Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 04/17/09
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/01/02/liveblogfinal.copy.jpg]
Tonight on 360°, bullied to death. A child taunted at school takes his own life. Who's to blame?
And could the school have stopped the teasing? Carl Joseph Walker Hoover’s mom says kids taunted him saying "you act gay" and "you look gay." Today thousands of students across America participated in a Day of Silence to draw attention to anti-gay harassment in schools. We’ll have all the angles.
And, don't miss Erica Hill's webcast on bullying and tonight's other headlines during the commercials. Watch our WEBCAST
Want to know what else we're covering tonight? Read EVENING BUZZ
Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
Here are some of them:
1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
And take a look at our live web camera from the 360° studio. Watch the WEBCAM
|
|
Filed under: Live Blog |
About this Show:
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
Subscribe to the podcast
On Twitter
Search the AC360 blog
Susan Byole is so cute. She put a big smile to my face. Lovely. Wish her the best.
Good for Ashton. He is a good guy. Maybe CNN can challenge him something next time.
Good night Anderson, Erica, David G., AC360 Team, and all bloggers.
Wish you all a good rest and a great weekend.
Sweet dreams!!
Barbara: Well said. The country also needs to get into the 21th century and recognize the rights of gay people. What kind of a role model is a country that refuses people these rights??
Susan is a charming and lovely person with a great big beautiful voice who deserves all the luck in the world! I hope she remains just as sweet as she is now!
Thanks, Fred.
Michelle, you asked what the Church Committee was. It was a Congressional investigative committee headed by Sen Frank Church that during the presidency of President Ford, issued a report on the CIA and accused it essentially being a rogue elephant that was out of control in the international arena. The report did a great deal to bring to light - appropriately - U.S. policies that were unacceptable to the general public (and put a stop to them), but there has also been a long-standing view that the way the Church Committee went about it was so extreme that it wound up doing a great deal of damage to the capacity of the CIA to collect human intelligence. That is why I have been so supportive of the moderate, restrained approach that President Obama is now bringing to the CIA and the memos he has just released.
Excellent show Anderson-you covered a bit of everything. Again, how about another Twitter battle between you against Ellen Degeneres... if you lose, you dance on her show!
Have GREAT weekend! I know I will...it's going to be in the high 70's here In Chi-town. Perfect weekend to sit in the bleachers and see a CUBS game. Yeay!
Good night, everyone and be safe!
Very fast night for me...on the blog.
Good night Anderson, Erica, David G., crew, producers and other reporters and guests.
Good night fellow bloggers it's been a very intense and interesting week on the blog.
TGIF and have a happy week end!
No one likes a gloater AK. Oh, the crew was up. That's good.
That was awesome. The competition was a lot of fun......but in the end the recipients of the nets will be the true winners.
I was watching in UstreamTV @aplusk and he said it was live, making a “liveblog” because Anderson Cooper asked to support for CNN by TV, and so the rali was beyond the social network. Everyone won!
Kids can be the cruelest creatures on the face of the earth. I was harassed from grade 3 to grade 10 all because the queen bee didn't like that her grandmother like me. It seemed to spread like a virus until bugging me became the "in" to do. It then became a habit. It finally ended when I basically announced to everyone that it would stop and it would stop now.
That was almost 20 years ago and it still effects the way I react in certain situations. I still don't trust very easily and tend to keep my guard up most of the time.
well, i had my cnnbrk vote in – too bad. Erica – i'm sure you did everything you could 🙁
- CNN – the most trusted name in news
I watched Ashton Kutcher live when he won last night. Sorry CNN, i was rooting for yall.
Goodnight All. talk to yall tomorrow
The loss of Carl is a tragedy, but as a former teacher of 39 years I am not surprised. I retired at the age of 59 due to such behavior on the part of teachers! After reporting the bullying of a student by her teacher, I was sent home for three days! The abuser is still teaching!
I became the victim of continued abuse by other teachers.! Worse was the witnessing of constant verbal abuse of students by some teachers! You won't end this widespread problem until you clean out the schools! There are individuals who should not be teaching!
Susan Boyle really special lady sings! Really good!!!!!!!! Wow! what amazing lady!
Good night Anderson, Erica, David G, and my friend twitter/facebook bloggers!!!!!!!
Have a great night and sleep tight everyone!!!! 😀
See you on Monday night!
Day of the shot with Ashton kutcher won beat CNNBRK..... that is so great shot! I love this shot!
Anderson,
Have a great night, good sleep at home after work!!!! See you Monday night!!! Have a plenty sleep! 😀
Goodnight everyone.Peace to all of you and yours.
Casey Jones – Palm Springs, Ca, I agree. The problem is that parents allow their kids to be bullies especially when it deals with things like gay issues because it is not condemned by most religions. So society is really to blame.
ILori from IL "Okay — still not buying the 911 call — “My wife thinks she’s in labor.” Come on, if she’s already had a baby, labor is not something one forgets!"
Is a question of forgetting? I wouldn't know. I have never been pregnant. But I can tell you that it happens. My mother wasn't expected my baby brother until a visit the the bath room one morning. He was the 7th and last child.
I joined Twitter just to help cnnbrk to hit 1 million, otherwise, I would never have done it. What a bummer CNN did not win. 🙁
Fellow Bloggers - it's about that time......
Hope everyone has a good weekend.... until Monday..... peace.
@ David Gergen-I agree, and I'm hoping that in releasing the memos, any wacky conspiracy theories about exactly what happened will disappear. And, keep in mind, I don't approve of any of the "techniques" that happened there.
Parents are not at the schools. Many bullies act perfect at home, so their parents don"t undertand how their kid could be a bully. They let their anger out at school. Parents need to listen when the school calls them, and act swiftly. Sadly, many of these bully parents do not.
@Mike...fighting back is not the answer. Kids are being picked on by groups, not necessarily individuals. There is rarely ONE kid that is making the threats and being abusive. Kids are targeted who appear physically weaker and docile. I was verbally and physically abused from grade 7 through 12 and I never got "attacked" by just one person. It's not a black and white, defend yourself, issue.
Bullying is not new, it has been around along time, we all had it done to us at one time, don't think anyone has an answer to the problem, everything has been tryed
It's such a sad world we live in today, it's sad when you and you husband make a decision not to have anymore kids because you actually fear what they will have to grow up in. Also it scares me that my son has to start kindergarten in a few months, what will he face or be taunted about, hopefully I will always have him with me forever and have to face such tragedy's as others have had to. But who can you blame , and if you do blame someone will there be a domino effect of tragedy to go along with it.
It's a terrible thing that we don't teach our children to love one another. We teach them to be strong and tough to get by in the world as it is today but we leave out the love for all people no matter what kind of person they are. If we showed love for one another the person that might have turned out to be a sore in society would have learned how to love instead of hate people because of what they might think of other people.
Good try CNN, congrats to Ashton (hey he's an Iowa boy).
When is everyone going to get it!!! God created male and female. God does love everyone regardless!! Read your Bible . And no one needs to tease anyone we all have our faults,people should help people and stand up to bulling and schools should not allow it if it is known about.If you truly accept God then you will know the answer!!!!
Hello Anderson!
I was keeping up with the 'Race to a Million' Last night, and I also donated a net! i think what ashton, cnn, oprah, ryan, jimmy fallon, and even soile moon frye did by donating was great! are you going to personally donate aswell?
ms boyle appears to be enjoying herself.
Susan Boyle's story is so important, especially with all the bullying and tragic endings. Susan is a Star, and I pray a book and movie is made about her life. She was bullied also, and the story needs to be told. The World needs to change the way people are judged by others. Change is needed, in our schools, in our homes.
The values of children in America have become appauling. To drive a little boy to commit suicide is a disgrace on how these parents have brought up their children to behave towards others. Im horrified and I think that the children to blame should be dealt with severly.
In these troubled times, Susan Boyle has been an angel sent from above. Thank God for her !!! ... She's already won !
Susan Boyle has an amazing voice. I heard her sing 'My Heart Will Go On' while she was on Larry King and she definetly gives Celine Dion a run for her money!
Bullying is nothing new. Putting others down has been going on forever. As a retired teacher, I know how difficult it is to deal with this problem. I agree that respect has to be taught first in the home and it must begin with teaching your children how to respect and love themselves first!
Good Night Anderson,Erica, Bloogers
Have A Good Weekend Everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Susan amazes us from all sided. Her story is just sensational, as CNN portrays her to be.. Yes Anderson you too can face off with her AND Oprah.
I was for Team @cnnbrk...I'm just so glad that it was for a great cause..
ah, the power of twitter! I'm still for Team CNN!
I am so sorry for this wonderful lady's loss. I had not heard about this story until watching this tonight and am in tears. She was absolutely magnificant and on point with her responses to Andersons questions as well as rebutting the agenda seeking reverend who was also part of this segment. I'm really very saddened this can happen in 2009. It's very hard to find something good in this story but God's word says it will happen and that's enough for me.
ashton can take his twitter folowers and go away. Like the cause you can do with tweeting, but CNN is so much cooler.
It is very heart breaking to hear what happened to the 11 year old boy. I know what it is like to go through this and it is so hard. Some people will just continue to act so mean though. But it is important to be yourself and stay strong in who you are and the education should push harder to premote self confidence and teach kids it is just not right to make fun of people because they're different.
I think its sad that most teachers now a days don't look and focus on the big picture. They want to go to work mark A's and B's on students papers and not address any issues. I think its really sad that a lot of these people go to school and are book smart and not street wise. I worked as a preschool teacher for eight years and was very successful at what I did because I use to be those children I work with. The society is sick. Teachers sleeeping with students and kids getting bullied and shooting up schools. Become a teacher just isn't having an apple on your desk and being above your students. Know what's going on with your students. That student who committed suicides teacher should be ashamed of her self. She allowed that to happen. Its this late in the school year and none of his teachers even knew or acknowleged that there was a problem. Someone just wasn't doing there job.
anderson,
please express my deepest sympathies to Carl's mother. i know her pain and i also know there is nothing that can truly give her peace at this time.
Good Night everyone. Have a wonderful weekend!!!
I agree that it is the parents responsibility to teach their kids at a very young age about right and wrong, morals and values............
My heart goes out to Mrs. Walker and to any person who has lost someone to suicide. I do agree that bullying begins from the home. It is family and friends who make these children who they are. Many families have issues with homosexuality and racial issues as well.
I was raised to think that homosexuality was disgusting and wrong. As well that I should never date African Americans. And it was not until I turned 16 that I realized that all humans are the same. Everyone bleeds red blood inside and no one is better than anyone else.
When it comes to sexual orientation, it is no one's business what people do behind closed doors and with whomever. And as for racial issues that is just ridiculous. I can not believe that issue still active
Susan Boyle is blossoming!!
What a great gal Susan Boyle appears to be! God knows we need to keep smiling!! 🙂
This story of bullying and suicide of that precious young man is so disturbing. Thank you mother for your courage to share with us in your terrible time of grief. Our son was also teased unmercifully at the ages of 10-11 now more than 30 years ago when he was in the 4th grade at a school in California. Luckily the next year he was in Washington and at that time children were not as sophisticated in such matters as they are today. I feel the school let you and your son down. All staff should have been informed and been vigilent to catch the bullies in the act. To ask him to "rat" them out was a further abuse and outright negligance of their duty to protect a vulnerable child. Please know you gave your son the unconditional love that we viewers witnessed in your loving description of his incredible qualities.
Please pass this on to his mother . . . . . . .
Anderson, Erica and Team 360 - Good show again tonight. Thanks for opening with a happy story and closing on a lighter note - stories in the middle were sobering, but needed to be told.
The Susan Boyle story is so appropriate to follow a story on bullys.
You can bet that pretty much NO ONE expected her voice.
She gives hope to everyone in the world, that you can live your gift, no matter what it is!