With the sad and frightening disappearance of Brooke Bennett, a twelve year old Vermont girl, online communities are once again forced to face public criticism. Public scrutiny is always needed. Criticism however is usually misplaced though.

The public, especially uninformed parents likes to blame the online services every time something happens to a child. While there have been a few cases where some small companies have failed to act on information that is rarely the case. While I do not like blaming the parents of kids that had something happen to them because of their online activities, they are the ones who ultimately old the most responsibility.

In The case of Brooke Bennett I have to ask what she was doing with a MySpace account in the first place. She was twelve, meaning she lied about her age to get an account. A lot of kids do it when they go online, in fact I have only ever met one who was unwilling to do so and played by all the rules. She however is scrupulously honest about her seventeen years. She is also the exception to the rule I think. There are literally are no ways to prevent this behavior that doesn’t put a serious burden on everyone else.

Not only would making it harder for kids to go online make it harder for everyone else, it would potentially endanger them even more. The more we forbid or restrict the action the more enticing it becomes as a rebellious activity. Secondly, every predator online would have the excuse, I thought she was eighteen, because you have to be eighteen to go online. Making it harder to go online or use services, benefits no one.

This once again brings the responsibility right back into the lap of the parents. Most parents will openly say, I don’t understand or really know what my kids do online. That however is not good enough. As a parent if you allow your kids to participate in an activity, then it is up to you to educate yourself with the facts. You are responsible for them, so it simply isn’t good enough to listen to hype from your kids about how great the internet is or the fear mongers saying how dangerous it is. It is up to parents to become informed and if that means showing and interest and taking part in what they are doing so be it.

It is also up to parents to learn about the sites their kids go to. If you are worth anything as a parent you aren’t letting your kids come and go at any hours of the night or day without knowing who they are with, where they are going, or when they will be back. The same rules apply online. If they are keeping a blog read it. If they are going to MySpace, FaceBook, LiveJournal or anywhere else, you need to find out what they are doing there. It is up to parents not some corporate internet service to act like parents.

In the end, Brooke Bennett’s parents may not have been able to do anything to stop this. Some kids will rebel and get hurt at no fault of the parents. On the other hand they should have known a hell of a lot more about what their daughter was doing. A lack of understanding is simply no excuse for parental ignorance.

It is hard to figure out exactly what the priorities of Bush Administration really are since they are covered with so many layers of obfuscation and double talk.  Thankfully though, that administration’s days are numbered.  Not even W would be so arrogant as to think he doesn’t have to leave the White House after the Chief Justice swears in the next president.  Part of me would actually like to see the outcome of that fiasco.  I am trying to decide which would be funnier at the moment W standing out on the balcony with his tie wrapped around his head ala Rambo shouting, “Never give up… and never surrender!”  Alternately it could be Secret Service agents dragging him away while he shouts “This ain’t over!  There are ways around this Law.  I’ll get you John!  I gave you your job and I can take it away!”  Then as W disappears into the crowd never to be seen again Jerry Springer would come out and give a little closing monologue about the tragedy.

Sometimes I am just too easy to amuse.  Other days I am just too easy to piss off, Read the full story