How many days would they have taken off if he had KILLED THE GUY? A week?
Mammoth Spring schools are closed today in observance of the funeral of twice armed-robber and once shooter-of-an-old-man Jessie Johnson, who died in the Oregon County jail fire.
Way to set an example for the kids there, guys.
Contact info for Mammoth Spring High School:
410 Goldsmith Ave
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554
(870) 625-7212
(870) 625-7213
UPDATE: Here's some more contact info, for those interested:
According to the Mammoth Spring school website, here are the school board members:
Remona Combs
Route 2 Box 56A
Mammoth Spring, Arkansas 72554.
870-625-3523
rcombs@ozarks.com
Mark Cooper
5 Patricia Ave
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-9792
(870) 625-3658
Donell Russell
182 Bamber
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554
(870) 625-7541
Devon Smoot
17172 Highway 9 N
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-7082
(870) 625-3953
John Walsh
PO Box674
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-0674
(870) 625-3089
And here's the superintendent:
Mr. Ronald Taylor
6375 Highway 63 S
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-9232
(870) 625-7571
posted by The Last American at 9:20:00 AM
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35 Comments:
Jail Fire in Alton Missouri Thursday September 6th, 2007
According to the West Plains Daily quill:
"REASONS FOR INCARCERATION
Court records show why the six men were in the jail.
Jesse Johnson faced armed robbery charges involving the Flash Mart Convenience Store in Mammoth Spring and the Bullseye Convenience Store in Thayer. Bail was set at $400,000.
The Thayer incident took place in April and included a scuffle in which a customer was shot in the left leg but not critically wounded, according to court records.
The Mammoth Spring incident occurred in January. Johnson was armed with a gun, records show."
I have been told the Mammoth Springs Arkansas school system was closed today, Monday Sept. 10th because of his death, (Jesse Johnson) and I am totally appalled. Just because he had attended school there.
What kind of individual(s) are running the school system, that have no regard for the entire rest of the school system, and make a decision on Friday afternoon to shut the school down on Monday? Parents scrambling to find somewhere for their kids to go, or parents having to take off work, or the ones who never even found out, because it was not put out over just news, just by "word of mouth"
Johnson put himself in the situation he was in, by robbing two convenience stores at gunpoint, and shooting a person, and it is sickening that we are closing school systems for a criminal. These people were in jail for a reason.
And we wonder why kids are carrying guns to school? When the very system that should be protecting them, condones violent criminal behavior!
I wouldn't want to have to tell a child, "You have no school tomorrow, because a guy that went to your school was in jail, and died in a fire set by the criminals."
Shame on the Superintendent and school board who let him get away with that decision!
Dee,Springfield, MO
John can you contact me at 417-860-5771. I am a parent in Mammoth who would like to see something done about this and am looking for support. Thanks Travis
If I had a child attending Mammoth Spring School system, I would have the job of the Superintendent and the school board for allowing such a memorial service not to mention canceling school for such an event! It is a different matter to be fighting the terriorists from abroad but, to be memorializing criminals at home is absolutely absurbed!! Where are the ministers and clergy of Mammoth Springs? Has this community forgotten good sound family values and morals? God help you and your families from the ignorance of those you have elected! Come on people it is time to stand up for your children if not yourselves!
I agree in many ways but at the same time people who live in rural counties do things different. They use schools as a funeral home. Huh? do you think that might of happened here. And do you not think that your child may or may not run with a wrong crowd and not get it straight, maybe after it might be to late? Hum again. I pray for all of you. For your children that they stay away from kids that might get them in trouble. And like the Bible says "Those that are without sin, cast the first stone" Are you sinless, is your heart right with God right now? Sure glad we live in a free country so that you may speak your mind, but as I sit here I still think the boy (may I repeat that) BOY is dead, no reason to bash him any more. He paid for his sin, with his life. But I still think no one deserves to die like that. So as you sit judgeing, think of your self breathing smoke, and possibly burning to death and no one is coming to help you, because you have made some bad choices in their minds. Of course here again this is a free country and I have a right to my thoughts. And you know some thing else? As far as you know I could be a family memeber. Kind of makes you wonder doesn't it? I sure would hate people to write bad things on a member of your family and you read it as you are laying them in the ground. Jessie will never know what you have said. But his family will. Think of that before you open your mouth.
I could care less if you are a family member. I would tell all his family members myself. I wonder what kind of family would not refuse the school considering the circumstances. There are funeral homes over there..
I lived in a small town, a county over from West Plains, and I can tell you it wouldn't have happened there.. It is not like we had a current high school student get killed in a car wreck over the weekend.. He was old enough to make a right or wrong decision. He chose the wrong one. TWICE! And for all I know, he was part of the reason the jail got set on fire.
(I beleive part of a bible was burned??)
17 years old is an adult, or he wouldn't have been in jail with a $400,000 bond. He chose robbery over working.
If alot more families raised their children with beliefs as "yesterday" we wouldn't have kids with earrings all over them, tattos all over them, guns in school, and kids out robbing convenience stores, and shooting people. I am sick of people saying " they are just expressing themselves. My children graduated 10 years ago. They didn't rob anybody, get pregnant before getting out of high school, get arrested for minor in possession,,,etc..They both had jobs at 16, and both have achieved something in their lives..It is becasue of christian moral values, and we as the parents being in control. We might have a whole lot less kids carrying guns to school, if the very backbone of the society said what was done before his death, and what society done after his death was wrong. If it had been my kid, there would been NO a memorial /funeral at a school. PERIOD. I guess we should forget what the elementary children might get from this, because of poor Jesse? What about the impact on them? There are more sick twisted kids out there, that are going to see what was done for the "bad guy" and one of them will copy cat it. It is time someone took a stand and said "no more" or there won't be civilization.
It is people using the words christian, and saying "you are judging", that has the the world where it is today. They are usually the ones that go to church on Sunday and pray the seeds they reaped thru week don't grow.
The whole point is being missed..It doesn't make any difference if it was Johnson, or any other murderer, robber, sex offender.They are all in the same category..The Superintendent of Mammoth Springs Ar should ousted for that judgement call. If someone from school wanted to go to a memorial, they could have taken the day off from school and went,,It should have been anywhere but in the school system. Are we going to start shutting schools down everytime a law breaker dies? There are going to be alot of closed schools on a daily basis. Anybody think about the 70 year old man that was shot, from the school system or Johnsons' family? Bet not..
I'm pretty sure Johnson was alone when he was robbing and shooting. This isn't a question of religion, it's a question of right and wrong. And if there was no emotional ties, It would be a lot easier for people to see that this was just worng. Not only does it send a bad messsage to the children, but it sends the wrong message to criminals also. I was born and raised in a small town, and what the school system did is beyond a little different. I can't think of enough words to express how I feel about this issue. As a society we cannot make it appear that we think its ok to memorialize a violent felon at our schools. I talked to the school today. There was no memorial service in memory of September 11th, But there was for Johnson on September 10th. I also spoke with the 70 year old man that Johnson shot at the Bullsey robbery. Needless to say he is not happy with the message it sends. I've been trying to get the department of education to return my calls for 2 days but apparently they don't care and the Governor's office says what happened is a local issue. Well, I say It's a state issue at the very least. We raise our children to go out into the world, Not to go out into Mammoth Spring. A school board member from Mammoth made the statement last night that if people didn't like, they would have to just get over it. This isn't something that will just be gotten over. It needs fixed. If a student does something wrong at school, they get punished. If an educated senior staff member at the school makes a horrible decision that affects our society, " They need to be punished." Thats my 2 cents and I'll continue to try and make things right. Call your government and let them know you care and it affected you.
Travis
you know something, he did wrong, but he asked for forgiveness, and if you people are so miserably bored with your lives that you have to judge jesse,then I feel sorry for YOU! Most of you have only heard of him from this one incident...When he died....Did you ever stop to think that his little brother would ever see this....To his whole family and to alot more, Jesse was a hero in the end....He made ONE bead choice....Everyone i know has not even heard of this "he did both robberies" business....He didn't. He Did one thing that We all know he was regretting every minute of everyday. Jesse was a hero...He told the ones who did make the wrong choice to start the fire, how to cover themselves with towels and showed them how to LIVE while he couldn't do anything for himself...The day jesse died, he was put infront of God and God welcomed him.....He was always a sweet person...People forget that he was a human...Put yourself in his family's position...His girlfirend's.....Could you live with yourself if you only knew how much pain this is causing them..Quit judging Jesse....The only one allowed to do that is God and Tonight, Jesse is with the lord and they are not shedding any tears for your words...If anything, they are smiling cause in the end, Jesse and God will only know what really went on between them....
AND as for school getting out.....
Let it go...It's over and done with. Move on and find some other thing to complain about....
It's not "what goes around, comes around". It's "live and let live."
Try reading the newspaper, or better yet go to the court house and read what his charges, and I say charges, not CHARGE were.
This according to area wide media:
"Chief Bernard said that he had a written statement from Johnson admitting to the robbery and the shooting, as well as the robbery of the Flash Market Convenience Store in Thayer in January. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken in that robbery."
Once again, this is NOT a religous issue. Ever heard of ethics or morals?
Did you ever think what his heroism is costing the people? The money he stole from the convenience stores, the money spent on law enforcement working the case, the meals the taxpayers paid for, as well as his upkeep, the medical bills of a man he shot, and the state money that the school lost shutting the school down. THOUSANDS! The people of the state who work for a living, will be rebuilding that jail.
I couldn't live with the pain of knowing I raised someone to be like that, and would have had a quiet funeral, out of respect for the rest of the area.
As far as judging Jesse, it would make no difference if it was him, or some other menace to society. Do we start shutting the schools down every time a robber, murderer, drug dealer, child sex molester dies, because they once went there?
You may have noticed that after posting this, I stepped back out of the way to allow the comments to go where they would. I wanted to give people the chance to comment on this without my interference.
Sufficient time has now passed for me to step back in and add some more of my two cents' worth.
My purpose in this was not to demonize Johnson but rather to call attention to the Mammoth Spring school system that chose to close down and provide facilities for Johnson's funeral.
From what I gather, it has not done the same in other instances where a death affected some students in the school.
So why did they do it for Johnson?
Yes, he was a kid. But it is important to remember what he admitted doing. He admitted to armed robbery at two convenience stores and shooting a man in the process. The only difference between Johnson and a murderer is that his victim lived.
Those of you who keep commenting on what a nice guy Johnson was need to remember that. He shot a guy, who now has to undergo painful and expensive procedures on his leg. And will no doubt now be stuck with the bill for it since Johnson isn't around to make payments on it anymore.
Doesn't sound like such a nice guy to me.
All of you who oppose any criticism of Johnson, where were you when the cashier at Bullseye had to miss several days of work because she was so distraught over what Johnson had done to her? Did you step in and offer to help her pay her bills? Should she be comforted that you think the young man that did it to her was a nice guy?
Are you helping the guy he shot learn to walk again? Are you helping pay his medical bills? Should he just forget everything that Johnson did to him, because YOU think Johnson was a nice guy?
If armed robbery and shooting a guy doesn't disqualify someone from being considered a "nice guy," what on earth DOES?
Jesse Johnson drew a line in the sand. He took his place on one side with all the other violent criminals and put his victims on the other side with all the law-abiding people of America. Which side are you on?
I am mystified at this "You shouldn't talk about it; his family might see and be upset" argument that keeps coming up. Everyone has a family. Does this mean no crimes should be discussed because every criminal has relatives? Charles Manson has relatives. Jeffrey Dahmer has relatives. The Unabomber has relatives. And all of those relatives are no doubt upset when unflattering things about their loved ones are printed. Should nobody denounce their actions? Should nobody object when they are coddled? Should nobody speak up when they are rewarded for committing violent crimes against people?
Again, yes, Johnson was a kid. And no, he did not deserve to die the way he did for the crimes he admitted to committing. But I again remind you that the only difference between him and a murderer is that his victim lived.
He didn't deserve to die, but neither did he deserve to be honored with the small-town equivalent of a state funeral.
The purpose of school is to teach students, not to give them the day off to honor criminals who have passed away. Do they shut down the school every time a law-abiding individual with ties to students dies? No.
So why do it for a criminal?
I have to wonder what sort of message that sends to impressionable students. Is it unreasonable to assume that the message some of them got was "Thugs and lawbreakers get rewarded with special honors, while normal, law-abiding people are left out in the cold"? Why sign up for a tour of duty in Iraq when if you die there, the people in your hometown will barely notice? Why risk your life running into a burning building to save a child when your school, if you die in the attempt, won't even pause to remember you? Why not die in jail after shooting a guy and committing two armed robberies instead, since THAT will get the muckey-mucks in your town to act like you were a big shot?
That's not a message schools should be sending children. That's on the people in the administration and school board of Mammoth Spring schools, not on Jesse Johnson.
What Jesse Johnson did was criminal. What the Mammoth Spring schools did after his death was an abomination.
Yes i know he did wrong...I am not trying to make up for that... I want to say that John pointed out he would not make payments ANYMORE! and tis is because he is dead...He regreted shooting the old man, he regretted do everything he did. Did all of you make this much noise when Joshua Mullins got killed and had a funeral at the school....I dont really know if you did, but it was held during the summer...School held the funeral for the family. Yes kids could have taken off, but the funeral was on a monday, and that wouldn't be right to have kids walkin around campus with a funeral....It our business, not yours. We continually bring up the family because, unlike manson and Dahamr, Jesse did not Kill anyone. Yes he ruined someone's life, but he was SORRY! Do you not think he could be sorry....His Family go to church, they know what he did was wrong, but they also know he was wantin to make it right...That is why i bring them up..Jesse was turnin his life into somethin good.
Are you trying to say that you all just like to make big deals out of things that do not concern you...
people are grieving.....Let them..Quit telling them about how WRONG jesse was..We know. But we also know the NICE jesse... The one you all didnt'. YOU ALL DIDNT' KNOW HIM PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!!!! Find something else to worry about...Because in the end, Yes it was criminal, but itwas FAR from abomination. He is in Heaven so i think that is all that matters. I am sorry to the man who was shot and i know he is angry, but it's our school..No one was proud of what he did...Even he wasnt', but we were proud of him and how he DID save lives from the fire....
Please Let it go and let jesse rest.
As a parent of children who went to school with Jesse I'm appalled people would be so callous as to pass judgment don't you know it's only God who can judge the things he did not humans who are always erring.Not only was Jesse a friend of me and my family but a neighbor also , I do not feel it was wrong for school to close as most people would have missed school that day anyways.Jesse admitted he was wrong and got forgiveness from God most who critisize him and the school's decision I bet don't attend church /have never been in a church. I wonder when they die if God will in fact be as forgiving as he was for Jesse's crimes I doubt it.Everyone makes mistakes be it drinking, committing adultery but these things they see nothing wrong with you only judge him because he did not come from a wealthy family which is hypocritical if his family had money it would be just fine with you .Mammoth Spring school paid tribute to a student /friend and how dare you say the things you have said you should examine yourself do you see no wrong in you I very much doubt it . Be prepared you are going to get lots of responses because you have no right to pass these kinds of judgements if you are a church member repent because Christians do not judge this way, I really feel sorry for you.Perhaps , Jesse's home is in a much better place then all the people who are posting comments against him and the school and if you are a teacher I hope you lose your job .God forgive you the only one able to truly judge anyones sins is God , you aren't them get over yourself.
Some of you say that for mammoth spring school to take off was wrong. well,you are wrong,the whole school knew Jesse and most likely their would have be no people at school that day. and you cant have school if there is not so many people there. which i can tell you the hall would have been empty that day. everyone would have skipped school to go the Jesse's funeral. Even I myself would have skipped school to go.
Also you can not judge Jesse by his actions,for most of you did not know him. Also the only thing that the papers and news said about him was his wrong doings. Tell me did you ever stop to think what he was like before he made his wrong desision. Most likely no, many people has made wrong desisons in their lives. At least he omited to his crimes and was sorry for them,most criminal dont even admit to their crimes. Mammoth Spring School was right in closing for the reason i stated at the beging.
The only reason he admitted his crimes was that he got caught! What kind of sick statement is" His family went to church" That doesn't make what he did right, or the school shutting down right. If his family is such "good" christians why didn't they think of the rest of the community that they would be "putting" out when they had to take the day off to take care of their kids, or hire a babysitter? Jesse and his family were still sucking from the community...even after his death. If they were such good christians, why didn't they Jesse have a better moral standards? They could have had a funeral at a funeral home, church, or even a graveside service. A cemetary is a big enough place to hold a funeral!
And for the moron who said "It our business, not yours" and "Everyone makes mistakes be it drinking, committing adultery" The answer to that is 1. When you bring it to people in the community,and affect their lives, you make it their business.
2. Drinking is not illegal unless you you drink and drive, or commit a crime where it is involved and the last time I checked adultery wasn't illegal in the state statutes.
This statement "Did all of you make this much noise when Joshua Mullins got killed and had a funeral at the school....I dont really know if you did, but it was held during the summer.." The key words are "held during summer" The rest of the commmunity wasn't put out because school wasn't in session. If you are going to attempt to debate something, at least try comparing like situations, because that only shows your ignorance. Jesse and his family put themselves in the situation they were in, not the community. As far as the paper stating only his wrong doings, it is pretty much obvious he hadn't done anything in his life good that was worthy of the news, or that would have made it to the paper as well. I see stories all the time of everyday TRUE heros.
If you were such good christians you would realize that God chose his death,and for a reason.
A child from the Mammoth Springs area said:
What Jesse did wasn't wrong, he only robbed that store to buy his girlfriend a ring"
Whether is is true or not, makes no difference, the fact is that the mentality of a person who said it so that a child would overhear it, pretty much somes up the mentality of Jesse' family and friends, as that would no doubt be something that was said by someone close enough to him to know if it is true.
My, my. Where to start? Probably the best way to respond is piece by piece.
mel wrote:
"He regreted shooting the old man, he regretted do[ing] everything he did."
Did he? Or did he regret getting CAUGHT? Did he do ANYTHING to pay restitution to the stores he robbed? Did he help the Bullseye cashier pay her bills on the days she had to take off because she was so shaken up? Did he pay the older gentleman's medical bills? If he did, I certainly haven't heard anything about it. When you truly regret something you did, you do whatever it takes to make it right. From what I've seen, Jesse didn't.
"It's our business, not yours."
Let me get this straight. He comes into MY town, robs at gunpoint two stores I frequent. At the Bullseye, a store I go to virtually EVERY DAY, he shoots a guy. I have even been in Bullseye at that very time of night when I couldn't sleep. He gets arrested and put in MY county jail, costing MY tax dollars for his upkeep. He dies there, and MY fire department and sheriff respond to the fire. And it's none of my business? What color is the sky in the world you live in?
"We continually bring up the family because, unlike Manson and [Dahmer], Jesse did not Kill anyone."
He tried. Tell me something. If all he intended to do was rob the store, why did he put bullets in his gun? He could have flashed an empty gun at the cashiers and they would not have known it was not loaded. He put bullets in it for one reason and one reason only - he intended to shoot someone. And the older gentleman is not out of the woods yet - infection can set in at any point and still kill him. Why should Jesse get a break just because his attempt to kill the old man was not immediately successful? The only difference between murder and attempted murder is the accuracy of the shot.
"We also know the NICE JESSE..."
You need to stop acting like they were two different people. What ever good deeds Jesse did, however NICE you perceived him to be, when he made the choice to commit armed robbery, he threw all that in the trash. When he chose to fire a gun at an innocent citizen, he rejected every good thing about him. HE chose the dark side.
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!!!"
If you truly believe this, then you have no idea what a right is. Read Amendment 1 to the U.S. Constitution. I have every right.
"another friend" wrote:
"don't you know it's only God who can judge the things he did not humans who are always erring."
Then why do we have laws? Why do we have juries, which, I remind you, are made up of humans? As a parent, do you let your kids to absolutely anything they want? After all, as a human, are you not imperfect and therefore incapable of judging their actions? Shouldn't you just throw up your hands and insist that only God can judge?
"Everyone makes mistakes be it drinking, committing adultery"
You're not seriously equating having a beer with shooting a guy? The difference is that drinking in and of itself does not violate anyone's rights.
And it wasn't a "mistake." It was a series of CHOICES. He CHOSE not to get a job to get the money he wanted. He CHOSE to pick up a gun and TAKE what he wanted. He CHOSE to load the gun. He CHOSE to walk into Flash Market, point the gun at an innocent cashier, and demand money. He CHOSE to go home and not turn himself in. He CHOSE to go on with his life and pretend he was still the nice guy you all want to believe he was. Then, he CHOSE to do it again. He CHOSE to lock the woman in Bullseye in the bathroom at gunpoint. He CHOSE to have absolutely no concern for her well-being. He CHOSE to give her nightmares for the rest of her life. And when an innocent customer walked into the store, he CHOSE to shoot him. He then CHOSE to run like a coward instead of staying and calling an ambulance to make sure the man didn't bleed to death.
It wasn't an accident. It wasn't a mistake. He didn't trip and fall and accidentally rob people. He CHOSE to put himself on a path that ended in a jail fire. Any suffering his family feels is a result of HIS actions and they and you should be angry at HIM, not at those of us who don't think it's appropriate for school to be shut down to honor an armed robber.
"how dare you say the things you have said you should examine yourself do you see no wrong in you [?]"
I have never claimed to be perfect. The difference is, my imperfections don't affect other people. They don't violate anyone's rights. They don't hurt anybody. They don't put anybody in danger. - I've never shot anyone. But if I was someone who did do those things, I would hope that when I die, and if my family asked to have a funeral at my old high school, someone in charge there would stand up and say, "No, it's not appropriate to use the school facilities for the funeral of a criminal."
"you have no right to pass these kinds of judgements."
Again, see the Constitution.
Also, nearly everything I've said is objectively, demonstrably true. That means they are facts, not judgements.
"Anonymous" said:
"everyone would have skipped school to go to Jesse's funeral."
Even if true, they would have had an absence count against them, just as an absence counts against a student who misses school to go to her aunt's funeral. Why do it for Jesse and not for every other student who loses a loved one?
"Also you can not judge Jesse by his actions, for most of you did not know him."
It is precisely BECAUSE I did not know him that I am able to step back, take the emotion out of it, and look at it rationally and objectively. This is something you need to do as well. Let's take Jesse and Mammoth Spring out of the question. Let's say it was some other city, maybe Salt Lake City. And you see on the news that a student there had robbed two stores and shot a guy, and died in jail awaiting trial. If someone asked YOU if that student should be honored with a funeral in the school and a day off for students, you would say not just NO but HELL NO!
Now let's say it's 2005 and there's an issue on the ballot (and you can vote even if you're underage) in Mammoth Spring. The question is:
"Should school facilities be made available to hold funerals for violent criminals, and should students be given the day off to honor those violent criminals?"
Yes or no?
I would hope the vast majority would vote no.
There's a line in BATMAN BEGINS that you need to think about - It's not who you are on the inside that matters; it's what you DO.
The ONLY way we have to assess the quality of other people IS through their actions.
"At least he [admitted] to his crimes and was sorry for them"
AFTER he was caught red-handed. It would be kind of stupid to claim you're innocent when you've been caught with a vehicle full of stolen items. If he hadn't been caught, how many more stores would he have robbed by now?
How dare you.
NONE of you bashers knew anything about Jesse, nor did you know him.
You Do NOT know the Mammoth Spring School system.
And yes.
It is SPRING. Not Springs. Say it right.
I am a student at Mammoth right now, and I am appaled at what some of you are saying!
One kid from our school died, and yes, a funeral was held there, and yes, school was let out that day, but so?
If school HAD of went on, then over half of the school would of missed for the funeral anyways causing even MORE problems.
I can not believe that a bunch of adults, I'm guessing adult even though most of you act more like children, started this, and AGREE to it!
It was a tragedy for those of us in the Mammoth School District, and for you to dishonor Jesse, also bashing the school system, you should ALL feel ashamed.
You probably won't listen to me, but you should.
Yes.
Jesse admitted to the charges.
Yes.
Jesse done wrong.
But no,
Jesse did NOT deserve to die.
And for those of you calling the government...and the school system repeatedly.
Shame. On. You.
Think on this.
For just a minute.
In the least, humor me.
What if Jesse had of been YOUR kid.
What if you had to go through what is family is?
Or what his friends are?
Or what the Mammoth Spring School District is?
You would NOT be complaining over this.
No, I'm not saying that you would of had the funeral at the school, but still.
Once again, assuming that you are all adults, excluding the ones who said otherwise, you should feel ashamed.
If you got something else to say to me then e-mail me.
I'll tell you EXACTALLY what I think.
zalecyn@yahoo.com
Zoe Watson.
Yes we may have typed Springs rather than Spring, but you spelled "appalled" incorectly, and the rest of your grammar isn't great either. It shows your your maturity and education level.
And yes, I do know the Mammoth school district. My grandchildren go there.
My husband has a saying
"People do as well as they know, and sometimes they don't know so well" You and the people who keep posting of christianity, and Jesse being so wonderful are evidence his saying is correct.
Zoe,What was the number that attended Jesse' funeral? Then minus the amount of adults...How many were just high school level?
Then why don't you find out what the total number enrolled in the elementary section is, and then the number in the high school. My guess is that your numbers are exagerated.
Is Jesses' family willing to pay for all the peoples missed days off work to stay at home and take care of their elementary age children or the sitters that were hired? Do you not realize that the system has to make up that day off, or lose the state money? Nope,,because you are trying to argue out of caring for a friend, not the moral, and dollars and cents issue of it.
I keep trying to leave Jesse out, and say it makes no difference if was him or someone else, and you people keep dragging him back in. ZOE, do we shut down every school in the USA that has a death for a "once" student who robbed, raped, or murdered someone? I say once student, as Jesse wasn't going currently, and wasn't coming back to school, he was going to PRISON.
I have recently talked to a close friend of jesse and the advice i got was very correct....
He is dead...Alright!??Dee said she didnt want to drg jesse back into this, but is the one who seems to like to bash the most....Jesse to us was an angel with broken wings...now say what you will, but we knew him.. He had bad times and he had good times and you all keep saying he chose the wrong path. Yes he did. But he did regain faith an dasked for forgiveness everday and night. In god's eyes, he was tryin to get on the right path. I understand everyone is just so upset that the school was canceled. But it is OVER!!! i repeat..........OVER!!!!!!done....
let it rest cause to be honest, know one really cared what hipocritical citizens have to say... no one. So i just want everyone to stop makin it a big deal. Jesse was no "rapist, murder, or anything like that!" THE GUN DISENGAGED!! i dont know why he had bullets in the gun, Butyou sure as hell dont either... You can only presume. He shouldnt have done it. We all know it. And whatever child thought it was okay, because of the ring business, need to talked to. It wasn't right, and jesse knew it. But he wasnt thinkin. That is where parents need to step in and teach their own kids about right and wrong. Zoe was right...you dont know anything about jesse. SO for his sake and T's, i am going to let it go. What you are doin is Cyber Bullying....So in the end, you are the wrong ones..
Goodbye HATERS!!
I just pray that you never have to go through anything like this. Cause if you had people judgin and being the way you are, it would kill you.
Sorry for being right,
REST IN PEACE JESSE
(no matter what they say)
Your in Heaven, that is all that really matters anyway!
He's dead so lets all just let it go so the school will think it was OK and do it again. Apparently "you" didn't know Jesse he was the violent felon that shot a man. It dosen't matter how nice he was, it wasn't right. Why don't we all let the school send the wrong message to our kids so we have to fix it when they get home. The fact is what he did was as bad a rapest. His victims could suffer from PTSD just the same. You some common sense. I doubt anyone that is defending what the school did would have anything to say if them or their family was the one shot or held at gunpoint. Stop trying to rationalize it and see it for what it was.
Dee, you have got to be the coldest, most disrespectful person I have ever heard of in my life.
"Is Jesses' family willing to pay for all the peoples missed days off work to stay at home and take care of their elementary age children or the sitters that were hired? Do you not realize that the system has to make up that day off, or lose the state money? Nope,,because you are trying to argue out of caring for a friend, not the moral, and dollars and cents issue of it."
Dee, could you be any more selfish? What if one of your grandchildren died in a fire? I really hope you wouldn't disown one of your grandchildren for committing a crime, but you seem like the type who I'm sure would. We forgave Jesse, as a school district, and wanted to be respectful to his family and follow through with their wishes to have his funeral at the school. It was one day of school. It's over. GET OVER IT.
It's true that most of the kids wouldn't have shown up at school that day anyway. I didn't know the kid so well, only a couple of conversations, and even I went to the funeral.
Zoe. said...
"One kid from our school died, and yes, a funeral was held there, and yes, school was let out that day, but so?"
Part of the job of the school system is to set a good example. Letting school out and providing facilities for the funeral to honor a violent criminal does the exact opposite.
We are tired of the criminals of the world getting rewarded for being criminals, while those of us who live and let live and abide by the law get nothing or worse, get penalized for it.
"It was a tragedy for those of us in the Mammoth School District, and for you to dishonor Jesse, also bashing the school system, you should ALL feel ashamed."
Pointing out that Jesse was a violent criminal (he DID, after all, admit to committing a violent crime) is simply a way to demonstrate how wrong the MS school's decision was. Identifying his behavior is not meant to honor or dishonor him; it just points out a fact.
"Jesse admitted to the charges.
Yes.
Jesse done wrong.
But no,
Jesse did NOT deserve to die."
Has anyone here suggested that he DID deserve to die? No, although a case COULD be made for that. And if you want me to make that case, I will.
"And for those of you calling the government...and the school system repeatedly.
Shame. On. You."
You don't seem to understand that the government and the school work FOR THE PEOPLE, and they cut the people out of the decision-making entirely when they unilaterally decided to let school out and have the funeral there, without even finding out how people feel or taking a step back and considering how it might look to have the school honor a violent criminal.
Once again, assuming that you are all adults, excluding the ones who said otherwise, you should feel ashamed.
mel said...
" He had bad times and he had good times and you all keep saying he chose the wrong path. Yes he did. But he did regain faith an dasked for forgiveness everday and night."
Jailhouse conversions are very convenient and rarely honest. More often than not, they are put on for show to try to gain sympathy from a judge or jury. "Yes, I was a bad guy, your Honor, but I have SEEN THE LIGHT and accepted JESUS! Surely you can see that I have CHANGED and should be given a second chance."
I have seen nothing to lead me to believe that wasn't the case here.
"In god's eyes, he was tryin to get on the right path. I understand everyone is just so upset that the school was canceled. But it is OVER!!! i repeat..........OVER!!!!!!done...."
Mammoth Spring schools keep it from being over. When they admit that they shouldn't have done what they did, and put in place a policy stating that school will neither be let out or allow it's facilities to be made available for the funerals of criminals, THEN it will be over.
"let it rest cause to be honest, know one really cared what hipocritical citizens have to say... no one. "
You clearly don't understand the meaning of "hypocritical." The position of those on my side is entirely consistent -- Schools shouldn't honor violent criminals, period. It is your side that is full of inconsistencies, in other words, hypocritical.
"So i just want everyone to stop makin it a big deal. Jesse was no "rapist, murder, or anything like that!" THE GUN DISENGAGED!! i dont know why he had bullets in the gun, Butyou sure as hell dont either... You can only presume."
That is a lie. You DO know why he had bullets in his gun. It is the only reason ANYONE puts bullets in a gun -- he intended to shoot it. You try to REFUSE to know it, but deep down inside, you know.
"He shouldnt have done it. We all know it. And whatever child thought it was okay, because of the ring business, need to talked to. It wasn't right, and jesse knew it. But he wasnt thinkin. "
What he did required planning and premeditation. He certainly WAS thinking.
" What you are doin is Cyber Bullying....So in the end, you are the wrong ones.."
Who is being bullied? Jesse? As you have so often pointed out, Jesse is beyond the reach of anyone who might bully him now. The school? I fail to see how pointing out how wrong the school's decision was amounts to "bullying" it. His family? We have shown remarkable restraint for the most part. I don't even blame them for ASKING to have the funeral at the school. The point is, the school should have said "No, that's not an appropriate use of taxpayer-funded facilities."
"Cause if you had people judgin and being the way you are, it would kill you. "
When one lives one's life by a good code of values, the opinion of others does not affect them.
The problem is, Jesse chose the wrong code of values.
Anonymous said...
"He's dead so lets all just let it go so the school will think it was OK and do it again. "
Exactly. If nobody holds the school accountable for it's decision, what's to stop it from honoring the NEXT violent criminal who dies? Who will it be then, a murderer? A child molester? A terrorist?
"Apparently "you" didn't know Jesse he was the violent felon that shot a man. It dosen't matter how nice he was, it wasn't right. "
Or to put it another way, every good thing Jesse ever did, every friend he ever made, every act of compassion he ever committed, were all wiped away when Jesse chose to betray them and pick up the gun. So it doesn't MATTER whatever else he did, and it doesn't MATTER whatever friends he made. And by extension it does not MATTER that we did not know him. He rejected all that. And that decision to reject the good inside him outweighs it all.
"I doubt anyone that is defending what the school did would have anything to say if them or their family was the one shot or held at gunpoint. "
Good point. Did the Mammoth Spring school cancel classes and have students perform odd jobs around town that day to earn money to donate to the cashier to help her financially make up for the days she had to take off? No. Did they do it to help the older gentleman pay his medical bills? No.
But they did it to honor a violent felon.
How twisted is that?
It's not twisted...
It's right..
have a great life, all of you. Unlike yourselves, I care about others other than what i want..
Keep dreaming of ways to bring the school down....It IS NOT going to work..
With much love(sarcastically)
mel
I am a parent of a few students at mammoth spring school. I feel that Jesse was already being punished for his actions so that really isnt the issue. You know what, my 4 children were very relieve when the funeral was held at the school. It made a funeral, which is always uncomfortable a little easier to take. I am not sitting here trying to say the school was right or wrong... but the school honored one of there own students in this small town the best way they could. He still made friends there and the funeral was large.... This let the students honor him and that to me was a good thing. So let it go for the other students at Mammoth Spring High School.
mel said...
"It's not twisted...
It's right.."
Take a breath and think about what you just said. You said it's right for a school to honor a violent criminal and do nothing to help his victims. Just think about what you're saying for a minute. Do you really want to be THAT type of person?
"have a great life, all of you. Unlike yourselves, I care about others other than what i want.."
And it's just a COINCIDENCE that what YOU wanted was the day off from school and the funeral to be held there, right?
"Keep dreaming of ways to bring the school down....It IS NOT going to work.."
Tell me something. How is trying to guide the school into making the right decision trying to "bring it down"?
Stacey Lucas said...
"I am a parent of a few students at mammoth spring school. I feel that Jesse was already being punished for his actions so that really isnt the issue."
You're right in that the issue really has very little to do with Johnson. The issue is "Should schools be honoring violent criminals?" and the answer is of course no. But Johnson's defenders keep trying to MAKE him the issue, insisting that because it was Jesse, and because Jesse was one of their friends, this incident is somehow deserving of an exception. An exception that, I remind you, thousands of times a year, other violent criminals, not to mention MILLIONS of law-abiding citizens, don't get.
" You know what, my 4 children were very relieve when the funeral was held at the school. It made a funeral, which is always uncomfortable a little easier to take. "
I'm sure it did. But making funerals less uncomfortable is not a legitimate function of schools. Schools exist to teach children and to set an example, not to make funerals less uncomfortable, and certainly NOT to honor violent criminals.
"I am not sitting here trying to say the school was right or wrong... but the school honored one of there own students in this small town the best way they could. He still made friends there and the funeral was large.... This let the students honor him and that to me was a good thing."
And NOBODY's supposed to point out that they're honoring a violent criminal?
" So let it go for the other students at Mammoth Spring High School."
I would, but it is those students who don't seem to want to let it go. They keep coming back here and calling me things like "callous" and "hypocrite" and asking "HOW DARE YOU" and shouting "SHAME ON YOU" and making unfounded speculations about whether or not I have ever been inside a church.
All because I take a position that should be obvious to ANYBODY -- schools should not be honoring violent criminals.
I'll rephrase a question I earlier asked but nobody has yet answered. If, when the current Mammoth Spring school board was running to get elected, they had run on a platform of "If elected, I intend to allow the school to be used to honor violent criminals; we'll even take the day off!" would you have voted for ANY of them?
All it takes for this to be over is for the school to admit what they did was wrong, put in place a policy that says the school and the schoolday will not be used to honor violent criminals, and to apologize for telling those of us on my side of the issue that we need to "just get over it."
Ask yourself why they are so unwilling to do that. Or better yet, ask them.
According to the Mammoth Spring school website, here are the school board members, so you can:
Remona Combs
Route 2 Box 56A
Mammoth Spring, Arkansas 72554.
870-625-3523
rcombs@ozarks.com
Mark Cooper
5 Patricia Ave
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-9792
(870) 625-3658
Donell Russell
182 Bamber
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554
(870) 625-7541
Devon Smoot
17172 Highway 9 N
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-7082
(870) 625-3953
John Walsh
PO Box674
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-0674
(870) 625-3089
And here's the superintendent:
Mr. Ronald Taylor
6375 Highway 63 S
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554-9232
(870) 625-7571
School:
410 Goldsmith Ave
Mammoth Spring, AR 72554
(870) 625-7212
(870) 625-7213
You know.
I really thought that adults could be more civil and understanding than this, but I guess I was wrong.
As for me spelling "appalled" wrong.
Excuse me.
But of course, I see it as if that's the only thing I done wrong with what I said, then I'm okay with it.
Stacey, Thanks.
I'm glad to know that someone else from Mammoth, parent wise, is defending this.
But back to what someone said in an earlier post.
Yes.
Jesse has died...
So let it go.
We get it.
You're upset because the school system let school out for a day.
Sorry to all who were inconvienced that day.
As for asking me to count up all the students there...
I wouldn't know.
My GRANDFATHER, whom I live with, was in the hospital and I had to go see him.
But I have many eye witness accounts that the gym was full.
Yell at me for that one if you want.
But I was going to go until my mom said she was taking me to see my grampa.
Also, just so you know.
I talked to a teacher or two at Mammoth about this.
Actually they overheard me telling a few friends about it and they got involved into the conversation, but they agree that what the Mammoth Spring School District done was right.
They announced on the radios, the school sign, and everywhere that they could that school was cancelled.
It's not like they DIDN'T announce it.
The teachers also agree that all you bashers are just trying to make this issue with what happened in general into more than it is.
Zoe you seen like a nice kid, but the fact is that they didn't announce it in all their normal places. It wasn't on Kait8 Jonesboro. Which is where I've seen every unplanned school closing, until this one. The reason it wasn't on there is because then the school would have to explain why they let out and deal with the "adults" of our states. The fact is we live in a society where wrong is often done, but excused for the sake of convienence, or a relationship with the person that done wrong. If you want an unclouded opinion, explain the situation to someone outside the community in an unbiased way and see what they think. That's what I did before I started throwing a fit and guess what others agreed. teachers are human, so are Superintendants and they make mistakes but we all have to answer for them.
To all of ya'll who think this is wrong.
I was a friend of Jesse.
And no. I DONT hang out with the wrong group of people at school like yall are saying.
This BOY was going to be a Senior at THIS high school where his funeral took place.
Here in a small town. We are very respectful and traditional compared to the cities ya'll must be from.
Everybody here is like family.
Jesse was like our brother.
We were all going to help get him through this... like a real family would do. And we will do whatever we can for our brothers and sisters won't we??
Our school opened its doors for the Johnson family to hold the funeral.
THAT IS CALLED RESPECT, something this world today lacks a lot of.
And if YOU had a loved one that passed on and you had a funeral at the school, would you want a bunch of little kids running around while the funeral was going on?
And yes, yall say that it was very short notice and some people had to change thier plans. But my friends death was unplanned and VERY short notice also.
Now go write your story about a kitten getting caught in a tree or something.
Its done and over with.
Let Jesse rest in peace.
Leave his family alone.
LEAVE US ALONE!
IT WAS OUR CHOICE TO LET SCHOOL OUT!
NOT YOURS!
And if you got yourself a problem with that... GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! WE DON'T NEED YOUR KIND HERE!
Remember. EVERYONE makes mistakes.
Jesse was paying for his.
He died a hero.
And he will be greatly missed.
Whoever just wrote, you must be from the city..if you had bothered to read the blog, you would know it is mostly people who live right here in Mammoth Spring writing.
Jesse didn't care about any of you who keep ranting and raving "He was my friend"
Jesse was selfish, and didn't care about anyone but himself. he didn't care about me or he would have thought twice before he did what he did. he didn't care about you, and he didn't care about his gf, or his family, the only person he cared about was himself, or he wouldn't have done any of it..people who care about others wouldn't do that.
"Whoever just wrote, you must be from the city..if you had bothered to read the blog, you would know it is mostly people who live right here in Mammoth Spring writing.
Jesse didn't care about any of you who keep ranting and raving "He was my friend"
Jesse was selfish, and didn't care about anyone but himself. he didn't care about me or he would have thought twice before he did what he did. he didn't care about you, and he didn't care about his gf, or his family, the only person he cared about was himself, or he wouldn't have done any of it..people who care about others wouldn't do that."
I don't know who you are, but you should feel ashamed.
Sayin crap like that.
You have NO clue who or what Jesse cared about.
True, none of us did.
But you have NO RIGHT to say that.
"If you want an unclouded opinion, explain the situation to someone outside the community in an unbiased way and see what they think."
Oh I have.
-Note that this person doesn't even live in the USA-
I told them what happened.
I got them links to articles over it and everything.
Then after they read all of those, I asked them what they thought.
They told me.
They said that what happened was sad and unfortunate.
Then I sent them THIS LINK.
They said that when they read it, it made them sick.
To see so many people either hating a teenager for what he done or hating a school for what it done.
So yeah.
If you think I told it biased to them...
Then go right ahead.
Think it.
Not like any of you have listened to what I've said so far anyway.
I've been reading all comments on this blog I must say that in a situation like this, there will always be pro and contra. People make some remarks in the heat of the moment and it eventually leads to no where, except for more heated arguments and negative feelings towards each other.
I don't know Jesse Johnson. I have no relation or connection with him in any form....and if it is the school system and their decision to close the school is what is the real issue here, then I don't think that the rest of the ugliness needs to be blurted out.
Some people here, in defending their side in disagreeing with the school's decision to close the school for the funeral, have brought up issues about Jesse himself and in some instances have even dragged his family into their argument. I do not think that is right. His family has been through enough. They don't need to keep hearing what mistakes their son/brother/nephew/cousin has done in the past, no matter how bad his mistakes were. Please understand that they lost someone that they loved. I'm sure all of you reading this have experienced the lost of a loved one in one point or another. It hurts, and it takes time to heal, and the healing process will be even more difficult with them being constantly reminded of the mistakes their loved one had done in the past. They should be able to left in peace during their mourning period.
If you don't agree with what the school did, then bring it up with the school directly. You don't need to continue to bash Jesse and his family in the process. It wasn't the family's fault that the school decided to close the school. For goodness sakes....have a heart! Bring your concern up to the school directly and maybe you want to ask them why exactly they did that. They might have their own reason that you had never even thought of.
You can continue to keep arguing your own sides, but I personally believe that a fellow human being, no matter what his mistakes were in the past still deserves some kind of respect. He has passed, in a tragic way. Stop all this and bring your concerns to the appropriate parties.
Zoe. said...
“You know.
I really thought that adults could be more civil and understanding than this, but I guess I was wrong.
As for me spelling "appalled" wrong.
Excuse me.
But of course, I see it as if that's the only thing I done wrong with what I said, then I'm okay with it.”
You conveniently neglect to mention that the only reason your misspelling was pointed out was that YOU insisted on pointing out that others were using the term “Mammoth Springs” instead of “Mammoth Spring.” If you don’t want your own spelling criticized, don’t criticize the spelling of others.
“But back to what someone said in an earlier post.
Yes.
Jesse has died...
So let it go.
We get it.
You're upset because the school system let school out for a day.
Sorry to all who were inconvienced that day.”
Once again, you demonstrate a total lack of the ability to grasp the issue. It has very little to do with Jesse himself. The fact that he has passed on does not preclude people from discussing whether or not a school should honor a violent criminal.
“Also, just so you know.
I talked to a teacher or two at Mammoth about this.
Actually they overheard me telling a few friends about it and they got involved into the conversation, but they agree that what the Mammoth Spring School District done was right.”
Of course they did. They are teachers. They believe schools are incapable of making a bad decision. They have probably never had a job in the real world and they get their paycheck from the school. Would YOU openly criticize a decision your boss made, knowing he has the power to fire you for any reason or no reason at all? I doubt it.
Plus, they've probably been given instructions not to upset you on this issue, so of course they're going to agree with you.
“They announced on the radios, the school sign, and everywhere that they could that school was cancelled.
It's not like they DIDN'T announce it.”
And if you didn’t happen to listen to the local radio station that day, or drive by the school sign, you’re just screwed? “Everywhere they could?” Did they call up every parent and let them know? As your side has so often pointed out, Mammoth Spring is a small school. They could have called everyone affected and let them know. It wouldn’t have taken more than a couple of hours.
“The teachers also agree that all you bashers are just trying to make this issue with what happened in general into more than it is.”
I’ll ask you again -- how is disagreeing with a decision made by the school “bashing” anybody? As for making it into more than it is, it’s called looking at the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is that schools shouldn’t honor violent criminals. You insist on seeing only the smaller picture-- that Jesse was your friend. Well, ALL criminals have friends. Does that mean we can’t discuss the repercussions of their actions?
Travis said:
“If you want an unclouded opinion, explain the situation to someone outside the community in an unbiased way and see what they think. “
Better yet, leave Jesse out of it entirely and simply ask the larger question, “Should schools close for the day and provide their facilities for the funeral of a violent criminal who once went there?”
Anonymous said:
“Here in a small town. We are very respectful and traditional compared to the cities ya'll must be from. Here in a small town. We are very respectful and traditional compared to the cities ya'll must be from.
”
The question is, respectful and traditional to WHOM? It certainly wasn’t very respectful to the man who Jesse shot, or to the woman who he locked in the bathroom, to close down school for the day and have the funeral there for the person that DID it to them, now was it? Did you treat THEM like family? You can side with the victims, or you can side with the criminals. Make a choice.
And like the old classic rock song says, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”
“Jesse was like our brother.
We were all going to help get him through this... like a real family would do. And we will do whatever we can for our brothers and sisters won't we??”
Do you? Ask yourself why you were so willing to help HIM get through it, but you didn’t do anything to help his victims get through what he did to them.
“Now go write your story about a kitten getting caught in a tree or something.
Its done and over with.
Let Jesse rest in peace.
Leave his family alone.
LEAVE US ALONE!”
You keep saying you want to be left alone, and yet you keep coming back here, to MY blog, where I write down MY thoughts and commentary. Nobody’s forcing you to come back here day after day and read my thoughts on the matter. I’m not calling you up on the phone and making you listen to me. I’m not papering Mammoth school with flyers criticizing their decision. I'm not leaving comments on "Jesse's" little Myspace page. In fact, the only way you even know about this blog is that you CAME LOOKING FOR IT. It’s my blog; it has been for years. If you don’t like what I have to say here, then the solution is simple -- quit coming here, buh-bye. If you think I’m cyberbullying you, all I have to say about that is, if someone was bullying ME, I’d quit going to their house.
I have to wonder why you spend so much energy directed at being angry at me, simply for holding a position you don’t agree with, when that time and energy could be directed at the people you SHOULD be mad at -- the Sheriff Tim Ward and the Oregon County police for being ignorant of the potential for disaster when you have electrical outlets in jail cells, where there are people who have nothing else to do 24 hours a day than figure out a way to escape. Or you could be mad at whichever inmate started the fire, or all of them if they were all in on it, for killing your friend. Or you could be mad at those that KNEW about the first robbery who didn't convince Jesse to turn himself in, or TURN HIM IN THEMSELVES if he wouldn't. First offense, nobody hurt -- he probably would have been released on his parents' recognizance, not sent to the Oregon County jail, where he would die. That would have saved his life, but they chose not to. And oh, yes, there were undoubtedly people he told about the first robbery; teenagers are HORRIBLE about keeping secrets and love to brag and make themselves look like a badass. Or you could be mad at Jesse for putting himself in that position, thus putting all of his friends in the position of having to side with a criminal in order to support their friend.
But no.
You’d rather attack ME with insults, simply because I have a different opinion than you do, an entirely reasonable opinion -- schools should not honor violent criminals.
“And if you got yourself a problem with that... GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! WE DON'T NEED YOUR KIND HERE!”
So, anyone who disagrees with you should leave? Who appointed you God?
Zoe said:
“You have NO clue who or what Jesse cared about.
True, none of us did.
But you have NO RIGHT to say that.”
While I don’t necessarily agree with the points that prompted this response from Zoe, I remind Zoe once again to read the First Amendment to the US Constitution. He or she has EVERY right to say that.
Anonymous said:
“Some people here, in defending their side in disagreeing with the school's decision to close the school for the funeral, have brought up issues about Jesse himself and in some instances have even dragged his family into their argument. I do not think that is right. His family has been through enough. They don't need to keep hearing what mistakes their son/brother/nephew/cousin has done in the past, no matter how bad his mistakes were. Please understand that they lost someone that they loved. I'm sure all of you reading this have experienced the lost of a loved one in one point or another. It hurts, and it takes time to heal, and the healing process will be even more difficult with them being constantly reminded of the mistakes their loved one had done in the past. They should be able to left in peace during their mourning period. “
As I have stated before, I don’t blame the family for asking to have the funeral there. In grief, sometimes people make irrational choices. But try as I might to make this about the bigger issue -- whether or not a school should honor a violent criminal -- it is the side that supports the school’s decision that most often has dragged Jesse and his family into the discussion. They make false characterizations of my side’s positions -- they insist, for instance, that we believe Jesse deserved to die, when we have said nothing of the sort. They insist we blame the family, when I have specifically stated on more than one occasion that I don’t. If you’ll go back and read all the comments with an open mind, and count the times my side has tried to broaden the issue beyond Jesse and his family into the larger question of whether or not a school should honor a violent criminal . . . ANY violent criminal, and compare that with the number of times the other side has dragged Jesse and his family into it in response, you will see that it is THEIR side that would rather make Jesse and his family the issue, not ours.
And like I told Zoe, nobody’s MAKING them come here and read this, if they even do. I haven’t seen anything to suggest that they DO.
“If you don't agree with what the school did, then bring it up with the school directly. “
Just a few days ago, a commenter on the pro-criminal side insisted that those of us who contact the school should be ashamed for doing so. And don’t forget the school’s response when one of the first commenters to this post DID contact them; they rudely told him he needed to “just get over it!”
School employees work for the citizens. I don’t know about you, but if I told one of MY bosses to “Just get over it” about ANYTHING, I would be fired, and would DESERVE to be.
I have spent time in the oregon county jail. There are no electric outlets in the jail. there was just one cord coming into the cell that was connected to the TV. I have spent time in other jails and they all have electric connections of some kind.
If everybody loved the Johnson boy so much why dont thay buy him a head stone.I went to his grave the other day and it had sunk in so bad.My son and I put dirt on it we was out there visiting other graves and seen the Johnson boys grave. The guy that run the cematary made a head stone.Now that is a lot of love from his school frends.All I can say is Iam glad the school dont keep alot of money on hand he might have robbed it.Also he would have shot any body that walked in the store that night evan the very people that loved him. So thay say..May God have mercey on his sole....One more thing Ive been told that he didnt mean to shoot anybody then why did he bring a Gun..
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