The American propensity to blame inanimate object, those on the leading edge of technological change in particular, for evil is hardly a new concept.  Technology is a good straw man when it comes to inflicting evil upon the land.  It can't defend itself and it taps into a basic human fear of the unknown.  Street lights frightened people back in the late 19th century.  At various times, the telephone, the phonograph (or related instrument), and the television have all be labeled the tool of the Devil.  I guess it's time for the Net to take its turn.

What really doesn't make sense in this particular case is that the Net was really far removed from the actual event.  In the current Newsweek, Steven Levy even admits as much in his article "Did The Net Kill Eddie?", stating that "the link is indirect."  Apparently, accused killer (hey, remember, in this country everyone is innocent until proven guilty) Sam Manzie was a member of America OnLine (which may be reason to lock him up in the first place) who, at some point, entered a private chat room and met a 43 year old convicted pedophile.  The two eventually had a sexual relationship (by the facts I have a consensual one).  When the accused told his therapist about the relationship, the local police enlisted him in a sting operation to arrest the older man.  It was after that episode that his parents tried to commit him, but a judge remanded him to their care.  When Werner came knocking at the Manzie home to sell his wares, Sam was the only person home.

Now, looking for blame, people are jumping on the Net.  To me, that simply doesn't make any sense, for a lot of reasons.  Firstly, the Net, like any other piece of machinery is neither good nor bad.  Any relative moral weight it carries comes only from the people using it.  When a pedophile uses it to snatch a victim it's bad, but when a group of people use it to discuss the relative merits of one of the proposed campaign finance reform bill it's good. 

Second, let's take a look at the accused, Sam Manzie.  It seems fairly obvious to me as a layman that he was severely, or at least moderately, messed up before he ever first talked with his older assailant.  Why would a 15 year old go searching through a private AOHell chat room called "Boyz" in the first place?  And why would he be driven to engage in a consensual sexual relationship with a man almost three times his age?  It's pretty clear that something was missing from this boy's life, whether it be the love or attention of his parents or connections with his peers.  Either way, Manzie seems to be set up for problems long before his time on AOHell. 

Third, there is an important turn in Manzie's alleged behavior that doesn't have anything to do with the Net.  Apparently, the local police utilized him to apprehend his assailant.  This came after his therapist spilled the beans to authorities.  Think about this for a second.  This kid is obviously searching for something that he's not getting at home.  Essentially, it looks like he was really only connected to two people.  The first, his therapist, broke the bond of trust between patient and healer, perhaps the only real trust the kid had in anybody.  That leads to authorities (and no doubt his parents) using him to betray the only other person is his life who (potentially) really meant anything to him.  Keep in mind it is only after the sting operation that Manzie's parents were concerned enough to try to have him committed.  I think there must be a connection there, somewhere.  It was in this state that Manzie apparently acted out against poor Eddie Werner.

What's the point of all this?  It's pretty simple.  This case is way too complicated to simply blame a lump of machinery for a little boy's death.  And in fact, people who try and utilize this to force some sort of censorship on the Net should be ashamed of themselves.  I don't deny the Net had a role, but no more a role than a pay phone does in a drug deal.  Hell, Manzie's parents are probably more to blame than the Net (you just lost in a court proceeding to have your child institutionalized, so you leave him at home?).  Don't let the anti-Net forces use this tragedy to restrict the rights of millions of people all over the country (and the world, for that matter).  Don't look for a scapegoat here.  Examine the facts and the circumstances.  Let the blame fall with the person who deserves it.