Ninja Nonsense

Thank God the Barnegat school district acted in the best interests of protecting students and staff. Thank God established procedures were followed quickly. Thank God Artie's Angels once again earned their wings by responding immediately.

And by the grace of Almighty God, we should not care if radio commentators like NJ 101.5's Jim Gearhart or other Monday morning quarterbacks make cheap fodder out of Barnegat's concern for human life.

No comedy in today's column, neighbors. ET is 100% serious. Security can never be taken for granted. ET would rather see what others label as "overreaction" happen a million times than to bury just one innocent human being because we were asleep at the switch.

Shame on Jim Gearhart for criticizing Barnegat. Does Jim forget the many acts of wanton murder and terror that went down successfully because vigilant security measures were not in place or, if they were, somebody failed to activate them because they made a wrong call? Sure, it makes for entertaining morning drive-time banter to joke about alarms and sirens going off when an eight year-old child is seen walking in the woods in a ninja getup and we lock down the schools. Hell, I am sure the station's switchboard lit up with callers waiting to jump on the Bash Barneghetto Bandwagon.

Lord knows ET is the first to throw rotten tomatoes when we think the powers-that-be in Barnegat lay an egg - and that will not change. But this time we tip our hats to whomever made the decision to err on the side of caution. Hell, Gearhart and his fellow talk show hosts would have been the first ones to call for a medal to be bestowed had the scare proved real.

What does a murderer or terrorist look like, Mr. Gearhart? Ask the people who lost kin on 9-11. Go over to the many countries where suicide bombers waited in bus stops and then blew themselves up taking other people to Mecca with them once they boarded the bus. Go to several college campuses where innocent pupils only graduation was celebrated in a cemetery because a lunatic sprayed a classroom with bullets, all because vigilant security measures were conspicuous by their absence.

Do all that. Then condemn 08005.

Last, go ask our Supreme Court what in the hell was in their breakfast mush when they said it was wrong to execute those who harmed children but it was just to cripple some of the most effective gun control laws in our nation. Yes, the same black-robed codgers that validated eminent domain where an elderly couple can lose their home to clear a path for a shopping center or other "economic benefit."

ET says WELL DONE to those who made the decision to act decisively.

And to Jim Gearhart and all the other Armchair Admirals we say: NUTS!