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So, has the removal of our freedom of
speech come to Sandersville? The headline reads, "Sandersville Woman Arrested for Violent Facebook Comments. " This one hits a little home for me since
I consider Sandersville to be my home town. Before the flood of angry
comments starts here, please read to the end.
Before I even write this, I am aware that many will disagree with me...that's nothing new. If I let that stop me, I'd never write again. I understand this woman said horrible things. I know that some of the people she said them against are even my Facebook friends. I have written many similar postings before, but never involving people I knew, and honestly, that frightens me a bit, so before I even get started, let me say I do NOT agree with what she did at all...however:
Before I even write this, I am aware that many will disagree with me...that's nothing new. If I let that stop me, I'd never write again. I understand this woman said horrible things. I know that some of the people she said them against are even my Facebook friends. I have written many similar postings before, but never involving people I knew, and honestly, that frightens me a bit, so before I even get started, let me say I do NOT agree with what she did at all...however:
This is America. We have freedom of
speech. How many of us have stood and protested when Facebook started
censoring the things we DO agree with? How many of us have typed out
our dismay when someone was fired over a Facebook posting? SO freedom
of speech only applies when we like what was said?
Don't get me wrong...if her comments
were threatening, then terroristic threat charges may be in order.
But, for a charge like that to stick, she has to have
threatened...there is a difference between threatening and making
demeaning comments. “I hate purple people. Purple people should all
die,” is a demeaning comment, and is not illegal. It is actually
covered by freedom of speech. “Dear Purple Person, I am going to
kill you and your purple kids next time I see you,” is a threat,
and is illegal. For such a comment, the charge should be terroristic
threat.
The article does not explain what she said. If she DID threaten to harm anyone, especially special needs children, then she should have been arrested for sure. This is a very fine line. A teenager in Texas spent 5 months in jail after posting a comment during an argument on Facebook. He is out on bail, but is facing felony terrorism charges for something he said in a spat over a video game. Groups all over the country protested to have him released. An anonymous donor posted a $500,000 bond to get him out. FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. He is a teenager. I have seen murders have lower bonds.
The article does not explain what she said. If she DID threaten to harm anyone, especially special needs children, then she should have been arrested for sure. This is a very fine line. A teenager in Texas spent 5 months in jail after posting a comment during an argument on Facebook. He is out on bail, but is facing felony terrorism charges for something he said in a spat over a video game. Groups all over the country protested to have him released. An anonymous donor posted a $500,000 bond to get him out. FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. He is a teenager. I have seen murders have lower bonds.
When something like this happens, it is
easy for us a to stand up and cheer that the alleged perpetrator has
been arrested...justice has been served, and we can all go on with
our lives. My issue with this is that once we fight for one person to
go to jail over a Facebook comment, then we can all expect the same.
Once this becomes common practice, we will see more and more people
going to jail because their opinion does not agree with what the
government or others may want us to say. It is already happening in
America's streets...preachers are actually being arrested for
preaching against homosexuality, abortion, etc. Whether we agree with
what they say or not the Constitution defends their right to say it.
It is just like the Westboro Baptist
Church thing. I am disgusted with them for standing to protest
military funerals, the funerals of children, etc. Absolutely
disgusted. I have seen many people screaming for the government, for
the authorities to stop them. Do we not understand that if the law
stops them, then we lose our right to protest as well?? Same here. I
am disgusted that anyone would in any way degrade, demean, or wish
harm on any child, especially a special needs child. Absolutely
disgusted. However, let's tread this fine line very carefully.
If she made threats, arrest her for the
threats. But you cannot arrest someone in America for saying
disgusting things, or for writing something we don't like. Do I think
she should not have been arrested? I do not have enough evidence to
say. I do not know what her comments were, whether they were actually
threatening, or just disgusting and demeaning. All I am saying
is...if she DID threaten, arrest her for the threats...but as far as
being arrested for Facebook comments that we find shockingly
horrifically disgusting...we have laws against that.
Angela Kaye Mason is an online researcher, writer, and editor. She may be reached at angelakayemason@gmail.com. Follow Angela on Twitter. Find her on Facebook.
Angela Kaye Mason is an online researcher, writer, and editor. She may be reached at angelakayemason@gmail.com. Follow Angela on Twitter. Find her on Facebook.
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4 comments:
I am one of the mothers mentioned in the article. I (and my family) have been tortured, tormented and harassed by this woman for YEARS. Our first police report was in 2001. I have more than TEN stay away orders, good behavior orders and special conditions of bond orders that all require her to leave us alone and stay away from us. She's violated all of them. She started her online campaign of harassment in 2007 on MySpace. She started by posting cropped pictures of my children's heads and calling them horrible names. My son has my curly hair, so he was a "bastard African mascot" and that we should go back to Africa, although I am white and my husband is white. My daughter has a physical disability. She called her a "stupid crippled bitch". My daughter wore leg braces for some time after her surgeries. She made fun of that and called her "wobbly". That's just the tip of the iceberg. My daughter's disability is hereditary...she got it from her father. But it has been posted that my daughter is disabled because I abused drugs. I have never, and do not now, have a drug problem. I have a child that died at the age of two. She does not know the details of my daughter's illness or death, yet she calls me a baby killer. Prior to targeting my children, she would stalk, follow, call, steal and harass me and my husband anywhere and everywhere she saw us. When MySpace became popular, she jumped on it and stalked my profile for months before I knew it. That's called cyber stalking....just in case you didn't know. That's when it got worse. We have lived under the black cloud of hatred and evil that IS Sonya Durden for YEARS. I can take whatever you throw at me. But targeting, harassing and tormenting my children is where I draw the line. My children should not have to live like this. My children should not have to suffer the wrath of a sociopath simply because she has the freedom of speech. I have, my family has, my children have the God given right to live peacefully. Free of evil harassment and torment. I have the inherent, God given right to protect my children at ALL costs. That right supersedes the right to say whatever she wants when it involves or targets my children. Especially when it's out there for the world to see.
I posted two comments, Ms. Mason....where are they?
Michelle Jackson Corbett, I have posted the only comments that I found. Comments here do not auto-post, and I was not sitting at my desk at the moment you posted so that I could approve them. I expected some to disagree with me, although I never said she should not have been punished, what I specified is what she should be punished for. Regardless of what anyone feels, I feel that nothing should supersede the Constitution. I made it clear in my article that IF a person threatens, then they should be punished for the threat. There are flaws in that law just as well, however. From 2003 to 2005, my ex husband was very abusive. Police were called many times. He didn't threaten me and my kids on a website...he actually physically abused me and, on a few occasions, threw things at one of my kids. The police were called a few times. One night they came to the house to find 4 shattered televisions, my bedroom door busted in where I had tried to get away from him, Broken CDs all over the house where he had thrown them at me, and a belt hanging from a hook on the ceiling where he threatened to hang me. The police wrote in their little notebooks, and then took him to the hospital for evaluation. I was forced to go with him. They transferred him to Milledgeville for 72 hours, and sent me home. There was no drinking or drugs involved, not even on his part, yet they decided a mental evaluation was what he needed. He was released and came home to almost kill me. THEN they finally arrested him. He had to actually try to kill me....and yes, this was in Sandersville. When he was released again, this man proceeded to stalk me..in real life....not cyber stalking for 3 years, and there was nothing I could do because...as the police put it, "We can't do anything about just threats. If he touches you again, let us know, but until then there is nothing we can do." I moved 3 times, to 3 different states. Changed my cell phone number 4 times. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he got Graves disease and became too ill to stalk me. I am not the exception. Women all over the country are told the exact same thing...their abusers cannot be arrested unless they act, that threats do not count. And yes, I had a restraining order (or peace warrant as they called it.) I do not tell my story to say that those who threaten should not be punished. I tell it to show why they should be. However, I do not think that those who threaten on social media should receive less punishment than those who to it face to face, regardless of relationship to the victim. I made it clear in my article that a person should be punished for threats. I also made it clear that degrading anyone, especially special needs kids is despicable. But I will stand by the Constitution in saying that degrading and disgusting language is not illegal UNLESS it is threats. I am very sorry for what your family has gone through, Michelle Jackson Corbett.
The above should read "However, I do not think that those who threaten on social media should receive MORE punishment than those who to it face to face, regardless of relationship to the victim." Sorry
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