TRIBUTE?
EDITORIAL: Drag racing did not honor Bush
People manage grief in a variety of ways. But last week’s ill-concieved “tribute” to a dead Banks County teen was not the way to honor the young boy’s memory.
High school student Tyler Bush was killed last week after he apparently attempted to run along side a jeep while the vehicle was moving 30-35 mph. It was a tragic, senseless death that stabbed at the heart of the Banks County community.
On Friday afternoon following Bush’s funeral, a large number of students and some adults gathered along Sims Bridge Road near his house to cheer on several cars drag racing and doing “spin-outs.” The event was said to be a tribute to Bush.
Had it not been for one brave woman who stopped and confronted the crowd, another tragedy could have happened. Drag racing on a public road was not the appropriate place to honor a boy who had just died because of carelessness in a vehicle.
One could dismiss the incident as simply an emotional response of grieving friends. But that would be too easy and dismissive of a warped cultural environment that led a group of teens to endanger themselves, and others, along a public road.
Something larger, deeper and more disturbing is going on here. If the death of a friend isn’t enough to send a message about the danger of vehicles and carelessness, then what is? What does it take for a community to impress on its young the seriousness of auto accidents and the deaths that result from a lack of good judgment? How many more teens in Banks County have to die?
Tyler Bush’s death will have been in vain if the community doesn’t begin to alter its automotive culture, a culture that last Friday, celebrated horsepower over a human life.
On Friday afternoon following Bush’s funeral, a large number of students and some adults gathered along Sims Bridge Road near his house to cheer on several cars drag racing and doing “spin-outs.” The event was said to be a tribute to Bush.
Had it not been for one brave woman who stopped and confronted the crowd, another tragedy could have happened. Drag racing on a public road was not the appropriate place to honor a boy who had just died because of carelessness in a vehicle.
One could dismiss the incident as simply an emotional response of grieving friends. But that would be too easy and dismissive of a warped cultural environment that led a group of teens to endanger themselves, and others, along a public road.
Something larger, deeper and more disturbing is going on here. If the death of a friend isn’t enough to send a message about the danger of vehicles and carelessness, then what is? What does it take for a community to impress on its young the seriousness of auto accidents and the deaths that result from a lack of good judgment? How many more teens in Banks County have to die?
Tyler Bush’s death will have been in vain if the community doesn’t begin to alter its automotive culture, a culture that last Friday, celebrated horsepower over a human life.
You go Mike!
This article was not eloquent and far from intelligent. An intelligent, eloquent person would have found better ways to "educate" or voice concern than to smear the family and friends of a lost child for self rightous, thoughtless reasons. There are ways to make positive changes to your community but tearing someone down to make yourself look like a hero is not one of them.
What happened was stupid, irresponsible, and inexcusable. The facts have been checked, the police report was made, there are clearly drag marks on the road......and you think stopping this kind of behavior would not be a positive change for the community?
Wait, let me guess....you were there too, weren't you? Thanks for setting us responsible, intelligent, productive southerners back a few hundred years in our attempts at evolving from the red-neck hick stereotype.
I didn't attend the funeral or anything after. You can agree without making direct comments about the family or people who were there.
As for your Mike, this is the first and last thing I have seen him put into print. I am not sure what he got out of it but I can tell you what the Banks County News will not get out of it....more advertising.
Regards from a reformed red neck!
i'm sick of all of this... usually everyone wants to talk behind closed doors - that's they way they like it - this isn't the best way to go about change but at least someone is trying to do something...
as someone else said 3 teens have died here in just over a year and a half... how many more before people start paying attention
Are you not talking behind closed doors?
Public expression is a good way to go about change. Constructive public expression gets results. This was crule to the family, of whom I know and pray for daily.
Who cares if I don't advertise? The paper. My point? I hope people who agree with me will not support these kinds of comments in the local paper "celebrated horsepower over a human life" cruel, thoughtless, rude, insensitive, appauling. There are ways to handle things without inflicting pain.
This is a very hard time for the family, and we need to
think of them.
My pray today is for God to wrap his hands around Rita.
How would any of you feel if this was in the paper about your child.
It's always so interesting to see how people react to controversy, especially when the subject is faith, politics or family - always emotionally-charged.
I don't live in Banks County and I don't know any of the people involved in this "incident." Nor am I familiar with the Banks County Today newspaper. But everybody seems to have had their opinion published, courtesy of the newspaper. They spoke their opinion and gave you space on their web site to speak yours.
Agree with them? Disagree with them? Either way, you had your say. Looks to me like they did their job and did it well.
Then I went out to Galilee Christain Church and prayed that my two friends would go to heaven. I was almost 17 at the time and to this day I can still remember the anger and feelings of loss. I can remember the mother and father embracing me while they were crying over the loss of there son. This may not have been the best idea to be racing in a field but I can understand why I think. And for those that have a problem with REDNECKS a simple plan for you. Leave us alone we don't need to be told how to feel or how to act in your elite world.
i've done things that i shouldn't as have we all - some of us get lucky and others get lucky enough to spend eternity with God... God Bless Tyler's family and know that he made a stranger smile.
life or death, the way Jennifer Schmid and Mike Buffington
did Tyler's family and friends. They obviously did not
know him or his family...let alone the events leading up
to the tradgic death of a wonderful son and friend.
Tyler's grandfather said at his funeral "The crying
stops here. This is a time to celebrate the 17 wonderful
years that we had with Tyler not mourn them." That is
exactly what those 50 of so people did. (The teens were not
unsupervised like stated let alone still in school and those
that were still in school there parents were standing there
right beside them...my aunt, who is 40 and my sister who
is 23.) They celebrated just the way Tyler would have done!!
I just do not understand how some people can be so
crule and judgmental towrds a sweet loving woman who just
burried her 17 year old son...her only son. Who are these
people to judge how any one handeled Tyler's death. If they
are then they need to get the facts stright about the actual
events that happened that day. Why didn't the paper say
anything about how Schmid cussed and Tyler's mom? Why only
what was said to her?
This is sad that a mother cannot let her child rest in
peace because of some people's ingornate opinions.
May you rest in peace Tyler Bush!!! We love you!!
Nanny Belva and Cassie
I WILL REMEMBER HIM WHEN THE FLOWERS BLOOM,
EARLY IN THE SPRING
I WILL REMEMBER HIM ON SUNNY DAYS
IN THE FUN THAT SUMMER BRINGS
I WILL REMEMBER HIM IN THE FALL
AS I WALK THROUGH THE LEAVES OF GOLD
AND IN THE WINTERTIME-REMEMBER HIM
IN THE STORIES THAT ARE TOLD
BUT MOST OF ALL REMEMBER
EACH DAY-RIGHT FROM THE START
HE WILL BE FOREVER NEAR
FOR HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART.......
GODSPEED TYLER BUSH
SIDONNA MARLOW-ODUM
Since when is a front page report supposed to be completely opinion-based? Where are the facts? Many of you are taking this Mike's side when he didn't do you the courtesy of revealing actualy facts on the FRONT page of your beloved new paper. Teenagers were not involved in drag racing. ONE adult cut a donut in front of his own house and there happened to be a group of Tyler's friends gathered outside the house to be together in this time of deep sorrow.
I hope this Mike guy knows how many people hate him now. It may not matter to him, but in such a small community, he will find out soon that slandering a family in an exceptional time like this will get him no where in life.
He is lucky that the family does not sue him for slander. He's also lucky that the paper is not being sued by the boy's family that owns the car in the picture. That car was not involved in any illegal activity, he was having to drive slowly around reporters to get down the road they were crowding and they took a seemingly incriminating picture of him. How cheap. They can't even get an honest picture to represent what's going on because their article is almost entirely fabricated
Also,I believe you should have talked to ALL involved in this confrontation.Tyler's friends were in the pasture.An overgrown kid in a CAR layed the marks.This HERO wants to blame the marks in the road,and something that someone else did on the guys in the pasture(who are in their TRUCKS)minding their on business.Here's your chance Mike,why don't you get their side of the story? Give me a chance to stand up for Main Street News again,The Bush and Hart families were NOT evildoers here,as portrayed by this HERO, and I personally think they deserve an apology. TYLER BUSH was a sweet and kind young man and always showed respect to everyone.HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED..As stated I've defended Mainstreet News since I used to sit on the square on Wed. nights waitng to get the Herald hot off the press...Now,I wonder if I made an error in defending Mainstreet News all these years.I don't think it will matter to you ,if I said that I will not spend another $1.50 a week ,YEP ,I buy Commerce News,Jackson Herald AND Banks County News each week ..BUT does it matter to you if your readers think that you don't report fairly????????
YOU TWO NEED TO GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEE'S AND PRAY REALLY HARD TO GOD THAT THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS....
BECAUSE SOMEBODY IS GOING TO PUT IN THE NEWS PAPER HOW YOU ARE TO GRIEVE AND HANDLE THE DEATH OF YOU ONLY CHILD OR WIFE OR HUSBAND....
WHEN DID THE BCN START TELLING PEOPLE HOW TO FEEL WHEN DID MRS. SCHMID BECOME THE GRIVECE NAZI?????????
TYLER WAS A WONDERFUL PERSON, HE WAS LOVING HE WAS KIND, HE WAS GENTLE...HE WAS A GENTLEMAN..
MS. SCHMID WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ROBERT TYLER BUSH?????????
I BET YOU HAVE NEVER MET HIM YOU HAVE NEVER SPOKE TO HIM.....IF YOU HAD YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THAT PASTURE ALSO
AND FOR YOU MIKE BUFFINGTON YOU NEED TO FIND YOU ANOTER JOB IF THIS IS THE BEST YOU CAN DO YOU ARE GOING TO COST BCN ALOT OF MONEY.....YOU JUST LOST MY SUBSCRIBSION
This is perhaps the most obnoxious, partial, and biased article I have ever read in a newspaper. What was printed was slander and libel against the family and friends of Tyler Bush and Jennifer Schmid, Mike Buffington, and the newspaper company should be sued!!!
I hope that Jennifer Schmid never has to experience the grief that Rita Bush is having to endure. However, I do hope that she cannot sleep at night because of the pain that she has further inflicted on this already grieving family. Although, I doubt that will be the case, because it is obvious that she has no feelings, or compassion.
The front page of the newspaper should have been dedicated to the honor and memory of Tyler, not to a crazed, psychopath, lunatic seeking attention for herself.
Jennifer Schmid- you have made a name for yourself, but contrary to Mike Buffington's opinion it isn't "Brave Woman." My guess it that the majority of Banks County has another 5 letter word that begins with a "B" to describe you!!!
allow the kids at her house do this. People ask why our kids
have no respect for adults, this is why, people blame them for
things they aren’t responsible for . No adult is condoning this, but when it
is adult nothing can be done. I think most of us are
upset with the questioning Rita and the family it was unfair
to bash her in her time of grief. I think Banks County News,
Mike Buffington, and Jennifer Schmid need to issues a public
apology to Rita Bush, Gene Hart and the teens of Banks County. That would be
the right thing to do. I think the newspaper lost its credibility with this article. I
always buy a paper every week but not after this.
Rest In Piece Tyler.