Asher Brown was brutally bullied by his classmates at a middle school in the Cy-Fair Independent School District—he was subjected to constant verbal and physical assault—and not one of his tormenters were ever punished, no one was suspended, no one was expelled. Asher Brown, in despair, took his own life.

Tyler Clementi, a gay freshman at Rutgers University, has taken his life by jumping off of the George Washington Bridge last week after two classmates secretly filmed him having sex and then broadcast it over the internet. Two Rutgers University students have been charged with invasion of privacy for allegedly placing a camera in the 18-year-old student’s room in the Davidson residence on the Busch campus.

Seth Walsh is the 13-year-old boy who attempted suicide last week after enduring years of bullying at the hands of his classmates and peers in Tehachapi, California. Seth was being home schooled because the abuse at his middle school was so severe. But the bullies didn't relent: they harassed Seth at his home, on the street, in parks. Seth Walsh was removed from life support and died on Tuesday.

It's really hard not to let this get to me, not to let this drag me down. These three stories are, sadly, not rare or unique by any means. At least two lgbt teens right here in Appleton have committed suicide in the past few weeks. People are doing something, like Dan Savage's It Gets Better Project, which he created after reading about the death of Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old from Indiana who took is own life after merciless bullying and an anemic reaction from school officials. I'm glad projects like this exist and I'm actually planning to make a video for the project, but these three recent stories really got to me this morning. I don't know . . . I should go for a walk.