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> Why should the person committing the crimes be let go? Because a child calling a helpdesk and pretending to be someone else is a prank. Slap on the wrist, fo

> Why should the person committing the crimes be let go? Because a child calling a helpdesk and pretending to be someone else is a prank. Slap on the wrist, followed by a job offer. It seems on a similar level to ringing a bar and asking for 'Amanda Hugginkiss' or 'Mike Hunt'. At least this kid found the problem before the Russians did.

krapp 9y ago
A child impersonating government officials in order to gain access to classified networks, remotely vandalizing people's computers, reading their emails, harrassing them, doxxing them and threatening to rape their children is not ringing up a bar and asking for "Amanda Hugginkiss." If it had been a cop doing this, everyone calling this kid a hero or merely a precocious youth would be crying out for blood.
- jimnotgym 9y ago
  > If it had been a cop doing this Then it would not be an even similar case. It is a feature of many civilised societies that we tend to forgive misdemeanors by minors as 'part of growing up' and 'learning right from wrong'. Should it be a crime because this autistic kid happened to be good at his prank?
  - krapp 9y ago
    > It is a feature of many civilised societies that we tend to forgive misdemeanors by minors as 'part of growing up' and 'learning right from wrong'. Except many of the things he's accused of doing are clearly not misdemeanors. You're also assuming there was no malicious intent in what he did. He was perfectly aware that what he was doing was wrong, and he intended to do harm to people because they worked for the US government. You seem to have the actual legal system confused with the plot of Dennis the Menace or Leave it to Beaver. >Should it be a crime because this autistic kid happened to be good at his prank? Oh, he's autistic? Never mind, free pass then. No... it wasn't merely a prank, and being autistic doesn't imply being legally incapable of judgement.
    - ryanlol 9y ago
      In civilized societies we also tend to forgive the more serious offences by minors as 'part of growing up' and 'learning right from wrong'.
      - krapp 9y ago
        Trying minors for "more serious offences" is a thing just about everywhere. It's clear this particular minor knows right from wrong, and that what he did was on the 'wrong' end of the spectrum. Would you feel the same way if he'd actually followed through on his rape threats? Or if he'd SWATted someone? At what point would you be willing to admit this "prank" wasn't harmless?
        ryanlol 9y ago
        >Trying minors for "more serious offences" is a thing just about everywhere. And not locking them up, i.e. "letting them go" is a thing in just about every civilized country. >Would you feel the same way if he'd actually followed through on his rape threats? I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. There isn't a single mention of "rape" in TFA, you're discussing a 15 year old kid possibly threatening someone on a different continent.
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
        krapp 9y ago
        He bombarded Mr Johnson and his wife with calls, asking her: “Am I scaring you?” and left messages threatening to “bang his daughter”, the court heard. Unless you want me to believe he was threatening to "bang" Mr. Johnson's daughter consensually, it's a rape threat.
        ryanlol 9y ago
        It is a stretch to describe that as a rape threat. I don't believe a native English speaker would choose that wording to convey a rape threat. And again, if this was a rape threat it was a very unclear rape threat by a 15 year old kid on another continent. Not something any sane person would treat particularly seriously. Honestly, this sounds more like something along the lines of "I'm going to bang your mom", with the "mom" replaced. No sane person would assume that "I'm going to bang your mom" is a rape threat, but rather a threat of embarrassing you by engaging in sexual relations with a close family member.
Larrikin 9y ago
Crimes are not pranks
- ryanlol 9y ago
  Why not? Who are you to decide what isn't a prank? Seems to me that (small) property crimes are a crucial part of many pranks. http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/1994/cp_car/ http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/1994/cp_car/
- ballenf 9y ago
  Most pranks can be prosecuted as crimes. Broad disturbing the peace and harassment statutes apply to most. Here's 3 that come to mind: - toilet-papering a house/tree - ding-dong-ditch (harassment, possibly even rising to a hate crime in the right circumstances) - flaming shit on doorstep (obviously) Whether something is a crime or not is a pretty bad test for whether a child should be held accountable as an adult for the act.
- jimnotgym 9y ago
  Lots of pranks are criminal. Graffiti for instance. But if the police found your child drawing a penis on a poster of a politician do you think he deserves telling off, or jail?
mynewtb 9y ago
Or the Chinese!! Or the North Koreans!!!
1337biz 9y ago
Is there already a Reductio Ad Russiairum? There needs to be one! It's still going strong.
bsamuels 9y ago
you think swatting is a prank?

krapp 9y ago

A child impersonating government officials in order to gain access to classified networks, remotely vandalizing people's computers, reading their emails, harrassing them, doxxing them and threatening to rape their children is not ringing up a bar and asking for "Amanda Hugginkiss." If it had been a cop doing this, everyone calling this kid a hero or merely a precocious youth would be crying out for blood.

jimnotgym 9y ago
> If it had been a cop doing this Then it would not be an even similar case. It is a feature of many civilised societies that we tend to forgive misdemeanors by minors as 'part of growing up' and 'learning right from wrong'. Should it be a crime because this autistic kid happened to be good at his prank?
- krapp 9y ago
  > It is a feature of many civilised societies that we tend to forgive misdemeanors by minors as 'part of growing up' and 'learning right from wrong'. Except many of the things he's accused of doing are clearly not misdemeanors. You're also assuming there was no malicious intent in what he did. He was perfectly aware that what he was doing was wrong, and he intended to do harm to people because they worked for the US government. You seem to have the actual legal system confused with the plot of Dennis the Menace or Leave it to Beaver. >Should it be a crime because this autistic kid happened to be good at his prank? Oh, he's autistic? Never mind, free pass then. No... it wasn't merely a prank, and being autistic doesn't imply being legally incapable of judgement.
  - ryanlol 9y ago
    In civilized societies we also tend to forgive the more serious offences by minors as 'part of growing up' and 'learning right from wrong'.
    - krapp 9y ago
      Trying minors for "more serious offences" is a thing just about everywhere. It's clear this particular minor knows right from wrong, and that what he did was on the 'wrong' end of the spectrum. Would you feel the same way if he'd actually followed through on his rape threats? Or if he'd SWATted someone? At what point would you be willing to admit this "prank" wasn't harmless?
      - ryanlol 9y ago
        >Trying minors for "more serious offences" is a thing just about everywhere. And not locking them up, i.e. "letting them go" is a thing in just about every civilized country. >Would you feel the same way if he'd actually followed through on his rape threats? I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. There isn't a single mention of "rape" in TFA, you're discussing a 15 year old kid possibly threatening someone on a different continent.
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
        krapp 9y ago
        He bombarded Mr Johnson and his wife with calls, asking her: “Am I scaring you?” and left messages threatening to “bang his daughter”, the court heard. Unless you want me to believe he was threatening to "bang" Mr. Johnson's daughter consensually, it's a rape threat.
        ryanlol 9y ago
        It is a stretch to describe that as a rape threat. I don't believe a native English speaker would choose that wording to convey a rape threat. And again, if this was a rape threat it was a very unclear rape threat by a 15 year old kid on another continent. Not something any sane person would treat particularly seriously. Honestly, this sounds more like something along the lines of "I'm going to bang your mom", with the "mom" replaced. No sane person would assume that "I'm going to bang your mom" is a rape threat, but rather a threat of embarrassing you by engaging in sexual relations with a close family member.

Larrikin 9y ago

Crimes are not pranks

ryanlol 9y ago
Why not? Who are you to decide what isn't a prank? Seems to me that (small) property crimes are a crucial part of many pranks. http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/1994/cp_car/ http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/1994/cp_car/
ballenf 9y ago
Most pranks can be prosecuted as crimes. Broad disturbing the peace and harassment statutes apply to most. Here's 3 that come to mind: - toilet-papering a house/tree - ding-dong-ditch (harassment, possibly even rising to a hate crime in the right circumstances) - flaming shit on doorstep (obviously) Whether something is a crime or not is a pretty bad test for whether a child should be held accountable as an adult for the act.
jimnotgym 9y ago
Lots of pranks are criminal. Graffiti for instance. But if the police found your child drawing a penis on a poster of a politician do you think he deserves telling off, or jail?

mynewtb 9y ago

Or the Chinese!! Or the North Koreans!!!

1337biz 9y ago

Is there already a Reductio Ad Russiairum? There needs to be one! It's still going strong.

bsamuels 9y ago

you think swatting is a prank?