Cops: School Ambush Plan Foiled

[rodbarnett]

AP) Two 15-year-old students in a suburban Sacramento school district have been arrested, averting what police say was a plan to open fire on a group of students during lunch on Wednesday.

The boys - a freshman and a sophomore - planned to steal guns from a local sporting goods store and set off explosives in Laguna Creek High School's cafeteria, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

The boys had not obtained any weapons or explosives at the time of their arrest, police said, but they had access to a rifle at one of their homes.

Police also found a hand-drawn map of the school cafeteria and hate drawings including swastikas, said sheriff's Sgt. Lou Fatur. "These kids were pretty angry at a lot of people," he said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/11/national/main599585.shtml

[jean]

1. is this behavior related to the recently discussed bored young

man syndrome? We had someone on MPR talking about hackers and how they are, for the most part, extraordinarily bored young guys who get into hacking for the thrill and to relieve their disgruntled-ness.

Do we have manifestations of bored young women? Or are they all watching Trading Spaces and Date Patrol?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. some other questions

How does bored young man syndrome play into terrorism in general? Does Columbine represent domestic terrorism? Is there a common theme here between jihadism and American teen boys killing classmates at school?

And in response to Jean's question about bored young women, probably, yes and no. I dont recall any situations where a girl, or team of girls, shot up a school. Typing it, it seems contradictory to the point of ridiculousness to imagine young women doing this. This is definitely a guy thing.

That being said, I can't help but think this kind of thing is not so much about "bored young men" as it is "invisible parent syndrome." Maybe the solution to terrorism in general is not better kids, but parents who take an active role in their children's upbringing, rather than resigning that task to religion or television.

[plurality]

3. glad to know you can now be arrested for drawings and 'plans'.

And before anyone gets on the whole preventing the next Columbine bent, I'm not saying these kids should be left alone to committ any crimes they may or may not end up committing, but lets not lose sight that these kids never actually DID anything.

These kids are being charged with thought crimes and that seems pretty damn scary to me.

Kids, or anyone for that manner, shouldn't be subject to arrest for making drawings and having a parent that owns a gun. There have to be better ways to deal with this.

[54anickel]

5. "Have to be better ways" - but what?

I understand your concern with being arrested for thought crimes, but what can be done? Parents don't seem to be paying much attention to what their kids are up to these days.

How do you explain or combat stuff like this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=358023

[plurality]

6. well this case and the one you linked to are very different

These kids made drawings and talked about doing something, they had no weapons so there is something quite different. If anything I would say the linked to story is a case for the cops, while the ones in this thread is a case for therapy.

Hell, me and my friends made 'plans' when we were in school and picked on, we even made drawings, and had parents with guns. Did we carry out those 'plans'? No. Would you have me and my friends arrested and imprisoned for our 'plans' that we never carried out?

Our plans, probably like the ones of the these were all full of testosterone and bravado about how we were going to get back at all the bastards that were picking on us, but in the end, like with most kids, we listened to common sense and left them as simply 'plans'. But I guarantee you, if we had been arrested, and imprisoned for these 'plans' the likelyhood of us carrying out similar plans would be much greater, since we'd now realize we were in for the same treatment whether we carried out our wrong thoughts or not.

[54anickel]

7. True, but I think it is cases like that one that lead officials to make

arrests such as this. From the article it says:

Authorities said they got a tip Sunday afternoon that a student "and possibly five or six of his friends" planned to ambush a group of students at the school.

The tip led to the Monday and Tuesday morning arrests of the two boys on suspicion of making terrorist threats, conspiracy and violation of civil rights. Both remained in custody Tuesday.

They did have a basis for charges. Hopefully the kids are out on bail already. I'll agree, it is harsh for just having drawings. But being charged and arrested might be just the intervention needed to get these kids and their parent whatever help might be needed. Sort of that "tough love" approach. I'd need to know what happened to them after the arrest to make a call.

[lucidmadman]

4. I heard a brain researcher on radio talk about...

...the actual brain damage done to developing 'toddler' aged children by TV. The gist of it was that parts of the brain become available for development after the period of infancy and require human interaction to develop. The ability to empathize is retarded if a child is set in front of a TV for extended periods during this crucial stage. She ( the researcher) said this phenomena of kids who don't seem to relate to the suffering of others is directly related to parents letting the TV babysit. Not the content on TV. The medium itself. Sorry for my vagueness. I was only halfway listening while working. I was just struck by the seeming correctness of this. That blank, bored look and requirement for extremes of sensation I've noticed in kids for the last 20 or so years has to come from somewhere.