So, day care facilities and summer camps hiring workers cannot get access to any out-of-state criminal records of potential employees. Good job. Nice. So, pedophiles can live near schools and parks, aren’t closely watched by parole/probation, can sometimes have Facebook and MySpace profiles and clearly use Craigslist to find their prey. How about using the Internet for good, rather than helping to PUSH these people to find new victims?
How to solve this one? Hello – lawmakers? Hello?
Is Amiel Christian School a school, a daycare or none of the above? There is no license found – something I find very troubling in this day and age. With the economy the way it is, desperate parents who need to go to work will leave their children with any smooth talker who claims to have credentials. These people prey on gullible parents with nowhere to turn and then, do unspeakable things to children.
I’ll bet there are more victims of this scumbag, Cesar Zavala. This poor 10 year old child is now scarred for life, maybe to repeat the sins of the attacker, as statistics go. I do not blame the parents at all – I just feel that working parents left with little or no choice for after school care are clearly suffering, as are the ultimate victims, the children.
Also, $50K bond seems light for this alleged crime. What say you all?
Jack Bauer, er, the voice of those dreaded Bank of America commercials, um, KEIFER Sutherland, apparently flew into a violent rage at a Costume Institute Gala after-party last night and head-butted Jack McCollough, one half of the talented Proenza Schouler design duo.
Apparently, our designer friend has a broken nose.
When I think of Keifer, I think of this. Calm down, dude.
Or, I think of his dad, “Good morning, oranges….”. That is so soothing. When I have a panic attack, I should just listen to a loop of Donald Sutherland speaking.
What to think? Back on the sauce?
FUN UPDATE: Apparently, Jack M. knocked over Brooke Shields at the party, causing Kiefer to get all protective and demand he apologize to Brooke. They faced off and said head butt occured. Here’s what’s so odd: Brooke’s spokesperson is saying that no such thing happened and Brooke “does not know what would cause Keifer to act in such a manner.” Oh, goodness. I’m sticking with the Christmas tree theory.
Brittanee Drexel (what is UP with the way parents spell names – sorry, I digress) is 17-year-old girl from Rochester, New York who went to Myrtle Beach for a spring break trip and has disappeared. There is video of her walking into her hotel alone as well as leaving alone and walking along the street. Foul play is suspected.
Brittannee’s parents were in the midst of a stressful divorce and her mother did NOT give her permission to go to Myrtle Beach. She did anyway and the parents suspect that she was depressed over the impending divorce, which is why she went with her friends on the trip despite their wishes.
Police are now dragging a nearby river. What do you think? Another Natalee Holloway? Drugged, murdered? Suicide? Doing okay but just needs some time to think? Being held captive somewhere in a hotel? Sold into the sex trade?
It’s horrible, no matter what. My thoughts and prayers out to Ms. Drexel and her family. Discuss. And please don’t blame the girl or her parents. It would be so easy to, but we don’t judge here unless blame can be squarely placed. Teens who are depressed will defy their parents. Parents who trust their kids won’t double check – I think.
I have turned very sharply away from my own case to highlight all sorts of cases as well as pop culture, etc., in a respectful way. Every once in a while, you’ll see me allude to hate mail.
Well – Happy Easter to me! This is not a “poor, pitiful me” posting, but one where I really want people to understand the Internet is a dangerous place and if you are parent, you CANNOT tell if the writer is some pimply 14-year-old with time on his hands or with a stash of guns and something to prove. Warning: tough to read. I received this on Easter morning. Nice, right?
Charles Rico sent a message using the contact form at
http://www.starssurvivors.com/contact.
“I just watched the dateline story about Liz Seccuro. Ur a fucking cunt!!! I hope you get raped again!!! This guy obviously felt very bad about what
he did to you. He went out of his way to apologize for what he did. He
didnt have to do that. The rape could have gone unsolved forever if not
for him trying to make it right. It sounds to me like he had also been
suffering for some time. He was having trouble dealing with something many
college guys would consider normal. He was a victim of his hormones just
like u were of rape. U wanna get mad at someone, get mad at god. This
dude didnt ask to be given hormones he couldnt control yet. Ur the worst
kind of person in the world. When someone reached out to u for forgiveness
u fucked them. U raped him. Good job!!! Now ur a rapist too. U raped
someone at their most vulnerable point. Ur a vengefull BITCH!!! I can
understand wanting vengence on someone who wasnt sorry. But the guy was
actually sorry. He wanted to let u know that and for that he was raped a
hell of alot worse than u were. And dont act like u didnt allow it to
happen. U probably enjoyed it. U know danm well that u were a slut
looking to get fucked that night anyhow. So, FUCK U and FUCK UR MOTHER!!! I hope she’s dead. And if she is, I hope she suffered greatly when she
died for making a peice of shit like u. If there’s a hell, u should both
be burning in it. Thanks alot u bowlegged whore. U’ve helped create a
world where someone cant even repent when they know they were wrong. Besides, u should consider urself lucky. Ur too fat & ugly for most guys. Ur an angry jealous fat cow that nobody wants. I wouldnt worry bout rape
anymore. Nobody wants u for anything!!!”
Those of you old enough to remember the Guardian Angels, know my hero and sort of pal Curtis Sliwa, who is their founder. He was known for his ubiquitous red beret, his glamorous ex-wife Lisa and his grass roots movement to end violence in NYC, especially on the subways. He was nearly murdered by John Gotti, son of THE John Gotti – Gotti and his cohorts kidnapped him, threw him in a taxi and shot him.
Of late, he is known for the “Curtis and Kuby” show and his Guardian Angels has grown from 13 members to thousands in chapters all over the world.
Growing up in New York City during the heyday of crime, Son of Sam, the mob, riots, Bernie Goetz, looting during brownouts, I have only the greatest admiration for the man.
Happy Birthday, Curtis. You make the world a better place. Eat a pickle, man.
I have lots of college-aged friends. Cocaine is HUGE again, just like in the 80s and 90s. It’s, like, so “Less Than Zero”, they tell me. It’s also an evil insidious drug that ruins lives and futures and promise.
That said, this guy got 70 months. Fraternity rapist? 5 months (and that’s the one I know of – so many walking free, I cannot begin to tell you).
This speaks directly to the point I was making about how manditory drug sentencing is overfilling our prisons and keeping dangerous offenders out on the street. We need more prisons and we had better be prepared to pay for them if we want our kids to be safe and the right offenders behind bars. It’s all about appropriateness. Relative to a coke dealer, a rapist should not serve a tiny fraction of the dealer’s sentence, but the Fed says it’s so. A coke dealer certainly hurts himself, but those buyers don’t have a gun held to their heads. He’s being a businessman.
Thoughts?
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, family and community in the terrible German high school massacre in two small German towns. Gunman Tim Kretschmer targeted females at his former school and in another Bavarian town at a psychiatric clinic in one of the worst school shootings in German history – but one of many of late.
My issue right now is how inured we’ve become to threats. I don’t care if you don’t believe someone – if they want to harm someone, harm themselves, etc. This kid was in a chat room when he said:
“”Everyone laughs at me. No one recognizes my potential. I mean this seriously. I have got a weapon here and tomorrow I am going to go to my former school and give them hell. Maybe I would escape, keep your ear to the ground. You’ll hear from me tomorrow morning. Just notice the name of the place, Winnenden. Don’t say anything to the police.”
The youth who was reading the comments didn’t take the message seriously, police said, and responded “TLL,” which translates to “laughing out loud,” or “I’m splitting my sides with laughter.” Seriously, dude, he’s naming the time, place, motive and means. And you say “TLL”? Good God.
“I need to see some pictures before I believe it,” the teenager added.
What the heck is wrong with this kid? Does he feel badly? He told his father…did he report it. I’m saying that parents and kids need to really watch the Internet. Come on, people. This really could have been avoided IF he reported it and IF police took him seriously. It’s so tragic.
While we do not sit in judgement here at Not Ranting, it would seem that Misty Croslin is way too young to marry Ronald Cummings. It would also seem that an engagement during this missing child saga is pretty tasteless, although the girl’s dad defends it in his statement to the press. Misty even shows off her new ring to the press corps. I think people react to tragedy in a multitude of ways.
I also think that married folks don’t have to testify against one another. Why does this story bug me so much? Why can’t they find this girl? I am not saying that the family is to blame, at all, but they need to figure it out, stat.
Haleigh’s four year old brother says a “man in black clothes” came and abducted his sister. He’s four. He could have imagined it, could have seen it, could have been coached. Whatever the case, I hope this child is found.
UPDATE: after the photographed proposal at Chili’s (sorry), Ronald and Misty plan to marry today. Today! It’s Wednesday! What’s the rush? In the meantime, a new massive search for the child is underway today covering a 13 square mile area around the home. In addition, Haleigh’s mother has now retained Counsel.
Ron and Misty plan to have “another wedding” once Haleigh is “home with them”.
UPDATE: The married couple say the wedding is “what Haleigh would have wanted”. How many 5 year olds do you know championing wedding vows? You know what I think Haleigh would have wanted? TO BE FOUND.
We have some commenters who believe the recitivism rate for sex offenders is very low. I disagree, but show me some stats and I’ll listen. This is a vile story about a convicted sex offender who was caught hosting sex parties for teens. I’m guessing he fed them alcohol, then watched them have sex. It’s going to come out that he taped them, I’ll bet my life on it.
Where are these kids’ parents? What is wrong with society? Where’s Caveman’s probation officer? Probably too busy with his/her case overload.
Tell me what you think of this one. I’m too horrified to weigh in. While we focus on the Puritanical (alcohol, marijuana), our country is killing our children. MADD, I’m talking to you. We’re so busy vilifying A-Rod, Michael Phelps and even those ridiculous poster girls for bad behavior (Lindsay, Britney, Paris) that we don’t even notice the real problems.
Crash Into Me is Liz Seccuro’s first book. Liz is a victim’s rights advocate and spends time lobbying for important legislature to help support sexual assault victims in the United States. Read More...
