So effing torn right now

His teachers and priests and parents taught him this.

It’s just a kid. Pay attention to the adults— they deserve more blame.

When do they own it? When do they finally take responsibility for their actions, no matter who taught them?

a good thing to do.

he wouldn't be "just a kid." He'd be a "terrorist" and the only questions would have been about when and how he was radicalized.

If he were a 17-year-old Hispanic aggresively challenging a white politician, he wouldn't be "just a kid." He'd be an "illegal" who needs to be deported (even if he was born here).

And if he'd been a 17-year-old black male who got in any white person's face, he wouldn't be "just a kid." He'd be dead.

So, I'm not impressed that this privileged white guy was "just a kid." Yes, his parents and school shoulder some of the blame, but he's old enough to know better and to make his own choices and he chose to behave like a racist thug. That's on him.

But flip the scenario (as you did), and that young man would be dead or behind bars, guaranteed.

As I posted below, even if he was steered wrong by parents and other adults, he is still perpetuating the blind hatred-- and for that, he's just as responsible as anybody else .

Trayvon was not treated as "just a kid". Even at DU we had people who made him out to be a monster.

That little fucker head is 17 - a "huge bulking super human" and for all I know might have been ready to bash that gentleman's head on a sidewalk.

Lots of pavement around the kid - so he was "armed".

See what I did there Effie?

PS - We are the base. They best get used to us writing and saying these things. Time to spend as much time on the psychology and beliefs of the core Democratic Party base - as the dominant culture spends on that little maggot beat and his parents.

And the toxic legacy must be interrupted at some point in the chain. The youth may also be more malleable, and maybe-possibly-might learn from the blowback caused by his genuinely hateful and disrespectful behavior.

Although I don't hold out much hope that any Trumpist would see the light.

There's a thread on it elsewhere on DU. The Internet Crusaders came up with a name for the guy getting in Phillips's face by comparing his photo with posted ones of students at that school -- but it turned out to be another student who hadn't even gone to D.C. I can imagine what hell his life has since become...and probably will be for the foreseeable future.

But the problem comes when there was a misfire, as was the case with this kid initially. It appears the correct name has now surfaced and that kid is in for a rough road. But it sucks some other kid had his life turned upside down due to a twitter mob getting it wrong. And since there will always be mistakes, your concern comes with plenty of merit.

If I were the kid’s dad, I’d pull out the belt and he wouldn’t be able to sit for a month.

like he was a grown man, he shouldn't be surprised when he is treated like one.

I see a future Republican politician in him.

Think I'm going to stick with my no doxxing policy. Not going to compromise my principles for that turd.

was busy attending his brother's wedding rehearsal in a different city.

caught up in all the mess.

and my son's name and photo was all over the Internet . . .

But not at the cost of another's emotional and mental health and personal safety.

I have a feeling he'll expose himself after awhile. Maybe an appearance on Hannity?

Someone in a public place can have no reasonable expectation of privacy. This was true long before there was such a thing as the internet.

They essentially pay the price for his sins. Not an acceptable risk.

Heck, the news organizations are just as bad as the internet warriors, and they have been for a very long time, reporting every little rumor they catch wind of by saying "We've received a report that ... " People hear that and take what follows as gospel. I tend not to believe any story until it hasn't changed for at least 24-48 hours, whether on the internet or on the news. The good thing about the internet is that such errors tend to get corrected much more quickly.

The one who's big goal in life is to be a chef, and is busy attending his brother's wedding rehearsal?

And you wrongly put his name and photo, and college hopes, all over the internet?

Covington Catholic High School
1600 Dixie Highway
Park Hills, KY 41011
P (859) 491-2247

The principal's email is browe@covath.org

Eddie Eviston
Titles: Current Issues, Sociology, Dean of Discipline,
Email: eeviston@covcath.org

Anthony Zechella
Titles: Assistant Principal, Dean of Academics
Email: azechella@covcath.org

Michael Guidugli
Titles: Assistant Principal, Dean of Students,
Email: mguidugli@covcath.org

I’m on my phone so please forgive me if I screw this up, but I thought this response from the mayor of Covington was lovely:

https://www.covingtonky.gov/news/2019/01/19/mayor-meyer-covington-appalled

Ignorant in the Buddhist sense. Ignorant in their beliefs that somehow they are better than "those people." Ignorant that they do not understand that we are all connected. Ignorant in their habit of self-cherishing and lack of empathy for others. Ignorant in understanding that all people everywhere want to be happy and content and live a peaceful life.

I'm afraid that it often times takes a deep shock of suffering for a kid like that (and his parents also) to understand and empathize with the suffering of others. To feel the intense pain and humiliation of losing a job, or the pain of seeing his children go hungry, or sleep homeless somewhere, or have the suffering of physical pain and not be able to see a Dr. Suffering like that it what it takes for kids like that to grow up and see the light and understand the suffering of others.

You can bet that kid gets an earful of ignorance and hatred from his parents at home. Babies aren't born hating. They are taught to hate. Hatred is poison.

But I'm tired of white kids who screw up being called "ignorant" while black and brown kids who screw up being labeled immoral and criminals.

When was the last time you heard anyone excuse the behavior of a young black man who gets into trouble by saying "he was just ignorant"?

But as a Buddhist, I recognize that ignorance is at the root of all our problems. Everyone has the ability to be high-minded and nurture ethical morality, how we treat one another. Everyone can choose to work on eradicating their anger, hatred, false pride, and ego-cherishing. Everyone can aspire to have compassion and tolerance and patience. But do they?

The hardest thing to do is to have compassion for people we don't like. Compassion is not the same as getting a free pass for bad behavior. Justice is a virtue. Eventually the consequences of bad behavior bear fruit in bad outcomes.

looks like he is in high school.

He could be tried as an adult in certain circumstances.

He was old enough to be at a march.