Letters to the criminals!

[Carmelo]

I feel like we should send letters to the other perpetrators in the crime that was committed against Tempest. I think the school board, school, and President should answer for their part in this. The students should also receive their just punishment for what they did to that little girl. Had someone with the authority stepped up to his truly elected plate, Tempest would still be alive today. It goes without saying that had it been a Christian child who committed suicide because of a group of Pagans, the Pagans would have suffered national ridicule as it would feed the fire of the ostracism that Pagans receive. There would have been a court room drama covered by the media.

To say that I was enraged that another human being had committed suicide because of school kid taunts and teases is putting it mildly. That is why I say let's send letters to let them know that we exist and that we are angry at this event. We count, too. We're just as human as they are.

[richardcranium]

We can send all the letters we want to her mother but I don't think that our message will truly get through until we stand up to the "bullies." Think of it this way, we as pagans are the "geeks" in high school and we are getting picked on by the school "bully". In my experience, when the geeks stood up to the bully, the bully found someone else to pick on. But then again, What if we are the last "geeks" in this "school"?

[sherry]

I'm not sure that the letter to the other children would do it!! We would run the risk of causing another mom to feel what Denessa does. These children are going to have to live life with the fact that they caused Tempest to take hers, everyday this will be there for them to face when they start their day.
What I'd really like to know is where were the teachers and school officials to see what she was going thru!!
Surely someone saw that she was totally unhappy at school. She had to have written some type of paper in the time it took this to go to far that pointed towards being unhappy, where was the teacher.
I just hope that in some small way some good comes from all this like now the teachers are more aware of children they are responsible for. And I do hope that the parents of the children that caused the problem know the impact of the child they raised on society, and now try to do the job the gods have bestowed upon them.
Being a parent is a gift I feel it is an honor, not everyone gets to be a parent. This is something I always wanted to be and due to ovarian cancer at 19 will never get to do. I hope they realize they are more responsible than the children for there actions if they had installed values in the taunters This tragic thing would never have happened.

[richardcranium]

but, what about the next group of kids that are being teased? What can we do for them? Yeah we could run publis service announcements, but I always change the channel when I see them so why would a kid watch them? We need more options that we as a community can do for the next generation of pagans coming up. I have been pushed to that point twice and have the scars to prove it. I do not want any more children to take their lives because of some close minded "child" who thinks that they are better than anybody else in the whole wide world. I look back at Columbine and think that if I was a bully at some other school and saw what had just happened I would stop picking on people so much because they might put me on a list and kill me. My life is to precious to me to pick on someone so much that they want to kill me. When I see that another teenager has taken their life my scars tingle. I want to know where the bullies tingle when they find out that they pushed someone to take their own life! Sorry that this post is a bit long but that has been building up for quite some time.

[Dextra]

I have to agree with Rich. While they are children and their emotional well-being must be kept in mind, they are still children. Children have the attention spans of gnats, and unless Tempest is kept fresh in their minds, within a couple of months they are going to forget all about it and find another target. They are still going to believe that it is right to condemn another's religion, because it's taught to them in Sunday school! The parents of these kids are to blame as well for not teaching their children tolerance towards those who were different.

It was pointed out to me that if Tempest were a child from another country that practiced a religion that was the norm in her native land, she may not have been teased as much. The Christian children may have even been intrigued by her, and the Chirstian community as a whole wouldn't condemn her religion as much because "she's foreign and she doesn't know any better."

But Tempest was an American, and as such, would be expected to follow the "norm", which would be Christianity. Or as Dumbya would have it, the "national religion." But she didn't. She was one of us.

Like many of us, I know the pain that poor little Tempest went through. It's left scars both on the inside and on the outside. And I'd go through it again to keep another child from feeling that pain. While pain is a fact of life, it shouldn't be taught like that.

I'm sorry, but this is something that has gotten me fired up. Those kids that picked on Tempest should feel guilty, and they need to understand that the way they acted towards her caused her to be in so much pain and misery that it caused her to take her own life. they need to understand exactly how much words can hurt. And if they are taught to understand that, then they have a better chance of becoming stronger, more tolerant adults.

This school system has the chance to teach a very valuable life lesson to a large group of children. But if they are going to put a big band-aid over it, because they "don't want the students to feel guilty", then the cycle of intolerance and ridicule will continue.

I know this may have come off as harsh, but this is something that really gets under my skin.

[Amora]

I had an in depth conversation at work about the violence and teasing of children at school the other day. As a parent of a soon to be kindergartener who has been raised as a Pagan and will continue to be, this really scares me. I think I almost go out of my way to make my daughter strong and love who she is. Chances are she may very well face the same problems that Tempest did. I'll be damned before I sit around and let the schools just turn there backs to the incessant teasing that goes on. It is completely true that if this happened to a Christian at the hands of a Pagan they would probably take away the cruel and unusal punishment clause and burn us all at the stakes again!! I don't know that there is anything one person can do to alleviate the problems but I plan on becoming an active part of the school this year and I will probably go a little overboard being active in my daughters life.

[Carmelo]

Let's face the facts here, people. This is a true example of the modern-day burning times Dumbya got started. Those children practiced a type of Crusade against her and they should suffer the consequeces. Believe it or not, some churches will revel the children with a twisted sense of honor for 'ridding the world of one more satanic, devil-worshipping witch'. That's how they saw her. The preacher will get up into his pulpit and yell about how God smote down a demon; how He cleansed their school of the unrighteous Jezebel.

It's sad that this little girl will be seen that way by Right-wing Extemist Christians...but it's true. I know this because I have been there. I would have grieved that the poor girl had to die, but would have revelled in the fact that she was removed by God. Then, I opened my eyes and saw who the true persecutors are.

No, the only thing we can do right now is send letters...but there will come a time when we have to get active. That time is now! If America is all about punishing the unjust, than why not punish those who had a part in Tempest's death. Had it not been for their words and taunts...she'd be alive. The only thing her death has caused is a deep down emotion that we should become one voice and present a crusade against their evil-doings.

That's what I feel...

I've ranted enough!

[richardcranium]

I see everyone point out what is wrong and what we can do about it, but where do we start. How do we make our stand and say no more! I have not been pagan as long as some others but I want to do something. I see the future of this world killing each other and themselves and think no more! What can we do as a pagan community to tell society NO MORE!

[sherry]

I guess what I was trying to say is that if we as Pagen Adults go writing letters to children about what they have done and the parents don't see past the word "pagen" we will be seen in just the way we were called devil worshiping witches trying to frighten children.
I know this is far from the truth, BUT if you write to the children this is exactly what they will start with. I'm not sure of exactly how it should be handled to keep Tempest alive in the minds of these vicious little people but if a christian child were to die it will be heard around the world! and I do not feel it would be a fair or truthful report. We would be named as the cause and out comes every movie clip of pointy black hats they can come up with!!
I think this would drag her name thru the mud and cause her mother even more pain. The media would mess everything up, as they always do!!
I can't waite to see MOL, SEMELE, EW, and BLUECATS views on this