Front page material? A fourteen year old girl got interviewed by the secret services because she posted death threats to the President on her “Stab Bush” political web page. Good! Nothing better than a good spanking to straighten up opinionated teenagers and show them that the law applies to them too, and that if one ignores the laws, one better shut up and keep a low profile. That being said, I find it amazing that a fourteen year old can be actively militant and have any strong political orientation. When you total her life experience – the 3 years in diapers, two years crawling at the carpet level, three or four years of Barbie, a year of Barbie and whoever the new boy friend is, the braces, the hormones kicking, the hunt for the black heads, the election of the school treasurer and the so called “molecular science” classes- you wonder where she found out that she was a liberal and that she hated Bush!
I am sure that she vividly remembers the Clinton’s years and can compare! (LOL as they say). Maybe the parents are confusing the time of innocence with the time for indoctrination? Maybe they should better pay attention to what their daughter does on the Internet, just maybe! In the meantime, they might have found a clue because their teenager daughter hates Bush, instead of them, a rare occurrence at this age where parents are often blamed for everything (and a common occurrence for GW to be blamed for everything from Global Warming to the Ice age). Whatever; she made the front page and will soon appear on 20/20 or another “tabloidic” celebrity-making freak show.
Anyways, the whole farce raises a couple of important questions:
- Are blogs or homepages legit sources of information, knowing that a fourteen year old can be the animator or/and moderator, also knowing that the person you argue with could misrepresent him/herself??
- How do you know that the information you are getting is not biased, tainted, or just an opinion? Does it matter?
- Can teenagers be actively involved in politics? Do they have the life experience and maturity to do so?
- Should minors be treated like adults when they act or misbehave like adults?
- Do teenagers have a right to privacy, a freedom of speech, immunity to common laws?
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