Trump is apparently serious about arming teachers to protect them from another school shooting. The best solution obviously would be to restrict firearm ownership, so that people couldn’t get their mitts on powerful submachine guns, especially not criminals and murderous nutters. As for teachers with guns, I’m reminded of the Boomtown Rats old hit, ‘Tell Me Why I Don’t Like Mondays’. It was based on a real incident, where a teacher came in and shot down her class. When she was asked by the police why she did it, she simply replied ‘I don’t like Mondays’.
In fact, Douglas Adams was making jokes about arming teachers with guns as long ago as the 1980s, in the third book of his Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. I’m afraid it’s so long ago since I read it, that I can’t remember what it was called. But I do remember it involved Ford and Arthur going off to investigate the re-emergence of a savagely xenophobic and militaristic race, the Armourfiends of somewhere-or-other – I’ve forgotten the rest of their name. These people are so mad keen on war and weaponry, that certain professions are armed because of their work. This includes teachers.
What started as a joke by Adams’ is now being promoted as serious government policy by Trump. Somewhere up there, Adams must be having a very dry, ironic laugh. Always supposing that heaven exists, and the Good Lord will let militant atheists in.
Tags: 'Tell Me why I Don't Like Mondays', Boomtown Rats, Donald Trump, Douglas Adams, Gun Ownership, Guns, Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, School Shootings, Schools, Science Fiction, Teachers
Beastrabban\'s Weblog 
February 24, 2018 at 3:21 pm |
Hi Beast how are you?
“I don’t like Mondays was about a 16 year old girl called Brenda Spencer. Her father bought her a ruger semi automatic for Xmas 1978. In january 79 she shot at children and teachers at the Cleveland elementary school across the road from her bedroom. She ended up killing the Principle and a janitor, and seriously injured 9 children under 10yrs. It is said to be the first school shooting in America. Her reason why was “I don’t like Mondays, it livens up the day.
Here are the lyrics and why Bob Geldof wrote it
“I was doing a radio interview in Atlanta with [Johnnie] Fingers and there was a telex machine beside me. I read it as it came out. Not liking Mondays as a reason for doing somebody in is a bit strange. I was thinking about it on the way back to the hotel and I just said ‘Silicon chip inside her head had switched to overload’. I wrote that down. And the journalists interviewing her said, ‘Tell me why?’ It was such a senseless act. It was the perfect senseless act and this was the perfect senseless reason for doing it. So perhaps I wrote the perfect senseless song to illustrate it. It wasn’t an attempt to exploit tragedy.”
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sure
Oh, oh, oh tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
The Telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world
And mother feels so shocked
Father’s world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to their own little girl
Sweet sixteen ain’t that peachy keen
Now, it ain’t so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need oh, woah
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
Down, down
Shoot it all down
All the playing’s stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school’s out early and soon we’ll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain tackles
With the problems and the how’s and why’s
And he can see no reasons
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die, die
Oh, oh, oh and the silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
‘Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sure
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like, I don’t like, I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like, I don’t like, (tell me why) I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I want to shoot, the whole day down, uh, uh, uh
Songwriters: Bob Geldof
February 24, 2018 at 3:46 pm |
Thanks for the correction and the extra info, Jo. Always good to hear from you. 🙂
February 24, 2018 at 4:02 pm |
Aww thank you Beastie, life looks to maybe getting a bit better, at least I am feeling a bit more cautiously confident! That is way better than before! :0)
February 24, 2018 at 9:47 pm |
Reblogged this on idontbelieveitagain.