Essay President
To: Mr. President
From: Jesse M. Dombrique
Re: Columbine High School
Jue 8, 1999
Mr. Clinton, how many more
lives of children will it take before you, Mr. President and the people of the
United States come to the conclusion something has to be seriously done. Major
changes have to be made concerning our youngsters?
The latest tragedy at the High School Columbine in Littleton Colorado wherein
15 children died and 22 were injured. This should open everyone’s eyes to the
fact that something is seriously wrong and what is becoming of the country we
live in. Is this incident also going to be just another fading memory like the
incidents in Pearl Mississippi, Jonesboro Arkansas, Paducah Kentucky,
Springfield Oregon etc. etc….? Are you and the people of the United States
again just going to talk about the incident until it fades?
The saddest part of this latest tragedy is, politicians around the country will
step up and use the lives of those murdered children to be elected to office by
endorsing tougher crime laws and portraying the picture that they will make
changes to make the United States a safer place. Once elected, very few if any,
will step up to the plate for the children of our country. As a matter of fact,
systematically the policy of children should be seen and not heard being
endorsed more and more each day. Which is a direct result of all the
violence throughout the country, and will detrimentally affect the future of
the United States.
The United States of America is the strongest country throughout the world
financially and in stability, but the most inadequate when it comes to the
responsibility of our children. There have been so many changes in the last 20
years as to the quality of life (both good and bad), laws, policies, rules,
latest technology etc. etc, but I sit here helpless to name any changes to
better the lives of our children in meeting the times. It is so heart-rending
that the only times children are really paid any serious attention to is when
money can be made from them.
Which does not say much about our society or morals.
The children are the country’s future and the lifeline of generations and
generations to come. I believe it is the time we lose the mentality of “I will
not be a round for that future” even though it may not be a conscious thought,
the effects are the same. The quality of Education in all school systems as
well as the mental well being of our children has to be at the top of the
country’s priority, period! Politicians have only use the words “Education and
Children” to swing votes and again I sit here helpless to name one politician
that has made a true and real dedication to the children of our country.
Politicians have endorsed the lotteries throughout the country. These lotteries
have preyed on so many people in the name of education. The facts are, a
certain percentage is being given to the school budges, which are being cut, so
where do the benefits from lotteries help the school if not just to keep the
schools afloat. The majority of the country is so blinded concerning education,
children, crime laws prison and what the country is becoming. The country has
been systematically encouraging voters to vote for longer prison sentences and
tougher crime laws for the last 20 years, and nothing has changed. Things are
just getting worse. The only way to sincerely work on dropping the crime rate
is to start with the school age children and focusing serious attention in
teaching our children how to make the right choices. Is there one answer to
solve the crisis with our children? No, but it is seriously time to rethink the
objective of raising children inside and outside our home because prison or
death should not be the only source of prevention for a disturb youngster. Our
country has been and still is running so many children and adult’s lives, which
will eventually backfire.
I do comment Politicians for not rushing to Littleton Colorado during the
crisis for camera coverage; but then again I guess they knew how transparent
how it would have looked. Governor Bill Owens of Colorado did go to Littleton
during the crisis and I seriously believe he was there to share the pain with
the families of a true tragedy of our time. Time will reveal the true reason
why he was there by his actions in building a solid foundation for the
children, and giving them their true place in the countries’ priority list of
things to do.
Though crime laws and mandatory sentencing has been proven to be a waste of tax
payers’ money. Let’s start putting funding to work in the right ways and for
the right reasons. Parents, society and government are responsible for
everything our children to go through and experience in their lives. So many
people are embarrassed to accept the responsibility of our children’s actions
due to fear of being de-classed, which is a saddening pathetic thought. Blame
is always pushed in the opposite direction toward someone else or something
else.
No child in this world is born to hate, commit crimes or otherwise. It is
taught, experienced or viewed. The challenge is when a child does learn
something positive or negative that they know how to perceive the experience
and understand the pros and cons of it, and if not, that someone is there to
turn to for the true answers.
The barriers have to come down where children are comfortable in asking
questions and having someone there to answer them, and not having to learn
about them on their own, or through detrimental sources. Parents, teachers,
society and Politicians needs to get involved for the future of the United
States: “Our Children”.
Police Agencies of all branches have to stop the systematically discrimination
of (all people) period! There have been too many unjustifiable killings; police
brutality is on a serious rise to many individuals convicted of crimes they
never committed, and too many incidents of police doctoring evidence to obtain
convictions. If you believe these issues do not have a profound effect of our
children’s view of life and values, we are worst off than I thought. There are
so many children scared to reach adulthood, because they are confused of what
is right or wrong with all the things that are going on in our country.
Children need someone they can speak to, trust completely, and confide in
confidentially and someone who truly emphasize the word truly and understand
them. How can anyone whom has not experience different aspects of life, speak
on an understandable level to a child, where that child will understand them
from their heart and mind? Children are so dispose that they know they are just
being fed words or words from a book. Every school should put in place two
individuals, one male and one female that are there solely and only for the
children. Their job would consist of monitoring the children for changes by way
of interacting with them on a communication basis. Someone they can speak to on
an understandable level. Someone whom they can be totally truthful to. Someone
whom a child will feel comfortable turning to during times of confusion or
depression. In addition, someone that will stand up for them when they are
being misunderstood. This person cannot be a school counsellor, police officer,
or anyone that is controlled by school administration because the loyalty could
not be strictly to the child and once the trust is broken, the project fails.
After I started this letter, the NBC Morning Show conducted an interview with
Craig Scott, a student at Columbine High School that was inside the school’s
library at the time this incident took place and also whose sister was shot to
death in this tragedy. Craig Scott presented the reality of the youngsters
throughout the United States. Looking into Craig’s eyes revealed pain, hurt,
confusion, and a country that needs serious help.
Mr. President, you stated to the world when the three soldiers were taken
hostage by Serbia, “Our country takes care of our own”. For whatever it’s worth
those words meant a lot to me and I know to a lot of the other people. Let us
show the world that we can be in conflicts around the globe and still step up
to the plate for our children 100% because, “We do take care of our own.”
I challenge everyone to get a mirror and look deep into your eyes, to see if
they reveal what you should and or capable of doing for our youngsters of
tomorrow’s future. The pathetic thing about this letter is that things have
come to a point you have a convicted bank robber “DISGUSTED” with what is going
on with our youngsters in that outside world. Do I have an ulterior motive for
writing this letter? I guess I do, I still have three sons, a daughter, and a
grandson left out there that I love so much and I want someone to be there for
them if needed. You might wonder where I got my understanding about youngsters.
Well, I was one of them and I Don’t mean I was just a youngster. I was a
youngster that experienced and believed everything a youngster could experience
in their lifetime. Furthermore, I took a gun to school to shoot my vice
principal, but he got warned about it beforehand.
In recent days there has been so much talk about putting committees together,
doing investigations, communities coming together, new legislation on guns,
music, clothing etc., etc. to find out why children are committing serious
violent crimes. When anyone wants to find answers to something they got to the
individual who has direct knowledge of the issue. When we want to find out
about diseases, we ask the Center for Disease Control, and when we want to know
about genetics, we ask a biologist.
The information the country needs to all the questions of WHY are only going to
be found in and only from violent criminals. The majority of prison interviews
are done with prisoners who do not have a clue what violence is, or what a real
convict is all about. The reason for this is, because it’s hard to get a real
convict to open up his inner-self, due to the lack of trust.
A true convict is always concerned about confidentiality issues, which
are real concerns. In order to really find the answer. The country needs about
violence and the concerns have to be eliminated. Serious violence and career
criminals have to be encouraged to open up their lives to make a difference. A
lot of them really want to help, but the issue mentioned above kept their lips
sealed. The reason why they would want to help is because all of us have little
brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and grandchildren that we never want to see
behind these prison walls or in a coffin. I believe that if the country will
under oath quarantine confidentiality to any prisoner and assure them nothing
said in these interviews will ever be used against them under any circumstances,
you could have an answer to the question WHY.
Mr. Clinton, I seriously hope you will do everything in your power at whatever
cost to build a structure with a foundation, that any future President will not
be able to touch for the youngsters of our country. The country does have to
find out what the youngsters need from the youngsters themselves. Make the
youngsters feel part of this country’s inner working, and let’s stop alienating
them.
I feel you will be one of the last presidents for awhile that would and can
make a difference if you seriously want to. It will be a sad day if a solid
structure is not in place before your term is completed and especially if Bush
takes over in the next election. I submit this letter to you Mr. President and
the people of the United States in hopes you will seriously re-evaluate the
needs of our youngsters, and to act upon those needs. Please acknowledge that
this letter was received.
Sincerely
Jesse M. Dombrique
Federal No. 96164-012
Post Office Box 1034
Coleman, Florida 33521