NEWS: School Bus Driver Shot to Death in Tennessee; Student in Custody

Hard on the heels of the Supreme Court's ruling that juveniles who commit murder and other capital crimes cannot be put to death, a fourteen-year-old boy shoots his school bus driver to death for having put him off the bus for using a tobacco product. A neighbor called him a "good kid." The victim had been a school bus driver for two years.



There is no question in my mind that kids today are a different breed from the kids I grew up with. The level of violence committed by young teenagers has been escalating for at least a couple of decades now. I think that anyone who commits the crimes of murder and rape should definitely be put to death regardless of their age. It's time we started playing hardball with hard crime. Too bad the Supreme Court does not agree.

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NEWS: US Supreme Court Ends Execution of Juvenile Murderers

[edit on 05/3/2 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott.
It's time we started playing hardball with hard crime. Too bad the Supreme Court does not agree.

I agree 100%. These senseless killings need to stop. I would also put the blame on the person who sold or gave the gun to the 14 year old, but not stolen from.

There is no question in my mind that kids today are a different breed from the kids I grew up with. The level of violence committed by young teenagers has been escalating for at least a couple of decades now. I think that anyone who commits the crimes of murder and rape should definitely be put to death regardless of their age. It's time we started playing hardball with hard crime. Too bad the Supreme Court does not agree.

Its not that kids have changed, they've always been the same. It is that the emotional needs of kids are neglected because money is now more important than family. It is not the child, but the family that is at fault. It is the family, government, and society in general. Life is harsh for teens today, it isn't the 50's all that you can be family anymore.
Blame should not always be placed on the child. This kid was fourteen and I'm guessing neglected, abused, or all the above. He probably lacks coping strategies to deal with his problems.

Remember two fundamental laws:
1. A fourteen year old is still a child.
2. Hate breeds hate

So, he is a child and has probably grown up in a hateful enviroment.

Originally posted by National Security Agency
Its not that kids have changed, they've always been the same. It is that the emotional needs of kids are neglected because money is now more important than family.

If kids didn't demand CD players, DVD players, MP3 players, PC's, video games, high- fashions, etc... maybe the parents could concentrate on on giving the essentials to the family, like shelter, food and transportation.

Then there would be time to spend with the kids.

But that should never be an excuse for MURDER!

Originally posted by National Security Agency

Blame should not always be placed on the child. This kid was fourteen and I'm guessing neglected, abused, or all the above. He probably lacks coping strategies to deal with his problems.

I agree. Something is terribly wrong here. But holding 14 year-olds acountable because we've screwed up our world is not the way to fix it. And putting fourteen year-olds to death is not going to stop the next one from flipping out and losing it.

We need to get to the real root of the problem, and fix that.



.

Good lord, I agree that the destruction of the family is the reason for the decline in our society. But...

You can't infer all of that from this story. I mean it even says this in the one link: "He was a good kid," Kern said. "He listened to his parents; they loved him to death."

It's this "it can't be the kids fault, don't punish him" mentality that makes them believe an act like this is not only justfiable, it's the right course of action.

Not only that but he shot a woman.

But... Little Johnny should not have to pay for his crimes as an adult...

Remember...A 14 year old with a gun, a grudge, and blood in his eye is just an innocent, misguided youth. BTW... Wasn't Billy the Kid just a youngster when he began his career?

Originally posted by PistolPete
Good lord, I agree that the destruction of the family is the reason for the decline in our society. But...

You can't infer all of that from this story. I mean it even says this in the one link: "He was a good kid," Kern said. "He listened to his parents; they loved him to death."

It's this "it can't be the kids fault, don't punish him" mentality that makes them believe an act like this is not only justfiable, it's the right course of action.

Not only that but he shot a woman.

Ofcourse he will and deserves punishment but so do those who were responsible for him. First of all I read that she had repramanded him for a tobacco product. Secondly, the gun probably was owned by his parents. This kid can buy tobacco and has access to a loaded gun, and on top of that has some obvious emotional problems. A neighbor can say, "billy was a good kid, I just can't believe this." Honestly though, does your neighbors really know you?

AND MORE ON THE ISSUE OF EXAGERATION FROM MANY MEMBERS, I NEVER SAID HE HAS AN EXCUSE OR SAID DON'T PUNISH HIM. PLEASE QUIT EXAGGERATING. No harm done from exageration, but just wanted to point that out.

Originally posted by sigung86
But... Little Johnny should not have to pay for his crimes as an adult...

Remember...A 14 year old with a gun, a grudge, and blood in his eye is just an innocent, misguided youth. BTW... Wasn't Billy the Kid just a youngster when he began his career?

Billy the Kid had an understandable cause and in history his means of dealing with that problem are justified. The government was taking his parents land because the government was ran by railroad companies and were claiming imminent domain.

OMG the bus driver? That is freaking stupid! Another way Tobacco kills I guess. He should have wasted the bullet on the school principal or something

Originally posted by Intelearthling

But that should never be an excuse for MURDER!

An example of the exageration happening. If you read all of my post you'd understand that I was attempting to explain the ecletic variations of the problem of children killing people. I never said it was an execuse for his actions. His actions are developed from a broader problem and he has no excuse, but he is a child and children are easily influenced by millions of action/result conflicts leading up to the problem we have now. I was responding to the idea the children of today are the sole problem and that it somehow is 'only' the children who are different when in reality it is the evolution of society has brought this on.




When I said, "It is not the child, but the family that is at fault." My critisism for that is justified because I didn't clarify my point. The family is at fault for the child's action but the one that should be held accountable is the child. Although it is my belief that since he is still a child he is able to be rehabilited,

Originally posted by National Security Agency
The family is at fault for the child's action but the one that should be held accountable is the child.

That's a cogent insight. Let's convict and execute the death penalty against the whole family.

Tragic....what's worse is that it will not stop because these kids know they will get a slap on the hand.....when they get older they can commit even worse crimes.......

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Originally posted by National Security Agency
The family is at fault for the child's action but the one that should be held accountable is the child.

That's a cogent insight. Let's convict and execute the death penalty against the whole family.

Nevermind, I think I will quit typing on this thread. Yes I am trying to reason it in a way, it's a complicated issue. He is a child but has access to a loaded weapon, purchases cigarettes, and kills a woman. Not only should the child be held accountable but to some extent the parents should also. The parents have neglected this child somewhere along the way, wouldn't you say? Do your children smoke and have access to a loaded weapon?


ECK!!! I meant to say, "The family is at fault for the child's action but the one that is held accountable is the child. "

Sorry, but I made a boo-boo.

[edit on 2-3-2005 by National Security Agency]

I am a bus driver so this story is very close to me. I drive kids that are middle and high school students. I also was a very rebellious teenager. I did survive it but I have told my parents who lamented at my behavior and wondered where they went wrong that they had nothing to do with what I did. I wanted to be my own person and the more they tried to get me to make good desicions I wanted to do do the opposite. I think we have to be careful with who we blame here. I have 5 children of my own. They are all different and some make better decisions than others. The only difference is their own personalities. As for this teenager. You can't convince me that he made a decision without knowing he could get in trouble. If you take away his ownership of this what has he learned? His parents didn't pull that trigger he did. This hit me really hard as I pulled up to each of my 20 or so stops yesterday wondering what student I have that could do this to me. I turned a student in for cigarettes last year. When he didn't come to school that day I didn't return home without letting my supervisor know I was concerned about mine and my families safety because he was an unstable student and I didn't know how he would react. She let me know to radio for police if I noticed anything unusual. He did come from a very bad environment but it still ultimately would have been his choice had he reacted in a bad way.

OMG the bus driver? That is freaking stupid! Another way Tobacco kills I guess. He should have wasted the bullet on the school principal or something

Are you kidding me? What was your point exactly other than to demoralize not only the victim but the entire issue.
Accountability is the issue. I completely agree with busdrivers point. That kid knew exactly was he was going to do and the end result of pulling that trigger. Someone lost their life over tobacco and a pissed off teenager being told NO God forbid we tell kids no these days.
Actions result in ramifications. In this case that boy took a person's life thereby altering an entire family's world.
Doesn't killing a person mean anything to people these days. This woman had a family people she loved and loved her. She had goals and dreams for her kids etc...ALL ended because of a pissed off kid.
Throw the book at him. If he has issues with that he can be directed in the juevy system to get help for that.