Some mighty surprising stuff appears on the Opinions and Editorials pages of the Rocky Mountain News.

I have read, reread and used my +2.00 reading glasses in search of a shred of hard information in Joe Schollmoser's letter with the promising title (Speakout-Tragedies at school can be prevented, May 2). Search as I may, nothing of value materializes.

In fact, Joe Schollmoser, a former Lakewood police officer and security supervisor for Jefferson County Public Schools, seems to convey little more than, "If everyone would just listen to me, school shootings wouldn't happen." He backs his nonsensical notions with nonsense.

Mr. Schollmoser states metal detectors and security cameras in schools offer no real protection from school shooters since the problem, he asserts, is educators' reluctance to open their ears to "security professionals" and their failure to commit to his security measures, which he goes on to not outline. Laying our collective sorrow over school murders at the feet of educators is cruel and outrageous.

In the wake of tragedies, those at the nucleus often find themselves crushed by blame, both self and publicly inflicted. How heavy the what-if, the could-have-should-have-would-have, the but-if-only. Too often baseless finger pointing results, as Schollmoser demonstrates.

Little respect is afforded in this world to fools who behave as if their 20/20 hindsight is a special gift.

Here's a nugget. Mr. Schollmoser says the "missing link" that would connect schools to safety is "reforming the culture in the school buildings". Say what? I suppose any of us could pose as an expert if the real solution to a serious problem was merely "reform the culture".

Mr. Schollmoser's letter is annoying on several fronts. First, its being prominently featured in the Rocky Mountain News seems unprofessional on the part of a fine newspaper. Further, the author seems a heartless opportunist in the wake of the Virginia Tech horror.

Finally, his is nothing but a thinly veiled blame letter. Are educators to blame for the deaths of dozens of innocents for not listening to Mr. Schollmoser? Is Schollmoser a caring security expert or self-promoting blowhard?

In his final paragraph, this know-it-all concludes, "I could go on and on." (Indeed.) "There are reasonable, inexpensive things that can be done to harden the target and minimize the likelihood that a given school is the site for our next disaster."

Do tell. I think I can safely say everyone wants the answers in matters of school security. But who needs more finger pointing or blame? Who needs straw bosses standing on platforms of nothing but "I told you so"?

In times of tragedy, in the aftermath of mass killings, we do, as a society, as parents, as community members, as educators, need to learn from our mistakes. We do need unifying strategies and support systems. We need answers. We don't need affixing of blame or spewing of words that deepen wounds and drive chasms.

If ever there was a time to put up or shut up, that time would be now.