Choices [View all]

“Choice! The boy has not a real choice, has he? Self-interest, the fear of physical pain drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement. The insincerity was clear to be seen. He ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice.”
Prison Chaplain, A Clockwork Orange.

Earlier this week, five teenage boy – ages 13,14,14, 15, and 15) attacked a homeless man in Binghamton, N.Y. They filmed the brutal assault, including pistol-whipping their helpless victim, to share on the internet. The man died in the hospital.

The man's name was Peter Bennedum, and he was 45 years old. I live an hour away from where this happened, and never knew Peter. I've read lots of comments on the internet about him though, from friends and classmates. It sounds like he was a good guy, who obviously did not deserve this.

The murder has outraged the local community and surrounding area. Perhaps the only good thing is that a “go fund me” site collected about $14,000 for his funeral in an extremely short time.

This isn't a new thing. But having kids video the attack for the internet is for this region. It does remind me of when my son and I got into Buffalo on May 14, 2022, about an hour after a freak traveled from outside Binghamton to Buffalo to shoot, kill, and video him shooting black shoppers. It was strange at the state Golden Gloves finals the following day. Such things tend to fit some of Gary Bruncato's ideas on the connections between violent criminals who study or participate on the information highway.

Today my son drove us to an old friend's land, where five of us participated in a sweat lodge healing ceremony ….. not for us, but for society. It was a particularly long and hot four rounds. My son invited me to come to his home to watch boxing tonight, but I'm just resting tonight, and thinking about that which needs to be done before the mid-terms.