Thursday, March 14, 2013

Protecting Your Children From Pedophiles


"Yoursay." I collated what I had written, reworked it, and here it is.

I found out recently that Peoplefinders.com has a free Google Earth search tool where you can type in any address and get a birds-eye view of the location of any sexual predators in the area. The first time I used it, I was astonished to find 7 convicted child molesters within 5 miles of my house - and my kids.

This, to me, was intolerable. So I took Google maps with these perverts addresses and pictures (from Peoplefinders) to the convenience stores in my area and put them up on the glass doors (with the owner's permission.) I wanted everyone to know who these scum were, and where they lived. Six months later there was only 1 left - today there are none. I guess you have to publicly shame these animals to get them to crawl back under the rocks from whence they came.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]We live in what you might call a "Family Compound." There are no fences or razor wire, but each member of my family, sisters, brothers, nephews, nieces, and in-laws has their own home & plenty of room to roam - we can fish, hunt, and even swim in our own "Cement Pond." It's a safe and secluded property, but I can't let it become a prison. The kids have to interact with society at large too.

My children cannot always be in my presence, but if they are not with me, my wife, or another family member, I know where they are. Between Boy Scouts, Little League, and Football, my kids have many friends, and I make it my business to know their parents - most of whom have become good friends of my wife or mine.

[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]My oldest boy is 16, and frequently has overnight guests on the weekends. I know the parents of these other boys, but last week, a new friend came over to spend the night at my house. Instead of just dropping his son off, the boy's father came into my house, introduced himself, and we exchanged phone numbers in case of an emergency. Now THAT is being a responsible parent.

[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]The boys do not lack a fulfilling personal life just because I am careful about who they are with. My children have overnight guests nearly every weekend, or they are a guest at someone else's home. We go bowling, camping, biking, and hiking as a family - and nearly always have a few of their friends in tow. [/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]I go to every Boy Scout meeting with my 10-year-old son (sometimes I even teach,) and I go on every camping trip - not because I distrust anyone, but because I enjoy it. [/COLOR][/FONT]
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Many parents today just let their children go out and do whatever they want, with whomever they want. I do not. Those parents will get that terrible phone call in the middle of the night informing them that their child has been arrested, raped, beaten, or even killed in a car accident - drunk driving is the #1 cause of death for teens and young adults.

[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]This is where most parents lose their kids: If a parent is unconcerned regarding their child's whereabouts, tragedy could easily befall that child. Whose fault would it be? It would be the parent's fault for not taking more of an interest in their child’s safety. Children should be required to keep their parents up to speed about where they are, who they are with, and what time will they be home.[/COLOR][/FONT]
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I realize that I cannot protect my children from every danger in the world today, but I can take positive steps to lessen the odds that they will be hurt or killed - and so can every parent out there. Just be involved with your kids. It is not that hard, and if you do, I can guarantee a few things: You will bond with your child to a much greater degree, and they will love you for doing it - and you might even find yourself having a good tome too.

I can't remember where I read it, but one survey of teenagers asked what they wanted most from their parents. A very high percentage of the teens said they wanted Discipline, Stability, and to spend more time with their parents.

Our children are our most precious resource, and it really does not take a lot of effort to be involved in their lives. You just have to want it. Personally, I think it is much better to spend the time with your kids while you can - after all, they will not be children very long - than to get that phone call, and wish for the rest of your life that you had.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]It is every parent’s responsibility to know where his or her kids are at all times. Children cannot make intelligent decisions when it comes to avoiding situations where they may be molested, accidentally hurt, or otherwise injured. The onus is on the parent (or another trusted adult) to make those decisions, and protect their children.

And so I always know where my kids are, who they are with, the phone number of the adult who is responsible for them, and when they will return to MY care. Kids cannot raise themselves, and anybody expecting them to is inviting disaster and heartache in one form or another.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Unfortunately, tragedies like those that befell Adam Walsh, Jon Benet Ramsey, and Amy Smart will happen regardless of the precautions the parents take - but many adults today simply let their kids raise themselves, while they chase the almighty dollar or do whatever it is that they do. Being involved with my kids’ lives is not only part of being a responsible parent, it is a lot of fun too.

There are just a few common sense rules that guide my actions as a parent - and if by my posts, other parents can see how easy, and happy, their lives and the lives of their children can be, then I have done my job to spread the word.[/COLOR][/FONT]
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Marijuana - Legalize it!

Posted 12-11-2008 at 07:54 AM by OldCorpBLT1/3
[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS]In the past 30 years, I have known a lot of people who indulged in smoking marijuana, and a lot of drunks too.

Drunks fight all the time, beat their wives, and abuse their kids. I have never known a "head" to be violent (unless he was drunk too.) Those heads I have known, who smoke grass exclusively, are among the kindest and most generous people I have ever known. Smoking grass is best enjoyed as a communal experience. Spontaneous choruses of "Kumbaya" have been known to erupt at a moments notice.

While some drugs are indeed dangerous, I do not believe pot to be one of them. Users are not "addicted," and therefore do not need to steal or hurt anyone to support their "Habit," because they can do without if need be. Pot is an effective pain-killer [URL="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626150628.htm"](much more so than even Oxycontin or Fentynal for certain conditions,)[/URL] it is also an effective anti-depressant and anti-emetic.
[/FONT][/COLOR][INDENT]According to federal statistics, about [URL="http://www.alternet.org/rights/47815/%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/Marijuana2.html#what%E2%80%9D"] 94 million Americans[/URL] - that's 40 percent of the U.S. population age 12 or older - self-identify as having used cannabis at some point in their lives. [URL="http://www.alternet.org/rights/47815/"][B]- Alternet.org[/B][/URL] [/INDENT][COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Marijuana obviously distorts one's perception of reality, just like alcohol, so DUI (or DWH - Driving while High) should remain illegal just as it is for alcohol. Pot use and sales should be regulated, legislated, and taxed just like alcohol. The US would save [URL="http://www.cfr.org/publication/10373/"]12.7 BILLION[/URL] dollars next year alone if the government abandoned its "War on Drugs" - and that is just what the gov't spends on interdiction. According to a recent [URL="http://www.alternet.org/rights/47815/"]US Dept. of Justice study,[/URL] the cost of incarcerating users of this innocuous weed is currently estimated at One Billion dollars annually, and the cost of their preincarceration prosecution hovers at Eight Billion dollars a year.[/FONT][/COLOR][INDENT]According to the most recent figures available from the FBI, police arrested an estimated 786,545 people on marijuana charges in 2005 -- more than twice the number of Americans arrested just 12 years ago.
12.7 percent of state inmates and 12.4 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for drug violations are serving time for marijuana offenses. U.S. Department of Justice statistics show that there are now about 33,655 state inmates and 10,785 federal inmates behind bars for marijuana offenses. Prisoners in local/county jails were NOT included in this number.
[/INDENT][COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS][URL="http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/"]Revenue from the taxation of marijuana[/URL] sales would be between 2.4 to 6.2 Billion dollars annually - So where is the downside? If pot were legal, US Taxpayers would save at least $22 Billion dollars a year in costs, and gain much more in tax revenue. And I haven't even begun to tally the number of jobs that would be created and the lives that would be saved if pot were legal - OR the suffering that would be eased for Millions of Americans for whom opiates are just not an option.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Prohibition didn't work for alcohol; it just gave Organized Crime a huge stream of revenue - the same principle applies to marijuana today. Who do you think profits when pot is illegal? OC, Gangs, and Terrorists. SO LEGALIZE IT![/FONT][/COLOR]:cool:
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Obama's Scumbag Buddies and Advisors

Posted 12-11-2008 at 07:46 AM by OldCorpBLT1/3
[SIZE=1][COLOR=White][B].
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[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE] [FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Let's see; who is in the rogues gallery of Obama's inner circle?

His long-time mentor Frank Davis is a confessed pedophile and S&M aficionado. Makes one wonder just what subjects he was tutoring Obama in?

Admitted Weather Underground terrorist Bill "I only regret we didn't go far enough" Ayers. Obama claimed Ayers was just "a guy from the neighborhood," but he felt comfortable enough to launch his political campaign from the man's living room.

Tony Resko - slum lord FELON and Illinois Gubinatorial Bagman (currently hip deep inthe senate seat sale scandal.) Resko, a well known political fixer, helped Obama out in a $1.625M real estate deal - at the Senator's behest. Resko is currently under indictment for corruption by a federal grand jury.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright - Mr. "God Damn Amerikkka." If you believe Obama knew this man for 20 years and didn't know about his hate-filled sermons and black separatist ideology then you are either blind, hypnotized, or just a fool.

Radical Muslim Rashid Khalidi - PLO spokesman who helped get Obama into Harvard. Obama repaid the favor by giving two grants totalling 75 thousand dollars to Khalidi's Arab American Action Network. The grants were given by the Woods Fund; Obama and his "guy from the neighborhood" buddy Ayers sat on the board of the fund.

Obama donated $1M to the election campaign of his cousin, Kenyan Prime Minister and wanna-be Islamist dictator Raila Odinga - who promised to install Sharia law if elected.

Finally we come to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich who has been arrested and charged with trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. ABC News is naming Jesse Jackson Jr. as the frontrunner in the bidding war, by offering Blago a $1M bribe for the seat.

Obama claims he has never spoken to Da Guv about the Senate vacancy, despite a conflicting statement from his own press secretary and news reports that put Obama in Da Guv's office discussing just that after he won the election.

Obama is a product of the Chicago political machine - an organization so corrupt it makes the mob look like a kindergarten - and so is Blago. To believe that these two men never spoke about who Obama would like to see replace him is the height of naivete'. Whether Obama had anything to do with the actual scandal has yet to be determined, but it is yet another example of Obama's extremely poor judgment concerning the company he keeps.

And whether or not they have official titles, don't think for a second that Obama doesn't listen to these men and consider them his "advisors." He owes them. Crooked as they are, they are the ones who helped get him elected. He owes them - and he knows it.

How does the old axiom go? "Birds of a feather?" Like I said, you can't keep company with chimney sweeps without getting some soot on your own clothes. The $100 donation offer still stands. Speak amongst yourselves Obama acolytes, and come up with a list of suitable charities. But I think his impeachment is a pretty safe bet.:p[/COLOR][/FONT]
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Coping With the Death of a Child

Posted 12-07-2008 at 06:36 AM by OldCorpBLT1/3
Updated 12-11-2008 at 07:27 AM by OldCorpBLT1/3
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]A hundred years ago, death and dying were events shared by the family of the deceased or terminally ill. If a person didn't die at home, he or she was likely indigent, mentally ill and confined to an asylum, or imprisoned.

Today, the dying are likely to be sequestered from their family in intensive care units that only allow one adult to visit with the patient for a very short time - "being strong" and withholding a public display of emotion at funerals is encouraged, bottling up feelings that may burst forth on an anniversary or birthday years later.
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As a result, dying is much more emotionally traumatic than it needs to be, for both the patient and his or her family. This is especially true for the parents and siblings of a child who is terminally ill or has recently passed.

[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]In the event of a terminal illness where a child is cared for in the home, a normal home life must be maintained, to the greatest extent possible, for the benefit of both the ill child and the family. “The worst thing we can do to the terminally ill child and the rest of the family is to make a morgue out of the house while the child is still living. Where there is laughter and joy, shared love, and little pleasures, the day-to-day difficulties are much easier to bear.”
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Kubler-Ross suggests making the child's siblings a part of the dying process to help them understand and accept the impending death of a brother or sister. "They may help to make yarn handicrafts...run a tape recorder with favorite music, or they can serve one rneal a day as long as the little patient can still eat." Also, tip-toeing around the house, speaking in hushed tones, and avoiding the sick room can be detrimental to the well-being of the patient.
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Children who are not included in the last few weeks of a sibling's life will often begin to manifest abnormal behavior, especially if the parents try to ease their own conscience by lavishing the sick child with gifts or attention. Citing the case of "Billy", whose brother was dying of cancer, Kubler-Ross noted that the otherwise healthy boy intentionally injured himself, began to wet the bed, and misbehave in school in an attempt to gain attention. Billy was especially cruel to a handicapped fellow student.
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Abnormal behavior can also be seen in children who have lost a sibling suddenly and feel "forgotten" while their parents cope with the shock of such an event. It is not uncommon for child to have nightmares, become hyperactive or destructive, or do poorly in school.

Having become temporarily anti-social, a child may lose friends, exacerbating his or her isolation at a time when they need someone to talk to the most. “The children need a friend, someone who will listen and talk to them [/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]at this time. They need extra patience, tutoring, and support rather than ridiculous expectations like the all-too-frequently-heard remark, “You should be over that by now.”
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Most experts agree that it is a mistake to exclude a child from the mourning process; even though the death of a sibling is a stunning event, it is a family affair that must be shared by all of its members. “A child wants to belong...it can be damaging to his emotional development to exclude him from the sorrows of life.” Families become closer and learn to grow from the “love and caring that surfaces during a crisis.”
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To ease the pain inherent in the death of a loved one, it helps to talk with the child about the meaning of death; explaining, according to the family's religious beliefs, what happens to the "person" after the body has ceased to function. Helpful activities could include “preparing a scrapbook that commemorates life with (the deceased); making sure the child has a picture...available; carrying out a project...related to one of the interests of the absent person.”
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Saying goodbye to a deceased child, even a stillborn infant, [/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy] is a process that while it can be extremely emotional and difficult to endure, is a necessary first step in the healing process. Family members should be allowed to rock their stillborn baby; sing a favorite lullaby, bathe the dead body and comb his or her hair, dress the child, and drive the loved one to the mortuary.
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Siblings especially need time alone, preferably in the company of a parent, with their dead brother or sister to say their final farewell. This is the time for the parent to encourage and answer the many questions a child will inevitably have. Often, a child will sneak a favorite toy or other meaningful artifact into the coffin for the deceased to take with them on their journey.
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Some experts believe that the period of grief following the loss of a loved one can be separated into three distinct stages: shock, preoccupation with the deceased, and resolution.
[/COLOR][/FONT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy] “Shock” can last anywhere from one day to two weeks and is described as a defense mechanism used by the mind to “protect the bereaved from experiencing the overwhelmingly painful reality of the loss too quickly or too intensely.” Family members feel frustrated, helpless, dazed, and confused while their mind adjusts to the loss.
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy] “Preoccupation with the deceased” can last from three weeks to six months, and may return on special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. This phase can be characterized by “vivid” nightmares, crying spells, and auditory or visual hallucinations in which the bereaved believes that they hear or see the deceased.
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy] “Resolution” occurs when those close to the deceased begin to accept the loss as a part of life. They can once again remember, without an excessive amount of discomfort, the good times shared with the departed. Family members begin to rebuild their lives and move on, resuming favorite activities or discovering new ones.
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Others hold that the period of mourning is individualistic and can not be ascribed to a timetable. Some people may cope with the death of a loved one rather quickly, while others may experience profound depression, guilt, and anger for as long as three years.
[/COLOR][/FONT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy] “There are a number of psychological, social, and biological processes that interact and make it difficult to define a normal reaction to bereavement.”
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy] Kubler-Ross breaks down grieving into a 5-step process with distinct, linear stages:
[/COLOR][/FONT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]1.[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Denial and Isolation
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]2.[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Anger
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]3.[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Bargaining
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]4.[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Depression
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]5.[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Acceptance
[/COLOR][/FONT] [/INDENT][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Navy]Coping with death is not an easy process for anyone who loved the deceased, no matter how good the advice or how knowledgeable the expert. The passing of a loved one should be marked with rituals and memorials that comfort those who are left to remember the soul who has left this world for planes unknown.

We may scream and cry, beat our chests and rend our clothes, or we may pretend to ourselves and others that it really doesn't hurt that bad. And whether our grief endures or is mercifully brief, in the end, we are left to deal with death in our own way.[/COLOR][/FONT]
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Under Every Stone Lurks A Politician...

Posted 10-02-2008 at 09:35 PM by Mangawitch
Well. It seems that politics on both sides of the pond is bringing out the monster in me these days.
Not being American myself I’ll take a look at Britain first.

Now where do I start?

We are, at the moment, being led by a so-called ‘socialist’ government who 12 years ago stood on the backs of the working classes to gain power and since then have made it their mission to betray each and every one of them.
I listened to Gordon Browns speech at the Labour conference...
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