"Grief-stricken athlete becomes latest Columbine victim..."

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Blue Jays

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Good Morning All-

Don't have the URL available, but here's the full AP article typed-in by my fat little fingers:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Grief-stricken athlete becomes latest Columbine victim

By Robert Weller ~ Associated Press

LITTLETON, Colo. -- A Columbine High basketball star who witnessed last year's bloodbath -- losing one of his best friends -- hanged himself in his garage as a CD, set to replay continuously, blared a song with the words, "I'm too depressed to go on."

It was the second suicide among friends or relatives of the Columbine High victims, shocking the community two weeks after the first anniversary of the massacre.

Greg Barnes, a 17-year old who averaged 26.5 points a game as a junior last season and had attracted attention from Harvard, Notre Dame, and other universities, used an electrical cord to hang himself Thursday morning, according to teammate Dave Mitchell.

"Adam's Song," by the group Blink 182, (doesn't that make them partially-responsible, too? ;) -- Blue Jays) was playing when his parents found the body, Mitchell said. The lyrics include the phrase "I never thought I'd die alone: and "I'm too depressed to go on. You'll be sorry when I'm gone." (Our boy Greg sounds selfish and self-centered... -- Blue Jays)

Friends were mystified, saying there were no signs of turmoil in the teen's life.

"I talked to him the night before, and it didn't seem like anything was wrong," Mitchell said. "We talked about the usual stuff, girls."

Grief counselors cautioned against automatically linking Barnes' death to the Columbine shootings, noting that teenagers live in a pressure-cooker world. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for people ages 15-24.

"I just didn't believe it. It was horrible. It made me made. Mad at Greg," said Brian Deidel, a teammate and childhood friend. "He had so much going for him. He didn't need to do that to everybody who knows him, who loves him."

Investigators would not say whether Barnes left a note and gave no additional details.

The news was devastating for students and staff at Columbine. Six counselors were at the school to offer help, and substitute teachers were on call to fill in for staff members who wanted to stay home. Many students skipped school.

"It's a somber mood at Columbine High School," school district spokesman Rick Haufman said.[/quote]

So, anyone care to take bets on how long we will continue to "plot the courses" of the lifetimes of these youngsters from Columbine? When will the "Special Report: An Update From Columbine -- 5 Years Later" ever stop?

While not trying to be an insensitive jerk, it's almost as if anything bad ever happens in their lives...it'll be the fault of the Columbine shootings.

Enough of my rant...

Regards to all,

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Isn't it amazing! Fully a year later, and he decides to make a statement.
Is this because nobody was listening to him , and he felt that nobody cared how he felt of losing friends and schoolmates in such a manner.

Is there something occuring in that area to explain why so many others have decided to "check out" in this fashion?
Was he being driven extra hard by a coach to help him get over the turmoil?

Suicide is contagious. Personal belief, but it appear to be true.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Friends were mystified, saying there were no signs of turmoil in the teen's life.
[/quote]

Yes, and there were no sign the orignal creators of "Columbine" were up to something either was there. Mood swings, change in lifestyles, clothes, eating habits, manner of speech, change in personna.
And nobody noticed anything at all going on here...
Almost as if somebody else was telling him what to do...

Best Regards,
Don



------------------
The most foolish mistake we could make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerers who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.
Adolf Hitler
 
Sorry to be so cynical, and I feel for the kid's family, but the media won't touch this with a ten-foot pole because that might actually cause an examintation of the role they have in dredging up the bodies and tearing open wounds over and over and over and over and over. That, plus the fact he didn't use a gun, so he's not "dead" enough for Dan Blather to cluck reprovingly at us over.
 
It's the altitude. Lack of oxygen sometimes causes problems with the thinking process. For example, check out the mayor of Denver and the governor. ;) I only spent 2 years at that height and when I left so did the headaches and fuzzy thinking. I still miss the skiing and fishing but you have to look at the big picture and make compromises sometimes.

RKBA!
 
I'm a bit ashamed to admit my first thought was "At least he didn't use a gun".
Kid was F*d up, and did himself in. Sad story that is repeating itself all too often. When are the real problems to be addressed, and the symptoms not treated. I doubt if CDC is going treat electrical cords as a disease. F*ing media! It used to be stories of: Who, what, when, where and why. Now it's stories of: Who, what, when, where and with what.
 
Good Morning All-

RAE...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I'm a bit ashamed to admit my first thought was "At least he didn't use a gun."[/quote]

That was precisely my feeling, too. I'm just waiting for some kid in Nashua, New Hampshire, or San Francisco, California, or Fort Lauderdale, Florida to "do himself/herself in" and leave a note that they are "still depressed over the Columbine massacre..." and see what the media has to say, or should I say, spin?

Make no mistake, these are VERY sad and unfortunate situations, but they are isolated in nature. That teenager would have done what he did at some point, that massacre may have just provided the accelerant he needed to push him over the edge a bit sooner. Very, very sad.

This is depressing me! Gotta' get out on the bike and clear the cobwebs!

Regards to all,

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Being an "old guy" I seem to remember a tradgey in Texas some 20 or more years ago where a disproportionate number of teens were committing suicide amid media reporting of the same.
Shortly after the initial reportings, teens all over the country were copycatting and the media was agast.
Then some smart mental health worker (I doubt there are any left) suggested that the media quit glorifying the actions of these troubled teens. Well they quit the reporting and the teens quit offing themselves.
Amizing.........
 
The Global Net Journal

North American Edition

Tuesday, November 14, 2062

LITTLETON, CENTRAL WESTERN COLLECTIVE - The mass shooting at the Columbine High School of 1999 claimed its latest victim yesterday. Police sources report that Robert Witherspoon, age 81, died of a post-traumatic stress induced heart failure in the early morning hours at the Sleepy Creek Senior Care Facility.

"It's tragic to see young lives like his destroyed by gun violence," said Sleepy Creek director Hans Kreiger. "Thankfully, our government made such wanton acts impossible today with the Gun Ban Act of 2015." The Ban Act, and the subsequent amendment in 2022, made possession of firearms, ammunition and related literature, media or accessories a capital crime against the State.

Family of the deceased stated that Witherspoon had been increasingly grief stricken over the last 20 years of his life.

"If only he hadn't witnessed that horrible tragedy," said the distraught great-granddaughter of the victim, Marylyn Tempelton. "He told me once about that terrifying experience. Apparently, he was in his "private" vehicle, back when you could have one of those, *CENSORED VERB "smoking"* a *CENSORED NOUN "cigarette"* and when he heard some loud noises and drove home. He must have been permanently scarred with that horror. I mean skipping school is a felony against the State, right?"

State officials said that Witherspoon was the 1,849th victim of the weapon-caused incident. As a symbol of solidarity with the victims, food rations are to be withheld for this week in the Central Western Collective.

UNCENSOR30047 NOTE - Replace offending material with approved subject matter from CODEX C11. Remand subject "Tempelton, Marylyn"(CHIPID90ff465d) to local authorities for misdemeanor thought correction - END NOTE
 
Darn, and I thought that the absence of guns in his environment would have stopped this from happening! Seems like he found a way. That is the problem with us humans: we are so darned creative in our use of tools.

I feel bad for him, and moreso for his family, but kids kill themselves the world over every day and this one should not be focused on.

Although, I do think we should do something about all that electrical cord everyone has laying around their house. Maybe a "turn in your electrical cord day" would be a good step toward averting this kind of tragedy.




[This message has been edited by jdthaddeus (edited May 08, 2000).]
 
By and large, suicides spend their short lives looking for reasons to NOT kill themselves. After they give up the search, they'll use anything as a rfeason to off themselves.

Sneakiest people I've ever had to watch (on the psych ward), worse than paranoid schizophrenics with homicidal tendencies.
 
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