"Happiness Is A Warm Gun...Now, Class Come To Order..."

John Lennon was, I suspect, a guy who appreciated irony.

Possessing, as he did, an offbeat sense of humor, it only seems logical that he would have had an appreciation of the ironic side of life.

And, certainly, that would have to include the fact that the guy who wrote and sang “All You Need Is Love” and “Give Peace A Chance” was shot to death on a public street in front of his own home for no more reason than he was famous.

John popped into my thoughts this morning as I read this little news item…

HARROLD, Texas (AP) -- A tiny Texas school district will allow teachers and staff members to carry concealed firearms to protect against school shootings, provided the gun-toting employees follow certain requirements.

The small community of Harrold in north Texas is a 30-minute drive from the Wilbarger County Sheriff's Office, leaving students and teachers without protection, said David Thweatt, superintendent of the Harrold Independent School District. The lone campus of the 110-student district sits near a heavily traveled highway, which could make it a target, he argued.

"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that's when all of these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can't defend themselves? That's like saying 'sic 'em' to a dog," Thweatt said in a story published Friday on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Web site.

Trustees approved the policy change last year, and it takes effect when classes begin this month. For employees to carry a pistol, they must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun, must be authorized to carry by the district, must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations and must use ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricocheting bullets.

"The naysayers think [a shooting] won't happen here. If something were to happen here, I'd much rather be calling a parent to tell them that their child is OK because we were able to protect them," Thweatt said.

It isn't clear how many of the 50 or so teachers and staff members will be armed this fall, because Thweatt did not disclose that information, to keep it from students or potential attackers.

After reading that story, something else, in addition to John Lennon, popped into my head, an old one liner.

A Republican is a former Democrat who got mugged.

Translation: while we all would love to indulge our “inner bleeding hearts”, most of us, at a point in our lives that seems to come sooner and sooner with each passing generation, realize that life simply doesn’t work that way. And that the battle between good and evil is as alive and well as it has been since that apple chomping day in the garden.

I like to think that John Lennon and I share an appreciation for the ironic.

And I think that the guy who sang of love and peace and died violently would join me in lamenting the need for teachers to start packing.

But I also think that he would join me in understanding exactly why it was necessary and, ultimately, a good idea.

Because John Lennon died in a hail of gunfire that came totally out of the blue.

Just like the shootings that kill our kids in school.

And if Yoko had been packing that night, what the hell, the guy who sang of peace and love might still be around singing about peace and love.

Ironic, huh?