Althouse: "She did what she was trained to do, but also what her heart told her to do."

December 15, 2012

"She did what she was trained to do, but also what her heart told her to do."

"I would expect nothing less from Vicki."

ADDED: The woman on the phone (in the iconic photo) is Jillian Soto, Vicki's sister.

34 comments:

Skyler said...: A true hero. It's a shame the government decreed that she had to face this murderer without any means of fighting back.; 12/15/12, 8:32 PM
mtrobertsattorney said...: I think it is time to ask the question whether a teacher should have access to a firearm in her classroom.; 12/15/12, 8:39 PM
Lyle said...: The problem with a firearm in the classroom is that there are students who will sure try and take it.

I like the idea of one or two designated carriers, but not in every classroom.; 12/15/12, 8:48 PM
bagoh20 said...: Guns can be secured in a classroom and still allow pretty quick access. Like all these murder sprees, there are victims who have plenty of time to know that they are going to be killed, but no way to defend themselves. This poor teacher had time to get a secured gun unlocked and ready, and could have easily saved all her children, but that option is never even going to be considered, because gun hatred and ignorance is more powerful than the concern for innocent lives.

When I imagine being caught in one of these murder sprees, it's not the gunman that's scary - it's being helpless to save anyone or even myself. I can't imagine taking responsibility for other people's children all day and being helpless to protect them. It's unconscionable.

In terms of protection, the unarmed teacher is just another child, not an adult, not a protector at all. And, the gun needs to be where the children are if it's to be of any use in saving them. It's not hard at all to make it inaccessible to them but available to the teacher.

I have one at my job, because there are a hundred helpless people, and I consider it my duty, since I'm the only one legally allowed to have it. In fact, I'm not even sure it's legal, and I don't care. It easy to do, safe, and irresponsible to not at least take such simple measures to with so many people's lives at stake. I'd be willing to break a law that prevented me from doing it.; 12/15/12, 9:20 PM
edutcher said...: Too bad what she was "trained to do" didn't include killing the bastard.; 12/15/12, 9:23 PM
Wince said...: She...doted on her black Labrador, Roxy.; 12/15/12, 9:30 PM
bagoh20 said...: It sounds like the training involved making them all easier to kill. If the teacher is not going to be armed then the classroom should be lockable. And the training should be to barricade everything in the room against the door. Guns would still be smarter. Imagine if all the teachers in that school or even a number of them were armed. The shooter would probably never even have gone there. There seems to be one consistent factor in all these mass shootings: the shooter never attacks a group who might be armed. They may intend to die anyway, but they don't want their plan screwed up - they don't want to "fail". Armed victims would screw things up.; 12/15/12, 9:32 PM
mc said...: I have been a teacher (in a city)and reside in town. I have never understood the hide response. Hide the children but swarm the prick. I am not sure I could do it, but I think I would, rush the bastard. If everyone rushes the s.o.b. he will fail.

Now it is front and center of the disarm and castrate agenda.

Nephew was in the next classroom.

Unreal, just so unreal.

Everyone needs to fight hard to keep the "do gooders" from wrecking our rights. The lunatic is dead, and no law will eradicate insanity.

The Journ-o-listers are all over the geometry of nullifying the 2nd amendment.

Please lets not let the periodicity of lunacy give them what they want.; 12/15/12, 9:48 PM
JAL said...: @ mc Thoughts and prayers for you and your nephew and family and their friends. I cannot imagine the pain. My heart aches as I look at our neighbor's kindergartener.

The reality of the gun "control" movement is bigger than ban guns. An armed school will not -- probably never -- be targeted. One never hears that from the ban guns crowd.

The number of guns used by crazy people is miniscule compared to the number of guns owned and safely used by millions -- that is millions -- of American gun owners.

The number of young people murdered (with illegal guns) in Chicago and DC annually dwarfs the number of people -- young and old -- murdered by lunatics with guns.

Where is the outrage about the inner city gangsta culture which encourages this?

May the memory of this young teacher who died for her students be long remembered. And the music teacher who hid her children in a closet also honored.

Character -- in life and death.; 12/15/12, 10:57 PM
somefeller said...: The shooter committed suicide in this case and suicide isn't uncommon in these situations. The idea that he would have been deterred by knowing someone at the school might have been armed doesn't hold up given that he obviously wasn't concerned about surviving. The idea that an armed person might have prevented more casualties is a different question, however, though one that might argue in favor of more armed security guards or cops at schools, not armed teachers.; 12/15/12, 11:21 PM
mc said...: @JAL--Thank you.

I read a story to my nephew's class.

The school was secure and everyone was attentive and on point. I needed to have one of his parents inform them of my arrival with the office and the teacher. I had to be buzzed in and show I.D. I was questioned politely by staff in the hallways as to who I was and why I was there.

I thought it a little over the top at the time, and sadly it was to no avail.

The media is thicker than the residents, I called one of Diane Sawyers producers a scumbag, but should not have.

Just wish it would all be not true.

I feel sorry for all, including the sick bastard's family. Conflicted on that one a little, then feel guilty about feeling conflicted.

It is (or was) a beautiful school with wonderful staff, as is apparent.; 12/15/12, 11:22 PM
bagoh20 said...: Somefeller, There is a reason why even these suicidal shooters never choose to attack armed groups. I believe it's because it could ruin their plan, and that's paramount to them. Clearly being armed is a deterrent for some reason. The correlation is overwhelming.; 12/15/12, 11:42 PM
Anonymous said...: I had a feeling the young lady in anguish in the photo was her sister. I wish she'd had more privacy in her grief.; 12/15/12, 11:50 PM
somefeller said...: Fair point, but it is also true that people do attack armed groups or individuals all the time (ask any cop) and there's a difference between deterrence based on fear of being harmed vs. fear of your plan not working out. And one also has to balance the risks of more armed personnel at schools vs. fewer or none. And I'm not against armed personnel, but I'm not convinced arming teachers is a better idea than hiring trained armed security. But in practice, there are lots of schools in this country and it would he difficult if not impossible to have armed guards at all of them, if that is even a good solution. You can't stop every crazy and evil person from acting on their plans.; 12/15/12, 11:53 PM
Sorun said...: I'm in the camp that thinks there's far too much media coverage, and that the killer's name and photo shouldn't be publicized. Instead, write stories about people like this woman. Glorify the heros, not the killer.; 12/15/12, 11:53 PM
Anonymous said...: Teachers are "trained" to shield the kids with their own bodies and take the bullets themselves? Ahhh...I don't think so. That sounds embellished.; 12/16/12, 2:45 AM
MayBee said...: I've heard the story reported a could of different ways.

Regardless, teachers who stayed with their children did the right thing. That is heroic enough.; 12/16/12, 3:08 AM
Anonymous said...: Oh Leslyn--- Your have-teachers-turned-back-into-villians-yet sounds kinda agenda-ish??? I'm sorry my comments didn't fit your templates. And, I doubt the family's reading Althouse comments this week. Get a grip hon.; 12/16/12, 6:38 AM
McTriumph said...: These shooters all seem to kill themselves, as soon as they are confronted by someone with a firearm. So, let's confront them. Suicide seems to be their ultimate goal, they hate themselves and society. They don't plan to reek havoc and escape to Mexico. These shooters aren't train in urban warfare, aren't in most cases that proficient in gun use, at least not anymore than any firearm owning civilian. "Gun free zones" give a false sense of security and a target rich environment of victims. "Gun free zones" is as stupid as calling police and firemen "first responders".

Notice that the mall shooter in Washington had a very small body count in such a target rich environment "gun free zone". He was confronted by a "conceal and carry" civilian, that's all it took, the sight of armed resistance and he shot himself.
We have armed guards protecting politicians, bureaucrats and money, but give our school children "gun free zones", WTF.; 12/16/12, 7:06 AM
Phil 314 said...: Before we arm the teachers can someone please do the math.

How many grade school classes are ongoing each day? How many school shootings have we had? I assume you'll end up with a very small fraction. That's the safety margin you'll need to exceed to make "armed teachers" a reasonable alternative.

Let's not take a TSA approach to problem solving.; 12/16/12, 8:15 AM
McTriumph said...: Phil
Hows a few teachers per school on a volunteer basis with guns in lock boxes going to be the TSA?; 12/16/12, 8:43 AM
Astro said...: I'd favor teachers having guns, but there are so many side issues including proper gun training, gun safety, and the psychology of being able to point a gun and actually pull the trigger, to kill someone completely and utterly dead. I think that would be a big psychological barrier for a lot of teachers.
Maybe a tazer should be the weapon for teachers. Knowing they could shoot someone and stop them, with very little chance someone would die. Psychologically I think that would be easier to deal with, making it more likely they'd pull the trigger without hesitating.; 12/16/12, 8:59 AM
Phil 314 said...: McT,

How many is a "few teachers"? Consider how many schools there are? How do we identify "volunteers"? What's the training and where's the firearm kept? etc.

And given your scenario (I.e. voluntary) and the frequency of school shootings, how do we judge "success" or is it by definition "successful"?; 12/16/12, 9:15 AM
ken in tx said...: I read about a school in Texas that teaches teachers and students to rush a shooter and throw books at him. I think this is a good idea.; 12/16/12, 9:16 AM
Known Unknown said...: He was confronted by a "conceal and carry" civilian, that's all it took, the sight of armed resistance and he shot himself.

I have not seen this reported anywhere. Do you have a link?; 12/16/12, 10:14 AM
CWJ said...: Yeah EMD, I was wondering that too. MCT, hey neighbor. Anything more that you can add to your post?; 12/16/12, 10:28 AM
bagoh20 said...: I know I would feel a lot safer with my kids in a school with some armed staff, and not just one rent-a-cop with orders to call 911 and not engage.

Nobody thinks it's a bad idea to have their money in the bank defended with guns, and are not at all uncomfortable entering that armed bank, but protecting our children?

Your primary responsibility to them is to protect them from attack, and we are scared to accept it. We think we have some modern enlightened solution to something we have had to do since before we lived in caves, we think we are smarter than all of nature and millions of years of evolution. Parents protect their offspring with force, and always have. What species uses a strategy of pretending there is no threat because we have marked the area, and then refuses to defend it's young when a threat ignores the signs or sees them as an invitation.

If your job was to protect anything of value, would you use this strategy? Would you trust someone who does to protect your valuables.; 12/16/12, 10:31 AM
bagoh20 said...: Imagine your bank had no FDIC insurance, left the vault open, and just put up signs saying "This is a no theft zone.". Now imagine the same bank, again no insurance, vault open, but with a sign that said: "Staff are armed and trained to defend this bank with lethal force."; 12/16/12, 10:37 AM
Balfegor said...: re: mojavehicular:

I had a feeling the young lady in anguish in the photo was her sister. I wish she'd had more privacy in her grief.

So do I. Taking a photo at a funeral, or some other more formal expression of grief seems permissible to me, but taking a photo of a woman just as she is learning her sister has just been killed -- that's indecent. They should never have published that.; 12/16/12, 11:07 AM
Marylou said...: News reports are that they have evacuated a Newtown, CT church this morning.

http://www.wfsb.com/story/20356894/st-rose-of-lima-church-in-newtown-evacuated; 12/16/12, 12:04 PM
Paul said...: And yet not one teacher was armed, not one teacher and, in reality, an effective means to protect their students.

How can we have these 'gun free' zones? They make so many people helpess to save themselves or others.; 12/16/12, 1:01 PM
Jerome said...: Here is the link to the Clackamas Mall story, from Drudge. It isn't real clear what it means, though.

http://tinyurl.com/clnfzes; 12/16/12, 1:27 PM
Jerome said...: "She did what she was trained to do." Seriously? Someone trained her to get shot? I have to say, if my boss was explaining my job to me, and he said that someone might try to kill me and a bunch of children with me, and should that happen, I should try to protect the children by letting myself get shot ....?; 12/16/12, 1:31 PM
bagoh20 said...: " I should try to protect the children by letting myself get shot ....?"

Yea, I'd ask: "Is that really all you got. There has to be a plan B ,right? What's that? Maybe we can develop a few other alternatives, cause this don't pay enough for what you're suggesting here, Boss."; 12/16/12, 2:49 PM