Sorry, I think that's a ridiculous analagy and a loaded question, no-one would answer 'yes' to that!Quote:
Originally Posted by NowWhat
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Sorry, I think that's a ridiculous analagy and a loaded question, no-one would answer 'yes' to that!Quote:
Originally Posted by NowWhat
For me, I don't really let my daughter play at houses that I don't know the people.
If she wants to play with friends, they typically come here.
My analogy is - would you put yourself in harms way knowingly? No you would not.
So, this list helps us protect our children more.
Have you ever watched "to catch a predator" on nbc? Week after week after week - the men just keep pouring in thinking they are going to have sex with a young teen.
A list of this nature - arms us with knowledge.
And you know the list isn't just for parents. It is for everybody. You aren't listed as an offender if your crime is just against child - you can rape an 80 year old woman and be on the list. (obviously)
I would want to know if the person that just moved in is a convicted rapist. It kind of goes back to the sentencing of our criminals. He raped someone and he is out in 5 years. Back to do it again. Wouldn't you want to know?
And you said you couldn't understand being raped - I don't think anyone could - but as adults, we have an idea of how the world works, children don't. My daughter still believes that daddy can get the monsters out from under her bed.
Well, I have a list of my very own of things that make me upset –
On a much smaller scale, but perhaps if we fix things on a smaller scale, it will have a positive effect on our bigger issues.
1) Jealousy. Really, really really really dislike jealousy. If someone has a nice house, being jealous of them IS NOT going to get you a nice house. If you want to be blond, for God sake, go and be blond, don’t be all hateful of the pretty blond (pretty red head, pretty brunette, etc etc etc) you see or have to work with. Take care of yourself and be happy with the beautiful blessings that make you, uniquely you :)
2) Why? Why is it viewed to be okay to say whatever you want about America and/or Americans and you AIN’T from here and have no intentions of coming here and for sure for sure no dreams of becoming a citizen?? Why? This really p’s me off and I feel bad about it, but it still p’s me off. Why does it p me off? Because, personally, I find it to be disrespectful. Sorry, but I do.
I agree, I don't think we americans are bad people at all. And if you don't like it, leave.
If a person has served time for their crime, should they go on being punished by society for the rest of their lives? If so, then why not just kill them straight out? Most people who are against the death penalty are ALSO against having "criminals" in their neighborhood.
How do you protect your daughter? You teach her that certain kinds of touching are BAD, no matter WHO they come from. You teach her not to talk to or go with strangers, no matter what they tell her. Statistically, children are more likely to be molested by a family member than a stranger or a neighbor, anyway.
Knowing that the guy down the street is a registered sex offender should just mean that you don't leave your kid alone with him, and you don't ask him (or her! ) to babysit. It doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to go to church, or mow their lawn, or that you have the right to egg their house because they *gasp* have the AUDACITY to live in your neighborhood. If you don't like it, then MOVE.
As it has been stated, some of those "sex offenders" just made the bad choice to have sex with a willing 15 year old when they (the offender) were 18. Yeah... that's a HORRIBLE sex offender. My PARENTS had that age gap too. Does that make my dad a sex offender?
Common sense, people.
And no... I don't have kids. I have nieces and nephews that I love very much though, and have recently had to deal with the oldest telling me that his DAD is making him uncomfortable. Isn't that worse than the guy down the street? How do you protect a kid from his own parent? Shouldn't it just be blanket teachings about what's bad, not "that person right there is bad"?
I agree 100% that you should teach your child about what is appropriate and what is not.
Of course - you have to teach them. That way when they leave the nest, they can protect themselves.
But look at these kids that are snatched from their yard or even their beds. The safety of their own homes - what do you do? I don't think a person ever pays for his crime. Maybe in the eyes of the law. But, tell that to the person that was violated and has to deal with the effects of the other person's crime for the rest of their lives. It is never over for them. Why should the criminal get the luxury of a clean slate?
That's what I'm saying---they DON'T get a clean slate.
But... You or I don't have the right to determine who can live in our neighborhoods, or who can go to our churches, or who can shop in our stores.
If you don't like it, then move. Seriously. You have the right to KNOW that he's there, but not the right to do anything about it other than to inform your kids not to have anything to do with him.
You also have the right to change churches if you don't like who attends yours. You have the right to shop ina different store, or get a different job, or whatever.
The kind of actions you're wanting to take are the same as people did in the last century to blacks in their neighborhood, or more recently, for homosexuals living in the neighborhood or going to church or whatever.
Personal accountability means this: We don't have to like someone or something, but we only have the right determine how WE react to it. We don't have the right to hold someone else accountable for our own actions.
I agree that the knowledge that a criminal (of ANY kind) living in your neighborhood is good; I disagree that you can drive that criminal out simply because you don't like it.
I am not saying drive them out. I don't think I have said that in my posts. I am saying that we should be armed with knowledge. Armed with the knowledge of where these people are. This way we can protect ourselves and our children.
I guess the thing that bothers me is that sex offenders (some of which, remember, just chose the wrong willing person to have sex with) are treated differently than any other violent criminal.
There's no list telling me whether the guy down the street served time for manslaughter because he killed a kid when he was drunk driving. There's no list telling me that the woman upstairs has had 3 drug convictions, all for crystal meth.
I just think that if you're going to hang out ONE kind of dirty laundry, you should hang it ALL out.
I agree. Where I live, you can go to a website and find criminal records of those other offenders. It is all public record. So, essentially there is a list for all criminals.
Okay, we have been talking about sexual offenders and criminals.
What do you guys think about topics like religion, welfare, taxes, the war, immigration. How about disease research, gas prices, various charities?
How about the population and its expotential growth rate. To feed and house the coming population we will have to cut the remaining new growth forests for homes and farm land. That will cause more of the same problems that are killing us now. The Ozone is already damaged and first the frogs mutated and now the honey bees are experiancing mass die offs. Einstein said that if the honey bees died off, we would have roughly four years before we started to starve and die off. I agree with that. The only way to restore the earth or at least stop further damage is if 2/3 of the worlds population would just disappear.
We have done a poor job of keeping Mother Earth healthy because we thought the resources were infinite. That just isn't the case. You can blame certain people or you can blame greed in general but really, we are all to blame. We feel that reproduction is our most dear, basic right, so I don't see anyone curbing the population growth on their own.
No one is willing to initiate self depravation to stop the problem as I see only more cars, trucks and ATVs running about. More trees being cut to build more Hummer homes and more yards to water with our fresh drinking water.
I say we are driving ninety miles an hour into the brick wall of our destiny. I say we are on the dogs back the red indians speak of and that dog is ready for a big shake to expel the fleas. We, after all, are the biggest parasite on the planet.
I agree. If there isn't a planet anymore - we are all dead and the other stuff doesn't matter.
Where my parents/family live - they have to do water bans. Most of the summer - yards can not be watered. There is never enough rain fall and they are always in a drought. It has been that way for as long as I can remember.
So, for those of you that know about our environment and the problems, etc. What can we do to help? I have always heard about airsols. Like you should use a pump hairspray instead because of the ozone. That sounds easy enough - is there more things like that out there, that maybe the average person who does not follow global warming, might not know about?
Great post Allheart. I like your thinking about us all fixing the smaller issues we all face. The big ones will filter on from there hopefully.Quote:
Originally Posted by Allheart
As far as the comment above though I just have to say that all people from all countries are subjected to this. Not just America and Americans. Sure it may seem like that because you live there and I'm sure you see a lot of it, but I think that is because you are such a big and powerful nation and whether you like it or not your government has made you the focus of the world. But this happens, as I said, to all countries and all kinds of people, just on a different scale because the countries are on a different scale.
Important issues? As a parent of a child with severe disabilities - yes, I have some important issues. The government would rather my child be placed in a group home, that would cost the government at least $4000.00 dollars a month but they cannot give the parents any kind of funding to help keep the child home. They would rather burn out the parents then extend a hand. There are very limited programs for home care, long waiting periods for the those programs and inadequate hours of contracted services.
Yes, I care about the long term viability of the Earth - I just do not see the Earth being able to sustain life as we know it. Too many people using precious non-renewable resources.
The jails and prisons are full beyond belief - why is that? Are there really more criminals or are there fewer alternatives to punishments?
Politicians make a pretty darn good career out of being in Washington and coming back only when they want the voter's vote. Why do we continue to allow career politicians? Serve two terms and then come and get a job that reflects the average citizen - lose the perks and the bonuses and the PAC's.
I have many more, but I will stop here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skell
That does make sense Skell. It really does. I do try and look at it through another perspective. Sometimes it is hard though and to be honest, I don't really mind other peoples perspective, I actually welcome it, as long as I sense there is respect behind the words spoken.
Thanks Skell :D - Always great to hear from you :).
I agree Allheart. There has to be respect. Actually that would be high on the list of things I hate about this world. Respect and the lack thereof. To the elderly, to the disabled, to the young, to the black, to the white... There is a massive shortage of it. Almost as much as water...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skell
So true Skell so very true. And to each other. In stores, on the road, on the phone, waiting in line. That, which you just hit on, probably is at the base of many of the problems that we discuss right here at AMHD.
Health care. Coverage for all not just poor and old.
Matt - Absolutely!! I couldn't agree more.
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