FOX NEWS St Louis Girl's Body Found

[not-alone]

Thank you for your post. I think too many are blaming the parents.I agree that parents need to be vigilant. After waiting many years for God to bless me with my beautiful son, I was very protective. My son was so well trained, that one afternoon his Grandparents housekeeper was bringing him home by a different route than we usually took so he rolled down the window and started yelling at the top of his very healthy 5-year-old lungs. This was in downtown West Palm and caused quite an uproar.

We did a lot of things in our neighborhood to make sure the children were NEVER outside alone.But I live in a different area now and feel sorry for many working and single parents .

Parents can do everything that they think is prudent and the children can still be placed in danger. We took a nanny that had been working for us for about six month to Key West on vacation. She took my son out to have something to eat early and to the aquarium, so we could go to a nice restaurant for our anniversary. About an hour later,I heard my son calling for me from outside. I went out on the baloney and saw him alone in the courtyard of the hotel. He told us that Jennie had left him at the aquarium with some strange men.He didn’t think that was good idea so he found his way back, but couldn’t remember where our suite was.” My husband said it was the first time he wanted to beat up a women.

I think it is important to teach children to be aware of their surroundings, to fight, yell whatever. Some of these kids are taken out of their homes. If you can hire or provide 24/7 protection, you are in a different position than most young parents today. I think I am writing this because I don't want to think about what happened to that sweet angel.

[Delbert]

I agree parents or gaurdians are at fault in some cases, especially today, no way i would leave my daughter alone with the bum on the couch. Samantha's case was especially bad because they had the creep and let him go, Van Dam different matter, as well as the Smart case , Pratt case and the 2 girls in Oregon. But we as a society have to say we will NOT TOLERATE this behavior. I agree with another poster..first time offense...jail them for life...I for one do not believe that pedophilia is curable. If they kill on any offense they should be killed. But a message has to be sent...I refuse to watch this happen with casual concern.
Ans I also disagree with another post that says the federal govt should not be involved. A LAW regarding ZERO TOLERANCE for child sexual predators needs to be passed.

[Delbert]

The media can be an asset in these cases in my opinion...but my main issue is there must be ZERO TOLERANCE on the crime itself. Also I agree they they are getting increased viewership. I just want them off the street , they can not be rehabilitated. They must be locked up or EXTERMINATED. There is a saying that a society can be judged by how how it treats its most vulnerable members, there are none more vulnerable than our children. And they are being hunted, raped and killed. There is a war against terrorism? Well our children are being terrorized.

[swheats]

There is definately a difference in this generation. I will still discipline my children which includes spanking if they deserve it. I see this way, either way it goes someone will discipline them whether I do it or the penal system. They will get correction.

[Aquinasfan]

They are saying not to take in strangers...I can't comment on the taking in of strangers or I'll get kicked off the forum

My liberal 17 year old high school girlfriend and her liberal mother thought the foreign exchange student program was a great idea. We are the world and all that crap. She spent a summer in Germany with a German family. Can you guess how things turned out? The hubby started hitting on my girlfriend, the wife went into hysterical denial and my girlfriend left a few weeks early.

At least she didn't wind up under a pile of debris. And she learned a lesson. Maybe.

[ThinkingMan]

I don't watch Larry King- I have enough stress without that! It just seems to me that it is unrealistic to expect 24-7 care of a child. It is not normal, it does not teach a child how to solve their own problems, and it only helps them learn that the big bad world is something to be scared of. Kids will be hurt. I do not have any experience raising little girls. I don't claim to be a perfect parent, but I am dang proud of my boys. My oldest can get hit in a football game and pop right up. My 5 and 3 year olds are able to cope with scrapes and cuts without hysterics. The kids that are constantly pampered tend to react with great dramatics.

I realize that these are generalizations, but in my experience they are true. Children that are ALLOWED to get hurt and TRUSTED to behave when they are not obviously supervised will get along better as adults.

The father today went to go PEE for cryin out loud! Yes, there was a freak in the house. But if you were staying with a friend (and I don't mean you specifically SW) and they had their brother sleeping on the couch (not some dumpster diving bum) to say you would go stay in a hotel or sit and guard the child all night with a shotgun is ridiculous.

I am heart broken every time I hear about something like this, BUT I am also realistic in my judgement of the parents. If the dad had, for instance, invited the b@$%ard to share his daughter's bed I would hold him very responsible. He went PEE. Do not blame the rape victim, blame the sick @*&% that carries out the action.

I need to wrap this post up, I am starting to resort to the SHIFT key to much.

[Alissa]

My daughter is a young adult today with 2 children of her own. I raised her alone from the age of 2. I've had to put my trust in other people and her 'guardian angel' more times than I can tell you. I was lucky she never came across one of these devils! Actually, I have more sympathy for this child who's father only went to the bathroom when she was snatched than I do little Samantha. There are always strangers that come into your homes, whether they are repairmen or installers. I think there is some snobbery on this web site regarding these particular parents.

[Kaslin]

You are very welcome

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

I have been reading about this family. They have 4 children, the parent's are seperated but the father lives with friends. They got drunk last night with this Johnson character who they knew slept at the glass factory and had him stay over.

Sometimes the mom and dad sleep over together at a neighbors.

It's so difficult to figure out what is going on. So much confusion. Confusion can cause chaos. If everything was more calm and normal, they might not have kids all over the neighborhood.

[calawah98]

You are so right. My generation, thank God, was one where all the neighbor kids, played, fished the creek, took off and went into the woods and peeled cascara bark. No one ever thought about whatis happening now. It is not the world that is sick, it is the sick people in it. I feel sorry for all parents who have had to go thro this, if it was caused by their actions, they will live the rest of their lives with that, which in its self would destroy you mentally. Kids growing up now, will never know the freedom I had as a child, that is the sad part. But in those days, you did'nt have the population, you have now either.

[wimpycat]

My liberal 17 year old high school girlfriend and her liberal mother...

Please tell me you're only 18, or else this happened a long time ago...:-)

[southern rock]

Bad judgement call on her Daddy's part.

Beyond bad judgement. Sheer idiocy. And believe me, I'm one person here who has been offended and the Monday morning quaterbacking going on on this site regarding the lifestyles of some of the parents of the recent kidnapped children.

I mean, first the Van Dams. O.K. That one speaks for itself. They are indefensible. The parents' lifestyle definately contributed to Danielle's death.
The Smarts'? They appear well adjusted a first glance, but alot of folks have spread rumors of dysfunction within the family. I say, let's see some proof first. They have acted weird, however, IMO.
Seriously, some here have actually critisized Samantha Runion's mother for having a second husband who is not Samantha's father. That is just outrageous. Samantha's family has been the most normal reacting, probably most well-adjusted family of all the recent missing girls.
Now with this case, the whole bum sleeping on the couch buisness - inexcusable. Unless I am mising something, that was just stupidity and carelessness.

[swheats]

But in those days, you did'nt have the population, you have now either.

Nor the constant mixture of entertainment that marries sex and violence in so many of the programs.

[ThinkingMan]

SW-
I am not accusing you of blaming the victim or anything like that. I have followed the VD threads and know your feelings on that case, and I do not think DW is guilty either. THAT is one case that I think the the parents share some if not all the blame. I believe that justice will never be done in that case.

Thinking Man

[Timesink]

I did not write the words you quoted as coming from me.

[tinacart]

Uh oh, I'm sorry, I'll go back and see what post I saw it on. Thanks for letting me know.

[spectre]

I understand, TM. I am not blaming the victim. I do agree with your point about children playing and being allowed the freedoms that children have, but there is an unusual factor in this Cassandra case that most of us would not even have to deal with.

I think most of us would not take in a questionable character to stay at our home. He was lurking there, just waiting for the time to grab the kid. If the Dad had gone to the bathroom, or take a shower or take out the trash, the guy would have done it.

Thinking about it some more, if that crystal ball had been there, the father would have NEVER let this man stay with them...but he can't go back, and after the fact, it was a terrible lapse of good judgement, but he couldn't have known what was going to happen, no one could. I do feel sorry for him. sw

[not-alone]

My husband died when my son was eight and I learned to trust " his guardian Angel",also got a nice big dog to go everywhere with him.

[Catspaw]

In 1994, our neighbors' daughter was murdered in her bedroom by a prison escapee, then had her body wrapped in a sheet and stuffed in a garbage can. Apparently, he had awakened her while leaving the house via her bedroom window after he crept through their house to rob her mother's purse of a few bucks and the car keys for their minivan. Her parents didn't realize she was missing until the next morning. The cops were not all that enthusiastic about even coming out, until they & their nextdoor neighbor insisted. During the search, her father found her. Her mother heard her husband's screams, grabbed the kindergartener's body...and her hands had to be pried off of the body by an EMT. I've never seen hardened detectives cry until the EMT, who was crying himself, testified to this at the perp's trial. It's something etched in my mind forever.

No matter how safe you think you are or your children are, you cannot protect your children 24/7. No one expected Polly Klaas to be taken from her bedroom, either.

[dcwusmc]

True, who gives a rat's butt as long as you feel good about choosing the "right" morality. No, bubba, morality is surely objective to the point where other people are involved in your actions. One may NEVER initiate an act that will bring such harm as this to another person, period. After that, morality is subjective, depending on a person's upbringing and culture. And a moral code must, after the exception noted above, be voluntarily accepted by its adherent. I suspect you call yourself a Christian... Did not Christ say that people had to VOLUNTARILY accept Him and His gift of Life? So with the moral code of Christ. If it is shoved down someone's throat it will sooner or later be violently regurgitated with awful consequences. Yes, morality is a CHOICE... One CHOOSES to live a moral and upright life. Else one is a gooberment controlled robot with no self-discipline or self-control and no thought for any consequences of his or her actions.