Another WWII Vet killed by Teens (1 Viewer)

[BLReed]

"Four teenagers are being charged with capital murder in the fatal mugging of 87-year-old Lawrence E. 'Shine' Thornton of Greenville, Mississippi. -
According to Greenville police, Thornton was killed after being accosted in his own driveway on Oct. 18. He was pushed down and his wallet stolen...... A veteran who served on a minesweeper in the Pacific theater during World War II......."

http://www.cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/eric-scheiner/4-teens-charged-death-wwii-veteran-hot-tamale-king

 

[Rob]

If they are found guilty of this crime don't execute them, its too quick. Let them rot in prison for the rest of their lives.

Rob

 

[lancer]

Four more scumbags whose obits should include the phrase "Shot at Dawn". -- Al

 

[Jack]

It all begins in the home. People who do these kinds of things are rarely born to it. They are made.

 

[TomNT]

It all begins in the home. People who do these kinds of things are rarely born to it. They are made.

Very true and the violence and content on the internet, certain video games, TV and movies has a lot to do with the behaviour of young people nowadays.

Tom

 

[theBaron]

It all begins in the home. People who do these kinds of things are rarely born to it. They are made.

Very true and the violence and content on the internet, certain video games, TV and movies has a lot to do with the behaviour of young people nowadays.

Tom

I agree with Jack, but I don't agree with you so much, Tom. It's the parents' responsibility, ultimately, to raise their kids to be normal, law-abiding citizens. I concede that there is a lot of disturbing content out there, that is inappropriate for kids, but ultimately, it's the parents who are responsible for what their kids see, read and hear.

When I see these stories, my first question is, "Where are the parents?"

Prost!
Brad

 

[jazzeum]

My first comment on this is that, yes, it's terrible that a Vet was killed but let's not forget that there are a lot of people in the US and the World, ordinary people who may not be that much different than you or I, who are subject to violence. Not many talk about them.

Secondly, as a parent of a troubled young adult, it's easy to point fingers but there are no easy answers.

Brad

 

[theBaron]

Secondly, as a parent of a troubled young adult, it's easy to point fingers but there are no easy answers.

I sympathize with your situation, but it doesn't make my point any less valid. You're engaged in your child's upbringing, at least, but I suspect that we will find many cases in which the parents are failed adults, really just big children, in their own right.

 

[jazzeum]

Thanks for your sympathy but there are all kinds of situations and sometimes, no matter how hard the parents may try, kids don't work out the way we thought they would.

Yes, I'm sure there are some parents who are not responsible and that as a result the kids did not turn out very well but I'm sure there are some kids who did turn out well, despite the parents. It's very hard to generalize.

 

[Rob]

I'm not a parent so I don't know the pressures of raising a child but I can guess at how tough it can be. And it's not just in a criminal context either. Just the other day on the eve of a big (by UK standards) storm a 14 year old boy was swept out to his death at sea after surfing on his board in really bad conditions. Everyone was jumping up and down screaming for the parents to be blamed but how can parents be with their kids (especially teenagers) 24/7?? I grew up in a stable loving family environment and was taught right from wrong and respect for others. Despite this I still started drinking with my mates as a youth, got into a bit of trouble (nothing heavy:wink2 now and again as all kids do.

Sometimes the kids in question just make the wrong decision, this time it was a massive one which they will pay for for the rest of their lives.

Rob

 

[TomNT]

I agree with Jack, but I don't agree with you so much, Tom. It's the parents' responsibility, ultimately, to raise their kids to be normal, law-abiding citizens. I concede that there is a lot of disturbing content out there, that is inappropriate for kids, but ultimately, it's the parents who are responsible for what their kids see, read and hear.

When I see these stories, my first question is, "Where are the parents?"

Prost!
Brad

Fair enough Brad but I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one as yes, it is the responsibility of the parents to monitor what thier kids watch but in many families this is not possible all the time as the parents could be working long hours/two jobs ect to make ends meet and they cannot be watching thier kids or what they are watching all the time. The frequency of this violence did not happen in years past before the invent of the internet/video games ect and I think the content we are seeing on the internet in particular is disturbing to say the least.

Tom

 

[theBaron]

Fair enough Brad but I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one as yes, it is the responsibility of the parents to monitor what thier kids watch but in many families this is not possible all the time as the parents could be working long hours/two jobs ect to make ends meet and they cannot be watching thier kids or what they are watching all the time. The frequency of this violence did not happen in years past before the invent of the internet/video games ect and I think the content we are seeing on the internet in particular is disturbing to say the least.

Tom

Tom, in the 80s, youth crime was blamed on heavy metal music, in the 50s and 60s, it was comic books and monster movies. In the 20s, it was alcohol, reefer, and talkies. In the 1880s and 1890s, it was billiards. There's always some external influence, and yes, it is difficult for the parents, but that doesn't absolve them of their responsibility. We still haven't reached a point where the State has replaced the family entirely as the primary vehicle for raising the next generation, so I still ask in cases like this, what of the parents?

And Brad, generalizations are certainly valid. How else can we look at the world and understand it, if we don't look around and recognize patterns? We also concede that there are exceptions, of course, but that doesn't make a generalization invalid.

 

[Go for Broke]

I feel that the only way you can teach your kids about morals and character (honesty, work ethic, compassion, empathy, love, etc) is by example, by living in that manner. Each child will take their own path while growing/learning and may go on a good or bad path. Hopefully, if they go on a bad path they will eventually go back on the good path through your example of proper living. The sad part about our society is that things come too easy and life is too good. Its hard to learn any lessons when life is too good.

 

[TomNT]

Tom, in the 80s, youth crime was blamed on heavy metal music, in the 50s and 60s, it was comic books and monster movies. In the 20s, it was alcohol, reefer, and talkies. In the 1880s and 1890s, it was billiards. There's always some external influence, and yes, it is difficult for the parents, but that doesn't absolve them of their responsibility. We still haven't reached a point where the State has replaced the family entirely as the primary vehicle for raising the next generation, so I still ask in cases like this, what of the parents?

And Brad, generalizations are certainly valid. How else can we look at the world and understand it, if we don't look around and recognize patterns? We also concede that there are exceptions, of course, but that doesn't make a generalization invalid.

I still will say that we never used to see the frequency of crimes (shootings at schools for example) than what we used to see in years past or before the invent of the internet or the availability of violent video games or before movies becoming more graphic. Some crimes mirror certain violent movies or it's reported that the suspects or suspect was playing violent video games and or frequently watched violence and graphic material on the internet. Sure, in years past we had other mediums for people to get exposed to violent material but there was no where near as much material (or the way it was presented) than what is available today. I do agree though that it does start at home, but this is only one part of many reasons why these crimes are being committed world wide. You can also say that the justice system is failing society as criminals are given soft sentences or when they are put away in prison, they serve easy time in there. I know this as I used to work in a prison. This means criminals are not deterred or afraid of the justice system. Like I said, it's never one thing that causes a person to fall off the rails, but many factors and I think the amount of violence that is out there in the social media is a real concern.

Tom

 

[Scott]

I still will say that we never used to see the frequency of crimes (shootings at schools for example) than what we used to see in years past or before the invent of the internet or the availability of violent video games or before movies becoming more graphic. Some crimes mirror certain violent movies or it's reported that the suspects or suspect was playing violent video games and or frequently watched violence and graphic material on the internet. Sure, in years past we had other mediums for people to get exposed to violent material but there was no where near as much material (or the way it was presented) than what is available today. I do agree though that it does start at home, but this is only one part of many reasons why these crimes are being committed world wide. You can also say that the justice system is failing society as criminals are given soft sentences or when they are put away in prison, they serve easy time in there. I know this as I used to work in a prison. This means criminals are not deterred or afraid of the justice system. Like I said, it's never one thing that causes a person to fall off the rails, but many factors and I think the amount of violence that is out there in the social media is a real concern.

Tom

Tom this horrible crime was a local story, not usually covered nationally. The way the WW II veteran was killed, and by whom, was made a national story that was repeated on a lot of unsavory news sites. These sites usually whine that "you won't read this on main stream news". Actually I did eventually on a local news outlet.

One issue of crime in the US is that there are people who are so far from any hope of success in our culture that they turn to this kind of crime. Even if one understands this and proposes more jobs, education, and opportunities for all Americans, I for one still wants them deterred, or caught, and punished when they turn to crime.

 

[bradleyl30]

I agree with Jack, but I don't agree with you so much, Tom. It's the parents' responsibility, ultimately, to raise their kids to be normal, law-abiding citizens. I concede that there is a lot of disturbing content out there, that is inappropriate for kids, but ultimately, it's the parents who are responsible for what their kids see, read and hear.

When I see these stories, my first question is, "Where are the parents?"

Answer = Taking care of themselves instead of taking care of the kids. We are becoming so selfish and self-absorbed that we don't know the real purpose of life anymore.

 

[bradleyl30]

My first comment on this is that, yes, it's terrible that a Vet was killed but let's not forget that there are a lot of people in the US and the World, ordinary people who may not be that much different than you or I, who are subject to violence. Not many talk about them.

Secondly, as a parent of a troubled young adult, it's easy to point fingers but there are no easy answers.

Brad

I was a troubled young adult and was on a path of escalating violence and intolerance, but having parents who were very engaged meant that early in process I started getting wake up calls.

In fact, my father ended up calling the police on me and having me arrested (without paperwork.) He worked with the police to come up with a plan to make amends which included going to every person of the 39 houses I had vandalized to tell them what I did, why I did it and write the check and hand it to them in person.

The scene is like this:
My father (former officer in the airborne with Ranger tab) requests my presence in the den. He sits me down and says in an eerily calm voice, "You know you have disgraced our family name, that nothing you have ever been taught excuses what you have done." Insert some of my teenage BS here... "I fought two tours in Vietnam against people like you. People who wanted to keep others from choosing how they could live and force them to live by their own rules and beliefs." Picture hulking, high school middle linebacker deflate to the size of a mouse.

He then itemized the disciplinary actions (most of which would occur before, in between and after summer two and three a day American football practices) in detail. This was not a short list and at the end I was terrified until he said the most important thing.

"But you will not have to do this alone. I will be there every step of the way." And he was. We went before he went to work, on his lunch break and every night. All $8000 I had saved to buy a car went to pay back the damage I did. Another $6000 of his which I eventually paid back. Most of the people were actually really cool and laughed about us being silly teenagers. There were a couple of powerful experiences that I won't go into here.

When we got to the last house, we encountered the only true hostility. The older gentleman had been targeted before by vandals and was incensed. When I got out of the car he was raking freshly cut grass. He raised the rake and was about to strike me with it when I father stepped between us, held up his hand and commanded, "STOP! My son knows what he did is wrong and he is here to make amends for it. You can listen to him and accept the money, or we are leaving. He is a good young man who just got confused."

The older gentleman set his rake down and listened to me admit my wrong, and silently accepted my check. Without a word he turned and went inside.

As I walked back to the car, I knew something fundamental had changed inside of me. I was different. When I tell this story, people who know me can hardly believe that the man they know today could do some of the things I did for about 4 dark years in my youth. My father and I are extremely close these days. A friend commented that he has never seen a father and son who treat each other as equals the way we do. That always puzzles me because it seems hard to think of your hero as your equal.