Elizabeth Smart Reuninted with Her Mother**picture***

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE ^ | March 13, 2003 | Elizabeth Neff

[Kentucky]

Police found Elizabeth Smart alive and in the company of a transient panhandler Wednesday, some nine months after she disappeared from her Salt Lake City home. Sandy police located Elizabeth in the suburb with Brian David Mitchell, who had worked odd jobs for the Smarts for five hours in November 2001 and was wanted for questioning. Salt Lake City Police Chief Rick Dinse said investigators are convinced Elizabeth was kidnapped, and released the name of Wanda Eileen Barzee as a second suspect in the crime.

[Pravious]

"My fiance has a theory about why the news outlets are focusing so much on ES...it draws people's attention from an impending war. "

If the news outlets wanted to draw people's attention away from the impending war, why would we have had nearly wall-to-wall "impending war!" news stories for the past year? ES coming home is an unbelievable story (literally), and deserves the media attention it's gotten - and, besides, I think ALL of America needs a happy news story for a change, instead of the relentless media coverage of impending war, fear, and frustration.

[anniegetyourgun]

No. Neither would I hire someone to get on my roof who wasn't licensed, bonded, and having references. There are plenty of other ways to get help to the homeless - and giving them cash (as this woman apparently did too) isn't one of them.

Now, be clear that I am answering your direct question with my direct answer. I am not implying anything about this mother and her choices.

[Catspaw]

Read carefully. She told the cops she was never left alone. Until we know more, I'd suggest you withhold your condemnation of Elizabeth Smart. Your "blaming the victim" is far too transparent.

[kcvl]

Intergenerational Sexual Contact:
A Continuum Model of Participants and Experiences
Joan A. Nelson, Ed.D.

Center for Sexual Concerns

This paper establishes a comprehensive continuum model for the phenomenon of intergenerational sexual contact, defined as any behavior between a minor and someone at least 5 years older that is perceived by either participant or by society as sexually stimulating or intended to be sexually stimulating. The study suggests that society's condemnation is overlooked as a variable that contributes unneces- sary confusion and harm. Three vocabulary changes are recommended to help reduce professional and social bias and encourage a more open examination of intergenerational sexual contact.

Intergenerational sexual contact has been conceptually limited to a problem-oriented, victim/violence model that often neglects participants' perceptions and other variable situational factors. Most operational definitions include only unwanted or problematic experiences or samples taken entirely from disturbed populations.

Impartial scientific models, which seek to understand the world as it really is, must assume that any event can occur and thus consider the full spectrum of possibilities. If the field of human sexuality is to be comprehensive, it must study, without generalizing, all types, including the extremes, of adult interest in childhood sexuality and all types of childhood sexual experience with adults. In an effort to reduce unneces- sary and possibly damaging professional bias, this paper suggests three simple terminology changes that can easily be implemented to help professionals, and ultimately society at large, to reconceptualize the phenomenon in its entirety.

Requests for reprints should be sent to Joan A. Nelson, Center for Sexual Concerns, P.O. Box 2232, San Anselmo, CA 94960.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Nothing fishy at all - this was, by any definition a very naive teen from a sternly moral household. Stockholm syndrome combined with repeated rapes would have left here with a feeling of hopelessness and isolation more profound than anything you could ever imagine.

Take this opportunity to talk to your kids about fighting back fvrom the beginning regardless of any threats, and let them know that regardless of what any pervert or sicko makes them do, the doors of home will always be open.

[GovernmentShrinker]

I think he's such a wacko that there are no "numbers" who would have him. Honestly, this guy sounds like he's schizophrenic, along with pedophilic and who knows what else. I don't imagine he could deal with the structure of any of the cult communities, nor get enough followers to start his own.

[Catspaw]

I suspect that this girl was overly naive, and her family had harsh things to say about "fallen" women. The first thing that went through my head was that at some point, the girl thought she wouldn't be welcomed back, because after many sexual assaults,a naive 14 year old girl will feel worthless and devoid of hope.

Granted, she was very sheltered. However, the perps who kidnapped her are to blame, not her family and certainly not the victim.

[AppyPappy]

The Salt Lake Tribune said that he was LDS but he and Barzee were excommunicated at some point.

That's what I suspected. He was a nut, he got the boot and now he's on a crusade against the "apostate" church. Funny how that always seems to happen.

[AppyPappy]

I've noticed a lot of "blaming the victim" going on about this case.

Once again, you are correct.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Um no, I didn't. I don't know who did, but you have that flat out wrong - I never devoted much time at all to this, and if I made more than 3 plain vanilla posts on it I'd be surprised.

[Catspaw]

Do you believe rape is "sexually stimulating" for the rapist AND the victim? Do you believe rape is a sex act or a crime of violence?

[alnick]

Now I ask you, would you bring a bum off the street that you knew nothing about into your family's home?

These were apparently very trusting people. Some people are just so inherently good that they cannot imagine other people not also being inherently good. I'm sure that they've learned their lesson about hiring certain types. I hope that the media does not focus on this aspect of the case because the parents do not need to have to carry around the kind of guilt that that would bring on, or exascerbate. I hope that the media just allows this family to heal in private.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Oh, no question - it is the perps to blame. For the rest of us, though, its an opportunity to talk to our children so we don't make the same mistakes.

[Rubber_Duckie_27]

I'm not saying it's a BAD thing, by any means, that the media is focusing on this. :) Just that it's a theory of his.

And i hope the media leaves her alone...she and her family have a lot of healing to do, and they don't need to be in the limelight to do it.

[kcvl]

Crime of violence!

[Katya]

Now I ask you, would you bring a bum off the street that you knew nothing about into your family's home?

But they're obviously devout Mormons....not that all Mormons are this naive. Look at how young Elizabeth looked at 14, and even at 15, none of the obvious teenage manifestations that are hard to avoid, unless you aren't influenced by so-called "prurient" media etc. The whole family has a simple and old fashioned look about them a throw back to the 1930s when people did feed bums and help their neighbor.

I guess we're all too jaded to understand how some folks still live this way.

[AppyPappy]

Could she not get to a phone?

She could have but he may have threatened her siblings. You don't know what happened so wait and see.

[alnick]

The first thing that went through my head was that at some point, the girl thought she wouldn't be welcomed back, because after many sexual assaults,a naive 14 year old girl will feel worthless and devoid of hope.

My impression of the family is that they raised Elizabeth in such a way that she always knew that she was loved and would be welcome home.

I know that one "journalist" has published a story alleging that the little girl was kidnapped to be a wife to her kidnapper, but until that's proven I'm going to take that with a large grain of salt. I'm hoping and praying that the little girl has not been sexually abused.

When the man kidnapped her, the sister said that he told her not to tell the parents or that he would kill them. I suspect that this is how he kept Elizabeth in line, by threatening to harm her family if she tried to leave him.

[Spiff]

I don't want to start a fight but was he anti-Mormon or anti-LDS? Polygamy is only practiced by Mormons outside the LDS structure (they consider it apostate) and the occaisonal whacko group.

Mormon = LDS, LDS = Mormon

You can't be Mormon outside the LDS structure because they are one and the same. You can't practice polygamy or a number of other illegal and/or immoral acts and remain a Mormon. You can call yourself Mormon, the Pope, or a player for the Dallas Cowboys, but unless you are actually a member, it doesn't make it so.