(November 1, 2005) — As students, we are subject to numerous federal and state regulations. We are seen as the crop that must be tended and thus tended with the authoritarian hand of the American system, because that is where “The Man” starts. The state sees that we must be conditioned to accept and conform to a system in which we are subordinate to the “best-interest” of the men in suits. To condition us means “Show them force!” Not only does the state hold such ideals, but apparently the school system does as well. Not too long ago, I witnessed a student being reprimanded for standing on a bus while trying to fetch his backpack. The actual student later informed me that the administration had apprised him of the suspension after the incident had been reported. What did this person do wrong? What made this an offense worth suspension? Most other school violations do not even result in suspension. It is unclear whether there was a rational basis behind this suspension, (although, under a technicality of Grounds for Suspension GUSD administrative regulation: Item k, standing on the bus can be interpreted as the disruption of studies of school personnel), but what is clear is that such trivial actions can result in punishment and mar a clean slate. Taking this into consideration, educational institutions can easily be compared to a police state rather than a bastion of learning. There is no use to argue for your rights, because in school, they do not exist. You signed them off a long time ago, a time when you were given naptime and finger paint. Theoretically, if all students were sheep, this system would not be so tragically flawed, but in the clash of teenage angst and the exploration of one’s own identity, the system has a bit of a problem. There will be the obvious detractors as well as the others, but the main objective here becomes that there needs to be an example set, even if the means are completely ridiculous.