Posted on 08/26/2006 12:02:16 PM PDT by freedom44
JEANNETTE, Pa. (AP) - Meow. A district judge has been asked to decide whether that word is a harmless taunt or grounds for misdemeanor harassment. Jeannette police charged a 14-year-old boy for "meowing" whenever he sees his neighbor, 78-year-old Alexandria Carasia.
The boy's family and Carasia do not get along. The boy's mother said the family got rid of their cat after Carasia complained to police that it used her flower garden as a litter box.
The boy testified Tuesday that he only meowed at the woman twice. Carasia testified, "Every time he sees me, he meows."
The boy's defense attorney, David Martin Jr., argued that the charge should be dismissed.
"This should never have been filed," Martin said. "This is not something that police should be wasting their time with or wasting the court's time."
Jeannette District Judge Joseph DeMarchis decided to wait 90 days before ruling. DeMarchis said his decision will be based on how the boy and his neighbor get along in the meantime.
I'm a woman and I hold the door open for both men and women. It doesn't have a thing to do with age or gender.
Age does not excuse people from acting like jerks and they are not going to get respect from me if they are jerks.
You might want to read my comments again, particularly the "And, of course the child is being obnoxious, and the parents probably don't control his obnoxiousness as well as they could/should, but this is ridiculous."
I was talking about the government inserting itself into a situation like this.
And, by the way, why, if as you admit, you don't know why the woman would act the way she did and cause the neighbor's cat to be put to death, do you make allowances for her bad behavior and no allowances for the kid's behavior?
AND - WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MEOWING, for Pete's sake. There's no hint of threats or intimidation, no guns were pulled, no punches thrown, no property damaged or even threatened. Well, except for the kid's pet.
That was about six weeks ago. My plants are still pretty much dead, but I don't have a problem with the neighbor's cats anymore.
I've used the larger one with great success. Even so, using it presents two distinct problems.
Opossums are not a problem, and I have caught many. I just release them and they scoot along. But it was only after I caught my first skunk that I realized I had no plan to get rid of it. I didn't even know how I was going to get it out of the trap! I ended up covering it with a blue tarp then carefully opening the trap. It was nauseating, to say the least. He sprayed while caged; he sprayed when I covered the trap; he sprayed while I was trying to get the trap door open; and he left me one final shot as he ran away.
The second problem is seeing my neighbors' kids canvassing the neighborhood posting pictures of their lost pet. I don't care for cats, but I don't want to take a kid's pet. I didn’t take them to the animal control but I did make their lives a living hell while they were in that trap. A little responsibility on the parents’ part would go a long way. But that’s apparently asking a lot.
BTW…I have a dog but he’s the village idiot. I’ve watched as he raised up, eyed a cat walking across the yard then laid back down and went to sleep. Completely worthless.
Do you suppose that maybe the parents allow sonny to behave badly and the elderly woman had no choice? You're making excuses for the rude behaviour so what makes you think Mommy and Daddy aren't approving?
why the woman would act the way she did and cause the neighbor's cat to be put to death,
WHERE in the world did you get this?!
From the article: the family got rid of their cat
WHERE does it state it was killed? And WHY didn't they just keep it indoors? Apparently these people are morons and that makes the elderly woman mean? The woman is nasty because she has flowers, the cat destroys her flowerbeds and she's upset but that's HER fault and not the pet owners?!
AND - WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MEOWING, for Pete's sake.
We are talking about harassing an elderly woman because the neighbors expected her to put up with their pet destroying HER yard. And then expect her to take sonnys harassment.
Once again you ignore the "And, of course the child is being obnoxious, and the parents probably don't control his obnoxiousness as well as they could/should..."
OK - read into my post what you will. Up to you.
LOL. This is a new one to me (and absolutely foolish too) Actually, if you come across a weirdo woman who is socially awkward...you can bet she is a "cat person".
Respect for their wisdom and experience. A young person doesn't have the right to harass and older person any more than an old person has the right to be a royal pain in the butt. It doesn't take much to become "old". In itself it isn't an acheivment.
ever heard of freedom of speech?
"we left burning bags of dog-doo"
You left out the part about ringing the doorbell after you lit the bag.
And limburger cheese on the guys exaust manifold.
I don't have to read anything into your posts. You accused the elderly woman of making them kill their cat. They didn't. You think she's nasty because she doesn't want someone elses animal digging in her flowerbed.
You may say the kid is obnoxious but then say you don't know why the woman would act the way she did and cause the neighbor's cat to be put to death, do you make allowances for her bad behavior and no allowances for the kid's behavior?
I know EXACTLY why the elderly woman got mad......the cat dug up her flowerbed. I'd be mad too. My own furbaby does NOT dig in my flowers. It's obvious why the elderly woman behaved the way she did, her neighbors think their cat belonged in her yard.
The kids bad behaviour is another matter. He has NO reason to behave badly. His parents gave away his cat, not the neighbor. The old lady only defended HER property rights.
If the neighbor was a real prick you drove a potato up his exaust pipe and seeded his lawn with rock salt!
Their cat dug up her flowerbed. So just who is being a pain in the butt neighbor?
It doesn't take much to become "old". In itself it isn't an acheivment.
At 78 she deserves to be left alone. If she plants and weeds a flowerbed at that age, do you believe it's ok for a neighbors pet to dig it up? Instead of keeping the cat indoors, they got rid of it. So it's HER fault? And it's ok for the kid to harass her because his parents gave away his cat? I don't think so. She has a right to be left alone and in peace and for her garden to be unmolested by others pets.
Reading the replies on this thread just blows my mind.
You have 'Dad' in your screen name. Would you allow your kids to taunt an elderly woman? You would really consider it a freedom of speech issue? Since the parents put the cat to sleep over the issue, instead of keeping it inside, they sound like a pair of idiots. I wouldn't expect them to straighten the kid out - they probably are encouraging it. But as conservative poster... you would be happy about their behavior?
Yup. The 78 yr old has no rights and a bratty kid has the right to be disrespectful and harassing. And people wonder why kids are such brats nowadays.
Actually the article doesn't say that.
The boy's mother said the family got rid of their cat
If you've never opened your front door on a hot day and walked past your flower bed that the neighbor's cat uses as a litter box - you won't understand this story!!
I could have been mean about it, but I had a different idea. When I would see him, I would wave. I told my children to do the same thing. At first he ignored us. One day my kids came in all excited that he had waved at them. Eventually he smiled. Now we walk across the street and talk politics and how he wishes the neighborhood were the same as it used to be. It's too bad he won't get a computer and internet access. I told him he would make a great Freeper.
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