As I sit here today thinking about how to begin this article, I am watching my two little girls aged 4 and (almost) 3. With thoughts of all the deaths and abductions in my mind because of recent news stories, I am sick to my stomach with the fear of something happening to them. And although they drive me bananas sometimes, my life revolves around them, and without a thought, I would die to protect them. This brings me to the point.
Canadian laws need to change.
I am not going to list all the dozens of cases some as recent as today, the abduction and sexual assault of a teen in Alberta. Now this case has turned out better than most, she has returned home and is alive. A 56 yr old man has been charged. This could have had a much sadder ending, and we hear all too much of that almost everyday.
The problem is the sentence that is handed down to criminals in this Country. The current prime Minister is trying to toughen up the laws and penalties but he is facing an uphill battle. It is beyond me why anyone would want to be soft on crime. It makes all of us less safe. Attorneys in this Country and across the globe have to change the way the law is practiced. Especially the defence lawyers. Today going to trial is not about getting to the truth and punishing someone for a crime. It is a facade. It is a disgrace. The Crown Attorney tries to punish the wrong doer and protect the public. And the defense is ONLY concerned with getting their client “off”.
In Alberta a trial is about to begin concerning the young man that was brutally murdered last year on a greyhound bus. There is no question that the man charged is guilty. No one is arguing this. But they are suggesting he should get “mental” treatment instead of any criminal punishment. Now, wait a minute hold the phone and stop the bus. This guy was out talking and smoking with passengers just before this happened. He was not acting strangely then. Either a person is mentally ill or they are not. Which is it? Granted it is a bizarre act. Then what makes the “doctors” think they can “cure” this person. How many criminals re-offend after being released for good behaviour or “cured” of a mental illness. Too many for me to think about.
Then we have Haleigh Cummings and Caylee Anthony. One little girl apparently abducted and missing, the other murdered and her mother is charged with the crime. We don’t know what has happened to little Haleigh yet other than she is missing, but we know all to well what has happened to sweet innocent Caylee. Is “mental illness” going to rear it’s ugly head in the defense attempts to get “her off”? Has Casey Anthony acted like she is mentally ill? For 31 days while her daughter was “abducted” she was partying like it was 1999. Strange behaviour under the circumstances absolutely, but mentally ill?
Until the laws in our Country start to concentrate once again on keeping us safe, and punishing those that do wrong as harshly as possible none of us will be safe. And I will never be able to KNOW my children will be safe.
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62 users commented in " Rape, Murder, Abduction, and the law. "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackSafety for Canada!!!
Very nicely written! I don’t give a shit if your mentally ill or not…the easy way around keeping the children..and in the case of the man beheaded on the bus in Canada…our citizens..although he was someones son as well..so ..long story short.
YOU do the crime…YOU do the Time! NO more bullshitt and pussyfootin around dr’s. and mental hospitals and getting through the cracks when your not INSANE> Even if you are insane, lock em up…
The other side of the coin, if your mentally ill and you are diagnosed with it and you haven’t committed any crimes…go the mental house or whatever needs to be done….
Hoever, if you kill someone, abduct and kill a child, kidanp or attempt to confine or abuse or rape OR assault…YOU GO TO JAIL…YOU DO YOUR TIME JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE…MENTALLY ILL OR NOT…LOCK EM UP!
I agree- laws need to change-for the better- this world has changed- we need to protect rights of others.
this artical makes the most sense of any I have read on all this..
God Bless You.
Kristie
Agree 100 percent. Judges ought to just say up front, “Oh, you were: drunk when you committed the crime? insane? depressed? mentally unfit? had it bad as a child? rough homelife? That is so sad.” then “Guilty and let’s help him out of his suffering quickly – what’s the next date available for Old Sparky!! Make this person an appointment would ya. No problem at all, sir, we’re here to help. NEXT…
I worried all the time my kids were little. Were they safe at school, daycare, in the yard, at friends, clubs, scouts, camp… ended up volunteering a lot so I could be there to be sure. I understand your worry. For emergencies…plan ahead. Talk to them, come up with a special word only your family knows, in case you would ever have to send someone to get them, like if you were in the hospital, an accident anything. Having a code word that whoever contacts them must know or they won’t go with them is easy to do. Practice “what to say” or “what to do”, like a game, how to answer the phone, if someone knocks on the door, if they feel frightened, what would you do? Right…that’s what to do. Get them a whistle, teach them to yell FIRE, He’s not my dad, Call the Police, how to call 911. Prepare them in a way that doesn’t scare them, but so they know what to do. It will give you a little piece of mind knowing they have an idea of what to do in an emergency.
Terrible terrible times. Scary.
Another thing children can do is run the OPPOSITE direction from which the car is facing. It will take the driver a few minutes to turn around. AND they drop their school bag! That is important. They have to be told those things can be replaced!! AND these things have to be reinforced – kids forget.
John Walsh has been fighting for years to change our laws and to make them tougher. Maybe we should contact him. He might also have some contacts in Canada that you could get in touch with.
Something has to be done and fast, with the internet and their “sites”, plus other things too. Seems a parent or their CARETAKER CANNOT take their eyes off a child for even 30 seconds. It’s like they are trolling … waiting for that weak moment.
Maybe too somehow get alarms for the windows and doors where the children sleep. Seems to be a vulnerable time.
Send them to Self Defense classes when old
enough.
“HOW TO RAISE A STREET SMART KID” is both a video and book I believe.It isn’t new. I think it was made by John Walsh. Probably ever parent should have one!!!
VERY GOOD ARTICLE Sean … should be more Dads like you!
Just prior to my remark, I should point out that the trial for Vincent Li will be held in Wpg, MB. (that’s where he committed the crime).
As much as I agree with remarks that the laws have to change here in Canada as a whole, I should point out some stark differences between the Canada and the US. It’s purely speculative and it would be a tough bet, but I would say that Casey Anthony will stand a better chance for a not guilty result in FL as compared to Canada. I do reference the OJ debacle as proof that there should be limits of what we ‘need to know’ rather than what is released and sometimes altered in the media in high profile cases.
In the case of Vince Li, he has the desire to die. His actions indicated he wanted DBC (Death by Cop) scenario. His actions kept pushing the limit to the point he was likely saying to himself “what do I have to do to make these people shoot me?”. Would it have been better justice to give him what he wanted? Society would have been better off in that instance. The perpetrator would be deceased. An eye for an eye and only an inquiry of the poor RCMP officer that had to make that decision would have been the cost. Not the money to put him on trial and then support him in the prison system. But would justice be served?
I don’t pretend that it would be beneficial to try and rehabilitate this person or even hook him up to probes to find out what makes him tick, but I believe punishment in this case is best performed by locking him up. With any luck, he will meet his maker in the same way.
There are some folks that I could care less if we executed them or not.. Bernardo, Olson to name a few. The difference is that they have a desire to live, so that would make sense to take it away from them and save the tax payer some dough.. for Li, I figure it’s giving him what he wants. Hopefully he’ll only see the light of day through the prison window as he does not belong in society.
buy guns, teach your daughters to use them when they are of age. Otherwise, live in condition orange. everything, except the old lady next door is a threat. Sucks, but your daughters should live long enough to take care of themselves. What a wonderful world. sorry, I’m a bit facetious.
And teach them to fight back. Too often girls are not schooled in ways to defend themselves. Girls don’t tend to scuffle when they are little, so they have no practice. Self-defense should be taught at home and reinforced at schools. Situation stories should be practiced, like fire drills, so kids are prepared. And it is sad that a small portion of our population can completely change how we feel about our fellow man. Whoever has her, send that little girl Haleigh back to her father. If there was ever any human decency in you…let her go home.
I SAY IF YOU DO THE CRIME THEN YOU SHOULD PAY THE PRICE. YOUR ARTICLE IS WELL WRITTEN AND THANK YOU. IT DESERVES ALL THE STARS. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. LIKE THE OTHERS SAID… OUR LAWS STINK IN OUR COUNTRY TODAY. THE LAWYERS AND ATORNEY ARE YOUR FOR MONEY AND TO HECK WITH WHAT IS REAL JUSTICE. BESIDES THE MONEY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR RECOGNITION AND POWER. THE MORE THEY CAN GET ATTENTION AND WIN CASES, THE MORE MONEY THEY MAKE. MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL THE BIBLE SAYS AND IT IS TRUE. GOD WOULDN’T HAVE SAID IT IF IT WERE NOT TRE. THE WAY I SEE IT IS THIS…IF A PERSON IS TRULY MENTALLY ISS THEN HE, SHE SHOULD BE PUT AWAY SOME PLACE WHERE THEY CAN BE SAFE AND OTHERS TOO. IF THEY HAVE COMITTED A CRIME. I KNOW THAT TRUE MENTALLY PERSONS CANNOT HELP BEING THAT WAY UNLESS OF COURSE THEY ARE BURNED OUT ON DRUGS. THERE SHOULD BE A PLACE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE MENTALLY SICK BUT THESE PEOPLE WHO FAKE IT SHOULD BE PUT WHERE THEY DESERVE FOR WHAT EVER CRIME THAT HAS BEEN COMITTED. THE LAWJYERS THAT KNOW THAT THEIR CLIENT IS GUILTY AND THEY STILL TRY TO GET THEM OFF…WELL I THINK THEY SHOULD GET THE PUNISHMENT OF THE CLIENT AS WELL. NOW I KNOW THAT WILL NEVER HAPPON BUT WHY DEFEND SOMEONE WHOM YOU KNOW FOR A FACT IS GUILTY. NOW I BELIEVE THAT CASEY’S LAWYER KNOW SHE IS GUILTY. SHE PROBABLY HAS TOLD HIM SO. OR EITHER THERE HAS BEEN A LITTLE HANKY PANKY GOING ON WHEN SHE SPENT ALL DAYS WITH HER LAWYER IN HIS OFFICE….JUST MY OPINION…I AM SO AGAINST CHILD RAPIST THAT I HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR THEM NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE. I HAVE DEALT WITH THIS AND IT IS A SORE SPIT WITH ME FOR SURE. THERE ARE TOO MANY ADULTS WILLING TO PERFORM WHAT EVER SO WHY PICK ON AN INNOCENT CHILD. THEWSE PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED ON THE STREETS EVER AGAIN BECAUSE I DON’T CARE HOW MUCH THEY HAVE BEEN REHABILITATED THEY ARE NEVER CURED I DON’T THINK. SO WHY PUT THEM BACK ON THE STREETS TO HARM OR KIILL ANOTHER CHILD OR AN ADUL. RAPIST ARE RAPIST AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED. THE ONLY CURE IN THIS WORLD FOR PEOPLE LIKE THAT IS JESUS CHRIST AND IT TAKES BEING FAITHUL TO HIM AND ALLOWING HIM TO WORK WITH IN US. THAT IS THE ONLY TRUE CURE FOR THESE HORRIBLE THINGS THAT IS HAPPONING TODAY. AND HE WILL SOON BE RETURNING I DO THINK CAUSE OUR WORLD IS LIKE THE DAYS OF SODOM AND GOMORA AND MAYBE EVEN WORSE. AND THATS WHAT THE BIBLE SAY. IT SAY THAT IN THE DAYS OF SODOM AND GOMORA…SO SHALL IT BE IN THE DAYS OF THE COMING OF THE LORD. AND TO THIS I SAY PLEASE LORD JESUS COME QUICKLY BEFORE ANY ONE ELSE IS HURT BY EVIL.
JUST A PS TO MY PREVIOS EMAILS PLEASE LOOK OVER MY TYPOS. I KNOW I MAKE THEM AND I AM SORRY. IT IS HARD FOR ME TO SEE WHAY I TYPE.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO ME TO BE ABLE TO LIST MY THOUGHTS AND I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THIS PRIBILAGE. IT IS VERY HARD FOR ME TO READ WHAT YOU WRITE BUT I TRY MY BEST WITH HELP FROM A MAGNIFIER. I AM LEGALLY BLIND
GINNY, YOUR TYPOS CAN BE LOOKED OVER. I AM USING ALL CAPS HERE HOPING IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO READ. TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS YOU!
JAN BARRETT – BNN EDITOR
GOOD NIGHT ALL AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL
Ginny, thank you for writing that. I appreciate it all the more, knowing your difficulty.
Mark – yes. I have mine, 357 magnum. NRA trained. Hollow points too.
I was a musician, always out late at night, For decades. A flat tire? Could have meant my death!!! Really. They do “troll” those big expressways. Girls were being followed and killed too, on desolate exit Ramps. Amy Willard was one. That was near where I worked, so that DID IT!! I HAD to protect myself. Foolish not to.
Never had to use it and I am grateful! I was ready tho if someone wanted to do harm to me, or kill me! It might have saved me from getting a heart attack too. Once I got lost, (exhausted after a long job), in a National Park. GADS! No heart attack, Rhoda Ruger was there beside me on the seat! I was petrified. Made a wrong … turn.
JAN, HOW THOUGHTFUL OF YOU TO WRITE LARGE IN ALL CAPS FOR GINNY.
I AM EXHAUSTED TONIGHT, EYE TIRED I GUESS FROM THE LASER SURGERY. I WISH I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT TO DO THAT FOR HER TOO.
GOD BLESS YOU TOO JAN, YOU ARE ONE FINE LADY. YOU TOO GINNY.
‘NITE Sheller, Mark, Jan, Ginny, CinAB – ALL
A (-.-) zzzz heart
Wonderful article! and I so agree…
if you commit a crime against a child you should NEVER be allowed out again…i do not believe these people can ever be reabilitated!!! and while i believe everyone is allowed a defence it should not be turned into a circus…its true all these attorneys are in it for fame and recognition, how do you defend a child killer with a clear concince????
Yes the venue was not moved to Alberta from La Prairie, but to Winnipeg as CinAB has said. I guess while I was collecting information on the different instances I got confused on locations. Sorry about that, I do try to be accurate. Guns are not the answer, though I support the rights of a person to own one if they choose, I would not like to see our society go back to the “wild west” way of doing things. Hopefully our species can evolve past violence completely at some point. Alarms, self defence courses, and teaching our children how to act are all good ideas, and in today’s world something we just have to do. But it is all for naught if they people that do the crimes get a slap on the wrist and released back out in to society to do it again.
I’m so afraid for my DD (2.5yo). My family think I’m nuts, but as soon as she’s allowed into Martial Arts we’re going. While I’d love for her to be a “child” as long as possible, in this world it’s not possible and since I brought her into it, I have to do my best to give her the tools to protect herself. She’s a loving and social wee thing but is going to be taught to trust her instincts, don’t hug or kiss anyone you don’t want to, don’t believe anyone who says they’ll hurt you or your family if you tell, don’t believe anyone who says it’s alright to touch you where you’re bikini covers, don’t trust adults simply because they are an adult … …
It’s heart wrenching she’ll have to grow up in this, but I’ll be damned if I’ll send my daughter out into society without having made her as aware and street smart as I’m capable.
Now hold on a second. In terms of crime and cruelty, I don’t really feel as if the world has changed. Crime and strife have always been present in societies of the present and past. We live in an age where we are more aware of crime and issues all over the world. You can flip open your lap top and receive instant world news at the click of a button. In the olden days, you had to wait for the newspaper to come out and even then you would receive a heavily censored version of the news. What happend to Caylee Anthony and Hayleigh cummings, although extremely horrific and tragic, are very rare occurrences. The news hypes up abductions as being an almost daily occurrence, within North America. Now don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe in keeping our children safe. I also strongly agree with toughening Canadian laws and jail sentences, in regards to rapists and child abusers. In Canada I feel that those laws are fluff, in comparison to the laws in practice within the U.S. There is so much more I wish I could write in response to this article and the other responses, but I would go on and on. I also don’t feel owning guns and running around and “shooting all the bad people” is a viable option. Gun violence is much higher in the U.S, than in Canada where there are much more stringent guidelines to who can own a gun. I think we just need to keep a sharp eye on our children and be more aware who we allow contact with our children.
How many times do we have to be told that she is not mentally ill?She was held on 500K for child neglect. This was an extrodinary Bond but it was rendered as a result of the psychaitric evaluation completed at the Orlando County Jail. The judge stated that “the truth and Casey Anthony are strangners.”
The next arrest was for Felony Murder. The Bond was revoked and this was a result of the evidence collected. It remained at 500K even when no body was discovered. It is only common sense to infer that the testing and possible diagnosis revealed her
dangerousness as well as characteristics common in those with antisocial personality disorder.
Within the first 5 minutes of the investigation she told investigators that she was the last person to see Caylee alive. It is her sociopathy which is in alignment with this crime. It will never be part of her defense.
paragraph 2-the Bond was not…revoked
Sorry
“Woman must not depend on the protection of a man
but must be taught to defend herself.”
Susan B. Anthony, 1871
Did you really need Susan B. Anthony to tell you that?
I wonder if pedophiles sites on the internet have enabled them to become better at what they do? I think so. Instead of one lone creep planning something, he can have the heads of 500 – or more on their sites?
I really hate guns, but after getting a flat tire going TO work one night, and sitting there on the Expressway (Philly) for 90 minutes or more, (couldn’t even SEE out the window!), in a terrible storm, (calling AAA and Police too) and being scared to death, I sat there thinking …”Be glad you are going TO work, at 7:30PM. What if you were coming HOME from work, at maybe 3:00AM and got this flat?”
Sometimes jobs took me on the Turnpike too. I didn’t want have possible break-downs, or flats, and to be a scared, helpless rabbit, just sitting there for their taking. I wanted to MATCH forces with them, thereby protecting myself – hopefully!
Men have all the problems that females might have, (car jacking, robbery, etc.) but we also have possible torture, rape and murder. LEAVE NO WITNESSES BEHIND – they have learned. That’s why I believe, all former rapes, have now become murders too. All of them, children and women too now.
But Not For Me (Gershwin tune)
This is by far the most well-worded logical article I’ve read on the Anthony case as well–thank you! On another note, Ginny, thank you for your fine post, and I couldn’t agree with you more. As for using the “insanity defense” in this case, I feel that it is actually giving the truly “menatlly ill” individuals a bad name, as I’ve said before on this blog. My grandma used to say “Some people are plain damned mean!!!” Those simple words pretty well sum up the Anthony case for me.
In regard to the posts made here concerning rapists, I’ve watched tv broadcasts where rapists in prison for the crime were interviewed, as I’m sure others have also. During the interviews, all the rapists said if they were free, they would rape again–so keep them behind bars for life–there is no guaranteed rehabilitation!!
Great topic, Sean. A damaged human being is a damaged human being, no matter what the tragic cause. They have to be removed permanently if they are a danger to society.
I have a photo of Grandma as a girl, holding a rifle, next to her dog, living alone in a prairie homestead. I also have a gun and a dog. My daughter shoots skeet and enjoys target practice. Women are not protected enough in this world, by laws or society.
Any parent who gives a child a gun is in no way protecting them from harm or the long arm of the law should they shoot a parent or the friend next door. Lunatics give children guns.
A majority of men and woman who have been physically harmed, abused or killed didn’t even have to leave home. A gun was handy in a small minority of cases but it was the scent of revenge and sheer willpower of the killer using anything available in the home: conning the vicitm to dinner, to bed and eventually stabbing them to death. The final resting place is usually the backyard or surrounding property. Buried at sea, the woodchopper, drowning and motor vehicle accidents are what many loving and caring couples contemplate when planning the early demise of their devoted husband or wife.
Entwhistle couldn’t get a gun in England but he sure got one fast enough in the USA. Too bad.
If you want to protect your children bring them up to respect themselves and their neighbor before you go to all that trouble buying them their first gun.
Let me qualify my comment to “my adult daughter” knows how to shoot a gun. Of course bad people get weapons too, but if I hear a noise at 3 a.m. and realize someone is breaking in, I will feel less helpless aiming a gun in that direction.
Val-I would never want to think that I could ever kill someone outright.
Three things in this country lead to crime, the absence of commitment in marriage and the dysfunction of the family are:Guns, drugs and pornography.
With the exception of serial killers it is fair to say that a majority of those who kill kill someone they know. What brings on that spilt second choice to end someone else’s life? Is it an altered state of mind, addiction to drugs, alcohol or pornography? Is it the availability of guns?
188 children in the United States were killed by guns brought into or near public schools since 1991. (see Justice Department Quarterly Report for 2002) Who in their right mind says a gun should be in the home and that children should be trained in its use?
When you kill the intruder does that automatically erase your fear? Does killing someone before they kill you an acceptable state of mind?
I am familiar with your arguments. Did I say that my purpose for aiming a gun was to kill? Did I say that teaching children to use guns was a good idea? If a burglar was in my house I would give them the opportunity to decide they made a mistake. If they had the mentality, as many have illustrated in the news that my life is worth nothing, I would defend myself. I am not about trying to find the key to civilizing idiots who commit crimes. If you have one, let me know, but in the meantime I would like to stay safe.
When you kill the intruder does that automatically erase your fear? Does killing someone before they kill you an acceptable state of mind? (quote abby)
Truthfully, I would be afraid of liability and being sued by his criminal savvy family because I robbed them of a cherished son who had a record a mile long already and was still on the streets. Or that his gang buddies were outside and heard the shot, having brought their semi-automatics.
And killing someone before they kill me is preferable if not acceptable. Out of curiosity, Abby, and I really am interested in other viewpoints, how would you handle an intruder who appeared to want to do you harm and may/probably has a weapon? Or what if they were abducting your child?
I had something very bad happen to me and in the middle of everything the intruder said, “What’s that I hear?” and I said, It’s my pacemaker.”
He wanted to do what he wanted to do but he didn’t want to kill me.
I’m sorry for your terrible experience, abby. I bet he had a record, or a trail of victims before you. I would have shot him, not trusting the extent of his ill will. I find crimes against women and children so heinous; these guys should never be loose.
abby, I won’t presume to know the fear or emotions that you must have experienced during that time. And whether or not you had children that were in possible danger as well. Each parent must decide for themselves how to best protect and educate their children, but as a society it is all of our responsibility to protect each other. And part of that, in my opinion, is making sure that people who have a tendency to commit crimes never get the chance to do it again.
Great post.
Val and Sean-He was a bad person. I thought quickly. If something like that happened to me today I would think nothing of separating his eyes from their sockets. I know I have the emotional and physical strength today. No one could ever harm me again. It made me stronger once I was no longer a victim.
abby..So you could never kill someone outright, just mutilate and blind them?
One can ALWAYS shoot someone in a leg, arm, shoulder to STOP them from trying to rape or kill us. We don’t always have to shoot to kill, IF we don’t want to.
Many criminals have guns … I’m sure they didn’t have background checks like we have to have. It is only the good people that have to go thru hoops to get them.
Abby, I am glad you survived. You are one of the rare ones, I think. Most are KILLED. Leave no witnesses seems to be their latest motto. I wonder if this recent M.O. killing them no matter WHAT their age, comes from the discussions on their sites? They learn from each other I am sure on those sites. Maybe yours was a long time ago Abby?
ABBY posts crossed in the mail.
I see it was a long time ago, before they organized and decided to KILL the victims. I have noticed that movement – over the years. All the girls, Ami Williard from back in PA, Sandra Levy, and they tried to kill the NY Jogger too, left her for dead, and kill all the children.
There was one lunatic who stalked a family.He used night goggles too, spying on them from the woods. He broke into a house, had a gun, killed the mom and her boyfriend and kidnapped the 2 children. Killed the little boy because he FOUGHT him causing him too much trouble, but he kept the little girl alive. Alert waitress noticed them, and reported them. Saved her life.
Thirty years ago there were a lot of disordered people walking around without a gun. Today there are just as many disordered people and a fair number have guns. It reduces the victims chances for survival.
Schools and families have to do a better job at teaching children ways to confront and resolve conflicts without reaching for a gun.
Every year the Mayor asks that all guns be left at City Hall. Those who hand in their guns get a $200.00 Target gift certificate. It’s a start.
Those disordered people have produced even more disordered people, a fact substantiated by our packed prison sytems. Thirty years ago Nintendo had not yet gotten violent, drive by shootings were still uncommon, and intruders usually robbed homes when no one was home. There is a total disregard for life that has evolved among criminals which makes security and self protection even more crucial.
Good families rarely have to make a point of telling their children not to reach for a gun. With bad families, kids also learn by example. Schools have very little influence and even less power over kids from bad parents.
Val-There isn’t one thing I could disagree with. Your post speaks volums about what has happened to the family in the past 30 years.
For every social problem since the 1950s schools have been asked to help remediate and educate the masses. Driver’s Ed, Alchol and Drug education, Aids education,Character education-bullying, sexual harrassment, conflict resolution, etc.
Look at the Catholic Church. Could anyone have imagined the number of sexual deviants in one profession/organization?
It seems that every six months or so we read and see a young professional woman being arrested for sexual abuse of one of her students. These are not seasoned professionals-these are young woman in their 20s and early 30s. What went wrong?
There is a need for self protection.My agrument against self protection was rooted in my personal belief that it would not bring me much protection from further fear. A selfish and singular look at self preservation.
Agreed, Abby. Your perspective is not at all selfish or singular. I do hope you have a watchdog; mine listens all night, at the foot of my bed, as he doesn’t believe in sacrificing comfort.
My daughter is an adult now and I have dealt with how to get her through these problems unscathed. Selecting a High School was easy. One had a great reputation, but with a recent drive by shooting, and one was gang and crime free but didn’t offer the number of advanced options. Guess which one we chose?
Val-The one with the good reputation. I too had that dilemma. I paid tuition for 16 years. I am a safety freak and I have to try to calm it down most of the time.
We had two great little Welch Corkies and they were wonderful to bark if they sensed something was wrong. After 18 years they both went to doggie heaven.I worried for years that they would walk home with the mailman. We got a little West Highland Terrier-450.00. Did everything for him. Loved him to pieces and believe it or not he bit both me and my sister for months. We called the MSPCA and had to have him put down.
We are presently looking for another dog-once the snow clears out for the winter we will get a dog who likes us more than we like him!!!
As a single parent it was my mission in life to see that my darling daughter got through unscathed as well. She graduates from university this year and is planning to take the LSAT in October.
I love rat terriers, but it takes a certain personality to appreciate a terrier. They are real people pleasing dogs, although they usually attach to one person, like Velcro. Congrats to your daughter. Getting through the education system is no small feat here, but what a proud day on graduation!
Actually, I chose the SAFER rural school, and she took college classes in her senior year through community college and transferred to a University. Now she works in a big dangerous city and I’m a nervous wreck, sigh.
Val, maybe your daughter can/should take self-defense classes? We do know, **SOME get away**, like the one this month did, in CA. That was Feb. 2. Amber, later, did not get away.
The one from Feb. 2 was able to describe them, (group I think of 3), their M.O., truck, and that is very helpful. Probably the same that took Amber – around the school.
I had a neice like that Val. After her car was broken into – 3 times, AND the *outer* beautiful leaded in glass doors were stolen from her apartment, (inside set of doors left), she then agreed with me, and moved. She had graduated college and this was her first apartment.
To stay on topic, my daughter took Karate for three years and when I sent her off to college I bought a heavy 3 ft. long metal flashlight, put it under her bed and told her to not hesitate to use it on any intruder.
Wrote to America’s Most Wanted – John Walsh asking how we could help. They wrote back. I just wrote a long post, giving http://s, etc. GOT ZAPPED?? I will write it again later. Can’t now.
Anyhow, they said to contact our Congress and Senate.
Congress, House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate.
BTW, even if we teach children, they FORGET. We have to, from time to time keep reinforcing the information.
Abby I am SO proud of you, that you are a SURVIVOR!
I am too. I had my VIOLENCE inside my home, my “husband”. A lawyer.
Val, to give her some “notice” to shake the cob webs of sleep out, maybe some kind of battery operated door alarm?
What about Mace too? That could be a “surprise” to them (hidden in her hand)?
I think all women should carry their keys with MACE or PEPPER SPRAY in their hands when they walk. I often thought I can’t say “WAIT, I’m not ready … not fair!”
I have been saying this – for 15 years. If we have a car with an alarm system on it, AND we can park it outside our homes, PUSH your car alarm button to set it off!! These bullies (of all types) don’t want any attention!! Probably will run. Hopefully …
Women are encouraged to be independent and fearless, but our laws and society do not protect us. Women are “sitting ducks” for crime. Her more adventurous friend went to a foreign country where she was warned about being abducted, yet wandered the streets until she was mugged.
Those are good suggestions, Heart. I will remind her of these options today. Thank goodness she has not had your neice’s crime experience! Her place is outside of the city which helps…a little.
abby – you’re right about the things causing problems: guns, drugs, and pornography. Although I’m not sure conflict resolution with a rapist, child abductor?
One of the first ways to overtake a population of anything is to take away their ability to defend themselves.
Conflict resolution works with human beings that have a conscience, sense of humanity….the other ones are only scared of something with a little more UUmmph.
Val, forgot a good one. A good LOCK on the bedroom door. I had friends who woke up with 2 of them looking down the them. They killed them. He was a Dr. If they had a good lock on their bedroom door (I don’t mean the little privacy type locks that are in the handles), he would have had time to get his gun, call 911, etc. The next day I called a Locksmith and had a big lock put on my bedroom door. AND I lived alone!
We have to make ourselves strong targets. Maybe they will go to easier targets …
When my son was in Nursery School, another mother’s car was stolen. She told me she didn’t like to think people would do something like that. She had left her purse on the passenger seat/keys in the ignition. I told her “I don’t like to either, but I need my car.”
Make yourself a hard target.They usually go for the easiet one. I locked my car, took my keys with me, and might have had a Club on it, not sure about that. Can you tell I came from Philly, then the Suburbs – THANKFULLY!
Yes Sheller. They have the guns – and will continue to illegally have them. If none of us do … they will OWN the streets. Some of them only understand force, really. I know this.
7:11 C~M BRAVO! Ha, I am getting around to reading some of the posts I missed.
And now …
(-.-)zzzzzz Talk to you tomorrow.
I have to say I count on all those easy targets to get mugged/robbed/murdered first. I live in a safer community and I am the only one to padlock my gates. I lined my kid’s apt balcony with huge thorned potted plants and made sure she watered them! I always lock doors and cars, and it does seem a little paranoid here, but as long as crime happens, I’m alert. I love the lock on the bedroom door idea, heart!
It would help if the men in society were raised to be more protective also. So many women are left to raise their children alone, leaving them more vulnerable to predators or attacks. The men I have known have not been terribly concerned about my safety, and have been amused when I was fearful, like “Don’t be a baby, nothing bad will happen to you”. They don’t seem to get that women are not on an equal playing field when it comes to survival.
VAL, I guess good neighborhoods do count, because we don’t have a LOT of them living among us – hopefully. A LUNATIC can go to, or live in ANY neighborhood tho!! AND they do. Elizabeth Smart, Jon Bonet Ramsey, and many other rape/murders happened in fine neighborhoods.
I think when we see a Van parked next to our car, maybe we should enter our car from the opposite side. It CAN be done I think. Often they pull females into Vans. **Now how can I do that? When I unlock my car, it’s either the drivers door only, or all doors.** Hmmmm. Key?
I keep a piece of wood (like an axe handle or broom handle), in my double glass door channel – at the bottom of the 2 doors. That is one way they like to enter houses. A weak spot I think.
Yes, the Center City Rapist killed his first victim during a rape. He entered her apt. by climbing up the wall, and got in thru her balcony door! She fought back hard, that is why he killed her. First and only one. Tough one to catch. He joined the Service, but they tracked him down by his continued rapes and his M.O. Lived half way across the country.He terrorized Philadelphia for a long, long time. Every night his composite was on the News. Maybe an alarm type thing on those doors?
On the sex offenders map that shows each registered location there are 15 within a five mile radius here which is really LOW. You can click on each red dot and their picture and offense pops up. In the nearby cities those dots blend into hundreds; it’s very scary.
val, I’m not sure if we have that option in Canada and I can imagine how scary it must be to see all those dots close to where you live, especially if you have children. Which goes right back to the point of this article, are our Governments protecting us? Is there really a cure for sex offenders?
I taught my daughter how to protect herself as best she should and she was shooting a shotgun for sport by the time she was 12. She has a better chance of never being a victim than the average kid.
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