Shawn Hornbeck's family looks to step out of spotlight

belleville.com ^ | 1/24/07

[Halls]

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Shawn Hornbeck's parents hope "to step out of the spotlight" to focus on their abducted son's healing now that he has returned home.

That plan to take a lower profile was announced Tuesday during a news conference, as a suburban St. Louis homebuilder detailed plans to build a new house for Shawn and his parents, Craig and Pam Akers. The home will include office space for the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, which Shawn's parents began as a means to aid in the search for missing kids soon after Shawn disappeared in 2002.

[DvdMom]

Yes , Oprah paid the Hornbecks 0.00

But when Shawn's Dad lost his leg while searching for another missing child he also was paid 0.00

Nice Of You To Blame Shawn & His Family

I'm NOT Surprised to see you haven't commented about the Evil 300+ Pound Child Porn Addict Kidnapping Monster !

[mad_as_he$$]

Well there soccermom. You would be wrong about all of your assumptions about me. I never said god approves of me. I said "If there is a god". So apparently we have to deal with your reading comprehension problem along with you complete lack of critical thinking skills - not uncommon in rapid Oprah fans.

Let's spell this out for your pea brain. First are you from Rio Linda?

2. I do not go around bragging about things I do for my fellow man.

3. Apparently you are the one with the money obsession since it is mentioned in almost all your posts.

3. WHEN I give money to needy people it is the ones in my neighborhood not to people if foreign countries.

4. I do not use my wealth or fame to generate excuses as to why I cannot make a commitment to marriage but Oprah sits around and gives advice on how to run a MARRIAGE relationship (did you miss yesterdays show?). A bit arrogant. Along with advice on other subjects that she has no experience with.

5. Where is Oprah's home base? Chicago right - one of the fattest cities in the world. Do you see the connection. Fat indicates a lack of control and in many cases poor self esteem.

6. I did tell you that life keeps score by money - but wait there was another word "usually" - see it's that reading comprehension thing again.

7. I am a sovereign. You probably have no idea what that is but again if you can google and get past your reading problem you might begin to to get an inkling of what that means.

8. Actually I could give a rats a$$ about Oprah except for what she has done to society. I am pretty sure that your soccer kids would be nonstarters in my business world because they think the world owes them something and you haven't taught them how to work to get what they want. I see those kind everyday.

Now as far a sex offenders go. As I stated I do not go around bragging about things I do for my fellow man. So once again you will not be happy with my answer but I will say that more than Oprah's score have found new residences in places they are not thrilled about because of my actions. Oh and by the way I don't really care if you are happy or not with any of my answers. I will say that if you look at a guy like John Walsh or Mark Klass. They work for kids benefits without pandering to "We got the story first" and they have put away waaaYYY more criminals the the fat excuse do what feels good pig that you hold in such high regard.

Here's an idea for you get all your Oprah girlfriends and make of map of all of the registered sex offenders in you neighborhood. It will scare you. Now spend the time you waste on Oprah and go out and start a neighborhood watch program to monitor them. I bet you and you other vanpooling vapid heads can put away your own sexoffender within six months. Oh and you will be a hero in the hood.AND you might save one of your own kids instead of becoming a victim of Oprah.

Get back to me when you bagged your first bad otherwise you are beginning to bore me and I will ignore you posts - unless of course you start a vanity post about your experiences putting a scumbag in jail.

[MEGoody]

If we decide to shield a child from interviews because of the sexual abuse, does that validate the shame in the child's eyes?

My concern is his emotional and mental health. Appearing in public like that only fuels the speculation that he's now having to suffer. That can't be good for his recovery.

Women don't go on national talk shows less than a week after being raped. That's because they know they aren't emotionally ready to handle it. I doubt a 15 year old boy who has been a captive for 4 years was more emotionally ready than a grown woman would have been.

and then they were done with it.

As has been mentioned on the thread, the parents have come out a few times to tell reporters they don't want to give any more interviews. I'm sure they mean well, but that is just 'feeding the lion.' I don't think 'cramming interviews' even sooner than a week after the boy was rescued was good for his mental health either. (I know they did an interview with Newsweek - just saw it today.)

That seems like a wise compromise to me.

Endangering your child's emotional recovery to please the press isn't wise.

There has been speculation from the very beginning.

Perhaps, but I never heard any until after the interview with Oprah. Of course, that WAS less than a week after he was found.

You know very well that if they had refused all interviews and refused to let Shawn be seen, people would be saying that confirmed that he ran away or chose to stay with Devlin.

I don't agree. It would at the very least be far less wide spread than it is now. People just don't waste time talking about 'dead' news stories, and the news story soon dies if there aren't any interviews.

Akers does advise parents on what to do and what not to do with kids. . .

Shawn didn't need to be there for any of the things you mentioned. That information would have been just as helpful if Oprah had simply had a generic show about keeping kids safe.

I'm certainly not condemning the parents as some on here have. I just don't think they made the best decisions.

[MEGoody]

For you to blame Shawn's family

Blame them for what? I haven't blamed them for anything. Did you mean to post that to someone else, or did you just forget to take your meds today?

[DvdMom]

Again , I'm Very Sorry that I Misinterpeted your post

[DvdMom]

Posted by MEGoody to soccermom
On News/Activism 01/24/2007 10:49:59 AM PST · 136 of 285

Well MEGoody Remember what you wrote .....

If you think they were running around seeking attention, you don't know much about the news media.
It is quite clear that the media has been hounding this family like they do every person during their '15 minutes of fame'. But it was not a wise move for the parents to allow this child to appear on Oprah just a week after he was

My MEDS ???? I sincerely hope you don't have the disease where you can't remember what you write !!!

BLAME THEM FOR WHAT ???

Your statement stateing : But it was not a wise move for the parents to allow this child to appear on Oprah just a week after he was


You WERE being judgemental Of Shawn's Parents , You Were BLAMING Shawn's Family Because they Went On Oprah & You Better Take Your Meds ASAP !

[DvdMom]

megoody you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free !

Jesus Would Be So Proud of You For Telling Someone To Take Meds !


I Thought Jesus said you were supposed to turn the other cheek ??????

I'm more of an Old Testament Gal Myself Eye For An Eye !!!

[MEGoody]

You WERE being judgemental Of Shawn's Parents , You Were BLAMING Shawn's Family Because they Went On Oprah & You Better Take Your Meds ASAP !

I did judge the fact that they let Shawn appear on a national talk show less than a week after his rescue to be unwise.

Honey, you need some serious help.

[MEGoody]

Jesus Would Be So Proud of You For Telling Someone To Take Meds !

And Jesus would be so proud of you for your hysterics and for your lies about me. :::sarc tag in case you need it:::

[DvdMom]

I'm glad you took your meds & admitted that you did judge Shawn's parents !

I guess your forgot Judge NOT Lest ye yourself be Judge :)

[DvdMom]

Shawn Dad Craig Akers , I Won't Judge Him

Craig Akers..
Craig suffered from PAD
Peripheral Artery Disease
PAD can make simply walking very very painful, an craig went out on searches for missing kids, his belief in the importance of finding these kids was more important than his own discomfort and health.
He lost a leg because of this selflessness..
He gave of himself in every sense of the word to help families of missing kids with nothing in it for himself.

That is a HERO.

[org.whodat]

I shudder to think what you think about the 300+ Pound Child Molster Kidnapper !

You know nothing of me lady. I have a head gate down at the lower barn, you put the 300 hundred ponder it and I will castrate him while eating a ham sandwich. But what are you going to say if it turns out the kid helped kidnap the younger one??

[DvdMom]

Shawn Dad Craig Akers , I Won't Judge Him

Craig Akers..
Craig suffered from PAD
Peripheral Artery Disease
PAD can make simply walking very very painful, an craig went out on searches for missing kids, his belief in the importance of finding these kids was more important than his own discomfort and health.
He lost a leg because of this selflessness..
He gave of himself in every sense of the word to help families of missing kids with nothing in it for himself.

That is a HERO.

[DvdMom]

I'm an Old Testament woman myself , Eye For An Eye who admires Charleston Heston for what he was president of !

FACT : Two seasoned veterans fox reporters converted to Islam at gunpoint


FACT : Evil Devlin kidnap young Shawn who was very skinny , in the 5th grade & only 11 years old by gunpoint

Shawn has suffered more then inmates who are sent to jail for life !


Shawn Dad Craig Akers , I Won't Judge Him

Craig Akers..
Craig suffered from PAD
Peripheral Artery Disease
PAD can make simply walking very very painful, an craig went out on searches for missing kids, his belief in the importance of finding these kids was more important than his own discomfort and health.
He lost a leg because of this selflessness..
He gave of himself in every sense of the word to help families of missing kids with nothing in it for himself.

That is a HERO.

[DvdMom]

You know nothing of me lady .

Well we share one thing in common when I go down , I will do my best to take any SOB With me

[soccermom]

"So apparently we have to deal with your reading comprehension problem along with you complete lack of critical thinking skills - not uncommon in rapid Oprah fans. Let's spell this out for your pea brain. First are you from Rio Linda?" LOL! Well, as long as we're going to be condescending, why don't you explain to the class what a "rapid" Oprah fan is. I've never been considered an Oprah fan, much less a rapid one! I'm quick, but I wouldn't exactly call myself rapid!

"2. I do not go around bragging about things I do for my fellow man." NO -- your hobby is to go around tearing down other people who do good things for their fellow man.

"3. Apparently you are the one with the money obsession since it is mentioned in almost all your posts." Uhhhhhhh -- I suggest you go back and look at your initial post. Your mind has been all bent out of shape over the money from the very beginning. You're the one who concluded the media appearances by the Akers couldn't possibly be about anything but money. I suppose it was beyond your comprehension that anyone could act out of a desire to help others. You're the one with dollar signs in your handle. You're the one who said the world keeps score with money. You're the one who whined that Oprah was overpaid. I don't begrudge people their money. If you do, there is a pity party for you. It is called the Democratic Party.

"3. WHEN I give money to needy people it is the ones in my neighborhood not to people if foreign countries." Oh, so you now you have your panties in a wad because Oprah donated money to people in other countries? Never mind the millions upon millions she's donated to local causes. Just throw a hissy fit that she should -gasp- share her money beyond the borders. Heavens no! We need to keep it ALL here! NEWSFLASH: IT IS HER MONEY. SHE CAN DO WHAT SHE WANTS WITH IT, SO LONG AS IT IS LEGAL. (Personally, I donate money both locally and abroad. That is my choice. Imagine that!) Once again, you illustrate what a jealous, petty person you are. You can't be happy when anyone else gets a generous gift. That just eats away at you, huh? Maybe you can get a government program together to oversee what people do with their own money! Oprah can fill out forms requesting your approval as to which charities are worthy.

"4. I do not use my wealth or fame (because you have none) to generate excuses as to why I cannot make a commitment to marriage but Oprah sits around and gives advice on how to run a MARRIAGE relationship (did you miss yesterdays show?). A bit arrogant. Along with advice on other subjects that she has no experience with." Apparently, you are a more "rapid" Oprah fan than I am, because I didn't watch yesterday's show. I only tune in when topics interest me. I think the last time I saw her show, before the Akers interview, was when the show was about We Are Marshall. Once, again, I see you are consumed with someone else's personal choice. Why do you get yourself so worked up over the personal lives of others? Do you sit around reading People all day, too? If Oprah doesn't want to get married, that is her business. Personally, I think it is a pretty sad choice, but it is HERS to make. And I don't take advice from celebrities. If you do, that is your choice!

"5. Where is Oprah's home base? Chicago right - one of the fattest cities in the world. Do you see the connection. Fat indicates a lack of control and in many cases poor self esteem." Again, your assessment is entirely irrelevant to the subject. The subject of this thread was supposed to be about child molesters and whether or not it was appropriate for the Akers to be interviewed by Oprah. If want to be bigoted against overweight people, that is your choice. I am detecting a theme here -- you are OBSESSED with Oprah's personal life -- what she weighs, how she spends her money and what she does with her personal life. It doesn't surprise me at all that you keep tabs on your ADULT children. You have to be one of the biggest BUSYBODIES in the world. Again, there is a home for people like you who want to micromanage the personal lives of others --- it is called the DEMOCRATIC Party. Why don't you see if Howard Dean can send you a membership card?

"6. I did tell you that life keeps score by money - but wait there was another word "usually" - see it's that reading comprehension thing again." Well then, "usually", Oprah is cleaning your clock!

"7. I am a sovereign. You probably have no idea what that is but again if you can google and get past your reading problem you might begin to to get an inkling of what that means." LOL! You claim to be a sovereign, yet you are OBSESSED with everyone else's business. Go figure!

"8. Actually I could give a rats a$$ about Oprah except for what she has done to society." Yep, you're sooooooooo unconcerned for her that you express your hatred of her in your moniker. LOL! "I am pretty sure that your soccer kids would be nonstarters in my business world because they think the world owes them something and you haven't taught them how to work to get what they want. I see those kind everyday." Well, as usual, you would be wrong. My three school-aged sons are straight-A students and all are hard-working. Hard work is a value my father taught to me at a very early age and it is one passed on to my sons. As a matter of fact, one of the common threads I hear from all their teachers is how self-motivated my kids are. So sorry to disappoint you!

"Now as far a sex offenders go. As I stated I do not go around bragging about things I do for my fellow man. So once again you will not be happy with my answer but I will say that more than Oprah's score have found new residences in places they are not thrilled about because of my actions." Yeah, right! "Oh and by the way I don't really care if you are happy or not with any of my answers. I will say that if you look at a guy like John Walsh or Mark Klass. They work for kids benefits without pandering to "We got the story first" and they have put away waaaYYY more criminals the the fat excuse do what feels good pig that you hold in such high regard." Well, DUH! His show is called "America's Most Wanted!" I would expect his show to result in more criminals being caught. It is nice to see you applaud Walsh and Klass. So, I take it a child has to actually die before you would extend his parents any sympathy? Is that how it works? If the parents are lucky enough to get their child back alive, you trash them in their happiness.

"Here's an idea for you get all your Oprah girlfriends and make of map of all of the registered sex offenders in you neighborhood. It will scare you." I've already done that. Fortunately -- there aren't many near my home and I don't let my kids wander around the neighborhood anyway. My neighborhood is very good about keeping an eye out for our kids, without stalking people. " Now spend the time you waste on Oprah and go out and start a neighborhood watch program to monitor them. I bet you and you other vanpooling vapid heads can put away your own sexoffender within six months." Again, I don't waste much time watching Oprah -- apparently you watch her more than I do. Heck, you're practically on stalker level in how much time you consume with Oprah! I'm sure that skill comes in handy when it comes to staking out sex offenders! "Oh and you will be a hero in the hood.AND you might save one of your own kids instead of becoming a victim of Oprah." Uhhhhh -- last time I checked, Oprah hasn't victimized me.

"Get back to me when you bagged your first bad otherwise you are beginning to bore me and I will ignore you posts - unless of course you start a vanity post about your experiences putting a scumbag in jail." LOL! NO, you can get back to me when you get over your jealousy of Oprah and anyone else who might have a little bit of fortune in life and discuss the relevant question -- which is whether or not the interview with the Akers family was helpful. I contend that it was. Oprah reaches the widest audience and anything she can do to make parents aware of sex offenders and their tactics is a valuable service --- far more valuable than your delusions about your efforts.

[DvdMom]

Shawn's dad also was searching for a missing child in Canada when he lost his leg . The trip to Canada he paid on his own dime .

[DvdMom]

Well , I was told I need to take my meds !

Coming from those ACLU Loving freepers I take it as a compliment !

[soccermom]

I spent so much time responding to the Oprah-obsessed poster, that I don't have time to address all your points now. I will follow up in the morning. The main point I do want to take issue with you is that it was their appearances which fueled speculation. I contend that is not the case:

Look at this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1767008/posts

The skeptics were swooping in even before the first press conference. I'm sorry, but there are just people out there who want to be naysayers, no matter what.

[PleaseNoMore]

Sadly, this kid may end up not being able to handle any of the guilt projected upon him by the sanctimonious know it alls, much like the ones who post here with their "questions", and he may try to or actually end his own life. Anyone who cannot understand that this kid's innocence was stolen from him, that he was forced to endure horrific things that one cannot begin to imagine or comprehend, that he was forced to aid his captor (fear for his life?)is just a plain idiot and doesn't really give two $hits about the kid anyway.