Mad Scientists Lab Coat

"Please, would you tell me," said Alice, a little timidly, ... "why your
cat grins like that?"

"It's a Cheshire cat," said the Duchess, "and that's why."

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're
mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Alice didn't think that proved it at all: however she went on. "And how do
you know that you're mad?"

"To begin with," said the Cat, "a dog's not mad. You grant that?"

"I suppose so," said Alice

"Well, then, " the Cat went on, "you see a dog growls when it's angry, and
wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my
tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad."

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don't much care where –" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"– so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

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A President who will eliminate the Patriot Act

Would you like to have a President who tossed out the entire Patriot Act?
Would you like a President who called Fox News War Propagandists?
Do you want a President who immediately pulls our troops out of Iraq?

So do I. That's why I'm supporting Ron Paul.

Ron Paul 2008 - Hope For America!

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Why Goths should Support Ron Paul

(even though it may mean registering as (shudder) a Republican to vote in the primaries.)

Why is it in your self interest to support Dr Ron Paul, a Republican, for President?
Reasons aplenty exist as to why we should support Ron Paul One of these is economic. At present, America is pursuing a path of economic suicide. Our dollar is plummeting, energy is the most expensive it's ever been, and our budget deficit is enormous. Americans spend more than they earn, have tapped out the equity in their homes, and now due to the subprime meltdown, may owe more than their homes are even worth.

Yet the status quo politicians continue to spend spend spend, on wars, on pork barrel projects, on elections. Our monetary policy is being dictated by an unconstitutional Federal Reserve who devalues our currency every time they lower interest rates.

We've been at war in Iraq now for 5 years. Over 3000 American soldiers have died, surpassing the U.S toll on 9-11; in a war based on lies. And now the administration is turning to Iran, despite evidence that Iran discontinued any Nuclear weapons program years ago! Haven't we read this book before?

No member of Congress or national politician has been more outspoken in opposition to the ever-expanding police state that has taken root in the United States over the past few decades than Ron Paul. The progressively escalating wars on drugs, crime, guns, gangs and terrorism have had the effect of establishing repression and incarceration as major growth industries, with these sectors being larger in the United States than in any other nation, including such supposed arch-tyrannies as Iran, China or Hugo Chavez's Venezuela. Recently, I came across an article in a business journal that casually and plausibly stated that one in four Americans are now employed in security work, rivaling the percentage of East Germans employed by the Stasi. It is surely a sign of the utterly degenerate and depraved nature of the present political class that such matters as the legalization of torture of suspects, coerced confessions, indefinite suspension of habeas corpus, whether or not "waterboarding" actually constitutes torture, detention without trial, secret tribunals and development of the legal framework for martial law are all considered just another matter of public policy debate in the same manner as traffic safety, tax policy, education or Social Security reform.

Some Americans may see the expansion of the police state as occasional nuisance, worth the inconvenience for added "security". That is, until for any myriad of events, they find themselves caught in the government's web. Rest assured the legitimation of such police state methodology will result in such tactics being used to fight not only the "war on terrorism" but the "war on drugs" as well. The waterboarding of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay will eventually bring about the use of such tactics in domestic American prisons. After all, it's just like swimming.
The suspension of habeas corpus and other basic procedural rights will eventually result in the elimination of such rights for drug suspects, those who run afoul of gun laws, petty criminals, proponents of alternative medicine, antiwar protesters, anti globalists, environmental and animal rights activists.
Ron Paul's program of constitutional, limited and decentralized government with respect for private property offers you and me the means of achieving the personal and collective freedom envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Who cares if your Christian fundamentalist neighbors don't like your sexual preferences or fashion sense so long as you can do what you want on your own property? So what if real estate or business associations don't like goth clubs or tattoo parlors so long as your property rights and freedom of association are respected? So the people in Kansas have a restrictive abortion law. And the people in Massachusetts have legal Gay Marriage. In both cases, the citizens of the state decided, not the Federal government! You decide!

Ron Paul on Meet the Press

Tim Russert: What would you do if Iran invaded Israel?
Ron Paul: Well, they're not going to. That would be like saying 'What if Iran invaded Mars.'

Ron Paul on Iran

As I have been saying all along, Iran indeed poses no quantifiable imminent nuclear threat to us or her neighbors. It is unthinkable that despite lack of any evidence of a threat, some are still charging headstrong into yet another war in the Middle East when what we ought to be doing is coming home from Iraq, coming home from Korea, coming home from Germany and defending our own soil. We do not need to be interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and waging war when honest trade, friendship, and diplomacy are the true paths to peace and prosperity.

Ron Paul on Freedom

We’ve all heard the words democracy and freedom used countless times, especially in the context of our invasion of Iraq. They are used interchangeably in modern political discourse, yet their true meanings are very different.

George Orwell wrote about “meaningless words” that are endlessly repeated in the political arena*. Words like “freedom,” “democracy,” and “justice,” Orwell explained, have been abused so long that their original meanings have been eviscerated. In Orwell’s view, political words were “Often used in a consciously dishonest way.” Without precise meanings behind words, politicians and elites can obscure reality and condition people to reflexively associate certain words with positive or negative perceptions. In other words, unpleasant facts can be hidden behind purposely meaningless language. As a result, Americans have been conditioned to accept the word “democracy” as a synonym for freedom, and thus to believe that democracy is unquestionably good.

The problem is that democracy is not freedom. Democracy is simply majoritarianism, which is inherently incompatible with real freedom. Our founding fathers clearly understood this, as evidenced not only by our republican constitutional system, but also by their writings in the Federalist Papers and elsewhere. James Madison cautioned that under a democratic government, “There is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual.” John Adams argued that democracies merely grant revocable rights to citizens depending on the whims of the masses, while a republic exists to secure and protect pre-existing rights. Yet how many Americans know that the word “democracy” is found neither in the Constitution nor the Declaration of Independence, our very founding documents?

A truly democratic election in Iraq, without U.S. interference and U.S. puppet candidates, almost certainly would result in the creation of a Shiite theocracy. Shiite majority rule in Iraq might well mean the complete political, economic, and social subjugation of the minority Kurd and Sunni Arab populations. Such an outcome would be democratic, but would it be free? Would the Kurds and Sunnis consider themselves free? The administration talks about democracy in Iraq, but is it prepared to accept a democratically-elected Iraqi government no matter what its attitude toward the U.S. occupation? Hardly. For all our talk about freedom and democracy, the truth is we have no idea whether Iraqis will be free in the future. They’re certainly not free while a foreign army occupies their country. The real test is not whether Iraq adopts a democratic, pro-western government, but rather whether ordinary Iraqis can lead their personal, religious, social, and business lives without interference from government.

Simply put, freedom is the absence of government coercion. Our Founding Fathers understood this, and created the least coercive government in the history of the world. The Constitution established a very limited, decentralized government to provide national defense and little else. States, not the federal government, were charged with protecting individuals against criminal force and fraud. For the first time, a government was created solely to protect the rights, liberties, and property of its citizens. Any government coercion beyond that necessary to secure those rights was forbidden, both through the Bill of Rights and the doctrine of strictly enumerated powers. This reflected the founders’ belief that democratic government could be as tyrannical as any King.

Few Americans understand that all government action is inherently coercive. If nothing else, government action requires taxes. If taxes were freely paid, they wouldn’t be called taxes, they’d be called donations. If we intend to use the word freedom in an honest way, we should have the simple integrity to give it real meaning: Freedom is living without government coercion. So when a politician talks about freedom for this group or that, ask yourself whether he is advocating more government action or less.

The political left equates freedom with liberation from material wants, always via a large and benevolent government that exists to create equality on earth. To modern liberals, men are free only when the laws of economics and scarcity are suspended, the landlord is rebuffed, the doctor presents no bill, and groceries are given away. But philosopher Ayn Rand (and many others before her) demolished this argument by explaining how such “freedom” for some is possible only when government takes freedoms away from others. In other words, government claims on the lives and property of those who are expected to provide housing, medical care, food, etc. for others are coercive-- and thus incompatible with freedom. “Liberalism,” which once stood for civil, political, and economic liberties, has become a synonym for omnipotent coercive government.

The political right equates freedom with national greatness brought about through military strength. Like the left, modern conservatives favor an all-powerful central state-- but for militarism, corporatism, and faith-based welfarism. Unlike the Taft-Goldwater conservatives of yesteryear, today’s Republicans are eager to expand government spending, increase the federal police apparatus, and intervene militarily around the world. The last tenuous links between conservatives and support for smaller government have been severed. “Conservatism,” which once meant respect for tradition and distrust of active government, has transformed into big-government utopian grandiosity.

Orwell certainly was right about the use of meaningless words in politics. If we hope to remain free, we must cut through the fog and attach concrete meanings to the words politicians use to deceive us. We must reassert that America is a republic, not a democracy, and remind ourselves that the Constitution places limits on government that no majority can overrule. We must resist any use of the word “freedom” to describe state action. We must reject the current meaningless designations of “liberals” and “conservatives,” in favor of an accurate term for both: statists.

Every politician on earth claims to support freedom. The problem is so few of them understand the simple meaning of the word.

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The End of Empire. Dollar in freefall.

Loonie's rise signals end of American era

The euro surged to a record high against the U.S. dollar yesterday, touching $1.4731, a 65 per cent gain since the end of 2001.

Analysts say the euro has become the main threat to the U.S. dollar's dominance; while political leaders worry its rising value is hurting European exports.

The euro made its debut as an accounting currency in 1999 and was put into wide circulation as physical money in 2002.

It is the currency of the 13-country euro zone, which includes Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Finland.

In December 2006, the combined value of all euro notes in circulation exceeded that of the U.S. dollar for the first time.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday currency "disarray" – including a weak U.S. dollar and overvalued Chinese yuan – could lead to "economic war."
Nov 08, 2007 04:30 AM
Thomas Walkom
National Affairs columnist

The story of the soaring Canadian dollar is no longer just about shopping in Buffalo or the troubles faced by domestic exporters. It is no longer just about Canada at all.

Rather, the story of the soaring Canadian dollar is now about something far more dramatic and dangerous. It is about the decline of the American dollar as the world's currency of choice. It is about the end of a world financial system that has been in place, in one form or another, since the 1930s and that has given the developed world unprecedented wealth. It is about America's economic chickens coming home to roost. It is about the end of empire.

And for Canada, which has prospered from its privileged position near the heart of this empire, it is potentially very bad news.

At the heart of the problem is a development that Canadians have difficulty getting used to: The American dollar, which we tend to see as a fixed star in the firmament of currencies, is falling. It is falling relative to every major currency – the euro, the Japanese yen, the British pound. It is falling relative to gold. It is falling relative to oil.

The fact that a barrel of oil now costs about 40 per cent more than it did in August is tied in large part to the depreciation of the currency in which its value is measured: The U.S. dollar.

Every successful empire brings with it an imperial currency. In Roman times, the denarius dominated trade in what is now Europe. At the height of the British Empire, the pound sterling was literally as good as gold.

Similarly, when empires wane, so do their currencies. As Rome overextended itself with military adventures, it devalued the denarius. In 1931, depression-torn Britain officially served notice that its empire was on the rocks when it decoupled the pound from gold.

Since then, the U.S. dollar has been the world's currency of choice. Arab princelings demanded dollars for their oil. So did Colombian cocaine dealers.

When China abandoned Maoism, it was dollars that Communist authorities wanted in exchange for the exports they sent abroad.

So it was perhaps appropriate, yesterday, that it fell to Chinese central banker Xu Jian to announce officially what economists have been saying for years: the dollar is "losing its status as a world currency." China, he explained, would no longer keep just American dollars in its reserves but would diversify its holdings to include other major currencies.

Given that China's central bank holds $1.43 trillion worth of U.S. dollars, that was not an insignificant statement.

The reasons for the dollar's decline are familiar. Like the Romans and British before them, the Americans have overextended themselves. As a country, they import more than they export. As individuals, they spend more than they earn.

Up to now, these excesses have been balanced by the rest of the world's willingness to hold dollars. China, for instance, was willing to take dollars in exchange for useful manufactured goods because it believed the U.S. currency would hold its value.

In a sense, it was like a giant pyramid scheme. As long as everyone believed the dollar was strong, it remained strong.

But as soon as a crack appeared, the edifice shuddered.

If the American dollar were just America's dollar, none of this might matter. Indeed, a lower U.S. dollar, by boosting American exports, will help the U.S. get through any downturn sparked by that country's housing and mortgage crises.

But the U.S. dollar is not just America's. It is the world's currency; it provides a platform of stability on which other countries can operate.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy sounded the alarm yesterday in his address to the U.S. Congress. For America to stand by and let its dollar collapse, he said, is to risk a trade war of global dimensions.

What he meant was that Europe would not let the U.S. engage in competitive devaluation without retaliating.

And this is the danger for Canada. As a small trading nation, Canada is sure to be sideswiped in an all-out trade war. As a small trading nation, Canada also depends on a stable international financial system based on a stable international currency.

So forget the minor ups and downs of the loonie. Sure, it matters if the Canadian dollar sits at $1.08 (U.S.) or $0.88. But it matters more if the U.S. dollar itself is under stress. The key development yesterday was not the fact that Canada's dollar closed down slightly from the day before. It was the fact that, relative to the euro, the U.S. dollar hit a record low.
http://www.thestar.com/Article/274630

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Spirithalloween 50% off

SpiritHalloween.com
Is doing their Halloween clearance right now- 50% off.

$10 off $75 at Goodgfoth.com

Today's Toothy Tile news comes from JJ (again)

Someone is GAY and Story is to Come SOON....

___________ and his long time secret partner, _________, finally became parents of a baby boy last Wednesday night through a planned cesarean via a surogant. The baby was born at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Hollywood, CA. While ________ is off jet setting promoting his current film, _________ is home with a nanny tending to the new born.

My first blind item. :P Names to come soon. I have another really good story that I will tease with a blind item tomorrow. This sh*t is getting good. You won't believe what we have in store in the next 24 hours, news wise!!!

K Mart addl 50% off Halloween

K Mart is taking an additional 50% off all Halloween. You have to put the items in your cart to see the discount. There is also Free Shipping over $49

More' Jake is Gay' from Jonathan Jaxson

From JJ's blog
As if I haven't told the story before...Jake Gyllenhaal is GAY!!!

Here is a photo of Jake & Reese Witherspoon, looking extremely uncomfortable together while attending the "Rendition" photocall at the 2nd Annual Rome Film Festival today.
The NY Post ran a 'blind item' today which only adds to what I have said previously...

“WHICH movie studio is desperately trying to hide its latest star’s homosexuality? They have made him pair up with his leading lady, whom he couldn’t care less about.”

There is a small chance that the NY Post maybe talking about Zac Efron, but my bets are on Jake & Reese. Especially considering the flood of emails from 'insiders' I have recently received on this story.

It takes balls to actually speak the truth on the rich, famous and powerful. There is always those very scary lawyers that come after you and threaten you and your life thinking you won't ever speak out on it again. That is exactly why the NY Post, Perez and others only place the outings and such as 'blind items' as they are afraid of lawsuits and backlash. For me, I say "BRING IT ON!"

Skeleton Keys

If you're me, and you're not, you already use a skeleton key at your house because the lock hasnt been changed in 130 years. But since you are not me, you can make do with PerpetualKid's Skeleton keys.

How to Make a Charred Corpse

http://imakeprojects.com/content/view/46/32/

Illuminations Halloween up to 75% off

Illuminations has Halloween at up to 75% off right now, including these popular Bat and owl lanterns. The Owl is 75% off. Use coupon 999201321 for an additional $14 off a $60 purchase.

But wait! There's More! You also get...

Digit Dig-It

Textually active celebs such as Carmen Electra and Jeremy Piven hit the Sidekick LX Launch Wednesday night. Shanna Moakler and Travis Barker worked the pink carpet, hand in hand (rather Jake Gyllenhaal and Austin Nichols-esque, too divine!) and told us they’ve both dumped someone—presumably each other—via text messaging.

Hello Toothy?

Has Ted Casablanca of E online just outed Jake Gyllenhaal? (finally?)

Bumps in the Day:

Jake Gyllenhaal sure as hell lives to get the gossies in gonzo overdrive. Why, just this week, right after J.G. did Letterman, all shy 'n’ stuff, he pulls the same don’t-look-at me routine down in the Village—almost.

Desk Stealth just followed J.G. and his gorgeous amigo, a dead ringer for Austin Nichols (would just go ahead and say it was A.N. here, but, like, maybe Jakey’s pullin’ a Natalie Portman, choosing to hang with an Austin doppelgänger just to throw us snit-snoops off the mark?) for several blocks. Too fun for the ab-perf tum! D.S. embarked on an intrepid block-by-block Jake-athon, stealing close behind just for us, too kind.
“They could have walked to the ferry, and I still would have followed them,” admits our pavement detective, so refreshingly honest (see, always loved those NY types, this is only one reason why). “All the while, they kept walking close to each other, like they were purposely trying to bump into each other, ya know what I mean?”

We do, you baddie bro, we do! So, do continue:

“At one point they had their heads briefly touching each other,” D.S. practically breathlessly relayed. “A short time after that came the friend's arm around Jake and the whisper to the ear. Then, the whole block before they got to West 12th Street," said the onlooker, J.G. & A.N. did a little digital dance. "Oh so cute!”

Deliciously so! But wait. We simply have to get ahold of ourselves here. See, before you nasty naughties out there start cackling, like, totally inappropriate things here, can’t two guys show affection for each other (just like women do) without people going to all sorts of kooky conclusions? Not to mention their publicists' speed dials…

I mean, John Travolta does it all the time! What’s the biggie?

Dead Girl's Coffin Lining Dress

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Oriantal Trading Company Halloween sale

Oriental Trading Company knocks up to 70% off its selection of Halloween candy, costumes, décor, and more during its latest sale. Plus, take 20% off orders of $60 or more via coupon code "RETPY08B". Or, get free shipping on orders of $60 or more via coupon code "RLS100"

eBay Listing Sale

ebay
is having a listing sale starting tomorrow. From the website; "When is it?
Limited time offer! This promotion starts at midnight Pacific Time on Thursday, October 18, 2007 and lasts until Monday, November 5, 2007. Technically speaking, that's between 00:00:01 PT (12:00 AM plus one second) on Thursday, October 18, 2007 and 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds) on Monday, November 5, 2007.

What are the fees?
For any auction-style or fixed price listing, the insertion fee is discounted by 33%. This offer applies to Auction-style and Fixed Price listings on the U.S. www.eBay.com and Motors www.eBayMotors.com (including Parts & Accessories, Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, Powersports, Other Vehicles) sites as reflected in the fee table below. This includes listings created prior to the promotion and scheduled to start during the promotional period October 18 - November 5, 2007.

Stupid Man outside courthouse blames Gothic fashion

Handcuffed man was using goth fashion

Published: 15, 2007 at 5:10 PM

Font size:

TULSA, Okla., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Sheriff's deputies in Tulsa, Okla., said a man who was spotted wearing handcuffs unescorted outside a court house was making a fashion statement.

Deputies were called to the scene outside of Tulsa County (Okla.) Courthouse after a passerby reported a man in handcuffs outside the building was unescorted by police or other authorities, Tulsa World reported Monday.

Sheriff's Sgt. Jody Britt said deputies discovered the man was wearing the handcuffs as part of his gothic fashion ensemble.

"I guess he had one end attached to his arm and the other dangling, which to us looks like he escaped from custody," he told the newspaper.

The man was released after authorities checked that he had no outstanding warrants, Britt said.

"Wearing a set of handcuffs near a courthouse is not exactly the most intelligent thing you could do," he said to the World.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/10/15/handcuffed_man_was_using_goth_fashion/3927/

Goodgoth Halloween Shipping options

Halloween's tricky this year, being on a Wednesday. We are still offering Holiday shipping by the 26th, but we've added a "By the 31st" option which costs less.

CVS Halloween deals for 10/14-10/20

Halloween costumes 25% off regular price w/ card
Halloween Barbie 9.99 w/ card
16" fiber optic wreath w/ LED lights 12.99 w/ card
Animated skeleton hand candy bowl 9.99 w/ card
Full moon window sculpture 5.99 w/ card
14" animated singing motorcycle monster 19.99 w/ card
Peanuts figure 4.99 w/ card
Peanuts music and motion pumpkin patch 14.99 w/ card
Color changing pumpkin light or pumpkin push-in deco. kit 2.99 w/ card

Homevisions has these crystal pumpkin salt and pepper shakers half off with free shipping. Only $8.99
The candy bowl is also half off with free shipping, too. It is $18.99
Hallloweeney and Thanksgivingy, too

Treat Buckets at PotteryBarn

Potterybarn has these adorable soft Treat buckets which have great potential as Goth purses or are a cute way of storing stuff around the house. They are half price and have free shipping.

"We’ve designed our new collection of puffy treat bags to coordinate with all our Halloween costumes! Sized to stow a trove of treats, each bag is sewn of sturdy fabric with cotton batting and a comfortable arched handle. After Halloween, use them to store collectibles or small toys. Spot clean. 14 x 5 x 10” h. Imported. Cow, Ghost and Tiger are Catalog/Internet Exclusive."

JCPenney has this light up Mummy on sale for $25, down from $160!!!

Another School shooting, another Bad "Goth"

Shooter got into school despite troubles, threats

By JOE MILICIA Associated Press Writer

Published on Thursday Oct 11, 2007

Teased since kindergarten for his shabby clothes and odd behavior, one of the newest students at a downtown high school had made threats in front of students and teachers, and the school district has a dossier on his past problems.

Yet Asa Coon was able to roam the halls at SuccessTech Academy alternative school Wednesday, firing shots that wounded four people, with security unchanged and officials a day later trying to figure out how he got inside.

The 14-year-old appeared to be both aggressor and victim.

Coon was the subject of a juvenile court neglect case at age 4, came from a poor home and routinely showed up to school unkempt. He also had been suspended for fighting, and classmates say he had made threats, including to blow up the school and stab everybody.

"When he got suspended, he was like 'I got something for you all,'" said student Frances Henderson, who fought bitterly with Coon.

"That child was tormented from his classmates every single day," Christina Burns, who volunteered at one of Coon's schools, said Thursday. "Everybody's making him out to be a devil, a demon, but nobody knows what was going on with this kid."

Armed with two revolvers and wearing black clothing, black-painted fingernails and a Marilyn Manson T-shirt _ the shock rocker Coon said he chose to worship instead of God _ Coon fired eight times and shot two teachers and two students. One teacher remained hospitalized Thursday. A student who injured her knee while fleeing was released from a hospital Thursday.

Then the freshman, who court records show had threatened suicide previously, shot himself behind his right ear with a .38-caliber shot shell loaded with pellets. Coroner Frank Miller ruled the death a suicide.

Despite 26 security cameras, the district wasn't able to say how Coon was able to enter. Police were checking the video Thursday for clues. A classmate could have let him in a back door, police Chief Michael McGrath said.

Students said metal detectors were intermittently used. None were operating on Wednesday, two days after Coon had been suspended.

McGrath, asked how Coon got past an armed security guard or whether warnings signs were missed, said he couldn't comment. He said police work with school officials on the issue of where to locate metal detectors, based in part on crime in schools.

Charles Blackwell, president of SuccessTech's student-parent organization, said the position of a second security guard had been eliminated because of lack of money.

One parent said she liked the school, but didn't know whether she'd send her son back there.

"They need to have some more security, more police, metal detectors, something," said Marlee Gray, who said she went through a lengthy interview process to get her son, Joel, enrolled in the school.

SuccessTech Academy had no reports of student discipline problems in the past three years, according to state data. District-wide, the city schools reported 100 cases of students possessing a gun last year, 55 the year before and 136 cases in the 2004-2005 school year.

Coon had mental health problems, spent time in juvenile facilities and threatened to commit suicide while in a mental health facility, according to juvenile court records.

When he was 12, Coon was charged in juvenile court with domestic violence, accused of attacking his mother.

While on probation, he threw his court papers on the floor and then rammed his body into his mother's head when she tried to pick them up, according to court documents.

His probation officer described the relationship between Coon and his mother as extremely poor, with both using foul and abusive language toward each other. Their home was reported in poor condition with dog waste littering the front yard.

Coon was suspended from school for 10 days last year, according to court records. "The issue was addressed and was resolved," according to his probation officer's report, who didn't specify details of the suspension.

Students said they did not take Coon's threats seriously and said teachers knew but did nothing.

Rasheem Smith, 15, said on CBS' "Early Show" that despite their warnings about Coon, principal Johneita Durant told them she was too busy.

"I told my friends in the class that he had a gun and stuff," said Smith.

"We talked to the principal. She would try to get us all in the office, but it would always be too busy for it to happen."

Responding on the show, schools CEO Eugene Sanders said the district would investigate. A message left at Durant's office was not returned. A phone call to her home was not answered.

Coon was a bright child who was unable to focus on his schoolwork, said Burns, recalling "his shabby shoes and raggedy coat _ didn't brush his hair, take a washcloth across his face, hair sticking up all over the place."

He was prone to mood swings, she said.

"There were days when he was extremely hyper," Burns said. "There would be days that he would be closed in. Like walls around him."

Once, in seventh grade, "He was sitting at his desk playing with his pencil. The teacher was in the closet getting some materials. Another child went up to him with a book and dropped it right on his head. He did nothing about it.

"He would often take this abuse from children all the time before lashing at them and cussing them out."

Coon's neighbor Linda Lacey had seen Coon in "gothic" garb, but added that more often she had seen him in a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt.

Coon, who is white, stood out in a school that is 85 percent black for wearing a black trench coat, black boots, a dog collar, chains and a glove. Henderson, who is black, said there weren't racial tensions at the school and didn't believe they were a factor in the shooting.

SuccessTech Academy, with about 240 students, is an alternative high school in the public school district that stresses technology and entrepreneurship. Six percent of the students are white and 9 percent Hispanic. About 5 percent of the students have disabilities, and all are poor under federal poverty guidelines.

Burns was angry that no one reached out to Coon.

"This all could have been prevented if he had the proper intervention," she said.

Maureen Harper, a city spokeswoman, said Sanders will give the mayor a plan by noon Friday to address whether additional security measures are needed at the school and how the school identifies potential problems among students.

A preliminary investigation found that Coon entered the school in a five-story converted office building, and went to a fourth-floor bathroom, where he changed clothes and took items out of a duffel bag, possibly the weapons, and put them on his body, McGrath said.

Coon shot a student, then went to a classroom and shot a teacher. While looking for a second teacher, he fired additional shots, wounding a teacher who was trying to help students to safety.

Police found the two guns, .22- and .38-caliber revolvers, a box of ammunition for each and three tactical folding knives, all on or near Coon's body, the police chief said.

McGrath said the guns are older, meaning it will take some time to trace them. He said officials would be talking to Coon's older brother and mother about the weapons.

Coon's family declined to comment Thursday.

His older brother, Stephen, was arrested at the family home Thursday on parole violations, according to state prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Lyons. She said the arrest was not connected to Wednesday's school shooting.

Coon, 19, who walked out in handcuffs, said his brother did not get any guns from him but wouldn't answer questions about the shooting.

Stephen Coon has a criminal record that includes convictions of burglary, intimidating a victim or witness and attempted felonious assault. He entered the prison system in January 2006 and was released Aug. 26 on three years parole.

Since 2006, police had gone to the Coons' home five times: for calls about domestic violence, an assault call, a property crime and a hit-skip accident, McGrath said.

___

Associated Press writers John Seewer and Thomas J. Sheeran contributed to this report.

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'Gothic' dropped from school code

Restrictions remain for attire, items
BY KATE BRENNAN
FLORIDA TODAY

The Brevard County School Board agreed Tuesday to strike the word "Gothic" from its list of prohibited clothing and accessories, but will continue to ban students from wearing "extreme makeup" and gang-
related items.

The board unanimously agreed to the changes to its dress code policy during a first round of policy revisions, a lengthy process that will extend through April.

The decision came after a group of high school students petitioned the board to relax restrictions against the Gothic-style, which often features heavy makeup and facial piercings.

The changes are not what students like Amaris Mulhauser, a Rockledge High sophomore who draws tear streaks on her cheeks with black eyeliner, or her friend Becca Lee, who has to cover her lip ring with duct tape at school, were seeking.

"I just really don't want to go to a school that tells me what I can wear regardless of what the dress code says," Becca, also a Rockledge High student, said at Tuesday's meeting.

The district's other prohibitions on things such as piercings and clothing and accessories that convey messages that are violent/death-oriented or sexually suggestive will remain in force.

School Board member Larry Hughes recommended removing the word "Gothic" from its dress code policy, since it is the only style subgroup specifically listed.

"When we talk about baggy pants, we don't talk about a rapper, gangster or surfer or whatever the latest group is," said Hughes.

The board will review the policy several more times before an April 22 public hearing and final vote.

While board members agreed to preliminary changes to the policy, they debated how to define "extreme" when it comes to students' hair styles, hair color and makeup.

Board Chairman Robert Jordan said he wants the dress code policy to be implemented consistently at all schools.

In other action Tuesday, the Brevard County School Board decided to lift its ban against fliers and once again allow some outside groups to send promotional papers home with students, but only once a month.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070926/NEWS01/709260347/1006

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