Letter...

A people may be judged, not merely on their economic vitality or their military conquests, but rather on how well they take care of the most vulnerable -- children, the sick, the elderly. We are all vulnerable, at least once.

Yet, child sexual predators in our neighborhoods and the traffickers of children into sex slavery all over the world perpetrate the most atrocious crimes one can imagine. Not only are approximately 60% of convicted child sexual predators out on probation, but also millions of children around the world are sold into sex slavery every year (see http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/rsorp94.htm and the Protection Project).

The sexual predators of children are extremely rampant. The "typical" child sex offender knows their victim and molests an average of 117 children (NIH, 1988). Approximately one out of every five children is sexually abused before age 18 and one in five children are sexually solicited while on the Internet.

What is being done to protect our precious, innocent children? Analyses show that 70 percent of those found guilty of a felony sex offense against a child did not serve jail time (Cheit, R., Ph.D.). Approximately 24% of all known child sexual predators are "missing" from the registry.

Florida, however, has swiftly enacted one of the toughest laws against child predators, the Jessica Lunsford Act, because her attacker was a known, registered sex offender. Now, people who would commit a sex crime against a child younger than 12 face a mandatory sentence of at least 25 years in prison and lifetime GPS tracking. Sadly, the law does not protect children 12-18 years old. What should the law be for an adult committing a sexual crime against a child? Should the punishment/deterrent be twenty-five years or life in prison? Can we be responsible for another child being molested?

The second almost unspeakable horror is the commercial sexual exploitation of millions of children around the world. 200,000 girls from Nepal have been kidnapped for sex slavery in India. The Thai government reports that 60,000 Thai children have been sold into prostitution. 10,000 children aged between six and 14 are enslaved in brothels in Sri Lanka. Cambodia, known as the Asian travel destination for pedophiles, has 20,000 child slaves in brothels. Interestingly, research has shown a correlation between peacekeepers and sex slavery, where young soldiers frequent brothels over-seas.

In recent years, the United States has led the way (ahead of the UN) in enacting the Trafficking Victim Protection Reauthorization Act. Under the act, the United States can use sanctions against nations on the "Special Watch List" who are not helping to end child sex slavery. However, the President did pardon Saudi Arabia and India from these sanctions. In some countries, it is a crime to sexually abuse children abroad, yet many countries do not have Child Sex Tourism (CST) laws.

America is the leader in committing $50 million to help rescue sex slaves around the world, yet many countries are not achieving convictions of the child traffickers and the criminals go unpunished. Still, arresting pimps is not very difficult: To remain in business, child sex slaves are advertised and easy to access. Rescuers and police officers posing as brothel clients can end the torture.

Here are some ways for you to help the children:

1. Contribute to UNICEF (http://www.unicef.org/) to end child sex slavery.
2. Write to your representatives
   (http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx; http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Mode=Find%20Your%20Legislators&Submenu=3&Tab=legislators; http://www.ccaflorida.org/updates/congressional_e-mail.htm) and to the United Nations (http://www.un.org/comments.html) to share your views on what punishments against child sex crimes should be.
3. Oprah offers a $100,000 reward to anyone giving a tip that leads to the arrest of a child sexual predator: http://www2.oprah.com/presents/2005/predator/predator_main.jhtml
4. John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted helps support new legislation: http://www.amw.com/features/feature_story_detail.cfm?id=464
5. Bill O’Reilly.com is committed to tough punishments.
6. Speak your mind to friends and family on this issue. Train your children to be as safe as possible.

We, the people, wish to end the dependency

The members of Congress, those men and women elected to do our will, are nowtossing about ways to restrict lobbyists. This recent flurry of integritywas sparked by the Abramoff scandal. Abramoff was a lobbyist who paid$50,000 to kill a bill to limit Internet gambling and he also admitted todefrauding four clients out of millions of dollars.

A lobbyist is hired to influence lawmaking in the interests of his/heremployer. Our politicians rely on lobbyists to contribute to their campaignsto in order to be re-elected. However, these are the same lawmakers whoactually regulate lobbying.

There lies the conflict of interest. Because it falls to the politicians(who need campaign contributions) to regulate lobbying, it is therefore nosurprise that lawmaker's would have difficulty saying, "No. We do not wantlobbyist's money and gifts. We want to act with complete integrity."According to PublicIntegrity.Org, a lobbying watch-group, 14,000 lobbyingdocuments that should have been filed with the Senate Office are missing.Furthermore, lobbyist led campaign committees have spent more than $525million to influence the political process since 1998.

If someone were to give you $5,100 in gifts and for re-election, would yoube so naïve to believe that there are absolutely no strings attached? Wouldyou just assume that the lobbyist just cares about supporting you with nothought to what the client will get in return? You don't buy it, do you?Yet, this is business-as-usual in Washington, D.C.

We, the people, need to call for an end to the financial and gifting side oflobbying. Lobbyists' roles should not include leading a politician'scampaign committee. Our congressional representatives should not befinancially dependent upon a special interest. Please e-mail, call, or writeto your congressional representatives and ask to fully end the dependency.Thomas Jefferson would say that Congress should not represent the will ofthe lobbyists, but instead it should represent the wishes of the people.

Pune Trip

I'm in India right now (Pune to be more precise) for work reasons. I just started another blog here for this trip to Pune: Pune Trip - http://punetrip.blogspot.com/
I am trying to update the pictures daily.

-Harry

Science Textbooks

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of science is to acquire knowledge through the scientific method, which is "the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses" (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary).

As a social scientist fully indoctrinated with the importance of the scientific method, ethics, and peer-review, I have had to learn the difference between a scientific theory and the colloquial "theory" when a layperson tries to predict what mom will cook for dinner, for example.

Therefore, I fully urge the group choosing science textbooks to choose science, not the intelligent design option, which is not science.

Some may be thinking, "It is only fair to present both sides." However, there is actually no other side in science in this case. Thousands of different hypothesis tests using many different independent methods (the fossil record, comparative anatomy, DNA-biochemistry, embryology, biogeography, etc.) all come up with evolution as the answer. Intelligent design, which I concede has a very nice name, cannot be tested and cannot be science.

To choose the non-science textbook would not only be a waste of money, it would be a waste of young, scientific minds. In a world where global competition based on science and technology will determine our very welfare, please choose science.

P.S.: If it is any consolation, the ID-er’s definition of evolution is wrong: Evolution is not life from a bunch of “random” changes. On the contrary, there is nothing “random” about the environment pressuring species to change so they may better survive. There is certainly also room to believe that God made the universe and its rules. (Einstein alluded to as much.) I am one scientist who believes one of God’s rules is evolution.

Ganesh Temple

Ganesh Temple

I'm traveling to India next week. As I was looking for interesting things to see near where I am going (Pune, India) I came across this. This is probably my first online spiritual experience.

Comment on Columns: The education of a regretful housewife

Comment on (St. Pete Times) Columns: The education of a regretful housewife

Blumner's Sunday column tells the story of Terry Hekker, the former authority on homemaking as a viable choice. Hekker found herself heartbroken, duped, divorced, and penniless after raising five children and being a supportive wife to her husband for 40 years. Blumner's take-away from Hekker's story follows: "Striving in jobs that stretch our intellect ... or making money so we can direct the course of our lives, are expansive endeavors that engender widespread respect, unlike, to be blunt, stay-at-home parenting."

Although Hekker's lesson is a valuable one for modern women, Blumner's conclusion may be misplaced. Instead of concluding that a challenging career is the best answer to achieve widespread respect, self-actualization, personal growth, and financial power, one may ask why is it that taking responsibility for raising one's own babies and young children does not engender widespread respect, and if not financial security, than, at least, not a financial loss?

As a stay-at-home mother to two young children, I looked at my babies and thought, "Do I want to sacrifice my own self-actualization for a few years so that this baby can have the best? Or, do I want my child raised by workers who may or may not share my values, warmth, sense of humor, amount of hugging, keen eye for illness, curiosity on nature hikes, etc., etc.?" I answered, "Yes! I will sacrifice until my children are in school. I will care more about the future than I do about my own needs." There will be a time when the children will fly away. There will be time enough for career. It is my job to take responsibility for raising these children right. Mom: Nobody Does It Better.

Raising our children from birth is, bar none, my husband's and my greatest satisfaction and achievement. Unfortunately for the future of our society and our world, there are not enough parents who fully take on the responsibility of raising their children as best as they can. For the parents who have to work, those parents are doing the best they can. Yet, the disregard of where the buck stops will negatively affect our future and us all.

The "pay-off" for day care to raise your children is too easy to take. However, the solution is not necessarily for all mothers to go back to work as quickly as possible, but to call for policies such as paid leave, a "family allowance," work credit for parenting time, and divorce laws that recognize the wife's contribution to the family's career. (See the "U.S. Lags Far Behind" report: http://www.globalworkingfamilies.org/).

I know "mother" is so ubiquitous she is unseen. I wrote this poem to see her:

I'm just a mom.
You don't see me because I'm always here,
Like breathing or the back of your hand.
I'm just a mom.
Always ready with a smile, a hug, some advice...
Looking like
Somebody's mom.
Just what I meant to look like. (Not a doormat but, you see, it's not about me.)
Available to you at any moment that you should need me,
For anything.
Always ready to drive you anywhere,
Snacks in hand.
I'm just a mom.
The One who is your voice,
Your biggest protector,
All the while,
Helping you find your voice.
Just a mom keeping the home calm
So your eyes shine clear and strong.
I'm just a mom, who, long ago, put aside her own ego
To devote her life to something larger -
Heroic even -
To create a happy family.
And
It is exactly what I meant to do.
So, next time you see one, See one.
Smile and know
That although and because you see mom all the time,
She is a heaven-blessed hero.

-Anonymous Stay-at-home-mom (for now!)
Market Researcher
Ph.D. Candidate