Our Children

I’m a news junkie. I love Keith Olbermann . My local NBC station is pretty reliable. I go to sleep listening to the news and wake up listening to it as well.   Since 9/11,  news has become an integral part of my daily existence.  I almost wish it wasn’t.  Friday, I was writing an extensively pathetic pity party for myself on my myspace blog.  I was looking for some kind of encouragement to continue coping with this ridiculous world that gets worse by the minute.  The suffering that my family endures, bears absolutely no comparison to what I heard on MSNBC news that day.  The family of Jessica Lunsford has endured more pain than most of us could ever imagine.  I won’t even speculate on what Jessica herself endured as the thought of it is emotionally wrenching and physically painful.  My empathy went into overdrive as the judge recounted in horrid detail this beautiful, innocent child’s heinous, cruel, torturous experience, from the moment that she was kidnapped until she was buried alive. It left me nauseous and reduced me uncontrollable tears for most of the weekend.  I have been distraught and distracted by it ever since. 

 For once, I have no doubts as to my feelings on the death penalty.  A death sentence for Couey is just too easy.   Justifiable torture would be so much better.  He should be forced to endure those same things that he forced Jessica to endure. Give him to the general population and let them mete out justice for a little girl that only wanted to go home.  The words of the judge will haunt me for a long time to come.  Another tragedy forever etched into my memory.  Further proof that our children are not even safe from random predatory violence in their own homes anymore. How I wish my children could’ve grown up in the 70’s like I did.  It’s frightening how much things have changed in 30 years. 

Rest In Peace, Jessica.  Justice has been served. 

On that same day two more babies met with a horrible fate.  A 7-month old was found in the heat of the day, dead in the backseat of a car in St. Louis, Missouri.  Another, a 3-year old was found in a sweltering SUV in a middle school parking lot in Cincinnati, OH.  The parents involved include both a staff pediatrician and an assistant principal at a middle school.  How?  How do you forget your child? Twenty-two children dead in vehicles this year alone.  Can someone please tell me what is going on? Last summer in Memphis, Tn this same kind of horrible incident occured no less than 4 times. Possibly more as I can’t remember for sure.  As a parent how do you go on living?  How do you not see, hear and feel your child in the backseat even if they are sound asleep?  Do these people not have peripheral vision????? I just don’t understand.