Judge David’s Community In-Service – 2004 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 Looking ahead to next year’s In-Service; you’re in for an exciting day!  According to the Topics List from the 2002 In-Service, the top area of interest for the attendees is:  “Violence and Aggression in Youth.”   It may not be a “fun” topic, but we have a dynamite speaker who will enlighten you and hold your attention.

Col. David Grossman

"Violence and Agression in Youth"
Col. David Grossman

"Lessons from Jonesboro, Littleton, and Vietnam: How Kids are Learning to Kill and Learning to Like It." Col. Grossman is one of the world's leading experts on the causes of violent crime. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, “Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill,” has testified before US Senate and US Congressional Committees, and has written numerous encyclopedia entries on the subject of violence and aggression. Col. Grossman served as a key trainer of school and mental health professionals in the aftermath of the Jonesboro, Ark. school shooting; he was a consultant in the trial of the Paducah, Kentucky school shooting; and he trained emergency, police and civic groups in the aftermath of the Springfield, Oregon, and Littleton, Colorado school shootings.  He has taught "Grand Rounds" at Dartmouth Medical Center, and as a West Point Psychology Professor he was one of the US Army experts who helped train the US Navy and the U.S.M.C. in the handling of the mass psychological trauma.

Where does a 14-year-old boy who never fired a gun before get the skill and the will to kill?  One answer is - Video games and media violence.

    * A Virus of Violence..........The per capita murder rate doubled in this country between 1957 --when the FBI started keeping track of the data--and 1992.

    * Killing Unnaturally..........Just as the army is conditioning people to kill, we are indiscriminately doing the same thing to our children, but without the safeguards.

    * The Methods in this Madness: Brutalization..........Brutalization is designed to break down your existing mores and norms and to implement a new set of values that embrace destruction, violence, and death as a way of life.

    * Classical Conditioning..........Classical conditioning is like the famous case of Pavlov's dogs you learned about in Psychology 101.

    * Operant Conditioning..........The military and law enforcement community have made killing a conditioned response.

    * Role Models........... No matter what someone has done, if you put his picture on TV, you have made him a celebrity, and someone, somewhere, will emulate him.

    * Unlearning Violence..........What is the road home from the dark and lonely place to which we have traveled?

    * Fighting Back: Education, Legislation, Litigation.....and Community Involvement!

(For more information on Col. Grossman, visit his website)http://www.killology.org/stanfordstudy.htm