For the Voices That Have Been Silenced

This post is dedicated to the memory and spirit of an angel from New Castle, Indiana. My heart goes out to the family of Kaitlynne Mae Jennings. This sweet baby's spirit has stirred my soul into action and I pray that my words bring action. Nothing can take away your pain and I grieve with you for your loss and the thousands of souls that continue to be silenced.

I write this post with a heavy heart and a renewed sense of purpose. I have come to the sad realization that the current state of our affairs and society has dictated the necessity of the words that follow.  We have become a nation that no longer feels the need to turn a caring and concerned eye toward the plight of our most innocent of victims. This nation's growing crisis of child abuse has caused me to completely switch gears and change the focus of my efforts to a cause which is closer to my heart. The children who must endure the most horrifying of tortures, things that only our most disturbing nightmares reveal, must have a voice. These babes, these innocent souls deserve a fighting spirit, a staunch and resounding voice in the night of their terror to speak out and say, "Enough is ENOUGH!"

I'm mad, I'm angry...No, I'M PISSED OFF!! The anger that has swelled in me has been sparked by the knowledge that another worthless, piece of crap, child abuser will become a free man once his ridiculous sentence is over in less than a year. Justice for a little angel taken from this world will not be served since Jeremiah Hoots' plea bargain has been accepted and the "penalty" that this "person" will pay pales in comparison to the pain, anguish and despair that has devastated young Kaitlynne Mae Jennings' family.

How can we, as a community, as a nation, continue to stand by and watch as events such as described unfold? I think back to 1981 when the abduction of a little boy named Adam Walsh captivated the hearts and minds of a nation. We were compelled to watch, to look, hope and pray for the safe return of young Adam. The ENTIRE nation cared about this little boy. The ENTIRE nation wept when the child was found.

On October 14th, 1987 the plight of another child captivated the nation. Eighteen-month-old Jessica McClure slipped down an uncapped well opening in Midland, Texas, as viewers we held our collective breaths as we watched and waited. After a 58-hour struggle, little Jessica was finally pulled to safety on October 16th, 1987. We watched, we cried, we cheered when her little body emerged, strapped to a spinal board, her free little arm rubbing her eyes to keep out the brightness of the lights that awaited her.

Two very different stories, two very different endings. Their common factor is that they brought together a non-apathetic nation. We cared about what was happening. We prayed for the safe return for those children and in both cases, our prayers were met with tears. Tears of sadness, shock and disbelief for little Adam Walsh. Tears of joy, happiness and relief for young Jessica McClure.

An extremely disturbing shift has taken place in the past 30 plus years which has led to a fundamental change in the way that we as a nation see and react to the disconcerting nature of stories such as these. No longer do we "trouble" ourselves with such trifling events. We go about our daily lives, caught up in our own egocentric world, oblivious to the plight of these children who have no voice of their own. We have become a nation of desensitized, apathetic observers. We are content to watch from the sidelines as our most precious commodity, our youth, continues to be the punching bags of those we should deem unworthy of oxygen let alone the privilege and honor of being blessed with a child.

The statistics are staggering. In 2008, an estimated 772,000 (The 2009 estimated population of Indianapolis, Indiana was 785,597.) children were determined to be victims of child abuse or neglect. Of this number, an estimated 1,740 children died from child abuse or neglect. Why are these numbers acceptable? Why do we demand justice for someone who decides to smuggle drugs into the country but not for someone who has stolen the life of a child? What has happened to our collective morality? What has happened to our sense of righteousness?

The answer to these questions lies within the devolution of our society, values and morals. The desensitization of our nation has been fueled by a media that bombards its viewing audience with tragic stories on a daily basis; a film industry that has increasingly raised the stakes in its history of violent and horrific movies; a video gaming industry that is constantly trying to find bigger and better ways to erase civilization; a music industry that has systematically devalued life and love; an internet that allows unlimited access for users to find anything and everything to satisfy their deepest, darkest and most taboo desires; and a relaxed system of justice that coddles and slaps repeat offenders on the hand.  How have we come this far? How have we gone this low?

As my conscious effort to become more aware of my actions, feelings and attitude toward events such as these, I vow to be the voice for these lost souls in whatever way that I am able.  I will advocate for tougher laws, stricter jail sentences, and an abolition to the apathy this nation has adopted concerning these precious victims. It's been said that, "It takes a village to raise a child." I say it takes a nation to protect a child. The laws that are on the books are not strict enough. I urge all who read this to research your local and state laws.Write to your congressman and senators. Speak up and speak out! It's time to take a stand! It's time to speak for those who have been silenced.

Has Generation X Finally Found What It's Been Looking For?

First of all, I would like to thank the creators of MySpace for blazing the trail which allowed me and over 400 million other wayward souls jump on the bandwagon that is Facebook. Whereas MySpace remains the "top spot" for anyone without a career and mortgage to attend to - i.e. teenagers - Facebook has emerged as the number 1 for social networking arena for those of us who have been tossed into the Generation X category.

It only makes sense for us. We are part of a generation that witnessed hair bands, jelly shoes, day glo and leg warmers. A generation that lived through Farm Aid, Live Aid and Band Aid - we became more socially conscious in the 90's as we battled pollution, greenhouse gases and global warming. We bought minivans, went to soccer practice and have sat through hundreds of ceremonies and recitals to applaud our children. We roller-blade along with the latest in technology, recognizing that we have come a long way from those bulky electronic typewriters to "you've got mail" and where's the nearest wi-fi connection? It only seems fitting that our gather spot would be the bold blue letters of Facebook, splotched with the hundreds, nay, thousands of daily postings of our friends.

I discovered Facebook just about a year ago. I was vehemently opposed to joining any site that would allow...dare I say it...people...to actually know where I was and what was going on in my life. How intrusive! Well, curiosity got the best of this cat and now I can proudly say that I am addicted. This would only make sense since I have what you would call "addictive tendencies." I marvel at the technological wonder that is Facebook and relish in the fact that I have been able to reconnect with people I though were long gone from my average life. I live vicariously through their daily postings....know when they are sad...rejoice when they are happy....share in the pain of losing a loved one. Facebook has become the universal outlet of emotion for over 400 million people WORLD WIDE! Now, that's a melting pot!

Although I'm awed by the functionality of Facebook, I'm also saddened by the fact that with this, as with all good things, there has to be something that will eventually spoil the bunch. Hackers, bullies, "leechers," tend to be the thorn in the side of so many who just want to reach out and reconnect. But, this is the evolution of technology. There will always be that kid on the playground who got picked last for kickball and has to be a jerk because of it. I was picked last lots of times, I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with my complete lack of kickball talent, speed or agility; but I've been able to deal with it. You take the good with the bad.

A couple of weeks ago, I was blessed enough to see a very dear friend of mine, whom I had not seen in 7 years. We used our contact on Facebook as the springboard for many of our conversations as we reminisced - not that we needed it - but it's just amazing how much of a part of our lives this thing has become. Thanks to Facebook we have remained connected but human contact is always more preferable.

So, thank you Facebook. Thanks for the forums, for the postings and the games. Thanks for giving this Gen Xer a place to chat with friends, catch up on their lives and just generally waste time. Thanks for being the heroin for my procrastination...it needed a boost.

New Beginnings

I welcomed the New Year with the hopes of getting involved in causes which I felt were in my best interest to participate. However, the very first thing I had to take care of was myself....so I went through the wonderful procedure of a left knee arthroscope on January 4th. I have been slowly recovering. My surgeon "clipped" a tendon that was preventing my kneecap from sliding comfortably on my leg. I guess I was actually rubbing bone on bone. So now, here I am awaiting a full recovery and dealing with the fact that I will probably have to have an aspiration tomorrow. More good news. But, I have been dealing with this pain and irritation for so long, I'm just so excited to get it over with.

I also welcome this New Year with the hopes that the completely unnecessary dolphin slaughter will come to an end. Enough of this village and cultural tradition crap. This is 2010, time for humans to step up into the present day. Does anyone else wonder how it would be if "Planet of the Apes" really did happen? Why is it that I don't even have the heart anymore to root for my own species...I like to see the bear maul the camper, the cougar attack the hiker, the shark eat the diver. You know, if we had more sense and would leave these animals alone; let them stay in their natural habitat and enjoy their lives, perhaps maybe less people would get hurt. Why is it we are shocked when someone gets hurt by trying to get closer to nature? I'm sorry Steve Irwin was killed but wasn't it just a matter of time? I think he did a lot for raising awareness for animals in the wild but you can only wrestle with an anaconda so many times before you get the life squeezed out of you or end up with a sting ray's stinger shoved in your chest. Just as the death of the over-indulgent rock star should never shock us, the passing of one who continually takes their life in their hands in order to raise animal awareness should not come as a shock either.

The animal activist is a much different case than the local Joe who wants to get their "back to nature" moment caught on DVD to show his friends and family at the next BBQ. Hey guys...really, enough of the idiotic antics and realize that there are things in the wild that WILL KILL you....they don't care, nor will they sit and rationalize whether or not you would make a tasty meal. Get over yourself and appreciate nature the way it was meant to be appreciated - from afar.

I live in a state where there is never a shortage of news stories where some fool decided to get too close to something that they had no business "petting." How many times do we get to hear about the idiot who get his arm or leg yanked off by an alligator - too many to count. The most amazing thing about this is that these people had no idea that the 13 foot beast posed any threat to them...."Well, I've swam in that lake all of my life and I can't believe that this happened." Really, you can't believe that you just escaped with your pathetic life because you're an absolute moron for taking a dip in a lake after 5:00 p.m.? Wow, the audacity of people is incredible.

As we continue to plunder through this life as a human race, can we please try and do something for ourselves and our fellow planet mates? Let's let them have their space as we try and maintain our own? Let's try and utilize some common sense. If we are unable to figure out a way to be more humane humans, we might as well just look at these incidents as a sort of....culling process.

Looking at a New Year...a New Me

On the doorstep to the entrance into a new decade in this millennium, I have paused to ponder my station in life. I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful and healthy daughters, the love of my parents, family and friends and a career that I am most humbled by and proud of every day. The average person would be most pleased and content to lead this life of simplicity. However, my heart stirs and I find the stirrings of a malcontent lingering in the back of my mind.

I've never been an activist but I have always been fiercely passionate about those causes which touch my heart. I remember being 8 years old and watching a news report about the slaughtering of the baby Harp Seals and I was emotionally devastated. To know that this horror went on in the world and to be totally unable to help was a feeling I would soon attach to all the atrocities to which I was exposed while growing up. Famine in Africa, human genocide in Bosnia, a world-wide AIDS epidemic, and the murder of the most innocent souls...children. We, as a human race, are exposed to these horrors on a daily basis, furthering our desensitization. When do we say, enough is enough?

How do we take a stand? Protest, hunger strike, boycott...these preferred methods of can sometimes prove effective but most often go unnoticed. How then, do we draw attention to the causes to which we assign such importance? Though I strongly feel that the Internet has played a central role in the current degradation of our societal morals, I feel that it is time to set the power of this medium to a truly noble task. It is my proposal that we join...as one voice, one heart, one mind. Let those of us who feel passionately about our causes rejoice for this is the digital age and we can be heard!

I recently had the opportunity to watch "The Cove." This moving and thought-provoking documentary caused me to cast aside my apathy and awakened my desire do something, to act, to speak out. I use my words because at this time they are all that I have. I have no great amounts of money, no political prowess, I don't rub elbows with those in high places. I have the talent that God gave me - my words.

I am calling on all of my friends, all those who read these words and all who feel the time has come to stand up, stand together and put a stop to these senseless acts that happen everyday. I start with this cause because it has personal and deep significance to me. In 1993, I had the most wonderful and deeply moving encounter of my life. I swam with 6 bottle-nose dolphins in Hawaii. It was and remains to be one of the most significant moments in my life. It was one of those moments when you realize that you may not be the most highly evolved form of life on the planet. It was a moment when I truly appreciated and thanked God for my life. The level of self-awareness that's evident and obvious in a dolphin's eyes is truly remarkable. There's a part of you that expects a clarity of consciousness to arrive when you feel the power and grace in a dolphin's presence.

I ask that you watch the trailer for "The Cove." If you long to learn more, please visit: http://www.thecovemovie.com/



As I became aware that these graceful and majestic creatures were being needlessly slaughtered a half a world away, I became enraged. Lacking the necessary means to travel and participate first-hand in the abolition of this horrific practice, it came to me that I must do SOMETHING. And so, as stated above, this is my stand. I shall continue to post my blog, update those who follow and also comment on the state of other things which occupy my mind.

I ask those reading to read with an open mind, love with a full heart and learn with a yearning for knowledge.

"You're either an activist or an inactivist," Louie Psihoyos