What is Proper Punishment

15-year-old Phoebe Prince, a student at South Hadley High School in
Massachusetts, committed suicide after being bullied both at school
and online.

This is not the only student suicide attributable to bullying ; an 11-year old
who lived in Springfield, Massachusetts, is believed to have taken his own
life after he was repeatedly called "Gay." The school had been notified about
the bullying, but the boy would not name the others involved. The parents
are suing the school administrators and the school district.

Bullies have existed for centuries, but not cyber bullies. Because what is
posted remains ad infinitem, the harm is no longer limited to the attackers
and the victim.

There are a number of proposals making cyberbullying an offense. How will
this proposed law be allowed to stand in the face of our right to free speech?
Free speech has been limited when it incites to violence: you cannot scream
"Fire" in a crowded theater when there is no fire.

The laws of libel are civil penalties: money assessed to compensate for damages.

Should Congress and state legislators be petitioned to legislate criminal
penalties for on-line bullying. How will we define bullying? If I call attention to
the fact that you are obese (you weigh 200 pounds and are five foot three feet tall),
is that cyberbullying when what I wrote is true?

As we advance in the world of technology, we encounter new problems and must
begin to decide what society will and will not accept as behavior involving the
new technology.

What do you think we should do about the problem of cyber bullies?