Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to The United Nations Old Guard. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
I want to make a hit list now
Topic Started: Jan 26 2007, 10:37 PM (264 Views)
Forgottenlord

Members
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/26/school.conspiracy.ap/

Quote:
 
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (AP) -- Six girls at a rural high school were charged with homicide conspiracy after their principal found a list of 300 names and officials discovered online postings suggesting they kill people, authorities said Thursday.

School officials said the list, discovered in a classroom trash can, mostly named students and faculty members but also included Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and the Energizer Bunny.

Sequatchie County High School Principal Tommy Layne said that he initially considered it a joke, but that authorities then found the ninth-graders' online MySpace pages and postings that included the word "kill."

"In general terms, it was like, 'Let's kill these people,' " Dunlap Police Chief Clint Huth said. He declined to provide the specific wording on the posting, which has been removed.

"I am not saying we thwarted a shooting incident or an act of violence," Huth said. "On the other hand, had this gone unchecked, down the road it could have grown into something a whole lot more serious than a list of names."

There was no evidence that the girls had weapons or that an attack had been imminent, Huth said.

The girls, ages 14 and 15, were charged with conspiracy to commit criminal homicide late Wednesday and taken to a juvenile facility. A juvenile court detention hearing was set Friday in Dunlap, about 40 miles northwest of Chattanooga.

Layne said he learned about the list Tuesday when a "young man came in with his grandmother and said his name was on the list."

No club or group was involved, said Layne, who described the girls as friends. The school has more than 600 students.

Sophomore Lakyn Ledford stayed home Thursday after learning that student-athletes were on the list.

"I was very scared. My friends were scared. That's a scary thing. It can really happen," she told WTVC-TV.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
No, seriously
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Gruenberg
Member Avatar

Members
That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever read.

And...The Energizer Bunny???
[size0]Everything that can be done visibly in this world can be done by demons.

For an organisation that likes to think of itself as elite, [UNOG] doesn't have the highest of standards when it comes to membership. -- Cluichstan
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ithania
Member Avatar

Members
Quote:
 
And...The Energizer Bunny???

He just goes on, and on, and on, and on, and *a gun shot is heard, the camera cuts to a single cymbal rolling around on the floor, rattling until all suddenly falls silent. “Nothing last forever” appears on the screen* ;)

Anyhoo, I think that this illustrates how pathetically silly legal systems can get. I mean come on, charging people for wanting to kill Tom Cruise? Any good system would reward them wouldn’t it? :D

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Randomea
Member Avatar
Cheese?
Members
It's cos they're in league with...
Posted Image
Brought to you on behalf of Her Royal Randomness;
On a tropical island near you.
With pretty ribbons in her hair.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ausserland
Member Avatar
Resident Curmudgeon
Grumpy Old Men
Ridiculous? Maybe. I'll reserve judgment, since I don't know the people involved or the details. All I know is what I see in the news story. And I also know how our wonderful journalists love to poke fun at "hicks from the sticks".

How about this? The police chief believes there are some seriously disturbed and perhaps dangerous kids who need counseling. He works a deal with the local judge. Arrest 'em, book 'em on a whopper charge, then let 'em plead to a lesser included misdemeanor conditional on counseling. And, of course, their juvey records will be sealed anyway. Sound like a harsh way of doing things? Come to this country, get in a position of authority in law enforcement or education, and suggest that mama's precious little daughter needs psychological help. Then stand by for the lawsuits.

Just hypothetical, of course. But plausible. And I don't know if any of you had kids in school at the time of the Columbine massacre. I did. If the police chief did too, I can understand why he might have over-reacted to this. Nobody would have believed Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were seriously planning mass murder, either.
If at first you don't succeed, give up. There's no sense getting frustrated.

(\ /)
( ..)
C('')('')

Posted Image
Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Forgottenlord

Members
First of all, the news report I have little concern with

However, no, I do not believe this is a danger. Perhaps there is something wrong with me, but the day of the columbine shooting, I was curious, but no less concerned the morning after. Even the following Taber incident that happened a week later just 200km south of my city (ex-student returns to school, shoots at 4 students - 1 dead, 2 injured, was taken peacefully) did not concern me. Was I saddened, yes. Was I scared? No.

Regardless, the impression given by this story, the information revealed by the chief, and the fact that he took in 6, not one or two (I'm sorry, psychopaths don't get into groups that big), strikes me entirely as a massive overreaction. In fact, the only thing abnormal about the girls is that they would publish it - something that tells me the bigger danger from these girls is stupidity.
No, seriously
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ausserland
Member Avatar
Resident Curmudgeon
Grumpy Old Men
I think the difference is that you're willing to take the information in the story -- limited as it is -- at face value and pass judgment on those involved. I'm not.

The information given by the chief? Do you know what constraints he may have been under -- legal or administrative -- concerning release of information? Do you know whether this small-town police chief is experienced enough dealing with the media to make the case for his action effectively? Do you know whether there were other indicators of potential danger that weren't reported in the story?

"Psychopaths don't get into groups that big". Probably not. Sociopaths do. And there is far too little information about the girls available to make any sort of judgment on their psychological state.

I'm not saying that the authorities were right or wrong. All I'm saying is that the sketchy information in the story leaves me completely unqualified to pass judgment on anyone or anyone's actions.
If at first you don't succeed, give up. There's no sense getting frustrated.

(\ /)
( ..)
C('')('')

Posted Image
Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Flibbleites
Member Avatar

Members
Ausserland,Jan 27 2007
09:10 AM
And I don't know if any of you had kids in school at the time of the Columbine massacre.

No, I just was a kid in school then.
The Rogue Nation of Flibbleites
Founder and Regional Delegate of Final Fantasy
Another HotRodian puppet
Mr November
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
East Hackney
Member Avatar

Members
On the subject of school-related dumbassticity, y'all hear about this teacher in Connecticut who could get 40 years in jail for using a computer that someone else had infested with pornographic scumware? Clicky
East Hackney ACA
"I ain't a communist necessarily, but I been in the red all my life"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Allech-Atreus
Member Avatar
Trying Too Hard
Members
I have to say, I'm glad I went to a High School where the administration wasn't batshit insane. My latin teacher was, but that was just fine.

Also known as Snefaldia and Palaam
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Forgottenlord

Members
Ausserland,Jan 27 2007
09:52 PM
I think the difference is that you're willing to take the information in the story -- limited as it is -- at face value and pass judgment on those involved. I'm not.

Fine, so I'm opinionated - old news. However, an event like this - especially in the society of fear where a rights are being eroded - we should be asking questions, we should be looking at this with a level of concern. As a standard action, this is ridiculous. Fine, perhaps this isn't standard, but that isn't what we've been told. We've been told this is a standard incident, and so long as it is represented as a standard incident, it is a ridiculous incident. They want to clarify, they want to release details that show this isn't an standard incident, they can do fix it - and going after them to get this clarification is not a bad thing.

This incident, as represented, was a severe overreaction and I don't believe that such an overreaction is acceptable.
No, seriously
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ausserland
Member Avatar
Resident Curmudgeon
Grumpy Old Men
Forgottenlord,Jan 29 2007
09:36 AM
Ausserland,Jan 27 2007
09:52 PM
I think the difference is that you're willing to take the information in the story -- limited as it is -- at face value and pass judgment on those involved. I'm not.

Fine, so I'm opinionated - old news. However, an event like this - especially in the society of fear where a rights are being eroded - we should be asking questions, we should be looking at this with a level of concern. As a standard action, this is ridiculous. Fine, perhaps this isn't standard, but that isn't what we've been told. We've been told this is a standard incident, and so long as it is represented as a standard incident, it is a ridiculous incident. They want to clarify, they want to release details that show this isn't an standard incident, they can do fix it - and going after them to get this clarification is not a bad thing.

This incident, as represented, was a severe overreaction and I don't believe that such an overreaction is acceptable.

As for your being opinionated, I'm more opinionated than most people you know. I've had about 40 years longer than you to form those opinions and get set in my ways. And you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks.

The key here, I think, is in two phrases in your post: "from what we've been told" and "as represented". I don't believe everything I'm told or everything I read from a news wire. And I don't automatically accept that a situation is as represented when I have no means of assessing the accuracy of the representation.

Should this story cause concern? Yes! Should we question the actions of the authorities? Certainly! I do. Should we rush to judgment and condemn those actions? You can if you want. For me, I'm going to be as skeptical about the accuracy and completeness of the information I have to go on as I am about the incident and the reaction. Over the years, I learned to be very cautious about accepting news reports at face value.

Some journalists are exceptionally fine professionals. But, like is the case in most professions, others are dumber than rocks. Some are dedicated to bringing accurate information to their audiences. Others are in it for the sensation that brings a by-line. Some try their best to present the facts as they can learn them. Others fit the facts to suit their preconceptions and biases. Some get to specialize and become very knowledgeable of the fields they cover. Others are forced to deal with a wide variety of subjects, on many of which they're clueless. Most of them have to work under deadlines and air-time and page-space constraints that make their jobs very tough.

Just my opinion. ;)
If at first you don't succeed, give up. There's no sense getting frustrated.

(\ /)
( ..)
C('')('')

Posted Image
Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
The Palentine
Member Avatar
Good ol' boy
Members
I get tired of some of the policies because of idiot children and the idiot parents that raise them. most schools todat ban penknifes and the like from students because some nutcase might(and probally had used theirss to slash up someone).

Back when I was in JH and HS I always carried a penknife(a small barlow lockblade, or a Swiss Army type). HoweverI used it as a tool(ie emergency pencil sharpener, check. Need to cut some material for a stage flat, check, need to open a bottle, check). Hell a friend of mine was my biology lab partner, and the teacher allowed us to use our knives for disection(we kept our knives sharper than the lab's scalpels...of course the people on either side of us kept their distance. We liked to imitate Quincy ME when disecting. BTW the teacher loved us. :) )
I would like to think if I were arranging a royal assassination, I’d plan in such a way that I wouldn’t be standing there gawking like a fool when the King died.
-Tyrion Lannister
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Randomea
Member Avatar
Cheese?
Members
I always took my craft knife to school. I carry a pen knife to archery, but apparently the big ones count as 'offensive weapons'.
Brought to you on behalf of Her Royal Randomness;
On a tropical island near you.
With pretty ribbons in her hair.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Forgottenlord

Members
Swiss army knife, at school, all the time in JH and HS. A lot of my peers laughed at me because I kept whipping it out in front of teachers to use for some odd thing or another.
No, seriously
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Free Forums. Reliable service with over 8 years of experience.
Learn More · Register Now
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Real World News · Next Topic »
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1