I believe that this rash of hot and heavy coverage of missing childrens' cases is no accident.
I haven't commented thus far, but I have to predict that all of this coverage is to fuel the fire of any parent's worst fear and to accelerate the microchipping program that is already in the works.
I fully expect the Digital Angel chip to be heavily advertised and pushed by the media as the "best way to protect your child" since it can locate them just minutes after abductions take place, thus sparing any possibility of their molestation and/or death.
Tin foil hat OFF.
That said, I hope she is found safe and quickly!!
What's happening is a rash of abductions of children taken from homes and in broad daylight by non-family members -- sexual deviates. It is a horrifying trend and worthy of intense coverage.
This waiting ten to twenty years for justice to catch up with these child murderers just doesn't have enough passion for me and seems a tepid justice and a revenge rendered cold by the time the guilty gets to ride the needle.
These "it used to be safe" people also don't say how old they are. I am 24. If I would have had a daughter at age 18 she would be 6, a little younger than Danielle Van Dam. I was 6 in 1983, and kids used to roam around pretty freely then as I did when I was a little older. The violent crime rate is down from 1983, so I would guess that child abduction is down too, but I don't know. I don't think it has increased tremendous extent this year.
Last summer it was shark attacks. Remember? It later came out that falling coconuts kill more people than sharks, but the media had a field day. Weekly World News said the shark attacks were orchestrated by Castro.
Obviously you should protect your kids from abduction but it may save more kids if the media ran PSA's about how to avoid household accidents and played up every pool drowing, etc.
alisasny: From what I can gather there are about 100 stranger abductions of children per year at this time. A few years ago it was about 300 per year.
ksen: As soon as I saw your "Tinfoil Hat ON" line the same thought about Digital Angel popped into my head. I think you may be on to something.
HiJinx: Not to downplay a parent's angst over the disappearance of a child, but the upswing in media coverage is disturbing. Are they trying to get the word out as quickly as possible to aid in the rescue? Or is the coverage driven by a more sinister motive?
Mindprism: Now how did I know, 3 months ago, that we would be seeing more of these abduction cases on TV?
National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway ChildrenNon-Family Abductions* Broad Scope Attempted Non-Family Abductions: 114,600 children. These represent attempted abductions: for example, luring of a child for the purposes of committing another crime. Policy Focal Non-Family Abductions: 3,200 to 4,600 children. These are (1) the coerced and unauthorized taking of a child into a building, a vehicle, or a distance of more than 20 feet; (2) the detention of a child for a period of more than an hour; or (3) the luring of a child for the purpose of committing another crime. Findings. Broad Scope: Children aged 4 to 11 experienced most of the attempts. Most involved attempts to lure children into cars rather than attempts to take or detain. Political Focal: Almost half of the victims were children age 12 and older. Seventy-four percent were girls. Sixty-two percent of the perpetrators were strangers and 19% were acquaintances. Most were removed from the street (52%) and taken to a vehicle (46%). Force was used against 87% of the victims; it involved a weapon in 75% of the cases. Ransom was requested in 8% of the cases. |
3,200 to 4,600 children anually, about 10 a day in US.
Question: Is it a slow summer, or is this a... 'media fashion trend'? How did the media miss thousands of abductions last year?
smirk.
Oh. I get it, its 'Reality TV' Oprah style. A little palette cleansing side-dish to that gritty war-on-terror thing.
Are we safe yet? Are we safe yet?
Things that make you go hmmmm.