Personally, I think that Donald Trump is a mockery of what the USA is
and stands for, and how he is making the GOP into a 3 Ring Circus. His
supporters are ass clowns, if you ask me, just my opinion.
Also
my opinion, that if one can't tell the difference between terrorists and
religion/culture as a victim rights advocate, one is abusive toward
that particular religion/culture.
As an advocate against abuse, I
personally will not condone the abuse of other people just because some
of the doctrine that is taught may not agree with others. Just like
all men are not rapists or physically violent toward women/children, not
all black people are gang bangers, not all white people are racists; to
say that Muslims own terrorism or that terrorism is indoctrinated in
Islam is the same as saying gay people are pedophiles, then admitting
you don't understand everything about other people.
It also is
laughable about the PC label that I get slapped with on a regular
basis... I admit, it used to offend me, but, actually? It may not be
so bad... Here are examples, and it's not even all of them.
I
remember in my school days, when I spoke up about not calling Asians and
black people derogatory names. People told me to stop getting on my
soap box.
Then, going out to an elementary school to help them
"internationalize" their students... People told me how quaint and
politically correct I am...
Later, to push the diversity of culture and food of our different Asian people. People told me to get off of my PC soap box...
I made HUGE push for women's issues, which included equal pay, to fund
educating law enforcement about how to look for domestic violence,
etc... People got nasty about my being PC, and how I should know my
role, and this happened more than just a couple of times. (As an
advocate, my role is to speak up when injustice raises it's ugly head,
thank you).
Currently, as well as the last several years or so, I have been active with my non-profit, #YouthVoiceInitiative,
to push for social change and the stiffening up of sentencing for those
who abuse our children, as well as for a push to ensure that male
victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse are protected equally
under the law, yet again... People told me to stop my whiny PC BS and
how maybe I ought to be beaten... Ha.
In recent times, there
seems to be this thing about Muslims are terrorists, or how the religion
teaches to kill everybody, and what ever else that is out there being
said. Just like in other religions, there are those who take it too
far, get over zealous, and what have you... I am not an expert in no
faith or religion. But, I do get my answers from the source. And guess
what? People tell me to get off of my PC shit and stop telling them
what to think.
Well. MY page. If you don't like what you read,
don't come and read it. Unfollow. Unfriend. Unsubscribe. I don't
care. I will NOT take part in derogatory treatment of other people,
just because those outside of the group, whether we are majority or not,
don't understand about them.
And, if it is PC to take up the cause for the abused, in what ever form it comes in? Well. I. Plead. Guilty.
I fully support every group, community, awareness, action, and push, to
end the abuse of each other on this planet. This includes those who
are misrepresented, misinterpreted, mistreated, and missed out on the
quest of what ever they are looking for, and be the solace they need,
even if I must stand alone. Abuse will NOT be tolerated, and I don't
care if people say I am unprofessional in what I say about those who
abuse our children...
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Holiday Job Hunting: 7 Helpful Hints to Help
From: Health Career Center > HealthCareer Center.com
7 Tips for Capitalizing on the Holiday Job Hunt
It's
common for people to scale back their job search during the holidays.
But as it turns out, this is the perfect time to give your search a
boost.
A recent article by US News and World Report
outlines why the next few months are one of the best times to be
available in the job market. Here are its tips for making the most of
the holidays.
1. Don't believe that no one hires in December.
On
the contrary, many organizations are in a rush to hire someone who can
start right after New Year's. To do that, they need to interview and
make offers now.
2. Take advantage of a drop in competition.
HR
managers often report that applications slow down this time of year,
making it hard to fill positions. That's good news for you.
3. Be flexible.
Organizations
have to balance interview schedules with their staff's vacation time.
The more available you are, the better your chances of landing a job.
4. Be patient.
Hiring
decisions at this time often have to wait until key decision-makers
return from vacation. Don't be worried if it takes longer than usual.
5. Don't let rejection ruin your holiday spirit.
Unfortunately,
searching for jobs near the holidays might lead to a rejection near
Christmas. Remember that it's part of the process, and don't let it
bring you down.
6. Don't be surprised if your start date is next year.
Bringing
you on during the holidays — while everyone else is out — would only
serve to confuse everyone. If you can't start until January, try to
enjoy the extra time off.
7. Use holiday gatherings to your advantage.
Who
knows, someone you talk to at a party could have a useful job lead.
Attend as many events as you can, and feel free to bring up your search
in conversation.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Action Call! We need callers and writers. Thanks in advance.
A 12 year old girl, who was shopping with her mother, was lured away
into a bathroom by a man in his mid to late 20's, and right off the bat,
the investigator refers to "having sex", and therefore, the media also
never mentions sexual assault. The investigator, a part of law
enforcement, ought to know that the age of consent is 17 in Texas, so, a
12 year old girl cannot consent, not to mention, when we are 12, 27 is
OLD! So, why does the police report say she wasn't an unwilling victim,
so now it's sex, not rape? Others are also blaming the victim, or
blaming other non related groups are at fault, which none makes any
sense.
Here is the ABC News article and video - http://abc13.com/news/police-say-man-had-sex-with-12-year-old-girl-in-restroom/1066670/
The article showing where the victim isn't an issue, then blaming other groups that they are the problem, when a child molester or pedophile are demented people, who have nothing to do with anyone else - http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/11/04/texas-detective-12-year-old-raped-in-cvs-bathroom-wasnt-necessarily-all-that-unwilling-video/
My experience in dealing with issues, phone calls and snail mail are the best forms of contact, especially when you can't make it there in person. Considering that this is law enforcement, using the phone or snail mail letters will ensure your voice will get there, since you can at least leave a message on their phone.
Please call the Southside Place Police Department @ 713-668-2341
Detective Michael Kelly is the officer who took the report. If his voice mail is full, please ask for Police Chief Don McCall or Lieutenant Al Baker.
Your voice message suggestion (please feel free to use your own words):
Hello, my name is _______________________. I am calling in regard to the CVS incident where a 12 year old girl was sexually assaulted by a man in his mid to late 20's. With the report that “She was not necessarily all that unwilling, but at the age of 12 it doesn’t matter,” along with the fact that the age of consent is 17 in Texas, this NEEDS to be listed on the report as rape or sexual assault. 12 year old girls don't 'have sex with' men who are in their mid to late 20's. To say that she wasn't unwilling insinuates that she was a willing participant, which still, at best, would be statutory rape. In reality, at the age of 12, we are taught to listen to grown ups. Adults are supposed to be safe, and obviously this at-large man was not, so, at worst, is first degree rape, and also child sex abuse. To call it anything less, is not acceptable, because you are holding a 12 year old child as more responsible than a grown person who is approaching 30.
Or write (snail mail) @
Southside Police Department
ATTN: Detective Michael Kelly
6309 Edloe Ave.
Houston, TX 77005
The Chief of Police: Don McCall
The Lieutenant: Al Baker
The letter suggestion (again, please write in your own words):
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, zip
(optional phone or email)
Date writing your letter
Dear Detective Kelly;
I am writing in concern about a sexual assault that happened to a 12 year old girl at a CVS, by a man in his mid to late 20's, as reported by ABC13 on Thursday, November 5, 2015. As a (parent - grandparent - concerned citizen - aunt/uncle - pediatrician/other medical staff - Godparent - your title in life), it is troublesome to see that the report does not call the incident rape or sexual assault, but rather having sex.
Being a tween who is probably taught to respect and obey adults, what may look like "not unwilling" could just mean that her life lessons were that she was just following directions as she was taught. Now that an adult man has broken that trust, how is this girl going to overcome this ordeal, especially as a family oriented girl, shopping with her mother and grandmother? We need to stop putting blame on children for sexual assaults, and put the blame where it belongs. The adult that broke the trust and confidence of safety and well being into the disaster zone. The fact that the report states both not unwilling as well as stating they had sex, insinuates that she is partly to blame for this incident. 12 year old kids don't "have sex" with adult men in their late 20's. Childhood sex abuse has long term negative effects, as well as shaming the victim. Please take this case seriously.
Thank you for your time, and please adjust the report to reflect that this is, indeed a rape case on a child under the age of 13 by a perpetrator more than 4 years older than the legal age of adulthood. This is the only proper way to handle this case.
Sincerely yours,
(Sign your name)
(print your name)
Here is the ABC News article and video - http://abc13.com/news/police-say-man-had-sex-with-12-year-old-girl-in-restroom/1066670/
The article showing where the victim isn't an issue, then blaming other groups that they are the problem, when a child molester or pedophile are demented people, who have nothing to do with anyone else - http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/11/04/texas-detective-12-year-old-raped-in-cvs-bathroom-wasnt-necessarily-all-that-unwilling-video/
My experience in dealing with issues, phone calls and snail mail are the best forms of contact, especially when you can't make it there in person. Considering that this is law enforcement, using the phone or snail mail letters will ensure your voice will get there, since you can at least leave a message on their phone.
Please call the Southside Place Police Department @ 713-668-2341
Detective Michael Kelly is the officer who took the report. If his voice mail is full, please ask for Police Chief Don McCall or Lieutenant Al Baker.
Your voice message suggestion (please feel free to use your own words):
Hello, my name is _______________________. I am calling in regard to the CVS incident where a 12 year old girl was sexually assaulted by a man in his mid to late 20's. With the report that “She was not necessarily all that unwilling, but at the age of 12 it doesn’t matter,” along with the fact that the age of consent is 17 in Texas, this NEEDS to be listed on the report as rape or sexual assault. 12 year old girls don't 'have sex with' men who are in their mid to late 20's. To say that she wasn't unwilling insinuates that she was a willing participant, which still, at best, would be statutory rape. In reality, at the age of 12, we are taught to listen to grown ups. Adults are supposed to be safe, and obviously this at-large man was not, so, at worst, is first degree rape, and also child sex abuse. To call it anything less, is not acceptable, because you are holding a 12 year old child as more responsible than a grown person who is approaching 30.
Or write (snail mail) @
Southside Police Department
ATTN: Detective Michael Kelly
6309 Edloe Ave.
Houston, TX 77005
The Chief of Police: Don McCall
The Lieutenant: Al Baker
The letter suggestion (again, please write in your own words):
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, zip
(optional phone or email)
Date writing your letter
Dear Detective Kelly;
I am writing in concern about a sexual assault that happened to a 12 year old girl at a CVS, by a man in his mid to late 20's, as reported by ABC13 on Thursday, November 5, 2015. As a (parent - grandparent - concerned citizen - aunt/uncle - pediatrician/other medical staff - Godparent - your title in life), it is troublesome to see that the report does not call the incident rape or sexual assault, but rather having sex.
Being a tween who is probably taught to respect and obey adults, what may look like "not unwilling" could just mean that her life lessons were that she was just following directions as she was taught. Now that an adult man has broken that trust, how is this girl going to overcome this ordeal, especially as a family oriented girl, shopping with her mother and grandmother? We need to stop putting blame on children for sexual assaults, and put the blame where it belongs. The adult that broke the trust and confidence of safety and well being into the disaster zone. The fact that the report states both not unwilling as well as stating they had sex, insinuates that she is partly to blame for this incident. 12 year old kids don't "have sex" with adult men in their late 20's. Childhood sex abuse has long term negative effects, as well as shaming the victim. Please take this case seriously.
Thank you for your time, and please adjust the report to reflect that this is, indeed a rape case on a child under the age of 13 by a perpetrator more than 4 years older than the legal age of adulthood. This is the only proper way to handle this case.
Sincerely yours,
(Sign your name)
(print your name)
Monday, October 26, 2015
Hospitality Center - Please keep this place in mind to donate.
To my friends in the Racine, WI -
SOCKS
Thank you friends of Christ Episcopal Church (Whitefish Bay) for helping our sisters and brothers to hope and for warming feet and hearts.
Socks are disposable items for our sisters and brothers experiencing homelessness. If you are homeless, you wear socks until the socks wear out and then you hope for help.
Thank you to all of Christ Episcopal Church for the socks, socks and more socks, which offer hope and provide help to our sisters and brothers in need.
SHELTER
The Hospitality Center is passionately committed to and will purposefully seek to be part of a community solution; a permanent shelter solution for all who are in need in Racine. Until then ----
The Hospitality Center provided food, safety and overnight shelter for the past three winter seasons for our sisters and brothers who called the streets "home." Unfortunately, the Hospitality Center is unable to again provide overnight shelter for many reasons. The Hospitality Center will continue to serve as a daytime "drop-in" center and will also continue to administer Racine's largest meal program.
When the Hospitality Center announced on January 4 of this year that serving as an emergency overnight shelter was beyond the Hospitality Center's capacity, the Racine community and beyond responded swiftly, generously and overwhelmingly. Persons interested in volunteering called; donations of food, clothing, and bedding arrived; and financial contributions were received.
A few days later, the Hospitality Center was pleased to announce that it would be able to continue operating the overnight shelter for the remainder of the winter season.
All funds received earlier this year were restricted and were used by the Hospitality Center for shelter needs. Unused funds were set aside at the end of the winter season in a restricted shelter provision account.
As made known on October 19, a few days ago, we learned that a motel voucher fund program in Racine ran out of money. The voucher program, administered under the Continuum of Care umbrella, was established to offer the growing number of our sisters and brothers in need of shelter with motel vouchers. Demand exceeded capacity. The voucher program's financial resources were exhausted before the first frost and people were out on the streets.
The Hospitality Center was in dialogue with Gai Lorenzen, Continuum of Care President, since learning about this pressing and life-threatening situation.
I am pleased to share that the Hospitality Center is releasing $38,879.17 (balance of the restricted shelter funds) to the Continuum of Care for the continuation of providing an immediate solution for our sisters and brothers in need.
We are indebted to the generous people of Racine and beyond who responded swiftly, generously and overwhelmingly in January of this year. That response - your response - allowed the Hospitality Center overnight shelter to remain open last winter and allows the Continuum of Care to continue to open doors of safety and shelter for our sisters and brothers in need now.
The Hospitality Center is passionately committed to and will purposefully seek to be part of a community solution; a permanent shelter solution for all who are in need in Racine.
On behalf of all of the Hospitality Center, thank you Gai and thank you Continuum of Care. And thank you to each of you who made overnight shelter at the Hospitality Center possible in the past and assistance available through the Continuum of Care in the present.
http://racinecountyeye.com/hospitality-center-donating-39000-for-winter-hotel-vouchers/
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/hospitality-center-donates-for-emergency-shelter/article_3e05efe2-c398-514c-8363-bfd906cce20e.html
Gratefully,
Kevin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFbZv0r6Cto&feature=youtu.be
SOCKS
Thank you friends of Christ Episcopal Church (Whitefish Bay) for helping our sisters and brothers to hope and for warming feet and hearts.
Socks are disposable items for our sisters and brothers experiencing homelessness. If you are homeless, you wear socks until the socks wear out and then you hope for help.
Thank you to all of Christ Episcopal Church for the socks, socks and more socks, which offer hope and provide help to our sisters and brothers in need.
SHELTER
The Hospitality Center is passionately committed to and will purposefully seek to be part of a community solution; a permanent shelter solution for all who are in need in Racine. Until then ----
The Hospitality Center provided food, safety and overnight shelter for the past three winter seasons for our sisters and brothers who called the streets "home." Unfortunately, the Hospitality Center is unable to again provide overnight shelter for many reasons. The Hospitality Center will continue to serve as a daytime "drop-in" center and will also continue to administer Racine's largest meal program.
When the Hospitality Center announced on January 4 of this year that serving as an emergency overnight shelter was beyond the Hospitality Center's capacity, the Racine community and beyond responded swiftly, generously and overwhelmingly. Persons interested in volunteering called; donations of food, clothing, and bedding arrived; and financial contributions were received.
A few days later, the Hospitality Center was pleased to announce that it would be able to continue operating the overnight shelter for the remainder of the winter season.
All funds received earlier this year were restricted and were used by the Hospitality Center for shelter needs. Unused funds were set aside at the end of the winter season in a restricted shelter provision account.
As made known on October 19, a few days ago, we learned that a motel voucher fund program in Racine ran out of money. The voucher program, administered under the Continuum of Care umbrella, was established to offer the growing number of our sisters and brothers in need of shelter with motel vouchers. Demand exceeded capacity. The voucher program's financial resources were exhausted before the first frost and people were out on the streets.
The Hospitality Center was in dialogue with Gai Lorenzen, Continuum of Care President, since learning about this pressing and life-threatening situation.
I am pleased to share that the Hospitality Center is releasing $38,879.17 (balance of the restricted shelter funds) to the Continuum of Care for the continuation of providing an immediate solution for our sisters and brothers in need.
We are indebted to the generous people of Racine and beyond who responded swiftly, generously and overwhelmingly in January of this year. That response - your response - allowed the Hospitality Center overnight shelter to remain open last winter and allows the Continuum of Care to continue to open doors of safety and shelter for our sisters and brothers in need now.
The Hospitality Center is passionately committed to and will purposefully seek to be part of a community solution; a permanent shelter solution for all who are in need in Racine.
On behalf of all of the Hospitality Center, thank you Gai and thank you Continuum of Care. And thank you to each of you who made overnight shelter at the Hospitality Center possible in the past and assistance available through the Continuum of Care in the present.
http://racinecountyeye.com/hospitality-center-donating-39000-for-winter-hotel-vouchers/
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/hospitality-center-donates-for-emergency-shelter/article_3e05efe2-c398-514c-8363-bfd906cce20e.html
Gratefully,
Kevin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFbZv0r6Cto&feature=youtu.be
Friday, October 16, 2015
Human Trafficking, Sex Offender Castration, and ?Hitting is Liking?
Here in the S.E. Wisconsin area, it is strange to see how things are looking so different in so many ways, I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. First off, the economy and the jobs situation here in Racine, WI is probably just as bad as what it is in Detroit. I did not research or study this, just going by what I read in the newspaper and such.
Anyway, I saw another advocate pushing awareness and such to help squash child sex abuse, had posted how 19 victims had been recovered from a national sting on human trafficking in Detroit, MI. Of course, this reminds me of how here in the Racine/Kenosha area, that 20 victims of ranging ages were recovered and helped. This is something we never heard about while growing up. So, is the situation worse, because it seems as if these rings are being busted open, that the numbers just grow, and the severity is astounding. Or, maybe because there is awareness and the social change made it so our law enforcement and judicial system made it a higher priority. I hope so.
The worrying thing about it, though, is while we are talking about this, you realize that these cities all over which used to be some kind of beacon of treasure as a successful city, not just here in the USA, but also as leaders around the globe, for success and inspiration for multiculturalism as well as prosperity. Detroit used to be known as the Motor City, because Ford, Chevy and American Motors (Primarily Chrysler) were in Detroit. At one point, as a younger adult, I remember the Chrysler came and opened up a factory in Kenosha. I remember thinking that it was bad for Detroit, but good for Racine/Kenosha. Several years later, the company decided to go back to Detroit. Bad for us, but, you can't blame the homecoming, can you? Then, they closed in Detroit, at least to the point that there were so many more that got cut, and I think a portion came (smaller than the last), back to Kenosha, then, skipped town altogether. As in left the Midwest. Boo. Racine was once called Tractor City, because of the J. I. Case farming tractors being manufactured. There were so many other factories here, that it was a boom. Jacobsen's, Horlick's Malted Milk, Dremel, and so many others... With this type of crash, and nothing to replace it, except part time, low paying jobs, and many are not getting that. But there have been studies that state that when unemployment and underemployment are high, so are the crimes.
So, back to the crimes in distressed areas and human trafficking... It seems as if some things are still mixed up. Here is an article about how the charges of human trafficking were dropped, because the victim had probably spent time in Minnesota, trafficking victims there... So, because she wasn't a victim for the full 3 weeks, she is now not a victim? And, what if part of the deal that she was to aid in trafficking or get killed? So the perpetrator gets to get out for free? That is just so not right...
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/trafficking-charge-dropped-against-city-man/article_742b1ec4-ccf7-5a84-ba12-6baa420eb6a3.html
Speaking of human trafficking leading into a discussion for how to handle sex offenders... California, Florida, and now Oklahoma have these crazy punishments for convicted sex offenders to go through with chemical castration. Because it is considered a sex crime, the logic behind it is, lower the sex drive, and end the cycle. While on the surface, it makes sense, because this is a crime that sex is used as a tool. But. Yes, there is a but, and a huge but, it is, not to be made light of, because sex crimes are not about sex. Rape is 100% a power and control issue. Really. Sex is the tool, it is the means, not the end. So, just because it's being treated to lower the libido, it has no bearing on the psyche, because it's only taking away the best power tool, but, who needs a power tool, when other forms of intimidation is just as worthy, such as threatening to kill you by shooting you through your private area? Or using a bottle, their own hand, what ever it is... the lack of interest in actually using your body as the tool may be the best offensive action, but, when it is about power and control, this has no bearing on what can be done to sexually abuse another person. What do you think?
http://viralsurvival.com/2015/10/13/one-state-just-announced-plans-to-castrate-sex-offenders/
As long as we are on this topic, we need to stop treating situations like this where girls are supposed to be demure, and to treat sex as a special gift, while we playfully punch our boys in the shoulder as an "atta boy" compliment, and then blame the girls for being a single parent, or that abuse is okay because boys are supposed to have play toys available, even if she is a fellow human being, and that girls are supposed to accommodate their husbands, after being told it's special, just to have the first time be such a total dud, that there was nothing special about it.
Okay, and look. I am not saying sex is bad or terrible. Sex also should not be taboo, and this is one of those things that should be celebrated as a gift, because we can share it in ways other species cannot, and brings intimacy to new levels when we share that gift with each other. But, here is where it gets sticky. Here is a little girl, who was told while she was getting stitches from a boy hitting her in the eyeball, that he likes her. So, what, it is okay that boys beat up on their girl classmates, girl friends, and eventually the women they marry because he likes her so much he punches hard enough for her to go to the hospital? So wrong... And if these hospital members are supposed to be mandatory reporters of abuse, what kind of message are we sending our kids? That hitting the cute kid because your child likes that kid is okay, because she's cute? No. And it's just as wrong to do it because someone is ugly to you.
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/10/442877-toddler-went-hospital-hit-boy-clerk-said-outrageous/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Partners&utm_term=PRM17&ts_pid=2&utm_content=inf_10_74_2
We need to do a better job to protect our children. Seriously. For more information on helping to make the changes necessary to protect children, all children, from all forms of abuse, please email the founder of Youth Voice Initiative at lika.yvi@gmail.com - put YVI in the subject, to help it get noticed.
Anyway, I saw another advocate pushing awareness and such to help squash child sex abuse, had posted how 19 victims had been recovered from a national sting on human trafficking in Detroit, MI. Of course, this reminds me of how here in the Racine/Kenosha area, that 20 victims of ranging ages were recovered and helped. This is something we never heard about while growing up. So, is the situation worse, because it seems as if these rings are being busted open, that the numbers just grow, and the severity is astounding. Or, maybe because there is awareness and the social change made it so our law enforcement and judicial system made it a higher priority. I hope so.
The worrying thing about it, though, is while we are talking about this, you realize that these cities all over which used to be some kind of beacon of treasure as a successful city, not just here in the USA, but also as leaders around the globe, for success and inspiration for multiculturalism as well as prosperity. Detroit used to be known as the Motor City, because Ford, Chevy and American Motors (Primarily Chrysler) were in Detroit. At one point, as a younger adult, I remember the Chrysler came and opened up a factory in Kenosha. I remember thinking that it was bad for Detroit, but good for Racine/Kenosha. Several years later, the company decided to go back to Detroit. Bad for us, but, you can't blame the homecoming, can you? Then, they closed in Detroit, at least to the point that there were so many more that got cut, and I think a portion came (smaller than the last), back to Kenosha, then, skipped town altogether. As in left the Midwest. Boo. Racine was once called Tractor City, because of the J. I. Case farming tractors being manufactured. There were so many other factories here, that it was a boom. Jacobsen's, Horlick's Malted Milk, Dremel, and so many others... With this type of crash, and nothing to replace it, except part time, low paying jobs, and many are not getting that. But there have been studies that state that when unemployment and underemployment are high, so are the crimes.
So, back to the crimes in distressed areas and human trafficking... It seems as if some things are still mixed up. Here is an article about how the charges of human trafficking were dropped, because the victim had probably spent time in Minnesota, trafficking victims there... So, because she wasn't a victim for the full 3 weeks, she is now not a victim? And, what if part of the deal that she was to aid in trafficking or get killed? So the perpetrator gets to get out for free? That is just so not right...
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/trafficking-charge-dropped-against-city-man/article_742b1ec4-ccf7-5a84-ba12-6baa420eb6a3.html
Speaking of human trafficking leading into a discussion for how to handle sex offenders... California, Florida, and now Oklahoma have these crazy punishments for convicted sex offenders to go through with chemical castration. Because it is considered a sex crime, the logic behind it is, lower the sex drive, and end the cycle. While on the surface, it makes sense, because this is a crime that sex is used as a tool. But. Yes, there is a but, and a huge but, it is, not to be made light of, because sex crimes are not about sex. Rape is 100% a power and control issue. Really. Sex is the tool, it is the means, not the end. So, just because it's being treated to lower the libido, it has no bearing on the psyche, because it's only taking away the best power tool, but, who needs a power tool, when other forms of intimidation is just as worthy, such as threatening to kill you by shooting you through your private area? Or using a bottle, their own hand, what ever it is... the lack of interest in actually using your body as the tool may be the best offensive action, but, when it is about power and control, this has no bearing on what can be done to sexually abuse another person. What do you think?
http://viralsurvival.com/2015/10/13/one-state-just-announced-plans-to-castrate-sex-offenders/
As long as we are on this topic, we need to stop treating situations like this where girls are supposed to be demure, and to treat sex as a special gift, while we playfully punch our boys in the shoulder as an "atta boy" compliment, and then blame the girls for being a single parent, or that abuse is okay because boys are supposed to have play toys available, even if she is a fellow human being, and that girls are supposed to accommodate their husbands, after being told it's special, just to have the first time be such a total dud, that there was nothing special about it.
Okay, and look. I am not saying sex is bad or terrible. Sex also should not be taboo, and this is one of those things that should be celebrated as a gift, because we can share it in ways other species cannot, and brings intimacy to new levels when we share that gift with each other. But, here is where it gets sticky. Here is a little girl, who was told while she was getting stitches from a boy hitting her in the eyeball, that he likes her. So, what, it is okay that boys beat up on their girl classmates, girl friends, and eventually the women they marry because he likes her so much he punches hard enough for her to go to the hospital? So wrong... And if these hospital members are supposed to be mandatory reporters of abuse, what kind of message are we sending our kids? That hitting the cute kid because your child likes that kid is okay, because she's cute? No. And it's just as wrong to do it because someone is ugly to you.
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/10/442877-toddler-went-hospital-hit-boy-clerk-said-outrageous/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Partners&utm_term=PRM17&ts_pid=2&utm_content=inf_10_74_2
We need to do a better job to protect our children. Seriously. For more information on helping to make the changes necessary to protect children, all children, from all forms of abuse, please email the founder of Youth Voice Initiative at lika.yvi@gmail.com - put YVI in the subject, to help it get noticed.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
A Rant, Our Children, and a WTF Moment
Okay, so anyone who knows me, even a little bit, knows I am all about the children. You don’t even have to know me well, to know that yes, I am always about protecting our children. This isn’t just a pet peeve. My pet peeve is stupid people, who have no reason except that they choose to be ignorant, and refuse to learn or better themselves. Fighting for the children is, for me, a believe system, a way of life. Their lives, everyone’s future. And this is what is disturbing.
One of the reasons we need our children to be safe and happy children, is because if they are too stressed about their home lives, they cannot do well in school. Part of our young being a big part of our future, is to ensure they can get the education they need to be successful as adults. So, here is an article, about a bus driver who was arrested for taking drugs before clocking into his afternoon shift to take children home from school.
I know that the area isn’t very big, and I’m not sure the ages of the kids, but still... Why would you drive a school bus as a druggie? And, don’t tell me this is the first time he has been caught, because, at the age of 38 years old, he didn’t JUST become a druggie yesterday. With that knowledge in hand, how is it, that the bus company, whose #1 priority is safety, that they didn’t find anything? Well, no matter, people are supposed to be normal, and it wasn’t the bus company that fed him the drugs. But seriously... Stop driving children around, if you are going to be that STUPID!
The next bit, just as big, in a different way, is the editorial for The Racine Interfaith Coalition. Anyway... This is a group of people, most of them who are in leadership positions with a religious facility, and a diverse group ranging from Lutherans, to Episcopalians, to Catholics, to Jewish, to Muslim, to AME, Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, and others, who get together to help develop and manage various social programs to help those who truly need help. The philosophy is, that by being social connections within the community, they are better able to connect those in need directly with the services in need, and tackle the issues that are facing the people getting the help. Great organization, have a look for your self - http://www.ricracine.org/Issues.htm...
The biggest thing they’re working on (as far as I know with my limited knowledge), is a project to reduce the amount of people going into our already over crowded prisons, and ensure that nonviolent people are not getting incarcerated as much, and the fact that yes, our black population is arrested, charged, and imprisoned more often and longer than the rest of the population. Also, not to mention, that youthful offenders who did not commit a violent crime should not be tried as adults, and our young people and those coming out of prisons need a second chance, as stated here in this Commentary in October 8, 2015 of the Journal Times - http://journaltimes.com/print_speci...
Good causes, and for the right reasons, these have merit. Thing is, we also have the Racine Vocational Ministry who helps those coming out with job placements; the HOPES Center to help with counseling, AODA, and what ever else; The Hospitality Center, who helps everybody to an extent and the neediest of the needy in huge ways; amongst the Workforce Development Center, and more. I understand, especially with our young people, because so many other programs may be getting cut due to budget system, and youth need the most help. All great, right?
Well, yes, but, there are those of us who fall in the cracks of everything, and if I weren’t so pathetic in my own situation, I’d have a difficult time believing it myself. But, seriously, sometimes I wonder what is going on with some things, and after a certain point, some of us just have nowhere else to go, and there is no agency who puts us first, because there is always a person or family out there that are worse off, or have other extenuating circumstances, etc... So, what, do we, as honest people have to lose everything with extenuating circumstances before we are to be helped, and have to start with literally NOTHING? It’s crazy... And, trust me, there are a lot more than me. And as much as we try to network, we are unsuccessful, and have little to no options. It shouldn’t be this hard to find a job that fits, at a rate we don’t have to worry about expenses. Yet, who is out there advocating for us? Why does it have to be exclusive?
The biggest kicker for me... is this couple, who took in a young girl, and wanted to teach her about sex, and made her take part in their bedroom from the time she was about 9, to about 13 years of age. Are they f*c%!ng serious? A little girl learns about sex from partaking in adult sexual relationships? That is so disgusting! Sex education does NOT include actually having sex with others, and most definitely NOT with a couple where the man is old enough to be her grandfather!
The sickening part, more than disgusting... For 4 years of sex abuse for the man being a pedophile, is 10 years behind bars, and 15 years extended supervision. Seriously? I don’t care if he’s 56, and will be out of prison by the time (maybe before) he’s 66, and 81 when off papers. The girl, no matter how mature, how big her heart is, will have a life time of repercussions to some extend or another. These aren’t just with nightmares, depression, or PTSD. This girl is possibly going to have difficulty building a normal relationship with an intimate lover, and may reject him because she doesn’t feel as if she is lovable, or clean enough, or what have you, for this potential young man might have for her. Or, maybe she can love, but, when it comes to intimacy, cannot participate in her own relationship because of the bad memories that come back. The rest of her life. Do the judges understand this?
For being a part of the marriage and what have you, the wife, who also willingly took part, damn it, that the excuse is she was a victim since 9 herself, was taught not to stand up to men? What kind of crap IS that? Yes, she could have done something, and not waited until AFTER the court case started. And, for being a grown woman who survived so much abuse herself, that *I* expect that she do the right thing, but, because she is a “sympathetic perpetrator”, so deserves some stupid sympathy, is only getting 10 years behind bars and 5 years extended supervision.
Before going on about being in someone elses’ shoes, yes, I have been in a similar situations as the teenage girl whose innocence and everything was stolen from her, and will never be able to be given back to her. For being a woman, how did her maternal instincts not start ringing warning bells inside her head? And I suppose for the 20 months behind bars, will probably be counted toward her time.
Why are we so lenient on those who sexually abuse our children? No, this is NOT acceptable, and this is also why our city, state, and nation going to the sewers. Our children deserve better than this. A LOT better. How do we expect our young people to succeed in school, if this is what they have to live with? Even fast food is about knowing how to do data entry, reading, coding, entering on computerized cash register, light math, etc. And if they don’t get this? These kids won’t be able to get much accomplished. We seriously need to gather ourselves together, and push to be harsher, and stop making excuses for adults who are too weak to protect our children.
Why are we so lenient on those who sexually abuse our children? No, this is NOT acceptable, and this is also why our city, state, and nation going to the sewers. Our children deserve better than this. A LOT better. How do we expect our young people to succeed in school, if this is what they have to live with? Even fast food is about knowing how to do data entry, reading, coding, entering on computerized cash register, light math, etc. And if they don’t get this? These kids won’t be able to get much accomplished. We seriously need to gather ourselves together, and push to be harsher, and stop making excuses for adults who are too weak to protect our children.
Why are we so lenient on those who sexually abuse our children? No, this is NOT acceptable, and this is also why our city, state, and nation going to the sewers. Our children deserve better than this. A LOT better. How do we expect our young people to succeed in school, if this is what they have to live with? Even fast food is about knowing how to do data entry, reading, coding, entering on computerized cash register, light math, etc. And if they don’t get this? These kids won’t be able to get much accomplished. We seriously need to gather ourselves together, and push to be harsher, and stop making excuses for adults who are too weak to protect our children.
Come see how YOU, can make an impact. - https://sites.google.com/site/youthvoiceinitiative/home
Friday, October 9, 2015
October is Diabetes Awareness Month
Being diabetic can be confusing, especially since there are basically two different kinds. And, they are not what they used to be. Type 1 diabetes, which used to be called “juvenile onset diabetes”, is when your pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin. While it mostly affects younger people more, it can happen at any time. Type 2 diabetes, which used to be “adult onset diabetes”, though, with the growing epidemic of obesity, there are different angles of type 2, that your pancreas still makes insulin, but, is affected by one or more of these - A) your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin B) the insulin is inefficient, and your body doesn’t know how to use it, because of that C) the insulin receptors that grab the insulin to process carbohydrates is somehow out of the loop in doing their jobs
If you have type 1 diabetes, you cannot be cured. Your body doesn’t make it’s own insulin, so you will have to inject insulin for the rest of your life. But, luckily for type 2, if you can lose the weight and actually be able to reverse diabetes to your pre-diabetic state, if you can do it as early as possible. Losing weight and eating a healthy diet is key, and maintaining the lower weight and healthy eating. To read more, here is an article on Web MD - http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/featu...
Part of eating healthy, is to ensure that you get enough vegetables in your diet. Well, duh, right? First Lady Michelle Obama has the right idea with her “My Plate”, where your dinner plate should have non starchy veggies on half of the plate. The suggestion of eating 5 fruits and vegetables is to have 3 servings of veggies and 2 fruits each day. Eating them is better for you than drinking them. Some of the foods that are really good for you if you are diabetic is listed here in this article - http://www.healthline.com/health-sl...
To keep a check on how many carbohydrates in your diet, first, have your doctor in charge of your diabetes on how many calories you should eat in a day. Your gender, height, weight, BMI, age, and a couple of other things will factor into how many calories vs. how many carbs you should eat in a day. Carbohydrates come from 3 different food groups, and dessert or snack food. First, is your starches - which include pasta, tortillas, breads, rice, barley, cous cous, potatoes, cereals, and if it’s a grain of any sort, it is a starch, or a carbohydrate. Second, is from fruit. Fruit contains natural sugars called fructose, and out of all of the sugars out there, this is probably the healthiest one. Because of the sugar content, it’s better to eat the fruit, so you get the fiber along with it, also, and fiber helps slow down the rate of absorption to keep your blood sugars down lower. Drinking fruit juice actually goes straight into your blood stream. Third, is from dairy products, from the lactose contained within milk products. Dairy includes milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, etc. 1 point, or 15 grams, is considered a serving, and a serving would be a slice of bread, a SMALL tortilla (such as for tacos, NOT fajitas or burritos), 1/3 cup of rice or pasta, a small potato, 1/2 of a bun. Your doctor or diabetic dietician will go over a plan with you, and will decide if you should eat 3 meals a day, or 5 or 6 mini-meals a day, and how many carbs you can eat with each one. With snacks like potato chips, but especially cookies, cakes, brownies, etc, it’s processed sugar cane, which has a lot of calories but almost no nutrition, so keep these at a minimum. No, do NOT try to say you will never eat these... When you make them taboo, they will become more delightful, so, include a baby portions of your favorites to have one a day, or just one every other day is fine, and you’re more likely to not binge eat on the foods that are bad. Meats and vegetables have such miniscule amounts of carbohydrates that they don’t count as being starchy.
The next issue to tackle is calories. These are different from counting carbs. Calories come from 3 different categories. Meat, because of the density and whatnot, has plenty of calories, so when choosing, choose a leaner cut, and then also take off excess fat by trimming it off before cooking, or taking the skin off of the poultry. Baking, steaming and grilling are the healthiest ways to cook. I know, boring.... But, this is for your health, right? Next is from fat. Obviously. But, make sure that you know the difference between good fats and bad fats, and the healthier ones can help making a HUGE difference in how many calories are being consumed. Lastly, calories come from carbohydrates, which are complex, but, they get digested down into a sugar, which adds weight if you eat too much. When we eat the right amount of calories, we will not gain weight, or lose if we are over weight. The extra calories you eat will convert to storage fat, regardless of where the calories come from. Your body needs carbs/sugars, to function properly. So you should eat some. But, if you eat too many, the carbs break down and tell your body to store the extra calories as fat.
Here are your serving sizes and approximately how many servings a day you ought to eat.
Vegetables - 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked. Corn, peas, parsnips, squash, zucchini are examples of starchy vegetables, so count them in that category. For those of you who are meat and potatoes types, go slow and try the veggies that are the most appealing. It’s okay if it’s tomatoes, or baby carrots. You can always expand later, to try other good ones, and just because some veggies such as canned spinach can leave a bad taste in your mouth, look up some recipes to where you can use fresh or frozen spinach to make your own good side. I personally like to use fresh spinach on my sandwiches, and mix spinach and romaine lettuce for salads. Ice burg is mostly water. Eat 3 servings a day! And, because of the low calorie content, when ever you’re hungry, have more veggies. They are the same as “free food”, because they’re almost “free” of calories.
Fruits - 1 medium size piece of fruit, which is about the size of a baseball. Be careful with bananas, since many of them are huge. 1/2 cup of juice is a serving, and no, the fruit roll ups don’t count. Eat 2 a day! Again, start with what you think you will like, if you’ve never been one to eat much fruit. Maybe pears, or various berries, or what have you... For the taller people or those with bigger frames, 3 servings of fruit is probably better.
Fats - Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and such are better for you, because they may raise your good cholesterol, and 1tsp is a serving, not much, but, better than other ones. Limit the butter you put on your toast, and when cooking, if something calls for a 1/4 cup of butter, use 1/8 of each butter and olive oil. Olive oil has a creamy flavor, which blends nice with your butter, and you won’t miss the extra butter. Avocados, mayo, bacon and olives are also considered fats. Because mayo and bacon are so high in saturated fats, it’s better to go with the others, and another trick is, use an avocado and blend smooth with olive oil, and you can use that in place of butter or mayo on your sandwich. Dressings for your salad also is a fat, and use it sparingly. Use as little as you can stand, and draw back from there. Also, when grilling skinless meat, canola oil is good to brush on to help lock in the juices. A serving is 1 tsp, (there are 3 tsp in a TBS), and don’t exceed 2 TBS of fat. in a day.
Meats - chicken, beef, turkey, pork, and legumes such as pinto beans, navy beans, lima beans, black beans, and all forms of beans except green, wax, etc are considered proteins. Eggs and cheese, also. Because how much of this you need depends on being a man or a woman, your age, and how active you are, so, please check it through to your doctor or diabetic nurse educator to figure out how much, and next time will talk about how legumes, which are the beans that often come in a can or a bag of dried, are to be considered tricky to count, because it’s a combination of protein and starch. Up to 7 eggs daily, depending, and cheese is a meat, so watch that on sandwiches.
Dairy - Low fat milk is best, but, come down slowly. If you like the whole milk, start by drinking 3 parts whole, and 1 part 1%. Gradually make it closer to 1%, but, if you can’t seem to get past it, try it with 2% to see how it goes. Growing children need the whole milk from when they turn 1, to 2. Switch to 2% at age 2, and keep it there until they go to kindergarten, and switch to 1%. Kids should be getting 3 cups, adults 2 - 2.5, depending. Keep it low, and if you’re hitting a plateau, switch to almond milk. I like the Blue Diamond brand of the original almond, not sweetened, not vanilla. It’s good for you.
I love to cook at my house. We love all ethnic foods. But, what surprised me, is that diabetes runs higher in Hispanic, African American, and Asian Americans here in the US are diagnosed with diabetes fastest. We love all foods with flavors, and I have been successful in modifying some Asian foods to be a whole lot healthier. What I want to ask you, all of my peeps and readers, is if you have your own legitimate ethnic recipe, I’d like you to post it, whether here or message me, so I can see how I can modify it without making it taste so American that it’s no good for you, anymore. Maybe we can turn it into a cookbook, I don’t know, but, I’d love to develop authentic ethnic foods w/o having to spend a lot for them.
I hope this helps for now, and feel free to ask me any questions, and I will answer, either privately or with the post Thank you.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Supporting the Mission of Hospitality and Those Who Depend on the Center
Here in S.E. Wisconsin, particularly Racine, we have seen the amount
of people who are in poverty rise over the last several years. The
economy here was bad enough before the recession officially hit, and
since then, it's been a constant battle to recover. And while the
unemployment rate has reduced, those who are underemployed or underpaid
has increased in number, therefore, creating a larger group who are
either homeless, food insecure, or at risk of homelessness.
The Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization (H.A.L.O.) Inc has been here for 10 years, and has provided many services for those who are homeless, including to offer child care to those who needed to look for work and start their new jobs. We are glad that there is a shelter like this here, since we do really need to take care of those who are less fortunate, and really need a hand up. Here is a link that shows what, and how much help HALO Inc. does - http://www.haloinc.org/about/halo-facts
Even with this emergency shelter with their 120 beds to accommodate men on one side, and women & children on the other, this isn't a cure all for the issues that plague our area. At HALO, you have to follow strict rules. Some of those rules include the fact that you may have to leave by 9am so that the staff and administrators can do room checks and cleaning these rooms. They serve breakfast and dinner. If you want to eat your dinner, you need to be there BY 5pm. Curfew is 9pm, and even if you are only 5 minutes late, this can be enough to lose your spot in the shelter. There is no drinking allowed. No drinking means that not only are you not allowed to have alcoholic beverages in the shelter, you are not to have any alcoholic beverages while you are out during the day time hours, either. If you come in smelling like alcohol, you are not permitted to stay there. No street drugs allowed, period. There are other strict rules like having lights out by 11pm, and you're only allowed a certain amount of your personal belongings to bring into the shelter.
While this may seem harsh, there are those who are trying to be sober need the best type of support, and that includes not having triggers of others who may not have the problem. There are also some who are mentally ill, whose behaviors may not be allowed, even if it's their mental illness rather than a purposeful behavior.
So, here comes the Hospitality Center, which started at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church, and was licensed to give snacks, 3 times a week. But, during the winter months, had expanded to so much more than that, because on these weary cold nights, it's easy to freeze to death, and the premise is that no one should have to die, because they are still human beings. Well, some businesses are complaining, in part that yes, there are those who are alcoholic. Others have battles with mental illness. I get it. These people are not always the easiest to deal with. Businesses have things to do. Let's face it, though. Poor people with other issues exist, and they aren't going to go away, just because they are a pain to deal with. It's already bad enough, that mental health issues don't get covered by insurance the way physical health does. They need the stability somewhere, and the Hospitality Center helps. In a huge way. Yet, the center is at risk of being shut down. Probably due to issues such as the meal site for a certain night was a place where if they went there, they wouldn't be able to catch the bus back to the Hospitality Center to stay overnight in the winter. So, they probably went to a nearby eatery in the downtown area, ordered food, and couldn't pay for it, because otherwise, they would have to choose between eating the one meal or having night time shelter, and because it's one of these survival issues, they wanted to be able to eat a hot meal and then go get some rest.
Mind you, I am not condoning the behavior to order food that you can't afford to pay for. On the other hand, when you're hungry, what would you do in the same situation? The rest of us are lucky to have a place to call home, and to be able to find something in order to eat so we're not going to bed on an empty stomach. So, I am imploring people to write their aldermen, go to the meeting, contact the Mayor, do what you can, to help keep this place open.
Here is more information on that.
HELP THE HOSPITALITY CENTER BE ABLE TO CONTINUE FEEDING THE HUNGRY IN RACINE
The Hospitality Center has met with city officials following complaints by 2-3 nearby business owners. An application to amend our Conditional Use Permit was submitted. Our original permit allowed snacks to be served three days each week. Since that time, because of a growing need, we have become Racine’s largest meal program, serving over 1,000 meals each week. We currently serve noon meals four days each week, supper each Monday, and on the last Thursday of each month. In a city with the state’s largest unemployment rate, we have a lot of hungry people. We have met a need of feeding the hungry, responding to what we believe by God we are called to do.
The word on the street is that the Plan Commission will not approve our amended Conditional Use Permit. We will then be forced to significantly curtail our services, or eliminate them altogether.
Help the hungry! Speak and/or stand in support of the Hospitality Center (RACINE’S LARGEST MEAL PROGRAM) at City Hall on July 29, 2015 at 4:15pm. Our Conditional Use Permit must be approved by the city for us to continue feeding our hungry brothers and sisters.
There are many other meal programs in Racine! As far as we know, we are the only site required to have a Conditional Use Permit to serve the hungry! Why is this?
Additionally, we urge you to contact directly members of Racine’s Plan Commission to lend us your support regarding this very important issue.
Mayor John Dickert http://www.cityofracine.org/Mayor/
Melvin Hargrove zoeministires@sbcglobal.net
Molly Hall mollyjjhall@sbcglobal.net
Tony Veranth tonyracine1@gmail.com
Tom Durkin durkin@beckerfrench.com
Dennis Wiser dennis.wiser@cityofracine.org
Vincent Esqueda esqueda65@yahoo.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
Friends of the Hospitality Center
Carol Zukewich, Office Manager
Racine Interfaith Coalition
2302A DeKoven Avenue
Racine, WI 53403
262-635-9532
Hospitality Center, Wednesday, July 29 at 4:15 p.m. at City Hall, Room 205 -
Call-Tell the City of Racine Planning Commission below you support the Permit for the Hospitality
Center. Feed the hungry.....
Dennis Wiser
262-554-6918
Dennis.Wiser@cityofracine.org
2517 Pinehurst Ave
Mayor John Dickert
262-636-9111
Melvin Hargrove
262-681-1691
zoeministries@sbcglobal.net
4144 Lasalle Street
Molly Hall
262-635-0520
mollyjjhall@sbcglobal.net
115 Illinois Street
Tom Durkin
262-633-7530
Tony Veranth
262-6370115 tonyracine1@gmail.com
2517 Pinehurst Ave
Vincent Esqueda
262-344-1965
esqueda65@yahoo.com
1105 N. Memorial Drive
If you have any questions, please call Greg Petro - 262-989-6352 Deacon Bob Bagley - 262-221-5901
Pr. Michael Mueller - 262-930-2072
Carol Zukewich, Office Manager
Racine Interfaith Coalitiion
2302A DeKoven Avenue
Racine, WI 53403
262-635-9532
The Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization (H.A.L.O.) Inc has been here for 10 years, and has provided many services for those who are homeless, including to offer child care to those who needed to look for work and start their new jobs. We are glad that there is a shelter like this here, since we do really need to take care of those who are less fortunate, and really need a hand up. Here is a link that shows what, and how much help HALO Inc. does - http://www.haloinc.org/about/halo-facts
Even with this emergency shelter with their 120 beds to accommodate men on one side, and women & children on the other, this isn't a cure all for the issues that plague our area. At HALO, you have to follow strict rules. Some of those rules include the fact that you may have to leave by 9am so that the staff and administrators can do room checks and cleaning these rooms. They serve breakfast and dinner. If you want to eat your dinner, you need to be there BY 5pm. Curfew is 9pm, and even if you are only 5 minutes late, this can be enough to lose your spot in the shelter. There is no drinking allowed. No drinking means that not only are you not allowed to have alcoholic beverages in the shelter, you are not to have any alcoholic beverages while you are out during the day time hours, either. If you come in smelling like alcohol, you are not permitted to stay there. No street drugs allowed, period. There are other strict rules like having lights out by 11pm, and you're only allowed a certain amount of your personal belongings to bring into the shelter.
While this may seem harsh, there are those who are trying to be sober need the best type of support, and that includes not having triggers of others who may not have the problem. There are also some who are mentally ill, whose behaviors may not be allowed, even if it's their mental illness rather than a purposeful behavior.
So, here comes the Hospitality Center, which started at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church, and was licensed to give snacks, 3 times a week. But, during the winter months, had expanded to so much more than that, because on these weary cold nights, it's easy to freeze to death, and the premise is that no one should have to die, because they are still human beings. Well, some businesses are complaining, in part that yes, there are those who are alcoholic. Others have battles with mental illness. I get it. These people are not always the easiest to deal with. Businesses have things to do. Let's face it, though. Poor people with other issues exist, and they aren't going to go away, just because they are a pain to deal with. It's already bad enough, that mental health issues don't get covered by insurance the way physical health does. They need the stability somewhere, and the Hospitality Center helps. In a huge way. Yet, the center is at risk of being shut down. Probably due to issues such as the meal site for a certain night was a place where if they went there, they wouldn't be able to catch the bus back to the Hospitality Center to stay overnight in the winter. So, they probably went to a nearby eatery in the downtown area, ordered food, and couldn't pay for it, because otherwise, they would have to choose between eating the one meal or having night time shelter, and because it's one of these survival issues, they wanted to be able to eat a hot meal and then go get some rest.
Mind you, I am not condoning the behavior to order food that you can't afford to pay for. On the other hand, when you're hungry, what would you do in the same situation? The rest of us are lucky to have a place to call home, and to be able to find something in order to eat so we're not going to bed on an empty stomach. So, I am imploring people to write their aldermen, go to the meeting, contact the Mayor, do what you can, to help keep this place open.
Here is more information on that.
HELP THE HOSPITALITY CENTER BE ABLE TO CONTINUE FEEDING THE HUNGRY IN RACINE
The Hospitality Center has met with city officials following complaints by 2-3 nearby business owners. An application to amend our Conditional Use Permit was submitted. Our original permit allowed snacks to be served three days each week. Since that time, because of a growing need, we have become Racine’s largest meal program, serving over 1,000 meals each week. We currently serve noon meals four days each week, supper each Monday, and on the last Thursday of each month. In a city with the state’s largest unemployment rate, we have a lot of hungry people. We have met a need of feeding the hungry, responding to what we believe by God we are called to do.
The word on the street is that the Plan Commission will not approve our amended Conditional Use Permit. We will then be forced to significantly curtail our services, or eliminate them altogether.
Help the hungry! Speak and/or stand in support of the Hospitality Center (RACINE’S LARGEST MEAL PROGRAM) at City Hall on July 29, 2015 at 4:15pm. Our Conditional Use Permit must be approved by the city for us to continue feeding our hungry brothers and sisters.
There are many other meal programs in Racine! As far as we know, we are the only site required to have a Conditional Use Permit to serve the hungry! Why is this?
Additionally, we urge you to contact directly members of Racine’s Plan Commission to lend us your support regarding this very important issue.
Mayor John Dickert http://www.cityofracine.org/Mayor/
Melvin Hargrove zoeministires@sbcglobal.net
Molly Hall mollyjjhall@sbcglobal.net
Tony Veranth tonyracine1@gmail.com
Tom Durkin durkin@beckerfrench.com
Dennis Wiser dennis.wiser@cityofracine.org
Vincent Esqueda esqueda65@yahoo.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
Friends of the Hospitality Center
Action to help Hospitality Center with Permit
To speak at the City Planning Commision meeting, Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 4:15, you need to come at 3:45 to sign-up.
Carol Zukewich, Office Manager
Racine Interfaith Coalition
2302A DeKoven Avenue
Racine, WI 53403
262-635-9532
Help Deacon Kevin Stewart Amend The Hospitality Center's Permit which will allow them to continue operating as they currently are to help the Poor.
Call the City of Racine Planning Commission and attend the meeting to speak in support of theHospitality Center, Wednesday, July 29 at 4:15 p.m. at City Hall, Room 205 -
Call-Tell the City of Racine Planning Commission below you support the Permit for the Hospitality
Center. Feed the hungry.....
Dennis Wiser
262-554-6918
Dennis.Wiser@cityofracine.org
2517 Pinehurst Ave
Racine, WI 53403
262-636-9111
262-681-1691
zoeministries@sbcglobal.net
4144 Lasalle Street
Racine, WI 53402
262-635-0520
mollyjjhall@sbcglobal.net
115 Illinois Street
Racine, WI 53405
262-633-7530
262-6370115 tonyracine1@gmail.com
2517 Pinehurst Ave
Racine, WI 53403
262-344-1965
esqueda65@yahoo.com
1105 N. Memorial Drive
Racine, WI 53403
Pr. Michael Mueller - 262-930-2072
Carol Zukewich, Office Manager
Racine Interfaith Coalitiion
2302A DeKoven Avenue
Racine, WI 53403
262-635-9532
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
The United States of America: A Christian Nation or Religious Freedoms?
I have heard it said by many of people, that the USA is a Christian
Nation, and wants the country to be where same sex marriage is not
allowed. Before we get into the specifics of same sex marriage, I want
to give a history lesson here, about how this country is NOT a Christian
nation, and that The Constitution is to celebrate religious freedom.
Here is the Preamble of the Constitution:
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary forone people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them withanother, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equalstation to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decentrespect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causeswhich impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men arecreated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienablerights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights, governments are institutedamong men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Thatwhenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is theright of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government,laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in suchform, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments longestablished should not be changed for light and transient causes; andaccordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed tosuffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing theforms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuinginvariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolutedespotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government,and to provide new guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; andsuch is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systemsof government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history ofrepeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishmentof an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submittedto a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome andnecessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate andpressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent shouldbe obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation oflarge districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right ofRepresentation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidableto tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual,uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for thesole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, foropposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, tocause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable ofAnnihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; theState remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion fromwithout, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of theseStates; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners;refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising theconditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusinghis Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for thetenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hitherswarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armieswithout the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of andsuperior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to ajurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws;giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment forany Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trialby Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretendedoffences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in aneighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, andenlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fitinstrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our mostvaluable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaringthemselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of hisProtection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt ourtowns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreignMercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, alreadybegun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in themost barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on thehigh Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners oftheir friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and hasendeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless IndianSavages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of allages, sexes and conditions.
He has waged cruel war against human natureitself, violating it's most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons ofa distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them intoslavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in theirtransportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidelspowers, is the warfare of the Christian king of Great Britain. He hasprostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibitor to restrain this execrable commerce determining to keep open a market whereMEN should be bought and sold: and that this assemblage of horrors might wantno fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise inarms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, bymurdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them: thus paying off formercrimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which heurges them to commit against the lives of another.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned forRedress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answeredonly by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every actwhich may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittishbrethren.
We have warned them from time to time of attempts by theirlegislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigrationand settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity,and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow theseusurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections andcorrespondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and ofconsanguinity.
We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, whichdenounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind,Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States ofAmerica, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of theworld for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority ofthe good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these UnitedColonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that theyare Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all politicalconnection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to betotally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have fullPower to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, andto do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firmreliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to eachother our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Here is the introduction of the Bible:
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Okay, so I don't know about you, but I'm not seeing a similarity here. Two different balls of wax. None of the words are the same, and the ideals put forth are totally different. Oh, it doesn't matter? why, sure it does. The Founding Fathers of our country were not all Christian. Most of them were Deists, as in they believed in a creator, but, don't state what their faith is, and were also the push behind public education.
The link for the faith of our Founding Fathers is here: http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/4846-faith-of-the-founding-fathers
And here: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1272214/The-Founding-Fathers-Deism-and-Christianity
It stands to reason, that this is true, because of the fact that in England, back in the day, whomever was king, assigned the national religion or faith, and if another group ended up taking over, the new regime set the new national religion. We have also read from other history books, that much of the European countries have had their fair share of the religious wars, and it was one Christian sect against another. To eliminate the issue, for a totally free country, our Founding Fathers put in the First Amendment about religion, because the will to practice how you see fit is considered of utmost importance with the freedom of press, peaceful assembly, speech and petitioning our government. To say the USA is a Christian nation does not stand the test of the Constitution. We are all here to be able to practice our faith at will.
Traditionally, until Ben Franklin founded the first university, many children were home schooled. But, the founding fathers realized that seriously? Not every parent was available to teach their children, but not all parents are fit to be home school teachers. They prided themselves on the fact that an educated public is a well behaved public, and idle hands lead to mischief, to say the least.
The link for the public school founding is here: http://www.nas.org/articles/u_s_founding_fathers_on_education_in_their_own_words
And here: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/founding-fathers-agreed-funding-public-education-is-not-a-debate/article_f05aa5b0-2fed-5c63-be1a-1b013cf49625.html
Oh, so you say I missed the boat? That the Constitution really is based on the Bible? Okay, here. Maybe a look at the Bill of Rights and The Ten Commandments comparison will give us a closer look at how the two beasts (our political system and our faith) are not even overlapping, much less being similar.
The Bill of Rights (which is our governmental 10 Commandments):
Here is the 10 Commandments (The Constitution of the Bible):
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
So,
I have yet to see where these are similar. they are not. No, I am not
knocking your religion. Unless you are about taking living beings and
making live sacrifices for what ever fetish that you have. Often, those
with faith find the courage they need there, to do the right thing. If
that is the ultimate goal, more power to you. I'm just saying that the
Constitution gives us the flexibility to practice any faith we please,
or to not participate as we also have equal right to do so.
Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I love the fact that I get to be a universalist protestant, and you get to be what ever faith you want. This country was based off of the fact that as individuals, we are entitled to be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Shinto, Buddhist, Wiccan, or what suits you. If everyone were alike, we'd be talking to the walls.
What then, is it with the same sex marriage issue? Of course, we must remember, no matter what the verses state in the Bible, God never uses the term marriage, and does not outright define husband as a man, and does not define wife as being woman. So that definition is null and void about marriage between a man and a woman. So, if you want a Christian country, you would have to get rid of the preamble and ditch out on the ideas of our founding fathers. If you want to honor The Constitution, you need to accept the fact that all men are created equal, meaning that you can't stop some people from getting married thus having less rights than you do. And, if Jesus were here today? What would He do? He would accept those who are cast out to put them under His wing. More people need to practice the ideal of the Golden Rule "do unto others, as you'd have done unto you".
Here is the Preamble of the Constitution:
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary forone people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them withanother, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equalstation to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decentrespect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causeswhich impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men arecreated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienablerights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights, governments are institutedamong men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Thatwhenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is theright of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government,laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in suchform, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments longestablished should not be changed for light and transient causes; andaccordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed tosuffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing theforms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuinginvariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolutedespotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government,and to provide new guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; andsuch is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systemsof government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history ofrepeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishmentof an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submittedto a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome andnecessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate andpressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent shouldbe obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation oflarge districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right ofRepresentation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidableto tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual,uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for thesole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, foropposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, tocause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable ofAnnihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; theState remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion fromwithout, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of theseStates; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners;refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising theconditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusinghis Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for thetenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hitherswarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armieswithout the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of andsuperior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to ajurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws;giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment forany Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trialby Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretendedoffences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in aneighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, andenlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fitinstrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our mostvaluable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaringthemselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of hisProtection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt ourtowns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreignMercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, alreadybegun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in themost barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on thehigh Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners oftheir friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and hasendeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless IndianSavages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of allages, sexes and conditions.
He has waged cruel war against human natureitself, violating it's most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons ofa distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them intoslavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in theirtransportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidelspowers, is the warfare of the Christian king of Great Britain. He hasprostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibitor to restrain this execrable commerce determining to keep open a market whereMEN should be bought and sold: and that this assemblage of horrors might wantno fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise inarms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, bymurdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them: thus paying off formercrimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which heurges them to commit against the lives of another.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned forRedress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answeredonly by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every actwhich may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittishbrethren.
We have warned them from time to time of attempts by theirlegislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigrationand settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity,and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow theseusurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections andcorrespondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and ofconsanguinity.
We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, whichdenounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind,Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States ofAmerica, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of theworld for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority ofthe good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these UnitedColonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that theyare Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all politicalconnection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to betotally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have fullPower to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, andto do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firmreliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to eachother our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Here is the introduction of the Bible:
Genesis 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Okay, so I don't know about you, but I'm not seeing a similarity here. Two different balls of wax. None of the words are the same, and the ideals put forth are totally different. Oh, it doesn't matter? why, sure it does. The Founding Fathers of our country were not all Christian. Most of them were Deists, as in they believed in a creator, but, don't state what their faith is, and were also the push behind public education.
The link for the faith of our Founding Fathers is here: http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/4846-faith-of-the-founding-fathers
And here: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1272214/The-Founding-Fathers-Deism-and-Christianity
It stands to reason, that this is true, because of the fact that in England, back in the day, whomever was king, assigned the national religion or faith, and if another group ended up taking over, the new regime set the new national religion. We have also read from other history books, that much of the European countries have had their fair share of the religious wars, and it was one Christian sect against another. To eliminate the issue, for a totally free country, our Founding Fathers put in the First Amendment about religion, because the will to practice how you see fit is considered of utmost importance with the freedom of press, peaceful assembly, speech and petitioning our government. To say the USA is a Christian nation does not stand the test of the Constitution. We are all here to be able to practice our faith at will.
Traditionally, until Ben Franklin founded the first university, many children were home schooled. But, the founding fathers realized that seriously? Not every parent was available to teach their children, but not all parents are fit to be home school teachers. They prided themselves on the fact that an educated public is a well behaved public, and idle hands lead to mischief, to say the least.
The link for the public school founding is here: http://www.nas.org/articles/u_s_founding_fathers_on_education_in_their_own_words
And here: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/founding-fathers-agreed-funding-public-education-is-not-a-debate/article_f05aa5b0-2fed-5c63-be1a-1b013cf49625.html
Oh, so you say I missed the boat? That the Constitution really is based on the Bible? Okay, here. Maybe a look at the Bill of Rights and The Ten Commandments comparison will give us a closer look at how the two beasts (our political system and our faith) are not even overlapping, much less being similar.
The Bill of Rights (which is our governmental 10 Commandments):
Amendment I - Freedoms, Petitions, Assembly
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.Amendment II -Right to bear arms
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.Amendment III - Quartering of soldiers
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.Amendment IV - Search and arrest
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.Amendment V - Rights in criminal cases
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb, nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.Amendment VI - Right to a fair trial
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed; which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence.Amendment VII - Rights in civil cases
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.Amendment VIII - Bail, fines, punishment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.Amendment IX - Rights retained by the People
The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.Amendment X - States' rights
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.Here is the 10 Commandments (The Constitution of the Bible):
Exodus 20 King James Version (KJV)
20 And God spake all these words, saying,2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I love the fact that I get to be a universalist protestant, and you get to be what ever faith you want. This country was based off of the fact that as individuals, we are entitled to be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Shinto, Buddhist, Wiccan, or what suits you. If everyone were alike, we'd be talking to the walls.
What then, is it with the same sex marriage issue? Of course, we must remember, no matter what the verses state in the Bible, God never uses the term marriage, and does not outright define husband as a man, and does not define wife as being woman. So that definition is null and void about marriage between a man and a woman. So, if you want a Christian country, you would have to get rid of the preamble and ditch out on the ideas of our founding fathers. If you want to honor The Constitution, you need to accept the fact that all men are created equal, meaning that you can't stop some people from getting married thus having less rights than you do. And, if Jesus were here today? What would He do? He would accept those who are cast out to put them under His wing. More people need to practice the ideal of the Golden Rule "do unto others, as you'd have done unto you".
Sunday, April 26, 2015
A High School Play Written by Students and Child Abuse Awareness
I was invited to go to a play
over at Case High School on Sunday, April 19 written by some students. I
was figuring that it would be one of those light hearted shows, with
some tongue in cheek word plays. What I got was something totally
different, and I was actually very impressed at the topics covered in
this play, entitled The Secret Project. And it is just as intelligent
as it is real as reality can get.
As you know, the month of April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. We will get back to this later, but, I find it very interesting that many of the topics covered in the show have a lot, if not all, to do with child abuse and making it aware that yes. These topics exist.
Anyway, it is called The Secret Project, because we all, especially as teens, have secrets that we keep deep within ourselves, never to let it out. Some are the usual teen angst that is just normalcy in each of our lives. But, there are other ones that are not so normal nor trivial such as wearing the cast off brand of the designers, because our families can't afford the real ones. These are real issues, that affect real people, and no, it's not just something we experience as adults and our children unaware. They are more aware than what we give them credit for. Which is why we need to lead by example.
The kids started off as a whole group in silence, and there was actually a deaf child, who was unable to be present for this weekend's performance. But, each individual actor/actress their own secret in sign language. Of course while obvious that each were doing their own signing, it was impossible to follow any one individual, because there was so much going on... Just like if everyone started talking at once, but it was silent, so they still keep their secret even if they are literally spelling it out right in front of you.
Anyway, as the stories play out, you don't know which story belongs to which student, and if it represents any of the students themselves, or those of their classmates... Either way, the topics play out, and the issues cover domestic violence and how these actions can affect the next generation in how a teenage son may be protective of his mother from his abusive father, but, turns around and is abusive toward his girlfriends and sister. Another story is about anorexia and self harm, and there are issues that are deep and is usually a cry for help, but, as the girl loses weight, gets complimented by her friends on how good the skinny jeans fit her, while a couple of the boys worry about why she is getting so painfully thin, and why she doesn't eat. There is also the story of a young man who just wants to be in a relationship, and is in a twilight zone of being "just friends". Then there is also the single parent issue and how often, can be over protective of their kids. A huge issue also, is the thing of how being gay is still experiencing a lot of stigmatization and is ostracized by peers and discriminated by adults. And, there is teen suicide, which could be any reason, but, in this case, it was a gay kid whose parents sent him to a correction camp, and even parents of other kids were discriminatory.
Thing is, each and every issue presented in this play is an act of abuse, and yes, they ALL affect our children. It was very mature of these teenagers who played their roles as typical teens, but with heavy burden on their hearts. While the stories tugged on everyone's heart strings, especially their closing song, where they all sang as one, I think I was actually more proud of them for tackling these important topics, because they don't go away, just because we ignore them. These issues should not have to be dealt in silence by our kids. It's up to us, as adults, to help them. Hear them. Listen to them. Take them seriously. Ms. Nancy Gibson, the director, was courageous in tackling this, and did not want to water down the issues. I thank her.
I truly hope that there can be a connection made, because I am here with the Youth Voice Initiative to combat these issues, and to allow for these kids to tell their stories anonymously so I can take this to the legislatures, the courts, etc. to do the work that needs to be done to protect these kids. Not just the older ones, but our younger ones, too. I also thought it was so appropriate, that this play was presented in April, which is Child Abuse Awareness Month.
My hope for the future is, that this play will continue with it's own evolution to become more detailed and relevant to the current students, but will draw the attention of our general public, who all too often, wants the issues not to be true, or as true as it is. Hiding from the topic of abuse, homelessness, etc is not something that will get better, but only worse if we don't tackle it head on. My dream for the future is to get as many common citizens as possible to help me in my cause to push for a better tomorrow for our children. You don't have to be in the forefront, because just the same in production, those behind the scenes are just as important as what we get in front of us, for the cause or play to be presented.
A special thank you to Inken, the German foreign exchange student living with my mom, who invited me to go to the show, and to Marysia, a Polish exchange student, also living with my mom, for coming up to personally thank me for coming to the show. I hope this show continues, and that I'll be able to be a part of the audience while The Secret Project matures and develops into a cause of it's own.
April. The Child Abuse Awareness Month. Please learn about it, and join the cause.
As you know, the month of April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. We will get back to this later, but, I find it very interesting that many of the topics covered in the show have a lot, if not all, to do with child abuse and making it aware that yes. These topics exist.
Anyway, it is called The Secret Project, because we all, especially as teens, have secrets that we keep deep within ourselves, never to let it out. Some are the usual teen angst that is just normalcy in each of our lives. But, there are other ones that are not so normal nor trivial such as wearing the cast off brand of the designers, because our families can't afford the real ones. These are real issues, that affect real people, and no, it's not just something we experience as adults and our children unaware. They are more aware than what we give them credit for. Which is why we need to lead by example.
The kids started off as a whole group in silence, and there was actually a deaf child, who was unable to be present for this weekend's performance. But, each individual actor/actress their own secret in sign language. Of course while obvious that each were doing their own signing, it was impossible to follow any one individual, because there was so much going on... Just like if everyone started talking at once, but it was silent, so they still keep their secret even if they are literally spelling it out right in front of you.
Anyway, as the stories play out, you don't know which story belongs to which student, and if it represents any of the students themselves, or those of their classmates... Either way, the topics play out, and the issues cover domestic violence and how these actions can affect the next generation in how a teenage son may be protective of his mother from his abusive father, but, turns around and is abusive toward his girlfriends and sister. Another story is about anorexia and self harm, and there are issues that are deep and is usually a cry for help, but, as the girl loses weight, gets complimented by her friends on how good the skinny jeans fit her, while a couple of the boys worry about why she is getting so painfully thin, and why she doesn't eat. There is also the story of a young man who just wants to be in a relationship, and is in a twilight zone of being "just friends". Then there is also the single parent issue and how often, can be over protective of their kids. A huge issue also, is the thing of how being gay is still experiencing a lot of stigmatization and is ostracized by peers and discriminated by adults. And, there is teen suicide, which could be any reason, but, in this case, it was a gay kid whose parents sent him to a correction camp, and even parents of other kids were discriminatory.
Thing is, each and every issue presented in this play is an act of abuse, and yes, they ALL affect our children. It was very mature of these teenagers who played their roles as typical teens, but with heavy burden on their hearts. While the stories tugged on everyone's heart strings, especially their closing song, where they all sang as one, I think I was actually more proud of them for tackling these important topics, because they don't go away, just because we ignore them. These issues should not have to be dealt in silence by our kids. It's up to us, as adults, to help them. Hear them. Listen to them. Take them seriously. Ms. Nancy Gibson, the director, was courageous in tackling this, and did not want to water down the issues. I thank her.
I truly hope that there can be a connection made, because I am here with the Youth Voice Initiative to combat these issues, and to allow for these kids to tell their stories anonymously so I can take this to the legislatures, the courts, etc. to do the work that needs to be done to protect these kids. Not just the older ones, but our younger ones, too. I also thought it was so appropriate, that this play was presented in April, which is Child Abuse Awareness Month.
My hope for the future is, that this play will continue with it's own evolution to become more detailed and relevant to the current students, but will draw the attention of our general public, who all too often, wants the issues not to be true, or as true as it is. Hiding from the topic of abuse, homelessness, etc is not something that will get better, but only worse if we don't tackle it head on. My dream for the future is to get as many common citizens as possible to help me in my cause to push for a better tomorrow for our children. You don't have to be in the forefront, because just the same in production, those behind the scenes are just as important as what we get in front of us, for the cause or play to be presented.
A special thank you to Inken, the German foreign exchange student living with my mom, who invited me to go to the show, and to Marysia, a Polish exchange student, also living with my mom, for coming up to personally thank me for coming to the show. I hope this show continues, and that I'll be able to be a part of the audience while The Secret Project matures and develops into a cause of it's own.
April. The Child Abuse Awareness Month. Please learn about it, and join the cause.
Friday, April 3, 2015
April Showers Bring Awareness
As you may or may not know, the month of April is Child Abuse
Awareness Month. Why do we need the awareness? Here is a short list of
articles, and these are just cases here in Racine, and many of these
situations got extremely light sentencing.
Please refer to these articles, just in Racine, WI that deals with these light sentencing:
This one only got a year.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/mount-pleasant-man-gets-year-in-jail-for-child-sexual/article_e6d2aa50-f093-11e3-b5ad-001a4bcf887a.html
This one only got 4 months.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/johnson-to-serve-four-months-jail-pay-k/article_8c504e8a-eda9-11e3-88aa-0019bb2963f4.html
This one is ruled incompetent (which doesn't excuse the assault).
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-ruled-incompetent-for-now-to-stand-trial-in-molestation/article_2c34cea2-da91-11e3-961e-0019bb2963f4.html
This one goes to alcohol treatment for his crime.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/waterford-man-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-girl-to-go-to/article_b5adb168-c16d-11e3-9bee-0019bb2963f4.html
This one gets 8 months.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/another-months-in-prison-for-man-convicted-again-in-sexual/article_99d48672-bfda-11e3-afa4-0019bb2963f4.html
Now this one, had his charges dropped, because "the victim is uncooperative".
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sexual-assault-charge-against-waterford-man-dismissed/article_6778bbe6-a9da-11e3-8da6-001a4bcf887a.html
Probation for this one.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/teen-given-probation-in-child-molestation-case/article_440ae916-5694-11e3-8f81-0019bb2963f4.html
Do you see the trend here? Many of these cases, the victim was either a relative or a neighbor of some sort. Studies show time and time again, that the closer the relationship to the child, the more severe the consequences to the mental, emotional, and psychological state of the child. So you think children are resilient. Yes, they are, to a point. We don't condone our children to go fight our wars, do we? Well, put it this way... sexually abusing our children is the same type of trauma that our soldiers see on the front lines of a war. And, our soldiers are trained in combat and what not. Our children are supposed to be resilient to that kind of violence? Yes, sex abuse and domestic violence is that traumatic, especially for our children. It becomes a combat zone, where they have no control. Their rights are stripped away, and to do nothing is to silently side with the perpetrators.
It is obvious that due to what ever family ties, that even our justice system is tentative about splitting families. Yet to not do so, is giving the silent message that it is okay to abuse our children. It is not. And during holiday seasons, violence tends to rise, with the business of time, the money crunch, etc. and it doesn't get any easier to deal with. Maybe we need to educate our legal system on the damage that this causes our children, and to put in stiffer sentencing within the current walls of the law, rather than to keep doing the minimum.
With the trauma that the victims face after sex abuse, is it a wonder why a victim will be at least somewhat uncooperative? It seems as if we give all other crime victims the benefit of the doubt, but sex abuse victims get put on trial. We are talking about children. They are not pawns. They are not sex toys. They are not property. They are young people, who need guidance, safety, and a whole lot of TLC. Anything less is unacceptable. Quit talking about how children are liars, or blaming them in any other way. It's bad enough that sex crimes already take away part of the soul of anyone who is victim to this atrocity. To not support them is adding another new injury to a broken soul who needs to learn to move forward.
The Youth Voice Initiative is a registered 501c4 to help create the social change and put in stiffer sentencing, close loop holes, and hold perpetrators of child abuse accountable for their actions. We are always looking for people who are willing to help be the voice to the voiceless, and your interest and willingness to help is the only requirement.
Please either visit the Volunteer Center of Racine - http://volunteerracine.galaxydigital.com/volunteer/agency/display/youth-voice-initiative/?agency_id=30660
Or, Volunteer Match for the descriptions of where we need our volunteers - http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org313396.jsp
You may go through their site, or, email me directly at lika.yvi@gmail.com to express your interest in the category you'd like to volunteer. To donate, please go to US Bank, to donate to Youth Voice Initiative c/o Rika Saliscente directly, or ask about our mailing address by emailing me.
Please refer to these articles, just in Racine, WI that deals with these light sentencing:
This one only got a year.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/mount-pleasant-man-gets-year-in-jail-for-child-sexual/article_e6d2aa50-f093-11e3-b5ad-001a4bcf887a.html
This one only got 4 months.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/johnson-to-serve-four-months-jail-pay-k/article_8c504e8a-eda9-11e3-88aa-0019bb2963f4.html
This one is ruled incompetent (which doesn't excuse the assault).
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-ruled-incompetent-for-now-to-stand-trial-in-molestation/article_2c34cea2-da91-11e3-961e-0019bb2963f4.html
This one goes to alcohol treatment for his crime.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/waterford-man-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-girl-to-go-to/article_b5adb168-c16d-11e3-9bee-0019bb2963f4.html
This one gets 8 months.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/another-months-in-prison-for-man-convicted-again-in-sexual/article_99d48672-bfda-11e3-afa4-0019bb2963f4.html
Now this one, had his charges dropped, because "the victim is uncooperative".
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sexual-assault-charge-against-waterford-man-dismissed/article_6778bbe6-a9da-11e3-8da6-001a4bcf887a.html
Probation for this one.
http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/teen-given-probation-in-child-molestation-case/article_440ae916-5694-11e3-8f81-0019bb2963f4.html
Do you see the trend here? Many of these cases, the victim was either a relative or a neighbor of some sort. Studies show time and time again, that the closer the relationship to the child, the more severe the consequences to the mental, emotional, and psychological state of the child. So you think children are resilient. Yes, they are, to a point. We don't condone our children to go fight our wars, do we? Well, put it this way... sexually abusing our children is the same type of trauma that our soldiers see on the front lines of a war. And, our soldiers are trained in combat and what not. Our children are supposed to be resilient to that kind of violence? Yes, sex abuse and domestic violence is that traumatic, especially for our children. It becomes a combat zone, where they have no control. Their rights are stripped away, and to do nothing is to silently side with the perpetrators.
It is obvious that due to what ever family ties, that even our justice system is tentative about splitting families. Yet to not do so, is giving the silent message that it is okay to abuse our children. It is not. And during holiday seasons, violence tends to rise, with the business of time, the money crunch, etc. and it doesn't get any easier to deal with. Maybe we need to educate our legal system on the damage that this causes our children, and to put in stiffer sentencing within the current walls of the law, rather than to keep doing the minimum.
With the trauma that the victims face after sex abuse, is it a wonder why a victim will be at least somewhat uncooperative? It seems as if we give all other crime victims the benefit of the doubt, but sex abuse victims get put on trial. We are talking about children. They are not pawns. They are not sex toys. They are not property. They are young people, who need guidance, safety, and a whole lot of TLC. Anything less is unacceptable. Quit talking about how children are liars, or blaming them in any other way. It's bad enough that sex crimes already take away part of the soul of anyone who is victim to this atrocity. To not support them is adding another new injury to a broken soul who needs to learn to move forward.
The Youth Voice Initiative is a registered 501c4 to help create the social change and put in stiffer sentencing, close loop holes, and hold perpetrators of child abuse accountable for their actions. We are always looking for people who are willing to help be the voice to the voiceless, and your interest and willingness to help is the only requirement.
Please either visit the Volunteer Center of Racine - http://volunteerracine.galaxydigital.com/volunteer/agency/display/youth-voice-initiative/?agency_id=30660
Or, Volunteer Match for the descriptions of where we need our volunteers - http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org313396.jsp
You may go through their site, or, email me directly at lika.yvi@gmail.com to express your interest in the category you'd like to volunteer. To donate, please go to US Bank, to donate to Youth Voice Initiative c/o Rika Saliscente directly, or ask about our mailing address by emailing me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
