Teens plead not guilty to conspiracy in school takeover plot:
Here’s another one that slipped under my radar. A plot was uncovered in Tacoma Washington where three students Robert Joseph Turner, 18; Alisya Nichole Shannon, 18; and Matthew Thomas Fross, 16, are accused of plotting to take over their school, Spanaway Lake High School. The plot included kidnapping students and teachers or burglarizing the building. They also tried to recruit other students and asked one student on several occasions to try and get guns and explosives for them. All 3 were members of ROTC. One of the teen’s fathers is saying that it was all just a “scare tactic” to stop people from bullying them. (Login Info).
While I can sympathize with their plight being bullied is still not an excuse to draw up plans for a school attack, “scare tactic” or not. They now have to live with the consequences of their actions.
Of course with most of these articles we have an idiotic lawyer quote…
Sverre Staurset, a public defense attorney not involved in the Spanaway Lake case, told The News Tribune he thinks the case will be hard to prove because the teens had no weapons or ammunition.
“It may just be a First Amendment speech thing,” Staurset said. “What if I decided to sit down and just ruminate about assassinating George Bush, for instance, and I knew where he was going to be and I drew some pictures? I’m not so sure I’ve taken a substantial step.”
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought it was illegal to draw some pictures about plotting to assassinate the President? I’m sorry but this is not a free speech issue. To me it falls under the yelling fire in a crowded theatre clause. If these kids weren’t stopped at the planning stage who knows where it would have gone. I’m glad somebody steeped in and decided not to take that chance.
As always it was your pleasure.
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