How can things like this happen all the time?
Is it just me or does it seem like these types are happening more often as of lately?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/01/family.slain.ap/index.html

It is truly sad! There have been more stories in the recent couple of years of families being killed.

In my town there has been several. Right now there is a court case for a young man that killed his whole family at the thankgiving dinner table. Before that there was a mom and her two daughters that were found dead and literally gutted. That man sits on death row right now.

Most recently it is more common to hear about adults and children being killed by other family members.

Is it a sign of the times?

Maybe it is the times. Truly sad thou. All the pregnant mothers lately too going missing, then found later killed. I just don't understand how peoples minds work to do such awful and disgusting things.

It amazes me that the ones that do the killing are the ones crying for help to find their loved one. They generally always get caught thank God!

One of the reasons I stay up all night is to watch over my family. Not only from bad people, (we live in a very rural area). But also because of weather conditions, fire. Ya know the bad stuff that can happen when everyone is asleep. Heck we had a fan catch fire last year and then again just the other day. The one the other day was in the day time.

Of course it helps that I am a night owl. Started many years ago when I lived with my mom and they used a wood stove.

Honestly, I dont think it happens more often,, I think we just HEAR about it more often. Some in other countries say america has a 'jaundiced eye' in seeking these sorts of horror stories, so they are reported more often. I dont know if thats true or not, but I do believe that humanity was pretty horrific in its treatment of people in the past.

Example, did you ever see the episode of ghost hunters where they go into the debtors prison? Now THAT was awful treatment! The beds looked to be approximately 3 X 3 squares stacked 2 high, it appeared there were approximately 40 beds total, (both sides of the wall leaving a walk space about 3 foot wide between the two walls) there was a hole in the roof (was below street level) for passerby's to drop in food to the convicts as they werent fed by the prison itself, and a hole in the floor directly below the ceiling hole for doing ones business.

This sort of imprisonment was considered acceptable and normal. By todays standards it is horrible horrific cruelty by anyones. Has the world become more violent and awful? I dont think so, I think we have just raised our standards tremendousely.

I see what you are saying Wrinkled Dragon. I think times have drastically change and our country has made huge strides in becoming a better country. Like you were mentioning of the prison, not surprised that prisoners were once treated that way. It is very possible that we just seek out the stories more now then in the past. But it just amazes me of what people do. I don't understand what could possibly be going through their minds to commit such horrific acts.

I base my opinion on more personal knowledge rather than media. When I was 30 and younger, I knew of few people that died from horrific means, rapes, molestations, child abuse, people that have ODed, ect. It has been in my last 14 years that it doesn't seem like a day can go by without knowing someone that has a story to tell.

Before 30 years old, I only knew of one OD, in the past 14 years I know of over 15 that died and 10 that survived. There has been 5 murders in the small town I live in. Heck I was a child that got my ass beat and some may say it was child abuse, but the cases that I know of personally and have heard of from friends it is unbelievable abuse. children locked in rooms with no food or water, beaten daily. And these are stories I have heard first hand they don't include the media stories.

Teenagers now adays are violent, disrespectful kids. They are the product of my generation that yelled about needing time outs. Drug problems are no longer just a wee bit of Pot. It is now Ice, Crack, Speedballs, stuff like that. Using household chemicals to create drugs. It is horrible and yes our youth is in big trouble.

We live in a world were the criminal has more rights then the victims.

It's just my oppinion, but I'd rather see prisons like the one that was mentioned on ghost hunters than what we have now...I mean they get cable, heat, air, sports, electricity...when we have families that are just scraping up enough money to put food on the tables for their families...It makes me wonder sometimes if criminals do what they do just to get off the poverty on the streets. Now don't get me wrong, what happened to the people in that prison was inhumane- but it just sickens me to see prisons today being so nice.

I think proportionately it's the same as it ever was, but this being the "information age" coupled with more population, we are more saturated with news.

I try not to get political here, but even though I'm an independent, self made woman from the ground up, I feel the one of the most destructive eras in our culture was the womens libbers. I'm all for equal work for equal pay, etc., but this was the beginning of the breakdown of the family structure. The super woman syndrome. Our children have suffered and our childrens children are too.

Another problem is, PEOPLE ARE WHACKED!

quote:

Originally posted by Hu-Dare:
I think proportionately it's the same as it ever was, but this being the "information age" coupled with more population, we are more saturated with news.

I try not to get political here, but even though I'm an independent, self made woman from the ground up, I feel the one of the most destructive eras in our culture was the womens libbers. I'm all for equal work for equal pay, etc., but this was the beginning of the breakdown of the family structure. The super woman syndrome. Our children have suffered and our childrens children are too.

Another problem is, PEOPLE ARE WHACKED!

I agree with the women libbers. I also believe in the equal pay thing, However I disagree with the need for latchkey kids. Mom's have a job for 18 years the moment the decide to give birth. Oh don't get me wrong I also belive that it is good for a Mom to have a part time job while the kids are at school. But not these working 40 hour weeks just to pay for the child care and maids.

If a women takes a job part time while the kids are at school then she is able to add the income to the household and not have to pay for the child care. Also with a part time job, she is not to tired to take care of the home and the child. Here again I will point out that I also believe it is not just the job of the mother to care for the home and children. However I believe that the father should help with some of the household chores that gross most women out, such as the trash, washing tolits, lol. But he should also take part in Homework and bedtime rituals.

Ah just my thoughts here. I am old fashion.

I'm going to get hammered here, but I'll go a step further and say, I feel Libbers were one of the beginning ingredients towards the breakdown of Americas structure as a whole. The "Fairness Fandango."

Equal Opportunity, right? What does this mean exactly? Does it mean SEPERATE sets of excellence, when the "Fireperson" is saving your mother? How about a seperate set when watching your back in Iraq? Yes, there are some females I'd want watching MY back over some men, but you don't get to choose on either count.

This type of fairness, promotes less than excellence and has bled into many spectrums of the American way and in my opinion has spun out of control.

quote:

Originally posted by Hu-Dare:
I think proportionately it's the same as it ever was, but this being the "information age" coupled with more population, we are more saturated with news.

I try not to get political here, but even though I'm an independent, self made woman from the ground up, I feel the one of the most destructive eras in our culture was the womens libbers. I'm all for equal work for equal pay, etc., but this was the beginning of the breakdown of the family structure. The super woman syndrome. Our children have suffered and our childrens children are too.

Another problem is, PEOPLE ARE WHACKED!

I will agree here. Conversations have come up with people a lot as of lately, regarding this same subject.
I tend to think this is what "the viewers" what to hear from the media. We are addicted to the crime. With OJ, Scott Peterson and such we just want to hear more and more. So of course the media will give the viewers what we want to hear.
I agree about the equal work equal pay.

quote:

Originally posted by myakkacity:
I agree with the women libbers. I also believe in the equal pay thing, However I disagree with the need for latchkey kids. Mom's have a job for 18 years the moment the decide to give birth. Oh don't get me wrong I also belive that it is good for a Mom to have a part time job while the kids are at school. But not these working 40 hour weeks just to pay for the child care and maids.

If a women takes a job part time while the kids are at school then she is able to add the income to the household and not have to pay for the child care. Also with a part time job, she is not to tired to take care of the home and the child. Here again I will point out that I also believe it is not just the job of the mother to care for the home and children. However I believe that the father should help with some of the household chores that gross most women out, such as the trash, washing tolits, lol. But he should also take part in Homework and bedtime rituals.

Ah just my thoughts here. I am old fashion.

I have to agree. I think our children are suffering due to women working long hard hours. I understand, specially in this day and age, wanting to financially give our kids so much. But there is a price to pay. Kids are having to grow up faster these days then in the past. They are given too much responsibility too early. They may think it's cool to have every electronic item on the market, but ask them the last time they did something with the family. Ask them the last time they went on a family vacation and didn't get a text message, email, cell phone call. Kids are just not being kids anymore. Technology is great in some areas like medical, but personal areas I wish it would slow down a bit.

I wont disagree with the womens liberation movement being a huge cause for the family break down. Lets keep in mind that came about due to WW2 though... women HAD to go out and work to fill all the positions men left open while in battle. This in turn left our children wide open to abuse by those not attached to them particularly in cities where family was often to far away to be of help.

However, I dont agree with ass beating being the cure. Hitting teaches one thing if done with any regularity. It teaches that even if mom and dad say hitting is bad or wrong, that obviousely they lie. Children dont understand the reasons they are hit, they just hear its wrong then the parent does it to them as punishment. My children trust me because I am the example I wish them to follow, perioud.

Doing otherwise only sets children up to distrust their parents. Compound that problem with alchohol or drug issues in the household and the school system is sure to notice a child who will quickly be labled as learning disabled or ADHD by junior high. These kids are often put on psychoactive drugs not intended for developing minds by a government who doesnt seem to much care if its safe or not, they just want the kids doing what they need them to, and Viola', we have anouther Columbine.

Btw, here is a video regarding the above comment for anyone interested. The problem of bad or abscent parenting is everyones as HuDare basicly said because when these kids are put on psychoactive medications, their behavior can border on psychotic if the medication doesnt work as intended in their particular physical make up properly. I make this statement as a person who had a moderatly severe psychotic episode 3 months after being prescribed the drug paxil for mild depression in my early 20s.

MOST children in the welfare system are on any one or more of these mind altering substances due to physical abuse they suffered causing their removal from the home. A friend of mind in Texas fostered a girl last year, age 12, who was on an anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic (diagnosed as showing signs of schizophrenia at 12) a sleeping pill and finally the stimulant Adderill (sp?) for ADHD. I know as a laymen that two of these medications contradict each other. The foster girl only stayed about 4 months because she pulled a knife on her foster mother during an emotional episode.

If you have children in a school where foster children are present, which constitues most schools in this country now... be concerned about what our governement is allowing pharmacudical corporations to give to these kids. Its frightening and where almost all the violent acting out of kids and teens really stems from I believe.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3609599239524875493&hl=en