Monday, July 18, 2011

To Be Safe: What does It Take?

pleading to let him walk home alone from day camp. Maybe they thought that living in a Jewish community of well-respected people was safe enough.
God!  Did it bring back memories of " who can I trust." 

I remember being on a plane when I was 20, going to an interview with Braniff Airlines back in the day.
Some of the corporate men on the plane were employees of Braniff. They were very talkative and friendly. The young man sitting with me noticed the flight attendant ignoring me. He made her stop and serve me.
When we were almost to Dallas, he suggested that we share a taxi into corporate headquarters. I thought that would be great since I was already scared to death of being alone in a strange city. 
But just as the words came out of my mouth, I  remembered one of my college friends telling me that she accepted a shared taxi ride with a stranger she had met on a plane and she ended up being raped by him. She said she was too trusting.
Although I had said, "Yes",  because this man was very nice and protective of me, I realized that he was also a stranger; and I could not get that thought of my friend's miscalculation of trusting this stranger, out of my mind.

My gut feeling told me that this young man seemed harmless; but my brain told me that I don't really know him and he is starting to take control of my life.
Where would his control end. My friend said that a harmless taxi ride, turned into a harmful detour from her location to his location.
One request turned into another request and she went along with his suggestions, willingly, because she trusted him; although a total stranger she met on the plane. 

When we landed, I said that I wasn't going straight to corporate. I would get my own taxi and thanked him for his offer.
By that time, I was very nervous and probably sounded like I was lying. 
He became very nervous, too, and somewhat upset; saying repeatedly, "I wasn't going to hurt you!" 
Holy  Smokes!!  Why would he say that?  
When I saw his reaction. I realized I was right about not going with him. He was far too upset for just a simple 'decline.'
It was better to be alone and afraid; than to be with a stranger and afraid.

As a young mother, I was constantly evaluating the dangers surrounding my child. 
I was overly stressed, peeling my finger and toe nails off, chinese torture style, with worry for my children.
It wasn't until they were grown and in college where I had " no" clue what kind of harm or danger, in which,  they put themselves; that my nails started growing out, like a normal human beings. 
Practicing on my first born when it came to being alert to possible danger; 
it only took me a full year to give her up to a trusted babysitter. She was a mother with two sweet daughters, who worked in my husband's company. 
With my second child, I became a  "seasoned" patroller. Much like a bird living in the wild, who, unlike the tamed birds, sporadically jerks it's head from one side to the other, looking for possible predators. 

The first time I flew with my first born, I found myself sitting with a stranger. 
Kristine was probably a year old.  
The soft spoken, fatherly type, man sitting with me talked about his family. He was demonstrating how much he loves his children by showing me a wallet full of photos.
It was a long flight and Kristine must have been sitting in my lap as he said I look tired. He 
offered to walk down the aisle with her to give me a break.
I thought: where could he go on an airplane? So I agreed.
I watched him walk back and forth with her down the aisle and then they didn't pass by again.  
I stood up and turned to look to the back of the plane. There was a line of people standing to get into the bathroom and he was one of them.
I was horrified and tried not to panic. He was the last one in line so I had time to collect my thoughts. Why is he standing in that  line?  Is he going to ask the flight attendant, standing by the door, to take my child while he goes in, or is he going to pretend to be her dad and take her in with him?
Why am I asking all these questions?  I am her mother and she depends on me to keep her safe.
I hurried down the aisle, trying to appear sane and calm. 
When I reached him, I said, " Do you have to go to the restroom?" 
He said, "Yes." 
I said, "I will take her, Now." 

My eldest once asked me to let her walk home from school. She was in middle school and her sister was 3 years younger. I knew a stream of children walked that main route.  
On a busy suburban street that included a police and fire station, it would be a 2.5 mile walk.   Although, no one had ever heard of any kidnappings in our area, 
I would say, "It only takes 'one' incident; and I don't want my child to be that one statistic."
I knew the adventurous idea of walking home would not last long when she realized how hot and tired she would be with having to carry her books too; so I relented and let her and her sister walk home with a group of kids. 
When Kristine got home she said, " Mom! I saw you following us in the car." 

Of course, I won't let them walk home alone. 

What happened to that little boy in Brooklyn could have happened to my child if I 
had not ruled on the side of caution and my fears. I had often asked myself, " If God gave me another opportunity to have a life without children, would I ? 
I often replied, "Yes."  
Although I love my daughters, I think God gave me too much responsibility. I spent every, 20 hour, waking moment living a life of a " Nervous Wreck." 

I was too afraid of the consequences, if I made a mistake, not minding the store 24/7. 
I knew I could not bring a dead child back to life.

I know other mother's didn't worry as much as I did, and for some reason, their child survived, anyway.  
I didn't ,even, trust my luck. 

Unfortunately, that little boy's parents trusted the community of strangers in which they lived.
They trusted their 8 year old son to know the way home, a great distance of 8 blocks in the city. 
The fears I had for my child, came with full force to that boy's parents.
They will grieve and miss their son dearly every moment in every day.
Now God has to take over and care for him.

Trying to keep a child safe from predators is like playing Russian Roulette.  
There is a bullet (predator) in the chamber.
It's Your  call.  


Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Caylee Anthony Doesn't Matter

A P.S to my earlier blog:  Am I Just Crazy or Has The World Gone MAD?


Why am I not surprised now by our justice system that Caylee Anthony doesn't matter? 


Lawyers and Judges allow half the truth to be given to jurors who are locked away from the real world so they can solely concentrate on the theatrics of the court room. 

As a juror, myself, I had witnessed a prosecutor profusely,  sweating and hyperventilating during his closing remarks.  All I could think about during his entire performance, "is it now?
...no.....
now? 
That he would keel over.
Obviously, I was not the only one praying he would not die in front of us, as he won his case. 

You mean there is NO law protecting missing children?
‘Caylee’s Law’ Proposed In Wake Of Casey Anthony Verdict 

Less than 24 hours after Casey Anthony was found not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony, more than 45,000 have joined an online campaign calling for a federal law – named Caylee’s Law – that would make the failure of a parent to notify law enforcement of a child’s disappearance a felony.

The petition was created by Oklahoma woman Michelle Crowder, who said in a written statement: “I am hoping that this will be made into a federal law so that no other child’s life, disappearance, and/or death is treated in the manner that poor Caylee’s was treated. No child deserves that.”
The non-guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony case has shocked the world, and one of the main controversies of the case is the fact that Anthony never notified law enforcement that her daughter was missing (Caylee’s grandmother Cindy Anthony notified police one month later). Crowder and her tens of thousands of supporters want to ensure that this never happens again.
Nearly 4,000 people have commented on the online petition site so far: “It’s CHILD NEGLECT if you don’t know where your child is for a minute let alone 31 days!!! Don’t make more children suffer.. pass this law!!!” wrote on supporter......"


Are we still living in the Stone Age



Friday, July 1, 2011

Moral Conviction

It will be corruption and greed at the highest level that will bring down America and it starts with the President of the United States and his moral conviction in running the country.  
 Unfortunately, personal  moral convictions  can be washed out by different sets of moral values; depending on which religious group (Catholic or Protestant) or political party (Republican, IND, Democrat) you belong. 

.."To apply the golden rule adequately, we need knowledge and imagination. We need to know what effect our actions have on the lives of others. And we need to be able to imagine ourselves, vividly and accurately, in the other person's place on the receiving end of the action. With knowledge, imagination, and the golden rule, we can progress far in our moral thinking...." 

I believe that if we apply the Golden Rule of empathy to our actions; minus all the rules and regulations of religious and political groups, I think we would have a better understanding of 'right and wrong' without limiting ourselves to the restrictive beliefs of all these other groups. 

It's really easy knowing the difference between good and bad; it's harder to apply them when they are all mixed up with everyone else's moral convictions.

While your God is telling you 'thou shalt not kill', your commanding officer is telling you to shoot a suicidal terrorist in the act.
You could say to yourself: If I were the terrorist, would I want to be shot? Your answer would be: No, I would rather be blown to smithereens. But of course, those are the terrorist's religious moral convictions, not yours.


You already know it's a bad thing that the terrorist is doing.  He is imposing his beliefs on others.


You would be doing the terrorist a favor by shooting him because he is too brainwashed to know what "smithereens"really means. Thereby, going against both of your religious convictions: Yours, by killing him; and his, by not following through on a suicide bombing.


If you applied your religious beliefs, " thou shalt not kill", than you allow the terrorist to kill you. 


But upon your death,  if you immediately apply the Golden Rule and empathize with the terrorist by switching to his religious convictions; you can, at least, be snuggling with 72 virgins.


President Obama moral conviction is to 'spread the wealth', not his wealth, of course. How can he spread the wealth when he needs the wealth, himself, to win an election? 
 Where is his moral convictions placed while people are out of work? On the golf course?
 He could raise enough campaign money to start a manufacturing company so people can work, or he can use the billion dollars he plans to raise to advertise about 'how great he is as a president.' 
Will he ask people who don't have jobs to donate money so he can travel around the country talking about himself?

Thomas Jefferson whose personal moral conviction was that: "all men are created equal," was in direct conflict with the Virginian and Southern moral convictions of the day ....."except for the slaves," which he freed only upon his death.

Can we stay true to our moral convictions, throughout our life, knowing they evolve around each circumstance in which we find ourselves?

Greed in Politics

Top Democrats Seek To Paint Republicans As Irrational On Debt
After reading and hearing endlessly about the greed of the rich who don't want to pay more taxes, I can't help thinking: what do the middle class call the 'tax credits' they get?  What does the Union call the benefits they get?  Loopholes?  
I think loopholes is a term used when a person tries to keep most the money he or she earns.
Tax credits, grants, government loans, welfare and subsidizes are terms used when a person feels life is unfair and expects the government to pay them with other people's money through the tax system?
Greed cuts both ways. 
 Cut the loopholes, including all the tax credits and subsidizes to everyone. Why should one class be penalized more than another? Cut farm subsidizes that provide food so everyone can eat without going hungry. The world would not starve; and neither will the farmer.
Obama and the Democrats are playing Class Warfare with the future of America and our children. 
 Where is that impostor, Senator Obama, who said during the Democratic Convention in 2004 that he did not see Red or Blue States but only ONE America?
Obama's greed shows in that he is spending more time fundraisin­g and golfing than taking care of the Country's economic problems. He is not leading. He is making partisan remarks that only hurt the negotiatin­g process. If he were a great president, he would not need fundraising to buy his votes because he could be a winner by merely doing his job.

Alleged Rapist: Strauss-Kahn free without Bail

After reading about the case of:   Strauss-Kahn Freed Without Bail By Judge
Personally, when I heard that this guy was hiring the best attorney's money could buy, I knew he would find dirt on the maid. 
If there is evidence that he tried to raped her, in spite, of her past transgressions, then he should go to jail.
How many criminals, worse than the maid, have gotten off with light sentences when they cooperated with the law. Some criminals were given immunity or 'protected witness' status.
There is no justice in the Justice system. It's a game. 


In some cases, not all the credible evidence is allowed.  Lawyers and Judges allow half the truth to be present in cases. I believe there are thousands of innocent people in jail because of  the regulated law system in courts that prohibits " the WHOLE  Truth" ....to be told.
Why isn't the background check on Strauss-Khan's abusive behavior toward women just as potent in her defense.  Is he a credible person? Will there be Justice for ALL?