Should this student have been arrested for leaving Columbine-like threats on a MySpace page or was he merely exercising his free speech rights?
A 14-year-old student Sierra Vista High School student was arrested Thursday afternoon for making Columbine-like threats on another student's MySpace page.
First off, police say parents shouldn't be too concerned. It doesn't look like there was much to the threats, but they are something they take very seriously.
A parent noticed the threats on a MySpace page. She went to school police and in less than 24 hours the student was arrested.
"We applaud the individuals who stepped forward to give us this information and encourage anybody who's watching this to sit down with their parents, and talk to students about information on MySpace," Lieutenant Ken Young with CCSD Police said. "A text or passing conversation, give them strategies on what to do with that information. This is a great example of parents being in tune with their kids, having a relationship where they can pass it on."
After investigating, police determined that there didn't appear to be much to the threats.
Of course, that determination was made because the student was arrested and the matter was investigated.
Is this an instance of abuse by the free speech police?
Was this student harassed simply for posting some disturbing remarks online?
An Associated Press article on the James Buss case, the Oak Creek High School teacher arrested for a blog post praising Columbine shooters, offers some insight from a free speech advocate and a free speech "expert."
"If you look at all the factors in [the James Buss] case, it's pretty clear it would be a mistake to charge," said Larry Dupuis, legal director of The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin. "At worst, it was somebody expressing admiration for somebody who did something reprehensible. But the more reasonable explanation is this is somebody who is trying to mock the conservative view of teacher salaries."
In other words, Buss' post was a joke. No big whoop.
Buss wrote: Columbine shooters "knew how to deal with the overpaid teacher union thugs. One shot at a time!"
Obviously, no reasonable person would consider that threatening. It's clearly meant to mock conservatives.
Right.
Donald Downs, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and expert in free speech, said that "all sorts of unsavory, controversial speech" are protected by the First Amendment.
"It has to be intended to incite violence" to be illegal, Downs said. "If it's tongue-in-cheek, there's virtually no way they can claim that."
The reality is until Buss' alleged harmless, "tongue-in-cheek" postings are thoroughly investigated, there's no way one can just assume that his "one shot at a time" advocacy wasn't intended to incite violence.
There's no way to know if an anonymous posting is a real threat or just an "unsavory" remark unless it's reported and authorities follow up.
Ask parents of the slain Virginia Tech students if they think that police involvement in the Buss case is inappropriate.
Buss probably never thought that his actions would become part of a national debate.
Is this 46-year-old proud of himself? Is he proud that he's known for his "harmless, tongue-in-cheek" comment that Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold are heroes?
When chemistry teacher Buss was supposedly posing online to mock conservatives, did he stop to think of these very real people and their loved ones?
Killed
Outside the Library:
Rachel Scott, 17 (b. August 5, 1981)
Daniel Rohrbough, 15 (b. March 2, 1984)
William David "Dave" Sanders, 47 [teacher]† (b. October 22, 1951)
†Dave Sanders was credited for having directed many students to safety and was posthumously awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2000.
Inside the library:
Cassie Bernall, 17 (b. November 6, 1981)
Steven Curnow, 14 (b. August 28, 1984)
Corey DePooter, 17 (b. March 3, 1982)
Kelly Fleming, 16 (b. January 6, 1983)
Matthew Kechter, 16 (b. February 19, 1983)
Daniel Mauser, 15 (b. June 25, 1983)
Isaiah Shoels, 18 (b. August 4, 1980)
John Tomlin, 16 (b. September 1, 1982)
Lauren Townsend, 18 (b. January 17, 1981)
Kyle Velasquez, 16 (b. May 5, 1982)
All were gunned down at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 by Harris and Klebold, Buss' alter ego's heroes.
TEACHER Buss is a funny guy, isn't he?
And he's a free speech hero.
I wonder what Buss would say to the family of fellow teacher Dave Sanders.
Here's more details:
Injuries and deaths in initial incident
1. Rachel Scott, age 17, killed by shots to the head, torso, and leg on a grassy area next to the West Entrance of the school.
2. Richard Castaldo, age 17, shot in the arm, chest, back and abdomen on the same grassy area.
3. Daniel Rohrbough, age 15, killed by a shot to the chest on the West Staircase.
4. Sean Graves, age 15, shot in the back, foot and abdomen on the West Staircase.
5. Lance Kirklin, age 16, shot with wounds to the leg, neck and jaw on the West Staircase.
6. Michael Johnson, age 15, escaped from the grassy knoll with wounds to his face, arm and leg.
7. Mark Taylor, age 16, shot in the chest, arms and leg on the grassy knoll.
8. Anne-Marie Hochhalter, age 17, shot in the chest, arm, abdomen, back, and left leg near the cafeteria's entrance.
9. Brian Anderson, age 16, injured near the West Entrance by flying glass.
10. Patti Nielson, age 35, hit in the shoulder by shrapnel near the West Entrance.
11. Stephanie Munson, age 16, shot in the ankle inside the North Hallway.
12. Dave Sanders, age 47, died of blood loss after being shot in the neck and back inside the South Hallway.
Injuries and deaths in the library
13. Evan Todd, age 15, sustained minor injuries from the splintering of a desk he was hiding under.
14. Kyle Velasquez, age 16, killed by gunshot wounds to the head and back.
15. Patrick Ireland, age 17, shot in the arm, leg, head, and foot.
16. Daniel Steepletonage, 17, shot in the thigh.
17. Makai Hall, 18, shot in the knee.
18. Steven Curnow, age 14, killed by a shot to the neck.
19. Kacey Ruegsegger, age 17, shot in the hand, arm and shoulder.
20. Cassie Bernall, age 17, killed by a shot to the head.
21. Isaiah Shoels, age 18, killed by a shot to the chest.
22. Matthew Kechter, age 16, killed by a shot to the chest.
23. Lisa Kreutz, age 18, shot in the shoulder, hand and arms and thigh.
24. Valeen Schnurr, age 18, injured with wounds to the chest, arms and abdomen.
25. Mark Kintgen, age 17, shot in the head and shoulder.
26. Lauren Townsend, age 18, killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the head, chest and lower body.
27. Nicole Nowlen, age 16, shot in the abdomen.
28. John Tomlin, age 16, killed by multiple shots to the head and neck.
29. Kelly Fleming, age 16, killed by a shot to the back.
30. Jeanna Park, age 18, shot in the knee, shoulder and foot.
31. Daniel Mauser, age 15, killed by a shot to the face.
32. Jennifer Doyle, age 17, shot in the hand, leg and shoulder.
33. Austin Eubanks, age 17, shot in the head and knee.
34. Corey DePooter, age 17, killed by shots to the chest and neck.
Note: These specifics aren't tongue-in-cheek.
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