Stephen Harper 'sickened' by Rehtaeh Parsons story

[alp227]

Source: CBC

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says as a father he is "sickened" by the alleged events that led to the death of 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons.

...

Her mother, Leah Parsons, alleges Rehtaeh was raped by four boys who took photos of the incident, which she says sparked bullying and harassment.

...

"First of all, obviously our hearts here go out to the family. I think everybody who has heard this story, seen this story, were shocked, were saddened. I can just tell you, you know Laureen and I, as a parent of a teenaged daughter, you're just sickened seeing a story like this," Harper told a group of reporters at an event in Calgary Thursday evening.

The prime minister said what Rehtaeh claims happened to her goes beyond bullying.

"I think we've got to stop using just the term bullying to describe some of these things. Bullying to me has a kind of connotation … of kids misbehaving. What we are dealing with in some of these circumstances is simply criminal activity. It is youth criminal activity, it is violent criminal activity, it is sexual criminal activity and it is often internet criminal activity," said Harper.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/04/11/ns-rehtaeh-anonymous-hackers.html

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Harper nailed it: call it what it is, CRIME.

And yes Anonymous has gotten involved.

[MAD Dave]

1. There are two others with similar bullying stories.

Reena Virk from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Reena_Virk

and

Amanda Todd.

This is another terrible tragedy. I am so fired up about it. Angry doesn't quite describe it.

[840high]

2. ....

[delrem]

3. Harper is correct.

But I don't like that "Anonymous has gotten involved" is seen as a plus. "Anonymous", with that awful ubiquitous mask, has all the connotations of internet terrorism, to my mind. Who are they? Well, I dunno. Are they saintly? I doubt it. Can anyone get in on the act? Just about, tho' it takes a few easily won "skillz", photo and audio editing not being the least of them. In fact, not just "evildoers" but "the CIA" could get in on the "Anonymous" game, and all the way down to: why would anyone in their right mind think "Anonymous" is one entity, that "Anonymous" has only one agenda which, gawdhelpmethatIhavetoevensuggestitasanabsurdity, is beneficial to "the people as a whole". Beavis and Butthead could try their hand at being "Anonymous" for a lark.

NO! Anonymity isn't required to bring sleazebags to justice. On the contrary, openness is.

[christx30]

10. The problem is

The police closed the investigation until Anonymous became involved. Nothing would have happened in this or the Steubenville case. The police wanted to turn a blind eye to it. The corruption here is sickening. A girl was raped and humiliated by a gang of priviliged sociopaths, and the cops do nothing. You can't trust them at all. What would you have rather happened in this or other cases like this? The perpetrators get away with it just because some donut addicted asshole doesn't feel like doing his job? Or a nice, bright spotlight being shone on this, forcing the cops to act? Yes it's best if the police act and bring rapists and other criminals to justice on their own without being prodded into action. But this isn't the best of all possible worlds.

[Posteritatis]

11. It definitely wasn't just Anonymous

Things were moving before they started issuing their statements.

People in Nova Scotia are really, really, really angry about this, moreso than I've seen the province in years. The justice minister started backpedaling frantically on things as early as Tuesday night.

[freshwest]

4. Good on him for calling it what it is - criminal. Maybe something will be done there.

[sendero]

7. What ..

.... a beautiful young woman. This just makes me feel a strange mix of despair and rage. It's time to make an example out of some rapist sociopaths.

[Tempest]

5. THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

It's obvious the NS police aren't going to do anything.

[Posteritatis]

13. They reopened the investigation a couple hours ago, actually. (nt)

[defacto7]

6. OK, now he at least has the words in his vocabulary

and the sickness in his gut....

Now get some action done on this CRIME Mr. Harper! Words only serve a political point. Acts will begin the road to justice and respect for and by humans.

[iandhr]

8. The difference between Canadian cons and American cons

is though we would still disagree with them on the issues... there not crazy.

[Fix The Stupid]

9. This is true. N/T

[Posteritatis]

12. Nah, on just about anything other than this Harper's nuts, too.

He's rendered Canadian politics incredibly, spectacularly vile. I actually worry a lot about him wading into this particular issue, since I fully expect him to abuse the hell out of it for political purposes. If it starts being used in attack ads against the NDP (launched outside of election season, no less) I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.