Posted on 09/16/2002 11:10:48 PM PDT by Utah Girl
Just thought I would start a new thread.
They're on this thread somewhere -- don't remember which posts.
The Smarts are behaving the exact opposite of the Levys.
Or much of anything else, for that matter.
In Your Humble Opinion.
June 19, 2002
by Tim Rollins
As a religious man, I have always felt that part and parcel of being a man of faith calls for being informed and for making wise and responsible choices in the responsibilities entrusted to us. This is particularly so when it comes to the most sacred trust of all - our children.
Out in Utah (no surprise, folks!), they have yet another case of a parent failing to exercise due caution and proper responsibility in taking care of their child or children. This is an ongoing problem that has been part of the regional landscape out there for well over 20 years. The one that stands out the most to me involved three-year old Rachael Runyan, who was kidnapped from a park in Sunset, Utah in August of 1982 and subsequently murdered. A frantic community rallied around the family and prayed and searched for 24 days before her body was found in Morgan County on a dirt road known as "Trappers Loop." Twenty years have passed and her killer still remains at large, her murder unsolved, and as I see it, it isn't likely it will ever be solved either in my lifetime, my now ex-wife Gaylene or that of my now three children.
I was a student at the University of Utah at the time Rachael disappeared, and could relate to the vulnerability her parents felt at the time, as I was the father of a nine-month old boy myself. However, when Rachael's parents went on ABC's Good Morning America, I remember remarking to Gaylene that if Rachael were still alive, her parents' appearance on national television had in effect signed her death warrant by negating any bargaining value Rachael may have once been.
For whatever reason, it seems that during my time in Utah (1979-1984) and according to conversations with friends in the ensuing time since, all too often the prevailing "Pollyanna" mentality there is that because they are faithful in church, the Lord will watch over them and their families, and thus, many of them blithely overlook many basic security functions that are the inherent responsibility of both Mom and Dad.
Another case in point was the case a few summers ago - also in the Salt Lake City area where four or five children were found suffocated in the trunk of a Saturn sedan with one of the children unable to reach the emergency escape cord - all in the name of a game of 'hide and seek'. Branding me insensitive, my younger brother ripped me a new one when I wrote a column calling the parents to task for failing to exercise proper parental responsibility by at least checking in on the kids from time to time while they were outside playing.
Now I know that some Moms and Dads spend their days in the summer playing with their younger children and some work in the house while the children play outside; however - as I said before, each parent who is at home at least has the obligation to check in on the kids from time to time during the day to see that they are playing safely.
Fast forward to the present. We are now being deluged with daily accounts from the media of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year old who was kidnapped in the early morning hours of June 5th while her 9-year old sister watched in paralyzed fear and then waited for hours before telling her parents. I'm no cop, but I have to tell you, there are more holes in this emerging story than in a Steven Spielberg script. Like Elizabeth being permitted to get her slippers before leaving for example.
This home was no shack or hovel. It was a 6,600 square-foot mansion with seven bedrooms and an indoor racquetball court among other features. Come to think of it, being a home worth over $1 million and all, you'd have thought that with an alarm system in place but turned off at the time (why - it was 1:00 a.m.?), it would have been activated at least for the upper levels or for where the children's bedrooms were located. Yet Elizabeth was taken through a window, setting off no alarms. You have to wonder what really happened?
Another question that sticks out is training the children how to handle emergencies such as this - especially with the family having a greater amount of financial wealth than most. The home was on the market for $1.2 million and was being seen by prospective buyers. Whoever "took" Elizabeth Smart had a very good idea of the home's layout and knew exactly where to go. Elizabeth's father Edward revealed yesterday he might have left the garage door open, thus facilitating a way for the 'kidnapper' to have access to the family home. The more I hear about this however, the more it sounds like an inside job or even the possibility - however remote - that Elizabeth may have even run away. Most likely, it probably was indeed a kidnapping and like Rachael Runyan of 20 years ago, in all likelihood, Elizabeth is by now dead with it being only a matter of time before her body is found and yet another child's death is mourned - a death that would be needless and that could have been easily prevented through proper, reasonable and responsible precautions on the part of either or both parents.
More than anything, I would very much like to see Elizabeth Smart safely reunited with her family. However, that usually happens within three days or so after disappearance, after which the trail grows cold. Given that such a time window has long since closed, I believe any realistic chance of safely recovering Elizabeth has also closed as well. As much as I would like to be proven wrong, I just don't see that happening. From the friends I have in the law enforcement community both in Utah and elsewhere, again - I just don't see that happening. Please understand that my observation is not limited to the Smart family by any means as they are the victims of a vicious and terrible crime - it is the Utah culture and a climate of smugness, arrogance and elitism that drove me away from the state nearly 20 years ago to which I have no plans on returning in the foreseeable future for anything beyond a visit. My feelings for the place are so strong that I even wrote a Utah Credo that reflects my attitude on the matter.
Until the people of Utah (among other places) overcome their blind faith and adopt a more well-grounded attitude along the lines of a more informed faith both in their fellowmen and in God through being more responsible in their stewardships - to include responsibilities over their families - particularly their children, then the likelihood of more Rachael Runyans and Elizabeth Smarts and more children suffocating in the trunks of cars in their driveways will continue to increase unless parents increase basic security measures in and around the home.
Had the Smarts made some basic efforts to street-proof their children as well as place some security devices in their home, they might very well still have Elizabeth with them today.
In the meantime - as for the Smarts along with their family and friends: Prepare them for bad news.
http://conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/timrollins/06-19-02.shtml
Sherlock....You have done it again!! When you post a post of MINE....POST THE ENTIRE THING, OK? I specifically on THAT post..told you that I was posting the words of another poster !
HERE IS THE FULL VERSION.............These are not my words, they are the words of the poster !! and the source is at the bottom of the page !!!!
To: All
This is just a short interruption here...THIS is one brilliant poster in the Van Dam case, that explains the RUSH TO JUDGEMENT in the Van Dam case. This is documented, and I find it a wonderful explanation, that has been discussed over and over for two months by FReepers. NOT CONSPIRACY ZELOTS...but real people who are paying attention, and calling FOUL.
Here it is......(and I will not post more on it, but something to think about as we are being called conspiracy all the time people....there is TOO MUCH EVIDENCE that has to be recieved, before we can make a blanketed statement on WHO did this Elizabeth Smart crime.....read these facts, that are told over and over on the VD thread, and summed up here......*************************************************
It was never determined that the stain was actually blood. The test they ran indicated it COULD HAVE been blood. They did not run the test to actually determine whether it was blood or not. I don't know how to explain in scientific terms, but FReepers have gone over this in prior threads.
There was no blood seen on his jacket by the cleaners at any time ... before cleaning or after cleaning. The police picked up the jacket before Westerfield got it back. Lo and behold, "blood" was found on it. One FReeper mentioned that heat destroys DNA, so how could any "blood" DNA have survived the heat of dry cleaning?
As far as the palm print is concerned, they never found any of her prints in the motorhome until AFTER they found her body and rehydrated her hands. Then they went back to check ... and lo and behold, they found a print. Come to your own conclusion. I did. This has also been discussed in detail in prior threads.
The San Diego Police Department has been documented in planting false evidence in prior cases. Discussed on prior threads.
The close personal friend who advised Brenda Van Dam from the beginning is a retired policewoman. The head of a local swinger club is a retired policeman. There's more police & PR firm involvement/friendships that makes one suspicious as to Westerfield's being made a scapegoat and railroaded for a crime he didn't commit.
One of the child pornographers caught by a Swedish crime team lives in the same town as the Van Damns. Another one lives in San Diego, a short distance away. There are videos of them raping little children. Danielle could have wandered outside and been picked up by that porno group. One person was arrested in January, I think it was - and the other person was arrested TWO DAYS after Danielle's body was found. It has been speculated they had to get rid of her to keep from getting charged with her abuse, too.
There's a whole lot more stuff. Too much to go into in a short comment here. Like the blue paint under her fingernails, the dark hair under her body, unidentified fingerprints, unidentified blood, DNA in her bed, etc etc etc. NONE of this can be traced to Westerfield. NOR HAS IT BEEN SUBJECTED TO FORENSIC TESTING. Just some stupid fibers that are common (similar to) in today's WalMart market.
And they ignored the blood on her pajamas and beanbag chair, by the way. They didn't test the spot in the carpet either that Demon VanDam steam cleaned before the police got there. They didn't identify the fingerprints on the outside door or the blood on the cement outside or the drag marks outside. They didn't put her journal into testimony where she has some very telling comments - the type of comments that sexually-abused children use.
But all of that evidence in the Van Dam home can never be tested in the future. They re-carpeted and re-painted the entire house. All evidence is lost forever. We will never know, probably, the real killer of little Danielle.
I believe Westerfield was set up by a swingers group and that he is not just "not guilty" but that he is INNOCENT of this horrible crime.
Post # 59, Aug. 9, 2000 DELIBERATIONS RESUME
52 posted on 8/9/02 12:22 PM Central by Neenah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies | Report
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Now sherlock.....go there and check it out....The name and number of the thread is posted above..and they were NOT MY WORDS...but an example by the poster that said them. The entire nation was stunned to learn that the crooked lawyer fouled up and lied throughout!! That is why I state, we can't believe much in any case !!
YOU POSTED THAT THEY WERE MY WORDS!!!! KNOCK IT OFF !!
Sounds like a pretty perceptive article.
Do you have a regular schedule for reporting back to the Smarts, JG?
THE EVER-CHANGING STORY
by Timothy Rollins, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
June 19, 2002
In what is becoming both the ever-changing story as well as the seemingly never-ending one, Salt Lake City police are now saying that Mary Katherine Smart (right with Elizabeth) saw the gunman twice - in different parts of the house, and had witnessed him warning Elizabeth not to speak. According to Police Sergeant Scott Atkinson, the gunman was not aware that he had been seen at all. Kind of an assumption on Atkinson's part, and if he had the same high school coach I did, he knows what the word assume means when the word is broken down.
In a FOX NEWS/Associated Press article yesterday, it stated, "Although it was earlier reported that Mary Katherine had been warned to remain quiet, police who interviewed the youngster three times now say the kidnapper did not speak to the child. The 9-year-old waited two hours before alerting her parents of the kidnapping." This is a major change from what was initially reported and is igniting a mass of confusion both among those searching for Elizabeth as well in properly informing the public. With all the daily changes in the story that are going on, you have to ask yourself what kind of a zoo do they have passing for a command post out in Salt Lake City?
Other problems we have with this kind of kidnapping include the use of more than slightly outdated thinking in the investigative phase of this case. When a kidnapping occurred in the past, the initial announcement was a description of the victim and possible suspect and what they were wearing plus a description of any vehicle that may have been seen. What makes this situation all the more difficult is that younger sister Mary Katherine's story is continually changing. Police say it is because investigators skilled at interviewing children have helped 'jog her memory'. My question at this point is what parts of her memory are true and what parts has she created in an effort to be 'helpful'? My next question is could she be in collusion with a runaway older sister distraught over the death of a favorite grandparent?
Another problem is that police are continually changing their story as well and in the process damaging their credibility on three fronts: (1), leaving people to question to what extent if any they are telling the truth; (2), igniting a mass of confusion on the part of those seeking her whereabouts, and (3), either ignoring or denying the increasing possibility that Elizabeth may have run away from home. Let's face it - it's kind of hard to find a kidnap victim if the description of her alleged kidnapper keeps changing. Yes, a hat may be a small thing, but if that person is anything at all like me, I have a favorite hat that I wear pretty much all the time, and the chances could well be the kidnapper might do the same.
In an e-mail received from a reader in the Midwest yesterday, he properly brought to my attention that were it not for the size of daddy's bank account, that this kidnapping would not have registered on the radar scope of the nation's news services at all. I have my own additional views on this as well - as they pertain to the Salt Lake area and attention from the locals - given that they are a breed all their own, hence my leaving the area for good in 1984 for anything other than the occasional visit, but must keep those reasons to myself for fear of emotional reprisals from people who have time and again proven they are totally and completely incapable of carrying on a logical and coherent exploration of important basic issues such as properly watching your children and implementing basic security measures around the home because they are too busy exercising absolute blind faith rather than an informed and disciplined faith in God, with 'discipline' coming from the root word disciple, which is from the Latin word discipulus, a term used to describe a follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime. In another e-mail from Georgia, a reader had this to say: "I am wondering why the Smarts didn't teach their younger daughter anything about strangers or why it took 5 police visits to get information out of her). I constantly tell my children not to listen to what strangers tell them, to come to me immediately and tell me things. I can't believe the little girl waited so long to tell her parents that her sister was gone. That is one thing I go over and over with my children, that even if someone tells them not to tell because they are going to be killed, tell anyway. Two or three hours just seems so outrageously long to wait. She could have fell sleep in that amount of time.
Also why did the police wait so long to tell about what kind of hat the man had. I would think saying it was an off white golf hat would have been a good clue right off the bat. It isn't like everyone wears that kind of hat. I immediately thought of a baseball cap."
With the centralized search for Elizabeth having been called off last Friday, it is now down to individual neighborhood searches - in other words, organized exercises in futility. Elizabeth is sadly and regretfully long gone and like I said in yesterday's column, in all likelihood, if not a runaway, probably dead by now, her bargaining value having long been negated by the daily television appearances and the network dog-and-pony shows on the nightly news broadcasts.
Even now, as I think about it, there is an itch in my craw that just won't go away on this case. Like I said yesterday, I may not be a cop, but the only constant in this case are the inconsistencies. Is it possible that Elizabeth did in fact run away and make a pact of sorts with Mary Katherine to keep her mouth shut long enough to get away? From her location in the Federal Heights neighborhood in Salt Lake City, with pre-arranged transportation, she was able to reach the Nevada, Idaho or Wyoming state lines in less than two hours. By the time the missing persons report hit the wires, this was simply a case of GAME OVER. Plus, if Elizabeth DID run away as what seems to be a growing possibility, things at home could not have been the idyllic picture that is seemingly being painted by family members and friends.
As for the latest developments on the search for Elizabeth Smart and the happenings within her family? It's become like any other news story or even the weather - wait 10 minutes - it will change. ***
© 2002 Timothy Rollins
This is about the author of those two articles, Tim Rollins.
A New Yorker with attitude, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the Army National Guard who majored in Business Management at the University of Utah, Tim Rollins took over as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of The American Partisan (TAP) in July 2001. He brings a wealth of writing experience to the position, to include publication online in Covenant Syndicate, USA Journal Online, Enter Stage Right and Femme Soul among others, as well as in print in USA TODAY, the Toronto Sun, the Deseret News in Salt Lake City and the Halifax Daily Herald in Nova Scotia, Canada.
He has been a guest on Canada's #1 talk radio station CFRB 1010-AM. His column is titled "Beneath the Surface" because of what he feels is the almost always hidden and often not-so-hidden agenda of lawmakers that often lies just beneath proposals they claim will make America a better place, when all too often, the exact opposite occurs. In addition to his work at TAP, he is also a columnist with OpinioNet, The Patriotist and has appeared in GOPUSA. His long-term professional ambition is to be a regular columnist for the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or other major American newspaper with a lead into syndication nationwide - or maybe a shot at CNN's Crossfire or better yet, the Fox News Channel. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormons), he is the father of three children and lives in the Greater Toronto Area.
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