Human Rights Issues in North Tonawanda

Tonawanda News Story

So Brenda and I read this story in the Tonawanda news this morning and I have to admit the article isn't nearly as bad as the comments are. But the closed minded people that have set up the community to leave comments have made it imposible to register to use it. Instead I shall broadcast this rant to the Blogger Community instead.

Ok in the comments at the end of this article does anybody else notice a little bit of the blame the victim mentality here. How could you say that a teenager was asking to be the victim of a hate crime. Everybody in this world have certain undeniable human rights. You wouldn't blame a rape victim because they were wearing a mini skirt would you... (Well I don't know about the people leaving these comments). The schools have a duty to make for a safe and educational environment for ALL students reguardless of their sexual orientation, gender expression, race, religion, etc. Schools are supposed to be a place where students can go to learn and better themselves not a place where they should be harrassed and belittled simply for expressing themselves. High Schools are supposed to be preparing these students for the work world, readying them to get a job and live on their own. These same actions in a work environment would not be tolerated. You can not go around leaving death threats for your fellow co-workers can you? And the idiot who wrote about how kids will be kids needs to be smacked. Kids act out and treat others the way we as parents have taught them to. Teenagers are old enough to be given responsibility for their own actions. If a teenager goes out and kills someone they are usually tried as an adult because they have already reached the point where they should know right from wrong. And to say that anyone should have to tone down their self expression is ridiculous. When I was in high school their were goths and preppys and jocks and yes even a few out students and I don't recall the schools asking the goths to take off thier makeup or the jocks to take off their letter jackets. Everyone has that same right to expression and the situation should have never come to a court case because instead of blaming the victim to the point where he had to withdraw out of the school the students that were harrassing him and leaving him death threats should have been expelled. What happened to that Zero Tolerance rule of thumb. As long as the person who is the victim is something that the school personel does not approve of does that mean that they lose all of their rights as a student. Besides let's here three cheers for North Tonawanda's Bully Proof School District!!! What a crock of shit!!!!