Dear Sweet Jesus

I found this: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/austria_captive_daughter when I was checking out the news this morning.
This vile creature re: pedophile, began molesting his daughter when she was eleven years old. When she was eighteen, he drugged her, bound her, and locked her in a basement cell for 24 YEARS!! Fathered seven, yes, SEVEN children upon his daughter, and when one of the children died in infancy, he tossed the poor thing into an incinerator. Three of the other children, the eldest age 19, the youngest 5, have NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY!
Now, horrible, terrible, evil as this entire situation is; one thing stands out to me.
It is stated that this evil being faces FIFTEEN years in prison if convicted. FIFTEEN YEARS!?!?!? He held her prisoner, repeatedly raping her for over 24 years!
How in the name of all that is holy do we think we can EVER halt violence against women and children if the so-called Justice System is so fricking scewed?!
Quick, somebody give me a helmet! I swear my head is going to explode!

My other son is a genius too!

So, as it says on my sidebar, I have two sons. J is 18 and D is 16. They are both great young men, but sometimes the strange ways their minds work just confuses me to no end. Guys just are not logical.
Let me explain:
Monday I was home sick, and had just lay down on my bed to try to rest a bit when my phone rang. It was the school calling.
"Hello, this is L from _________ School calling"
"Hi L! What's up?"
"Well, I was calling to see if J is with you?"
I was confused. J and D had hopped in J's truck at the normal time this morning, headed off to school.
"Umm, noo, he is there at school, with you" I replied.
"I think I need to explain the situation here for you" she said. "A little while ago, a woman called here, said she was J's mom, was stranded with a flat tire at Wal-Mart, and needed him to come help her get her car going again".
(I have to admit, I was insulted. I would NOT call my son out of school to come change a flat tire for me! I would cuss, kick said flat, jump around holding my sore toe for a few moments, then change the damn tire myself! Plus, I don't shop at Wal-Mart - they don't double coupons.)
Anyway, L continues on with her story...
"Well, I called J down to the office, and told him that you needed him to meet you a Wal-mart, had him sign out, and he left. When I looked out the window, I saw him leaving in a truck with his friends J, P, and A. Just a couple of minutes later, a guy called, said he was J's step-father, and had made a doctor appointment for J, and needed him to leave school and meet him at home to go to the appointment".
All his life, whenever J tries to do something sneaky, I bust him out. You would think he would learn. I just shook my head, eyes closed in frustration as I listened in disbelief to the tale of his inept attempt to skip school.
"Thanks for clueing me in L, give me a few minutes to get hold of him, and I will send him back to school". I said this in a very resigned voice. My sons are brain surgeons in the making, I tell you.
So, knowing my son as I do, I sent him a text message "Hey". (He often texts me from school, so I knew he would suspect nothing)
He sends back "what's up".
I reply... CALL ME RIGHT NOW!.
I tell you, I could literally hear him saying "oh shit...busted" to his buddies.
I waited a few minutes. No call. So, I called him. And he answered!
"J" says I, in my calm, quiet voice that generally scares the crap out of anyone hearing it because it means MOM IS VERY ANGRY. "Where are you?"
"ummm" he replies in his own special way.
"Get your butt BACK in school RIGHT NOW! Then come home immediately after school so I can kill you!"
He says "I'm busted right? How did you find out?"
"You goofball, if you are gonna try to use your parents to skip out of school, don't have TWO people call in with TWO different stories to get you out!"
His response?
"Mom, you have to admit, it was a good plan except for the miscommunication! I asked one person to do it, and she said no, so I asked another friend who was gonna do it for me. I guess my friend decided to do it anyway".

You know what scares me the most? In a little more than a month, this brilliant, wonderful boy will graduate and move out on his own. He will not survive out there. He is going to end up moving back in with us, and staying FOREVER!
A brain surgeon I tell you!

Sad, Sick and Screwed Up World

By way of Xavier, we caught this news article that made me really sad. Pippa Bacca a performance artist attempting to spread a message of peace, was found raped and strangled, her body dumped on the side of a road.
Every day, I, and thousands of others the world around, work to stop the spread of violence against women.
Unfortunately, for every one of US out there, there are probably five scumbags for whom life has no value. They think only of their own sick, perverse desires and will do whatever it takes to get what they want, no matter who is broken, killed or destroyed spiritually.
I can't tell you how many times I have been asked "how can you do that work? How can you deal with that trauma day after day?" by people after I explain what I do.
My response is this: How can I NOT do what I do?
I guess a little background is needed here.
I am a survivor of incest and child sexual abuse at the hands of my father for the first half of my life. I have always felt that the word "abuse" is much too tame and gentle a word. It does not come close to describing the destruction one person can cause to another.
So, having come through, having survived, how can I not use my experiences to help those who are newly victimized?
What would my life be worth if I just buried what had been done to me and ignored what is being done to other women, girls, and yes, men and boys by the same type of scumbag that destroyed my life?
It is not something I can turn my back on, nor pretend it does not exist. Can you?

If you appreciate what our soldiers have done for you...

Quickly, before I have to get back to packing & cleaning:
If you appreciate what our soldiers have done, make sure you know how to say "Thank You" no matter where you are, where you see them, or what you are doing when you see them.
Go here: http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php to learn the sign.
Thanks go out to Morning Glory for the link!

Gotta get ready

see more crazy cat pics



Real Estate Agent coming to the house Monday to take pictures... must chase down all the dust bunnies that have accumulated! Have a great weekend all!

People should have to have a license to reproduce

Now, you all who have read previous posts know that I work with victims of sexual violence. But, I also deal with domestic violence (since the two seem to go hand in hand) and child abuse on occasion.
The past two days I have dealt with two child abuse issues. The first was a teen who had been sexually abused by a family members boyfriend for two years. When mom found out, she took the right steps and immediately reported said scumbag and sought help for her daughter. YAY mom! I love the parents who support their kids who have been harmed. I can say that reporting takes huge guts, courage and determination. Families are literally torn apart when allegations of sexual abuse are brought to light. So I give this woman huge kudos for standing up and being a voice for her daughter.
Then, you have the parents who either:
Don't believe kid...
Keep the abuse secret....
or...
BLAME the kid!
I firmly believe that there is a very special corner in Hell for these parents.
This poor kid is standing in front of you, the one person on the planet that they are supposed to be able to trust and be safe with, and you won't help them??!! WTF??!!
I have said before, and nothing has ever changed my mind;
Some people should be neutered at birth. Some people should just NOT be allowed to breed.
End of rant.

New Favorite Song

I was reading some of Abby's past posts, and found this link: http://www.iraq-songs.com/
This is a site at which you can buy a CD of music that was written, performed and recorded by our soldiers in Iraq. "Iraq Unplugged" is awesome. Some of the songs made me really think about what our men and women in service miss out on, and what they go through. Some of it made me laugh out loud... I think I have a new favorite song folks: "Mortaritaville" and you can hear it by clicking on the link above.
Give it a try... if you like it, support a servicemember and buy the CD!