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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

This Memorial Day remember Phoebe Prince if you can - Sparing a thought for those souls that need prayers as well as the brave

Posted on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 10:33 AM
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I know Memorial Day is usually for remembering those who fought so bravely for the United States in so many wars.

But I got to thinking that it would be great if we could remember other souls in need too, especially innocent children who suffered the ultimate fate.

Such a person was Phoebe Prince, a joyful 15-years -young girl from Ireland who was bullied to death at her South Hadley High School in Massachusetts.

The face and the memory is starting to fade and the great American media circus has moved on from Phoebe and her family, but somehow I cannot forget her.

She died too horribly, taking her own life after two separate gangs of bullies taunted her daily, threatened her, made her life miserable until she could not take it any more.

The sad part is that the adults in charge of the children come out hopelessly compromised too

Teachers saw the bullying and ignored it, the school board washed their hands of it, local parents tried to rumormonger that Phoebe was unstable to begin with.

Yet a brave District Attorney stood up to the see no evil adults and has now begun a prosecution for bullying a young girl to her grave.

There will be a trial in a few months of those who allegedly bullied her to death and the media carnival will come to town again.

Most importantly thought, three parents of bullied children elsewhere have come forward since Phoebe died and stated that having read about Phoebe they believe they stopped similar suicides among their own children.

So just as much as the example of our honored dead on battlefields from Iraq to Europe inspire us today, so should the message of a dead young girl from Ireland resonates.

That message is that we should say never again and truly mean it. Our children's lives are sacred.
Originally published in 2010.


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Madeliene | Jun 10, 2012, 02:30 PM EDT
Thank you Mr. O'Dowd, I shall pray for her and her family. It happens far too often, and I think more than we will ever know, this bullying of children. Many of us and ours have gone through it, some apparently more than others.

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NYCsheridan | May 28, 2012, 10:21 PM EDT
While we are at it, let's pause and remember all the innocent civilians killed by bombs and bullets. Thank you.

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