BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida

Subject: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: open mike
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 02:53 PM

Somer Thompson disappeared monday found tuesday at a Georgia landfill.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/hunt-somer-thompson-killer-mom-vows-justice/story?id=8897468

http://www.cbsnews.com/elements/2009/10/23/crimesider/photoessay5414196.shtml

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=8897596

http://www.huliq.com/8682/87994/somer-thompsons-death-raises-questions-childrens-safety

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/hunt-somer-thompson-killer-mom-vows-justice/story?id=8897468

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/22/georgia.landfill.body/index.html

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: open mike
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 03:09 PM

this information is appalling..
"The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports that in the United States there is an estimated 800,000 children under the age of 18 are missing each year, with an
average of 2,000 reported missing each day."

two thousand every day!!

close to a million every year!!

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 03:30 PM

The same series of estimates shows that 49%, or about half, are "Family kidnappings," in which a parent is involved.
I also wonder how many of the reports involve older teenagers who leave for some reason or another.

How many missing children are found, or return? Number reported does not equal number not located. I would like to see these figures before I decide about the seriousness of the problem.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: open mike
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 04:06 PM

Even one is serious!!!

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Jack Campin
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 06:43 PM

I suspect some VERY drastic reinterpretation of the concept of "going missing" to produce a figure like that.

Why would anybody trust NCMEC to tell the truth, whatever it is? Anybody can invent an organization with a grandiose name to put out press releases based on hot air.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: SharonA
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 07:11 PM

Clarification: The girl was living in Orange Park, Florida. Her body was found in Georgia, not Florida, in a landfill.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 07:59 PM

Camping, NCMEC was founded by Congress in 1984; it is run as a private, non-profit organization with resources for individuals, law enforcement, schools and governments. It works in concert with state and government agencies. As a government contractor, it receives $30 million a year from the U. S. government. It handles return of children under the Hague Convention.
Nothing wrong with their statistics, only with their interpretation by those who 'select' data.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Janie
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 11:12 PM

http://runawayteens.org/statistics.html

However, the news story referenced is not related to runaways.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: open mike
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 11:13 PM

meanwhile Sommer Thompson's mom vows to find killer.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/23/earlyshow/main5412959.shtml

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 23 Oct 09 - 11:18 PM

There are MUCH better inter-net forums for you post this "informative information" into.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Why did YOU chose Mudcat? An international forum dedicated to Blues and Folk MUSIC?

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 02:37 AM

I agree with gargoyle, probably more times than it's healthy for me to admit. Time and time again, people start threads by just posting something they found somewhere, and then they don't even say what they think about the subject themselves. This is a discussion forum, which would seem to indicate that our threads should discuss something.

If you come across something and you don't want to talk about it, why post it? People can read that stuff in the newspaper.

I know that some people think that I'm not allowed to have an opinion here, but sometimes I find a need to say what I think. This is supposed to be a music site for musicians. I get a lot of complaints from musicians who say that Mudcat has gone downhill because of the inane crap some people post here.

'Nuff said. Rant over.

love,
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: kendall
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 05:45 AM

I thought that was what the BS section was for?
Anyway, in my not so humble opinion, if this animal is found he should get life without the possibility of parole in general population. Death is too easy for that bastard.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 09:52 AM

' I get a lot of complaints from musicians who say that Mudcat has gone downhill because of the inane crap some people post here.'

Joe, dear, it would be nice if these musicians did something besides complain.

Right now, I have a thread on 'How great thou art,' where I mentioned changing the B part to make it seem more natural. Nobody wants to hear a word about it. Nobody wants to pick up an instrument and try anything themselves.

I have another thread on songs of the Magi. The recent contributions are puerile and punky. It's a kind of vandalism, really. Apparently these guys have no instruments and nobody to party with.

Sometimes I think that if you really want to be alone on the mudcat, all you have to do is ask somebody to actually play some music.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Alice
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 12:16 PM

I think Mudcat for many members, over many years, has come to feel like a connection to a community of online friends and acquaintances. It was good to create the BS section for connecting to people on topics other than music. Some people are isolated in the real world. (I am). Mudcat means more than just music discussion to those people. It's a connection to share humor and also serious topics other than music (in the BS section, of course).

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Oct 09 - 07:12 PM

I have no complaint against honest discussion of anything in the BS section, but too often threads start with just a newspaper excerpt and no attempt at real discussion. At least this one did have a followup post with some personal opinion, so it's not really a good example of the worst. Still, what is there to discuss here? I'm sure everybody agrees it's too bad the child was killed, and that it happens so often. What more is there to say?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Paul Burke
Date: 25 Oct 09 - 02:18 PM

Dear me leenia (why are you always "guest" these days?) I've just looked back on that HGTA thread- I can't see anything there rejecting your suggestions. Is there another thread?

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: open mike
Date: 25 Oct 09 - 04:16 PM

I posted it here because here is where I connect with the people who are important to me. I appreciate their opinions and thrive on the support i get from my friends on mudcat.

This is THE internet forum I frequent, and there is a section here devoted to non-music topics.

Why is there a MOAB thread with thousands of posts?

Why is there a "thread name" thread with 1300 posts?

a mother of all B.S. thread with over 31,000 posts?

this place allows interaction on all sorts of topics
besides music...and i do contribute and gain info and
insight from the discussion "above the line"

The Mudcat fills many needs for many of us....
and i am glad that we have freedom of expression here.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 25 Oct 09 - 05:55 PM

Leenia, I think you may have been your own enemy in thread title on "How Great Thou Art" twice over. First you asked in the thread title whether anyone speaks Swedish. Many people will have passed over the thread because they do not. Secondly, plainly it is about religion. In England, possibly the second largest audience for the 'cat, most people have no interest whatsoever in ecclesiastical music. Religion is a minority interest (and how!) over here.

But I have read that thread (I will now read the one about the Magi) and you have got a selection of learned or informative responses that I do not think you would have got anywhere else.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 25 Oct 09 - 06:00 PM

I have now read the Magi thread. First, I repeat, plainly it is about religion. In England, possibly the second largest audience for the 'cat, most people have no interest whatsoever in ecclesiastical music. Religion is a minority interest (and how!) over here.

Secondly, I think you are ungrateful. The responses you got bar a couple of flippant ones, seem both relevant and informative.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 25 Oct 09 - 06:12 PM

I return to the dead child. At present it seems that there has been no release of any factual information save that the dead body ahs been found. The sheriff says that a child-killer is on the loose - but we do not know that. For all we know it could have been a suicide, or an accident that occurred after (it seems) the child ran off, or a killing by other children (it happens) - or a guard dog, or a road accident.

So far we know nothing. Until it is clear what happened the only measures that could be taken are physical collection or delivery of children, or a so-called "walking bus" with adults prepared to restrain a breakaway child (not so easy lawfully to do in the UK at least).

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Oct 09 - 07:50 PM

Since the subject was broached, I must admit I agree with Joe.

You notice that Joe did not censor the thread....he only commented about his feelings on its relevance.

I have been away for 3 days, and when I saw the title, I had basically the same opinion as Joe before I even opened it.

I know the horror of it compels some to comment, but there are SO many similar sad occurances...not all of which make the national news programs... that we could post. My feeling is that this story and its details are not 'important' as a single topic, as sad as it is to those directly affected and to that community.

There is a TV program which spends most of its time following these type of stories, which I simply will not look at...(what IS the name of that unpleasant woman who hypes these things for weeks?)

Anyway....I would hope that most of these could be avoided unless it affects some basic issue, instead of just noting another tragedy.

I would not advocate censorship....just restraint in deciding what counts as 'news' for this forum.

Subject: RE: BS: 7 yr old girl found murdered in Florida
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 01:47 PM

Loved the rant Joe. Despite the fact I would have to rewrite every post of mine several times to be concise, well reasoned and unambiguous, all the pictures and words in my posts are my own.

for example...


I had a run in with a man who stole children 7 years ago. He was Hispanic and drove a late model car. Monsters like him hide behind an inviting smile every day. It does not take long for them to find their prey.

This Sunday I asked a man loading a tree into his car at Home Depot "Is that a fruit tree?" The man in his late fifties and grey hair said in a Scandinavian accent it was a peach tree and launched into a tale of his peach tree that got broken when kids climbed his fence and got some big ripe peaches. He said the police said it was OK to shoot if they try it again. "I'm gonna shoot them next time, you just wait for when you hear it on the news, I'm gonna shoot them alright. I'm ready and waitin."


For people who steal children a child is worth some money. For other maniacs, a child's life isn't even worth a peach.


As I grow older I am sadly surprised how many sick demented evil monsters I see who portray themselves as neat proper and religious people who are striving to do the 'just' or profitable thing.

For people who are in law enforcement this must be a sentiment that came and went early in their career, but for me it is a rude awakening each time I peer into the eyes of the everyday maniac out walking the streets.