Seems to me a dangerous to thing to make it crime to be rude or bum somebody out.

Think about it. Do you want the government to have the power to punish someone for saying to another, “The world would be a better place without you”?

I don’t disagree that there is indeed a punitive approach to justice in this country that I don’t agree with.

However this case is not a shining example. In fact it’s not an example at ALL.

You haven’t thought this through. Clearly.

This was not about someone “saying something nasty” to someone else on the internet. I suggest you acquaint yourself with the actual laws on STALKING, which do indeed include communicae by telephone, email, or any other online activity. If you disagree with that then you might as well come out and say clearly that you don’t believe it’s possible to stalk someone online.

En passant: when we think of stalking, in any form, we usually think of a male stalking a female. But there is a staggering amount of female on female stalking that is hardly ever addressed, much less acknowledged. (It usually involves pathological jealousy.)

You also said: “Where was Megan’s mother when her daughter was on the internet?”

Which reveals clearly that you haven’t actually bothered to acquaint yourself with the facts of this case. Megan’s mother tried to PREVENT Megan’s online activities, or at least, she tried to take the recommended measures to protect Megan; measures that everyone since at least the 90s have again and again recommended. Any parent knows how hard it is to watch their children 100% of the time, ALL the time. Seems you’d rather blame the victims here. Can’t stop you from doing that, but I find it disgusting and *severely* uninformed.

“Why was she even allowed by her mother to go to My Space?”

You’re being ridiculous. If I’m a drunk who passes out in an alley and someone comes along and steals my wallet, yes I have probably taken a stupid risk, but does that make the thief who stole my wallet any less of a thief?

“Megan is responsible for her death.”

Megan was a child. How you can say this is beyond my comprehension; it may not be beyond your comprehension because I’m not convinced you have comprehension.

“When are people going to start taking responsibility for their own actions?”

Good question. It fits better when applied to Lori Drew, the adult, who despite knowing Megan’s fragile state, forged ahead with infantile glee. Again: if Lori was not a Lori, but a Larry instead, it would be quite different.

And please don’t assume I’m a male because of that statement. I’m a female.

“Reminds me of the lady who sued McDonalds because she burned herself with hot coffee that she put between her legs.”

You’re unsane. What it reminds ME of is Charles Manson.

“Wake up America.”

Said the sleeping American.

“We are responsible for what we do. Stop blaming others!!”

By your own decree, Charles Manson should be let out of prison. He never killed those folks. He wasn’t even THERE when it happened. So if you think Lori Drew should get a magical (female) pass… then, providing you are consistent, Manson qualifies for the pass as well.

I’m not blaming “others”. I’m blaming those who are responsible: Lori Drew.

If you know anything about law, there are laws concerning “incitement”. People have been jailed for “inciting” murders (Manson comes to mind, but there are others, such as that white power guy who was jailed because his racist literature “incited” readers to murder someone.)

Unless you can give me a reason why Lori Drew should be the exception, then you will remain as unconvincing to me as you are to others who have any amount of cranial activity occurring in their skulls.

Your “argument”—if it can be called that—is not only goofy, but it’s reactionary and uninformed.

One such other case….The case of Nikki Catsouras, is a classic example of disgusting, hateful activity against innocent victims, while our lawmakers excuse themselves from enacting laws to prevent this.

The excuse lawmakers use to let themselves off the hook stem from the growth of the Internet and how fast it’s changing. This is a sham.

Chat rooms, message boards, instant messengers and email have been in existence for far over a decade now. While the software used to transmit messages changes slightly, the basic essence of using the Internet to send a message is largely the same. Is a decade or two long enough to establish some basic decency laws in regards to Internet usage?

I’ve posted the Nikki Catsouras story along with many details about the Megan Meier case so the inactivity out of our lawmakers towards these types of cases can be clearly seen.

Those who are interested in learning about cases like Megan’s and Nikki’s case are encouraged to drop by and comment on them if you like. I have a couple of polls set up as well. Danny Vice would like to hear your point of view.

Public awareness of the problem and discussions about possible solutions are the best way to pressure elected officials into action instead of excuse making.

I invite you to come by and share your opinion.

Danny Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com

There is no doubt that the mother Drew is a scumbag that is skirting the laws of society and is full bore in the throws of a moralistic hell.

However, the Meiers are no better. They allowed this to go on without doing anything about it. With all the predators in this society, with all the signs that their daughter was mentally unstable, with all the coverage on standard TV about predators, how could these people possibly allow their daughter to converse with some anonymous person on the internet.

And Chlamydia I agree, had the impersonator been the father instead of the mother, would this still be dragging on? I highly doubt it and it is truly disturbing to me that it is. I hope justice prevails – and while I share some of the community’s outrage – I do not mean vigilante justice.

At any rate: if she’s not a psychopath then neither is Charles Manson.

But more disturbing than that are the actions of authorities: If it had been an adult MALE that “carried on” in a sexually explicit way with a 13 year old girl, even if it WERE for the purposes of revenge for his teen daughter, he’d be locked up as a pedophile.

Second, there are al-READY laws on the books that cover this type of harassment. For chrissake: just implement them!

What is particularly chilling to me, is that Lori Drew knew that the victim was known to be suicidal in the past. That means that her statement to her that the “world would be better off without you” or whatever it was… is even MORE chilling: it means she was TRYING to steer this girl to suicide. It means she had a desire to push it in that direction, and did so.

Reminds me of Charles Manson. He never “technically” put his own hands upon his victims either, but he “made it happen” by manipulating people, I mean that’s the premise upon which he was convicted: that he had INCITED it.

Same thing here. Lori Drew incited this suicide and should be just as responsible as Manson was when he incited those murders—and she should also be treated just like any other adult who engages in online relationships of a sexual nature with under-aged children.

For a different point of view, simply go here: http://www.michaelcrook.org/blog/category/megan-meier/.

Michael Crook
http://www.michaelcrook.org/blog/category/megan-meier/
Mays Landing, NJ