Post armed vets in nation’s schools

There is little difference between crazed madmen, zealots, or terrorists who are bent on destruction.

What would we expect if 20 children and six adults had died in Sandy Hook at the hands of a terrorist who was screaming invocations to his deity? What if the victims had been blown up by an anti-government zealot with a truckload of fertilizer and diesel fuel?

Because of the truck bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, most federal buildings are protected by elaborate measures outside, and armed guards within. Look closely at the new federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids.

Immediately after 9/11, we posted 5,000 soldiers at vulnerable sites throughout the country; 8,200 were deployed in airports until enhanced TSA security measures could be implemented.

It's nearly impossible for the criminally intentioned to carry any imaginable weapon near an airliner. If one should get aboard, there are armed pilots and/or air marshals on many flights. If terrorists get into a federal building, there is armed security within.

Banning specific weapons or accessories will do no good. Because it is not the implement, but the perpetrator, who wreaks the devastation; we have not banned box cutters, airplanes, fertilizer, rental trucks, or diesel fuel.

This year, guard our children with returning troops who volunteer.

For next year, retrofit schools with measures equal to federal buildings. Secure the interiors with armed resource officers and voluntarily trained, armed staff.

Charlie Dyer

Shellsburg