Are America's Teens the New Terrorists?

The the slaughter of dozens at Virginia Tech turned the attention of America's viewing public toward the very real threat of mass violence. Authorities have called the campus shootings the worst documented case of mass murder in the country's history. This title comes after several other cases of violence occurring in America's public schools. The Columbine shootings showcased both Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as bright, yet disturbed young men who had bones to pick with society.

In today's society, more and more teenagers are threatening their peers with guns and other instruments of violence. Bomb threats, once reserved for international terrorists and madmen, are now being made regularly---by average teenagers. In a country besieged by security concerns, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to ensure a safe society, especially when the ones who need protection the most, are those threatening the security in the first place.

"Widespread Panic"

The incidents of mass destruction at the hands of children was once confined to remote areas of America. But now it seems that teens in every state are succumbing to the alarming trend of making explosive threats; history dictates that the majority of the threats are made by young boys age 15 to 17. But even young girls are jumping onto the dangerous bandwagon. Google the words "teen, bomb, school" online, and in the month of May 2007 alone you will find endless counts of bomb threats being made by various members of America's teenaged community. Here are some examples...

16 year-old female / Kiel High School / Wisconsin
15 year-old male / Crescent Valley High School / Oregon
15 year-old male / Waukegan High School / Illinois
15 year-old male / Anamosa High School / Iowa
16 year-old male / Mount Vernon High School / New York
15 year-old male / Belton High School / Texas
15 year-old male / Cinnaminson High School / New Jersey
16 year-old male / Foxboro High School / Massachusetts
15 year-old male / Upland High School / California
15 year-old male / Crescent Valley High School / Oregon
17 year-old male / Susan Wagner High School / New York