College Player Dismissed Over Threat
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Jan. 27) - A Wake Forest reserve running back has been dismissed from the team after writing on his Facebook page that he would "blow up campus." Wake Forest running back Luke Caparelli was dismissed from the team after writing on his Facebook page that he would "blow up campus."
Campus police said 19-year-old Luke Caparelli posted the note on the social-networking page on Jan. 13.The note was written in third person and included a threat that Caparelli would have an Uzi submachine gun "locked and loaded in his bag."A detective's affidavit made public Thursday said police apparently didn't find any weapons when they searched Caparelli's bags and dorm room on Jan. 14.The affidavit said Caparelli acknowledged writing the statements but said he wouldn't do anything to harm anyone on campus or hurt the school.District Attorney Tom Keith said his office is awaiting reports from campus police before deciding whether to file any charges.
______ My Comments:
Wow. We run into a question of the public nature of personal expression. I would venture to say most of us have fantasized about "getting back" at our parents, our boss or the school bully. For those who drive, I would suggest that most have yelled threats at the car which just cut us off or made us veer into the next lane. We don't always check to see that our windows are rolled up before screaming epithets in panic. Some girls tell me they record their mental fantasies in their diaries. Well, for many teens, the "notes" section of Facebook is their online diary. It may be posted and public, but it is not delivered or sent to anyone in particular. It is not even part of an exchange of emails between two people. Rather it is a mental vent for frustrations.
This appears to me to be comparative to hate crime legilation where one is punished not for their actions, but for what they are thinking.
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