Megan Taylor Meier
Cyber-harassment, Cyber-bullies, and Cyber-suicide - Missing and Exploited Children
Cyber-harassment, Cyber-bullies, and Cyber-suicide
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
registered sex offenders
http://yellodyno.typepad.com/yello_dyno_blog/files/overturn_jessica_law_ban.pdf
A number of lawyers representing sex-offender plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit seek to declare the entire registry law unconstitutional. That case is now pending before U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper in Atlanta.
The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday declared unconstitutional a provision of a 2006 state law that prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of day care centers, schools, churches and other places where children congregate.
"Obviously, it's extremely disappointing, he said. In throwing out the residency requirement in total, based on one situation, the effect of their ruling is that now convicted felony sex offenders are free to live anywhere they want to in Georgia, whether it's a park, playground or day care center next door."
Georgia Supreme Court Declared Law Unconstitutional Download overturn_jessica_law_ban.pdf
As society has imposed restrictions, it becomes almost impossible for them to find places to live. The problem is worsening in Florida as about 100 local ordinances add restrictions to the state's 1,000-foot rule, said Florida Corrections Department spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger. Sixteen homeless offenders are now living under a Miami bridge, while another took to sleeping on a bench outside a probation office.
California State figures show a 27 percent increase in homelessness among California's 67,000 registered sex offenders since the law took effect in November 2006. Since August, the number of offenders with no permanent address rose by 560 to 2,622.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Victim of Domestic Violence?
http://www.authorsden.com/phyllisjeangreen
These are my recommendations:
1) Call the police and tell them the whole story. Make them listen. Do not leave anything out;
2) Go to a woman's shelter. Stay until safety is certain;
3) Or m o v e to another town. Preferably one that is far away. Time
for a fresh start!
4) Face that you will stay scared for awhile. Remember that courage is
not lack of fear, but facing one's fear and moving ahead anyway.
5) Remember that the abuser is almost certain to abuse others. Just
a matter of time!
6) Keep in touch with us at Angels That Care.
7) Say to yourself : "I am a lot stronger than I have been giving myself
credit for. Every step I take away from a person who talks Love and acts
Hate will make me stronger. Being stronger, I will be able to make a
good life for myself. I will be able to help others do so.".
8) Repeat the above statement -- aloud and to yourself -- several times
a day.
9) Keep a stiff upper lip and make sure you have good locks.
10) Listen to those who r e a l l y love you!!
Heart to Heart and Soul to Soul,
Phyllis Jean Green, Angels That Care
Thursday, November 15, 2007
PROTECT :: National Association to PROTECT Children :: Pro-Child :: Anti-Crime
PROTECT :: National Association to PROTECT Children :: Pro-Child :: Anti-Crime
PROTECT Newswire
PROTECT Our Children Act Passes U.S. House!
Nov 13, 2007
Take a bow, dance, sing, laugh, scream... if you are a PROTECT member you just won a major victory--a victory insiders said you never would. The PROTECT Our Children Act of 2007 has passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 415-2. There's still a long fight ahead for this $1 billion plan to combat child exploitation, but for today, celebrate your ability to fight and win in Washington!
Blaming the victim
Nov 13, 2007
Sexual predators blame their victims every minute of every day. But PROTECT volunteers brought two examples to our attention this week that just recently hit the news. In Canada, a 43 year-old human who sexually abused his own 5 year-old daughter wrote an "apology letter" to show his remorse, reports the Edmonton Sun. "I know that... giving in to you was wrong," wrote the perpetrator, who is now awaiting sentencing. Meanwhile, the attorney for a schoolteacher who fled to Mexico with a young student is being defended as the real victim by her attorney, James Martin Davis. "It's my understanding he was grooming her and she wasn't grooming him," the Associated Press quotes Davis as saying. Let's hope that gets each of them a heavier sentence.
Arizona arrest rescues three children in England
Nov 11, 2007
PROTECT has been hammering away in Washington that more resources for child exploitation investigators will mean more children rescued. Law enforcement can now locate hundreds of thousands of criminals trafficking in child pornography, allowing them to disrupt a thriving criminal marketplace and leading them to the door of countless child victims. But less than two percent of child pornography trafficking crimes known to police are even investigated, due to lack of resources.
Now there is a new reminder of how child exploitation investigators are saving children. The Phoenix, Arizona FBI has just announced the arrest of Thomas Henthorn, 65, for "transmission of child pornography."
"Information from... e-mail accounts revealed Henthorn communicated with and received child pornography from an individual later identified by the FBI as Chris Oxtoby of Northampton, England," says the FBI in a press release dated November 8th, 2007. "Specifically, the FBI discovered a video of Katie Scott, who lived with Oxtoby, engaging in sexual acts with a young child... British police ... arrested Oxtoby and Scott for sexually assaulting a child and producing child pornography. British authorities also removed three young children from the home." 
Monday, November 12, 2007
Child Abuse Prevention: Prevent Child Victimization: Safe Kids with Yello Dyno
Child Abuse Prevention: Prevent Child Victimization: Safe Kids with Yello Dyno
One out of five children you know will encounter a child predator. Will they know how to stay safe from
people who mean them harm?
Non-Fearful, Research-Based, Anti-Victimization Education
Arming educators and parents with the curricula and products needed to teach children (ages 4-12) how to avoid becoming victims of:
Bullies
Abductors
Violent Kids
Drug Pushers
Child Abusers
Sexual Predators
Internet Predators
When a child's life is at stake, this is what works.
The Yello Dyno Method™
The Yello Dyno Method™ is scientifically based on the Nobel Prize-winning research of Dr. Roger Sperry and the internationally recognized research on children in crisis of Dr. Bruce Perry. It works in real life because the information is stored in the part of the brain that activates in the "fight or flight" response."
Research Based
80.8% of the students tested demonstrated an increase in knowledge after one cycle of the Yello Dyno curriculum. Yello Dyno meets Federal and State mandates.
"Unless your children recognize deceptive behavior of Tricky People who mean them harm, it doesn't matter what safety rules you teach them." - Jan Wagner, Founder of Yello Dyno
Educators Home Page
Parents Home Page
Thursday, November 08, 2007
What advice would you give for 'new parents'
What advice would you give for 'new parents'
In this day and age of fast paced communications, electronic gizmo's, and a home environment that often requres both parents working to make ends meet; child rearing can often become a 'monumental' fright that often leaves one feeling ~ overwhelmed ~ and quite often * driven to banging one's head against a wall when life seems to be concentrated on one small circle filled with 2 a.m. feedings, constant diaper changes, and that ever present 'colicky sound' that every parent fears.
Yet those first few moments; in the silence that is often times shared between a new mom and dad as mom is holding their newborn child in her arms.....is a moment that will be treasured throughout the child's life.
For every time the * wee lass or ladd * produces that smile that says 'I Love You' those first few moments that you and your loving wife or husband spent in that sterile white room all comes cascading back to remind you just how much! that child means to you.
Yes, this man realizes there are going to be times when your ' little angel' will have you beating your head against a wall wondering " What did i say" or " What did i do to deserve your anger"...but those moments.....like life itself...soon dissappear. As time will always march on. Then one day; you and your spouse will awaken to a day, when your little baby is getting married/moving away. And yes, sometimes we make light of the situation by issuing the 'good riddance' line..as my father did ..but deep inside.....we know that we'll miss those moments spent striving for those single three words...... I LOVE YOU!
What advice would i give to new parents....
Patience!
Above all; when forming the basic foundation that we all base our lives upon; patience is one of the main building blocks. For with patience comes understanding. Understanding another's point of view; even though it might differ from our own, for each human being in this life has their own 'circle' that they must stay true to. Patience is the binding glue that allows each circle to connect and stay in touch with one another. As the old saying goes, 'the family that prays together, stays together!'
Love!
Unbinding, unfettered, and unwavering! Love; even and most importantly through the ~ worst ~ of times is another building block that will teach the child that no matter what happens in this world; if the CORE is based upon love.....then life in and of it's own...is going to make it! We all have moments when frustration and anger seem to overwhelm us... 'heavy traffic at rush hour is a good example ..LOL'
if the CORE is there...then those head bashing moments too; will eventually slip away...and all that will be left; again, is those first few precious moments.....when you saw your little one look up into your eyes....and SMILE!
By the Seat of your Pants Learning!
No one has 'all' the answers in raising children. Oh, sure mom or dad or grandma or grandpa have lots and lots of suggestions...some good, some you're not to sure you'd even use on the family pet!...but when it comes down to the 'meat of the matter'...Seat of your pants Learning is the best teacher there is. For no one knows what you are experiencing at that moment; only you!...If we learn from our past, learn from our own childhood, and learn MOSTLY to adapt to this ever changing world.....we WILL be able to raise our children with the fundemental knowledge that.... he/she is going to turn out to be ~ a pretty good egg ~ after all!
Making Time!
As we all contemplate the coming of a child in our lives; we then start thinking to ourselves...when will i have time for all that's involved with child rearing...the feedings, the doctor appointments, the school functions, the ....the list goes on and on. But these are decisions that you are not alone on. For every couple since the dawn of time with Adam and Eve felt and struggled with these overwhelming preponderances. 'How can i take jr to the baseball thing and yet still make that meeting that i HAVE to be at....what about 'dolly's rehearsal, i can't make it luv; what's your schedule like? In the realm of children; we as adults must make choices. But those choices should be always based upon what is best for the child. For the life you lead, will always be reflected in your child's eyes. As in the song Cat's Cradle...i found myself so busy i never had time...but when i did..my child learned from me..and then he never found time for me....
Choices we make today; will foretell the choices of tomorrow!
make time for the children! In the long end of it, the choice to ~ make time ~ will come back to you 100 fold!
All in all; when faced with the decision of 'should we have children' or ??
when balancing all the good and bad and in between;....one must balance it all
against that first smile and those three whispered words
that will tug at each ONE of our heart strings......
I LOVE YOU!
John Ragland
Friday, November 02, 2007
Around Jan's Kitchen Table
Around Jan's Kitchen Table
Every lifestyle group has its own place in the virtual world "Second Life" — including, apparently, pedophiles.
Britain's Sky News TV channel on Tuesday uncovered a virtual playground hidden away behind a strip mall in "Second Life" — a playground where little girls who looked about 10 years old offered the Sky reporter's avatar, or virtual representative, a variety of sex acts.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
For All Women - As seen through the eyes of a rapist
For All Women - As seen through the eyes of a rapist
We probably all have read this before. But once again isn't a bad idea. If it's your first, it's alot of good info.
Please pass this on...............
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed .. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair Women with short hair are not common targets.
2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.
3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through! their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.
4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.
5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots . Number two: is office parking lots/garages. Number three: is public restrooms.
6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.
8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas , or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following b ehind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question , like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here," "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.
11) If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back.
Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
13) If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from b ehind, pinch the attacker
either under the
arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.
14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.
15) When the guy puts his hands up to you , grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings , take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!
You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
1 . Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2 Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans . If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss it away fro m you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3.If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4.Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc, and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun t o your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times.. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."
The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it , but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----This
should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life.
Carol
http://c_labonte.tripod.com
Monday, October 01, 2007
Anti-Victimization Legislation - Yello Dyno
Anti-Victimization Legislation - Yello Dyno
Yello Dyno meets the criteria for the following laws mandating anti-victimization education.
FEDERAL
Title 1-Part D
No Child Left Behind
Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk
Title IV, Part A
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
Title IV,Part B
21st Century Community Learning Centers
Title V, Part A
Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs
Title VI, Part B, Subpart 1
Small, Rural School Achievement Program
STATE
California Safe from the Start (SFTS) Initiative: Reducing the Impact of Violence on Children
NY State Education Law 803A: Abduction and Abuse Prevention
Oregon SB 379: Child Abuse Prevention Training by Educators
Texas Education Code § 38.004 part (b): Child Abuse Antivictimization Programs by School Districts)
Texas SB 152: Prevention of Bullying in Schools
Texas SB 516: Life Skills: For Counselors
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
MySpace.com - Wensday - PHOENIX, Arizona - Blues / Jazz / Rock - www.myspace.com/wensdaymusic
MySpace.com - Wensday - PHOENIX, Arizona - Blues / Jazz / Rock - www.myspace.com/wensdaymusic
http://luckmedia.com/wensday/biography.html
Wensday's powerful take on “Only Women Bleed” draws fresh and renewed attention to its enduring theme of empowering women to overcome the cycle of domestic abuse.
http://www.wensdaymusic.com/
http://www.wensdaymusic.com/lyrics_onlywomenbleed.htm
http://www.angelsthatcare.org/domestic_violence_resource_index.html
Friday, August 10, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Police Smash UK-Based Paedophile Ring
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Police Smash UK-Based Paedophile Ring
Police Smash UK-Based Paedophile Ring
Updated: 23:49, Monday June 18, 2007
Police have smashed a global internet paedophile ring run by a 28-year-old British man who was today sent to jail indefinitely.
Timothy Cox
Officers involved in the 10-month operation rescued 31 children who were being abused.
Some of the vile sex attacks were shown live online.
Around 700 suspects - 200 from the UK - were identified in 35 countries during the operation. Some are still being pursued.
Offenders used a web chatroom called Kids The Light Of Our Lives to swap photos and videos of horrific abuse.
It was hosted by brewer Timothy Cox, who admitted nine offences of possessing and distributing tens of thousands of indecent images of children.
A judge at Ipswich Crown Court told him: "These are shocking images which involve very young children.
"In the worst cases (they are) being subjected to sadistic, painful abuse which you, for some distorted reason, appear to take enjoyment from."
Judge Peter Thompson said Cox posed "significant risks" and had to be imprisoned for "for public protection".
The court heard he lived with his parents and sister in their large farmhouse in Buxhall, Suffiolk, and worked at the family's micro-brewery.
He operated the website from his bedroom using the pseudonym "Son of God", a reference to another online child sex pervert.
The prosecution said Cox spotted a "gap in the market" after a similar American website was closed down by police.
He possessed more than 75,000 indecent images, including more than 1,000 films, which amounted to two weeks of continuous viewing.
Cox was arrested last September after an undercover Canadian policeman found the chatroom during an investigation into paedophile websites.
After his arrest, undercover officers spent 10 days infiltrating the chatroom, assuming his identity to collect evidence about other users.
Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said it could well be the biggest internet paedophile operation ever mounted in the UK.
It was led by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
Its CEO, Jim Gamble, said: "As predators become increasing sophisticated in their use of the Internet for exploiting young people, so too do the techniques we use to detect them."
Source: Skynews
Monday, June 18, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
I hate the title 'priest to the stars'
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 11/06/2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml;jsessionid=NWSPZ0OQ4G4BFQFIQMFSFGGAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/portal/2007/06/11/nosplit/ftseed111.xmlFather Michael Seed, the Catholic priest who counts royalty and the Blairs among his closest friends, tells Elizabeth Grice of his extraordinary journey from being an abused child to a celebrity confessor
Father Michael Seed says a large part of him feels that his book should never have seen the light of day, and a large part of me agrees. It is a gruesome, explicit account of how he was beaten, burned and abused by his father from the age of about three, and how his drugged-up mother, equally mistreated, lay down in front of a train to end her misery, leaving eight-year-old Michael to his father's devices.
Father Michael Seed, author of 'Nobody's Child'
A graphic addition, then, to the dubious, over-populated confessional genre known as Mis-Lit - but this time from a Franciscan friar who is unofficial Roman Catholic chaplain to the House of Commons, a man credited with more high-profile conversions to the faith than you could shake a thurible at. This one must be true.
"Am I happy?" he asks, looking troubled. "No." His cheeks are pink and his emotions, like his hair, dishevelled. "The book is very basic and brutal and I hate its contents myself. But, believe it or not, I have toned it down." Even so, his friend Ann Widdecombe, the MP he received into the Church in 1993, was shocked when she combed it for grammatical errors. "Oh, Michael, really!" she is said to have exclaimed on reaching page 74. "Do you have to?"
On page 74, the six-year-old boy is introduced to the form of sexual abuse his father called "milking", a procedure quite cleverly, but exhaustively, described in the language of a terrified child. "I just couldn't work out how we were supposed to do milking in bed."
Ms Widdecombe didn't like what followed. "I think she described the book as pornographic - in a very loving sense."
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Father Michael is a lovely man. He will be 50 on Saturday but still looks like the little boy who came last in the sack race. You can see how easily his quiet-spoken faux-naif charm compels the great, the good and the not-so-good to open up to him, both emotionally and philanthropically.
Tell him the most shocking things, they say, and he won't turn a hair. Try to walk down a short street with him, and it will take half an hour because there are so many people who stop to greet him, from rich businessmen to down-and-outs. He is known as the Great Converter, a fisher of souls, a prolific fundraiser for good causes.
"I've seen him after he's drunk far too much white wine in Soho," says a friend. "And I've seen his deeply spiritual side. He really does care. He is an extraordinary, special chap. A party in my garden once attracted the attention of the noise abatement people. He charmed them to death - they thought he was in fancy dress - and they gave up and went away. He's always up to adventures and mishaps."
It embarrasses him to be called "the celebrity priest". He has only to shake the hand of someone like Heather Mills McCartney for newspapers to assume he is about to add another convert's scalp to the knotted white cord of his habit, as if it were a hobby. But he does have a fatal fondness for politicians and celebrities - and even journalists - which makes it hard for him to stay out of the headlines. "It is becoming a sinister thing. I think we just need to grow up. When I see that priest-to-the-stars headline I get terrified to go out."
It's no secret that he has been celebrating Mass at 10 Downing Street for the Blairs, but on the subject of Tony Blair's religious leanings he preserves as deep and confidential a silence as that of a doctor with his patient. It was the same when he was rumoured to have converted the MP Alan Clark on his deathbed.
His pastoral strength and his personal weakness is that he finds it difficult to say no. So after a decade of pestering by a publisher friend who knew Michael had triumphed over the kind of hideous childhood that turns other people into criminals and abusers, he was persuaded to do the book. It is prefaced by three of his friends - Jeffrey Archer, the novelist Martina Cole and, of course, Ms Widdecombe ("Read on and wonder...").
You have to wonder what his colleagues at Westminster Cathedral, where he has worked for 23 years, make of it all. "I think they have come to expect anything," he concedes. "I feel sorry for my colleagues, I really do. They are patient, kind, understanding. Because they put up with me. But there are a lot of people who would honestly like to see me isolated to the moon. Maybe I will be the first parish priest of the moon."
The late Cardinal Basil Hume, who hired Father Seed, had two nicknames for him. One was Mr Fixit: the other Miss Marple, because he thought his gentle, owlish friend knew everything about people's secrets. "Oh, Father Seed..." the Cardinal would murmur. "If he didn't exist, we would have to invent him. Every cathedral should have a Father Seed."
Hume's amused tolerance was summed up one day when Father Seed, desperate at having been rung up repeatedly in the middle of the night by a Labour politician who was "absolutely and atrociously drunk", taped one of the nocturnal ramblings and took it to his boss, hoping for some advice. "Oh, Michael," said the Cardinal. "You do lead an interesting life."
The astonishing thing about Father Seed is that he survived his ghastly upbringing to lead any sort of life at all. He says he is sure others have worse stories to tell, but the level of violence and neglect he exposes is in a league of its own.
His father, Joe, was a warder at Strangeways Prison and used his black baton liberally at home, especially when drunk. Michael's first memory is of being deliberately pushed against the red-hot fire grate, and branded by the bars, when he was four. At five, he became his father's sex slave. Much of the time, he went hungry because nobody seemed to cook or even buy food.
After many failed attempts, his mother committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. He heard about it in the playground of his school in Bolton, from a bunch of eight-year-olds who tormented him with words like "splatter", "mangled" and "buckets of blood". "It was the start of my crucifixion," he says.
On the night of her death, his father demanded his usual sexual services. "I think he absolutely knew it was the personification of darkness, a grossly inhuman thing to do," says Father Seed. "After my mother's death, I withdrew completely. I became a zombie."
Too traumatised to learn (he is severely dyslexic), he was moved to a school for maladjusted children in Rochdale, but that was almost as bad. His maternal grandmother offered him a rare glimpse of affection, but this was horribly offset by the cruel machinations of his father's mother, who beat and ridiculed him. Throughout what should have been his childhood, he wanted to die.
He talks about understanding the "natural enticement" of suicide. "It is something that is always with me. It is not curable. You have to live with it daily. As with Alcoholics Anonymous, you have to concentrate every day, every hour."
When he was 16, he learnt he'd been given up for adoption by a 16-year-old Irish girl and that Joe and Lilian Seed were not his real parents. He was, as his father used to taunt, nobody's child. "I must have been a constant daily reminder of my father's inability to have a child of his own. Eventually, I understood the hatred and the anger and why I must eventually forgive him."
By then, too, he had found an inspired teacher, Stanley Thomas - "my reverse nemesis" - who wore flower-power shirts and velvet jackets. He was like the arrival of the Robin Williams character in Dead Poets' Society and under his influence Michael Seed began to flourish. Allowed to join the sixth-form art class at a local secondary school, he discovered "there were normal people in the world who did not beat you up".
Though he left school in 1974 with only one O-level, in art, and unable to write or even do simple arithmetic, he had read The Origin of Species and Mein Kampf. He'd devoured Nietzsche, studied Bertrand Russell and George Bernard Shaw. He couldn't boil a kettle but he knew about literature, theatre, music and art. "Surrounded by rent boys, drug dealers and the mentally subnormal, I'd become something of a philosophic eccentric."
After a few hilarious dead-end jobs, he started work in a home for the mentally ill and began to try out different churches to see if one of them would fit his growing spiritual needs. But his mother had baptised him in the Catholic Church and this is where he eventually homed. His first instinct was to be a Carthusian monk. "It was my Hollywood reaction. I wanted to escape from the world, into a silent order, because the world had been so horrible."
Fortunately for his friends - among whom he numbers six prime ministers and several royals - he chose an outgoing, chatty lot, the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. A family at last. Three university degrees and two doctorates later, he was working at Westminster Cathedral (as Hume's Secretary for Ecumenical Affairs) - and still is, now under Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. "Michael's Michael," says a friend. "He's very well-loved. They let him run his own show."
He regards the celebrity stuff, the "conversions", as a distraction from his real job - fostering dialogue between faiths. "It's not the be-all and end-all of my existence. In fact, it is almost the opposite of what I do." In 2004, Pope John Paul II awarded him the gold cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontificia for his ecumenical work.
We sit in his cupboard of an office in the Cathedral Clergy House. There are thick bars on the windows and a prie-dieu against the wall. The telephone is shut in a drawer, with its wire hanging out. His briefcase is crammed with letters he has received from people who are glad he wrote the book, a story of salvation, but he doesn't seem convinced it was the right thing to do. Perhaps the dazzle of guests at the launch party will soothe his nagging doubt about the wisdom of laying it all bare.
"What happened to me is not unusual. The only unusualness is that most people aren't so stupid as to write it down."
'Nobody's Child' by Michael Seed (Blake Publishing) is available for £12.99 + £1.25 p&p. To order, call Telegraph Books on 0870 428 4112.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Save a life or prevent a sexual abuse crime.
This is a good tip to pass around to everyone you know (Sorry if you have this but I thought it was important to send)
Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car.
The alarm will be set off and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation.
Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain.
It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around....
After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.
And, remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.....
This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.
P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is a fantastic idea.
It would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone.
http://www.thenewchristinescreations.com/everywoman.html
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Military Moments~A Wife's Perspective
Military Moments~A Wife's Perspective
Written by a member of Angels That Care
Friday, May 25, 2007
MySpace Videos: Frail 'Final Version' by Linda♥
MySpace Videos: Frail 'Final Version' by Linda♥
My name is Linda Arellano. I was searching through blogs looking for people who are interested in talking about domestic violence and I came across yours. I made a music video/short film at Cal State University Northridge this semester. It's about a young couple and their daughter. The mother suffers domestic abuse from her husband and their daughter is witness to these attacks.
Here is the link to the video:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2026268038
I would greatly appreciate some feedback or some mention of the video on your blog.
Just a little bit about myself:
I have friends and family who have been and are still in abusive relationships. The reason I made this video is because the subject is very close to my heart and I wanted a way to put this subject on people's minds. Many of us either choose to ignore it or think it's a lost cause but that's not the case. As I saw on your blog, there are many people out there ready and willing to help.Talking about it, sharing and relaying resources are all part of the change we can make.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
blog.myspace.com/teddyangel1
blog.myspace.com/teddyangel1
Police are searching for another wanted sex offender.
Authorities have issued a warrant for the arrest of 23-year old Gustavo Jimenez for violation of probation and failing to register as a sex offender.
He was originally charged for sexual assault. Officers say he raped a fifteen year old girl in 2004 and was sentenced to ten years of probation in June of 2005.
He is described as a Hispanic man 5'11" and 220 pounds. Police think he is driving a brown 2000 Chevy Malibu with license plate 887-RYV or a blue Ford Windstar license plate X67-KXP.
Police caution the suspect has violent tendencies and should be considered dangerous. Please do not attempt to apprehend or detain him if found. If you have information regarding this suspect, call the Lubbock Crimeline at 741-1000.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Twisted Tendrils
Twisted Tendrils
It’s okay, the man said.. It’s okay,
little miss. Living doll, know that?
Here, let me help you. See that
big, fat, shiny grape way up
high? Give me your hand
and I will help you reach. . .there
you go. You are going to love
the taste. Just like sugar.
Don’t worry, it isn’t dirty. Here,
put it in your mouth. Good,
isn’t it? Let’s pick some more
from that bunch that is right over
your pretty little head. See?
Eyes so big. Hair so soft. Let me
touch it one more time. There, there.
. . .
Later, she touched a purple spot
at the top of her leg. The first
of several beginning with twisted
offers dangled by men who wanted
to help. All had something she needed
to give. Something very good, she
should be grateful. The fruit
the grape man dangled was in a clump
that hung from crisscrossed strips
of unpainted wood over her 5-year-old
head. Bumps on the path he made tripped,
and a splinter dug real deep. Later,
the sun burned through. Burned spots
into her eyes, but she saw dirt hair
clung to the blubber back of his neck.
Teeth had gaped when she clambered
over the fence, starving for something,
or someone, sweet. She had followed
her nose because she wanted to know
what an arbor looked like. Bunch
of twisted vines. No thorns, but you bleed.
(c) Phyllis Jean Green, April, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
STop The Abuse
How can you judge another
If you cannot see their Soul
And how can you tell another
If you do not know the whole.
Their feelings and emotions
Are but only theirs,
And to prying eyes
They'd simply hide their tears.....
Their anguish and their sorrow
Are known to only them,
As is their feeling of remorse
Towards their fellow men.
Ever listening to their Soul
For wisdom to make their choice
And gaining a strength from
Their gentle inner voice.
So do not judge another
No matter how it seems....
For we simply do not know
How the other one dreams.
by
Lizzytish
Child abuse, and in fact all kinds of abuse,
is something we all find to be an horrendous sin against humanity,
and even more so because it's perpetrated on the defenceless,
who are unable to protect themselves
or do anything about alleviating the situation.
We are told its an ongoing cycle........
perpetrated by those who've also been abused themselves.
Could be........ possibly is for the most part........ but not always...... not always.
For every story about abuse..... there are dozens more who have broken the cycle
and do not abuse their children or spouses or others....... but rather have become the opposite.
Its a favourite saying of children when adult
"I'm not bringing up my children like I was brought up....... "
How many of you reading this have said that ?
How many of you have moved on to a more fulsome lifestyle in your adult life
after having been abused as a child?
Quite a few I would imagine.
You may still bear the scars,
but it is those very scars that have made you the person you are today.........
given you the strength and will power not to go down that road with your own family.
Well its all a matter of choices isn't it..........
it is said that there is good in every one of us.... every one.....
its just the actions/choices we make that are bad, and bring us down.
And yes it is easy to go with the general consensus
"oh....... well it was done to me.......... so tough......... they can cop it too......... and everybody does it"
called the herd mentality that...........
Sooner or later you shoot yourself in the foot..........
its called a 'wake up call'........
and you find yourself telling yourself
"hang on a minute......... this has got to change..........."
Now I'm hoping here that there are some of you reading this
who have got to this point and are looking for answers to help you get out of this quagmire.
If you are in this situation..... your self-esteem is probably zilch ..........
you know its not right..........
but you just can't seem to get off the merry-go-round.
You can't bear the thought of being accused yourself.........
lets face it you've possibly had so many accusations laid against you in the past.......
you've closed your ears and eyes......... shut yourself in........ and just gone on.
The world is against you..... period........
Now take a deep breath...........
count to ten........
and think..........
of those little children in your care.........
they are precious to you........ very precious...........
don't tell me you don't feel that way............
because deep down inside you, you do........
they are your flesh and blood........
can you begin to feel how precious they are?
What I would like to do is tell you the story of someone
who instead of going down the path of abuse
because it had been handed out to her when she was a child..........
chose a different path........
and has gone on to excel herself and help other children.
Its the story of Mama Tina as she is known where she works.
Her name is Christina Noble,
an Irish woman, now in Vietnam and further afield.
Christina came from a family of four children
with a drunken father who left them with little or nothing........
so much so that their mother had to pawn the bedlinen to find money to feed them.........
When it was necessary to repair shoes,
their mother couldn't......... pieces of cardboard were used instead.
They were in extreme poverty,
remembering that there wasn't any social services/security like there is now.
With the hardship that this family
and this mother had to endure, her health suffered and she died.
The children were then separated and put into care.
Care being institutionalised.
When it was time for Christina to leave she was given £5. as pocket money......
She was met by her father in Dublin who 'borrowed' the money,
and promptly disappeared into a bar - never to be seen again.
Well you can imagine how devastated Christina would have felt.......
and she spent the next few years living in the streets and getting on as best she could.
She married, but unfortunately he too was a drunk and abused her and her children.
She finally left - bringing up her small family by herself.
She was always happy to extend that helping hand to others and give of herself.
Years passed by.....
the Vietnam war ensued.......
and some of you might remember the horrendous pictures we were treated to
of small children running from the napalm bombing with sheer and utter fear in their eyes and faces.....
This caught Christina's attention.........
and went on to haunt her for many years,
until finally when her own family had grown up, she decided to act on it.
She went to Vietnam,
without any knowledge of the country,
without any or very little money,
and without any backing from any group/Government.......
and offered her services to the authorities in Ho Chi Minh.
She just said that she wanted to help the street kids........
being one herself she understood how they would feel.
Her offer was accepted in a very limited fashion......
afterall they, the authorities couldn't see what the fuss was about, they had become used to it all.
She had an interpreter assigned.
What she would do, if they heard of any particular kids loitering,
was to go and find them,
talk with them and offer them help.
But there was a condition.......
they had to make the first move.
If they felt they would like her help, they had to come to her in the morning.
Gradually she built up her little hospice,
where now it has a school for orphans,
and hospital/clinic for the sick,
and she also finds ways to help the families in the streets to be self supporting.
She works extremely hard........
infact probably pushes herself too much.........
you can see it in her face how tired she is, and how her own health is suffering.
But her eyes just shine and she is so loving and caring towards her extended family.
Her own daughter is there too.... helping and giving.
Now each of us have special circumstances to be able to do things..........
and many of us don't/won't aspire to such great heights as Christina did,
but that is not to say that what we all choose
to contribute to this world of ours is not good enough to be commended and feel worthy of.
And to me this story is so inspirational and touching... it can lead us on to better things.
Here is someone who could very easily have continued her adult life
the way her childhood was formed,
and people would have said..........
well what can you expect.......... she was treated that way..........
Really you know that is such
a COP OUT......... a CRUTCH .....an EXCUSE
to continue the cycle of abuse
and those who are looking to help the abused shouldn't use that excuse.
To my mind it only perpetuates the circumstances.
There is no reason in the world why this awful abuse should happen.........
no reason at all..........
One can change.
One should change.
One must change.
But only YOU can change.
No one else can do it for you....
LizzyTish
Thursday, April 05, 2007
STOP The Abuse
STOP The Abuse
It is up to each and every one of us to help stop the carnage in homes across this country, and many other countries too. The problem is atrocious, and only getting worse all the time. It can only get worse, because children who grow up in abusive homes, learn abuse as a way of life, whether it is child abuse, spousal abuse, abuse of the elderly, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse or one of the other kinds of horrible abuse that is happening in too many homes. Since that is the way of life they learn, it is the way of life they will continue, when they grow up and marry, and have children of their own.
That is why it is up to all of us, to try to help eradicate the terrible things that are happening. Every day people are maimed, and killed, or severely psychologically damaged, in their own homes, by someone who "loves" them.
If we know of a home in which this kind of behaviour is going on, perhaps we could talk to the persons who are being abused, and try to make sure they know of the avenues of help there are in your area. Sometimes we need to be reporting what we know to the proper authorities. There are all kinds of places where they can get help. Sometimes people will try to let on nothing is going on, but persistence might encourage them to open up, and start to seek the help they need. I realize that sometimes, this kind of help is looked upon as interference, but the consequences of no "interference" can be catastrophic.
There are so many kinds of abuse, and anyone can be subject to it. Children, women, men, the elderly, the poor, the rich, it does not matter, it has become a way of life at all economic levels in some homes. No one can really help, until the abused are ready to admit to someone, that they are being abused. Some will resent it if you try to help, but at some time they just may have hit the level at which even they are ready to admit, I cannot do it myself. We can only keep trying, and hopefully at some point win the battle.
The pictures you are seeing on this page, are not odd cases, they are happening all around us every day. Just ask medical professionals, hospitals, the police and the people in organizations that are helping. It is all too common, and will only become more common as time goes on.
If we can halt, or at least slow down the level of abusive homes, I think we may just slow down the crime rate, as well. So many criminals have turned to crime, out of a total lack of self respect, because of the homes in which they were raised. It is also a known fact that a great many people in our prisons, lived in abusive homes.
Please, please, if you know of instances of ongoing abuse, if you do not know of a way to help, talk to someone who might know, or know where to go to get help into that home or situation. It can only be good news for the future if we can turn one home around.
A good place to start looking for help is from "Angels That Care". It is a website, whose members really do care, and some of them have been in bad places too. The website has complete listings of all the agencies that can help. The link to that site is at the bottom of this page. There you will find out all you need to know about the help available, you will find someone to talk to, who will be totally sympathetic, and caring. It is as complete a listing as I know of for all kinds of help.
© 2007 Poetry by Liebezauber
~ Liebezauber ~
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
A Letter from Someone who Cares
If you Have Been Kidnapped or Abducted --A Letter from Someone who Cares
I am so glad you are on the Internet. I pray it means you got away. Whether you escaped or you are still a prisoner, it wouldn’t surprise me if you have trouble remembering what it is like to live a normal life. The Internet is a great place to find out what is going on. If you read what other victims have to say, you know that many feel that family and friends won’t be able to accept them. That they have changed too much. They know that what happened wasn’t their fault, but they feel guilty. Dirty, you know? It is only natural to blame yourself. Especially if you were forced to do things you never would have thought of doing, like working in the sex industry. Some victims end up prostituting themselves, they get so desperate. Not a few have taken drugs. Hurt so bad that after a while, they don’t feel anything. Don’t want to! If the numbness lets up, fear and loneliness and confusion grab hold. If any of this rings a bell, please know that I understand and want to help. More people do than you imagine,. We won’t grill you. We won’t judge you. You can bank on it.
If you are still with the crook[-s] who stole you, you know what it is to have your buttons pushed big-time. NEVER let yourself believe that garbage. In bad moments, it will be extra hard not to swallow those clever lies. Keep reminding yourself that that is exactly what they are. Lies!. We are talking master manipulators. Faking a telephone call to a loved one is just one trick that you can expect. It is part of a plot to convince you that if you ‘rat,’ you will be responsible for their getting hurt. Maybe even killed. “Breathe one word, it’s b’bye.” Unable to fight, you will probably find yourself thinking you are the weak one. Not so! Strong people are brave and honest and caring, not vicious and manipulative. Bullies are bottom-of-the-barrel weak. To kidnap or abduct someone shows total lack or respect. Not just for the victim, but for the self. It is a sign of both weakness and desperation. So take the threats for what they are worth. Nothing, nada, zilch, zed. As for insults, remember the saying about sticks and stones. Say to yourself, “Words can never hurt me. I believe in me. I believe in the people I love, and who love me. I am a good person. This will pass. Life will be good again!”
One more thing. Never ever believe your family has given up. Decades may have passed, and they are still looking. Doing everything in their power to see others keep looking. They are not going to rest until you are found. No matter how rotten the odds seem, they will keep hoping and praying and knocking on doors. All they want is for you to walk through the door. Come home! Posters may fade or wash away. News reporters go on to other cases. Never mind all that. The people you love and who love you are still riding around trying to find you. Combing woods and fields and shelters, burning up land-lines and cell phones and camping out at police stations. You are wanted! You are needed! And one glorious day you will all be hugging and laughing and crying and jumping up and down with joy. Because you are home!
Wouldn’t you hate for the evil so-and-so to win? Keep telling yourself, no more!
Go to the nearest fire or police station or church or somewhere like the Health Department and them who you are.. That you need a ride HOME.
Good luck – you deserve it!
By Phyllis Jean Green
Last edited: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Posted: Tuesday, April 03, 2007
http://www.angelsthatcare.org/
Monday, April 02, 2007
KIDNAPPING HYSTERIA
This article is interesting....
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/03/the_kidnapping_hysteria.html
For some reason, this article incensed me. Perhaps it's because I'm one of those hysterical parents that is out there over-sensitizing their children to abduction, predators and all other bad things adults do to children. Look, I teach my children every day that if they don't look both ways when they cross the street, they could get smashed by a car.....it COULD happen to them, and this article says so. The statistic of it happening more often than them being abducted apparently. I don't care! It COULD happen....and it does....all the time.
I have personally experienced "suspicious" behavior by adults with two out three of my children....those are pretty high odds to me. Did anything happen? No...but I attrib! ute that to AWARENESS. My kids are bright and astute to perpetual danger. I've taught them that and so has the media....whether their making money or not. And why not? The people that John Stossel mentioned at The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children work relentlessly saving and protecting our children. This is one worthy cause I totally believe in and donate to not to mention the incredible non-profit organization Angels That Care (WWW.angelsthatcare.org). WE NEED these people to help watch and care for our children.
We SCARE our children about drug abuse, disease, teen pregnancy and academics.....the world IS a scary place with a lot of scary people in it. What's wrong with parents actually WATCHING their children, being accountable for their whereabouts and monitoring everything they do? No, you do NOT let your children play outside without supervision.
I do not "lock my children in their rooms in fear" but rather am AWARE and pro-act! ive in their safety and well-being. Regardless of the statistics, it d oes happen.....and it can happen to mine and yours.
Just a hysterical mom.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/03/the_kidnapping_hysteria.html
Give me break! Better to be safe than sorry
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Healing Our Spirit
Healing Our Spirit
Author: © 1999 Susan Maree Jeavons
Previously Published on: November 9, 1999 at Suite101.com
Being an incest survivor and someone with bi-polar manic depression, it seems I have my lot of problems to contend with. I will share some of the things I find helpful in healing my spirit.
For me, writing is a passionate panacea, a way to release all the pent-up emotions that would otherwise boil over inside me.
Poetry has always been my means of ventilation. I write what I feel, what I know, what I dream. I express my feelings in rhythmic stanzas with wild abandon. Sometimes I edit, sometimes I don't, but I always try to make sure the meaning is perceptible. If I have to reach for the thesaurus to decipher the meaning, I don't bother.
This Side of Lunacy
Down is black,
silent,
lonely,
an empty , aching state.
Up is red,
rushing,
rambunctious.
no time to hesitate!
Inside, a kaleidoscope
of emotions out of control,
tangled,
twisted,
torturing
the fabric of my soul...
© 1999 Susan Maree Jeavons-All Rights Reserved
I'm quite sure the meaning of that was clear. Anyone can write poetry. It does not have to be poetically correct, it only has to be a portrayal of your feelings and ideas. Give it a try, you might be amazed at how it makes you feel to put your own simmering feelings into words. Then send me a copy if you like and I'll offer some sensitive critique and praise.
Other activities that calm my spirit are listening to peaceful music, reading, or enjoying nature. I enjoy Yanni's soothing symphonies, or relaxation tapes of beautiful music mixed with nature's sounds; storms, the ocean, birds singing.
Some of my favorite "healing" books are "Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self"-by Sarah Ban Breathnach, and "Every Woman Has a Story" by Daryl Ott Underhill. Both books are filled with inspirational stories of survivors and helpful hints to our own survival.
I love nature and all it has to offer. Sometimes if I'm feeling
overwhelmed by life, I take a "sanity break". I have a special spot on our property I call my restoration station. It's under a lovely, old maple tree. There's a comfortable rocking chair and the branches surround me, hide me from the world outside. I get comfortable, close my eyes, and simply listen. I listen to birds, crickets, civilization, but most of all, I listen to my spirit. Sometimes I sit there alone and cry. I look at the heavens and I pray for serenity, purpose, understanding. Sometimes I sing my favorite hymn. Sometimes I take paper and pen and write poetry there. Whatever I choose to do, I always come away feeling more aware, more thankful that I survived.
Healing is an on-going process and a matter of trial and error to see what works and what doesn't. Having chosen to cope with my illness without medication, makes this process an even more difficult challenge, but I am learning each day, just how strong I really am.
I hope you too, can find ways to heal your spirit and continue the renewal of you. Feel free to share some of the methods you find comforting on your healing journey.
#2
Justice? I Think Not! -Strictly Commentary
Previously published at Suite101.com on July 1st , 2003
© 2003 Susan Maree Jeavons-All Rights Reserved
Society has become desensitized to child abuse. Twenty years ago, children had no one to rescue them or help him or her. Today, there are organizations to assist victims. Consequently, we hear about abuse on a regular basis, so much so that in the last ten years, I believe that many people have become immune to it. They are too busy trying to survive in a world that is pretty frightening at times. But what they forget is that countless children live in homes that are even more frightening! Homes where they are still being battered, molested, neglected, murdered and abandoned.
I've actually had people say, "I don't want to hear about it." That apathy saddens me. We sit glued to our televisions to watch the latest horrors in Iraq. We are shocked by the way children in other countries are victimized. Yet we ignore the horrors that take place right in our own back yard.In Strongsville, Ohio a 38-year-old father’s child pornography videotapes were discovered in the basement of his home by his wife. She also discovered tapes of her husband raping their infant and three-year-old daughters.
Paul Kaforey was charged with 36 counts of child sexual abuse. He could have been sentenced to life in prison for his crimes. However, Judge John O’Donnell could only sentence this man to 11 years. Everyone in the courtroom was shocked! Why? No one could give a reason for such a light sentence. The accused admitted that he was guilty of rape and gross sexual imposition and thus, was allowed to plea-bargain for a lesser sentence.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason admitted that it was the worst case of child sexual abuse that he had ever seen. From the beginning, he had anticipated the accused would receive a much longer sentence.
I am disgusted with the so-called justice system! Something is drastically wrong with a system that allows this man, who admitted his despicable acts, to even be allowed to plea bargain! I am sick to death of hearing about these repulsive excuses for human beings, receiving light sentences for crimes that should be punishable by death! What happens in 10 years when this man gets out?
He will be labeled a sexual predator and is court ordered to have no contact with his family ever again, but isn’t this like shutting the barn door after the horse is out? The damage is already done. These children will more than likely, live in fear of encountering this man. They will suffer with the aftereffects of what their own father did to them.
Some of you might assume that since these children were so young when the violations took place that they would forget in time. If that were the case, it would be a blessing, but more often than not, we do not forget. Child sexual abuse leaves a tempestuous and unmerciful wake in its path. It invades our life without permission. It seeps into every aspect of who we are. It changes us. Many of us spend years, sometimes our entire lives, trying to heal the wounds of childhood sexual abuse. Others, like myself, dedicate our lives to not forgetting, by expressing our views, telling our stories and the stories of other victims and by demanding justice for innocent victims.
The prosecuting attorney speaks for the State. The defense attorney speaks for the accused. I speak for these innocent victims. 11 years for this reprehensible crime is a mockery of justice! Someone should be working to change the law that allows this inequity.
Some may tell me that being allowed to plea bargain is this man’s constitutional right. What about the child’s rights? In light of the heinous nature of this crime, shouldn’t someone demand change? Shouldn’t someone be angry enough to speak for these children? How can we call it justice, when evidence proves otherwise? Can someone tell me…?
Feel free to voice your opinion on this topic. Send me your ideas, your concerns, your possible solutions. Help me to understand how this is justice…Addendum: On April 9th, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason called me about the letter I sent to him concerning this case. He identified with my frustration and sympathized with me about how some of these cases turn out. He told me that the main problem with this case was lack of evidence and that in light of that, that he was glad the man received at least 11 years. He also agreed that many of these offenders offend again when they are paroled.
I thanked Mr. Mason and wished him better luck with the next case.
I admire and respect Mr. Mason, and know that he will do his best to obtain the harshest sentences that the law will allow. I only wish the laws were more equitable.
Healing Our Spirit
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/child_abuse_and_recovery/106623
Justice? I Think Not!
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/child_abuse_and_recovery/99624
The War At Home, America’s Wounded Children
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/child_abuse_and_recovery/113005
ABUSE
http://www.angelsthatcare.org/BroketheCycle.html
http://www.angelsthatcare.org/forum.html
http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC128.pdf
I run a resource site called Angels That Care. Most has been written in last 6 years. I'm too tired and overwhelmed to write it all over again
Marcia
http://www.angelsthatcare.org Angels That Care
http://angelsthatcare.blogspot.com
http://wwwangelsthatcareorgalerthtml.blogspot.com
Understanding the dynamics of domestic violence
People often think of domestic violence only in terms of the black eyes and bruises that can be seen. In reality, domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors that abusive men use to control their intimate partners. As adaptive and resilient as they are, women who have been battered nevertheless face a daunting number of barriers to escaping the violence. In addition to the very real threat of harm or death to themselves or their children, victims must contend with the accompanying financial and emotional hardship. They also often weigh cultural and religious values that emphasize keeping families intact and respond to the violence in spite of justice and social service systems that don't always provide adequate safety and support.
People who have never experienced abuse often find it difficult to imagine why women don't leave and how the abuse can continue for years. Relationships almost never start out abusive. It is important to remember that love and intimacy precede the abuse, which can make it difficult to break away. Abusive relationships are not violent all the time. There are periods when a woman is reminded why she fell in love with her partner. Abusers effectively weave together intimacy and abuse to control their partners.
Women who have been battered sometimes express confusion about the recurring nature of the violence they experience in their relationship. It seems to them to be unpredictable and impulsive. Domestic violence, however, is neither random nor haphazard. It is a complex pattern of increasingly frequent and harmful physical, sexual, psychological and other abusive behaviors used to control the victim. The abuser's tactics are devised and carried out precisely to control her.
http://www.mocadsv.org/dv101/
I have a lot of resources for Domestic Violence. It is a large site so some links may be broken
http://www.angelsthatcare.org/domestic_violence_resource_index.html
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Sex Offenders on campus
"Sex Offenders on Campus 3:54 AM
"With the spread of sex offender registries across America, those listed have a hard time avoiding recognition in their communities. But there's at least one place where many still seem to believe they can blend in: college campuses. This bit of news comes from a recent study in Federal Probation: A Journal of Correctional Philosophy and Practice. OK, so it's not living room reading, but the findings, by the University of Louisville's Richard Tewksbury and Matthew B. Lees, bear a closer look.
"Sex offenders have long been considered among the most despised and feared criminals in western culture," write Tewksbury and Lees. "The mere mention of the phrase 'sex offender' typically conjures up images of sadistic rapists and child predators."
To deal with these most offensive of crimes, federal laws in the mid-1990s mandated that the FBI and states keep registries of sex offenders. By 2004, there were 40 states with publicly available lists. Statutes expanding those measures to college campuses were enacted in 2002 with amendments to the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act. The laws cover not only students but also staff and contract employees.
To gauge the impact of the campus registries, Tewksbury and Lees checked websites for all 579 four-year, public colleges and universities in the United States. Of these, they found 39–or 7 percent–had campus registries, listing 113 registered sex offenders, or RSOs. They then sent out questionnaires to the individuals and received back 26 completed surveys. That's a pretty small sample, but the results are intriguing, nonetheless.
They're not exactly the folks you want in your dorm room. Two-thirds of their offenses were committed largely against children, while more than a quarter had preyed upon relatives. Nineteen percent of their victims were male. And most were known to the offender; only 8 percent were strangers.
Here's where it gets really creepy: Outside of campus, some 31 percent of the group believed that "all" or "almost all" persons in their communities knew they were registered sex offenders–due apparently to the wide availability of state sex crime lists. But on campus, only 4 percent believed that nearly everyone knew their status. Indeed, on campus 1 in 6 thought nobody knew their background at all, even though they were listed on university registries.
Despite this perceived anonymity at school, the RSOs reported difficulties on campus as bad as or worse than in the community at large. The most common complaints: Two thirds said they'd lost or failed to get a job, while others complained of housing difficulties, harassment, and loss of friends. These "collateral consequences," as the authors call them, may have the opposite effect intended, further isolating and worsening the offenders. The study's conclusion: More research "is greatly needed"–particularly on the growth of specialized registries like those on campus.
Tough subject. It's hard to have any sympathy for these people, but what do we do with them all?
http://www.securityoncampus.org/aboutsoc/didntknow.html
Jeanne Clery, murdered in her dorm room, April 5, 1986
The Bad Guys Blog"
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/badguys/
David E. Kaplan is chief investigative correspondent at U.S. News & World Report. His work includes cover stories on intelligence agencies, police spying, Saudi financing of jihad groups, and the growing use of organized crime by terrorists. Among Kaplan's books are Yakuza and The Cult at the End of the World, on the doomsday sect that nerve gassed Tokyo's subway. You can reach Kaplan at badguys@usnews.com.
When you reprint another blogger's work, the basic etiquette is to give credit and a link to the original post. Failing to do so is not only inappropriate; It is plagiarism.
The Bad Guys Blog
www.usnews.com/badguyshttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/badguys/070327/sex_offenders_on_campus_1.htm
It was sent to me from a friend without his link. It has since been fixed
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sexual Predator resource pages
Sexual Predator resource pages
http://www.angelsthatcare.org/predator_alert.html
http://www.angelsthatcare.org/predator_alert2.html
Marcia
http://www.angelsthatcare.org
Angels That Care
http://angelsthatcare.blogspot.com
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Do child predators bamboozle you?
March 21, 2007 - Wednesday
Do child predators bamboozle you?
Devlin's attorneys are counting on it.
I've been duped, bamboozled, conned, hoodwinked, and tricked - by whom? Yes, these synonyms for "victimized" would have you believe no harm is done. Hollywood joins in the fun with movies such as Big Bully. It's just all laughs. Here comes the curve ball, and you'd better duck - in real life that 90-mile-an-hour curve ball for kids is predators who abduct, bully, abuse, assault, molest, stalk on the Internet, sell or use drugs and alcohol with minors, and the list keeps growing. When one in five children will become a victim of a child predator, isn't it time to take victimization seriously?
We've been bamboozled long enough. The old saying 'out of sight, out of mind' has become the social norm, much to the delight of child predators. But if you turned on and tuned in to "Dateline," your blinders came off. There they sit, in broad daylight, with the cameras rolling as Chirs Hansen reads transcripts of their online conversations with Perverted Justice's decoys acting as minors. (For unedited transcripts visit Dateline.com. More info: Yello Dyno Memos: Oops! You're sitting next to a child predator! and Millions of Dr. Jekylls and Mr. "Hides.")
Teachable Students? This 15-year-old cartoon from The Atlantic Journal looks as though you stepped into today's classroom. The difference is the increased number of victimized students. These damaging influences cause 10-15% of the teacher's time to be spent in "classroom management." The students are not in a "teachable" state. Their concerns are much more fundamental, "Am I safe?" "Am I loved?"
"Will I be hurt again tonight?" How do we improve test scores? Imagine if the teacher had that extra 15% of time to actually teach.
How do we improve the school climate? Stop the victimization of our children.
So how do we respond to predatorial behavior?
With disgust and anger and now legally we are beginning to demand appropriate sentencing, But is it enough to get us "really" out of our La-Z-Boys?
Take, for example, the highly publicized kidnapping of the two boys, Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby, in Missouri.
The plight of the victim, Shawn, should have brought us right out of our seats. As the story unfolded an insidious question caught many off guard, and attention shifted to Shawn's behavior, not that of the predator.
For starters, here's the view presented in the media: His abductor, Devlin, has held a job at Imo's Pizza for 20 years....
"'He was a gentle guy. Completely under the radar,' says Imo's owner Mike Prosperi, who has known him for 25 years and says he was a reliable worker who got along well with police officers who often ate at the parlor." - People Magazine 1/29/07
Shawn was hidden in plain sight, only 50 miles from home, for four years; he had friends, was free to come and go, had a cell phone, access to the Internet, and was often seen outside tossing a football with a friend, or riding his bike.
Now, Devlin's attorneys have entered a plea of "not guilty" to 75 state charges (which could result in a life sentence and 170 additional years if convicted on the federal charges). His attorneys did not accept the plea deal because they believe their client will have a better chance with a jury. Why would they ever think a jury would be an advantage? What are they counting on?
Maybe this can be answered by reflecting further on the insidious question itself, which has bounced across the airwaves, "Why didn't Shawn just go home?" He could have called home. Told any of a number of police he encountered, but he didn't. Therefore, somehow, the thinking goes, Shawn must be culpable. We settle back down in our La-Z-Boy and change the channel. To continue understanding why we turn our thoughts toward the victim being culpable, we need to reflect on some of the synonyms for victimize: duped, bamboozled, conned, hoodwinked, tricked. What's the benefit of considering victimization in such non-threatening terms? Why are victims included in the blame for what happened to them?
Picture a woman in her late twenties, jogging in her middle-class neighborhood at lunch time. She passes a man watering his lawn and takes no real note of him. Moments later he brutally attacks her. It was mid-day in a normally safe neighborhood. If her neighbors face the fact that she wasn't doing anything wrong, then how do they 'box' the event so it could never happen to them? By blaming the victim, "Certainly SHE must have brought it on herself," we are able to slide comfortably back into our La-Z-Boys and continue our own 'hoodwinked' lives.
But how is the story viewed through the eyes of experts, such as Melody Gibson, co-founder of Operation Outlook whose organization has helped in the recovery of thousands of children? Melody with accuracy, compassion and clarity shares her experience with children, such as Shawn, "Point is, an innocent 'child' was lured and abducted, and he acclimated as a child does to his victimizer--his 'abuser. Children, like pets, live in the moment. They don't fully realize the abuse will repeat itself. Even after they see it will, they acclimate to lies and threats--and they stay alive and make no waves. When they make waves, they are further abused and threatened ...regardless of what anyone else says to you or asks of you, an abused child is a VICTIM. Children are victims no matter the circumstance, the time that passed, the opportunities that they have missed to get away. It doesn't't matter how we rationalize he or she could have gotten out. That is hindsight, it is insensitive, and it means none of 'us' were in the right place at the right time... Who's to blame for that? The VICTIM? I think not."
To curb the tide of victimization that is plaguing our society, we all need to be sure we are putting the blame where it belongs, squarely on the shoulders of the predators. This misperception that innocent people, victims, are guilty too, is what Devlin's attorneys are counting on. If his attorneys are successful in undermining the credibility of Shawn, the victim, Devlin will not receive the punishment he deserves. Other predators are sure to take note and have been taking note of our unwillingness to blame the predators. This deception about victimization leaves us all vulnerable. Sitting ducks you might say, waiting to be preyed upon.
Yes, I do believe we are making progress. Together we're waking-up adults, passing legislation, and most of all we are training our children. When they encounter predators, as Shawn did, their training should give them the knowledge, courage, and confidence to act because they know they have the right to be safe. Check-out the Channel 11's coverage of the attempted abduction of a nine-year-old boy at the top of this memo. If more children are trained with Yello Dyno, we won't have to wake up to a Shawn story right in our own neighborhood or walk into classrooms filled with unteachable kids.
Yours for child safety,
Jan Wagner
Yello Dyno Founder
P.S. NEW RESEARCH: Yello Dyno is a 'stress inoculation for children. Need more scientific research? Over 8,000 students from Ector ISD, Odessa, Texas, participated in our 2005-2006 REdS Independent Research, "The Yello Dyno Program demonstrated the ability to produce significant positive outcomes related to the children's recognition of potential danger from child predators and what steps to take to escape those dangerous situations...It was found to be effective with all grades and performed especially well in lower grades (K & 1)."
The findings show that 80.8% of the students tested demonstrated an increase in knowledge after one cycle of the Yello Dyno Curriculum.
P.S.S. NEW! Tricky People! Curriculum (Grades 4-5) PowerPoint presentation, with three songs and six video lessons embedded in the presentation, wakes up and empowers children to protect themselves from the dangers of Tricky People, child predators.
Educators, Non-profits, Churches and Law Enforcement: to have a Yello Dyno Curriculum sent to you for a thirty-day review, fill out this online form, or call me at 888-935-5639 ext. 100 or email me at Jan@YelloDyno.com
Comments? Ideas for future memos? Contact me: Jan@YelloDyno.com.
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http://www.yellodynoparents.com/
http://yellodyno.typepad.com/yello_dyno_blog/
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Richard Crawford was found guilty of sexual abuse
Richard Crawford was found guilty of sexually abusing his girlfriends daugher for 5 years. He was convicted of 390 counts- with almost 100 of them have a five year mandatory sentence. The judge has allowed him to remain out on bond, because he's not sure if this guy fits in with PA's Meagan's Law- which would list him as a violent sexual offender.
Now, the judge has played games during the entire process, including allowing delays on the case, and questioning "how the laws read" on certain aspects. And, now with him still out on bail (since dec of last year in fact) there is a chance the the judge may decide to have the sentence all pushed together ( i know, I'm forgetting the word for it) rather than consecutively- which would mean that this predator could be free in as little as 5 years.
The DA will be sending me some documents in the morning, and I've been working on a post about this- with a little more background information on the case. The hope is to get enough attention to it that the judge gets off his liberal ass and sentences this predator, for the longest amount of time possible. The DA, who is as nice as you can imagine is really wanting public support to get this case settled- my post will have a little more information on what this child had to go through in order to have him brought to justice- which included wearing a wire and having Crawford admit what he did.
http://www.wjactv.com/news/11263819/detail.html?rss=john&psp=news
Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins said he is furious because Judge Daniel Howsare would not sentence a man already convicted of 390 counts of sexually assaulting a young girl.Richard Crawford molested his ex-girlfriend's daughter for five years, from the time she was 7-years-old until she was 12. Despite his conviction last December, the victim still does not have justice.Higgins said he blames the judge."Here's an opportunity to take a violent sex offender off the street and the judge doesn't take the opportunity to do that and lets him walk out of the courtroom," said Higgins.Howsare refused to comment about his decision, but Higgins said it's because Howsare isn't sure if Crawford is really a sexually violent predator. For the state, there's no question."The state offender association board has determined he is a sexually violent predator," said Higgins. "We just need the court to go along with that."Higgins asked the judge to at least put Crawford in jail until the sentencing, but the judge denied the request. He also wouldn't reschedule a new sentencing date until after he reviews the Megan's Law qualifications."I expressed my opinion in court," Higgins said. "I told him I was strongly objecting to the man walking out of the courtroom at liberty. It's very upsetting. Not only for me as a prosecutor, but for the victim. To look the victim in the eye and say we haven't been able to give justice for you yet."Higgins said he is very worried Crawford could run. There was a similar situation in 2001 where convicted sexual offender, David Chalfante, fled before his sentencing.There is a mandatory sentence of five years for each of the sexual abuse counts and with 390 of them, Higgins said Crawford will likely spend the rest of his life in jail.
Anyone that can post on this, please email me. There is no question this man is guilty- despite the fact that he is currently running around free.
Thanks,
~Lilo
Lost In Lima Ohio
www.lostinlimaohio.com
www.myspace.com/lilo_lostinlimaohio
Also, if you want to send this out to people who might be willing to make a few calls on behalf of this child the judges contact info is :
Honorable Judge Daniel L. Howsare
President Judge
Courtroom No. 1
Courthouse Annex
Juliana Street
Bedford PA 15522
Phone: (814) 623-4810
Fax: (814)623-3858
http://lostinlimaohio.blogspot.com/2007/03/judge-daniel-l-howsare.html
http://lostinlimaohio.googlepages.com/crawford.pdf
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