E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA comment made by a student at a high school in small-town Pennsylvania spawned a rumor online and via text message that a fellow classmate was going to bring a gun to school. Police determined the information was a rumor, but it still had a big impact on the family whose son was falsely accused. WICU's Eva Mastromatteo reports.
“He’d be the type to bring a gun to school.”
These words – or something close – were allegedly uttered by a female student in a high school classroom last Friday in Girard, Pa., about one hour’s drive from Chardon, Ohio. The object of the comment was Austin Carner, a 17-year-old junior and outsider at the school who has had minor brushes with the law.
By Sunday night, those words had morphed via social media and text messages into an explicit threat that Carner was planning to come to Girard High School the next day – the one-week anniversary of the Chardon shooting in which three students died – with a gun.
Police went to his house Sunday afternoon, questioned him and searched his room, and school administrators fielded hundreds of phone calls from concerned parents on Monday. About half of Carner’s classmates decided not to risk it and either stayed home or left school early.
But when police left Carner’s house hours later, they weren’t toting weapons or leading the teen away in cuffs. They found nothing suspicious in their search and, after questioning Carner and his parents, decided that concerns that he was planning violence were false.
“It was a rumor run wild … that’s what social media does these days,” Girard School District Superintendent James Tracy told msnbc.com on Wednesday. “Nothing was actually said. … It’s like that old post office game, you know, where you tell a secret and by the 12th person it’s totally different. Magnify that times literally … thousands of people on social media, it really gets messed up.”
The cloud of suspicion that swept over Carner is the product of two strong currents sweeping through schools around the nation, experts say: heightened sensitivity over school violence and the impulse that leads teenagers and children to gossip or make insinuations about fellow students online without considering the real world consequences.
Carner’s mother, Yvette, said her son and daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, had hateful messages posted to their Facebook walls. They printed copies for authorities but by Monday afternoon the posters had removed their comments. Other parents even posted on social media sites about whether she and her husband had adequate parenting skills, she said.
Hannah Pierce, who penned supportive posts on Sarah’s Facebook wall, wrote early Monday: “Hey girl, I hope you're okay. and your family. I don't know if you've been reading lately, but you're [sic] brother is hated by ALL of Girard. I'm absolutely sick of it.”
Bullied, teased
School officials and police were in contact as soon as they learned of the supposed threat.
“We received a call that there was a gun threat, a kid was going to bring a gun to school on Monday and shoot the place up,” said local Police Chief Nicholas VanDamia. “The boy denied making any of those threats. We searched his room, we searched the house. There was no weapon nor was there anything available for him to use as a weapon. … There was never a real threat, it was all fictitious.”
Austin Carner was unaware of the firestorm erupting on social media over the weekend, since he was away doing community service. He only learned about it when the police showed up at his door.
Carner said he has been bullied since the family moved to Girard from Michigan in 2006, with students calling him “retarded” (he has a learning disability due to apraxia), “ugly” and “ginger” because of his red hair.
Partly because it had gotten so bad, that Monday was meant to be his last day at Girard. He was already in the process of transferring to an alternative education program for students with behavioral issues where his educational needs could be better addressed.
“School has been rough. I get picked on every day, you know, a lot,” he told msnbc.com. “Sometimes, I just don’t want to go.”
But the cruel teasing didn’t prepare him for the shocking posts he saw when he logged onto Facebook, which included many variations of this message: “I’ve heard you’re going to bring a gun to school and shoot everyone.”
Despite Ohio shooting, school violent deaths down
Tracy, the school superintendent, said school officials “always start off taking it (a threat) extremely seriously until you know. It’s always best to err on the side of caution.”
Though the Internet is a good teaching tool that young people respond well to, it created a “real problem” in this instance, Tracy said.
“Unfortunately, when … kids – and also adults – sit in front of the computer, they don’t think the responsibility is there because they’re not talking to somebody,” he added. “They’re putting it down on the screen and pushing a button. I think it becomes a little easier for people to say things they normally wouldn’t say.”
Tracy said the school’s principal disciplined two students – the girl who made the comment and a boy – for their interaction on Friday with Carner, who did not receive any sort of reprimand. The girl made an “off-the-wall comment,” though it’s not clear what role the boy played, Tracy said. (Attempts by msnbc.com to reach the pair were not successful).
“I think that caused them to get onto the social network and say certain things; and then other kids read it and then they added to it, and then pretty soon somebody else added to it,” he said.
Tracy said school officials don’t know how the girl’s initial comment was twisted by others into an explicit threat, but indicated the district would pursue charges – if the source can be determined – to send a clear message.
“Some of the things that were out there were really outlandish,” he said, adding that word normally spreads fast in the borough of about 4,000, but “not this fast. This is even faster than the local news.”
Carner’s father, Tracy Carner, said his son was just trying to survive high school and he was not perfect – he got into a fight with some boys last summer who were harassing him. He said that after the boys beat Austin up, his son chased them with a utility knife, telling them never to touch him again. He later owned up to the incident, which was why he was doing community service, the elder Carner said.
“In the game of real life, he’s become the victim,” said Carner, 51, who works in flooring construction. “And in general, the whole family is in jeopardy.”
Superintendent Tracy said an announcement was made Monday morning to students about the rumor and its consequences. He said the school will add lessons on cyberbullying to other programs it has introduced to stem bullying, including the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and Rachel’s Challenge.
'He's just not the same'
Schools around the nation are dealing with similar issues involving social media, said Dr. Melissa Reeves, a school psychologist and chair of the National Association of School Psychologists’ Prepare School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Workgroup.
“What this school district is dealing with is what many school districts are trying to deal with and … often times the schools are the last ones to find out,” she said.
Reeves said her group was working with schools to train parents, students and staff about social media and cyberbullying as well as early warning signs of potential threats or suicidal behavior.
She recommended that districts have clear social media policies in place, including punishment for violators, and that schools and parents have access to social networking sites and maintain good collaboration with law enforcement so that tips can be quickly investigated and dispelled if they have no merit.
Many districts are trying to be proactive about school violence by creating anonymous phone lines, websites and text message drops where people can share tips about possible threats.
“School districts are definitely trying to problem-solve,” she said. “… The challenge is that the technology is ever-evolving and to be honest with you, we have a generation of adults that didn’t grow up with this and then we have kids that are growing up (with it), and the kids are more sophisticated than many of the adults.”
Facebook also has built ways to help minors have a safe experience online, including a “Social Reporting” tool that allows youths to contact the site or trusted adults about harassment or threatening content. The site works with law enforcement in some cases, too.
None of that is much comfort to Tracy Carner. He said he has contacted police about filing charges. He also is temporarily out of work because he felt that he had to stay home to help support his family in the aftermath of the incident.
But his wife Yvette said life was still difficult for the Carner family.
“We can’t go out in public without getting whispers and harassed,” she said Wednesday. “Austin went out today for a walk with his friends and this town has judged him even though it has been proven that he had nothing to do with it. People are calling him names, yelling things at him.
“… It’s really tough on Austin right now. He is very quiet,” she added. “He’s just not the same.”
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
Leave a Comment:
Because I only have this article to comment on, I will assume the whole thing is true as stated. And if so, I am both saddened and revolted by the harassment of this family and of this boy. I am also not surprised as teenagers often let things spiral out of control and don't understand the power of social media and of their actions in general. I hope the whole community finds some peace and healing after this, and learns from their mistakes.
I wonder if I will ever let my children on social media. And I think perhaps I will stop using it myself.
the police should have known better if you hear or read a rumor you question the people writing them you don't go off like thugs intimidating people with no real proof people talk bad about others all the time and the police should be smart enough to know its usually not true i hope they go after the people who started these rumors and this kid should sue them and the police
I can almost understand the high school kids who were involved with this; but the fact that adults were also posting negative things, and continue to say negative things, is reprehensible. It absolutely amazes me how quickly adults are to jump on the rumor bandwagon.
I want to know what would have happened if they did find a weapon in the house. This whole thing started based on someone's comment and not any real evidence. And given the harassment the boy has endured, its no wonder shooting end up happening. We need to find the original poster (which can be done with some tracking as all posts are saved even if they are deleted from public view) and press charges against those people. That's the only way people are going to start to understand the what they post does effect another person.
A side note, of the school shootings that have happened, I don't think that any of them made any statement or post to indicate they were going to do it. These things happen from kids who just snap from all the cruel treatment they get and they feel no one else cares.
"Social Media" is inaccurate. "Social", would suggest some type of "physical interaction" to take place.
"Anti-Social Media" would be more accurate.
A prime example of how we fail to live up to the responsibility incumbent in the 1st Amendment. Our failure to do the same with the 2nd Amendment causes people to be frightened to the point where they behave like idiots. Our society had better come to grips with teaching the freedom/responsibility equation through education, or we won't have much left by the time we get to our Tri-Centennial.
When you abuse a freedom, you need to suffer consequences. The sad fact that you can cause someone serious, even fatal harm with inappropriate or vicious postings should be enough for us to rein this in before it gets worse. Human beings are predators, and young humans are predators without the wisdom to control that instinct. Turning them loose on worldwide social media without supervision or oversight can be just as deadly as putting a gun in their hands.
Education is the key: you can't solve a problem with the usage of a tool by banning the tool. Living in a free society involves risk, and the criminal element will always be a part of that risk, but there is no reason why we can't reduce the risk through education and oversight.
The people spreading the rumors should have to deal with squad cars in their drive and police going through everything they own. Then the bullies should be doing community service till Christmas. Crack down hard on the crimes that were committed.
Primary example of guilty till proven innocent. The cops had nothing more than hear say evidence, yet a judge still gave them the warrant to search the families home!
After reading the comments on these boards for quite a while now, I'm not the least bit surprised something like this has happened. The police were entirely correct in the way they handled it, given the rumors and school shootings over the years. It couldn't be ignored.
What these boards have taught me is how quickly people rush to judgment on the smallest amount of information. Forget kids, we adults are just as guilty, even more so as we should know better. How many times have I read comments about someone's parenting skills based on some unproved accusation? How much name calling, vitriol, and outright hatred is spewed onto these pages every day based on nothing more than hearsay or half a story?
People need to examine their own motives before fueling the fire.
Where is the mystery why kids finally go off the deep end and start shooting each other?
"Carner’s mother, Yvette, said her son and daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, had hateful messages posted to their Facebook walls. They printed copies for authorities but by Monday afternoon the posters had removed their comments."
These numbskulls students. Didn't they just get done provoking some other poor boy who murdered three classmates? Now they are starting up again? Maliciousness in school is rampant made worse by cyber bullying.
Thank god we homeschool. Don't have to deal with any of this nonsense.
Hysteria, Witch Trials and Burnings: America's Favorite Pastimes.
AG991.8 Wow, have you nailed it. There is a real social dynamic going on here on "The Vine" and all of it's many tendrils. This could be a perfect place for any cultural or sociological study. My only question is how much of a true cross-section of America is represented here? That could prove to be the major limitation to any "real" research. If it is a real representation of America there is, as you state, a hell of a lot of "Hate" going down.
Beyond the issues with the Carners, the scary thing here is the police had a search warrent to search Carners' house. It was apparently based on a Facebook rumor. What is to prevent the police from having someone start a Facebook rumor to use as justification to search anyone or any place they want?
So, if I say Pres Obama has a kilo of cocaine in his briefcase, what is to prevent the police from searching him? What if I replace Pres Obama with Newt Gingrich? Or Jerry Falwell? or Jesse Jackson? This is just an excuse to allow the police to go after anyone.
AG99
"After reading the comments on these boards for quite a while now, I'm not the least bit surprised something like this has happened. The police were entirely correct in the way they handled it,..."
Er, no. What exactly is it that this kid that was illegal? If 'someone' reported that they thought YOU might be a terrorist, you would tolerate the cops going through your home?
Sharktopussie post 1.9 Good for you and for your children; homeschooling. I would think more than twice before I sent my children to any public school in America today. However, you call this " this nonsense." I think it is a lot more than just that.
What has become of Mr.Obama's, the White House initiative called "Stop Bullying Now?" I am sure that most every American has read the material and watched the video that comes in the packet of information on the program. It is all very colorful and glossy and "FREE." They refuse to tell me how many millions of tax-payers dollars have gone into this program. I picture a veritable flock of hundred dollar bills flying through the air; century notes with little wings.......but if that is what it takes to save one child then the entire village will...........
Did none of you consider the mother might have LET the police search the house? Don't need a warrant for that. The article doesn't say on what authority it was done.
If I were the mother, I'd led them search if only to clear the matter up.
NorthernLights4Me post 1.12 Really? A "search warrant?" That was very polite of them. In a law signed by President Obama last month a uh uh search warrant is no longer necessary, it has gone the way of some bird........
There are several avenues I could take, but I will just keep it simple:
This was a knee-jerk reaction caused by paranoia and misinformation. However, considering the times it makes sense.
On one side: The people responsible for starting this rumor mill should be punished for doing this. This was uncalled for and the parents of the boy should sue the everliving tar out of everybody involved...
On the other side: It was a good thing it was investigated so it could be dismissed as "just a rumor" instead of "Oh fuuuu Another school shooting that could have been prevented."
Who is right? What scenario is correct? That is the enigma that is our society...
This is the sort of stuff that really disturbs me. He looks like the type that would do this? Well if they pissed him off enough I could see him doing this. Let me state that I am glad the cops took this seriously. However, I am upset and angry that the majority of the ideas took to the internet to slam his parents. Here you have someone who is getting help for his problems and going to another school. If his parents didn't care, why would he be dealing with his issues. Also, why are folks at the school teasing him for his looks? I think the school has not been dealing with the issues of bullying of this student, and I would completely understand if he took a gun to school to deal with it, but he is not. The problem is not the president calling and dealing with it, it is the adminstration not willing to deal with the ones who are bullying him by calling him names. Maybe the cops should harass those parents who chimed in.
Also these are the types who would never know that Bundy was a serial killer due to his good looks because he doesn't have the creepy serial killer look.
I'm sure I'm going to get censored for this but if people are going to allow or even condone their kids bullying people at their school then i hope they get shot by a kid who thinks he has no other options.
meanwhile, republicans around the country are passing legislation at the state level to ensure that kids who are bullying cannot be reprimanded if the bullying is done under the auspices of a moral or religious belief.
once again. republicans. not democrats. not both sides, not the same, not equal, not comparable, not contrastable. if you sit on the sidelines and pretend to be an independent because you think 'both sides do it' you are intellectually dishonest and part of the problem, not the solution.
A typical example of the idiots posting. where did you read that they arrived with a search warrant? they came to talk to the kid's parents.
Idiots like you would be the first to say they did nothing after being made aware. you're totally clueless.
Because everyone knows that everyone who posts on a Facebook pages lives within the town. Your comment is idiotic. You'd stand by and po9ssibly let another kid shoot up a school and then whine.
And people wonder what is going on with our society. You have immature parents joining in on the judgement of this family. This is what is wrong with our society, parents don't know how to parent. People are so quick to judge. If you don't wear a certain style of clothing, you drive a beat up or an older car, you talk differently and the list goes on you become an outcast. I am getting really sick of people judging others before they judge themselves. We all live in glass house and we shouldn't be so quick to throw stones.
Sounds like a great town with a top notch school...........SARCASM!
Social media is a means to allow people to be destructive or creative. Example, an intelligent but shy individual can use social media to express themselves in a meaningful way....this is positive. Example 2, a person who lacks courage for a face to face can bully / spread rumors on social media with anonymity…now this are a problem. Not sure about what can be done perhaps in time we will learn to use these tools responsibly.
He doesnt look like the kind of kid to bring a gun to school. The data from philly, NYC, Detriot, & St Lousie clearly show its blacks and hispanics. NYC has 5 arrests in school a day mostly non Oriental minorites, and its called racism however NYC has over 700 felonys in a(180day) school year so that means its mostly arrests for felonies so it could only be racism if schools let white/asian kids rape in stairwells while only punishing minorities that do.
the sad reality, nothing is going to happen to the kids who terrorized him.
which is why I think these school shootings continue to happen.
when the kids being terrorized arent being protected, and the ones doing the terrorizing are the ones being protected...it doesnt take a genius to figure out why some kids snap and go in guns blazing.
clearly this kids classmates understood that plenty well...they pushed this kid to his limits (or so they thought) and were anticipating the most logical outcome.
Lucky for them, he wasnt as rotten as they were.
@ MRZ: Spot on! Just spend a few minutes watching the faces of people, both young and old, when they're on the web. Blank and emotionless. It's turning people into mindless robots with only thoughts of popularity and celebrity.
No Facebook here! Never has and never will be!
This is the American Way --- blind paranoid cowardice followed by massive irrational retaliation against whoever is handy. There is no difference between this and 9/11. The Saudis blew up the WTC, triggering a massive amount of cowardice and paranoia (costing the country many many billions) followed by attacking Iraq who had absolutely nothing to do with the event.
One of the posters here hit it direct when they said that a perfect example was to look at the people and what they post on these threads and how quick they are to jump to a conclusion without all of the facts, just because of their opinion and what 1 write says in a story. The sad thing is that some of these poster's will never realize it because ignorance is blind. Each one of these threads proved that.
As far as this story goes: If there was a possibility that this kids made a threat, he should have had his house and room inspected by the police. this way if there was something, then he was busted, if there was NOT something there then they can dispell the rumors.
I believe that the little punks that were bullying the kid fueled that fire because they knew what they were doing when bullying the kid and if they thought that he was going to come in with a gun, who do you think he was going to track down? The innocent? Nope! The bullies. SO the same litle punks that tortured the kid tucked tail and found a hole.
the bullies should be identified by the kid, the parents and the bullies need to be held accountable for the bullying. The girl that made the statement and HER parents should be held accountable for their comments as they will follow this kid for a very long time, even though there was nothing in his home or room, that does not stop everyone in his town from fearing the kid, thus not giving him a break either.
we all experienced bullying in some facet, it does not make it right but it seems that today's youth have increased the levels of bullying because of the internet and social networking.....oh yeah and they have parents that dont care enough to discipline their children anymore and let them run wild. Karma will ensure that when they need someone to take care of them when they are elderly, they will get someone that did not care very much at all and remained ignorant to their surroundings.
Be safe all!
I am astounded by the quantity of people calling for punishment of those who originated the situation over a comment on thier social media that he looked like someone who would bring a gun to school.
Since when did one's opinion (as this obviously was an opinion) become a crime? I have to admit tha I feel social media is the downfall of society and refuse to participate in it. Sure, I read the news and will occasionally post an opinion, but in no way expect such postings to be labeled as criminal, regardless how inflamatory or misleading they may be.
The police reacted to a spotential threat based on baseless comments and were being proactive. Those that created the stir by their comments should feel foolish. And any harassment these people receive that is criminal should be punished. But going after the original poster of comments that obviously was expressing one's opinion of a person, no matter how misguided the comment was, is not a solution.
I long for the day when facebook, and before that MySpace, and cellphones and all the neccessities of life did not exist.
Every day we see instances when this social media and electronics age is killing society as we know it. While I have many computers and work in the IT industry, I refuse to allow their use to become my social outlet. I will never have a Facebook account, will never own a cellphone, and will never send a text message because my life does not and should not depend on these things. If I want to keep up with friends and their activities, I will call them or visit them, not their facebook page.
Sounds like a lot of these kids will deserve whatever violence comes their way.
Sharktopussie and Mrcool, isolating yourself and kids at home is not the solution. 99% of the parents I have met are not qualified to teach their children. Most would not know a prime number if it jumped up and bit them in the @ss. Fewer even have the income and resources to devote to homeschooling. My state has no standards or testing for homeschooling. If a parent says "we're homeschooling" the school districts walks away and no one cares if you teach your kid anything. I have seen middle class kids in a school setting who's parents were not even capable of teaching their kids basic hygiene. The school I worked at actually had to keep deodorant on hand to give to kids because they had none. The nurse would have to discretely give the kid advise on keeping clean. On parent teacher day the same few parents show up year after year. Most parents can't even name one of their kid's teachers. If it works for you great. But it is definately not for more than a extremely small percentage of families.
Disabled Vet "As far as this story goes: If there was a possibility that this kids made a threat, he should have had his house and room inspected by the police. this way if there was something, then he was busted, if there was NOT something there then they can dispell the rumors"
I guess it's a good thing his dad didnt have any sort of gun in the house (as many dads do) because that likely would have caused the police to give merritt to the rumors.
dsdsherm - you didnt clearly read the article.
it went from "we think he's the kind of guy capable of that"
to
"he is absolutely planning to do this on monday!"
which is why - if you had read the article, some students didnt even go to school that day they were so scared.
You dont see a difference between the two, do you? One is an opinion - the other is offering a statement as FACT.
You fascist, statist, totalitarian moron. You do realize that school shootings are uber-rare, right?
More kids die in swimming pools than of gun shootings; accidental, murder, or suicide.
11,000 annaul USA gun murders, 100,000,000 gun owners...that's about than 1/100th of a percent!
So to you, we should be fascist police staters to the 99.989% of repsonsible people for what .011% do? You're a sadistic sick person.
The truly sad thing is that this poor kid has become even more of an outcast and isolated than before. The stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me, even after living as long as I have.
@steveaae - Thanks for the daily dose of racism but I would like to point one thing out. Columbine, Chardon, the Amish School all have one thing in common. The shooters were white. Blacks and Hispanics may bring more guns to school, but its the white students that are killing everyone. Oh Virgina Tech, a Korean. The recent phenomenon of school massacres are carried out by white students, so why exactely is it that he doesn't appear to be the type to bring a gun to school? Violence is color blind and while inner-city schools certainly have gang violence, this isn't just a minority problem. A black student might bring a gun to school and shoot one student that he has beef with, which is terrible, but a white student will pull the fire alarm and randomly shoot multiple students like crabs in a barrel.
"I just don't understand how he could have snapped. I mean, all we did was belittle him, make fun of him, beat him up, call him names, ridicule his social life, and push and push and push and then one day he just went berzerk! It was totally out of nowhere..."
People Are Idiots.
My take is their bullying hit a crescendo using social media getting more of the community wrapped up in some hysteria that this kid was about to go on a killing spree; yet the insanity emanates from those responsible for his torment- now will their community hold them accountable for creating this melee or brush it off?
In the end, no one ever is to blame and this disabled kid will still suffer abuse from the local community that has not compassion nor the intelligence to learn from their own stupidity- hope Girard, PA is proud of itself for being the worst redneck community on earth!
Absolutely unacceptable. This is why kids snap; they feel like the whole world is against them. I was always amazed at the pettiness of bullying when I was in school. "You have red hair, so I don't like you!" - it's so trivial and ridiculous. I was bullied a lot in grade school, but I think the turning point was when I started to simply ignore them or question what it was that I did to offend them, or what it was that made them so angry. Then, it wasn't so fun for them, because I had control of the situation.
Amazing. This kid is bullied at school. And the bullies get the idea in their head that the victim might seek revenge - so they post lies on the internet and arrange for the cops to bully him.
Where is the justice in this? What is a person who is victimized for being a victim supposed to do?
Sounds like this poor kid needs to get a good lawyer and sue the crap out of this school and the families of each bully.
MrCool
"AG991.8 Wow, have you nailed it. There is a real social dynamic going on here on "The Vine" and all of it's many tendrils. This could be a perfect place for any cultural or sociological study. My only question is how much of a true cross-section of America is represented here? That could prove to be the major limitation to any "real" research. If it is a real representation of America there is, as you state, a hell of a lot of "Hate" going down. Post 1.11"
Unfortunately, it is a representation of America-mainly Christian America. Christians (not all) love to hate. It's all examples of "God's Love" as seen via the Interstate Battery[tm] advertisement.
"God's Love" is shown with all the anti-gay daemonization (Colorado's Ammendment 2 which was shot down by the USSC some years ago). Its shown via the attempted anti-human legislation, posturing and grandstanding by Christian (mainly GOP) politicians, clergy, and speakers like; Kirk Cameron, Ted Haggard, and myriads more folks who are members of individual churches. Bigotry and invulnerable ignorance.
As the article demonstrates-the facts of a matter are irrelevant and immaterial. The same lies [Christian Honesty-again not all inclusive] keep being repeated and [possibly] expanded on.
The same garbage puts females in the same anti-human cross-hairs. Namely via human reproduction. The same ignorance and duplicity appears via the repudiation for the teaching of human reproduction and diseases by mainly Christians. They prefer their children (male and female and, often everyone elses) get/induce pregnancy or an STD which may, or may not, be curable. This is only one area ignorance kills.
The unconscionable anti-female and slaver legislation in multiple states concerning abortion boggles the mind. Even more so when rape, incest, and for the life of the mother as considerations are also banned. This even when (not that it matters as the US isn't a theocracy) God has no problem with abortion.
I know of no one who is gleeful about having to have an abortion. To reduce abortions unplanned pregnancies must be reduced. Education is key. There are myriad reasons a planned pregnancy must be terminated. The only one who can weigh all the factors is the lady herself. Universal prenatal care will save billions as expensive complications (some life long) will be reduced.
The same deliberate invincible ignorance, pious lies, and duplicity is projected with the topic of Evolution. The over and misuse of antibiotics has lead to a vast decrease in the effectiveness of antibiotics to save lives.
Other recipients of "God's Love" are members of Islam, as well as those who lack belief in god(s)/goddess(es) and the like. Atheists. The only difference is these folks lack belief in all deity/deities a particular theist does, but also one(s) a particular theist believes in. The particular theists' deity/deities not getting special treatment is what generates his/her [not all inclusive] hatred.
I feel sorry for those very sad folks who've lost their humanity.
One thing is for sure, every parent/s of these kids that bullies other kids are to be blamed. I teach my kids not to bully, and if they get caught they are in more serous trouble, but some parents condone it and even encourage it, or just prentend it didn't happened.
HOW 'BOUT USING TEACHERS TO 'TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE' MR. SUPER??
Yet another reason why Facebook should not be available to people under the age of 18 (legally adults). Kids need time to grow up and mature. Now I know some kids still arent mature at 18 but its a start. I hate Facebook as a whole but do admit it does have some value. Just needs to regulated by parents and society better.
And most of these kids who post crap like this learn it from their immature parents who would rather be their kids friends than parent them.
One last thing that strikes me as completely coincidental in this article is the kid who had the rumor started against him was unaware that it was going on because he was gone for the weekend doing community work. Good for you kid. You are better than those worthless turds you go to school with.
Jessica,
I did read the article. But I still contend that things that people post to the internet on their social media page should not be viewed as criminal activity. I could very easily post that Obama is not an idiot. That would not make the statement true, nor should it leave me open to prosecution or punishment. While what these idiots did to perpetuate the rumor was morally wrong, it was not criminal.
The internet is a wonderfull playground full of truths, half-truths, and full out lies. But if we start to criminalize postings, it is stepping over the line.
That is all I am saying. Nothing these people posted should be looked at in an effort to punish their actions or make their actions criminal. Even if the posts were full out lies, they are not criminal in my mind. The people who read them and believed them soley on their merits were just gulliable sheep. But again, that is society today. And the many here wanting their actions punished are not looking at the big picture and the infringement on freedom that would be.
So if a kid plans on killing people and post the message himself such as, I am going to take my gun to school and shoot people...people read it and nothing happens until the kid does it. If someone else post that someone may take a gun to school all hell breaks loose and the cops get involved?
I think these kids (and adults) need a good sit down and watch Rosewood. They should show this in the gym to all.
Sounds like the old Communist-Block. Look at what nice Socialists we're bringing up that can spread lies to the authorities and get innocent people into trouble! I applaud you all, having been the brunt of such stupidity myself. I suffer from extreme allergies which make my eyes insufferably red and irritated. One night after going to the gas station I had the police show up at my door. Apparently my friendly neighborhood gas attendant had called them saying I was high. I then had to sit on a curb in the cold for an hour while I got questioned and harassed. Let's just say the cops made asses of themselves.
You people ought not to be dirty little snitches. Neighborhood sleuths don't have the facts required to make a judgement call. You're just going to waste the taxpayer's money and a whole lot of people's time. AND you're going to make people's lives hell. SO STOP IT!
What would you like the police to do? They got a report that a boy was going to shoot up a school. They have to investigate that. Come on they don't know if it's true or not, they can't take chances. They did what they had to do. Concentrate on the people that started this rumor and the parents that don't seem to be able to control their children or themselves. they're the ones to blame.
Social Media is much more dangerous then ever predicted. People stay on it all day long and they make up info and they make up lies that spread like wildfires do rapidly and dangerously!
The 1st 2 kids who started this rumor (with the intention to cause undue harm to another) should be prosecuted and forced to pay restitution for the time the cops spent investigating this made-up issue. They did it to cause harm, no other reason and most laughed about it when the repercussions went down.
Also I may be the first to suggest this, but has anyone ever thought about banning children from Social Networks including Facebook, until they are mature enough to socialize on such. How many more kids have to take their own life or who deal with a life of social media abuse/bullying because other kids and some parents are too immature to respect another!
Kids get off on picking on others----hence prosecute these kids who started this entire rumor---make them an example as what can happen when you are TOO MEAN!
dsdsherm, what they posted now is causing even more harassment against this kid. he was already bullied and treated like crap. I think that they should be punished for doing this. I think that if it was my kid that I would be doing what I could to make the people that started and spread this crap pay if not in a criminal court but in a civil one. This young man has a hard enough time without everyone thinking he is about to go postal. Maybe, you have never had to live with this but I don't think he is going to be able to live without everyone staring at him and scared that he might pull out a gun and start shooting.
ProIndividual: My, my. Aren't you the poster child for the very point I was making about people expressing their hatred here. Can you not disagree civilly? Or do you feel you can type that tripe because you know you'll never have to say it to my face?
Using that definition, you would have to be touching someone to socialize with them. Even hanging out face to face, there is very little "physical interaction" between me and my friends. If we are sitting next to eachother talking, she hears my voice because the air acts as a media. If we are talking on the phone, that is also a media. If we are chatting on facebook, that is another media.
Just because it is not the media you prefer, does not mean that it is not a social media
Dudex, that's pretty stupid. Every society has that going on, but in Soviet Russia, very few people said anything to the police. They were terrified in unison. The Oligarchy that was the USSR was what one normally sees in a real dictatorship (as apposed to the dictatorship conjured up in the mind of the GOP); people stay away from the authorities at all costs. Now, if you want a good example of a totalitarian state where people died on anyone's say so, look to the Nazi regime. I know they called themselves the National Socialist Party, but they were a top-down dictatorship, all the same, with the caveat that if you looked a certain way, the system worked for you. Reading the story above, I seem more elements of that state. This boy, different, both in action and appearance was bullied and then cyber-lynched by a bigoted segment of his community.
I'm not going to carry the Nazi comparison too far here. We are still well on the side of freedom by any reasonable comparison, despite the ramblings of a few that want labor camps for the poor, and the reaction of an ever more hysterical right to women's health-care issues. But remember, the basis of the ability to create this mess was not the medium (anti-social media, I like that), but the bigoted treatment and hate-filled whisper campaign brought against an innocent boy by his own community.
Remember that, and try to fit it into your world view. If it doesn't fit very well, as it doesn't fit in mine, then we need to change some things in this country.
I don't know about you, Ambrosia, but when my friends and I got together, there were always handshakes, thumping backs, or at least eye contact. All of that counts as physical contact.
Unless your friends enter a room, go to opposite walls, and look at the plaster while talking, there is physical interaction in a real social gathering.
And I am sure that this is a christian community. With all their christian values, like love thy neighbor and judge not lest ye be judged...
If any of the people that spread these lies are christian, I would read your bible and know that you are going to hell... This is in direct violation of the ten commandments. You bore false witness... Gods highest laws and you just decided to ignore them.... that means you are going to hell...
Scary huh... but christians don't believe in hell any more...they think they can just say Oh sorry and it makes it all better... That is one of the reasons I turned from the faith... to most christians it means nothing....
I can see this growing into a gun ownership debate... all it takes is one rumor about someone, anyone, who does own a gun.
RushISaPIG
Great screen name and avatar... But WHAT does gun culture have to do with THIS story/thread? The reason "this happened" was because ugly rumors were started and it seems people overreacted.
RushISaPIG
Great screen name and avatar... But WHAT does gun culture have to do with THIS story/thread? The reason "this happened" was because ugly rumors were started and it seems people overreacted.
RushISaPIG
Great screen name and avatar... But WHAT does gun culture have to do with THIS story/thread? The reason "this happened" was because ugly rumors were started and it seems people overreacted.
trust_verify,
It's obvious isn't it??? Easy access guns, guns all over the place, casual use of guns..... How many aggressive teenage boys going thru the normal $hit have easy access to guns??? If you live in those states I'd be scared for your children too!!!!!
For example, in VA (where I live for the time being) people no longer have the restriction of buying just one handgun per month. Now they can buy 50 handguns per month!!
You can guess how much I dislike these Conservative pro-gun A$$HOLES!!!!
The other thing they're trying to do here is let students on VA college campuses carry these guns around despite the college rules and regulations!!!!
I wanna hug them all.
Rushisapig-
Be quiet you sad little commie pig.
The boys parents need to sue that little b*tch for libel and slander.
It sucks to move when you're a kid. You have to leave all of your friends, and then at your new school prove you're worthy enough for the other kids to like you. By my third school, I was over it. My attitude was "I'm a nice guy- you can either like me, or you can go f*ck yourself." And that's how you become the cool kid, just showing how developmentally stunted most schoolchildren are.
btw, most people who use (overuse) facebook are complete losers, including those of you who are about to attack me for that last statement.
RushISaPIG--Limbaugh is mildly good at Juvenalian satire--you don't have the knack.
No, no one should say, on the basis of this story, that people should not own guns. Sadly, had there been a gun in these people's home--something that is perfectly legal--this poor child might have been arrested, convicted, placed in jail, and had his life ruined.
And, apparently, dsdsherm is fine with this.
Look, if you start a rumor at your place of work that a particular co-worker is dangerous and going to kill everyone, then that is slander and libel. If people, on Facebook, say things that will subject an individual to ridicule or unfair prosecution and unfounded arrest, then this too is intentional infliction of harm. There are real-world ramifications to language--one is allowed free speech, but one is not allowed to use that freedom to maliciously harm, even through negligence and stupidity.
Saying--"X is going to shoot up the school on Monday!"--is quite parallel to calling in a fake bomb threat. People who believe the rumor refuse to go to school--and administrators have a hard time insisting that school take place. What if this becomes the new trick of children who don't want to take tests--start a rumor, get everyone afraid to go to school, and get an extra day to study?
Honestly--is anyone sure that this wasn't the intent of the rumor--to get a day off from school? Children are stupid enough to pull such a stunt, and that they ruin an entire family's livelihood apparently does not matter to them, their parents, or the community.
Witch hunts may be a traditional American pastime, but this does not make them a good thing.
@rushisapig
The ONLY thing in the story that refers to any sort of gun was the RUMOR. OK the police probably had theirs in holster when they twisted someones arm to perform the search. the Pro control/gun argument is in another thread/story not this one. This one revolves around the 1st and 4th amendments not the 2nd. If someone on EITHER side of the gun debate can't figure that out they need to go back and review the Bill of Rights before exercising their 1st amendment right.
Now if you insist this is about this "aggressive" teen you might have an argument that he used a knife in a previous incident during a physical altercation but I'm not sure you have even thin ice in that area.
Please, if you are going to have a battle of words or wits bring some ammunition or just sit on the sidelines.
BTW I currently reside in OH but grew up in PA. OH has reasonable gun laws as does PA, which also happens to have the right to bear arms in the PA Constitution as well. I am GLAD to see VA got a clue and realized that at best an individual can manage 2 guns physically at once.
Right to Bear Arms
Section 21.
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.
As does the VA constitution
Section 13. Militia; standing armies; military subordinate to civil power.
That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.
as does OH
§ 1.04 Bearing arms; standing armies; military powers (1851)
The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to liberty, and shall not be kept up; and the military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power.
It's not just teenagers that let things spiral out of control on this front, it's adults too. You just have look at the wiretapping controversy with the media in the UK to know that.
DangerousMind, you are correct. Both children and adults can be very mean-spirited, and sometimes end up doing some very nasty things to other innocent people.
However, in this case, I think it might be jealousy on the part of the other students.
This is a good looking young man - who happens to have red hair. Most of the people making fun of him and calling him "ginger," more likely than not, are jealous because they do not have red hair, and in most cases the freckles that go with red hair.
I have always wanted to have red hair, but alas, that was never going to be possible. Using dye is not the same thing.
Somehow, the perpetrators of the hateful messages - students and adults - need to learn about their bad behavior. Prosecution, conviction, some fines and some jail time, might be a good lesson for them.
This article states the young man, Austin, was beat up by some of the local kids and he chased them with what sounded like a small knife. Probably not the best decision, but understandable. Austin was arrested and sentenced to do community service. What were the others charged with? Yeah, didn't think so.
"...the police searched the house..." How many of you have seen the results of a police "search"? the accurate term would be TRASHED the house. The entire high school student body could tromp through the house and it would be as neat as a pin compared to a police "search".
I'm not sure who is dumber cops or tsa.
Dear RushIsAPig; I understand that you do not like guns, and i can actually understand why you feel this way. But you should know by now that if a criminal does not have access to a gun, they will use something else. Now, let's take this in context, shall we?
Let us assume that you and your anti-gun fanatics get your way, and guns are 100% banned from all aspects of life; not even police allowed to even to touch a gun, except in very special circumstances. Hey, it's what they do in many European countries. But those countries still have criminals who are somehow able to get guns -- and use them...
Now let's assume that a criminal is not able to get a gun at all. Oh, my, what will they use to kill someone -- perhaps a knife? Hey! Let's just ban all knives! Knives can be thrown -- it doesn't take very much actual skill to throw a knife and have it stick point-first in someone! It doesn't matter that a knife is needed for cutting a steak, or even a rope -- it's a knife and it could be used to kill a person!
How about cars? Oh, they are used to kill people, too! And you don't really need a license to know how to drive one! Cars are used to kill people all the time, and some times it's done deliberately! Let's ban them all!!
I sure hope you can see how stupid your anti-gun rantings really are, RushIsAPig. They are every bit as stupid as what I just wrote.
trust_verify; Yes, standing armies are to be "mustered out" in times of Peace. The problem is that the U.S.A., of which both Ohio and Pennsylvania are a part, has NEVER actually known a time of Peace -- the U.S.A. has been in one state of war or another ever since the "Founding Fathers" told King George to take the proverbial flying leap.
Coincidence, or happy accident? Y'all decide.
sort of disappointed with myself in responding in THIS thread to the gun topic. That said
The USA was in a period of peace from the end of WWI to just before WWII. We had a standing army of about 21,000. Someone has got to salute and shine the brass hats after all. there were other periods of peace.
Other than by age, technically I would be considered part of the ready militia(mustered out) as I have served in the Navy, which come to think is listed separately from Army, or militia.
dsdsherm- Actually, what they did is criminal, because they were potentially inciting violence. It would be a difficult case to make, but say some idiot read the post- the ones that said a shooting was definitely going to happen- and this idiot decided that he was going to be a "hero" and beat the crap out of the kid before he could shoot up the school. Say he killed him. That's involuntary manslaughter, or reckless endangerment. But the law is beside the point. Or, not, actually. The point is that the law has not caught up with the technology of the age. A few weeks ago a woman was arrested for soliciting a hitman on Facebook to kill another woman because she had been wearing fur. It probably will get thrown out, but had she done it outside of the purview of the internet, she would be going down for attempted murder. The adult who created the FB page and helped her daughter torment another child until that girl committed suicide. The six teenagers who bullied and battered that poor Irish girl literally to death. Nothing is happening to them, and it should. People have to understand that just because they are typing the words instead of saying them to the person themselves, the effect is no different. And that's the issue. No one does understand. I've been reading these comment boards and others like them, and adults are just as bad. After awhile of disagreeing, eventually someone types something truly awful and offensive that would probably get them punched in real life. People feel safer being complete a**holes to each other because they don't have to face any consequences. I live in NJ, and the trial of the kid who spied on the Rutgers student is currently going on. I think he is going to be convicted, and this may set a precedent. I'm very divided on whether or not he should face the punishment he will receive if convicted (10 years in jail and deportation).
Children are literally sociopaths until about the age of 21, the age that the part of your brain which allows you to foresee the consequences of your actions develops. Obviously there is a type of child who is more developed, but this is what lays the groundwork for the problems with bullying. As far as the behavioral neuroscience and cognition is concerned, the normal human being lacks the ability to truly empathize with others and understand cause and effect until that age. The ones who are being bullied are the exceptional ones. This is not an excuse in any way, don't misunderstand me. But this is where parents are the only ones standing between their children and truly bad decisions. I have two sons, one of which is 15 and has been the victim of bullying quite a bit. As was I. In every instance he was bullied, or when he got older and made comments that seemed like he was bullying someone himself, I sat him down and we talked about it. Especially the long term effects every one of his actions can cause. We talked a lot about these 11, 12, 13 year old boys who has killed themselves because they were gay, or were tormented so badly because people thought they were gay (which is so ridiculous-at 11, you shouldn't be thinking about being attracted to either sex, they both are supposed to have cooties!). I talked to my sons about how 1)you never know how badly you are going to hurt someone, or what they may do; that last comment could be the one that makes them fashion the noose; and 2) that no matter what, school ends, you grow up, and there is nothing so terrible that it is worth not living. If we as parents don't force our children to think about the consequences of their actions, they will do stupid things, because they are children. And if you are the type of parent who joins in on the bullying of a 14 year old kid and his family, you deserve to have your kids taken away. Teaching your children to hate in any way is child abuse, plain and simple.
As far as the police are concerned, I think the rumor needed to be checked out. Despite what dsdsherm thinks, every single one of the school shooters we've had in this country have warned someone first. Some, like the Columbine shooters, made videos and posted them online; others, like the one last week, just told one person. These kids are desperate and looking for someone to stop them, but because kids are who they are, they don't listen. Or they do something like this and make it a thousand times worse. I am fairly sure the mother here allowed the police to search- whoever mentioned that the police don't necessarily need a search warrant was correct. And I think that had the father had a gun it wouldn't have led to the kid getting arrested- the police said they searched his room and looked at his computer, and saw nothing to be concerned about. If the kid had stashed a gun under his mattress, he would have been in trouble.
Lastly- to the person who somehow managed to blame this on Obama. I say this again; children are sociopaths. Allowed to act on their own accord, they all will, at some point, and to varying degrees, to something cruel to another child. Obama's bullying program is about education. There's nothing we can do to stop children from being little monsters, but we can try to educate them and their parents about the consequences. And a part of that too is to have a no-tolerance policy, like my children's schools have. I don't know what you expected Obama to do- wave his magic Liberal wand and suddenly children are going to be all sweetness and light? I'd go on, but I would be violating everything I just said about adults and being a**holes to each other.
Let me see if I have this right, He was doing community service for trying to protect himself against a group who jumped him? Did the group who assaulted him receive any sort of punishment for their cowardly behavior? I am pretty sure they didn't......... THAT, is why kids end up reaching their breaking point and do something crazy!!! The schools and parents NEED to talk to the teens more, not wait for a student to kill themselves or others! STOP the BULLYING, be MORE aware instead of ignoring it!!!!
Hey Mister Cool,
I'd be willing to bet the kids did not get the information. Here in the Southern part of the United States, schools would not let their students hear 15 minutes video urging kids to stay in school. Said it was a waste of time and Whitehouse Brain Washing. Yet they are allowed 4 hours in the quad cheering for homecoming. Totally wrong priorities!!
RushISaPIG
no..... stuck up cryu baby fraidy cats, who think they are better than everyone else, THATS why this crap happens. "gun culture" ? tell ya what. you push anyopne far enough, something will happen, AND YOU HAVE YOURSELF TO BLAME! if people wouldnt fu^k with people to intentionally pi$$ them off to get them to do something, PEOPLE LIKE YOU wouldnt be hiding in the shadows afraid of everything. i dont have a firearm, have owned them, will own them again someday, very soon. not to go on a killing spree, but self defence. i served in the Army, took my safety courses ages ago, but cant say i live in fear like some of you. most of you.
here is how it works, i know because i used to get sh!t from people just to get a rise out of me.
you have this quiet person, who you feel you can make fun of, poke fun at, and so on, because YOU kinds of people are scabs. worthless meaningless scabs, who feel the need to take out your own weakness, (living and breathing) on someone else to make yourself look better. even tho you may look better, get some laughs at someone elses exspence, but you remain a scab. well sure enough you made that person feel bad, but it isnt good enough, because you are now a miserable scab inside, you pick it up a notch, and keep going till that person says enough. THEN! you come off cryingBOOOOO HOOOOOO this person beat my a$$, tooo baaaad! thing is, these people who pick on other people are just 1 big pu$$y. And when someone like myself steps in, or says enough and pounds your teeth down to your colon, then who looks bad?
some people need to get a life, or in other words be on the other end of the stick, but they wont cause they cry... just like this big bad ship builder where i work. 2 times my size, and the biggest baby in the shipyard. booo hooo crys about every little thing, but has this attitude, its all about him. he wasnt too happy when i hauled his rump into the office to the fore, and lead man, to set his wheels strait. but as long as there are crybabies like we see now, there will be real men and women who take charge, and laugh at you, even tho you cut on us behind our backs, and so on, we (now older) cant even take pity on the likes of these people. Then when these same people we see outside work want our help....lol. ummm ya.
heres a hint for you people. you treat someone the way you want to be treated, no matter what color, religion, or looks or anything, and you might have less to boo hoo about when that person you messed with day after day doesnt have a reason to kick your a$$, but shake your hand. try treating people with respect, and as a equal once, and maybe you wont find the barrel of a gun pointed your way cause you had to keep pushing buttons.
you get your rump beat or shot because you kept pushing some ones buttons, its your own fault, you get what you pay for. usually in full and if your lucky you dont get the bonus round.... thats when the person is so pi$$ed off cause you didnt get the hint, they keep right on pounding, (or shooting), even tho you are bleeding, in most cases prefusely, it it keeps on packing it in. Thats anger... too bad for the recieving end, but you asked for it, stfu, and cry in your corner is what i make of it. learn to treat people right, and you wont be on the ground in pain, cause you DESERVE it.
you can take all that any way you want. but if you ask for it, you have no right.... NONE WHAT SO EVER to complain.
So let me see if I have this right, the girl gets in trouble at school on Friday for bullying this boy, she goes home and posts that she thinks he looks like someone who would bring a gun to school, and some people in here are saying that this is acceptable and the police did the right thing. So she went home and bullied him some more on Facebook and some how it is ok for him and his family to suffer the consequences and she gets a free pass. I thought I lived in the US where we are innocent until proven guilty. The police had no evidence and no right. If we have to give CONVICTED criminals all of their rights, than you would think that people would be completely disgusted that the police could come into our homes and accuse a teenager with no evidence and just a rumor.
...and if his parents owned a gun, would the headlines have read..cops arrest boy who planned school shooting?
This is an absolutely ridiculous situation!
The idea that the town's people have their heads on wrong over this is stupid. Every person in that town should be begging that kid to forgive them for being idiots and abusing him because he has a disability. I hope everyone in Girard, PA realizes that to the rest of the world today, they are a bunch of bigot's to say the least. And, the fact that a school-girl could mutter a phrase and it start a downhill spiral like this means the whole community suffers from a worse affliction than the disabled kid. Girard, PA I hope you are standing real proud of your actions today, and if that disabled kid hurts himself over this I hope they hang every single one of you for it.
That's the problem with gossip and rumors. They start and spread, especially over the internet, until people are no longer spreading rumors, but FACT. (in their minds)
I feel badly for this young man and his family. Hold your head up, and the rumors will die down over time. I think that the girl who started this should be confronted by the local news. (Print or TV) Have her tell the truth this time. That she lied about this young man. That nothing she said was based on fact.
joderito,
(While typing on Newsvine) I'm a hypocrite also.
I agree. Makes it easy to understand why "witches" were burned at the stake in the not so recent past. Maybe that will be happening again soon.
One girl there wasn't buying the rumor, according to the story. But the rest of that town should be made to live with the shame they and their kids brought upon themselves.
Regarding the behavior of the townspeople, I'm reminded of a substantial body of research in psychology that shows that people's beliefs often become *STRONGER* after they are convincingly proven wrong. This happens because most people are not really interested in the truth. Most people care far more about making sure they aren't proven wrong.
It's easy to see how this applies to this situation. The townspeople hear dreadful rumors about a teenage boy and believe them. The police investigate and determine that there was no truth to the rumors at all. Then, consistent with what psychologists would predict, the townspeople protect their own false beliefs rather than accept the emotional consequences of owning up to the fact that they've been needlessly cruel and unfair to this boy and his family.
All of that having been said....before we all start feeling superior to the townspeople, we need to realize that *ALL* human beings have this same dreadful tendency towards irrationality. The trick is to be willing to accept that disturbing truth and be willing to recognize it in yourself.
And you know none of them feel bad about it. They feel bad that they got into trouble over it, but in no way will they accept any responsibility for their actions. About they only thing they might do, is look for sneakier ways to continue the harassment.
And I'm not just talking about the kids. Bet me money that I'm wrong, I dare ya.
Perchance the family of the boy should contact a lawyer, and let him/her introduce the community to the terms "libel" and "slander". Maybe society should reconsider corporal punishment in the schools, to lessen these false rumors. You know, "spare the rod and spoil the child".
Junico, you are absolutely spot-on. I call it "true believer" syndrome. These people view any hard-core evidence proving their belief to be entirely wrong as a test. They refuse to waver in the face of facts. Usually you see this with cults, the anti big-pharm crowd, vaccine-autism adherents and conspiracy kooks, but it also seems to be a human condition in general.
I feel for this family. I hope that their son comes through this without severe psychological damage, and that the young lady who started this non-sense learns something - it would be one thing if she had gone to the school and said, "I'm worried that this boy may bring a gun to school." But she just said something off-the-cuff, not even meaning it as a real concern, and look how it has destroyed a family. I think we all can learn from this.
Unfortunately, this happens way too often, and then when the internet comes into play, the kid can't even get away from it. I think that every single person, child or adult, that can be proven to have posted a harassing or threatening comment is charged with something - even if their sentence is community service or suspended probation. They should be made to publically apologize to the family. The children involved with the mutation of the comment should be made to do community service, and if they never find out who spread the rumors, make them ALL be involved in community service. The school should be made to impliment anti-bullying counseling in the classrooms. Treat them ALL as if they were bullies with counseling - it couldn't hurt for them to have some sensitivity training. I'm rather partial to making it (anti-bullying counseling) a prerequisite to going to school anyway. Those who are parents of the kids in schools need to be required to take a bullying class, to know how to deal with it if their kid is bullying or is being bullied. If it takes a problem like this, we should be glad it wasn't a violent ending, because it sure could have been. If the kid says, well they all THINK I'm going to do it, why not? Some do.
I hate to think what would have been the outcome if the family had any firearms, even if legal and registered. The boy would have been walked out of the house in handcuffs, and would probably still be undergoing psychological evaluation.
Some people just needs to be smacked silly. Junicon, what you have described are weak minded people whom are easily coerced or manipulated by other people. Sad isn't it.
All I have to say is that as a rule I can't have any faith in humanity or hope for humanity. Everyday something disgraceful like this takes place and you can see that mankind wants to be base animalistic beasts rather than thinking, reasoning beings. Because you cannot be a thinking, reasoning being unless you have the qualities of compassion and empathy. Without them you are a beast.
Perhaps after all we can do with science and technology we will never reach immortality because we do not reach for it together.
Since the beginning we have killed each other and we will continue to kill each other till the end, Humans are animals and believe it or not killing is a built in instinct,It has been toned down for the most part as most people have great control over it, but it is in everyone.
what amazes me is 3/4 of the US doesnt live in the dark corner of a bomb shelter ready towet and soil themselves at a drop of a pin, yet still hold the mentality "it's all about me, and only me, for i am all that matters" attitude.
Here is another thought. Kids get into trouble and are expelled for less than this. Are they going to expell these trouble makers? And as someone already said the police should have known better. Sue everyone involve as soon as they are known. Slander is a horrible crime!!!
The school system provide and encourage the snitch and devided us, and rumors are more trustworthy than the truth, authorities rather jump into concusion, medias not nutual..because the value of our society and everything are twisted and manipulated. Sad for the systems and we are ruled by face-book...how many people can live without the Internet and face-book...?
thing is, people seem for some strange reason only now some how thinking being bullied is a problem. tell ya this, i was rather short for my age until 18. late starter, grew out of 3 pairs of jeans that year. i was picked on, beat on, called some pretty messed up names and yes, made feel like sh!t on a daily basis all thru school. my so called step dad, beat the crap out of me almost daily,not to mention the mental abuse there, and even in 1st grade i was getting it from other kids. thing is, all my life i have been called very good looking, but the few kids in school would say i was ugly, coming from the girls it hurt, even if they said or passed a note later "sorry, i didnt mean it" it didnt change the feelings that stayed. but i always held my ground. no matter how big the person was, and no matter how big i thought the lumps might be, no matter win or lose, i stood my ground. kids love to push someone weaker (or so they feel) than them into something they feel they will win, like a fight, verbally or physically. but you cant fight for yourself in school anymore. cant stick up for yourself without being punished, while the person starting the trouble walks scott free. so ya, exspect to see more school shootings, stabbings, and so on, because kids get sick of being bulied. but rather, like actual human beings.... you blame the kid who brought the gun to school, not the kid making the reason for the other kid to bring the gun. how ass of nine is that?! until it gets thru our society's heads, to start at the root of the problem, you blame the victim.
columbine, goood exsample, we all know about that one. kids picked on for being different, as well bullied, and so on. well they fixed that. who was the real victim? maybe the kids who had nothing at all to do with picking on them, thats it. if you dont want to get your ass kicked, or shot by some twerp you were constantly harrassing, then dont harrass them. or does that make too much sense?
you get what you pay for.... remember that. and it has nothing to do with money, but lets see just how many people cant figure out what it really means.
I understand the "concern" but did they obtain a warrant for the search and based on WHAT exactly? Maybe I have a neighbor or rival I don't like and can start a rumor about them and get their lives turned upside down.
Why was the girl disciplined for exercising her 1st amendment right? She stated an OPINION and did not make ANY accusations. Not much different than "classmate most likely to ..... fill in your choices" YES it was not a very smart remark but neither are most hurtful comments. Quite sure some on here will be crude as well.
Good point. The girl simply verbally stated an opinion, gave her perception about someone's character, if what is reported in the story is true. It is not like she shouted "Fire" in a crowded theater. Those who actually spread the rumors in writing that he was planning an attack are the ones were wrong and who should be disciplined.
You obviously don't understand that if the parents consented to the search no search warrant is required.
If the school's and police's plan is to react as they did, and I believe this is the plan all over the country, then first amendment rights are moot when speaking about weapons in schools. Just like someone cannot even say the word "bomb" when waiting to go through airport security, the same thing exists here. Do not mention the word gun. If you do, anything that happens because of what you said is now your responsibility. The school should pay for this kid and his sister to go to college or whatever post-secondary education he and she wish. The family should no longer have to pay real estate tax, ever, which in PA goes entirely to the school district. Let the taxpayers of the town do that for this family and then maybe you're sort of getting close to even.
Trust, while I agree with you that she does have a right to her opinion, I truly hope someone in the town Speaks their opinion about HER. Give her a taste of her own medicine.
Freedom is NOT Free. There's always a price. In one way or another.
I would assume that the parents granted access for the search.
As for the girl; I would assume the school is reprimanding her along the lines of bullying rules; also, it could be considered harassment, and evenly possibly, if they really wanted to stretch it, filing a false report, because the police being involved stemmed from her comment.
She wasn't disciplined for her comment but for her interaction with him. It stated she made the comment to another student. And if it has no bases in fact, it could be considered defamation of character. I would sue.
If you read the article correctly, it said that she was not being reprimanded but two other students were.
Trust_verify, All rights and freedom come with responsibility. You do not have the right to slander someone without exposing yourself to the consequences of doing so. Government cannot prevent you from expressing your thoughts, but you are not shielded from the consequences. This situation is a perfect example. This kid has been ostracized and physically assaulted. Verbally labeling him as a potential mass murderer was too much. The girl should face discipline for her conduct.
It is EXACTLY like shouting "fire" in a crowded theater. If it's false, then it is not covered by the 1st Amendment. If you know it to be false (or do not know it to be true) then it is not covered by 1st Amendment.
If you're spreading rumour (he said, she said) then it is NOT covered by the 1st Amendment, and should be categorized as malicious. That in and of itself is the definition of bullying, and should carry the stiffest penalties.
You can always spot who were bullies and who were targets when you read these posts.
There is consent then there is "consent". "If you do not allow us to search, we will just have to get a search warrant. You don't have anything to hide do you?"
The threat of a search warrant is usually enough to obtain "consent".
Fallout from 9/11. Someone makes a false accusation and the person is "guilty until proven innocent".
I disagree. She did not voice an opinion. She made a false claim that was based on no real evidence.
If she had said "I don't like that boy"... THAT would be an opinion. That's not what she did. She made a claim that a particular person was a risk to commit a serious violent crime. (That's the commonly accepted meaning of statements of the form "he's the type that would do that".)
That's not a matter of opinion. A statement like that is either right or wrong. It's NOT an opinion.
Andi: "If you read the article correctly, it said that she was not being reprimanded but two other students were."
With respect, I disagree. The article says SHE AND another boy are being reprimanded: and I quote:
"Tracy said the school’s principal disciplined two students – the girl who made the comment and a boy – for their interaction on Friday with Carner, who did not receive any sort of reprimand." ;^)
The first amendment guarantees the right to free speech, yes, but I do not think it was even intended to shield people from the consequences of what they say. We (as a society) have construed it that way for quite a while, but I think we have done so at our own risk. Everyone should be allowed to say what they want, but they should also have to face the consequences of doing so. It is like shouting "fire" in a crowded theater -- the person has the first amendment right to do it, but they should still face the consequences of that choice. It's called taking responsibility for one's own actions.
Andi-you read it wrong
"Tracy said the school’s principal disciplined two students – the girl who made the comment and a boy – for their interaction on Friday with Carner, who did not receive any sort of reprimand. The girl made an “off-the-wall comment,” though it’s not clear what role the boy played, Tracy said. (Attempts by msnbc.com to reach the pair were not successful)."
Carner is the one that didn't receive any sort of reprimand.
Darkest,
You are correct, Carner didn't receive a repremand...this time.
He was protecting himself from a group of bullies, when he was made to do community service. I am curious as to why he was required to do this, if there was more than one person picking on him...?!? If there were three or four others and he had no other recourse, I wouldn't fault him for using a weapon, sorry, he was only evening the odds. My question is; were the others funished as well?
Okay I am confused. We all know that what these teens did is NOT okay, but here is my confusion.
"She recommended that districts have clear social media policies in place, including punishment for violators, and that schools and parents have access to social networking sites and maintain good collaboration with law enforcement so that tips can be quickly investigated and dispelled if they have no merit."
Exactly when did the school districts take over social media?? Threats as far as I know it to another person or place is a police matter. Further it is a PARENTAL matter. If my son is posting "inappropriate" things in Facebook, that is for me to take care of NOT the school district. AND whod decides what is a volation???
Again, what happened here is not okay, but these are teens and it will happen again somewhere. Probably going on right now. BUT it it happens on school grounds it is a school matter, OTHERWISE it is a matter for parents or police.
Saddened,
Great point. NOW, if the person that yelled fire in a crowded theatre was a student, WHAT does the school have to do with it?
This surprises me as well. Wasn't there a case where a bullied student killed his bully by stabbing him to death with a knife?
He didn't get punished, so why did this one get punished when he didn't really hurt anyone?
Responding to a few of you here.
The girl stated her opinion "He is MOST LIKELY to bring a gun to school" (paraphrased) She never stated she thought he was going to bring a gun to school. No more than if she had stated "He is most likely to have koodies" or "He is least likely to get a girl" Her OPINION. Not even close to shouting fire. She did not state "He is bringing a gun to school"
As to consenting to a search. Yes it is post 9/11 or even post the most recent shooting event. Refusing to allow a search is not grounds to obtain a search warrant nor proof of guilt. My, and your homes, are our castles. See the 4th amendment. All they had was hearsay. If you HONESTLY think it is ok for the police to search on hearsay I really want you for a neighbor so I can have fun. In this case they did not even have first hand hearsay but only rumor.
As to the school being involved. I understand their concern as the "event" would have taken place at school but it was a non event. Was her statement in poor taste.. perhaps it was but it was still her opinion. Does the school need to be involved in social media... Perhaps as part of education or when social media becomes directly involved with a school event but it is NOT their job to monitor student/teacher activity OUTSIDE of the schools. IMHO all schools below college level should be REQUIRED to BLOCK access to the various social media sites such as FB, Myspace, twitter, etc. They serve no EDUCATIONAL value. If access is found to be necessary for some specific SCHOOL NEED then that access needs to be limited to specific individuals/computers. The school provided access is not required to provide access beyond EDUCATIONAL needs. It is not denying anyone their 1st amendment rights but rather limiting a tool to it's necessary function at school/work.
As to the student "slandered" by the girl. There is no reason for him to be punished (which he was not for this incident) as he did not ACT or even respond to the posting. If anything his family now has plenty of evidence for a slander suit if they choose to not take the higher road and leave it go.
OH YES YOU CAN. I have a neighbor down the street who has repeatedly called the cops on other neighbors for alleged "crimes" that weren't happening. We had a terrible @!$%# storm when my immediate neighbors had a party and the cops were told that it was a drug deal. They came to the party guns drawn only to find it all legit. But talk about a living nightmare getting stormed and searched and your party blown. Then I got woken up one night with a knock on my door. That same neighbor had called the cops and said I'd stolen her TV set. I'd been asleep for about three hours previously. I then had to sit handcuffed in the cold in my pajamas after being rough-handled until they realized they were being jack asses. And I'm still waiting for an apology. And my other neighbors won't talk to me now cause they think I'm a criminal.
Stop blaming the police! What's wrong with you people? Like they have a choice, they got a report they have to investigate. And the family had nothing bad to say about the police. So enough of that!
But don't do it. If you were my neighbor or my rival I don't think I'd let it go. I don't think my neighbor likes living in my hood anymore.
@rob. The police are big boys. They can make judgement calls. When they do their job right they can sort out the facts and do the job they're paid to do. I'm blaming neighborhood snitches, not the police. I don't see where you're coming from, pal. Mostly everyone here is blaming the blabber-mouth little snakes. It's real easy... if you see something, don't say nothin' less you got something real. And then you might not wanna say nothin' cause it might get you killed. So in other words... don't be a snitch. @!$%# what Janet Reno tells you, she's not gonna pay you to be a snitch. She could care less if you get shot up.
You sound like a thug Dudex.....I don't know you but that's what you sound like. I was talking about people making off comments about the cops over stepping their bounds, not your comment. But guess what if you think something is wrong you should let the police know that's what adults and good responsible people do.
no rob, what dudex is saying is if you know something is wrong, not if you THINK something is wrong! If you sic the police on someone based on what you think, with no proof, you are a jerk-off and you should be arrested. That's not what "good, responsible people" do. That's what paranoid @!$%#s do...
Well, I am sure that this article has made it even more difficult for this kid. And he is about to start at a new school; simply by telling the story, msn has helped to spread the notoriety. This kid's disability has been put out all over the net. Good one.
I would think the chances of his new school being in the same district are high. The word is out, lighten up on msn. This article proves that there are huge problems in our nation's school system. Home Schooling is where it is at.
“He’d be the type to bring a gun to school.”
So do all Teabaggers and gun totting Repubs...
Nothing new....next
"It was a rumor run wild … that’s what social media does these days..."
Hasnt this been perfected by the right...as in Faux News, Rush f*ckin Limbaugh etc?...whats new folks?
Matter of fact, this should have read "It was a rumor run wild … that’s what Faux News, Rush Limbbone does these days...”
I was getting worried for a second there, Doc. I didn't see any ignorant political party bashing in any of the comments above. Thank goodness you're here!!
Mike S
I beg to differ some.
Without much gun control as is being advocated by the right; we will continue to see things like this happen on a daily basis....I for sure do see any ignorance in that statement son....ya call a spade a spade and not spoon...
He didn't have a gun Doc. This is pretty far out there even for you. You must live in Austin.
Doc your rants fit right in the same category of turning rumor into fact (in your feeble mind)
His problems will now be honestly delt with. He will survive and become the man I expect him to be. Now if his education is dismissed and attempts to bully him go unanswered not only me as his father will have the power to fight back, I will have support..Tracy Carner
You go, Tracy. Keep fighting for your son! I was bullied a lot as a kid, and whenever I had to defend myself, I'd tell my dad what happened, and he'd believe me. There's nothing worse than a kid getting picked on and adults telling him it's his own fault because of something he did. Tell your son to stick to the books, and in a few years he can make a complete success of himself as an adult, while all the "popular kids" ruin their lives quickly because they never had any moral fiber to begin with. Just let your son know it will get a lot better as he gets older. Don't let these small-minded idiots get your family down.
I was one of those that made a comment about the police should have known better. I stand by that statement!! I have called the police on a couple of occasions and I'm questioned to death before the patrol car is ever dispatched. I was even asked once: are you sure you want to do this. The first action should have contacted the accuser. Had they done this, there would not have been the need to invade this family's space and their faces a little clearer without all the eggs on them.
I love the way that all through this article it is the INTERNET that is at fault. If not for social networking, none of this would have happened. PEOPLE had nothing to do with it. As long as we can stop people from communicating, all our problems would be over. How about teaching our kids to come to US when they have a problem? NO one bothers to teach the kids HOW to deal with potential problems. Then when something happens, its the freaking COMPUTERS fault.
If the students (and parents/teachers) were as quick to report and correct bullying as they were to spread lies on social media, this situation could have been extinguished before it started. The girl who made the initial comment was engaged in bullying - she made scurrilous comments that had no basis in fact. Then others amplified and twisted her slur on facebook.
Shame on the school administrators - when this kid was beaten up by a gang of bullies, they should have responded with swift resolve. When a kid is beaten. it is known by someone on the staff. If they don't know who was responsible, they should at least report it as a case of possible child abuse. Far better to expel 10 bullies than to inconvenience one victim - the bullies should be the ones shunted to the alternate school for behavior problems.
Carlo, you have a point. This crap was going on even before Myspace, or Livejournal. The shooting rumor crap happened at my high school too. I was a freshman at the time, so that would have been the year...1998. Yeah, there was internet back then, but there weren't really any social media sites. Maybe some forums or whatnot, but nothing like facebook or google+.
mailman-you hit the nail on the head-sounds like this young man (through no fault of his own) has been a victim of bullying for a while now. Shame on the adults!!!!!! STOP BULLYING NOW!!!! What good are these programs if the adults dont take ACTION? And the young people need to understand that words can be weapons if not used with respect & kindness-this young lady's parents need to teach her some basic GOOD MANNERS..........
If his parents printed out the Facebook comments before they were deleted, the bullies should be punished. This crapola has got to stop and now. I am 61 years old and still remember how I was teased and tormented because I was 6' tall at 14. For a girl back in the 60's, that was horrible. I remember school as a place of torture because of the way I looked. BTW... I was also red headed and freckle-faced. But you know something? My dad taught me to shoot a rifle when I was very young, but not once did I even think about taking a gun to school and killing my tormentors. I just figured good old karma would take care of it, and guess what?! It has. Be careful what you do because it will come back and bite you bad!
how about a law that could
BLOCK THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA (facebook, youtube, twitter)USING SCHOOL OWNED COMPUTERS?
after all, students are ABUSING SOMEONE ELSE PROPERTY.
i have watched students texting in the middle of the class too many times.
Why do we need a law; we've got a teacher in the classroom. Most laws hinder rather help, and they happen because someone craps out on their responsibility. I bet there is a law that prevents that teacher from taking care of the problem stated as texting in class. We don't need more laws we need more people to take responsibilities.
how dare you make excuses for that viscous girl:( she may not have known exactly what was going to happen but she certainly is responsible for her own actions.
this horrid and hateful increase in bulling needs to be stopped. kids need to be held responsible for what they say and do. and parents need to do a better job or raising their kids and then holding them accountable for unacceptable behavior.
the fact that this young man is learning disabled should mean she is in even more trouble by both the school and her parents.
this family is deeply hurt and now afraid. how horrid for all of them to live in a town so full of bigotry and hate. they have my deepest sympathy.
Great headline. When rumor, the Internet and school violence fears collide, the result is a perfect storm of ignorance.
"It ain't the things you don't know that make you ignorant. It's the things you do knw that just ain't so."
---Mark Twain
ho hum
Welcome to the witch hunts of Salem Massachusetts. The dark ages are again upon us. Kids of this United States are out of control. They need to learn respect. Has this concept been expunged from the culture?
It has been expunged from the culture because some fools got the bright idea that high schoolers should be considered "children" and not held accountable for their actions. Well, I hate to break the news to them, but... "children" in that age group were married with kids of their own in the 1800s and even as late as the 1950s. However did they manage it? Simple: They were raised to be adults by that age. Now, though, we raise them to be immature and irresponsible, and we cover for them whenever they do something that should get them jail time. Until we start to hold them accountable again, and until we stop imaging that they are "children" when they are, in fact, YOUNG ADULTS, they will have no reason to behave since the consequences for misbehaving will amount to little more than a slap on the wrist.
Something is SUPREMELY wrong at this school (please trust me, I know what good schools are like socially). This is what they need to be investigating, if only in follow up, if they are to do a truly good investigation. The culture of this school is TOTALLY messed up, and it is usually (but not always) school administrators who are responsible in some way. For the most part it is pointless to put the blame on the Internet and other modern means of communication. - Rick Carter
As a teacher, I completely agree with you, Rick.
Well said.
Even when they are talking to somebody face to face, this is still the case with many kids. It's unsettling that administrators are now starting to believe rumor mills and bullying only came about because of the internet.
I agree with RickCarter. This administrator is completely ineffective, in that she would accept the need for this young man to be leaving his school because of bullying. She seems, well, just OK with it. Doesn't she know what her job is?
I do not appreciate everyone such as yourself judging my school. I am very upset about all these comments. Two students, who are the trouble makers, should not be what you base your opinion of our school from. I love my school, it is a wonderful place to be.
Bewareofashash
Which two are you saying are the trouble makers? It seems more than TWO people posted comments about this rumor. Please prove you are not part of the problem or are you saying the target of the rumor is one of the two?
Glad to hear you love your school and in your opinion it is a wonderful place. We presume you are not the target of false rumors. Do you participate in those rumors or other forms of bullying?
From the OUTSIDE it appears that the administration at the school is more interested in making this all go away, get swept under the carpet, than educating ALL students. They are taking the easy way out and transferring the VICTIM of bullying rather than dealing with the bullies. With this victim no longer there the bullies WILL find a new target. How will you feel it that new victim is YOU or one of your friends?
BTW what does your screen name represent? Who is being bashed by ash? or is it someone named ash bash.....? Can you see how from the outside appearances can be perceived without the inside scoop?
Bewareofashbash, Quickly answer back. What county is this school in? You have five seconds.....GO!
Rob
presuming a student, who should really be in class this time of day to respond is a bit of a reach?
(Girard) K-12 Erie County district serving students in Girard Township and the Boroughs of Girard and Lake City. Site offers mission statement, calendar,
or so says google lol But I get the drift of what you think... you smell a troll.
ashbash-
not only does your school need an overhaul, your town is full of morons, if you do indeed live in Girard and go to this boys school...
Mmmm hmmm. America, your "fear conditioning" is almost complete. They have us afraid of terrorists in our kids' underwear (TSA), each other, bankers, large corporations, corrupt govt., at all levels, and NOW: we gotta be afraid of our kids. When was it they finally wrested our children away? Doesn't matter- only the strongest of families nowadays will survive the onslaught of media that is ON RECORD DESIGNED to weaken your marriage, your kids relationships with others, and your relationship with your kids??
I wonder WHY?? Do any of you?
This will be my kids' (8 and 12) last year in public school- they both get straight A's but are MISERABLE. I see a prison environment in both of their schools- girls and boys can't play together on the playground anymore, 3 minute passing periods in my boy's junior high, with long distances to the next class, the list goes on. My children tell me EVERY day of the behavior of the other kids, and the things the other kids say..wow. The homes these children are being raised in, to be able to think like that..either its an abusive situation, or the child is exposed to media conditioning for hours a day. HOW ELSE would 8-yr olds come up with this 9i can't type it here).
Do NOT be afraid, TAKE HEART, and MAKE TIME for your family, and laugh a lot, eat, drink together, and throw away the damn social media!! If fear is what they're sellin', I'M NOT BUYIN'!!!!
This absolutely shows the incredible power that the social media plays in ruining ones' life. It's so sad what has become of the folks who criticize, make fun of, falsely accuse, and ridicule people these days. Our television media perpetuates this as well.
At a time in our history, this country would have never gone to the extremes of hurting people like we do these days. It is a convincing proof that we've become more and more Godless as time wears on......SAD!
Yeah back in the days of civil rights, slavery women as second class citizens , labor wars ,segregation , the wild west , gang wars in 1800's NYC, Japanese interment , Legal child abuse etc. etc. it was much more of a Godly, peaceful time when you could beat your kids and wife and women, minorities couldn't vote or do much else that had to do with what we think of as freedom was a better time in the eyes of you teabaggers, we know you want your country back..LOL...Those days are gone and won't ever come back so move to a militia compound and pray for the rapture Randy..............................
If the boy accused reads this, I've just gotta say, There's a whole lot of life after school and choose to rise above this! Maybe the kids involved here that are bullying will never become better human beings, but you have the chance to become one...This town is nothing compared to the world and this country...just a spit in the ocean...you have it all at your feet...remember that
He is reading this as well as his father....... Thank you
If the young man is reading this, I hope that he will consider options other than the alternative school. Those schools tend to warehouse children. He might see if there is an online school he can attend for free (some states offer them). He might see if he could co-enroll in a local technology center and learn a good trade, like his father has, including computer forensics.
Right now, computer forensics might appeal to him--that is where he would learn to pull up information from people's computers that they are trying to hide. Taking this incident and turning it into motivation to improve himself and protect others is a good idea. Living well, after all, is the best revenge.
@tracy-3223082
This whole thing is a lousy deal. Know that you have a lot of us (from all over) here in your family's corner. My thoughts and prayers for better days for all of you.
Austin, I have been bullied and I have pushed back, but in the end the best thing was graduating high school and getting on with what matters in life- FAMILY and true friends.
Stay strong Carner family!
One point that seems to be missed here is community responsibility to address bullying and relational aggression. It seems obvious from the article, the comment and how it spread so quickly as a distorted rumor that MANY of the students and parents were aware that Carner was the target of bullying. After all, the comment that started the rumor was not "just an innocent exercise of first amendment rights" but instead was an act of bullying itself. Anyone familiar with how bullying occurs within a school setting understands this distinction. If the majority of people [or even a significant number who knew Carner] had acted responsibly and spoken up to resist the vilification, the problem would not have gotten out of control as it did. Instead, the "pack animal" mentality led to the spread and expansion of the rumor as each person bought into the idea that it was acceptable to spread such rumors.
This is beyond horrible to do this to an innocent child and not funny at all and the kids who did this should be in deep trouble and that is a fact.
Instead of helping this child the other children just made it worse I don't understand such a horrible act I just simply don't and that is a fact.
This busy body vindictive girl reminds me of the woman who thought she overheard arabs plotting in a Shoneys restaurant and caused these guys to be yanked out of their vehicles on the interstate and harassed by law enforcement...all based on the vivd imagination of a nosy nellie..sheesh these people deserve the same hassle as their victims...
Thank God this young man is being transferred to an alternative high school! My daughter went to one her last year in school, and did wonderfully, and hopefully this will be the same here. He does not need that type of harassment, which apparently he has suffered from ever since he transferred in. The students who posted the vile things about him should be suspended, and their social media privileges taken away, but we all know that won't happen!
i agree, this girl and her friends are probably laughing about this as we speak, thinking how great they are for having forced a kid they dont like out of their school by means of bullying. just sad....
I'm waiting for the TV appearances. How much do you want to bet that these kids get to strut on TV and talk about this, get their 15 minutes of fame. no punishment will dampen the thrill of being on TV. I challenge, however futile the challenge, the media to NOT BROADCAST A SINGLE MINUTE OF TIME WITH ANY OF THESE STUDENTS. <<<Sigh>>>
Blaming social media is like blaming your car for speeding (unless you drive a Toyota), totally false. It is true that social media makes the spread of accusations occur more quickly, but it is still children behaving improperly, which is the result of incomplete training by parents, educators, neighbors, and society in general, especially in an individualistic society such as ours. My children and grandchildren utilize social media and never promote these type incidents or contribute to "bullying." We can't stop this stuff if we can't be honest about its causes.
I didn't get that they were blaming social media so much as simply pointing to the fact that it made it easier for this to snowball out of control.
What I think is the more important thing to point out, it wasn't just the kids who were playing into the rumor; adults were just as bad, posting that the parents were bad parents, and what not. In reality, the parents of the girl who started the rumor and all her close-minded little friends are the bad parents for allowing their childrne to have this type of mentality.
This story made me so sad and mad at the same time. It could be written about my family. My grandson has been bullied all his life because of his hair and size. It's NOT just the students who bully. He has had NO protection from the school nor the school board and if I told you some of the things that the teachers he has had have done or said to him, you probably would not believe it can happen. Look, studies I have read, even teachers ADMIT that they bully the kids. That's what hurt him the MOST. He'd trust them and they would turn on him. I am retired now and I am homeschooling him as best I can. BTW...he gets 75-100% in his classes here. It just breaks my heart, though, that all the focus is on other students when it's the teachers, too, that are just as guilty, if not more so.
You sweet, wonderful person, you keep fighting for your grandson and take heart and try so hard to be of good cheer, for it is those who persecute good folks like you and your grandson who are truly rotting from the inside. It sucks you have to put up with it, but I TRULY feel sorry for those who have ever bullied your grandson.
Take heart! You are the type of person who makes it possible to fight for my kids' right to survive and be sensitive and have love- my daughter is 8 but almost died of sudden type 1 diabetes onset at age 1- there is a little girl at my daughter's school who is bald from cancer treatments and my daughter said that other kids were talking about her mean and making fun of her- it made my daughter cry. You are the reason good folks keep on getting up and trying hard, every day.
I salute you.
It's a tragedy that the kids suffering the bullying are the ones who have to leave school or transfer. If that keeps happening, our public schools will be made up of nothing but bullies. (I realize how close that is to the case, now.)
public schools are not for the sensitive, gifted, or "different". I knew my son was a bit different from others from the get-go. He's actually quite a bit brighter than most kids his age and has a truly unique and creative way of seeing the world. After trying a few years of public school, I could tell that his creative nature would be really squashed by public school. We moved acreoss the country so he could have a few good years at a Waldorf school, which are chartered and FREE in AZ. As he ages out of this school, I will be faced with the old public school/homeschool option. The minute I see any bulyling going on I will yank him out of school and take on the challenge myself. I don't want his youth to be a bad experience for him by having to deal with mindless bullying. He has been taught to love others and follow the golden rule, which he does, but others of course, may not. Good for you for protecting your grandson from further harm. The social interaction argument people use for keeping kids in school is highly overrated!
This story is becoming the norm now. I live in a small town and bullying is out of control in the schools. The worst part is how the school deals with the situation. The bullied kids can't fight back because of their policies. One of their policies is if someone hits you and you fight back, you and the person will get suspended for 10 days. The only way to not get suspended is to not hit back. I guess you have to just stand there and take the beating. Recently, one of the kids who was ambushed and beat by another kid didn't hit back and he ended up passing out from the beating. There were no teachers nearby so the kid was left on the floor passed out and bleeding. He wasn't suspended but ended in the hospital. I asked my son why no one helped him, he told me that they thought he was faking it. I got very angry at him and told him that he knows better than that.
Why don't they go to everyone on this boy's and girl's facebook page that is in that school and just punish the whole lot. In the high school and middle school in my area, if students did the tiniest of infractures, they get to go to alternative school for punishment. If it is fighting, or something bigger, they get suspended and some even go to jail. If these kids are allowed to come back then they have to go to alternative sachool. Our alternative schools are on the same campus. but these kids are isolated from the rest of the students.
First I have to say that I feel the school and the police handled this situation admirably. To hear this alleged threat and to follow-up on it is very important. It is refreshing to hear of a school that takes all threats seriously, and then is willing to stand up and admit that the threat was false and take responsibility for reacting as they did.
Next, I have to say that while I am disgusted that high school students would do this, I find it particularly reprehensible that adults added fuel to the fire and continue to judge this family as if the son had actually brought a gun to school rather then directing their anger at the family of the brats who started the rumor.
natedom, The police acted foolishly. I do not want police stomping into my home and searching ANYTHING without PROBABLE CAUSE. Ugly, snarky rumors started by ugly people are not PROBABLE CAUSE. I am not willing to concede my constitutional rights so that ugly, insecure punks can feel satisfied that my family is not a threat. It was fine to visit the family and ask questions. It was over the line to search anything. What if this family actually owned weapons? Are they now to be arrested because some dimwit launched a rumor campaign?
So - you see no problem with trampling all over everyone's First Amendment rights?
This is not equivalent to yelling ''Fire' in a theater ]which the Supreme Court ruled is illegal], but a comment based on opinion.
What followed was an intrusion on "...people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches..."
You remember, that 4th Amendment?
Based on what the article said, you have no idea that the family didn't willingly say, go ahead and search, we don't even have any guns he could take to school. Had this been my child, I would have willingly showed the police that all the guns in my house are locked up and out of reach for my children.
You have to remember, the girl originally stated that he was the type of kid who would bring a gun to school; by the time it got to the internet, it had transformed to, he was bringing a gun to school. Yes, it was all rumor, but the police and the school should take any of these possible threats seriously.
And with all the school shootings that have happened, no, I don't think the police acted foolishly in taking the alleged threat seriously. Just last week there was a shooting at a neighboring school that could have been prevented had anyone taken the students own post to twitter about bringing a gun to school seriously.
The police had to follow up. What if they didn't? Police are obligated to investigate any report of a serious crime, whether it turns out to be credible or not. That's their job.
It seems clear from the article that the parents cooperated, so no warrant was necessary. They didn't interrogate the kid, or handcuff him and drag him out of his room. The fact is, if there was a chance this poor child was planning a shooting spree, what would everyone say if the police ignored the rumors?
natedom
Several of the vine readers now think YOU are plotting to blow up the local school. We are posting to social media that very RUMOR. The FBI is en-route to your home and workplace to question/search you NOW. How do you feel about that rumor and YOUR 4th amendment right? Oh and we feel you are anti American as you don't support the Constitution.
When we start surrendering our rights for security we have neither. (paraphrase of Ben Franklin and others)
The fact that the kid that did shoot others posted this same type of stuff himself,
"I am going to take my gun to school and shoot people"
Parents read it, classmates read it and they never said a word about it.
cops never went to his house.
Why would you take a rumor as serious but not take a persons own words serious?
This kid never posted that he was going to do anything yet the cops raid his house,
seems a bit bass ackwards to me.
Concerns are unfounded. Allegations are false.
First Amendment rights are not absolute, people! Additionally, you are free to exercise those rights, but you are NOT free of the consequences of your speech.
I agree. NOW, what if my older son is beating up his younger brother and then says so on facebook? Is this a school matter or a parent matter?
Imagine your son being punished by the school district for this. That is what I am reading here. I think!
I feel really bad for this child and his family. I can just Thank God I do not live in that town. What a bunch of judgemental jerks!!! They have now ruined this poor kids childhood!! I hope everyone in that town suffers the same horror they have put this family through!!!
wow, even after being proved innocent the people of this town are still willing to treat him like a criminal. why not attack the girl who started the rumor? this boy didnt even know he was being talked about and now his life is possibly ruined all because one stupid teenager made a stupid comment. could he sue for slander?
You know, I'm not one for suing people, but I hope he does! Kids need to learn the power and consequences of their words.
no doubt, what a stupid @#$%&! She aught to be publicly humiliated for being such an idiot.
Shark--you're wrong. Search warrants ARE not only necessary, they are the law of the land. Without one, those people couldn't finish the job of ostracizing this young man that they started because he was "New" and had "Ginger (Red) Hair)".
ESPECIALLY--and this is to inform you, NorthernLights4Me, would a search warrant have been mandatory if this young man had been (as stated above) part of the court system. UNLESS the mother allowed them to 'informally' * search the home. (*Informally*= the police put everything back the way they found it)
What does interest me, is that this kid took after a gang of his tormentors with a utility knife and THAT was what brought on the police action. After all, knives of ALL SORTS (as long as they're edged, which most of them are), fall under that Second Amendment, aka "the right to bear arms". And it doesn't matter one bit that those same tormentors were "only kids like him"--they had never EVER been told that 'it's not OK to gang up on a kid and beat him up', --or, worse than that, they HAD been told, (with the proverbial parental 'wink wink, nod nod') and this happens to girls as well, we're only lately finding out.
IMHO, it's NOT OK, EITHER, for parents to point holier-than-thou fingers at the school, where all this stuff originates. It's not the SCHOOL'S fault that the PARENTS NEVER BOTHER TO TELL THEIR KIDS DIRECTLY--YOU DON'T GANG UP ON OTHER KIDS. "Kid stuff"--now that the Second Amendment has been given to self-serving morons who themselves (also IMHO) are mostly mental defectives--does include mass shootings by some of these same kids, who occasionally are the young of the loud gun-toters.
So, of course, the BACKLASH--like taking a kindergarten child out IN CHAINS for having made (or should I say, lisped?) a gun threat, a couple of years back--is now firmly in place, and people who are bullied are now also feared. Talk about "Catch-22"!
And don't even BEGIN to point fingers at these children; this is their Second-Amendment-deliberately-misunderstanding PARENTS who are at fault. NOT the teachers--the PARENTS. If as you say, "It's muh RIGHT"--then understand, it's certainly the right of the bullied to--not only carry knives, but also to carry the same guns that you think that YOU are also entitled to carry as everyday wear--and of course, to use them. After all, the gun lobby wouldn't be itself, if it also hadn't made gun lessons an integral part of gun ownership (the one GOOD thing that it did, although God forbid that it should make that a LAW, as well!)
The ONLINE CYBER-BULLYING--now known both for its speed (true), and the purported (LOL!) anonymity) of these threats--is an extremely logical conclusion to this event, given how dead-on SCARED, everyone is about another Columbine.
It's gone WAY BEYOND 'Gun Control' now, folks. I know (trust) that none of you, however 'Second Amendment' you may be, would sacrifice your own kids to a WARTIME PRINCIPLE. And to those of you who blame 'President Obama' for this--look to your own selves. This 'debate' has been going on ever since the '80's, at the very least. Gun legislation (see the Brady Bill, signed by President Clinton in 1993) has been struck down, ever since that Administration ended, by some of our very own Congresspeople who are more interested in fattening their wallets, than they were/are in placing decent protections for the citizens of their particular states (Obviously, the gun manufacturers pay those particular Congresspeople way better than we do, LOL!) And in order to keep their own bottom lines fat, gun manufacturers are also manufacturing what they hope are logical reasons to keep the ban on gun trafficking in place. And of course over the years since, the restrictions have become looser and looser, until now anyone can get a gun. Anyone at all.
And the kids (OF COURSE!) are the ones who pay...remember Virginia Tech? When an actual mental case easily evaded the Federal strictures in place (real easy to do with the 'gun show' loophole which is wide enough to drive a TANK through) and bought, I forget, I think an AK-47 to school in his haste to mow down his classmates, but 'only' succeeded in killing a couple of police officers--remember that?
You should. It was only last year, 2010. HOWEVER, in 2007, the poor nut-case who was attending that same Virginia Tech (and to whom I alluded in a previous paragraph), did succeed in killing 32 students, and wounding I forget how many more.
I mean--our KIDS?!
(Update)--ever since Virginia Tech (that I know about, but most probably WAY before then) the gun manufacturers have been selling to individuals who have bought no guns at all, but who rather act as brokers to the Drug Cartels in Mexico.
Lovely. But, as we've all heard (and far too many have even been SILENCED WITH:)--say it after me: IT'S MUH RIGHT! And--until there's a definitive law, otherwise-- Search Warrants are YOUR right, too, for the police acting on your behalf as fellow citizens.
That is, unless you think that you live in a different land, other than this one. I for one am tired of our children living in the midst of an armed and dangerous population which is under no threat but from itself. And no, I'm NOT 'leaving for a better place' as the gun-toters would have it. For their information:
There IS NO BETTER PLACE THAN AMERICA, IN THE ENTIRE WORLD--except almost every place on Earth is far, far safer for our children. I aim to put America back on top, in that sense.
And I'm sure that I'm not alone. A vocal AND SUSTAINED outcry to our politicians will tell them that the days of their accepting kickbacks from gun manufacturers are over--if they want to keep on being our politicians. Because while it's true that (thanks to these same manufacturers [as well as some others]) they're all millionaires--it's also true from what I've seen, that POWER is much more addictive than mere money, and the threat of a UNITED (and, to them, MOST DANGEROUS) public, determined to roust them from office in EVERY election year, (not just Presidential, Congressional, Senate and whatnot) will keep them in line, starting NOW.
No, this isn't a 'movement'. Especially, it isn't even 'Occupy'--they're totally peaceful, and they took a long time, respectively, to grow themselves as a movement; this, in the face of massive, bank-purchased 'police presence'!
This is just one p/o'ed person, telling you all that things can happen REALLY fast, nowadays--as all cyber-bullies also, know.
You know what other kid was bullied? Every other kid in the history of kids. It's what children do. That doesn't make it right. And it's not that I don't feel bad for them. But if a kid brings a gun to school (I realize this one didn't - it was only a rumor) blame the kid. Don't try to pass blame onto the "bullies."
Really you stand by that statement..... your truly a victim of your own ignorance.. with out bullies this wouuld not have occured and MY SON WOULD NOT BE THE VICTIM.. TRACY CARNER