OCALA, Fla. - Two boys were arrested for making pencil-and-crayon stick figure drawings depicting a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said. The children, charged with a felony, were taken from school in handcuffs. [story]

Basically, they didn’t like this kid and they drew a picture saying as much. But, handcuffs?!? I mean, check out the picture through the [story] link above. It's exactlty the kind of silly picture little kids would draw.

Geez, if I was held accountable for every picture I drew when I was 9, I’d be on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.

Come on. When I was in school, I remember kids playing guns in the playground, mutilating grass-hoppers, teaching each other curse words, and yes drawing pictures of all sorts, including some with weapons or depicting violence, while others depicted space ships or what we might imagine sex to look like. During my own elementary school education, there was about 6 months in the 2nd grade when I did nothing but draw pictures of boobs. Not all that well, (more like big lower-case “W”s) but still. I was pretty consumed by the idea. But I never grabbed anyone or drooled over them. I just drew pictures. And eventually, I moved on to drawing pictures of horses.

So, Chill Out, People.

By the way, doesn’t anyone remember playing “Hangman”?? The game that teaches you spelling through the methodical lynching of someone in effigy?

It was not only condoned, but ENCOURAGED by teachers. I must have played that game a million times, and not once was I ever compelled to actually string someone up.

Some say that these boys were clearly fantasizing about killing this kid. Although, when people hear the word “fantasize” such as, “he fantasized about burning the school down” everyone gets freaking creeped out. As if the kid fondles cans of gasoline late at night and his bedroom is covered with scribbled messages reading “burn Burn Burn!!!”

When in reality, to fantasize about something is about the safest and most normal thing anyone can do. It doesn’t mean they’re gonna do what they’re fantasizing about.

I, for example, fantasize All day, Every day.

I see someone with a cool jacket on the train, I think, “Wow, what if I had that jacket?”

The bus I’m on is going 2 miles an hour, and I envision myself behind the wheel, running red lights.

Someone is eating MacDonald’s on the street and then they just drop their trash on the sidewalk, I imagine myself picking up that trash and shoving it in their face. And what if they ended up taking a swing at me, in which case I’d duck and then throw a spinning roundhouse kick to the side of their head, and maybe I’d do a back flip as well, just to add a little pizzazz.

It’s all good, because I would never actually do these things. I’m just “Fantasizing”. Everyone does it. Wondering if they should have married their first girlfriend, or imagining how they’d redecorate their apt. if they had the money, or how they would exact revenge on their boss for making them work the weekend.

It doesn’t necessarily make you a murderous freak.

So are we getting too sensitive in schools? At these early, and mostly innocent ages? Actually, this story is even more intriguing when juxtaposed with the one from a few years back about a 3rd grader who was charged with sexual harassment when he kissed a girl on the cheek.

Anyway, someone involved had said that it was a mean thing for these boys to do, which it was, and that they should be punished, which they should be, but it should be done by the Parents, and not by the law.

Can you guess whether I agree or disagree?