A note of thanks to Mr. Green

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I live in a crazy place.

Most of the time, it's just wacky crazy. Not scary crazy. But yesterday, it was kind of scary crazy.

Usually, I can sit back and watch from the outside and shake my head in disbelief. But yesterday police commandeered the entire county (including neighborhoods very close to home) searching for this guy whose life is so screwed up that his only option was to shoot the 76-year-old deputy who was taking him to the doctor. And parents all over town were forced to deal with it.

"In an unprecedented move," all Broward County schools were placed on lockdown. This means different things on different campuses - as they all have their own policies. What it meant for the little Lutheran preschool on the corner was that kids happily playing on a very safe, very secure campus playground were hurriedly ushered inside when teachers heard the words: "MR. GREEN IS UPSTAIRS!"

Problem is, teachers weren't the only ones who heard it. My 4 year old heard it, and by the time she was released to a family member, "Mr. Green" was a "bad guy" who was "upstairs at school."

Not surprisingly, she was up at least 4 times last night.

So who can we thank for her nightmares? The teacher who felt it appropriate to explain to 4-year-olds that they couldn't be outside because there was a bad guy on the loose? The prison system, who thought it a good idea to send a guy serving 2 life sentences alone in a truck with a 76-year-old officer? The official who decided to "lock down" 250+ schools in the county? The convict? Or the body of Christ, who let him slip through the cracks? Clearly, something has gone wrong.

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