Posted on 10/23/2007 2:31:25 PM PDT by uxbridge
The report of a Weare father attacking his daughter's boyfriend on school grounds after discovering the teenagers had sex earlier that day has evoked passion in readers.
The boy is 17 and the girl is 15.
Police say the attack happened Sept. 10 as John Stark High School in Henniker was letting out for the day and was witnessed many students.
The girl's father was charged with simple assault, a class B felony.
A Weare police detective was interviewing the 17-year-old from Henniker yesterday, said Deputy Chief Bill Quigley, but no charges have been filed against him.
Because the girl is not old enough to consent under state law, police are investigating the father's allegation as a sexual assault.
The story drew comments from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to Baghdad, Iraq.
Many people defended the irate father's actions, with one reader suggesting a defense fund be set up and several others saying they would contribute.
"If more parents acted like this father maybe we wouldn't have so many teen pregnancies," wrote Dorie Smith of New Boston. "It's refreshing to see a father stand up for his child and not just say, 'Oh, that's what teenagers do.'"
Others said the man should be prosecuted for violently taking the law into his own hands.
"I am also shocked at the number of people defending the father's actions," wrote Tina Thompson of Sutton. "The father's actions are vigilantism at its worst, and I hope the authorities throw the book at him."
Michelle Howard, of Henniker, said an adult should be expected to have more control over his fist than a teenager has over his hormones.
"As a mother of three boys," she wrote, "I will make sure they get every kiss and so on in writing, to protect us from some testosterone-raging father."
The boy, who police say was dating the girl, was bruised in the attack and required two stitches in his face.
Police said the father discovered the teens had sex during school hours but not on school property.
The New Hampshire Union Leader does not identify sexual assault victims. For that reason, the newspaper is not identifying the father.
Chris, of Nashua, said there's little danger of stigma being attached to anyone involved in the incident.
"The 15-year old girl is not a victim here," he said. "She is a teen engaging in sexual activity - just like 90 percent of her peers. Therefore the father does not deserve to have his name hidden from the public. Publish his name in the paper just like any other adult who is charged with assault."
Meg, of Derry, agreed, saying many teen girls are sexually active.
"People see the word 'rape' in statutory rape and think that the boy forced himself on her like a beast," she wrote. "Let me tell you, that is hardly the case in many instances. ... Assault is assault, Pops. Jail is where you go, and you learn YOUR lesson just like your daughter and her boyfriend learn theirs."
Sue, of Pembroke, said lessons could have been learned, but weren't.
"This would have been the perfect opportunity (for the man) to show his daughter how adults behave themselves when faced with a difficult situation," she wrote. "When she is an adult she will look back and realize the infantile manner in which her father behaved himself."
Tonya Ferrara, of Manchester, said vigilante justice - family style - might play a useful role in crime fighting.
"Maybe if this happened to sex offenders the first time they were caught we wouldn't have repeat offenders," she wrote.
Using violence to solve problems is the real threat to society, wrote Christina, of Henniker.
"Let the father of the boy beat up the father of the girl, and then the older brother beat up the older brother," she wrote. "Why stop there? Why not have his friends beat up her friends? It's views like this that start world wars."
Mark Emerson, of Lancaster, said the man's chief mistake was getting caught.
"Put in that same situation," he said, "I probably would have knocked his lights out also, just without all the witnesses."
Tom Linehan, of Salem, defended the father's actions without qualification.
"There ought to be a fund to help pay the legal fees for people like this father who not only defend their kids but also more broadly defend the rest of us from miscreants," wrote Linehan. "There is no defense for rape."
I’m sick? You’re essentially advocating a father beating up a kid for (GASP) consensual sex with his daughter.
Sounds more like he statutorily raped his daughter.
But in any case, I wouldnt say I'd advocate it--but I would certainly excuse the dad for it.
And I'd be proud to shake his hand.
Typo in previous post, should have said that I’m not an authoritarian. If a mod notices this, please fix above post, thanks.
His life isn’t going to be ruined. Gimme a break. He’s going to have some difficulty to overcome because of a poor choice he made and that’s exactly as it should be.
I'd save the girl's father the trouble of beating him up.
And before you ask, I do have a 17-year-old son. And no, he isn't having sex with anyone.
I’m sure you’re a pretty smart feller while I’m just a fart smeller. A conservative would have a whole lot more respect for the wisdom that comes with age than you seem to have. My kids, both older than you, have long since given up playing fantasy games. Even my grandchildren, all younger than you, are starting to leave their childish ways behind.
Maybe when/if you have a daughter or granddaughter or son or grandson, you might better be able to identify with those who have taken the position that I have taken. I was voting for Reagan before you were even a gleam in your daddy’s eye and I helped to elect him president when you were pooping in your diapers.
Being labeled as a sex offender is more than a little challenging. It will prevent him from working in a large variety of careers, and will dictate where he can live. The stigma attached to it will eliminate many other opportunities. If we send him to prison and limit his opportunity, what does that accomplish? Chances are that he will come out of prison a far worse person than he went in.
He made a poor choice that many, many high school students make. There are probably millions of men out there that did the same thing as this kid. Sorry this is the responsibility of his parents, not the state and the taxpayers.
I’ve already help raise a girl through her teenage years. It just reinforced the views I have. And wisdom does not necessarily come with age. The kind of conservatism you are discussing is not actually conservatism, it is grognardism (see above post).
Don’t listen to anything arderkrag says. Not anything at all. Your instincts are correct, hers are definitely not. If she says she is a guy, don’t believe that either.
You must have a good sense of humor.
Remember that the stories we read can never totally convey the actual circumstances.
Right now that daughter, my number first daughter is in Hawaii, Her new soldier boy has returned from Iraq, lucky to be alive, since an RPG entered his armored vehicle and did not explode.
Well, my wife and I are expecting them to probably announce a marriage when they visit in November.
Tell you marine husband that our American soldiers are the true heroes.
Awww, well God Bless them!
(yeah, my hubby is my hero too!)
Fair enough
And my son’s girlfreinds and their parents know....
1. Daddy is a former Marine
2. He takes no crap
3. He owns guns and knows how to use them
4. If you lay a hand on my son...pray for death
5. My son’s mother, aunties, and sisters take a dim view of young tramps playing the sex game then running to daddy when it suits them.
6. My son’s Mother, aunties, and Sisters all have guns and knowing them, pray that they use them vs what the hell they those valkaries will unleash on anyone who wrongs their men.
I think you missed the part where I said that if I was the girl’s mother, I would clock her myself.
Dad’s already started that ivory tower in the back and each girl is thinking of growing her hair.
And perhaps also you missed the threat by my father to use superglue in a whole new way on HIS daughters.
Trust me, If you taught him to zip it, I taught them that the aspirin trick works just fine. Put it between your knees and hold it. Works every time.
Now you’re bullshitting. You could be Alan Alda with this one. Why Alan Alda? Because your irrelevant rant is almost word for word the thing his ilk would say whenever anyone waxed nostalgic. Possibly such a thing might be said about the 40’s or 50’s but NOT the 70’s
In the mid 70’s. There was not a lot of racial injustice, censorship of speech and decency (!?) laws. And even if there were IT IS NOT RELEVANT TO THE QUESTION UNDER DISCUSSION, ie: the correctness of a father defending his flesh and blood. Got that? The ONLY mistake this father made in my view was the publicity he gave to his "remonstrance" with the punk. He should have caught the boy in a more private setting and made damn sure the kid understood he was persona non grata. Such a thing takes a little violence but not a lot. The violence isn't punishment rather it conveys the seriousness with which the father regards the subject. The past had it's flaws just (as the present day does) but those flaws have NOTHING to do with its virtues which are manifold and manifest.
I the dad is prosecuted, the DA is never going to get a conviction.
I don't fight at the drop of a hat, but I haven't followed that creed my whole life. Having girls under the age of consent, I would've hit the kid too.
And if the kids Daddy thought it was more important to come after me than take care of his sons statutory rape charge, I would have absolutely no problem with that.
Ok, first of all: The pre ‘grognard’ portion of the above quote DOSEN’T MEAN ANYTHING! It is nonsensical. It is argel bargel. You don’t have an answer to something so you made one up.”Not relevant” (especially in such a context)MEANS not relevant.
Second: If you’re gonna throw around a word like ‘grognard’ you might source it and define it. What is the point of using a word you might be reasonably certain others won’t be familiar with? Classic act of fearful hostility.
“’If it took any physical violence, the father is wrong. Simple. It doesn’t matter how things used to be, or what anyone else would have done in the father’s place. The father is wrong.”
I hope to hell you’re a female because you think like one. Ever heard “spare the rod spoil the child”?
Violence has it’s place in society and Man’s affairs. The point of it would be to address and or hold down other or greater wrong. The examples are endless. Freedom flows from the barrel of a gun. Anyone who is unwilling to pick up a gun and use it will be the subject of those who are not afraid to do so. Anyone not willing to, at some practical point, use or be violent is unwilling to take responsibility for their lives and themselves and their beliefs.
Our culture does not and never has advocated violence as a common or first resort in the broad sense. At the social level just as in the broad sense there are acts or points at which an ASSURED VIOLENT REACTION holds down activity that is not in the best interest of the group. If we are not seen as justified in reacting violently to some things the right to protection of ourselves (as well as the right to use violence at all) passes from us.
Your view has pushed a hell of a lot of individual power in to the collective hands of the police. Not long ago if a father slammed some kid up against a tree and told him to stay the hell away from his daughter and maybe popped him once or twice to help him remember, the police would’nt have considered it any of their business. If, however the father seriously hurt or crippled the kid the cops would have taken an interest. As it is now it seems that ANY act of violence must be vetted by the authorities. The police are not unaware of the usefulness of this power and are doing as much as they can to broaden it. Mice like you help them.
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