Blame Lindh's permissive parents

Boston Globe Online ^ | December 13, 2001 | Jeff Jacoby

[William Wallace]

IT ISN'T THE CASE that the parents of John Walker Lindh - the Marin County child of privilege turned Taliban terrorist - never drew the line with their son.

True, they didn't do so when he was 14 and his consuming passion was collecting hip-hop CDs with especially nasty lyrics.

[Jack Wilson]

Parents with different last names is a clue.

[D-fendr]

There was a long article detailing his web postings over a long period of years (I think he may have had his own site). He listed a great deal of hip-hop albums and songs - I believe a lot of it was trading kinda stuff. It was also posted on FR. I did a search but couldn't find it using the obvious keywords. I believe it had a more obscure title. Perhaps someone else remembers.

[Slyfox]

Walker's upbringing reminds of something I read in Bill Clinton's mother Virginia Kelly's autoboigraphy, "Leading With My Heart". She said that her way of dealing with the subject of honesty was to ask Bill, "Honest Injun?" And he would respond, "Honest Injun." She never did check to see if he was ever telling the truth.

Some parents deserve to feel the shame of a kid done wrong.

[f.Christian]

"Libertarian/anarchy...

One of those premises is that without the self discipline, morality, and rationality required for self government, liberty crumbles into madness, and people clamor for the police state to restore order."

Back with the links...

[Aquinasfan]

There comes a time of accountability where you have to be responsible for your own actions, and not blame others (including parents). Many people turn out just fine despite how they were or weren't raised.

Still, the parents bear a lot of responsibility. To me, this kind of "abuse by apathy" can be worse than physical abuse. What can be worse than giving a child the impression that there is no truth and nothing worth living or dying for?

Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is grown he will not depart from it.

[Orangedog]

Parents with different last names is a clue.

Really I expected that the mother of this nit-wit would have been one of the hyphenated wives.

[Cosmologist]

Bump

[freeeee]

??????????

You think Bill and Hill are libertarians?

Where, oh where did you get that idea?

[goldstategop]

Charles Lindh Walker AKA Abdul Hamid found the discipline and direction he searched for all his life by rejecting ALL the values he was raised to believe in. And to his parents that's not a betrayal of them any more than his conduct amounted to a betrayal of his country. They should take a moment to hear themselves make excuses for a boy they never set limits for. Instead they act like he was away on leave in summer camp and son you took some cookies from the camp counselor's jar that's naughty naughty. No wonder they expect him to be let off with a slap on the wrist. I hope for all our sakes that our government gives him the ransom's wages due a traitor and none too soon.

[freeeee]

Libertarian/anarchy

Two entirely separate theories.

Anarchists have no prohibition of initiation of force or fraud.

Try again.

[seamus]

So, Jeff Jacoby has been hired back from the newspaper that ran him off for no reason. When did this happen?

By the way, I wrote about this in my column last week. If interested, Click here.

[William Wallace]

It doesn't matter in the end. There comes a time of accountability where you have to be responsible for your own actions, and not blame others (including parents). Many people turn out just fine despite how they were or weren't raised.

I agree that the parents' permissiveness won't (and shouldn't) save him from execution for treason if convicted. They are not legally responsible for Lindh's actions, but they certainly abdicated their responsibilities as parents. They did their son no favors by sparing the rod and never saying no.

[William Wallace]

"Frank, Marilyn (not Mom and Dad), I've joined a new group I'm sure you would approve of; we train to shoot and kill my fellow countrymen, skin reporters, and basically destroy anybody who doesn't believe just as we do. Can I get a hug?"

Precisely.

[Aquinasfan]

I did a search on child. Look at these selections from...

Proverbs

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.

The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.

He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.

Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

[mikeb704]

John Lindh deserved ''a little kick in the butt'' for keeping them in the dark about his plans, his father said . . .

Or maybe a firing squad.

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

[f.Christian]

"too many people in the last 35 years have devised a delusional system whereby they look upon reality and pleas to take basic responsibility as an oppressive right-wing conspiracy"...

delusional system/denial of reality---sounds libertarian to me!

"take basic responsibilty"...

admit some kind of objective social order, law--decency besides personal subjective choice, taste--desire--DELUSION...ok"

Is = is!

[winstonchurchill]

Has this been documented or is Jacoby one of these "all hip-hop lyrics are nasty and violent" people?

Oh yes, show me the 'documentation.' Wasn't it just last week I heard that nice little hip-hop lullaby? And Handel's hip-hop Messiah is particularly nice this time of year.

Maybe we ought to get some 'documentation' that 'ebonics' isn't the King's English?

[headsonpikes]

"...and people clamor for the police state..."

First in line, are you?

[mombonn]

I posted this to Teacup on this thread the other day:

He wanted to be told precisely how to dress, to eat, to think, to pray. He wanted a value system of absolutes, and he was willing to go to extreme lengths to find it.

His father says he was not bothered when his two sons rejected the “strict Catholic manner” of his own upbringing.

Just a bit of disconnect here. Kids WANT boundaries in their lives. His parents didn't provide them.

24 posted on 12/10/01 10:26 AM Pacific by mombonn

What a pity, his parents STILL don't get it. Dad wants to give him a little kick in the "butt", and thinks the U.S. should provide him transportation to visit the kid. Sheesh

[Sloth]

People who 'raise' children in this fashion are 1.) child abusers, and 2.) don't love their kids.