The Katywompus Journal Observing Life's Little Quirks by Diane Moody |
|
Entry #66: CONNECT THE DOTS
Apparently it's open season on children in America. Why is that? Why are we all so familiar with names like JonBenet Ramsey, Elizabeth Smart, Samantha Runyon, and Danielle Van Dam? Worse still, what about all those names we've already forgotten because there are far too many now? Whatever happened to the knights in shining armor - the men in our society with courage, conviction, and decency who once deemed it their duty to protect the vulnerable members of society? I have a theory. I believe many of those knights in shining armor have willingly jumped off their steeds, preferring to sit at their computers, gawking at pornography. Instead of taking the high road and living an honorable life, they've chosen to reside in the gutter, saturated with smut. Their minds are filled with visual images that most of us would find unspeakable. And for an increasing number of these men, they don't merely "gawk" at the images on their computers - they do much, much more. Think I'm exaggerating? Tell that to the family of Jessica Lunsford. The story of her tragic disappearance and subsequent murder covered every facet of the media over the last three weeks, second only to Michael Jackson's child molestation case and Michael's Shiavo's efforts to starve his wife Terri to death. Every single time I hear that a child has disappeared, snatched from their home, I know immediately that somewhere along the line, pornography was involved. In Jessica Lunsford's case, it was the extreme - a convicted sex offender, 46 year old John Couey, visiting his sister's home in the neighborhood only a few yards from Jessica's home. Undetected. Prowling. Let's go back ten years. Seven-year-old Megan Kanka was raped then murdered by a convicted child molester who lived across the street from her home in New Jersey. Hers was the case that prompted a federal law that would allow public access to information about high-risk sex offenders. President Clinton signed Megan's Law on May 8, 1996. So how is it, ten years later, predators like John Couey are free to roam the country with limited restrictions and prey upon an innocent child sleeping in her own bed? Even Martha Stewart has to wear an ankle bracelet. Where was John Couey's monitoring device? Remember the details in the Danielle Van Dam story? Her killer, David Westerfield, lived right next door. Police found his computer loaded with child pornography, featuring children as young as ONE YEAR OLD. Think about that for a moment. I hope it nauseates you as it does me. Now I ask you - is it really that hard for us to connect the dots? When a man feeds on those kinds of images, are we really so blind and/or stupid not to recognize the progression that kind of "appetite" takes? Sex offenders don't just wake up one day and decide to molest and kill a child. Those ideas are spawned from graphic images burned into their minds and souls. Question: how many more children are we willing to sacrifice on the altar of free speech? What if the next one is your son? Your daughter? Your grandchild? It's a disgusting, disturbing subject to most of us. Unfortunately, the more we bury our heads in the sand hoping to avoid the grisly details of these abductions and murders, the more they keep happening. Even as ratings soar for all the graphic forensic television programs like CSI and Law & Order SVU, we prefer not to be bothered with sad stories of real life tragedies like Jessica's, Danielle's, or Samantha's. Ironic, isn't it? When are we going to get serious and crack down on pornography? Under the guise of "free speech" this trash floods our society at every turn. First it was "dirty magazines." Then "adult bookstores" began to pop up in our cities. Sales were mostly confined to dirty old men and those who were more "in the closet" about their porn addictions. But all that changed with the introduction of the personal computer. Pornographers hit the mother lode with the creation of the Internet. Now, with the mere stroke of the keyboard, anyone can access the most vile and repulsive, graphic images. Sometimes you only have to click on your email inbox to get more than an eyeful. And for this luxury, we now have a society where sexual perversion runs rampant. So what do we do? In researching this column, I found page after page of websites and organizations dedicated to stopping pornography, capturing the criminals, exposing the billionaires behind the porn industry, and reminding the public about the thousands of innocent victims. I applaud their efforts. But until mainstream America has had enough and is ready to take bold, courageous, and corrective action, I fear their efforts will make little difference. Click HERE to send Diane an email. She welcomes your comments and suggestions. She's Flying the Coop Blessed are the poor... Back to School It All Started With Eve It's Almost Here! Forget About Weapons of Mass Destruction - let’s Talk Hormones The Other "W" "If only I could..." "Put Down That Remote and Step Away From the TV!" Take This Job and Love It! As the Stomach turns! Pet Peeves Cue the Balloons! A Picture Perfect Thanksgiving 'Twas Two Months Before Christmas . . . Egg Nog & Popcorn The Importance of Making Christmas Memories Step Away from the Mistletoe! O Crystal Ball . . . 2003 Unplugged Geek is Chic! Mind Your Manners! Go "Figure" You’ve Gotta Laugh Reality Check A Parent’s Worst Nightmare Notice Me! It's Not About the Stuff Too Many Buns! What's Your Legacy? Music to My Ears Why, Thank You! Ah, Spring! Mel vs. the Easter Bunny He Did It! He Finally Did It! Unexpected Joys HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHUCK McFARLAND! Bring on the Barbecue! Not So Happy Mother's Days The List It's a Small World After All "Here We Mark the Price of Freedom" A Special Hero Reflections on a Presidential Passing Beauty & the Beast Postcards from Florida Grand Illusions Botox or Bus If Your Days Were Numbered One Year & Counting What's Wrong With This Picture? The Human Spirit A Brave New World? Invisible Puking on Politics A Habitat Sunday LOSE THE SCROOGE! THE MIRACLE OF THE FRUITCAKE Was Your Christmas Blue? SO EASILY DISTRACTED WASH YOUR HANDS! Dream Job Pass the Chocolate! |
Hit your BACK button to return to the POWERPAGE |