She's gone.

[ManDownUnder]

Then, (one would ask very respectfully) what in your point of view, would be a way to make things better?

There are no easy answers to this.

Quick answers no - easy answers yes. Community. Love thy neighbour, get involved. KB's probably a reasonably good example of this.

Examples I have to hand - I made the mistake of having one too many drinks at a function not so long back. MackTheKnife simply took me aside for a second and asked "You're not driving home are you?". Made it pretty bloody obvious I wasn't (and till that point I didn't realise the state I was in. He then went WELL out of his way to help resolve my self induced predicament.).

THAT is community in action. If I ever beat my kids and he found out I'm sure he's politely, respectfully let his views known and escalate things accordingly. Anyone else doing so would also get my respect.

I feel free to do that same as required in here. If I ever put people's noses out of joint then it simply highlights the fact someone (one, other, possibly both) have something more they need to explain or learn. Same as life in general. Take those same principles and live with them. Encourage others too - as I am doing right now. No such thing as "their" problem. If you know it's a problem and choose to stay out of it... you just became an accomplice.

/rant... sorry... hot topic.

[Ocean1]

"Support" should involve more than throwing money at people via the Department of Sexual Warfare. On that basis African orphans are definitely better off.

I wonder if the incidence of criminal behaviour is as high in African orphans as it is amongst social welfare recipients.

Doubt you’ll get many arguments about the need for someting other than the judicious application of cash to the problem. But have you not noticed the reluctance (locally) in most cases to accept support other than the “no strings” monetary type?

Let’s start by calling things by their proper name. The correct word for the support of the less capable members of society is charity. By it’s very nature charity is offered by one individual to another. Identifying a portion of the public purse as being available for the task is not charity. Neither is the apportioning of it by the bureau responsible for (insert currently fashionable acronym(s) here) welfare.

The giving of assistance to the needy by those capable of delivering it is a wonderful thing to witness. True charity may not always be effective in changing poor social behaviour, but the bulk-funding of unproductive and seriously anti-social lifestyle choices can never be.

Even if we fail to receive better returns for our alms the very least we “should” do is remove the constraints from those amongst us (officially sanctioned or otherwise) who would offer genuine charity. Collectively or individually the more effective type of support comes with a price tag: change.

[Hitcher]

I see that some pious self-promoting child welfare group is now advocating three minutes of silence in protest against child abuse. I guess after generations of New Zealanders standing around doing and saying nothing about child abuse, another three minutes of inaction can't hurt. Then everybody can go back to what ever it was they were doing, knowing that they've done something really constructive that will make a difference to abused children's lives.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4154918a10.html

[Winston001]

There is a fundamental discontinuity among these families. The primary drive (after survival) of all humans - all creatures - is to propagate their gene pool. That is why adult creatures care for their young.

So why do some (a few) humans miss this fundamental instinct?

I confess I have no answers. But I'm with Ocean1 in believing that it isn't simply caused by poverty. I've been fortunate to visit a few third world countries where large sections of the population live hand to mouth daily. No social welfare.

Yet these people love and care for their children. You can see it in the children's sparkling eyes, their clean (if ragged) clothes.

Go figure.......

[ManDownUnder]

There is a fundamental discontinuity among these families. The primary drive (after survival) of all humans - all creatures - is to propagate their gene pool. That is why adult creatures care for their young.

So why do some (a few) humans miss this fundamental instinct?

A very very very good question. I have no answer to it, but it's a big question. To my mind possibly the central question here.

[007XX]

I see that some pious self-promoting child welfare group is now advocating three minutes of silence in protest against child abuse. I guess after generations of New Zealanders standing around doing and saying nothing about child abuse, another three minutes of inaction can't hurt. Then everybody can go back to what ever it was they were doing, knowing that they've done something really constructive that will make a difference to abused children's lives.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4154918a10.html

Ok, so...I if I get your point correctly:

We are hiding behind an " ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" type of scenario, being holly horrified when we find out about such disgusting human behaviour and endeavour to give ourselves nice clean consciences by condoning revenge or paying money to charity in a Hollier than thou attempt to be decent citizens?

Please correct me if I got it wrong...and I mean that with no sarcasm...

[Ocean1]

A very very very good question. I have no answer to it, but it's a big question. To my mind possibly the central question here.

The answer (apparently) is obvious.

Send 'em to Africa.

[Hitcher]

Ok, so...I if I get your point correctly:

We are hiding behind an " ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" type of scenario, being holly horrified when we find out about such disgusting human behaviour and endeavour to give ourselves nice clean consciences by condoning revenge or paying money to charity in a Hollier than thou attempt to be decent citizens?

Please correct me if I got it wrong...and I mean that with no sarcasm...

Spot on with your summary.

We don't want to be reminded that this sort of thing goes on in our communities. In return for paying our taxes we just want The Gummint to take care of it. Hoodie losers should be neither seen nor heard. Thank you.

We may deign to stand silently for three minutes, unless that interferes with the statutory observance of our lunch hour.

[007XX]

In return for paying our taxes we just want The Gummint to take care of it.
.

But...call me idealistic here, isn't that what it is supposed to be?Or should I perhaps review

I think that where we have gone wrong is we have gotten too big for our own shoes...A bit like a city of Babel scenario...No one knows their neighbour, so why give a hoot?

There is no accountability anymore, no need to respect people...it starts in our schools, where youngsters are no longer afraid to answer back to the teacher, as the worst they can get is kicked out of school (wooptidoo...who gives a flying fox's bum!)...

Consequences to actions...Fix things BEFORE they happen, which means make sure our future generations are brought up to be geared up to be healthy, well balanced individuals who fear what's wrong and champion what's right...

And for those that are already "grown ups", serve up the accountablity all the same...if you're not afraid of the consequence, why not do it again???

[Ocean1]

Consequences to actions...Fix things BEFORE they happen, which means make sure our future generations are brought up to be geared up to be healthy, well balanced individuals who fear what's wrong and champion what's right...

And for those that are already "grown ups", serve up the accountablity all the same...if you're not afraid of the consequence, why not do it again???

Yup, "don't sweat the small stuff" as social policy is a mistake.

[ManDownUnder]

Yup, "don't sweat the small stuff" as social policy is a mistake.

hell yes. NYC/Giuliani's "Broken Windows" policy rocked! Problemn is we'd need enough Police... and that's money fro Govt. coffer that could only come at the expense of other social (welfare) needs...

[007XX]

Yup, "don't sweat the small stuff" as social policy is a mistake.

Care to explain exactly what you mean? It sounds interesting...And I'm also wondering whether you're trying to yank my chain...

[Zukin]

I have been thinking a lot lately about kids/children in general

The reason is that we have lost our only daughter Lani to Norway for a year (she is 16)
I don’t care what others think about it, but I miss her terribly.
When she left we cried and moped around home and we still feel that there is something missing, and the house is very quiet
We are very close, and after the past few days I feel as though our family has been ripped apart.

Whilst we have only misplaced her for a little while, and she will return after 12 months, my thoughts go to those parents (whether a couple or single parent), that have lost a child forever to accident or illness, or other circumstances beyond their control.
I just can’t comprehend or start to understand what these parents must be going through, as our daughter has only left temporarily to explore the big wide world, their children will never come home.
Yet there doesn’t seem too much support for these parents, only love from family and friends.

Lots of genuine people out there try for years to have children, these people for one reason or another can’t have them, and they are denied the opportunity to care, love and bring a child of their own.
Then there are those that don’t want to have children for one reason or another, people often say they are “selfish” and “horrible”, but I don’t wear that for a minute, at least they generally care about others.


Yet there are scum sucking f**kers out there that abuse and even kill these defenceless, vulnerable children
I don’t care what people say,
I don’t care about Human rights anymore, these scumbags don’t deserve human rights, NO in fact these scumbags don’t deserve to live, they have no rights, they should have no lives!!!
Why can these scumbags be allowed to breed when there are others that can’t but would love to?
Why do defence lawyers go out of their way to help these wa**kers to get off on a reduced sentence? Yeah I know it’s their job, but wouldn’t they feel much better if they did a better job protecting these innocent kids in the first place? Do they do it for National TV coverage, or the glory!!!
Why do Human right activists fight for these scumbags for unfair treatment in prisons etc, when they should be in the lounges, bathrooms or backyards of kids, fighting for their right to live!!
Why do these idiots get all the help they need (free legal aid, Support and counselling etc), when parents with legitimate reasons for losing their little gems get very little, or worse nothing at all?

On the other side of the fence, there are heroes within all this carnage that we are witnessing too often, I think about the Police and what they must deal with when dealing with this scum!! They have to clean up the pieces, and then many would have to go home to children of their own.

We often slag them about the amount of revenue they collect on our roads, but let me tell you I would rather them on the roads collecting revenue than in the backyards of family homes collecting abused/deceased children

And what about the hospital staff, bloody legends!!! What else can I say?

The actions of a few scumbags have a huge impact on society, and it affects more people that we care to think about.
I had already starting typing this earlier today, before I saw on the news about a silent protest on Wednesday at 12.12pm, I will certainly be taking part and I encourage you to do the same if you feel the same.

Sorry for my rant, but I am pissed about this crap, and I feel much better that I can share this with whom I often refer to as my extended family

Regards

[98tls]

Nice post and agreed on all counts,trouble is nothing will change because theres to many do-gooders out there that scream foul play when it comes time to deal with the scum buckets,seems its ok to fuck up a childs life but heaven help you if you attempt any real measures of justice on the person who commits these crimes,theres a huge number of people out there who get there lifestyle funded by supposedly trying to help these pieces of shit.Go figure.

[ManDownUnder]

Yeah mate.

I try to keep a level head most of the time but this shite does help me see red more quickly than normal. I'm one of those "Slow to anger" types but when I get there do not expect a rational response...

I know if this happened to any of my kids I'd be turning myself into the cop ship for fear of doing something that would se me locked up for life an beyond.

My bit is simply this. Pay it forward. Sounds strange possibly but the more I look at the world and what ails it, it seems to be the sense of collective responsibility. So if I can stick my nose in your business - only when well intentioned, respectful and with the intention of helping, you're welcome to reciprocate.

These monsters need bringing down, and the cops are understaffed (like that's a surprise) and couldn't be everywhere even if they had the numbers. It's the neighbours who are the front line. And if they are likely to be overwhelmed - THEIR neighbours need to be available to help... and so on.

I'm pissed off by this whole bloody mess too... I really am. I'm doing what I can to clean up my back yard and keep an eye on one or two around me.

The invite's there to come along for the ride if you think it can work.

I'm starting to sounds like John and Yoko "All I am saying, is give peace a chance" LOL

Anyway. Good post - I know where you are coming from... I do take issue with some of the solutions proposed, but then that's simply a difference of opinion. I daren't say any of it is wrong.