Breaking the chain

[cleolinda]

read this and sign it if you do not then you are an asshole!

Well, that's certainly a new one, I thought, glancing over the chain letter. Here's the rest of the text portion:

Do you remember February 1993 when a young 3 yr. old was taken from a Shopping mall in Liverpool, NY by two 10-year-old boys? Jamie Bulger walked away from his mother for only a second and Jon Venables took his hand and led him out of the mall with his friend Robert Thompson. They took Jamie on a walk for over 2 and a half miles, along the way stopping every now and again to torture the poor little boy who was crying constantly for his mommy. Finally they stopped at a railway track where they brutally kicked him, threw stones at him, rubbed paint in his eyes and pushed batteries up his ass. It was actually worse than this... What these two boys did was so horrendous that Jamie's mother was FORBIDDEN to identify his body. They then left his beaten small body on the tracks so a train could run him over to hide the mess they had created. These two boys, even being boys, understood what they did was wrong, hence trying to make it look like an accident. This week Lady Justice Butler-Sloss has awarded the two boys anonymity for the rest of their lives when they leave custody with new identities. We cannot let this happen. They will also leave early this year only serving just over half of their sentence. One paper even stated that Robert may go on to a University. They are getting away with their crime. They disgustingly and violently took Jamie's life away - in return they get a new life. Please read it carefully... then add your name at the end... and send it to everyone you can! Please add your name and location to the list and send it to friends and family. Please copy this e-mail (highlight text, right click, copy and paste into a new email) instead of forwarding so we do not get arrows at the beginning of the sentences. If you are the 500th person to sign, please forward email to cust.ser.cs@gtnet.gov.uk and attention it to Lady Justice Butler-Sloss. Then start the list over again and send to your friends and family. The Love-Bug virus took less than 72 hours to reach the world. I hope this one does as well. We need to protect our family and friends from creatures like Robert and Jon. One day they may be living next to you and your small children, without your knowledge. If Robert and Jon could be so evil at 10 years old, imagine what they could do as adults!dont send this back to the person who sent it to u cuz they cant sign twice...plz sign...thank you

My first question was, if you care so much about the issue, why don't you all just email Lady Justice Butler-Sloss individually? Or better yet, WRITE HER A HANDWRITTEN LETTER?

I was curious to see what the current state of the case was, so I googled (or rather Yahoo'd) "Lady Justice Butler-Sloss," and what was the very first link I came up with? BreaktheChain.org: "Stop Junk Mail and Disinformation." Their take: "Unfortunately, this tale of a bizarre child-on-child crime is true, but this call to action is too little, too late. While the basic story told above is true, it is peppered with rumors and exaggerations not supported by official accounts." Example: the batteries were put in the boy's mouth, and so on. Anyway, continuing: "Versions of this e-mail "petition" have been circulating since early 2000, but gained widespread popularity only after the boys' release in 2001, rendering the petition's primary purpose - the prevention of Venables' and Thompson's release - a moot point. In the spring 2005, versions of the chain began alleging that the killers were being relocated Australia (a totally unsubstantiated claim). Another version surfacing in 2005 'Americanized' the tale, incorrectly placing the horrendous events in Liverpool, NY."

Check the original I posted: I knew the story so well (what? True crime buff) that I didn't even notice the substitution of New York while I was skimming.

And at the end, most interestingly:

"Many folks have told me that they don't care that the petition is outdated - they were going to forward it, anyway, in hopes that knowledge of the case may prevent a future tragedy. However, BreakTheChain.org recommends against participating in or propagating any e-mail petition because they are relatively ineffective and rife with problems, as illustrated by the Seven Tests of Armchair Activism." These tests include the facts that the facts in the email are incorrect, the boys are already released, that we have no idea who (if anyone) is compiling these protest signatures at the end of the line, and that you're giving your email address to God knows who. Honestly, I'd rather prevent future chain emails than try (and fail) to prevent future tragedies with ineffective petitions, which is why I'm posting this.

A final touch that made me smile:

A September article in the same paper reported that Robert Thompson, now 24, had been prescribed methadone, presumably to treat a heroine addiction.

Hey, there are worse things to be addicted to (she said with a wink).

P.S. The Fleur icons turned out particularly well.

Comments

[the-rhianna.livejournal.com]

Oh chain e-mails...gag me now.

[nasus221.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I heard about this one a long time ago, thanks for checking it out. I bet Snopes has a page on it.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

They do, actually--I forgot to put the link up there. Basically, they agree that chain letter suck. ; )

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Or chain letterS, even.

[etherealshores.livejournal.com]

Those icons turned out great! Love em! :)

[edda.livejournal.com]

Chain letters: like memes, only waaaaaaay stupider.

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for posting this... out-of-date forwards that could never have been effective are one of my pet peeves.

[punkiejeannien.livejournal.com]

so basically my school is addicted to facebook, like every other college in the US-- the worst part?

the day I got a facebook chain letter on my wall.

[3-foot-6.livejournal.com]

Oh christ, I kept getting those on my Facebook too. I finally wrote in "About Me" that you suck immeasurably if you post chain mail crap on my wall - that pretty much put a stop to it :)

[penguincrush37.livejournal.com]

Hear hear.

[punkiejeannien.livejournal.com]

haha-- I just started deleting them and people got the idea. then they started sending them to my message box and I was like "NO MORE."

the whole thing is slightly ridiculous, not gonna lie.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

I love Fleur's hat.

[bacardibreezer7.livejournal.com]

Yeah I've seen this email before too, of course I didn't pass it on because I think that the 2 boys are probably very different people now and we shouldn't punish them for a dumb, albeit horrendous, thing they did when they were kids and may not have fully comprehended their own actions.

But um, any chance of a small warning before the cut, Cleo? It's just that the description in the email of what they did to him, although I know it's not 100% true, is just a bit upsetting. I probably wouldn't have clicked on the cut if I'd known that was there, is all...

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Sorry--I was hoping the cut itself was enough to suffice. I'll see what I can do.

Lost Whispers (Linkspam)

[amberkb.livejournal.com]

Here's something the fellow Lost fanatics might enjoy: I found this website (http://www.carpeoccasio.com/lost/whispers.htm (http://www.carpeoccasio.com/lost/whispers.htm)) -- it has transcripts of the mysterious whispering in the jungle. Or what people have figured out so far, that is.

[alexthedevil.livejournal.com]

Totally unrelated, but I literally just got a call from the bookstore telling me that your book is in. (It's Collins, if you're wondering). I can't pick it up for a day or two, but thought you'd like to know ^_^

[meredith-mae.livejournal.com]

Excellent choice in music. <3 Stevie.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

OT, and forgive me if you've answered this question 900 times by now but we're impatient... When can we Amerikaners get our grubby paws on your book? The icons are whetting my appetite!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Things don't look good--now, from amazon.co.uk, or next fall in U.S. stores. : (

[iamthemoon.livejournal.com]

OMFG I LOVE LOVE LOVE ♥ YOUR ICON TO DEATH

[christigilly.livejournal.com]

I love the icons!

I was wondering if you might be able to do one with Hermione going "Woot!" like the Harry icon I am currently sporting (but not necessarily in the samish pose...have fun with it)? I am enamored of the "Woot!" and do not wish to give it up, but would like to salute Hermione. Any chance of that fitting into your schedule?

Notice: there was no demand or entitlement implied.

Although... omg, u totlly pwe us 1 of ur m15m on haarrry pottar coz we r ur fanz and we pay ur bills and u wood b nuthing w/o us omg i luv u what's ur reel nam coz i think we'd b bst frends 4 evr unless u dont keep riting coz i luv rupert coz he s so hot but wait dont ur m15ms make fun of him sumtimes omg i hate u

Teehee. Stupid people are funny.

[daliahellyes.livejournal.com]

hmm I hate chain letters/fowards any of that sort of thing. I also find it really annoying when people act like a village of people with torches. Sure the system isn't perfect by all means but the boys were TEN. I did really stupid stuff when I was ten. Or when I was about 5 I remember hiting a girl that was a year younger than me just because. For no reason. Obvs this is not a popular opinion and all heh. Are you by any chance familiar with the Paul Bernardo case? Or you could just check it out at crimelibrary.com, anyway his wife was released earlier this year and the press went NUTS. I mean, the articles they wrote were basically sounded like they were going to hunt her down and hang her or something. I think it's going a bit far when people start demanding that they know her every move, publicly. Where she is where she works. She's a horrible person but leave her alone. I'm just babbling now LOL sorry.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of a couple of weeks ago at work. A little old lady rang up to complain to me about the fact that she'd "just heard on the news that [name] was being released from prison and was this true?" She went on to complain about this and that and why should he be released and he was a monster and should stay in jail and she's from that area you know and...

We hadn't even reported the story o_O I presume she'd been watching our rival news programme (I told her to ring them ;0) so I don't even know if it was a story, or if she was misconstruing something else said.

[yarha.livejournal.com]

Snopes, Snopes! I love them with an unending love which doesn't end. (http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/bulger.asp)

I will be crushed if Snopes is ever proved to have gotten something wrong.

Yarha, Snopes Monkey Trial

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I'll see what I can do. : )

[misspearl.livejournal.com]

Quick (and probably stupid) question - can anyone take any of the icons? They're all soo good, but just wanted to check...

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Icons are for taking! Mine always are, anyway. : )

[decor-noctis.livejournal.com]

Ok, I'm actually from Liverpool (UK) and, yes, the story is true. The Strand shopping centre were he was taken was renamed the New Strand; everyone in the city knows about Jamie Bulger. What I can't believe is the Americanisation of this horrific crime. Why change it? Surely it has the same impact wherever it happened?

Also the point of the email is moot: This week Lady Justice Butler-Sloss has awarded the two boys anonymity for

They were awarded anonymity about three years ago! They're living in Europe as far as I know.

Apologies if this has already been said; I haven't read the comments.

[misspearl.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thanks!

[jhg812.livejournal.com]

Okay, I don't know you, but I read your 15 Minutes for PoA earlier this year, and I'm amorously infatuated with it. GREAT JOB!!!

Anyway...
I hate it when I get chain letters like that, even though I usually don't know that everything's completely fake. *gullible*

Can't wait for "Goblet of Fire in Fifteen Minutes!" (assuming you write it, of course)

Completely off-topic question...

[shesnotallthere.livejournal.com]

Cold weather makes me crave historical fiction. I don't know why. Anyway, I seem to remember that, about a million years ago, you mentioned an author in the genre that you particularly like. If I'm not misremembering this entirely, do you happen to recall the name?

In return, I offer a rec in a slightly different genre...Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation. It's mighty funny.

Re: Completely off-topic question...

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hmm... the only thing I can think of is Alison Weir, but she's historical *nonfiction*. However, she just came out with a new bio of Queen Isabella (the Sophie Marceau character in Braveheart) and I am way too excited about getting it for Christmas.

Heroine Addict

[kywhippets.livejournal.com]

I have been so enamored with your Heroine Addict icons that I decided my next female puppy will have to be named "KENNELNAME Heroine Addict".  Pet name of Hero, with a nod to Much Ado About Nothing.

[carebear080787.livejournal.com]

Hey Cleo, if you're looking for a movie to parody for online, go see Pride and Prejudice. I know it's gotten a LOT of critical aclaim, but my friends and I could NOT stop laughing. It was just horrible. It was RIDICULOUSLY artsy and cheesey. Even without comparing it to the A&E miniseries... it was just... bad. And historically inaccurate. And just... BAD. I have a theory that the director was trying to use every camera angle, shot or technique ever invented.

[promise19.livejournal.com]

OMG ur post r0x0rs! ;-P

[promise19.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it, but I had a bad feeling about this movie from the first trailer... my friend and I looked at each other and said, "This is either going to be really good, or it's going to be really bad." I'm sorry to hear it's the latter. We ended up seeing Shop Girl weekend before last when we went to see it cuz it was sold out. Sounds like Shop Girl was the better bet.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I remember this - it actually made the news down here a while back, but there never was anything to support the claim. It got a heap of groups all agitated about these kids being sent to Australia, and then there were re-runs of the security footage in the mall over and over.

Besides, wasn't there an episode of Law & Order: SVU about this? Where a little girl killed a boy and put batteries in his mouth to try and bring him back to life?

I'm just amused that there's an American version of events floating around. Next, there's gonna be an American version of the Snowtown killings.

[oiseaurobyn.livejournal.com]

http://books.slashdot.org/books/05/11/22/1722220.shtml?tid=133&tid=95&tid=192&tid=97&tid=6

You've been slashdotted!

[mykirulz.livejournal.com]

Have you been made aware that your book has been Slashdotted (http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/22/1722220&threshold=0&tid=133&tid=95&tid=192&tid=97&tid=6)?

Yay! :)

Re: Completely off-topic question...

[shesnotallthere.livejournal.com]

Nonfiction would also satisfy the craving. Many thanks!

[andromeda-77.livejournal.com]

So your book arrived yesterday and I've been banging off the walls due to the inability to put it down. I thought it would be nice to bring it to work...you know - read it during breaks, lunch, what-have-you. Due to my display of rolling on the floor laughter it caught the attention of several, nay, MANY co-workers...all of which have promptly gone out to amazon uk and ordered it for themselves. I'm amazed at their reactions and honestly, quite pissed because they keep stealing my copy to thumb through the pages. I just wanted to say that I think it's absolutely brilliant!! You have unbelievable talent and I'm so thrilled for you.

That said...when do we get a sequel? *wink*

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Awww, yay!

(You will notice that I mentioned not posting GOF online... ; )

[andromeda-77.livejournal.com]

DUDE! OMG, YAY!!

give up, people!

[lauramcvey.livejournal.com]

I remember that case, mostly because Law&Order did an episode based on it. Only they made the boys into girls, so the viewers would go, "OMG, she's so cute and little, and she's a SOCIOPATH! And we can acknoweledge that, which means we aren't shallow or judge on appearance! Yay, us!" *eyeroll* Seriously, though, it's set in stone by now. They're getting out. No point disputing it, just as waste of Justice Whatsername's inbox space.