (this is not to say bullying doesn't happen at school, just that an abusive and isolated family can be worse).

[JaneV2.0]

My sibling home-schooled a stepdaughter who couldn't handle even accelerated/TAG schooling (she was very, very bright). She passed her GED at the earliest available opportunity, and is now involved with AI in the Bay Area. I love the idea of home-schooling when done right. I suspect a lot of kids would benefit from more attention and more control of their curriculum.

[pinkytoe]

I think once again the question is why no one saw this young man's anger and confusion and not how he was educated.