saturday-8 :: safety & risk



since i live in FL, i've been inundated with the coverage this week of the missing (now murdered) girl, carlie brucia.



1. have you ever been kidnapped/held against your will, or know someone who has? No, thankfully I've never been.



2. the guy (joseph p. smith) who allegedly murdered carlie, in addition to a loooooooong rap sheet, was acquitted of kidnapping in the past. the parties who were responsible for supervising this criminal are now pointing fingers at each other ... what do you think should happen to them, if anything? I think all parties involved share responsibility for his "falling through the cracks" and should be reprimanded in writing, publicly and demoted.



3. many of my friends, especially mothers, are complaining that carlie's parents should have been more aware of where she was. she was 11 years old - what do you think? By the time children are 11 years, they're old enough to walk to/from school alone and socialize with friends. Having said this, parents should always know their child's whereabouts by driving/picking them up to social events, knowing and speaking with their friend's parents and speaking with their child about safety.



4. carlie's abduction was caught on surveillance tape, leading to the capture of the man responsible. do you think that more areas should have survelliance cameras, or do you think that is too 'big brother?' No, I don't think surveillance camera's are the answer. It's more parental participation in the lives of their child(ren), it's also teaching children to be aware and how to fight back. For the life of me, I still don't understand why the girl didn't struggle. For God's sake, she could have screamed, kicked him, bitten him, punched/scratched him with her free arm. Instead, she merely walked away with him. I would tell my child, if a stranger tries to take you against your will and tells you that he'll kill you if you scream or resist, think about it this way, if he's willing to do that when you're in a crowd, what's he going to do to you when you're alone? FIGHT!



5. even though carlie was 11 yrs. old, pictures - and the survelliance tape - show her to look around 15. do you think if she truly looked like a pre-teen, she would have been abducted? (PLEASE NOTE: the sat-8 is NOT suggesting that carlie's looks, clothing style or actions contributed to her murder in ANY WAY)



6. there has been talk of joseph p. smith getting the death penalty. do you believe in the death penalty, especially if it's due to the murder of a child? I do believe in the death penalty, regardless of whether the victim is a child or adult.



7. if you are a parent, what have you warned your children about when it comes to strangers or abductions? if you're not a parent, do you think there should be a mandatory school/community workshop about 'stranger danger?' I'm not a parent but I think it is the *parents* that need to be educated and trained. Children learn from the parent, if the parent lacks training, what are the child's chances for survival?



8. on an unrelated note - a dominican baby born with a 2nd head fused to the top of her own cranium (a result of a parasitic twin) died after an attempt to separate the 2nd head from her body. do you feel that the 2nd head should have been just 'left alone,' or should the surgery been performed despite the risk of death? From what I've read, the second head was growing faster than the girls head. It would have weighed her down and made it impossible for her to support the weight. I think the parents intentions were good and they wanted to give her a chance at a normal life. My heart goes out to the parents. They had a very difficult decision to make.