Sigh...another little girl kidnapped! (UPDATED: sad news...)
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/16/girl.abducted/index.html"; target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/16/girl.abducted/index.html</a>;
Sadly, seems to be open season on little girls here lately. So sad.
In February, here in San Diego, little 7-year-old Daniell van Dam was abducted and later found murdered. The trial, of course, is underway right now.
Then the Elizabeth Smart girl from Utah.
Now this one, up in Orange County, just north of me.
She was snatched right in front of her house. Elizabeth Smart was taken from her bed. Danielle probably was too.
Can parents ever do enough to shield and protect their children? These are pretty bold snatchings!
[ 07-17-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
Comments
Totally broke my heart. Nobody deserves this.
I mean, your own FRONT YARD? Or BEDROOM? Just awful...
Unfortunately it is not just lately, it has just been in the national news more in recent months. Let's not forget that while we may only hear of a few cases every year, on average about 10 kids are abducted in the US by strangers every day out of about 300 attempts. If you look at abductions by family members it is even worse, even though those are less likely to end in death; and about 1000 kids are abducted in the US by family members every day.
More and more with both parents working kids are forgotten or parents are late. It's not truly my responsibilty to stay and wait for parents to show up, and many coaches don't. I stay for reasons just like these kidnappings in the news.
I'd hate to be the coach that leaves a kid, only to have him disappear. I'm not saying in these cases that the parents are at fault. I just think most parents have the attitude it will never happen to them. It's truly sad, and rarely do i get a thanks for staying up to 30 minutes after practice waiting for some of these parents.
[ 07-17-2002: Message edited by: SQUÅSH ]</p>
I was almost snatched when I was 10 by 2 guys in a car. It was my parents hammering this stuff into me at a young age that saved me, I'm sure. As soon as these guys started talking to me (I was on my bike, stopped at a corner) I started thinking of all the things my mom and dad had told me... let's just say it was a super close call, and I was lucky as hell.
I sure hope this girl gets home safely.
[QB]It is sad, but in some ways doesn't surprise me. I coach select soccer, and at times there are hundreds of kids out at the fields. I always stay and make sure all the parents show up, and have at times driven kids home, because their parents have forgotten to come get them.
More and more with both parents working kids are forgotten or parents are late. It's not truly my responsibilty to stay and wait for parents to show up, and many coaches don't. I stay for reasons just like these kidnappings in the news.
I'd hate to be the coach that leaves a kid, only to have him disappear. I'm not saying in these cases that the parents are at fault. I just think most parents have the attitude it will never happen to them. It's truly sad, and rarely do i get a thanks for staying up to 30 minutes after practice waiting for some of these parents.
[QB]<hr></blockquote>
SQUÅSH, you should be commended for what you do. Going beyond your responsibilties to make sure those kids who's parents are too busy to give a damn get home safely. Hopefully it will be these media reports that'll wake up these parents. Sorry, I have no sympathy for parents who don't put their children first.
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/17/girl.abducted/index.html"; target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/17/girl.abducted/index.html</a>;
Jeez-louise...
Why is this affecting me so much? Haven't been this sad and angry in a long, long time...
<strong>Looks like everyone's worst fears were confirmed:
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/17/girl.abducted/index.html"; target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/17/girl.abducted/index.html</a>;
Jeez-louise...
Why is this affecting me so much? Haven't been this sad and angry in a long, long time...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well it could be because you are a very compassinate person, a quality more people need to exhibit. I too am taken aback by this rash of kidnappings lately...I must agree with others here, some are probably copycat crimes. This does not lessen their effect any, but shows how vulnerable our society can be to evil minded people. It is a very sad fact that in most kidnapping cases the victim is usually dead if not found in the first 24 hours. Hopefully these families can find closure soon.
I guess some clues they found at the site led them to believe this?
He's somewhere here in Southern California (unless he's made a run for it throughout the night).
Hispanic male, black hair, mustache, light blue dress shirt in a light green 2-door Honda or Acura.
Somebody find this man.
The awful fall-out of stuff like this is that we become more isolated and distrusting of others, which is just not good. I mean, it's going to get to the point to where if you don't the person PERIOD, you have to adopt a "screw off, pal" attitude. Which is really sad. I grew up thinking you should help or comfort others when they're troubled or needing help.
That's what got this girl killed. This guy told some lie about how he was "looking for his puppy" (classic ploy, isn't it?).
I've always offered help to people I've seen in trouble. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled over on the side of the road (freeway AND surface streets) to offer help to a stranded motorist...just because I'd want the same done to me if I was stranded out somewhere.
But now, I'm seriously rethinking all that stuff. Gets to where you can't trust or believe anyone. How do I know that next time I pull over to help someone change a flat or ask if they need help isn't going to do something weird or bad to me?
Not the kind of world I was raised in. And not the kind I want to live in. Always the small, minority group of bad people or idiots who screw it up for everyone else, all of us.
I'd rather live in a world where you didn't have to think twice about helping someone else, or doing a good deed. And because of a small, select group of people (evil, twisted creeps), I have to pretty much put up my hands and step away and adopt a "hey buddy, you're own your own...would like to help you out, but, fact is, I don't know you...therefore I can't trust you, can I?" approach to life.
Ugh...
Not what I was expecting.
Man, and I am expecting a daughter in 4 months.
What is wrong with us..... it must partly be cultural, partly, as well as simply screwed up people, but there are son many of these incidents these days . . . why the hell does a grown man come to feel this way?!! what the hell is wrong with these people!?!? Why can't they stop themselves!??!
I think that it will further break down trust, but mostly in the realm of children and how they are dealt with in the public sphere. Which pains me a great deal. Children are the best and its awfull to think of all the barriers that are needed now between kids and adults . . . what concequences will this have in the long run as far as trust and empathy are concerned . . . what kind of love for humanity will the next generations be able to express for one another as adults, if ,as children, they need to fear everyone . . authority figures included.
I can't believe how awful this story is... when I see pictures of the mother and the daughter and I think of my wife and soon to be daughter . . . oh my god... my heart breaks for them all.
some kind of world.
as my boss in Oregon used to say:
Obviously there is something wrong with this world, when the rubber hits the road, there is something out of balance . . . a world where a lion will devoure its prey and the prey is still alive, there is something wrong here. . .
( he was a Gurdjieffian )
Children are the future of this planet and its up to all of us to make sure that they grow up to excel and succeed in anything they feel they are good at, and to look out for their safety.
Damn, things like this really get to me
A child is the most precious thing on this earth and we aren't doing enough to protect them - we bring them into this god awful world and sickos are stalking the streets preying on them while we fill our lives up with useless distractions.
We should be putting more time and effort into nurturing and protecting all children.
child rapists in prison are often treated what they dished out to children on the outside.
it may not be much, but it's something.