Abusive Partners Register ..........

"Violence against women and girls is unacceptable in any form."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith

I agree - it is. It is also as unacceptable for men to suffer from any kind of violence also.

Soooooo here we go again. The Government is in the mire about several other things going on so they roll out 'old faithful' as they do every couple of years or so - and the Government before them - domestic abuse' - to try and look as though they are actually going to attempt something valid this time and deflect from other issues for a couple of days.

So the latest idea - the 'Abusive Partners Register'..... okayyyyy!

Yes, yes, I sound pessimistic and have every right to. They drag this horse out to trot every couple of years with different plans being spoken of for a couple of days and then nothing more is ever heard.

Do I have a right to say anything - do I know what I am talking about in suffering at the hands of an abusive partner?

YES - for a few years I did just that. Raped almost daily, beaten daily without fail, sometimes a quick few punches, more often than not beaten to the point of not being able to walk properly because of fractures or just sheer pain, not being able to see out of my eyes properly (I had one that did not care if anyone saw me with black eyes and a bruised face - he thought it made him look big and hard).
I was not allowed to go out - not even to ante-natal classes because there were other men there (with their partners having their baby but hey ho - they were men). Every couple of months or so I was forced to stay awake for a week and sometimes 2 weeks straight and was beaten if I fell asleep. You're wondering how he did it? He was sick enough to put an alarm on hourly to wake himself up and then beat me more because he was tired with having to wake up every hour.

I got to breaking point - I picked this man up by the scruff of the neck and slammed him against a wall with a knife pinned against his throat and told him if he came near me ever again I would kill him.
I have my faith to thank that I did not go that one step further and actually kill him there and then.

I was lucky - I found the strength and got away. To be honest I had a crap childhood and had been in the pit of abuse too much to let my children suffer at the hands of it. He had not touched the children - but I was not going to give him the chance to harm them in any way either - they deserved better from me as their mother - momma bear - to protect them properly. I did make sure he went to prison after I knew he did not know where I was and that I had a secure injunction which would be acted on - the police WERE immensely helpful in reassuring me of this and were there when he wanted to collect clothing - which ended up being taken by the garbage collectors by accident - uh huh!
They were kind and considerate and treated him as the burden and not me.

The APR will not work for one major reason - it is DOMESTIC abuse they are aiming at. Within the home. That means years of fear and being trapped for most people whether they are adults or children.

A conviction will be needed for people to be placed on this register - too many people in any form of abuse are afraid to report domestic violence. For a majority of cases it is still reliant on the person who has been beaten/abused to press charges.

Abuse is about power and fear.

The sad thing is a government using domestic abuse as something to be thrown around to take the focus off other things every year or two years. They talk for a few days then nothing else is heard about it - as is seen now from the weekend when the register was first mentioned - it was mentioned on Monday and Tuesday then nothing more.

People's fear and terrible conditions in living in abusive households should not be taken out to trot for the sake of a publicity stunt or any other reason.

It is sick and sad that so many people will have seen the proposal for the register - whether in abusive households or not and thought the same as myself, 'yeah yeah, they got this one out to play again.'

It is about time the government used a different ploy to divert attention from other issues - or even better - actually did something about them and about domestic violence so that people living in fear can actually believe that there is hope for them to get away - that something in the form of real action will be done to help them - rather than talking about crap that just will not work no matter how much the government try and dress it up with little bows.

Bows come undone!

Government's new brainwave - do not teach kids right from wrong when talking about sex...........

Ohhhhhh this pissed me off when reading it.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5780725.ece

Carrying on from Blair's failings, Brown's lot are continuing to make sure that we end up with nothing to be proud of whatsoever in Britain.

We have one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates anywhere but the new idea from the Government is - do not teach your kids right from wrong when talking about sex.

I have 4 kids - 2 of them are teenagers - 18 and 16 - that age.
I fully agree that sex should not be made something to be afraid of or seen as something dirty or immoral.

HOWEVER - I am not about to stop teaching and reiterating to any of my kids to have respect for others and most importantly themselves when it comes to sexual relationships with others.

Healthy relationships - whether of a sexual nature or not - are based around respect for the other person - but more-so in relationships where sex is involved.

Respect comes from having morals and values for oneself initially so that they may be used throughout one's life.

Apparently we should start the 'big talk' with children as young as possible.
WHY?

Children should be children and like adults each one is different as to the information they can take on board and process. Talking with children at too young an age can cause all sorts of problems when they are unable to process the information appropriately and become confused.

This is another ridiculous act in the Government continuing with the creation of it's 'fuck you' society which is only capable of saying 'fuck you' in return - because they are not expected to have any respect for anyone and sadly not even for themselves.

This brainchild came on the wave of a boy becoming a father at the age of 13.

Maybe if he had been taught morals and values and that maybe obtaining an education, becoming a functioning member of society and learning respect for others and himself - that maybe - just maybe - he would not be having sex at such a young age or maybe even knowing enough to use a condom to prevent pregnancy and reduce the risk of disease.
His more open sex education classes that the government brought into schools are obviously working!

It is about time this Government got on with the job of governing and stop nannying and trying to be every child's parents - because if I made as much of a fuck up or half the suggestions that the Government makes in how to be a parent and let's just let the little darlings run around and bonk each other stupid and then we can send them to school so they can learn what sperm tastes like - then my status as a mother would definitely be looked at.

Popularity and politics do not mix.........

Mike - sorry I did not see your comment on the post below.

I don't get into politics too much (which is why of course I am now going to ramble on about it) - the supposed 'leaders' here are as bad - if not worse than anywhere else.

It is fine to want the job to run a country if you truly feel you have the propensity for it - but you have to be able to take your head out of your ass and look at what is going on around you and in your country to be able to do the job effectively - I know that Brown is very guilty of not taking his head out for long enough as are others.

The world right now is going through an economic crisis - and it is going to be interesting to see who has balls and who does not.
I have not voted for years - for the very reason that neither the Labour nor Conservative Party here have shown to me that they have what it takes to be able to get this country back on it's feet again in many areas: economically; socially; religiously; edumactionally (yes - that was done on purpose!); health care; and more help for those in the forces and emergency services (they get a damn raw deal a lot of the time) and quite important to myself and a lot of people right now - get rid of the damn Nanny State.

For those that say 'if you don't vote you have no voice!' ..........fine - then you don't need the extortionate amounts of all different kinds of taxes I pay either?! I will not vote just to keep someone out. By doing that I would be saying it is OK for someone else to do the job whilst I do not believe they can.

Political correctness has gone beyond a joke - heck it comes to something when as a woman you are afraid of saying something because you know so many people would be willing to use you as a scapegoat and sue the employer to make some fast cash.

The Nanny State bugs the heck out of me. Because of the few - again the majority must suffer and put up with being told what to do as adults - but the Nanny soon backs off if we do anything wrong elsewhere - I am however a believer in if you go somewhere and break the law then you are at the mercy of the courts there.
I am a 40 year old woman - I am fairly sensible - I do not need to be told what to do - aside from breaking the law of course. I do not need to be told what to watch - if I want to watch an adult movie - I will - but that does not mean I would ever be stupid enough to let my kids see it. I read what I like - to still be in a world where books and movies are banned because they may cause offence is unreal. Push comes to shove - most movies could cause offence with right (or is that wrong?) - I do however have nothing against little Hobbits - but I believe there is an underground movement trying to get rid of them ........yes there is more than a hint of sarcasm there!

To run a country - any country - takes balls!

Palin's first speech and speeches since have indeed been full of many witticisms. The girl has a sense of humor when speaking publicly. However she has shown little knowledge of anything that is actually going on around the world right now. For someone in her position only being able to cite 'Roe v Wade' when asked about cases that have had an affect in the country was astonishing - anyone that watches legal movies of most kinds would have been able to cite that one - hell they even mention it in 'Legally Blonde'.
I do not believe Palin is stupid. I do however know that I pull better witticisms out of the hat at a poker table - and would never have gone to make a speech without having done some major research first - she acts on gut reactions and then ends up with answers to questions like 'um well ahh um' - Caveman 101 is popular once more. The interviews with Katie Courac displayed this to it's fullest - and to be fair - Courac is hardly known for being super - intelligent herself - but then again she is not trying to be VP - and she showed Palin up immensely.

To gain respect and trust you must first display it and earn it - Palin has not shown she is capable of this - in fact she has shown that she does not think it necessary to be trustworthy at all and respect to her means do it her way or GTFO. She does not even have the sense to sit on the fence on certain issues - she jumps from side to side - proving even more that she acts on gut reaction - gut reaction destroys countries. Brown and many other here are no different.

Popularity is ok - but being able to tell a joke is not going to get a country out of crap. If you piss off someone enough - making them smile is not going to stop them from pushing the button to blow your ass too smithereens.

Balls are necessary for most jobs in politics and I believe in relation to the economic crisis and the bail out in the States - Obama said something along the lines of - 'so what if it's not popular - if it works - do it' - no that is not a quote and I cannot be bothered to look for it! More politicians should look at that and realise that popularity is not going to run a country - here or there. That is not saying I agree with Obama's policies as a whole - I am referring only to that one statement.

Here - we are stuck - no matter who gets in is basically gonna f**k everyone some more without a kiss first and no 'I'll still respect you in the morning!'
A lot of my friends in the States feel the same way about things over there.

I would not want the job of PM or President in a million years - I don't have the propensity for it - nor the qualifications - I'm a gut reaction kinda gal on some things - but I'd have some great comments for them around a poker table - and basically that is where most of them belong. I do know that in discussing a topic that I would have the common sense to have done my research first. The leaders that want to run a country with the 'do it my way' philosophy are not the ones you want with their finger on the button. You want someone that is going to take their head out of their ass - see what is going wrong - admit they screwed up and even if unpopular for a while - do something to put it right.

Popularity and politics are never going to go hand in hand if you do the job correctly.
Respect - however - will come along later.

Undercover Mosque......

Channel 4 Dispatches: Undercover Mosque........

The amount of prejudice in this program was unreal - the prejudice from the likes of Miss Saleem towards the British in particular.
Aren't there laws against incitement and teaching/preaching such prejudice/intolerance?
Calling Britain a - "land of the evil, land of the disbelievers" - Saleem does not believe Muslims should live in Britain.
It must also be clarified here that not all Muslims think this way.
Maybe it is about time these few were removed - especially when preaching such hatred for a country they are living in - a country that allowed them to live here. Wouldn't it be nice for once to see a Government stick to it's word about this kind of thing and actually deport these people back to the 'oh so perfect country they came from.' Or if they were born here - to actually question them about their incitement and bring charges against them - or does that sort of thing only apply to anyone insulting them.
Feel free to go back to your own country - and all your followers and others that believe the same as you.
Don't let the door of the plane hit your ass as you leave!

Protecting children.......

Whilst the writer of this article : http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/18/ukcrime.childprotection?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews (David Wilson) - does raise some very valid points - the one thing he seems to be missing here is that Raymond Horne - whom he concentrates on in his article - gets checked on appropriately because of the headlines - because everyone knew that if they screwed this one up after all the publicity about him being returned to Britain there would be hell to pay.
The same can be said with the return of Paul Gadd (Gary Glitter) this week.

We do have some excellent measures in place in this country - but as David Wilson states - no system is ever perfect . Yes - what worked for Horne will work for Gadd simply because of the publicity.
I do however believe naming and shaming before a conviction is fruitless at best. If someone chooses to do this and names and shames someone before a conviction and manages to receive enough publicity - it can actually result in the pedophile walking free (unable to gain a fair trial because of publicity.)


"We also know what makes sex offenders generally, and paedophiles specifically, re-offend when they return to the community after a prison sentence. In short, they are more likely to re-offend when they are "named and shamed", hounded from pillar to post, demonised, scapegoated and pilloried because when that happens they calculate that they may as well commit more crimes because, well, they have nothing left to lose."

Yes - stress can be a factor into re-offending - but to be fair if the sentences handed down in court were long enough in the first place - well let's see:

Jehovah's Witness pedophile Michael Porter - abused a baby and 12 boys.
Walked free from court.
He is still visiting peoples homes - he was simply banned from working with under 18's.
His sentence - a 3 yr community rehabilitation order.
http://www.silentlambs.org/BroPorter.htm

There are obviously many others - enough to fill several pages.

Sentencing laws need to be looked at desperately in such cases. It is not very often we see a sentence above 5 yrs being given - even in the most extreme cases - Michael Porter is far from being the only paedophile to be walking free with no imprisonment sentence at all being handed down.
However as usual - it takes something like Gadd being returned to the country to bring into focus again something that is still seen as a hush hush topic - though thankfully not as much as it was - to overtake such crap of the government allowing obese children to be taken away from their parents and placed in care. How they think this will help the child's mental well being - especially later in life -is beyond me! Take the kids from the parents and spend 100 times more the cost of health bills and treatment from within the home as a family - on a life time of mental health counselling for the child and treatment for weight and healthy eating. (OK - rant finished on this one - for now!)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1045749/Obese-children-taken-care-parents-warned.html

Children need protection from all sorts of dangers. As parents we teach the basics - traffic - the green cross code - hot and cold - honey it is not a good idea to poke that electric socket with a screwdriver and many other such things.
We also teach stranger danger as do many of the schools at primary level.
We can only protect our children if we have all of the information to hand. I therefore do believe that people living in a vicinity close to a paedophile should be alerted in order to protect our kids.
It is the few that would begin a vigilante crusade - which has affected the rights of the majority in being given such information to enable the safety of their kids.
An estate close to me has 3 paedophiles living on it - I do not know their names or their addresses. I do know that it is not really too safe for my kids to be on that estate alone.

The main source of protection for kids that have been abused/raped is in the courts. Paedophiles will re-offend - yet even though this is known - the most dangerous are released after pitiful sentences being handed down. They did the correct thing with Ian Brady in making sure he could never harm another child again - they thought it was too much of a risk to allow him back on the streets.
This inane culture we have of 'rewarding a bad person' has to stop - especially when it means others can have their lives ruined simply because the sick man that raped your kids is walking free because he started to undergo treatment after he was caught!

I know how people can lie in order to try and obtain something they want - extra medication - saying the right things to fool people into thinking they are okay/not okay. All of us are capable of saying 'pretty words' to cover the truth - especially if we are trying to protect someone's feelings. Paedophiles do it to enable release from prison or to receive no imprisonment at all.

So whilst headlines can cause scaremongering - then when it comes to the case of paedophiles and it means just one more (Gadd in this case) will be watched more closely because of these headlines - I say keep up the good work boys! Maybe one child will be saved from being groomed, abused, raped and maybe worse!

Snippets - general....

Calls for Brown to face leadership election.......
Well well ..... not exactly surprising is it?! Aside from the general waffling and taunting of the MP calling for it (McDonnell) - because let's face it - they are all the same - the funniest bit has to be the bit right at the end of this clip:

"We could have a leadership election which is open, friendly and democratic and involves the whole country," he said.

Uh huh - ok - we want you to hold a leadership election but we are your friends and support you - weally we dooooo!!!!
'Friendly, democratic and involves the whole country' --- oookay - if they say so! After all every referendum that they said would be out to public vote was not because they knew the public would vote against it; money is wasted on ID card ideas; not enough money is spent on transport of secure documents so important things like passports and visettes can be easily stolen; the child benefit thing a few months ago where they issue an apology - but it's ok - whoever has the CD's with information only has the details of all your children and your bank details and everyone else in the country who has kids but it's nothing to worry about - oh and here's £10. Funnily enough I didn't want the £10 - I wanted a damn proper explanation as to how this could have happened - why there were no restrictions as to why this was on CD's anyway and apparently no restrictions as to who can download this information who works for HM Revenue and Customs. MOD laptops going missing with potentially sensitive material on.
Money wasted on things that are NOT needed and only to create more of a nanny and big brother state; not enough money on things that should be thought about - hell - these guys couldn't find an implant at a strip club - let alone run a piss-up in a brewery - there's democracy for ya!

Oh and I do not support the Conservatives either - I long for a libertarian - proper libertarian government in this country instead of being told at the age of 40 and of sound mind (most of the time anyway) how to live my life - oh well - a gal can dream!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/aug/02/politicalnews.labourleadership?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

'Cotton Wool' children face risk of mental health problems.....
Well duhhhhhhhhh! Ok ok - that is not criticism to the author of the article - it is about time someone started saying it a bit louder.
Not as though many people do not think the same thing - have ranted on about this one myself a bit. But until the 'Nanny' (State) is brought down a peg or two and the government takes it's head out it's ass long enough to smell the real world - then it is not as though they will give a damn is it. They should however beware - these young people are the future apparently - they can choose the government's nursing homes - if there's any justice!!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1040447/Why-cotton-wool-children-face-risk-mental-problems.html

All sorts............

Brazil: body in a suitcase............
Cera Maria Burke (17) was found dismembered in a suitcase (or should I say some of her was) by a riverbank in Brazil - her Brazilian boyfriend having confessed to her murder apparently. Apparently she was killed and dismembered after threatening to reveal all about his cocaine habit and return to Britain. The victim was identified from a tattoo shown on TV that one of her friends recognised.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/01/internationalcrime.brazil?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Man decapitates fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus...
There is not a lot I can say here as it is so gruesome. Passengers including children had to watch as the head was displayed to them.
It is saddening how much gruesome news is reported and it keeps us all enthralled - yes - including me - it is the wanting to know what makes people do something like this - horror and the extreme has always and will always sell.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/01/canada?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Mother killed son to 'spite father'...........
What a selfish cow! Some people need to be in control so much that they are willing to do anything to try and achieve it - in this case murder - and then killed herself.
Many of us have had the heartache of a break-up in a relationship - but most of us would never dream of harming one of our children in any way to try and gain sympathy or to spite an ex-partner.
My prayers go to the father and remaining family (both sides) of the child.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mother-killed-son-and-herself-to-spite-father-882605.html

Royal Mail stops a village's mail deliveries...............
because it's roads are 'too steep'!!!
I realise there are health and safety issues - but come on!!!!
If the regular postie has a 'bad back' as stipulated - then he is unfit to do the job - get someone who can!
This is going from the sublime to the ridiculous when people cannot even receive their mail!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1040433/Royal-Mail-stops-villages-post-deliveries-roads-steep.html

MPs slam You Tube ............
for not protecting children from the 'dark side' of the internet!
Sorry - am I missing something here? Since when was You Tube or any other site given parental responsibility? That's right........... it is us as parents that are responsible for ensuring what our children see online is responsible for their age. We cannot monitor their every move - especially if they access the internet elsewhere - but we can talk to them and ensure they understand certain things about what is acceptable and what is not!
The world is not all roses and raindrops and sun and rainbows! There is a 'dark side' - and whilst I agree that there is a lot of offensive material - there is also a heck of a lot of good online.
But instead of realising that free speech is free speech - and that different people like different things - and that yes - it may take a site such as You Tube more than 5 nanoseconds to remove something that is wholly not appropriate - we'll just keep dumbing down the whole world for our kids - wrapping them in cotton wool and just let it bite them on the ass nice and hard as they venture out on their own rather than actually talking to them about such things? Right??!!!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1039880/MPs-slam-YouTube-doing-protect-children-dark-internet.html

Killing in the name of Islam is acceptable.......

That is according to one third of British Muslim students.

Ok so it can be argued that this survey was not taken by ALL Muslim students - but it is still pretty damning all the same.

I have no problem with their personal beliefs in women wearing veils - men and women mixing freely together is wrong (Muslim I must add here) and other personal stuff.

I DO mind when so many believe that wherever they are it is ok to kill in the name of Islam and that 40% want to see the introduction of Sharia Law in Britain!
I would not go to a Muslim country and demand that Christian laws should be introduced or that any other Christian beliefs should. I would expect the right to be able to practice my religion peacefully as is allowed here for any religion by the majority of people - and if it was not I would leave.

To ask for Sharia Law to be introduced and a worldwide Islamic government based on Sharia law is alarming to say the least.

Many countries accommodate different religions and allow peaceful practice of those religions - it is called tolerance and understanding.

However when it comes to wanting to change the laws of the country or introduce a new law such as Sharia - it is too extreme and too much. Like I said - would Islamic countries allow our law to be incorporated or are we expected to respect their laws and their way of life if we visit/live in these places?

'When in Rome..........' obviously springs to mind and although I agree that tolerance should be a good factor - this is taking tolerance too far to just lying down and dying.

Yes this is just a survey of university students - still damning and still alarming when these people are supposed to be some of the ones leading the way for the future.

Let us just hope that the British government cares more about Britain and the UK to never allow this instead of doing what they normally do and roll over and play dead to keep the minority happy and forget about the majority.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038953/Killing-Islam-acceptable--view-British-Muslim-students.html

The 'Wasp' knife is coming to Britain........

So of course everyone and their mother is getting into a furore about it.
It IS a highly dangerous weapon - used primarily by hunters - a frozen ball of gas is shot from the tip at the press of a button - instantly balloons to the size of a basketball - freezing internal organs.
Not pretty - neither is the demo video on You Tube with a guy using it on a watermelon.

So now we get to the usual 'the internet makes it easier to buy weapons like this'. (The internet is to blame for everything near enough don'tcha know!)
Yes it does - and at only £200 a throw (pun not intended) it is very easy to buy. £200 is far from being seen as a lot of money - even for teenagers.

So how do they intend to stop the spread?
More community policing? Well - that would certainly help - but we have to be able to get them out from behind desks and stop the stupid amount of paperwork your everyday copper has to do for each call - whether a crime or not.
Larger and tougher sentences for crimes - especially those carried out by youths?
Again this would help - I blethered on about this in one of my previous entries a few days ago - 'If you create a f**k you society - don't be surprised when it says 'f**k you' back!'
For too long now youths have been caught committing crimes - going to court and effectively being told they are naughty boys and girls but they will be given another chance. I know one of these 'naughty boys' - he appeared in court for the 47th time recently - his crimes range from shoplifting - to assault - to being in possession of an illegal weapon (a gun in this case) - and he is yet to see the inside of a juvenile detention centre. He is far from being the only one!
Can you imagine how much it must suck to be a policeman arresting someone like him - all the paperwork - the processing - but knowing he will go to court the next day - bailed to appear at a later date and then given another smack on the wrist?!

Give them proper sentences for dangerous crimes - too many now know they can get away with just about anything. How many more dead teenagers or in fact dead anybody is it going to take before something is actually done!
Stop putting 20 yr olds in juvenile centres! They are NOT juveniles - they are adults!
If they took the adults out of prisons for things like not paying their council tax or for arguing over a hedge (yep!) - they would not have the prison spaces they require in total - but they would have a few thousand available! Community sentences are there for a reason - but then again - it would be difficult to actually find a 'community' in Britain right now - but they should still be used effectively.

For too long now children have been given adult's rights when not emotionally or mentally capable of fully understanding the responsibilities those rights entail. They have been taught - through inaction of the courts and the government that they can act how they want and that there will be little/no consequences.
Adult rights and responsibilities have been taken away from adults - parents and teachers and many others - in case the little darlings get upset.
They don't get upset - they learn how to say 'f**k you - I don't have to do as you say!'

I am not going into sentencing here too much for crimes for any age group as it is all a joke - but one of the major problems here right now is youth crime - particularly knife crime - from our little brigades of 'I can do as I want'.

It is about time the courts act as they should be acting and give these people the sentences they deserve. Three years for killing someone with a knife is NOT long enough - when that person will be out of prison within a year and a half in most cases. (This is one sentence being served by a 20 yr old in a youth detention centre as shown on a recent documentary here.)
Repeat offences should carry longer sentencing - not just for knife crime - for any crime.
We are taught from being young children that for every action there is a consequence - good action=good consequence - bad action=bad consequence. As parents we are expected to pass that down to our children - and most of us do!
The laws of the country are there to show there is a consequence if you commit a crime.
The courts are supposed to be there to make sure the law is applied appropriately.
It's about time they did their job.

The government have some front in going on the warpath against knife crime now when so many youngsters have lost their lives this year already - but I guess better late than never!

License weapons - make it an offense to carry unlicensed weapons - a proper offense - not a smack on the wrist. If you are carrying a weapon and it is not for legal purposes then it is fair to assume you are going to use that weapon for illegal ones.

This country is rapidly slipping back into the dark ages - where there is little/no sense of community; respect is not required; education means nothing; the judicial system is seen as nothing more than a farce. 'Cavemen' wander the streets - except now the cavemen carry more offensive and dangerous weapons than a club - and will use those weapons to get what they want or to harm/kill you even if you look at them the wrong way!

Some country to be proud of huh?! Yet people wonder why I want to get out of it and out of Europe altogether so bad!

If you create a f**k you society - don't be surprised when it says 'f**k you' back!

So - we have the government here whining about the lack of respect from today's teenagers - how they have little or no respect for anyone else or themselves - especially in relation to the rise in knife crime here in the last few months!

What exactly did the government expect?!
In the last few years here (good old England!!!!) it has all been about children's rights - that they should have more freedom and rights and be treat more like adults!

Now don't get me wrong - I agree children should have rights and be respected - I was very happy when the cane and other forms of punishment were removed from schools. I was ecstatic when child abuse became a more talked about thing rather than kept completely hidden. I was happy to see a number of child help lines emerging for help with drug problems and/or just general teenage/childhood angst problems.
I do not believe children should have to live in a 'seen but not heard' society.
I do however believe children should be allowed to remain children whilst they can - like I have said many times before - the big bad world of adulthood will bite them on the ass sooner and harder than they think.
It is not all about the loss of sweetness and innocence in making a child grow too quickly. It is a loss of control, of moral teachings, of respect for themselves and others when boundaries are continually pushed further and further away until they are virtually non-existent.

Let's start with the education system. Who the heck would want to be a teacher these days??!! So many rights have been taken away from teachers it now seems like a 'scary' occupation rather than one people used to do in order to be able to genuinely help children. Now if they try to command any respect in the classroom even by shouting too loudly they are at risk of being taken to court if one of the little darlings gets upset.
They have been told that now - they should be their pupils friends; that they cannot correct work with a red pen because it looks too aggressive and may upset the child (poor darlings!)
Homework is given on printed sheets to 'fill in the gaps'. Textbooks are non-existent near enough. School reports are no longer marked A-F - because again - it is classed as too harsh.

GCSE's are dumbed down so much they are now a national and international joke! If I was at school now I could do an English GCSE but get awarded 3 if I pass all three parts - or 2 if I only pass 2 - yada yada. A drama exam used to hold 5 parts to it 4 years ago and therefore again - a GCSE for each part. Hell by the reckoning of the stuff they get passes for now I would have walked away with approx 24 passes! (Yes I was a smart ass at school!) It has been proven by many shows on TV here - sending smart kids from today - back to the 50's 60's 70's and 80's - and a couple managed a pass in one or 2 subjects - but were tired with the work that they had to do for themselves in order to obtain the grades.
A recently written article displays how bad this has got - which I provided a link for in a previous blog entry - but here it is again:
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/eon0711td.html
A child was given marks for writing 'f**k off' on an examination paper - one of the reasons given for the marks - 'it would have been wicked to give it a zero.'
The other reasons were apparently they could string 2 words together and spell them correctly - read the whole article - it is not very long and the writer makes some very valid points.
If this does not shock as to how sad the education system is here - nothing will.
In the days of O levels (yeah yeah I know - break out the violins - hovis bread music and 4 guys sitting around doing the 'when I were a lad' sketch!) you had to pass all three parts of the exam in order to get the one O level. Classes were grouped into O level and CSE groups - and if those that sat the CSE obtained a high enough grade - they were awarded an O level.
Now it is one for all - high achievers in with low achievers - so everyone is on the same standard - again - so no-one feels put down at being in the CSE group.
The groups were there for various reasons - so high achievers could get more done - being one of them. The CSE groups were not full of low achievers - they also had many pupils that could not handle the stress of an O level group but they knew that they could still be awarded the O level if their pass rate was high enough - therefore they could study at a pace suitable to their needs.
We have a government moaning over the drop out rates at Universities which is leading to a lack of highly skilled people in specific trades - science - medicine etc.
There is one simple reason for this - Universities are the one educational establishment the Government could not get their hands on and make them 'dumb down' the work required for completion of a degree. Therefore a student goes to University - and cannot handle the work - either in volume or complexity - because of the lack of standard education in schools and colleges. It really is not that hard to figure out why the drop out rates are so high - that and student loans!

We have a lot of children leaving school with the attitude of they can do no wrong. No - I am not saying all children are like this - far from it - it is always the minority trouble makers which make it look bad for the majority - although there is little can be said for the education system here now other than disastrous.

So much publicity was given here as to how children have more rights and freedoms - but in the wrong way. Teachers with no rights to obtain respect in the classroom. Parents having rights taken away from them more and more in very serious issues such as the morning after pill (abortion pill) but still held accountable for other health issues and general welfare of the child - while the children are in a classroom being taught what sperm tastes like!
Sadly there are parents at fault too - too many with the attitude of 'what's the point of trying to punish your child when they get away with it at school.'
I am lucky - my kids are in a good primary school - my oldest 2 being deaf went through a different kind of education system rather than the normal state school run. I am actually scared for my 2nd youngest going to High School this year - even though I did research the school thoroughly and it is a very good one.
I am not afraid to punish my kids by taking games away from them or extra chores or whatever - even if it does make me barbaric (see a previous entry for this!)
I talk to my kids about different things they see and read about - good and bad - I hug them - tell them I love them - and they trust me to know I will be there - will be fair but will also not be afraid of telling them if they do something wrong. I am not afraid to shout at them - mine is going to be far from the only raised voice they hear in a lifetime. I control and monitor internet access - the youngest are not allowed chat clients. We have fun together and we have serious times together too.
The thing I love about my children the most is the unconditional love and respect I get from them because they know it is freely given to them. I am proud to say I can take my kids anywhere and the 2nd time will not be to apologise for their behaviour the first time.
My kids are kids and retain an innocence about them - even the oldest ones - although it is hard letting them go bit by bit as they get older and they find their own way in life - I know I have done what I can to teach them right from wrong. I'm one proud mom in knowing my kids do not have a 'f**k you' attitude to anyone else or themselves.
My kids know one thing that I have told them always - if you know in your own heart that you have done your best - then that is good enough.
They are not angels and I am not the perfect mom - but we do good!

Too many kids now believe they can do no wrong. They see celebrities doing hard drugs and no punishment given. They see friends being taken to court after being caught committing a crime - and no punishment given. On the rare occasion a punishment is given - the sentences are ridiculous. The police force is laughed at and mocked by many teenage street gangs because they know that even when arrested that they will go to court and little will happen.

The education system is a farce - the police mocked because they do their jobs very well - but for little or no result. The judicial system is the biggest farce of all - a system that is supposed to help keep the moral fabric of a society together - but does not.
The Government announced a crack down on knife crime - and was rewarded with 4 deaths by stabbing in 23 hours! If that does not speak volumes to them - little will.

Kids need boundaries - they need to see if they overstep those boundaries that there is a consequence. Kids that did not have boundaries or have to show respect in the home - always had those boundaries set at school and had to show respect there - so if a child was let down in some way - there was always somewhere else as a fallback.
Now there is nowhere except the home - and with a more materialistic society amongst children as to who has the most expensive trainers or whatever - stress on parents for day to day things - that children do sometimes take a back seat even in the best of families. A judicial system that is a shambles and no respect for those in any position of authority - it is fair to say this country and any hope of a bright future and our youngsters leading the way went to the dogs long ago.

So now that the little darlings know they can do what they want when they want thanks to our so-called Government - why then are the Government so surprised that when someone is allowed to say 'f**k you' long enough as a child - that they carry this attitude into adulthood?
Hell - you could put the whole of of the Government into Colombia and they would still not be able to wake up and smell the coffee!

Children punished for refusing to kneel in class and pray to Allah...........

Oh yes - this got me going!!!
I am not racist by any stretch of the imagination - I despise racism in any form - but I would not be happy if this had been my children forced to do this either.
I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with my children learning about different religions and their practices - it encourages understanding and respect for other religious beliefs.
I DO have a problem with anyone being forced to pray to a 'God' that is not of their own religious belief especially children where parents/guardians were not consulted that a 'practice session' would be included.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1031784/Schoolboys-punished-detention-refusing-kneel-pray-Allah.html

Gov. Jindal and the "Sex Offender Chemical Castration Bill"

You just have to love some people and this guy is one of them.
Right on the heels of the ruling barring the death penalty for sex offenders/child rapists - Gov. Jindal signed the "Sex Offender Chemical Castration Bill" - and although offenders will have a choice of physical or chemical castration - they will also have to serve their sentence!
Read the full clip here - and I bet you can't without a huge smirk of appreciation!!!!
http://www.redstate.com/stories/breaking_news/gov_bobby_jindal_signs_bill_to_chemically_castrate_sex_offenders

Outlawing executions for people who rape children..........

News, blogs, general comments sites have been inundated with this topic - because it is a topic close to most people's hearts in one way or another - the Supreme Court ruling to outlaw the executions of people who rape children - where the child survives and is not murdered.
We no longer have the death penalty over here - I am not about to say whether it is right or wrong because I do believe it depends on the crime.
As a parent - the mama bear in me comes out even at the thought of someone trying to do harm to my kids - let alone something as devastating as rape.
I have seen the long term effects on people - none of them good. I have seen people that were raped as children - whether by a stranger or family member/trusted friend or person - find a way to live - to become successful thriving members of society and have successful relationships and families of their own.
This does not mean that there are no lasting effects. It can be very simple what can cause a trigger - even a stranger walking past them wearing the same aftershave/newspaper headlines or stories when the person is feeling depressed/somebody saying something so innocent - and many others - can cause triggers which can lead to severe panic attacks/severe depression amongst many effects.
There is also the flip side - people who were raped and it affects their whole lives - and this is not their fault - it is not ever a case of 'get over it and move on' 'don't let the b***ards grind you down' or any of the other things often said. Until you have been through anything like this - it is impossible to say what the effects will be and they are different for everyone.

The mama bear in me says 'kill the b***ards' or give me 20 mins in a room with some nice equipment and I can re-enact scenes from Hostel 2 - if you have seen that movie you will know I am specifically referring to a bit near the end of it - even though it was hardly a filling meal for the dogs!

The other part of me also agrees with the other opinions I have read. If someone is going to get executed for rape - what is to stop them going as far as murder to prevent them being identified by a child victim? The 'may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb' theory. We have read in so many cases where someone has gone on to murder their victim to prevent from being identified - can the abolition really prevent this to any extent?
Can the abolition of the death penalty in cases of child rape that do not result in the childs death prevent a rapist from going as far as killing the child? That is a tough one - after all - this depends from rapist to rapist.

There is the political side as well - in that it is a blanket prohibition and states have no individual control over this any longer - however - politics is far from being my field - so that I am steering clear of.

The abolition of the death penalty in rape cases where the victim was an adult woman - raped but not murdered - was enacted in 1977. Has this made any difference? Again - hard to say without talking to the rapists themselves.

The murder of a child for any reason is always going to get people angered, sad, frustrated and screaming for justice in the form of 'a life for a life'. The taking of a child's innocence in a crime as heinous as rape is also always going to enact the most immense feelings in most of us.

Could this abolition really prevent more children being murdered in rape cases as some people have commented?
Should individual states be allowed to have their own opinions and rights as to whether they enact the death penalty or not?
Is a fixed penalty sentence enough for a child rapist or should they be executed?

Everyone has different opinons and always will.............

Mayor gets restraining order against him; Kids rescued in prostiution busts; Nekkid jayjailbird; Nearly got away;

Mayor gets restraining order
Greeley Colo. Not happy at a 15 yr old showing his wife disrespect - this mayor apparently told the 15 year old bad things are going to happen.
Now I am all for people being respectful - especially children towards adults - but for the Mayor to then threaten this child - no matter how annoying, rude, inconsiderate - yeah that's the way to show that polite behavior is the way to go. I have no problems with the mayor demanding respect for his wife - but it has to be done in an appropriate manner. To then throw the kid to the ground because he would not stop riding a motorbike is incomprehensible - and has landed the mayor with a restraining order against him.
I do not believe in pussy-footing around rude kids - heck I am in England and we seem to be over-run by them right now - I do not believe a naughty child should be rewarded in any way - no matter how old - but I also do not believe attacking them physically for whatever reason is the way to go either. The mayor could have just as easily contacted the police himself and let them deal with the situation with the kid driving a bike unlicensed rather than make himself look like some kind of stalker first by cornering the kid at a basketball court and threatening him and then like some sort of uncontrollable maniac by keeping the kid on the ground.
Kids learn by example - and yes - at 15 he is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong - yet being attacked by a supposedly upstanding member of the community is only sending the wrong messages too. I am not excusing the kids behavior - but the Mayors behavior is just completely unfathomable.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25379176/


Kids rescued in prostitution busts
Sex slaves - sold for sex - runaways and throwaways (oh I hate that term - but there is none more appropriate - makes the heart tear) - not adults only - but children.
21 rescued this time - way to go guys - these kids now have a chance of getting some help and seeing people do care enough for them not to be used in this or any other degrading manner!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25378538/


Naked jaybird is jailbird again
Having been released from jail - after 2 days - a man was re-arrested - naked - because he thought the clothes the jail had given him were 'stolen'. He was deemed to be rational apart from being naked ................ yep of course - because we all as rational people just walk along the side of a road naked!!
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/5855562.html


He nearly got away........
Having stolen $3000 worth of jewellery from an appartment - the building super saw him and chased him whilst still in his pajamas. The thief started yelling a 'crazy guy was trying to kill him' and nearly got away with it till a tenant convinced the police that the super they had collared was in fact not the thief! The real thief was caught.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/06/25/NYC_cops_grab_man_in_PJs_chasing_burglar/UPI-91091214415525/