Can every bully and coward reasonably foresee which actions done to which victims might lead to suicide?

Professor Blather

I tend to agree. The civil suit and a wrongful death liability case is in order however and I’m usually against most ‘get rich’ suits.

Does the woman deserve a beating, oh yeah. However I Dont think there’s a statute in TX anyway, that I could charge her with if I wanted to.

Tanya on May 16, 2008 at 8:11 PM

“Lonergan said Drew was charged with accessing a protected computer to obtain information”

Yes, I got that part. What does that have to do with your beef?:

She told a pre-teen girl that the world would be a better place if she killed herself.

Tanya on May 16, 2008 at 11:39 AM

You were referring to that particular act as being criminal. What would be the specific charge? If you could make one up, what would it be?

So what is the exact criminal charge?

Now I have to ask why you’re pretending to care, when you didn’t even bother reading the original blog entry. The charges are listed.

Tanya on May 16, 2008 at 11:39 AM

So what is the exact criminal charge? Even if you made a law up from scratch, I would like to hear a charge that would be rational and could be applied to the gen population.

Are you saying that breaking up with someone is criminal “harassment”?

It wasn’t just a break up. She told a pre-teen girl that the world would be a better place if she killed herself.

It is okay to be venting against evil and such, but the comments promoting criminality so far have very little logic or specifics.

Exit question: How do you criminalize cruelty?

Easy dude- the same way you criminalize HATE!
Throw away the constitution and JUST DO IT>

We can for animals, but we can’t for humans?

spmat on May 16, 2008 at 10:40 AM

The things that constitute cruelty to animals are already illegal to do to a human. Except, I guess, owning a treadmill to condition them to fighting trim.

What this boil on the butt of humanity did is like one of us forcing an excitable, inexperienced ten-year-old to tend to his own rattlesnake bite.

Exit question: How do you criminalize cruelty?

We can for animals, but we can’t for humans?

Exit question: How do you criminalize cruelty?

When somebody takes their life as a direct result of your cruel actions? Would that work?
This woman does not deserve 20 years in prison. If there’s anything worse, she deserves that.

This was clearly harassment with the intent to inflict distress. We need laws like this. I was the victim of a similar case in which the feds prosecuted the guy- who harassed and threatened me on the internet for a year and a half. He went to prison for 3 months.

Many kids at 13-14 are VERY sensitive. They are just starting to have strong feelings of attraction and love but do not have the wisdom to modulate those feelings or understand them completely. Feelings of embarrassment and humiliation involving an actual or perceived love relationship can easily push a young teen into thinking of suicide, because they really believe their lives are ruined forever. I have some personal experience in this area as the mother of an extremely sensitive 14-year-old.

It is not possible for a mother of a 13-year-old not to know this about kids this age. This woman knew EXACTLY what she was doing and exactly what it would do to Megan. If she claims she did not think it would lead to Megan’s suicide, she is lying.

There HAS to be a crime here. This is beyond mere cruelty, it is pretty close to murder and needs to be defined as such in the law to deter such actions by others in the future.

It’s stupid for adults to make themselves known over the net much less letting your kids do it. Many people don’t have any friends except for the online version..barring the homebound.. there is a reason they have no real life friends.

Watch your kids closely and be very prudent of their online activities.

MSNBC is making a report on Lori Drew as I type.

On one hand, I believe that this woman is a vile person for doing what she did, and on an emotional level, I’d like to see something very horrible happen to her.

On the other hand – the logical level – I see a slippery slope. Liberals will use this as a means to pass even more laws that make it illegal to hurt someone’s oh-so-pwecious widdle feewings.

The woman needs therapy.

If the victim commits suicide prosecute for murder.

Limerick on May 15, 2008 at 11:00 PM

Right.

So anytime anyone does something to someone – and the recipient of some behavior commits suicide – we prosecute for murder?

Yikes.

Think about that one long and hard. Ever said anything mean to anybody in your whole life? Ever made fun of anybody?

The difference between arson and this is simple: reasonable foreseeability. An arsonist can reasonably foresee potential injury or death, just as a robbery getaway driver can reasonably foresee violence.

Can every bully and coward reasonably foresee which actions done to which victims might lead to suicide?

Hardly.

Your idea would certainly make suicide more interesting, though: it’d become an easy way to get back at someone. Every suicide note would just spell out who it was that caused the depression – and then the government would step in.

Right?

I repeat: yikes.

Also, prohibited material includes that which:

“8.2 harasses or advocates harassment of another person;
8.3 exploits people in a sexual or violent manner;”

Does anyone know if breach of contract carries jail time? If not, then perhaps a solution more acceptable to both sides would be for Myspace to sue this woman for breach of contract in civil court.
Regardless, I’m not shedding any tears.

Exit question: How do you criminalize cruelty?

Tough question. It’s easier to be cruel to her. She should be shunned for the rest of her life.

Entelechy on May 15, 2008 at 11:09 PM

Exactly.

I have real problems with the government getting involved here, for all the reasons already discussed. Barring proof of actual intent to cause this degree of harm, they’re hopping on a painfully slippery slope.

But setting aside the constitutional legalities or lack thereof … I actually think this has been taken care of pretty well.

This woman has been shamed and shunned to a degree that would have been impossible and unimaginable before the Internet age. No matter what, this will follow her forever; no matter what, for as long as she lives, she’ll inspire atheists to pine for the existence of a Hell.

That’s some pretty good punishment. Beats the hell out of probation and community service picking up garbage by the Interstate.

And the irony that the Internet, the very tool she used for her cruelty, has now been cruelly turned against her in a fit of unprecedented (and wholly warranted) cyber-rage makes the whole thing just delicious.

Frankly, I’ll bet at this point she’d do anything to trade a year or two in jail for the shambles her life has become.

You don’t.
You give a few ‘experts’ 10 minutes alone w/her and then see if she learns her lesson.

Some kids deserve a good spanking. So do some adults. Do you honestly think Keith Olbermann wouldn’t change after someone opened up a can on his candy a$$? And I don’t mean some limp-wristed liberal’s version of a smack-across-the-face either, I mean a good beatdown. Yeah, I went there. Some people deserve to have an attitude adjustment.