Bully Web Site Lands Missouri Teen in Jail

The sole determining factors in this case are Missouri state law and any pertinent federal laws regarding minors who engage in slander or defamation. Everything else is irrelevant. I'm willing to bet that a juvenile's punishment for these crimes (if indeed crimes have been committed) are at the sole discretion of the judge. Frankly, I expect this child will not see a day of detention, but will instead be put through mandatory psych evaluations and psychiatric treatment. Her parents will likely have to pick up the tab for any mental health treatments being received by the student who was the target of the hateful speech. Incidentally, its completely possible that the kid who was the subject of this hate site was also a real dirtbarg herself, and the girl who set up the web page was retaliating. If that were the case it probably wouldn't change anything - two wrongs almost never make a right. Hopefully it will all come out during the investigation. The sooner you teach a child responsibility the better off they are in life.

Where I worked had a real problem with just such a "Free Speech" issue. Here is how we handled it - In 1992 the United States Postal Service, related unions and associations signed the Joint Statement on Violence and Behavior in the Workplace, saying, in part, :

"There is no excuse for and their will be no tolerance of harassment, intimidation, threats, or bullying by anyone."

Well said. Hate speech is not free speech - it costs both the person hearing it and the one saying it - if only they realized the full consquences.

People were talking about each other, their famlies, etc. Hatefully, I might add. Come by your work station and say rude things, etc. "Oh, just ignore them" was the official line from higher up. Well, you can only take so much before you either throw up or strike back - both dysfunctional things.

The young bully neds to be MADE TO STOP -- NOW !! Or she or her victim may be in the headlines soon, and not in a good way.

I believe to publicly humiliate, tell lies about someone, or to bully another human being is not a first amendment right. To engage in this behavior should be a criminal offense.
I believe if a criminal wants to humiliate their victim in public their punishment should be carried out in public.
Once the offender is caught he/she should be strapped on the bare buttocks for all to see. Everyone knows that would certainly cure this problem and send a message. This crime should not be tolerated. It leaves the victim permanantly scarred. Many commit suicide. No person should ever be the victim of this crime. To me it rises to the level sexual abuse due to the emotional devastation the victim endures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A simple way for these simple people to get over cyber bullying is to simply log off. Unless they are posting explicit pics (why take them in the first place) or defaming you, what's the problem?! Log off!

I think that Americans are getting too thin skinned. Bullying has happened forever and just because the internet makes it easy it is still bullying. Should this girl go to jail maybe for the night just to show her that it is real wrong. Should the web page be taken down; of course. But should it be illegal not really maybe a misamenor just to teach a lesson.
Untill a few years ago a story like any of the things that have happened would have been a local issue. Now because the media needs stories this is a national issue. Girls have been catty to one another forever and boy are more physical but that does not mean that the courts need to be envolved.

"YOUR "RIGHTS" END WHERE MINE BEGIN"

Point blank- The girl should be brought up on charges of libel, since the girl she was attacking was named.

But I don't feel we should compromise free speech- I promise that you will be able to find something that offends you on the internet. It's open access. And none of it is necessary. But the public has a forum, pretty and polite or not, and every individual may elect at their own descretion what they read.

The government took away radio as a medium of public communication, and I would hate to see the same thing happen to the internet.

Personally, I have no animosity towards anyone, but I want the opportunity to express that animosity- at the price of someone expressing the same thing about me.

Restricting the ability of someone to make such a site is essentially restricting the ability to have an opinion. False information, advocation of violence, and threats are one thing, but don't tell me what to think.

The intent behind our first amendment rights was to protect those who spoke out against the government - they could do so without the risk of jail. It was not designed to protect bullies or those who might yell "fire" in a crowded mall just for fun. Rights only exist as long as you're responsible - if not these quickly turn into privileges and privileges can be taken away. You may not get arrested for calling the neighbor’s wife a wh**e but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a consequence. How many employees have been terminated because of disparaging remarks on Facebook? These people aren’t being arrested but there’s nothing that says in a state whose law is based on “employment at will” that the person can’t be terminated. Also, there is such a thing as defamation of character – not a criminal charge but a civil one that if proven can cost money. There’s no such thing as free speech without consequence if you’re saying something stupid.