Wednesday, June 20, 2007

This is for Ma

KAPUSKASING, Ont. - Police say they believe that two children younger than 12 years old started a fire that torched a community landmark in Kapuskasing.
The Kapuskasing Inn went up in flames May 22, damaging much of the building's structure.
But police say charges won't be laid because of the ages of the children, who were inside the building when the fire began.
One of the kids is accused of sparking the blaze, but police have provided no details on how it started.
Under the law, the children are too young to be held responsible for a crime.
OPP Det. Sgt. Todd Selvage says the incident wasn't an explicit act of arson, but rather `vandalism that just went too far.'

9 comments:

Ma Horton said...

That is even a sadder comment on today's society that parents have no clue where or what their children are doing . The Kapuskasing Inn will still remain in the memories of all who stood in awe of a building so much a part of the model town's history . I am one of those people .

Anonymous said...

Youth Justice Act, Young Offenders Act, whatever you want to call it, it's a crock. A 12-year-old doesn't know that burning down a hotel is wrong????
My cousin's kid set fire to a school gym when he was 11, and got off scot-free. Load o' crap.

Maria said...

My son is 12 and he has known for many, many years what is wrong and what is right.

He even comments when he hears news stories about "kids" doing crazy things and says "why did they do that for?"

I am thinking that young kids who do insane things will grow up to be part of the young offenders... we need to educate our youngsters from the time they are in diapers - PEOPLE!!

Anonymous said...

The problem isn't the kids as much as it's their parents, who in most cases, should have been sterilized before puberty.

Maria said...

YOU SAID IT!

and why is it that the couples who would make greek parents TEND to be infertile?

and the OTHER parents are BABY MAKING MACHINES?

Maria said...

uhhhhhhhh hmmmmm not that there is anything wrong with GREEK parents (after all, I am one of those) what I meant to say was GREAT!

There goes the dyslexia AGAIN!

Sean Newbury said...

I despise the 'young offenders act' And I've felt this way even when I was young enough to be protected by it.

While I agree in part with NGB that the parents ARE partly to blame, I know from being a not-so-angelic teen that even the best parent, all knowing, all seeing parent has their limits.

And I'll say this, even then I knew where to draw the line between teenage rebellion and breaking the law... or at the very least what you can get away with, WITHOUT damaging property, people, animals and so on.

It makes me sick. And it seems to me in the past, oh I'd say 5-10 years there's more and more serious crimes being committed and those responsible get a piddly slap on the wrist because they were under the age limit. Give me a freakin break

If it were up to me the law would be totally abolished!

You do the crime, you do the time. We literally have murderers in this country, those that even admit to the crime but because they were young enough the legal system practically apologizes to THEM.

Anyone read the latest on one of the murders of Reena Virk out in BC who has already gotten Day Parole, because he's remorseful. Well you know what, I'd be remorseful too if I killed someone and was in jail! I'm not exactly sure how being sorry for killing someone means you should get out of jail. I know it's simplistic for me to think that, but again.... do the crime, do the time.

Even still, jail time may not always be the right choice for punishment though...BUt there's no reason the legal system can't be creative with the sentencing... example, the wee buggars that torched the Inn should suffer for what they did. At the VERY LEAST they should have to do some SERIOUS (in high heat and humidity) hard labour, community service. Have to work on the demolition of the site and have to help in the building of what ever replaces the Inn. And don't stop there. They should also have to work on other sites where there was fire damage, cleaning and repearing

One more time, I'll say it...
do the crime, do the time.

Period.
Point final.
End of story.
Fin.

Ok, Misster Kitty is stepping off the soap box now...

Bob said...

Kitty, you are so right.
About the parents, I said "in most cases" because as my Mom used to say, even the best parents do all they can to teach their kids wrong from right, and impart their values to them, but the good Lord gave them free will, so all you can do is hope that your morals and values rubbed off, and that free will is used wisely.

Maria said...

Next election I am FREAKIN' voting for Kitty.
So right!

As for parents I have to say mine were VERY good in teaching us values yet my brother and I grew up differently and although I was always very respectful of people and their property he never was! And we have the same parents (at least I think we do). Not sure how 2 kids born from the same parents can have such different personalities. But I am proof that it happens!

I also read about the Virk case and being remorseful means nothing. How can you be a human being and not be remorseful when you DELIBERATELY go out and hurt someone? STUPID LAW!