Comments on: Local: Did Manual High ingore bullies’ sex abuse of girl?

By: postsimian

postsimian — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:38:42 +0000

I don’t believe the question in this case is whether it was legal for her to have a knife/stab someone in the leg. That’s for the courts to decide. What we ought to be asking ourselves is whether the girl’s actions were justified.

Based on the available evidence, I think they were.

By: mcsey

mcsey — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:50:04 +0000

So without comment from the classroom teacher, the boys, or anyone at Manual, you’re willing to believe her, eh? That’s not good journalism Bill. I know you’ve covered more “My perfect angel would never do that” stories than I have.

I also like your endorsement of escalating violence and your assumption that what someone who was on the scene might consider harassment must be called abuse. As a teacher, I’m well aware of my reporting requirements, and boys getting pushy isn’t one of them. I would handle that by, hmm, separating the parties involved.

Am I minimizing the boys’ conduct as much as you are maximizing it? Yes, but neither of us was there. Authorities that investigated decided that she should be criminally charged and the boys should not. If that’s a cultural problem, it isn’t one that is of Manual’s making.

By: Billy Dennis

Billy Dennis — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:21:10 +0000

As I made clear in my post, calling the cops was the legal responsibility of the teacher to whom the grabbing was reported.

Taking a knife to school may be a crime. But it should NEVER be illegal to defend yourself from an attacker.

As I said, some people refuse to grasp the concept that the Nanny State isn’t always there to defend itself. And sometimes, Nanny is standing there, but is pretending that it cannot see what is going on.

By: mcsey

mcsey — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:08:44 +0000

You are a criminal if you take a knife to school, lose your temper, and stab someone for calling you a bitch. That’s why she’s being charged criminally and the boys are not.

She lost her temper and stabbed someone. That makes her a criminal — probably a good kid and a criminal. Heck, she took a knife to school, that alone makes her a criminal. I got nothing against the kid. She just committed a couple of crimes is all.

Again, call the cops. What’s the problem with that?

By: Billy Dennis

Billy Dennis — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:51:02 +0000

Diane, there are some people who think if you shoot the guy who broke into your home, YOU are the criminal.

By: Diane Vespa

Diane Vespa — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:47:45 +0000

No not vigilantism, self defense. Big difference.

By: mcsey

mcsey — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:11:04 +0000

Uh… call the cops?

Bill and Phil in favor of vigilantism. Noted.

By: Mfrazier

Mfrazier — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:38:56 +0000

Unfortunately this kind of behavior is NOTHING new. Happened in the small-town high school in rural MN where I grew up in the ’80’s. Happens now in schools all over.