SuperSatellite ||

I don’t normally catch much news in the morning. Mostly, this is because I just never get around to turning the TV on. Today, I happened to catch it when Michaele went into the living room to watch. Then it reminded me why I like avoiding the news. It was The Early Show on CBS that was on this morning, and rather than starting the day with something nice and uplifting, they started it with this story from Florida.

There is nothing redeeming about that situation. It’s a terrible way to start the day, because it leaves you feeling like crap. I don’t care what, if anything, the victim girl said to or about these people; it didn’t deserve that. It’s sad and disgusting, and it just pisses me off. Especially when they had the mother of one of the attackers on, and she sounded like an ignorant…word I won’t use here. In so many words, she said it was the victim’s fault, like her precious little angel hadn’t done anything wrong. How unfit a parent must you be to do anything that would even remotely resemble supporting your child after something like this? Take responsibility. And never, ever, have another child, because you’re clearly too irresponsible a parent to raise them properly.

Let’s be clear, there are so many things wrong with this, on so many levels, that I’m not even sure I could cover it all in one blog. Luckily, I probably don’t have to, because I suspect that you’re with me when I say that stupid is an increasingly dangerous disease in this country. I take back what I said earlier, there is one redeeming fact: at least the children/criminals dumb enough to do this kind of stuff are also dumb enough to video tape it for YouTube. That should help a little bit, at least on the justice side. But what of the fact that they think exhibition of these acts not only okay, but something to strive for? What does that say about what they are being taught by society? And not just in this case. Follow along on Fark.com some time, and watch how often criminals are caught because of video, and how often they even put said video on places like MySpace and YouTube. It is a scary trend.

“When we had them in custody at the station, they were laughing about it, saying, ‘Well, I guess this spring break we won’t go to the beach,” Judd told The Early Show. “One of the suspects asked the detective, ‘Am I going to get to go to cheerleading practice tomorrow?”

“They showed absolutely no remorse at all,” Judd said.

Everyone in that room had the responsibility to stop what was taking place, without exception. Everyone there should have known better. Everyone there was also failed by both their parents and their community, by not giving them the tools needed to make the right choices.

How wrong do things need to get before people start owning up? Not just the kids. I actually only blame them for the actions that took place at that moment. There is a whole history of stupid that occurred prior to this that created them and their attitudes. Where are the parents? Where is the responsibility, the respect, that you are supposed to be instilling in your child? Did they just give up? Do they not care? I can’t express how deeply sad this makes me for them. The kids in this case must be punished, it is only right, but I still feel very bad that they weren’t given the environment and caring that they needed to be healthy people. Now their lives are started down a path that could turn into a quick downward spiral. I think I’m starting to learn this Buddhist thing more and more though. I am angry, yes, but I am sad and compassionate first. I feel bad that they don’t understand just how wrong it was, and why they shouldn’t attack people, like that or otherwise. I am sad that they are going to miss out on so many of the good things in life, because their support networks failed them. Ultimately, we have the power to make right choices in any circumstance, hopefully they can learn that.