Anonymous wrote:I'm old enough to remember a world before seat belts were used commonly and when the crusade against drunk driving was still in its infancy. A lot of parents in my small-town had a wink-and-nod approach to the issue: they surely knew their kids were drinking; they knew there were few or no designated drivers; some even tacitly condoned parties with alcohol in their homes (in that there's no way they could have missed the signs of a big bash keg party when they returned home.) I can say with some confidence that almost every single person I grew up with either drove impaired at some point while in HS, or was in a car driven by someone impaired.

But even in this very permissive environment, I don't recall a single case where a parent actually provided the alcohol. It probably happened, in a few truly sketchy homes, but it would have been shocking even in that world. I am not a teetotaler, but I think there is something seriously f-ed up about a community of parents who think there is anything normal or reasonable about providing alcohol to HS students or knowingly sitting by while HS students are drinking in their homes.

Anonymous wrote:These parents were charged:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/montgomery-couple-accused-of-furnishing-beer-to-kids-and-assaulting-responding-cops/2014/01/06/42f4f2e2-7714-11e3-b1c5-739e63e9c9a7_story.html

But then the police dropped the charges because the judge decided that the police were not lawfully allowed into the backyard, and so the evidence the police had was inadmissible:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/damascus-couple-accused-of-hosting-teen-keg-party-has-charges-dropped/2014/11/17/521f1818-6e82-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html

The defense lawyer says that she has been involved in a dozen cases where the police charged the parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a God awful feeling that the hosting parents in the Sam Ellis two dead passengers incident will get no jail time, and will thus continue to host parties for under-aged drinkers.

You really should stop with the public stoning in a case where you absolutely do not know all the facts or the law.

+100

Do you think rich people should get off with a little fine to pay?

Of course not. But like PP, I believe we ought to wait until we have all the facts before passing judgment.

All the facts? Or their lawyer getting them off?

We all know that they will probably pay through the nose in a civil suit b/c that's always what happens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a God awful feeling that the hosting parents in the Sam Ellis two dead passengers incident will get no jail time, and will thus continue to host parties for under-aged drinkers.

You really should stop with the public stoning in a case where you absolutely do not know all the facts or the law.

+100

Do you think rich people should get off with a little fine to pay?

Of course not. But like PP, I believe we ought to wait until we have all the facts before passing judgment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a God awful feeling that the hosting parents in the Sam Ellis two dead passengers incident will get no jail time, and will thus continue to host parties for under-aged drinkers.

You really should stop with the public stoning in a case where you absolutely do not know all the facts or the law.

+100

Do you think rich people should get off with a little fine to pay?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a God awful feeling that the hosting parents in the Sam Ellis two dead passengers incident will get no jail time, and will thus continue to host parties for under-aged drinkers.

You really should stop with the public stoning in a case where you absolutely do not know all the facts or the law.

+100

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MAYBE the parents weren't home and it was ANOTHER adult? That is possible, too.

MAYBE the kids are in charge and they DO what they want. That is possible, too, that they don't really have parents.

No offense because I see why you would draw this conclusion, but I know all of these kids and they do have loving, caring parents. Please try to remember these are real people who loved their kids as much as any of us love our kids.

I will not pass judgement on the parents of the victims. I don't know them personally but they are well respected in our community. My heart is broken for them. But I will pass judgement on any parent who allows a child to consume alcohol in their home. There are plenty of parents who love their children but that doesn't make them good parents. A good parent is a parent first and foremost and does not fear setting limits.

I don't know if the homeowner was aware of the party taking place. I'm not sure if the adult present was even the homeowner. If they are truly innocent I'm sorry that they'll be tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. But if they knew, there's not an excuse in the world.

What really bothers me is that the parents of kids in this social circle are justifying what happened. The message is still not getting through!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a God awful feeling that the hosting parents in the Sam Ellis two dead passengers incident will get no jail time, and will thus continue to host parties for under-aged drinkers.

You really should stop with the public stoning in a case where you absolutely do not know all the facts or the law.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a God awful feeling that the hosting parents in the Sam Ellis two dead passengers incident will get no jail time, and will thus continue to host parties for under-aged drinkers.

And you base this on what? Do you not think those parents --charged or not -- are not devastated by what happened? Don't get me wrong, if they were hosting a party where those teenagers were drinking alcohol, they deserve to get charged. But they're still human beings. Back in the day, we had parties all the time. We were incredibly lucky no tragedy ever occurred. Times have changed for the better. But let's not act like these parents are malicious, when what they did was merely stupid and irresponsible.

I want to preface my response by saying the jury is out on whether these parents knew. Assuming they were home, the adults should be charged and face jail time. Make an example of them and it might stop the next parent from hosting. . They are responsible for the tragic loss of 2 young lives! I don't give a crap about their personal devastation. What about the devastation they caused to those boys' families and friends!

I've been silently following this thread but the above post makes me feel compelled to share my 2 cents. I disagree with the above post. I feel strongly that any responsible parent should be able to foresee that this tragedy is a possible outcome. Maybe I can't call the hosting parents malicious, but I also refuse to think they are just stupid. This is an educated area and those parents knew better! They made a conscious decision to ignore the law. People died! I hold them even more responsible than the teen driver (who I still100% feel is culpable) because at their age they possess a well developed frontal lobe and a lifetime of experience.

What stuns me is that this event has brought to light the fact there are parents in my community who condone giving kids alcohol. I get that kids this age are risk takers and cave to peer pressure. I understand that kids sneak around. But if my child were to attend a party where the homeowner knew there was underage drinking, I would be livid!

+1. I can't believe all of these parents that would allow underage drinking in their homes. I think that's despicable on so many levels.

+2 And even if the parents do not fear prosecution, they should be concerned about their civil liability.

+3 I hope the hosting parents get taken to the cleaners this time.