Acknowledging long odds, legislators offer anti-bullying bill

I agree, Republicans will never let this see the light of day.

Wouldn’t it just be more honest of these folks to publicly state who they don’t like, who they want to get rid of, who they want “out” of our society? At least that would show they have some nads, but of course they don’t have any of those do they?

I would be against this stupid legislation regardless of who it purports to protect.

I’d vote against it because it would be a vote against the nanny state.

You want to stop bullying? Teach your kid to fight.

Tyrannical regimes need scapegoats. Unfortunately, GLBT’s and abortion providers fill that role for Fundamentalist Christians.

How can people that purport to worship God who is Love and Truth defend such cruelty and intrusion? Either their tenets of faith are untrue or they’re bastardizing a true religion. Also unfortunately, I don’t think the American Taliban care which category their followers fall into as long as they fall into line.

Praise Jebus, God hates kindness, Amen.

Thank you Dennis for being the example of why we need laws to protect ourselves in our community.

Do you feel the same way about all laws then? w hy have any law? if someone murders someone should we have a law against it? Isn’t it a nanny state if we have a law that dictates who we marry then?

Nanny state? The nanny states lies within the Republican party that wants the complete control over certain people to the point of being in the room of a person and their doctors. to dictate what one does in alone in ones bedroom, and what one supports religiously. wait not all Republicans, just the ones that call themselves republicans but are the extreme zealots of the religious right.

Marie, the law against murder and a law against being mean to someone are quite different. Just thought you should know.

at dennis is that true when the outcome is death?

Does it matter if you kill someone with a gun or with torment?

You are the living example of why we need laws to protect ourselves.

I will teach my kids not to fight and NOT to bully. That is what parents should be teaching their children.

Perhaps your christian side needs a bit of recap on the bible.

Actually there is no difference between murder and bullying except the degree of violence.
Teaching your kid to fight back will usually just escalate the violence, with the bully coming back later with friends to help beat your kid even worse than before.

@tsg, exactly that is why we have different punishment to fit the crime. Violence is Violence. An attack on someone is an attack and needs to be dealt with.

Teaching your child to fight is teaching that violence is ok.
t anyone that Calls themselves a Christian would not teach their child that.

So Dennis I guess you don’t believe in Jesus or what he stood for.

Marie, have I ever called myself a Christian? I spend a lot of time defending Christians but I’m not one myself. Isn’t that so very liberal of me?

I was bullied once in school. A kid in the 9th grade bullied me for days at the beginning of the school year. I have no idea why, although the racists amongst you would probably think of one.

When he finally cornered me one day after school, I had no choice but to kick his ass and totally humiliate him in front of his friends. I was never bullied in school again.

We’ve been close friends ever since and just had dinner together recently.

I am sorry, I do not morally support the kicking of anyone’s ass.

My morality stands within peace. I will stand and teach only that to my children. To stand up and to stand forth without a punch or physical torment is the true strength of morality.

its nice to know one bully was able to make friends with another bully. You two are probably very well suited for each other.

Dennis actually stole that whole incident from an episode of “Chico and the Man”.

@ Thomas, I doubt he watched chico and the man, although he might have watched all in the family and thought it was about being a conservative.

But, He does seem to spend a lot of time just finding anything at all to fault as long as it has the title of Dem or Liberal on it.

Just like the ones he supports.

One can not call things a nanny state and then introduce and support bills that not only govern your life, but every personal detail like what is to be kept confidential between you and your doctor.

One can not call it a nanny state to say to say that introducing a law about being a bully is too much government and then support law that can state how you date, and how you live your lives.

There are those who are conservatives and then there are those who are bullies and anti- anything else that they are not. That is what we are dealing with here.

What a waste of time.

This law is already on the books:

[Minnesota Statute] “121A.0695 SCHOOL BOARD POLICY; PROHIBITING INTIMIDATION AND BULLYING.
Each school board shall adopt a written policy prohibiting intimidation and bullying of any student. The policy shall address intimidation and bullying in all forms, including, but not limited to, electronic forms and forms involving Internet use.”

It says “bullying in ALL forms!” Making a list is exclusive. What if your child is bullied because of their haircut or their t-shirt or their favorite actor? Sorry, not on the list!

This is nothing but political pandering. If any district is having problems with bullying, it is not due to state statute but to your school board and administration. Fix the problem at the local level – the state legislature has already given you the tools!

[...] Minnesota, an attempt is being made to add sexual orientation to the list of characteristics that bullying be based on, such as religion, race, sex, [...]

The fact that thomas butler ever watched any episodes of Chico and the Man says all we need to know about thomas butler.

The fact that dennis has problems with TV shows featuring Hispanics pretty much confirms everything we already knew about dennis.

Boy, I stopped reading his comments (Dennis) a long time ago. Why waste time reading the same thing over and over. I can just get a copy of the “Conservative Response to Everything” pamphlet and see it all there. They all use it – over and over and over and over and over. No thought, just the same old same old.

Re: MaryBeth’s 7:06PM comment, one would think existing language would be sufficient. By adding a list of characteristics and making that list non-exclusive, the state further clarifies what an acceptable anti-bullying policy is. This additional language would do away with the neutrality policy at Anoka-Hennepin that tacitly allows homophobic bullying to continue not by the students but also by some staff and parents.

I’ve seen all too often the harm to the community caused when some Christians take over or attempt to take over school policy on the local level. Not everyone in the community subscribes to the same set of “what ought to be – and if not, you are bad and will go to Hell.” Sheesh.

Kevin, I feel as you do. I look forward to Dennis’ being banned very, very soon – and the resultant, more thoughtful dialogue that will hopefully result as we are not constantly side-tracked by his idiotic comments.

@marybeth

I understand your position that it states all bully forms.

But with other laws and or policies on the books that states “neutrality” will be kept, and having anyone that is gay, speak out in any way about him or herself being gay, being sent to the nurse or to the school councilor, is why we need to stipulate the titles of what is consisted in the hate crimes and within the in-equality of what we have in our nation.

it is why we need laws to enforce that all races are looked at equally, and that women are to be paid the same as men.

When there is such hate, and bigotry and force of indoctrination of ones personal religious belief onto the mass public, we need to say yes, this includes all races, religion, sexual orientation.

This is a Civil matter. A hate crime matter, a national terrorist matter.

dennis just get some psychiatric help your mind is all *&^%$ up
to me your like a major car accident
i don’t want to look at the carnage but take that quick glimpse anyway

i just feel so sorry for you , that you just sit and wait to antagonize people
it is a mental health issue dennis and you can’t see it

i wish some how i could tell you my story , i once felt your pain and now i decided to live
like i said 2 hours to eat and 9 hours to bully
a thirty year study of baboons in Africa

this might get me in trouble but i hope not , and right now i don’t give a *&^%
i have 30 years of hurt , pain, and intense anger because of military command retaliation ,
for testifying in one of the most profound naval military court cases in history , on behalf of the plaintiff
where the plaintiff won against the navy and dod [30 years ago

i guess my point is dennis you might piss someone off some day, and think your all cute and funny and probably thinking you get their goat ,or under their skin
it takes much more than that ,they forget you and move on with life ,
and you sit and wait so so sad

my friend it will come back to haunt you ten fold, and the carnage you leave behind will have no value to you it will be just useless rhetoric of a lonely person ,
saying why me

on bullying the law will never be stiff enough except the haunting of the bully’s own mind, when they realize their own hurt
God i feel so sorry for you dennis and all who help you post