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 agnosto wrote:
What's even scarier are the countless real threats that go unpunished every day.

Recently in the news were some pastors who advocated the killing of homosexuals. Others who advocate killing abortion doctors, etc. but a loud-mouth kid goes to jail.

Dude, there's only so many canadian ladies out there, you can't ask them to do all the work, they also have to look after us.

 Kovnik Obama wrote:

 agnosto wrote:
What's even scarier are the countless real threats that go unpunished every day.

Recently in the news were some pastors who advocated the killing of homosexuals. Others who advocate killing abortion doctors, etc. but a loud-mouth kid goes to jail.

Dude, there's only so many canadian ladies out there, you can't ask them to do all the work, they also have to look after us.

You know in Canada they ration women...

Meh, make an example of him. Might make one or two of the other tools think twice. Probably doubt that, and it is an over reaction, but still its not as if this is the first case of this (or at least over the past few years in the UK people have been being served time for internet comments. Then again the UK is touchier about these things I suppose).

 Wyrmalla wrote:
Meh, make an example of him. Might make one or two of the other tools think twice. Probably doubt that, and it is an over reaction, but still its not as if this is the first case of this (or at least over the past few years in the UK people have been being served time for internet comments. Then again the UK is touchier about these things I suppose).

Reminds me of a joke: Why have you never met a rude Englishman? Because they're all in jail.

 daedalus wrote:

 Wyrmalla wrote:
Meh, make an example of him. Might make one or two of the other tools think twice. Probably doubt that, and it is an over reaction, but still its not as if this is the first case of this (or at least over the past few years in the UK people have been being served time for internet comments. Then again the UK is touchier about these things I suppose).

Reminds me of a joke: Why have you never met a rude Englishman? Because they're all in jail.

A remark like that... to the gaol with you!

From what I vaguely remember about the UK things.

Any jail terms were due to repeated / targeted trolling. As well as fully fledged harassment / net stalking.

There's been a couple of recent civil proceedings, (eg, getting sued) due to twitter comments. Most notably this case

If you're in the public eye in the UK and post anything on your twitter that can be deemed offensive there's sure to be a scandal over it. I think a couple of footballers have gone done over stupid comments lately on their social media pages, as did the head of the youth police force (or whatever bureaucratic name their calling themselves) lost her position over it. During the riots people were being given sentences for posting stuff like "wouldn't it be fun if we all rioted here, lol" too, so I guess its now got a clause in the law here. However, unless its relevant to whatever people are concerned about at the time I doubt that people are actually prosecuted for their stupid comments. Ie if there's riots then we apprehend people making comments about starting riots, if there's been a string of sexual assaults then they're be a new campaign to stop making such comments "socially acceptable" or whatever. ...That is until the next fad appears. =P

Kid said something dumb, and the cops were right to investigate it. HOWEVER: I'm pretty sure the part about eating still beating hearts is probably enough to prove it wasn't entirely serious. Kid should get some community service hours, but 8 years in jail? If he wasn't a psychopath before, he will be after 8 years in the big house for a moment of sarcasm.

I'd say even 3 months in jail before the trial is a little much to be honest.

Guild drama gone bad

Months of jail, and up to 8 years because of a bad joke ? "Land of the free" alright !

'Oh yeah, I'm real messed up in the head, I'm going to go shoot up a school full of kids and eat their still, beating hearts.’”

I'm going to say I might have made similar comments over a 22 year span of "Hooah" experience. Though I never said I was messed up in the head.

Doesn't some states or is it federal law? Not sure which. 48 hours observation for a mental health check or something to that effect? 19 year old kid probably went even more "nuts" by vocalizing how much the situation he is in all jacked up. Using lots and lots of colorful metaphors and acting tough? Granted the 19 year olds I deal with are more mature and see the "easy out" option I give them and take the physical punishment I deal out like a Hardcore Paratrooper he/she is.

 timetowaste85 wrote:
If he wasn't a psychopath before, he will be after 8 years in the big house for a moment of sarcasm.

It's just a show of force. You then get him to plea bargain down to a "reasonable" punishment, like a year in prison.

He then admits his guilt, reinforcing that there is "guilt" to be had, the news reflects that "justice" has been served, the people go on seeing the punishment for flippant comments, and he's still undesirable enough in the real world after a year of prison such that he will likely become desperate enough to survive to resort to other acts of crime, and then they can say, "Hey, we were right about that kid: Bad apple. We caught him again. If we had a harsher first-time offender punishment, maybe he would have learned his lesson."

Then off to the FEMA Reeducation Camps

Wow, what a waste of time and tax payer money.

It seems bad, but I have read worse than this on the internet (during games of WoW, world of tanks and the like)

JWhex wrote:
The people that need a damn filter are the ones that cannot tell some kid on the web is being a kid from someone that is a real threat.

Fething morons

Definitely agree with this..

US Government watching you...

So, all those times I did jokes about me being the pedo-bear (I have the nickname of panda in real life... Long-story) when talking to my friends and saying the usual jokes could get me to jail because I obviously am a sexual predator that's after children?

Wow, the world just went full "slow" (aah, dakkadakka filter ) when I wasn't looking.

Just on practical level this seems to be more trouble than it's worth. With this kind of thing showing up against his name this kid isn't ever going to get a job. No matter if through services for the poor, or future crimes this kid is now basically guaranteed to be putting pressure on the system for the next 60-odd years because of the decisions to peruse this so aggressively. I get you just can't ignore credible threats but unless we're missing a big piece of information here it really wasn't worth flushing a potentially productive member of society down the toilet permanently. Oh well. Guess I can just be glad i got my teen years done with before the the stupid things you say on the internet got this much scrutiny.

Building on Chongara's last point, I am actually very thankful the internet wasn't really that much of a thing when I was a teen. I shudder to think what kind of depraved, jaded monster I would be if I had access to the vast gamut of smut the internet has to offer during my formative years.

I don't see how it serves the public interest to prosecute this. It clearly wasn't serious, an investigation was fine. An investigation should be led by common sense to find that there was no real threat, and no attempt to make a hoax threat (like phoning in a hoax bomb scare). A simple warning to consider their words more wisely would have been sufficient. I'm sure many of us have said things that went taken out of context wouldn't be far off what this boy said. He did qualify it with a 'jk' and 'lol', what more can you do to show that you're not making a literal threat? It prosecutors are going to ignore any context in which your comments are made we could all be in trouble for saying the slightest I'll considered thing.

Before declaring that the lad deserves 3 months or more, have a look around this forum. There are people on another thread here suggesting vigilante action and use of guns against a bad neighbour. Not being serious? Well it's only as serious as the threat this boy made.

8 years.

I want you all to think back 8 years ago and see where you were and what you were doing. Then think about how long ago that was. That's how long this kid might be in PRISON for.

I've made a threat about a poptart blowing up a school (yes it was stupid but i was making an OBVIOUS joke to a friend) and got a slap on the wrist.

Now people have to fear what they say on the internet? Holy feth. It's one thing to find a website dedicated to planning an assassination or shooting and its another when your playing a fething video game which is filled with trolls who say gak like that all the time.

I'd bet none of you have been in prison before and the people I've talked to who have been there really iterate that its "No fairy tale land"



TLDR:
The kid deserves no punishment at all. Bottom fething line. Why? So people don't have to fear the government as much as they do right now.

I admit I missed the part about him being in jail for three months the first time, and that is really stupid. I can understand having to pick him up as part of investigating the incident, but three months in prison makes no sense. The only reason for that would be if there is more to the story, which considering the main perspective we are given here is the father's recounting of what his son said, which isn't exactly the word of Solomon. If there is more to it I imagine we'll find out, if not he should sue the city.

Lesson: don't say crap on the Internet that you wouldn't say to anybody with a cop standing right next to you.

Eight years ago...well....off the top of my head I was in Afghanistan....

 Jihadin wrote:
Eight years ago...well....off the top of my head I was in Afghanistan....

Go figure, I was in Kyrgyzstan.

I'm seeing this kid as a extremist now...... eh DJ

In the current climate where a kindergardner gets suspended because the way he eats his Pop Tart makes his teacher think it looks like a gun I'm not surprised. Saddened, but not surprised.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/11/pop-tart-gun-bill_n_2852472.html

 Ifepy wrote:
8 years.

Is the maximum sentencing. For threathening to commit multiple murders. Yes, everyone knows that his threats should not be put on the same level as the ones we receive from organizations with means and intent of accomplishing them. But that's how law works ; it finds a category under which is can fit your actions, and then judge them according to the legal standard of that category. Arguing against a legal action based on the maximum sentence the crime could get is nothing but demagoguery.

The kid deserves no punishment at all.

And you'd know that how, given that we were only provided with hearsay from the criminal's father?

Everybody wants tougher laws with more severe punishment.

People just don't want them to apply in situations that they could apply to themselves or people they care about.