You know what.

While this certainly displayes the flaws within the US legal system, and that's not just knocking the US, as I gather that there is a similer case happening in the UK.

I actually find it difficult to have any sympathy at all for this rather stupid little boy.

"It was only a joke" The famous defence of just about every bully that has been caught out.

Trolls and so called 'hacktavist' have been pigging the world off for, as long as the internet has been about, and it looks like the worlds patience is starting to run out. The fact that I am typing this may be evidence, as once I would have been in the front line of shouting in support of the lad. But now it's more a case off "To***r, got what he deserves."

That is wrong I know, but perhaps it is evidence of how uncaring the world is becoming, I don't know. What I do know, is that this youth is not high on my list of priorities to beat a drum on to defend.

He made a damn joke. He didnt hurt anybody, sure he went too far but they threw him into a cell for several months before his case went to a judge.

It doesn't even matter what happens now, the guy's life is trashed, he is done.

A proper sentence would have been to let him clean a park for a month or do some other social work, show him what responsibility means. But you cant throw a teenager in a cell for something he SAID. I mean what would happened to him if he hit somebody in the face once? Instant death sentence? This whole case is just ridiculous, if he would have said these things to somebody in public he would have been scolded by his parents and it would have been ok.

But hey he said it on Facebook so better go and shatter his ******* live wohooo.

He made a damn joke.

In fact, why does someone not re-work the quote into a legitimate threat and let's look at the difference..........

If that is folk's idea of a 'joke' (which it is NOT), I'd hate to see what you consider a legitimate threat.

Well he deserves to be punished.
But he is a teenager, not a seasoned criminal that broke yet another law, so punish him like a teenager.

And like I said, if he would have said the very same things in public he would have been picked up by the police, driven home and likely would have gotten some social work, but thats it.

People just flip out because it was on Facebook.

Well he deserves to be punished.
But he is a teenager, not a seasoned criminal that broke yet another law, so punish him like a teenager.

And like I said, if he would have said the very same things in public he would have been picked up by the police, driven home and likely would have gotten some social work, but thats it.

People just flip out because it was on Facebook.

Call me old-school, but I still find it hard to say a bad joke constitutes mens rea.

But, by all means continue to tell us how you would persecute a teenager for a joke in poor taste.

Yeah. 8 years in prison is a bit much, but he deserves something.

8 years is ridiculous, but community service is not enough.

What does he deserve?



Just to be clear, I was responding to both of you.

(Because I find your circle-jerk of agreement about his guilt to be nauseating.)

So you admit it was a joke that you want a child sent to prison for, to be raped and made into a human symbol of what's wrong with our society.

Good for you man. Stand up for what you believe in!

And as I said earlier "It was a joke" is the favorite battle cry of all bullies.

[(...)

Quote me where i said he should do jail time. All I said was simple community service was too easy.

And let me be clear fine sir. I can almost guarantee that i have said worse things in my past, but you know what? I knew who the **** my audience was. (...)

Yes, luckily it didn't included a wannabe cybercop in another country, with access to your personal data and the common sense of a dead amoeba.

Hey, you know what's really tough and manly and shows everyone you mean business?

Drinking bleach.

[ This whole case is just ridiculous, if he would have said these things to somebody in public he would have been scolded by his parents and it would have been ok.

But hey he said it on Facebook so better go and shatter his ******* live wohooo.

Houm, sounds like you pretend everyone to be Asperger.

This is the important distinction, the putting onto FaceBork part.

If he had come up to someone in the street and made the thread discretely then I expect that nothing would have happened (perhaps other than a belt across the lug 'ole) but what he did on FaceBork was to publish a threat.

As far as the authorities are concerned such threats published are just as henious as taking out a full page spread in the New York Times.

And what if [insert the name of your favourite terrorist group here] placed an afvert in the New York Times, say that they are going to kill every child in a school and then put, only kidding at the bottom of it. Would the authorities sit back, laugh and say "Those $MY FAVOURITE GROUP they know how to have a good laugh" or would they want to do something about it by kicing in doors and nick someone?

Okay, then let's then say that said $MY FAVOURITE GROUP rather than take out a full page advert in the paper but posted the same threat on Facebook. Would the authorities still do nothing?

No, if anyone makes a threat then they had better had be aware of the consequcences. At the time of the Texan lad making his comment there was that bloody idiot in South Sheids already awaiting trail for much the same thing. And it wasn't just the UK police after him it was the US Authorities.

In the case of this lad in South Shields the American authorities made it clear that they were taking no more chances because of the problems in the past with shootings in schools. Zero Tolerance, I believe it's called.

Quite simply; one cannot go around threatening other people, especially children, in the US or anywhere else. If you do it and don't breathe fresh air for two or eight years then it's your own damn stupid fault. The case in England, which was well publicised in the US, should have been warning enough for the lad facing eight years.

No, I would like people to act responsibly and show respect for the recipient. Surely, that's not asking too much, is it?

Where you get this Aspberger thing from; that's discourteous, wouldn't you say?

It's a lost cause. The Entitled Generation is going to do what it is going to do.

They cannot even write in cursive handwriting anymore apparently. It is no longer taught in most schools and that idea is spreading.