Students take the initiative to obey activists

While reading the congratulatory Gazette article about Franklin Middle School students 'taking the initiative” for 'change,” I kept thinking to myself how great an example this was of empty rhetoric, false premises, groupthink and propaganda ('At Franklin Middle, students taking the initiative,” March 29).

To think that adolescents can and should be the arbiters of morality and public policy is madness. When I was that age and going to Franklin, I didn't know much about anything. My peers were no different. Kids easily are manipulated by adults and propaganda and lack wisdom which comes from time and experience.

Second, after being manipulated into participating in a 'walk out” by leftist political organizations, the students are leading a discussion on bullying - as if that had anything to do with the motivations of the Parkland shooter. The issues were not addressed, like broken families and the complete breakdown of local and federal law enforcement reporting and properly handling the complaints against this individual even by members of his own family. The problem was government incompetence and now activists want us to give up our means of self-defense to this same government. No thanks.

Political activists are politicizing and weaponizing children to take part in political causes that they can neither comprehend nor consider all of the consequences yet. It's not new. I found nothing to celebrate, but rather found it to be another example of why home schooling is a good idea for parents who don't want their kids constantly worked over.

Andrew Bunce

Cedar Rapids