I was just trying to find some more follow-up info about Sgt Sprader this morning. I was saddened to see one article mention that "[Sgt Sprader's parents] have been disheartened by postings on Internet message boards that focus the blame on his son." (http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0607/2001_lawrence_sprader_update.html)

Although I had not complained about this particular thread to the moderators, I do agree that I thought it quickly became rather unseemly. I think that there is still a great divide among society at large between those who think everything on the Internet is anonymous or like a private chat with your friends at a bar after work, versus those who consider their postings to be an extension of how they would act in the real world and that everything we post can be found by the people we are discussing.

For me, when someone posts a story about someone who just died, I try to judge my words by first asking myself, "Would I feel comfortable saying this in the presence of this person's family at the upcoming funeral?" If not, I won't post my comment. And this was a poor story to discuss anyway because of the lack of details.