City Chatter: The Terrorists of Tiny Town: Homeland security keeping our country safe from kindergarteners (hey, they could be Al Qaeda...)

[junglee069 0]

WHILE ATTORNEY GENERAL Alberto Gonzalez assures the U.S. Senate that the Bush Administration’s domestic eavesdropping program is a vital “early warning system” for terrorists, another homeland security measure strikes at a local elementary school.

The kindergarten class at Lakewood’s Taft Elementary was planning a field trip to NASA Glenn Research Center. It’s a popular trip because it’s free, because the NASA staff already has age-appropriate tours that fit well with school curriculum, and, well, it’s outer space, for pete’s sake. They’ve got rocket ships.

And NASA works the education angle hard. According to the agency, “A major part of the NASA mission is ‘To inspire the next generation of explorers . . . as only NASA can.’” And of course they talk about math and science. NASA says about 400 school groups took tours last year.

But school principal Margaret Seibel says this year’s trip for Taft kindergarteners — we’re talking 6-year-olds here — had to be canceled due to homeland security concerns.

Since new security regulations went into effect in May 1, 2005, access to the Visitor Center is restricted to United State citizens. All others might be terrorists.

No tourists from France, no exchange students from Tokyo and, no foreign national kindergarteners on field trips.

“I was told they would not make any exceptions,” Seibel says.

Because two kids in the kindergarten class are not U.S. citizens, the teacher had to cancel the trip.

“It was just a policy that came down from the Homeland Security Department,” said Chief Community and Media Relations Officer Linda Dukes-Campbell. “We are a federal reservation, and we have to work within those ramifications.”

Dukes-Campbell says, though, that the agency is “looking at a policy revision” that might allow kindergarteners onto the federal reservation for field trips. She says they’re “hoping to have language” in order in a couple of weeks.

Get your permission slips ready.

— Michael Gill

source

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Great policy! Treating non-citizen school kids as sub-humans will most likely cause them to hold grudges against the US-government later. Especially since their peers now hate them for not being able to visit NASA and will show them in the playground.

[pax 0]

That is so sad. And so bleeding unnecessary and heavy-handed.

Can these situations not be examined on a case-by-case basis?

[junglee069 0]

Great policy! Treating non-citizen school kids as sub-humans will most likely cause them to hold grudges against the US-government later. Especially since their peers now hate them for not being able to visit NASA and will show them in the playground.

almost as bad as infants being on the no-fly lists.......

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Great policy! Treating non-citizen school kids as sub-humans will most likely cause them to hold grudges against the US-government later. Especially since their peers now hate them for not being able to visit NASA and will show them in the playground.

almost as bad as infants being on the no-fly lists.......

if not worse... by the time the infant is old enough to understand he could be off the list again...

[almaty 19]

Great policy! Treating non-citizen school kids as sub-humans will most likely cause them to hold grudges against the US-government later. Especially since their peers now hate them for not being able to visit NASA and will show them in the playground.

almost as bad as infants being on the no-fly lists.......

just wrong

[eau_xplain 2]

Because two kids in the kindergarten class are not U.S. citizens, the teacher had to cancel the trip.

“It was just a policy that came down from the Homeland Security Department,” said Chief Community and Media Relations Officer Linda Dukes-Campbell. “We are a federal reservation, and we have to work within those ramifications.”

Sooooo .. since I (and my son) are LPRs, we cannot go visit NASA anymore?

Good thing we went last year then!

[raphael7546 0]

Hmmm thats not fair.

Also kinda strange cuz I volunteer as Receptionist at a AeroSpace Museum on the weekends, and I don't have MY greencard yet?I dunno, maybe cuz my hubby is air force?

The museum is right beside the Air Force base and if there's a "problem" we have means to contact them immediatly. Anyone can come to the muesum, we have a Kid program and all kids are encouraged to come. We have F16 simulators and all kinds of neat stuff . We also have alot of irreplaceable aircraft and some NASA stuff too.

Some Government policies are so stupid!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

As I said in the other homeland security related thread: I feel safer already.

[Kajikit 65]

That's insane...

[eau_xplain 2]

Since new security regulations went into effect in May 1, 2005, access to the Visitor Center is restricted to United State citizens. All others might be terrorists.

Sent a link to my husband he pointed out the effectivity date to me. This was supposed to have taken effect way before we went to visit NASA. They asked for photo IDs just because we were going on the Cape Canaveral: Then and Now tour. We presented a Philippine passport for my 13-year old son and they didn't have a problem letting us go on that special tour (I had an NC DL by then). Guess we slipped under the radar at that time?????

Or maybe ..kindergarten kids are more prone to do acts of terrorism????

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Or maybe ..kindergarten kids are more prone to do acts of terrorism????

This enemy is very adaptable. We need to take every precaution to keep America and Americans safe. [/sarcasm]

[Jaylen Brit 0]

They could be specially-trained Al-Queda midgets

They have these rules in place because its happened before..oh wait..no it hasn't..these are just chopf~~k rules

[almaty 19]

They could be specially-trained Al-Queda midgets

They have these rules in place because its happened before..oh wait..no it hasn't..these are just chopf~~k rules

[junglee069 0]

They could be specially-trained Al-Queda midgets

They have these rules in place because its happened before..oh wait..no it hasn't..these are just chopf~~k rules

in other breaking news today, al-qaeda has formulated gene manipulation whereby their well trained adults are midgetized (probably a word from dubya's dictionary) and have blended in with our kindergarten population. this was all done by the vastly superior genetic engineering labs they have in caves in afghanistan funded by the opium trade.