The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life • Hacker News Board

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#121

Post by adwf » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:06 PM UTC

andrelaszlo wrote: post #81

cinskiy wrote: post #15

Well nobody today thinks twice about posting something on the internet, especially youth, and while they should, it's still OK, because it's the way social messaging and posting works, and everybody else should be more or less OK with that too. 10 years for trolling is way over the top, just fine him already and let him go.

Just rape him already and let him go.

Quite. I'm always shocked that people make jokes about this in American TV shows and movies. As if raping men on top of their prison sentence is somehow "justice" that they deserve. It's horrific.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#122

Post by DanBC » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:10 PM UTC

spacemanmatt wrote: post #51

DanBC wrote: post #37

For the people who think that this kind of direct threat needs a punishment: what would be suitable?

First of all, 'people' do not get to decide whether this is a direct threat that needs punishment. Judges of laws make that call. We have rules for a reason. The police broke them and this accused kid is suffering for it. There is no justification for putting him in jail just because someone thought they might feel threatened. There were multiple breakdowns in the legal system that should have protected him from ille…

I'm ignoring all the pre-conviction stuff. It's boring because it is blindingly obvious that people should have access to a humane legal system.

The more interesting discussion, to me, is "assume 'Bob' makes a clear and direct threat of violence against a school, and is found guilty in a fair trial. Should 'Bob' receive punishment, and if so what?"

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#123

Post by jheriko » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:11 PM UTC

is there any evidence in this case which should be admissable in a court of law? i might eb exaggerating - i mean i think they got the right guy, but i see nothing here which is a good enough quality of 'evidence' for legal purposes, and i am not even a lawyer...

day to day knowledge of law suffices to throw this out. :/

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#124

Post by dTal » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:31 PM UTC

girvo wrote: post #94

Every single person who is complicit in the mental and physical (he was raped in prison, people -- and the fact that some believe that prison rape is part of the punishment need their effing head checked) trauma should be fired. Disgusting. The fact that they don't even have the context of what was said, and yet they're still trying to hit him with a felony is beyond ludicrous. I'm honestly awestruck that a prosecuto…

And yet, if no one with ethics had the stomach for law, how could we expect an ethical justice system? It's same problem as with politics.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#125

Post by chilldream » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:31 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #104

spacehome wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was hoping to live in some of these places in the future. Would you mind clarifying why the states on this list are especially bad rather than others?

It's a part of the US called "The South". Which has it's own cultural identity...

I'm 31 and my adult life has been about a 50/50 split between OK and WA. They're not as different as you might think.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#126

Post by mosselman » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:31 PM UTC

Fasebook wrote: post #30

nopassrecover wrote: post #26

> Until that point, his only brush with the law was a temporary restraining order two years earlier. > "He started threatening me, saying that he would kill me. ... I told the school officers, [and] they started watching him really closely. He would say that he would shoot up the school." So I'll start by playing Devil's Advocate very briefly. It's interesting how facts can be shaped with different language ("his onl…

Because I'm scared.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

I find the actions taken here infinitely more scary than facebook comment bullshit.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#127

Post by Larrikin » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:32 PM UTC

zacinbusiness wrote: post #13

billyjobob wrote: post #9

Wow, I didn't realise US police were that bad. After reading this I don't think I could ever feel safe enough to visit the US. Sounds like you'd have a better chance of getting justice in an African dictatorship where at least the dont-rape-me bribe would be affordable. Tourists really should be warned about this, because it's not the image the US tourist boards present to us at all.

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia - fear these places.

I take offense to Virginia being in that list

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#128

Post by Larrikin » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:32 PM UTC

zacinbusiness wrote: post #13

billyjobob wrote: post #9

Wow, I didn't realise US police were that bad. After reading this I don't think I could ever feel safe enough to visit the US. Sounds like you'd have a better chance of getting justice in an African dictatorship where at least the dont-rape-me bribe would be affordable. Tourists really should be warned about this, because it's not the image the US tourist boards present to us at all.

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia - fear these places.

I take offense to Virginia being in that list

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#129

Post by plcancel » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:33 PM UTC

spacehome wrote: post #61

zacinbusiness wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia - fear these places.

I was hoping to live in some of these places in the future. Would you mind clarifying why the states on this list are especially bad rather than others?

As someone who grew up in the South, I would humbly submit that you have nothing more to fear visiting the aforementioned states than any of the other 38. There are many beautiful places to visit and friendly people to meet.

Re: The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life

#130

Post by chilldream » Thu, Feb 13, 2014, 1:34 PM UTC

bromagosa wrote: post #79

«Flanary believes it's paramount that if someone is criminally charged on the basis of his words, a jury needs to see all the words.» Wait, but shouldn't the case be that noone can be charged on the basis of his words?

Actual threats, stalking, and intimidation do exist. The problem here isn't that threats don't happen, it's that anyone with half a brain can see that this conversation wasn't a serious threat.