Police: Students Hang Noose At School

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

The South: America's armpit.

No that's Utah. Dixie is more like a gangrenous leg.

True enough.

Indeed. We should give them(both Utah and the south) independence. It'd save us money on welfare payments plus pork and federal funds forthem.

[Gabu]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

[Friz]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

Well-said.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

Well-said.

[jimrtex]

It was almost certainly meant as a direct threat, as in "We'll lynch you".

It was almost certainly meant as a "let's push some buttons" of adults.

[Smash255]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

Well-said.

^^^^^

[Gabu]

It was almost certainly meant as a direct threat, as in "We'll lynch you".

It was almost certainly meant as a "let's push some buttons" of adults.

Perhaps it did, or perhaps it did actually indicate an earnest desire to at least inflict physical harm on black students.  If I were a black student at that school, I don't think it would be particularly unreasonable for me to feel at least a little afraid for my safety in the wake of this event.

[DownWithTheLeft]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

I would be willing to venture the guess that these kids were nothing more than copycats who did not even understand the ramificiatin of what they were doing, and you'd be hard-pressed to prove me wrong

[2952-0-0]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

I would be willing to venture the guess that these kids were nothing more than copycats who did not even understand the ramificiatin of what they were doing, and you'd be hard-pressed to prove me wrong

So if a few 15 year olds went on a plane in, say, October 2001 and yelled that I have a bomb, would they be just copycats who didn't know what they were doing? In that scenario, the kids would clearly know what their actions would imply. I won't believe they would be so ignorant as to not know what a noose means in historical context, and one simply has to be responsible for their actions when they age. Making jokes like hanging a noose at school or yelling you have a bomb on a plane isn't responsible, and must be punished.

[DownWithTheLeft]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

I would be willing to venture the guess that these kids were nothing more than copycats who did not even understand the ramificiatin of what they were doing, and you'd be hard-pressed to prove me wrong

So if a few 15 year olds went on a plane in, say, October 2001 and yelled that I have a bomb, would they be just copycats who didn't know what they were doing? In that scenario, the kids would clearly know what their actions would imply. I won't believe they would be so ignorant as to not know what a noose means in historical context, and one simply has to be responsible for their actions when they age. Making jokes like hanging a noose at school or yelling you have a bomb on a plane isn't responsible, and must be punished.

Yelling "I have a bomb" on an airplane represents a clear and present danger, very similar to you can't fire in a crowded theater.  I fail to see where these nooses present a clear and present danger.  It is the same as someone burning a flag and me feeling threatened as an American.

[Smash255]

What an invasion of free speech, hate speech is still free speech.  This is one of those instances when it hard to stand up for free speech but you must do it.

Yes, I agree, we must defend everyone's right to impede the education and the ability to feel safe at school of black people.  Clearly there is nothing more important.

It begs the question is when is free speech no longer free speech, but it not right to dismiss all hate speech as not protected.  If a specific threat was being made there is a difference, but hanging a noose does not represent a direct threat to an individual.

A direct threat against a group is better?

The threat is not direct at all, the noose is simply a symbol.  A direct threat is "Hey little black boy get over here I'm gonna kick your ass."

Yes, it's a symbol of the statement "I want to lynch ns".

I would be willing to venture the guess that these kids were nothing more than copycats who did not even understand the ramificiatin of what they were doing, and you'd be hard-pressed to prove me wrong

So if a few 15 year olds went on a plane in, say, October 2001 and yelled that I have a bomb, would they be just copycats who didn't know what they were doing? In that scenario, the kids would clearly know what their actions would imply. I won't believe they would be so ignorant as to not know what a noose means in historical context, and one simply has to be responsible for their actions when they age. Making jokes like hanging a noose at school or yelling you have a bomb on a plane isn't responsible, and must be punished.

Yelling "I have a bomb" on an airplane represents a clear and present danger, very similar to you can't fire in a crowded theater.  I fail to see where these nooses present a clear and present danger.  It is the same as someone burning a flag and me feeling threatened as an American.

burning a flag doesn't equate to killing people, a noose does.

[Gabu]

Yelling "I have a bomb" on an airplane represents a clear and present danger, very similar to you can't fire in a crowded theater.  I fail to see where these nooses present a clear and present danger.  It is the same as someone burning a flag and me feeling threatened as an American.

Yelling "I have a bomb" is a direct threat to all those around.  Given the history of the symbolism of hung nooses in the rural south, I think it's not terribly unreasonable say that that, too, could be considered a direct threat to a segment of the population around.  Conversely, there is no threat to any person implied in burning a flag.

I seriously, seriously doubt that these students did not understand the meaning behind hanging a noose in an area with many black people.  Their actions were far too directed and purposeful, in that a noose was the sole thing they hung, for any reasonable person to conclude that they just randomly decided to go hang a noose for kicks.

[jimrtex]

It was almost certainly meant as a direct threat, as in "We'll lynch you".

It was almost certainly meant as a "let's push some buttons" of adults.

Perhaps it did, or perhaps it did actually indicate an earnest desire to at least inflict physical harm on black students.  If I were a black student at that school, I don't think it would be particularly unreasonable for me to feel at least a little afraid for my safety in the wake of this event.

Are you're saying that there was no reason to feel afraid for your safety before, and now there is?  Or simply that you would now have more fear?  This could be similar to someone in California being afraid that their house would burn down, even though the risk of that happening is about the same this week as it was a year ago.  But that still doesn't mean that there was an intent to threaten anyone.

Why do you assume that it was directed at blacks, and not Hispanics, or Asians?  Or maybe smokers?  There was a referendum in Pearland to ban public smoking that day, which had been initiated by school children.  Maybe that area was where kids went to smoke, and there was a joke that people who smoked would be hanged?

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

It was almost certainly meant as a direct threat, as in "We'll lynch you".

It was almost certainly meant as a "let's push some buttons" of adults.

Perhaps it did, or perhaps it did actually indicate an earnest desire to at least inflict physical harm on black students.  If I were a black student at that school, I don't think it would be particularly unreasonable for me to feel at least a little afraid for my safety in the wake of this event.

Are you're saying that there was no reason to feel afraid for your safety before, and now there is?  Or simply that you would now have more fear?  This could be similar to someone in California being afraid that their house would burn down, even though the risk of that happening is about the same this week as it was a year ago.  But that still doesn't mean that there was an intent to threaten anyone.

Why do you assume that it was directed at blacks, and not Hispanics, or Asians?  Or maybe smokers?  There was a referendum in Pearland to ban public smoking that day, which had been initiated by school children.  Maybe that area was where kids went to smoke, and there was a joke that people who smoked would be hanged?

Look, just admit you want to hang black people and be done with it. All of us here in this discussion already know you want to do it so stop trying to hide it. Shame ICANN doesn't assign US IPS by state otherwise I'd nominate banning everyone from the former confederacy from even looking at Atlasia.