MICHELLE SAYS SO

NEW BLOG - MICHELLE SAYS SO 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 21:13:00 +0000

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MICHELLE SAYS SO 2.0

More True Crime Stories! After a 9 year hiatus I am back and ready to roll!

JOHN LIST - FATHER OF THE YEAR

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 21:08:00 +0000

John List 1971 FATHER OF THE YEAR

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WHY DOES HOLLYWOOD IDOLIZE MIKE TYSON?

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:27:00 +0000

Imagine you decide to go to the theatre to see an alleged, “One Man Act”. Imagine how you might feel after you find out that this "performer" is a convicted rapist? How would you feel when you found out that this person has to register as a sex offender in every state he works in?

After learning this information, I am going to assume that the majority of law abiding citizens would be up in arms over this performance in their cities. You think to yourself, "Why would anyone pay to see a sex offender ramble on about their poor, hard life?" Wouldn’t you question the theatre owners and promoters and demand an explanation for why they are giving this rapist a platform and getting paid for it?

Well guess what. This really happened. People did see this convicted rapist, and they paid up to $250 ticket to listen to this longstanding criminal and sex offender justify himself. All on your dime, he's getting some sick pleasure out of exploiting his criminal acts and assassinating the character of his victims. Did you know this monstrosity started on Broadway? The infamous and controversial director, Spike Lee is producing it. Thanks to the Hollywood machine, this rapist will be touring 36 cities, banking the bucks and getting crazy, wild publicity out of it.

Who is this performing rapist? His name is Mike Tyson.

It is of my opinion that entertainment executives, investors and the entire Hollywood machine have ignored that Mike Tyson is a SEX OFFENDER. He is a rapist. He is a self-admitted violent man. The movie “The Hangover” became less funny when I saw that ugly tattooed mug appear on the screen ruining a perfectly good Phil Collins song. Why do the powers that be in Hollywood think it's a great idea to idolize and capitalize off a monster? What part of rapist do they not understand? He’s not an “alleged” rapist. He IS a rapist.

Every sexual assault survivor got a big slap in the face last month with a ugly wrapped package of the NBC network, and its television show, Law & Order: SVU (Special Victims Unit.) The sick irony? Tyson played the victim of a prison rape.

Did I miss something? Was this supposed to be funny? Were these people serious? Tyson playing a rape victim?!

In the video below, Marcie Kaveney, a sexual assault advocate, called for a Petition on Change.org asking NBC recast Tyson's character. When asked why would NBC do something like that (casting Tyson as a rape victim on a very sensitive show), Kaveney stated, "I can't even say because they haven't even come out to say anything. They never responded to the petition, they haven't responded to any interviews...all I can think is ratings. Maybe they thought with it being controversial that it would get ratings and new viewers."

Why is man who is a criminal, a rapist, a violent animal, and a loose cannon being celebrated on screen and on stage? I would surmise that NBC doesn't care about the viewers who were deeply offended by their choice of casting. However, the bottom line is always ratings and money.

FORGOTTEN VICTIM, DESIREE WASHINGTON

In July 1991, Tyson was one of the judges for Miss Black America. Desiree Washington, Miss Black Rhode Island, was introduced to Tyson and later offered to take her for a ride in his limo to see Indianapolis. Desiree testified that Tyson made sexual advances towards her in the limo where she rebuffed him and he stated to her, "Oh, you're not like the city girls. You're a Christian girl." Tyson told the limo driver he needed to stop at his hotel room and insisted that Desiree come with him.

She testified that upon arriving at his hotel room, she excused herself to use the bathroom, and when she emerged she stated to the jury, "I glanced over and saw the defendant in his underwear...on the bed. He was just sitting there.... I was terrified." Tyson pinned her down on his bed and raped her despite her pleas to stop. "It felt like someone was ripping me apart," she said. After the rape, she ran out of the room and asked Tyson's chauffeur to drive her back to her hotel. Tyson's chauffeur, Virginia Foster, confirmed Desiree Washington's state of shock. Dr. Thomas Richardson, the emergency room physician who examined Washington confirmed that Washington's physical condition was consistent with rape. (Source)

Tyson was convicted on the rape charge on February 10, 1992 after the jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours. Tyson was sentenced to six years, but only served three, and was released in 1995.

AN ANIMAL OUT OF ITS CAGE

After being released, in an interview with Fox News Anchor Greta Van Susteren, Tyson was asked if he raped Desiree Washington. His answer? “No, I didn't rape that slimy bitch...just a lying, reptilian, monstrous, young lady. I just hate her guts. She put me in that state where, I don't know, I really wish I did now. Now I really do want to rape her and her (expletive) mama." Source

He’s so full of hatred for being accused of this crime and “that woman” ruining his life. He’s no rapist! Right? Yet, in 2002 he was quoted as saying “[He] called me a ‘rapist’ and a ‘recluse.’ I’m not a recluse.” Freudian "rape" slip? Source

TYSON’S “RAPE LIST”

Tyson happily brags in the same Van Susteren interview that he wishes he’d raped every single human being he’s ever seen, met, or had even minimal contact with, ever, in his entire lifetime.

"Yeah, um, that lady, what's her name? Who walked my dog that day one time? I wish I raped that bitch good…and that Hilton bitch, what’s her name, Paris or Rome, I wanted to rape her one time but didn’t, I forget why, I think I was tired or something. 8And my cousin Veronica, she woulda' been good to rape. And my old mailman, Hank, back in Green Point [Brooklyn], I wish I’d raped him, too. That woulda' been funny, raping the mailman. His little mailman helmet woulda' fallen off and maybe I’d pick it up and wear it while raping him. Yeah, that woulda' been funny."

Tyson also threatened Van Susteren, "After this interview I’ll probably look back and say, 'Damn, why didn’t I rape that Greta Van Whatever bitch, too…That woulda' been funny, raping that Greta lady while she tried to ask me those stupid questions. I mean, yeah, um, raping everyone from my life is all I think about."

Others on Tyson’s “rape list” included his “bitch fourth grade teacher Ms. Hoffman, bitch choreographer Debbie Allen, Robin Givens’ greedy bitch mother, that fat Mexican bitch in that burrito place near the gym, that bitch Celine Dion, that Trista bitch from The Bachelorette, and former UN Secretary General Burtos Butros Gali.” Source

NOT ENOUGH OUTRAGE

So with all the above in mind, why haven’t we seen more outrage about Tyson cashing in on his infamy? Why are Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public giving their hard earned dollars to watch this so-called “entertainment” by a convicted rapist?

If you think Tyson is “reformed”, think about this. He once stated in an interview, "I wish that you guys had children so I could kick them in the fucking head or stomp on their testicles so you could feel my pain because that's the pain I have waking up every day."

So, Why is Mike Tyson relevant?

We, the entertainment consumers keep him relevant. Do your part, don’t take part in watching SVU, do not see his “one man show”, write an email or tweet to Spike Lee @SpikeLee, or go to his website directly at: http://www.40acres.com. Voice your opinion to him!

Write the executives at NBC and tell them how disgusting they were to think it was ok to put a sex offender on their show and portray him as a victim.

Do they all think we’re stupid? I know we aren't. Stand up and have a voice. What’s going on here is NOT ok. Not everyone has succumbed to society’s decay of moral values. Let’s show those people pulling the strings behind the magical curtain what is acceptable and what isn’t! We bear responsibility too, because this is everyone’s problem. Whether you think it affects you or not, it does.

NBC Executive producers, Law & Order: SVU

Dick Wolf

Peter Jankowski

Warren Leight

Bob Wright,Vice Chairman and Executive Officer

GEChairman and Chief Executive Officer

NBC Universal Headquarters

30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112

E-mail: robert.wright@nbcuni.com

Phone: (212) 664-4444

Fax: (201) 583-5453

CANADA ADDRESSES CARIBBEAN TRAVEL SAFETY

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 18:22:00 +0000

Originally posted 3/14/09

"A 2007 report by the World Bank and the United Nations said the Caribbean murder rate has risen to the world's highest, thanks largely to drug trafficking. Assaults also occur more frequently than the global average."

The recent attack on Ottawa's Terry Schwarzfeld and her daughter-in-law while walking along a Barbados beach is the latest incident that draws attention to the potential dangers of vacationing in the Caribbean and Central America.

A 2007 report by the World Bank and the United Nations said the Caribbean murder rate has risen to the world's highest, thanks largely to drug trafficking. Assaults also occur more frequently than the global average.

On certain islands, though, hurricanes, mudslides, or volcanic eruption rate higher risks than armed robbery or a beachfront mugging. And most all-inclusive resorts are walled compounds with extensive security.

But no country is crime-free. And prudence is needed even in supposedly safe areas, according to Inder Handa, president of Ottawa-based Handa Travel.

"The best way to know is through local people," Handa said.

"There is no safe place. It doesn't matter where you are. You have to be very, very careful."

Still, some sultry destinations are considered more dangerous than others by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Department of State, and Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

As seen by departments of foreign affairs:

1. Anguilla

Some petty and drug-related crime, but overall a low threat level.

2. Antigua and Barbuda

The overall crime rate against tourists is low, despite a recent increase in violent incidents. Two Britons died last July after a shooting in their room. An Australian yacht captain died after being shot in January.

3. Aruba

Considered safe, as is the case with other Dutch Caribbean territories. But the island has been earning unwanted publicity since 2005, when American teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared.

4. The Bahamas

Considered fairly safe for tourists. Crime that does occur is usually non-violent. Outer islands report fewer incidents.

5. Barbados

Barbados has a lower violent crime rate than many of its Caribbean neighbours. But violent crime against tourists is increasing, according to Foreign Affairs, who specifically point to the dangers of Long Beach, where the attack on Schwarzfeld took place. Police commissioner Darwin Dottin countered in a recent report that attacks on tourists are highly unusual.

6. Belize

Violent crime and sexual assaults against tourists have risen in recent years, the American government reports. Crime is rarely reported in resort areas, but can be a problem in larger cities. Armed gangs are known to prowl where tourists congregate, though.

7. Bermuda

Despite an image of shorts and scooters, tourists here are told to avoid deserted beaches and unpopulated areas after dark. Most crime is drug-related, according to the British government.

8. Cayman Islands

Some reports of robbery, assault, and sexual assault.

9. Costa Rica

Popular with adventure seekers, an increasing number of armed robberies and carjackings have been reported there, along with kidnappings where tourists are forced to withdraw money from automated bank machines. Sexual assaults on tourists have also been reported at beach resorts but remain rare.

10. Cuba

Reports of violent crime have increased, but the island is generally considered safe for tourists. Muggings and other attacks tend to occur in large cities. The Cuban government's full employment policy means all- inclusive resorts are heavily patrolled by armed security guards.

11. Dominica

Robberies can occur in tourist areas, but the region is considered safe.

12. Dominican Republic

Crime has increased recently. Violent attacks occasionally occur against tourists, including sexual assaults at resorts.

13. Grenada

Considered far safer than many other Caribbean islands, though street crime is common.

14. Haiti

All non-essential travel is discouraged, but adventurous tourists do visit the troubled country. Foreigners have been kidnapped, and gang violence continues despite UN efforts.

15. Jamaica

Violent crime is most common in urban areas, especially Kingston. But armed robbery and purse snatching occur throughout the country and can turn dangerous. Most resorts have significant security measures in place.

16. Mexico

Mexico's crime rate has earned plenty of attention in Canada. Foreigners can be targeted for violent assaults and robberies -- sometimes by hotel and resort employees. Kidnappings are common in large cities, but tourists are not specifically targeted, according to Foreign Affairs. Robberies can also happen on long-distance buses. Drug-related violence has plagued border regions with the United States. Women travelling alone are considered to face greater risk.

17. Montserrat

Crime is less of a concern here than hurricanes or the occasional volcano activity.

18. Puerto Rico

Occasional riots can spread to tourist areas.

19. Saint Lucia

The overall crime rate is low for the region. There are occasional muggings and armed robberies in tourist areas, and a few sexual assaults against visitors have been reported over the past year. Andrea Muizelaar, a former winner of Canada's Next Top Model, and a friend were assaulted last year by three men with knives after leaving their cruise ship.

20. Trinidad and Tobago

Gang violence is most common in Trinidad's inner-city neighbourhoods, and violent crime is on the rise -- including the use of firearms. Tobago is considered safer, but solo visits to beaches are discouraged. Attacks increased in 2008, including home invasions; a Swedish couple were murdered in their villa in October.

21. Turks and Caicos

Considered safe and a popular destination for Canadian tourists. This is not surprising, because ever since the First World War, a number of Canadian politicians have floated the idea of bringing the islands into Confederation.

22. Venezuela

The home of Hugo Chavez also has one of the world's highest crime rates. Murders and armed robberies occur in and around resort areas and national parks. There have been reports of foreign women being drugged and assaulted.

British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Antigua, Aruba, Curacao, Guadeloupe, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Martinique, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines.

These islands, many of which remain British, French, or Dutch possessions, are considered safe compared to their Caribbean neighbours.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/safe+place+seekers/1388507/story.html

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS BAD FOR BUSINESS

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:24:00 +0000

In the spring of 2001, I was 27 years old. I was just downsized in a mass layoff from another company. It just so happened that my mother was working for an environmental firm in the same business complex. She suggested I send my resume to her because she was the President’s executive assistant.

I got the job, and immediately the President “Terry” treated me so well. He didn’t treat me like an inexperienced 20-something bimbo. He was quite the opposite. He treated me with professional respect, marveled over my resume, and promised that if I had the drive, I would go very far in this company. I was thrilled.

The harassment started out small. First there were emails that read, “So, do you want to play?” I deleted them and shrugged them off. I couldn’t believe those messages meant anything serious. Terry was a married man with five children! However, I was so naïve it took many incidents before I realized what was going on.

Early that summer, I was invited to an out-of-town environmental seminar. We would all stay in a hotel. I roomed with the company’s attorney, “Catherine”. The morning we were leaving, the hotel phone rang. Catherine picked it up and handed me the receiver. I had no idea who it was. Surprisingly, it was Terry. He told me that his wife forgot to pack his toothpaste and would I bring mine down to his room. I replied, “Why don’t you get some from the front desk or have them bring it to you?” He insisted that I come down immediately, and I did what I was told. He was my boss.

When he opened up his door, he was standing there completely wet wearing only a towel. I handed him the toothpaste and backed up several feet. He said, “Do you want to come in?” I stated, “No.” He looked at me as if I was crazy and said, “Oh jeez…I’m not going to do anything to you! Don’t be stupid…”

Terry told me to sit down and relax. I sat down, but I was not relaxed. He pulled out a joint and handed it to me saying, “Here, smoke some of this since you’re so uptight.” I was floored! Not only was my boss smoking weed in front of me, but he offered me some as well! I told him no. He said, “Oh, come on…who am I going to tell? Your mom?”

He started to dress in front of me, while I turned my head. I was sick to my stomach. After about 40 minutes, he finally used my toothpaste and returned it to me. I was free to leave. I ran up the stairs not knowing what I was going to say to Catherine. I walked in the door and she looked at me as if I had done something wrong and said, “Why in the hell were you down there for almost an hour?” I told her nothing. I was scared of the consequences if I told her about Terry and what he did. Instead I just explained to her that I gave him the toothpaste and he had me sitting there waiting for him. I didn’t tell her that he was only wearing a towel and dressed in front of me. I didn’t tell her that he was smoking a joint and offered me some. I don’t know why I felt I needed to protect him for his actions, but I did and kept my mouth shut.

Terry began to constantly call me into his office telling me to bring a pad and pen. When I showed up I was always ordered to close the door behind me. He explained that he wanted me to take notes about where I was heading in the company. He threw out all these fantastic titles, and what kind of work I could do. He basically told me that I had free reign of my position and he would even let me make up my own responsibilities.

Terry had a disturbing habit of pushing papers towards his pencil holder so they would fall in front of his desk. I always bent over and picked them up. I was so naïve, I had no clue what he was doing until I noticed him smirking and laughing to himself…as if he was so clever. When I left his office he said, “Turn around.” I asked, “Why?” He stated, “I want to use you as a fantasy for when I have sex with my wife.” I was disgusted. To save face he replied, “I’m just kidding girl! Don’t you dare tell your mother about this.”

Soon after that incident, Terry’s wife kicked him out of their house. Lord knows what for. He was staying at the “Extended Stay” Hotel about a ½ mile down the street. Early on a Friday night, he called my cell phone and stated that he needed some important papers delivered to him at his hotel. I was the only one besides my mother that lived in town, so I was the only one that could do this for him.

I went back to work and retrieved the papers, drove to the hotel with the intention of leaving them at the front desk. But he was waiting for me. He motioned for me to come with him into his room so he could sit down to see if there was anything missing. I was so upset and angry, but I couldn’t tell him no because he was my boss. I was afraid.

We walked into his room and he immediately removed his shirt and sprawled out on the bed not even looking at the papers. He asked me to sit with him on his bed. I said no. He literally begged me to cuddle with him because he was so lonely ever since his wife kicked him out. I sat on the edge of the bed and couldn’t look him in the eye. Then he asked me to give him a massage. I thought, “Are you kidding me?” Instead of being rude, I kindly told him no because he was my boss and it wasn’t a good idea. He started crying. I don’t know if they were crocodile tears in order to get me to stay, but the act didn’t work. I said goodbye and left.

My employment changed on Monday when I came back into work. The minute I walked through the front door, I was summoned to Terry’s office. When I walked in, the Vice President of Operations was standing there. Terry cut right to the chase, “Michelle, people are starting to get jealous of our working relationship, so you will no longer be working with me. Don’t knock on my door, don’t come to me with any problems, just don’t. “Tim” is your new supervisor and I am not. You have problems, go to him.”

I was so thrilled I didn’t have to work with Terry anymore, but the phrase he used, “people are starting to get jealous…” really stuck in my head. A few days later, my mom was “let go” for no apparent reason. Maybe it was because Terry was scared that I would tell my mom what he was doing? And who knows what their in-house attorney Catherine was saying. Maybe she advised it?

I no longer worked on the projects that I had been slaving over. I was given a desk in the back of the office with a partition in front of me. I could see no one, and no one could see me. I sat at my desk with absolutely nothing to do. I had literally been stripped of everything I had worked for.

Soon after I was sent to a new location. It was small room where everyone stored their junk along with one empty desk. I was told that I had to keep the door shut at all times. I was not allowed to prop the door open. I was not allowed to converse with any of my co-workers. When I did leave my office, I was shunned by every female employee, and snickered at by every male co-worker. I was written up for situations where I did absolutely nothing wrong. I had never been treated in such a negative manner.

My naivety had morphed into complete anger. I went to see the woman in Human Resources wanting to explain what was going on. It was completely humiliating. Instead, she stared at me in disbelief. She treated me as if I was a liar, or I was there to start trouble. I thought talking to another woman would be easier; and she would be willing to help me by looking into the situation. Instead, she shamed me and told me to get back to work. Nothing was going to change.

I finally gathered up the courage to tell my mother everything that happened right under her nose while she was working for Terry. She was livid. This narcissistic creep fooled her, and no one fools my mom. She has an excellent judgment of character. She felt guilty for even suggesting me to come and work for these degenerates in the first place.

I decided to contact a female attorney who specialized in sexual harassment. I was so disappointed. She told me that if I went through and filed suit, it would be my word against Terry’s. They had large amount of funds to hire the best attorneys, while I had no money. She said that they would dig into my personal life and sexual history, just like a rape victim. She discouraged me from doing anything. I don’t know if anything she said was true, but it seemed as if not even she believed me. She treated me condescendingly. Now I was really mad.

As soon as I ended that conversation, I made it my mission to find a new job as soon as possible and quit. I was very fortunate. I confided my story to an attorney friend of mine. I think he felt sorry for me when he made a position available in his law office so I could get out of this venomous situation. For that, I am forever indebted to him.

Once I gave my notice I had my chance to give H.R. my final thoughts. I wrote in detail what I endured during my tenure at this company. I was not nice. I did not mince words. I was belligerent. I wanted to make sure this was looked at not just by H.R., but Terry, my other supervisors, and Catherine, the in-house attorney. Then I unleashed all my negative emotions to the woman running H.R., the same person I came to for help in the past. All my professionalism flew out the door. I knew I was leaving, so I didn’t care. I didn’t hold back with this woman. I walked out of that office with a load off my shoulders. I was so proud of myself that I said what I said and did what I did. I owed them nothing. I took my box of belongings and walked out of the door for good.

It was the most freeing moment of my life.

CONQUERING THE NARCISSIST

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:45:00 +0000

You know there is a problem. It’s not you. But you’ve been told it’s you. Just smile and nod your head. ‘Thank you.’ ‘You are totally right.’ ‘I don’t know what I would do without you.’ Blah, blah, blah.

The narcissist. We’ve seen them in the public eye. Donald Trump. Bernie Madoff. Lance Armstrong. Charlie Sheen. Guess what? Most narcissists are not on television.

They walk among us. They are your husbands, your bosses, clergy, and even your children. They can easily ruin lives. They wreak havoc in the boardroom, the courtroom, and the family room.

Don’t fool yourself. A well-developed narcissist cannot be cured. Narcissists are resistant to change, making it almost impossible for them to recognize their own behaviors in order to save their relationships or careers.

If you insist on having a relationship with a narcissist despite the bleak prognosis you’ve been given, you’ll need to arm yourself for psychological warfare. Learn to conquer the narcissist--before they conquer you.

When dealing with a narcissist, ignorance is not bliss, and knowledge is power. Educate yourself. You must be able to recognize a narcissist before you can correctly handle them and the situation.

WHAT IS A NARCISSIST?

Narcissism is an excessive fixation on oneself. The personality disorder was named after a mythological Greek youth named Narcissus who became obsessed after falling in love with his own reflection in a lake.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines narcissistic personality disorder as:

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance. He or she will exaggerate achievements and talents and expects to be recognized as superior.

2. Preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.

3. Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people.

4. Requires excessive admiration.

5. Has a sense of entitlement and unreasonable expectations of others.

6. Is exploitative. He or she will take advantage of others to achieve their own ends.

7. Lacks empathy. Narcissists are unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.

8. Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her.

9. Shows arrogant, haughty behavior or attitudes. 1

Other pervasive traits include constant interruption and domination of conversations, whether it be one-on-one, or in a group.

A narcissist believes that if you are not special and superior like them, you are worthless.

They will criticize not only you, but also everyone around them that doesn’t agree with them.

Beware: If the narcissist is criticized or “attacked”, they will react with anger and inner humiliation. This will trigger rifts, arguments, and ultimately, alienation of friends, colleagues or family. A narcissist is incapable of successful long term, healthy relationships.

CAUSES OF NARCISSISM?

The etiology of narcissism is unknown, but researchers and experts believe that several factors occurring in early childhood may lead to narcissistic behavior. Some of these circumstances include excessive praise and admiration of a child by a parent that is never balanced with realistic feedback. Overindulgence by parents, family, and friends is also thought to be linked with narcissism.

On the other hand, narcissistic personality disorder can also originate from severe emotional abuse or trauma during early childhood, including unpredictable or unreliable caregiving from parents. 2

A FOOL IN LOVE

Barbara was married to a pathological narcissist for over 20 years. She didn’t see the signs at age 18, when she met him in high school. He was good looking and irresistible with an abundance of superficial charm and charisma. He fooled everyone around him because he was a master at first impressions and false bravado.

He was a compulsive and pathological liar. He had countless affairs, made up educational pursuits and degrees, and exaggerated stories about people he knew and where he’d been. It took her many years to learn that she had been duped.

Throughout their marriage, Barbara's husband was constantly fired from jobs. It was never “his fault”, instead blaming others for the discord.

He burned bridges right and left. Like an abusive relationship, he kept Barbara controlled and isolated from family and had few friends.

He expected undying loyalty and respect from everyone, but would turn on you in a second if crossed or his logic was questioned.

He found humor in making people upset or cry, and never apologized for his offending behavior. Why would he? In his eyes, it didn’t affect him, so it wasn’t his problem.

STUCK WITH A NARCISSIST?

TIPS AND COPING SKILLS

Lower your expectations. One shouldn’t have to lower their expectations in a relationship, but when dealing with a narcissist, there aren’t many choices. Please realize that your relationship will be completely one-sided because they are not capable of filling your emotional needs. Expect that they will exploit you by monopolizing your attention and demand that their needs and desires are attended to at all times. Remember, the narcissist lacks empathy and will never know (or care) that you are unhappy or have feelings.

Don’t rock the boat. Choose your battles wisely. Never question the narcissist’s knowledge or point out his/her lack of knowledge. They must be “right” at all times. Be prepared to listen, but don’t plan on speaking. Don’t forget--you must forego your own opinions and ideas. Incorporating praise and admiration throughout any interaction with the narcissist is a must.

Learn to keep yourself at an emotional distance. The narcissist will try to make you dependent upon them. If you keep your independence the narcissist is more likely to respect you.

Master the ability to foresee bad behavior and reiterate to the narcissist the consequences for the specific behavior. Make sure you both know what your non-negotiables are, because this is where you MUST draw the line.

Learn how to manipulate them. Example: Your boyfriend never wants to see your family during the holidays. Turn it around and make it about him, “We should go to my parents for the holidays. They think you are so funny, they just love your stories!”

Take back control. If you are able, limit your interaction with the narcissist. Keep your boss at arms length and avoid idle chatter. If your father is an unbearable, self-centered egomaniac, put a time limit on your conversation.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

Assess the reason why you are in this relationship. What are you getting out of it? Are your needs being met? Weigh the pros and cons of why you remain in this toxic liaison. If you are not getting what you want, walk away. Never love anything that can’t love you back.

1 Narcissistic personality disorder – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) American Psychiatric Association (2000)

2 "Narcissistic Personality Disorder". Personality Disorders – Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Armenian Medical Network. 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-14

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: REBECCA MIDDLETON AND BERMUDA

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:29:00 +0000

Originally posted January 4, 2009

Since spring break season is only months away, I want to remind potential vacationers about the tragic incidents where deadly collateral damage is pointed at innocent victims...those poor souls who just wanted to experience the time of their life somewhere in paradise.

Women, please refresh your memories or educate yourself by looking into these types of cases before making any final decisions on where you wish to travel.

The Caribbean is not as safe as everyone seems to think. And remember...we're not all saints. Think of your last vacation...were you more carefree than usual? Statistics show that when one is on vacation it is more likely 'caution will be thrown to the wind' and normal personal guards are let down or disappear. This is when the predators (A large majority being locals) will prey on that vacation naivety.

Some time ago, I had a post on the case of Rebecca Middleton who was raped and murdered while vacationing in Bermuda. (SEE HERE and a follow up post HERE).

Just recently a reader stumbled upon Rebecca's story and wrote a very sad and heartfelt story of her own rape while vacationing in Bermuda. I feel that her comment must come out for more readers to see. It should remind all women to think carefully before deciding to leave the country on spring break.

If you must leave the country. Learn the laws. Do your homework. Ask yourself questions such as, "Who would I call in an emergency?" "Where is the police department located and what is the number?" "Who is the U.S. Consulate?" "What are they responsible for?"

Don't be a victim.

I'm certainly not saying to avoid traveling abroad. We shouldn't be scared by limiting ourselves in life out of fear. Situations such as these do not happen to everyone...but knowledge is power and safety is survival.

From Anonymous:

As a tourist visiting Bermuda in the summer of 2003, I was raped in Hamilton. The police treated me as though I had committed the crime. It was humiliating and horrifying. I am fortunate to have lived through the ordeal and my heart goes out to the family of Rebecca Middleton.

The incompetence of the Bermudian athorities is blatant and repugnant.

It is a tragedy that this information is kept secret enough for people to unknowingly send their daughters on vacation to a place we are not valued or kept safe from harm.

I am quite certain my rapist is still walking freely around Bermuda as the police there did little or nothing to persue him. Perhaps one day reform will come and there will be justice for Miss Middleton.

In the meanntime on a very small island filled with unsuspecting tourists (many of them young girls exposed to alcohol) there are at the very least three brutal rapists roaming free to repeat their crimes (and as sexual deviants often do) are likely to do so.

I share this information in hopes that perhaps one more person will decide to vacation elsewhere.

Bermuda is dangerous.

FACTS FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
ON BERMUDA

CRIME: Bermuda has a moderate but growing crime rate. Recent crime statistics can be viewed a the official website of the Bermuda Police Service:

http://www.police.bm/ Examples of common crimes include theft of unattended baggage and items from rental motorbikes, purse snatching (often perpetrated against pedestrians by thieves riding motorbikes), mugging, and theft from hotel rooms. Valuables left in hotel rooms (occupied and unoccupied) or left unattended in public areas are vulnerable to theft.

The Consulate regularly receives reports of thefts of money, valuables, and passports and advises that travelers keep their hotel windows and doors locked at all times. Criminals often target transportation systems and popular tourist attractions.

Travelers should exercise caution when walking after dark or visiting out-of-the-way places on the island, as they can be vulnerable to theft and sexual assault, and because narrow and dark roadways can contribute to accidents. There have been incidents of sexual assault and acquaintance rape, and the use of "date rape" drugs such as Rohypnol has been reported in the media and confirmed by local authorities; one local advocacy group reports an increase in reporting the use of these drugs and accompanying sexual assault.

Travelers should also note an increase in gang presence in Bermuda and should take regular precautions to avoid confrontation. The back streets of Hamilton are often the setting for nighttime assaults, particularly after the bars close.

INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME:

The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while overseas, in addition to reporting to local police, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for assistance. The Embassy/Consulate staff can, for example, assist you to find appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends and explain how funds could be transferred.

Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed. Posts in countries that have victims of crime assistance programs should include that information. See our information on Victims of Crime.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1067.html

THE "INVISIBLE" SEX CRIMES

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:47:00 +0000

When I was 19, I came home from college for the weekend to my hometown of Racine, Wisconsin. It was midnight and I was driving on a busy main road. However, that night the busy street was desolate. Except for the car following closely behind me. The driver came around to my passenger side keeping a steady pace alongside me. I did not want to look over. I was scared. It was a man laughing and flashing his genitals at me. He pressed his buttocks on the window and molested himself with his hand.

My little Ford Escort went from 30 mph to 60 mph. I was suddenly in the Indy 500, swerving, mastering the sharp turns, up and down every side street and main road. No matter how fast I drove, he kept up, trying to follow me home.

After approximately 15 minutes of the cat and mouse game, I finally lost him. I was free and almost home. My vision was clouded with the images of the perverse things he did to himself. I replayed the entire incident in my head all night. I didn’t call 911. I just wanted to go to sleep and go back to school.

The next weekend was Easter. For the second time that month, I was in Racine again, shuttling between my parents for the holiday.

It was midnight. I was on the same road. It was desolate. Everything I experienced the weekend before was there again. I sensed it a mile away. I was prepared for him this time.

I saw headlights in my mirror and a red truck riding my ass. It was him again. His change of vehicle didn’t fool me. He proceeded to perform his act, identical to the weekend before. I wasn’t scared. I was angry. Damnit, I was pissed! I said to myself, “Dude, you have messed with the wrong girl.” I grabbed a pen and wrote down his license plate number on my leg.

I endured the same high speed wild goose chase, and managed to lose him again. As soon as I got home I called 911 and reported the incident, gave them his license number and the general direction he was headed when I last saw him.

Two hours later, the phone rang. The police called to informed that they arrested the ugly red headed psycho pervert. His name was Ronnie Lonhardt and he was 35. In order to press charges, I had to come downtown to write up a report and identify him. Are you crazy? I have to look at that maggot again? To this day, I’ve never forgotten his face, and my memory didn’t fail me that night either.

He was charged with a DUI and an additional charge for “lewd and lascivious” behavior. Turns out he confessed to police that he had been doing this to dozens women that month alone. Go figure. (Note: After a criminal records check, the red headed pervert pled down to four separate “Disorderly Conduct” charges. Two were dismissed at the request of the prosecutor, and the other two were forfeited. Thanks Racine County Prosecutors.)

For years I had issues with driving at night. I was fixated with who was behind me, and I never looked at the person to my side out of fear. I carried a knife. Was I paranoid or justified in my fears?

AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE

Exhibitionism. Voyeurism. Groping. Frotteurism. Many women have experienced any one of these crimes at some time in their lives. Most offenders will get away. I did not let my offender get away. In my mind, I believed I might have averted another sex crime.

These invisible offenders are grooming themselves for their next deviant act in order to heighten and satisfy their sexual pleasure. Could it be rape? Sex with a child? Child pornography? Some experts insist that these initial “minor” sex crimes lead to worse crimes. Is this a risk you’d rather ignore until it happens to you, a friend, a sister, a mother, a daughter?

What are these “invisible sex crimes”? These particular offenses are the most under-reported sex assaults. Why? Because it happens when you least expect it. Did you see his face? You can’t remember because it happened so fast and you were in shock and embarrassed. What do you say or do? By the time you figure out what is going on, they are dust in the wind. These acts against women happen everyday.

GROPING

Groping is a form of sex harassment. It can be unwanted pinching or grabbing. The groper targets the breasts, legs, buttocks and groin area. Groping is likely to happen in such places like crowded bars or parties, concerts, subways, sporting events and elevators. The predator is less likely to be detected and has the ability to flee before the victim realizes what happened.

Ever see this scenario? A waitress takes an order and walks away from the table. Her male customer swiftly slaps her buttocks in a “joking” manner saying, “Thanks sweetheart.” Have you ever experienced the unfortunate incident of a man rubbing his arm against your breast, then laughing it off saying, “Ooops! Sorry about that!”

Ladies, that was no accident.

ANGRY VOICES

"I went to a music festival in a big park last year, and people had crowded together to see the headliner. It was dark except for the streetlight and stage lights up ahead, and I was encircled by young men. One or more of them kept subtly touching me inappropriately. I tried to squirm my way out to another location, but there just was no room to squeeze through. I had to endure the harassment for the whole show.” (Anonymous post, Wiesen, 2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation, “What is Groping?”)

“Every now and then, I will feel a hand squeeze my butt or leg so gently and then hear a voice say, “Oh excuse me!” I know that it was intentional, because if it had been an accident, it would have been more of a brush or a swipe rather than a cupping.” (Id.)

“I had the misfortune of getting groped while exiting a crowded elevator and I was more mad than anything. It is such a violation of your personal space and I hate knowing there are so many perverts out there that can get away with things like that just because there are so many people around.” (Id.)

FROTTEURISM

Frotteurism is the act of rubbing the hand(s) or erect genitals against another person in a non-consensual manner in order for sexual gratification. Like groping, this act is done in public where the victim cannot easily respond to their attacker.

Studies have concluded that the average age of a “frotteur” is between 15-25, beginning at puberty and decreasing after 25. (PsychNet, 1998.) It was also noted that “older men with shy and reserved personalities or who are withdrawn socially” are common frotteurs. (Id.)

I have been a victim of many frotteurs in my day. When it happened, I became enraged. There have been times where I have grabbed the pervert, and screamed out to everyone within earshot what just happened. There was never a shortage of shit-stains who hadn’t experienced my wrath. Slapping, punching, pushing…nothing was ever out of the question for me. I wasn’t going down without a fight.

However, in each situation I was the ultimate loser. What the hell just happened? Where am I going to find this guy? I didn’t know who he was, I don’t remember what he was wearing. I was shocked, angered, and out of control. What did he look like?

I don’t know. He looked like them all. They all look alike.

VOYEURISM

These offenders are formerly known as “peeping Toms”. But times, they are a changin’. With the advent of cameras, electronics, and other digital technology, voyeurism is out in full force.

This is the only sex crime where the offender doesn’t need to have direct contact with his victim. His crimes do not occur in public. A voyeur doesn’t need to stand in front of your window with binoculars. He won’t have any witnesses to his crime because he is safely sitting behind his computer, sometimes watching multiple women at once. Voyeurism is one of the hardest sex crimes to prosecute because of the predator’s elusiveness and ability of non-detection.

BOTTOM LINE

It is absolutely necessary that we come together to stop these future violent sex offenders. See the statistics below. No matter how bleak, this is true: we are the ones that hold the power to make change. Victims need to stand up, not only for themselves, but for the others who are too afraid to come forward. As sad as the statistics below are, just remember, if it weren’t for those courageous women, there would be even more predators on the streets. They are always ready and waiting.

STATISTICS: RAPISTS ARE WALKING FREE

54% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported to the police, according to a statistical average of the past 5 years. Those rapists, of course, never spend a day in prison. Factoring in unreported rapes, only about 3% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.

Out of Every 100 Rapes

46 get reported to the police
12 lead to an arrest
9 get prosecuted
5 lead to a felony conviction
3 rapists will spend even a single day in prison

References:

Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey: 2006-2010
FBI, Uniform Crime Reports: 2006-2010
National Center for Policy Analysis, Crime and Punishment in America, 1999
Department of Justice, Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties: Average of 2002-2006

MY DAD VS. ROMAN POLANSKI

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Originally posted 10/9/2009

I love my father dearly, but he's never been one to openly care about crime or anything socially related unless it directly affects him. I've been crime writing for over four years, and I know he's proud of what I'm doing, but I know he's not really interested.

That's cool. It's not "his thing". I respect that.

However, a couple weeks ago I was published in an interview with the "Human Trafficking Project" in regards to U.S. domestic human/sex trafficking.

I specifically stated in the interview:

"I went to law school for a year with dreams of becoming a prosecutor in sex crimes. I am a victim of rape and I wanted to help others by putting sex offenders away...Soon after I started my blog, I began following the Natalee Holloway case. I felt connected with her personally due to the fact she was sexually assaulted and hadn’t received any justice for her assault and murder."

A week later I spoke to my dad on the phone and asked him if he had read my interview. He paused and stated, "Yes."

The line sounded dead. I heard nothing.

I asked, "Well....what did you think?"

He paused again and said, "Well, I was surprised to read some things you mentioned about yourself..." And he stopped abruptly.

I was in shock because I hadn't realized he never knew about my own victimizations. Sometimes it seems as though perfect strangers know more about my life and what I've endured than my own family. He had to read about it on a blog.

It was totally thoughtless of me...it just didn't register that I've never talked to him about my personal life. Especially something like that. No father wants to hear that his daughter was twice raped and sexually assaulted by many others since the age of 14.

That was the day I crushed my father. I felt horrible. I am his first born, his favorite, his "pride and joy". What was I to him now?

Someone like my father, who is a "revenge" type of person, never knew about these things...it must have killed him that he is powerless to do anything now.

Instead of talking about it, I pour out my emotions in a journal, and put the abuse away deep in my closet. I've never actually healed.

My "healing" has been my fight and vengeance and justice for other victims; I never thought about my own justice.

To this day, I keep it locked away, but some of it slipped in that interview.

Next thing I know, my dad is interested in the Roman Polanski child rape case. I never felt like writing about Polanski because I feel his story is over-saturated in the media; and since he is a celebrity, I'm sure he will get out of it.

My dad proceeds to write the following emails that just BLEW ME AWAY. Never did he care about this subject before, and never has he used these words in such an angered manner.

That day he sent those emails to me are my best memories yet.

Thank you dad, I love you.

From: DAD
To: me
Sent: Monday, October 5, 2009 9:42:30 AM
Subject: justice

Have you written anything about that "Pig" Roman Polanski on your blog?? Read the Grand Jury Testimony March 1977. He settled out of court with the victim for $500,000, however there is no proof that he ever paid one cent. Bring him back, let him spend some time behind bars, about ten yrs, it will never happen!!

Dad

-----Original Message-----
From: Michelle S
To: DAD
Sent: Mon, Oct 5, 2009 8:48 am
Subject: Re: justice

I'm surprised you have an opinion on this! No, I haven't written anything in my blog about him...the news is over-saturated with him, and I like to focus on less sensational cases.

The woman (girl) doesn't want to testify or press charges after all this time, and without her testimony, they have no case...unless they charge him with fleeing the country and I don't know much about extradition laws, etc. Plus, there is a statute of limitations on sexual assault. There are so many factors in this case that have all the legal talking heads on cable news spinning.

Michelle

-----Original Message-----

From: DAD
To: Michelle
Sent: Monday, October 5, 2009 9:55:19 AM
Subject: Re: justice

This is not going away, there will be Justice!! When you read the testimony you will change your mind, when guys like me read what happened to this little girl, we think about our daughter's and what we would have done to this Pig, he was 44 and she was 13, I want Justice!

-----Original Message-----
From: Michelle S
To: DAD
Sent: Mon, Oct 5, 2009 8:59 am
Subject: Re: justice

WOW...your anger surprises me. I never thought you cared much about that stuff.

I indeed read the testimony of the girl many years ago...I have been familiar with the case for a long time. I never understood why the U.S. and France didn't share extradition for sex offenders.

If he doesn't get justice here, then justice will come in other forms...karma works wonders.

Michelle

-----Original Message-----
From: DAD
To: Michelle
Sent: Fri, October 9, 2009 9:24:37 AM
Subject: Re: Polanski

It's not about the victim this time, I understand her feelings, it's about the law and what is right, justice for all victims were the law has failed, if this was the common man he would have been put away for 20 yrs.

We have to stop looking the other way, this sends the wrong message to our youth, if you have money and fame there are different rules for you. That is not what our country stands for.

Most father's will always protect their daughter's, I don't know anything about the victum's father? Where was he?? All I know is that Polanski would be long dead if it was one of my daughters.

DAD

----Original Message-----
From: Michelle S
To: DAD
Sent: Mon, Oct 5, 2009 8:59 am
Subject: Re: justice

I TOTALLY AGREE with what you are saying. I'm just saying I know he's going to get out of it like all the other celebrities. He DESERVES punishment. But deep down you know there will be no justice. That is where karma comes into play.

Love--
Michelle

SEX TRAFFICKING--NOT JUST AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:52:00 +0000

When you ask the average American what they think of sex trafficking and where it originates, you will most likely hear, “Thailand, Philippines, Eastern Europe.” The majority of Americans don’t believe that most sex trafficking occurs within our own borders. Many victims are regular kids and young women who aren’t runaways or have been abandoned. They are lured and coerced by clever predators.

FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Chip Burrus, who started the Lost Innocence Project, which specializes in child and teen sex trafficking stated, “What you can see time and time again, is that the predators will adapt their means to whatever the young people are doing—whether it’s malls, whether it’s ski slopes, whether it’s beaches…predators are going to do everything in their power to try to convince young girls, young boys, to come with them and enter this particular lifestyle.” [i]

The United States is recognized among the top three countries for sex traffickers, along with Japan and Australia. Traffickers pick locales and business “fronts” in cities all over the country, but many choose to “set up shop” in areas such as San Francisco, New York, Arizona, Las Vegas and other cities and counties that would make your jaw drop.

Statistics and Economics of Human Trafficking in the U.S.

There is a huge economical difference between human trafficking and drug/weapon trafficking. You can sell a kilo of cocaine or a semi-automatic weapon only once. With a person, they can be sold over and over and over, making them nearly priceless to the trafficker.

Research and studies done on human trafficking within our borders is pathetic. The Department of Justice reported that in 2008 there were more than 1,200 “reported” incidents of human trafficking. [ii] Due to each state’s little to no research on human trafficking, that reported statistic cannot be a true, definitive number.

“Because sex trafficking is so far underground, the number of victims is not known and the statistics vary. According to Ambassador John Miller, director of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, “The number will always be an estimate, because trafficking victims don’t stand in line and raise their hands to be counted, but it’s the best estimate we have…The CIA won’t divulge its research methods, based on its figures on 1,500 resources, including law enforcement data, government data, academic research, international reports and newspaper stories.” [iii]

However, in a February, 2006 ABC News article it states, “The FBI estimates that well over 100,000 children and young women are trafficked in America today.” [iv]

Could the FBI’s estimate be more accurate than the Department of Justice’s 1,200 “reported” cases?

The level of apathy towards education, prosecution and punishment of these crimes is dismal. I have to wonder if our own police officers, local officials, or politicians are not making an issue of this crime because “money talks”? Think about it. Sex traffickers yield profits of over 32 billion dollars a year. That makes drug and weapons traffickers look like kids with a lemonade stand. [v]

Difficulties in Prosecution

The trafficking industry thrives because it is hard to prosecute. The women who are victims need to serve as witnesses and testify in court in order for the prosecution to prove their case against the perpetrator(s). These women don’t come forward not only because of the “re-victimization” in court, but also the threats made to them by their traffickers. They have been burned with acid, “disappeared”, or have had their families threatened or murdered.

“We have to explain the woman’s mind-set—that she’s often unsophisticated, comes from a country with a corrupt government and would believe her captors’ lies that if she flees should could get arrested by the police…Juries have a hard time. They wonder: If the door was open, why didn’t she just run?” [vi]

Destination America--From Sea to Shining Sea…

New York

Neighbors wondered why a 65-year old man had a succession of young foreign women living in his home. He told neighbors they were au pairs, yet Joseph Yannai had no children.

“You’d think a warning bell would go off in a neighbor’s mind,” said author Ron Soodalter, “The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today”.

The State Department estimates 17,500 people are trafficked INTO the U.S…but Nassau County Detective John Birbiglia, who runs the Long Island Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces says “that’s a guess because less than 1 percent of cases get prosecuted…it’s the invisible crime.” He thinks the number of enslaved people is much higher. He continues, “We used to arrest these women, now we know they’re victims.” [vii]

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas has an infamous slogan, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” They didn’t get the name “Sin City” for nothing. The Associated Press reported in 2008 that Las Vegas is a “hub” for child sex trafficking and that more than 400 children were found working as prostitutes during a SINGLE MONTH in 2007.

Shared Hope International, a non-profit based in Vancouver, Washington released a 165 page report in March 2008 that stated, “Las Vegas was one of 10 U.S. locations for which the agency completed reports. Others included Salt Lake City, Dallas, Bexar County and Fort Worth, Texas, the New Orleans area, Clearwater, Florida, Erie County, New York, Independence, Missouri, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.” [viii]

“Federal officials have recognized Las Vegas as an area where human trafficking is a concern, and a cooperative effort was launched in 2006 called the Anti-Trafficking League Against Slavery.” Even with the well-intended effort of the groups involved, there are no local safe houses to protect the victims.

Vegas Under-Reports Problem—Dare I Say “Tourism”?

“There is a huge and growing sex-oriented trafficking problem in Las Vegas. Yet they quickly add that no statistics have ever been gathered and law enforcers never before have made it a top priority—so the scope of the problem still needs to be determined.” [ix]

…Police in the past haven’t paid sufficient attention to the signs that the prostitutes or others they’re investigating may also be trafficking victims—meaning the problem has gone underreported for years.” –Terri Miller, Civilian Director of “Anti Trafficking League Against Slavery”, and Las Vegas Metro Captain, Terry Lesney. [x]

Could this problem be underreported because of the implications that would affect Las Vegas’s TOURISM? There are too many people invested in that moneymaking machine of a town, so it is plausible to assume that many are paid to look the other way. Starting from the top such as politicians and law enforcement all the way down to cab drivers and hotel managers and/or employees.

An anonymous source, who is an employee with Clark County’s law enforcement sector stated, “We’ve had some very sad cases of sex trafficking. Naturally, they don’t report that kind of stuff because it would ruin tourism.”

Everyone can be bought in Vegas.

San Francisco, California

“San Francisco’s liberal attitude towards sex, the city’s history of arresting prostitutes instead of pimps, and its large immigration population have made it one of the top American cities for international sex traffickers to do business undetected, according to Donna Hughes, a national expert on sex trafficking at the University of Rhode Island.” [xi]

Once in California, the women learn too late that the job offer was a ploy. They are beaten into submission, drugged and raped, then transported and hidden inside homes, massage parlors, apartments and basements.

The women are most often locked inside by security doors, watched by video surveillance and guards who analyze their every move and gesture. They are forced to have sex with as many as a dozen men a day. The organization pays crooked taxi drivers and hotel operators who are willing to shuffle the women to their “appointments” and accommodate the pimps.

They are constantly beaten, drugged, raped and starved.

Arizona

Debbie, a 15-year old from Phoenix, got a phone call one evening from a girlfriend who said she was stopping by. Debbie, wearing only her Spongebob pajamas, went outside to her driveway to greet her friend at the car who was with two older men. Debbie’s friend lured her to the car door and the three pulled Debbie into the car. One of the captors ordered Debbie’s friend to tie her up and put tape over her mouth and eyes.

After being drugged and gang raped, Debbie was trapped in one of Phoenix’s toughest areas. She was driven around Phoenix and ordered to prostitute herself, and when she refused, she was raped and kept in a dog kennel for 40 days.

Her traffickers put an ad on Craig’s List for Debbie’s “services”, and shortly thereafter men came all hours of the day and night demanding sex. Debbie was forced to have sex with over 50 men during her 40-day nightmare, not including the pimps who gang raped her on a regular basis.

The pimps told her that they would kill her family, “they even threatened to throw battery acid on her 19-month old niece.” Debbie stated, “After they told me that, I didn’t care what happened to me as long as my family stayed alive.” [xii]

Eventually tips came into the police and the apartment Debbie was kept in was searched, but they couldn’t find Debbie. Luckily, a police officer found her tied up and crushed into a drawer under a bed.

Police arrested two individuals and were only charged with kidnapping and sexual assault. They have pleaded not guilty and the current disposition of their cases is unknown. [xiii]

Georgia

Chelsey lived a seemingly “normal” middle class life with her family in Georgia, but at age 10 her life forever changed when she was sold as a prostitute by her own father. Chelsey’s story is one of redemption. After her escape, she managed to graduate from high school and received a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Georgia. Chelsey is now working on her master’s degree. The following is an excerpt of a journal passage Chelsey wrote during her unfathomable ordeal:

“As I hang from the beam of a dim, musky, cold basement, I think of as many descriptive words as possible for the body parts I loathe the most. I have endured 14 hands, 70 fingers, all the while my hands are tied. They are numb from being laced above my head and are exhausted from supporting the rest of my body. I am naked, beaten, bleeding, and alone. Sunshine creeps in through the holes in the shades and amplifies my new wounds. I am coming down from a large dose of cocaine and I hope that at least one pair of hands returns to feed me some more. I close my eyes because the drips of sun, of life hurt, and I begin thinking of names of presidents and countries. Dusk approaches with footsteps. I count 14 feet, 70 toes, returning for another round. I inhale, I exhale, I brace myself. I close my eyes, ask silently for death, and hope they have enough blow to get me through the night. I am twelve years old.” [xiv]

Rate Your State

U.S. Current and Pending State Laws on Human Trafficking

The U.S. Policy Alert on Human Trafficking charts current and pending state laws in regards to human trafficking. Polaris Project gathered information in regards to whether or not each state had (a) prosecution for human trafficking, (b) a state task force, (c) research commission, (d) law enforcement training, and (e) victim protection.

“U.S. states with no existing law or pending legislation specifically addressing human trafficking: Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.” [xv]

Hawaii is the only listed state that does not have any laws prosecuting human traffickers, in addition to no law enforcement training and no victim protection.

States With No Human Trafficking Task Force[xvi]

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

North Carolina

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Texas

Virginia

States with no Human Trafficking Law Enforcement Training [xvii]

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Texas

Virginia

Washington State

States with no Human Trafficking Victim Protection [xviii]

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

North Carolina

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Virginia

“Loverboys”—a/k/a “Pimps in disguise”

Many women lured and trapped in sex trafficking are brought by “loverboys”. These are men who befriend women and even engage in false relationships in order to win a woman’s trust, who then in turn releases them to the actual pimp. These are the men who control the women on a daily basis, through orders of the “head trafficker”, the man in charge. This is the man who decides which girls go where, and most often are the “head of operations” via their “legitimate” business fronts such as beauty parlors, hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies that are scattered throughout the entire United States.

Women Used as Traffickers

Believe it or not, a large amount of traffickers are women themselves. They are used to coerce naïve girls and young women into going with them for various jobs. Many claim modeling opportunities for the girls, where they are then tricked into going overseas or to a mansion used as a “front” in the method of their coercion. Once the bait is taken, the girls are beaten, drugged, kidnapped and sold. The woman trafficker gets her “cut” and she walks away looking for more vulnerable women and children.

Why Use Women as “Ploys”?

Using a woman as a trafficker is a fool proof way of obtaining a child or young woman’s false sense of security; simply because she is a woman. The woman predator is easily believed because the victims don’t perceive her as a threat. Children and women trust women more than they would a man who would offer the same things: opportunities of jobs, modeling, traveling around the world, making money to help their families or build their lives.

America’s Culpability

Let’s take into consideration the “supply and demand” aspect of why sex trafficking and forced prostitution is such a lucrative business. It is the high demand of these “services” that men command, and unfortunately, many of the solicitors are male American citizens.

There would be no sex trafficking and exploitation if there weren’t a need for it.

Who are these men? Why do they think this is ok? Maybe the latter question is something we will never know or understand.

Let’s Get to the “Root of the Problem”—the Solicitors

Dr. Jerry Albom

Meet Dr. Jerry Albom, a middle-aged radiologist from Oklahoma. Dr. Albom decided to take a trip before starting his new job at medical facility on the island of Guam. His destination? A secret. His family, friends and colleagues think he’s going to Bangkok. But he’s really going to Cambodia…his favorite and most frequented travel locales where he can have cheap sex with young teen girls.

Dr. Albom is a “child sex tourist”.

He is one of thousands of adults who travel overseas every year to sexually exploit children, some as young as five years old.

The majority of sex tourists are adult males from more industrialized countries who travel to lesser developed countries where laws are weakly enforced and sex is cheap and readily available. According to recent reports, Americans comprise an estimated 25% of all sex tourists. In countries such as Cambodia and Costa Rica, the percentage of American sex tourists jumps to 38% and 80%, respectively. [xix]

“Many impoverished countries rely on sex trafficking as a source of real income, and in effect, often have a vested interest in maintaining the status-quo…countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, the ‘sex sector’ accounts for anywhere between 2 and 14 percent of national income.” [xx]

“In many countries…the lack of political will and the abundance of corruption among government and law enforcement officials…undermine efforts to enact stronger laws and harsher punishments for perpetrators of child sex crimes.”

As a result, in countries where corruption is rampant, public officials are often part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

A new report released by the humanitarian organization World Vision—Cambodia indicates that ‘many high ranking officers [in the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism] are involved in child sex tourism and the sexual exploitation of children and even support the activities of child sex traffickers.” [xxi]

PART ONE:

“Usually I buy out three girls for 50 bucks. Take ‘em for the whole night.”

Albom warns the undercover sex tourist not to tell his educated friends “who read” because they will know about the area’s reputation. He states, “Don’t tell them where you’re going…tell them you’re going to Bangkok. And then come here very discreetly.”

PART TWO:

Albom Confronted With Hidden Video

“I don’t want to participate and make judgments of something I may have said when I was drunk, or…or, may have been slipped a pill, who knows?”

“Drunk or slipped a pill…that’s your defense?”

“Yes.”

Bottom Line

You don’t have to be a politician, law enforcement, or part of some special group to make a difference. As a citizen…just be aware. Take notice. If you see something strange, odd, or just not right, do something! Say something! If nothing is done, call the local media! Spread the word within the community until something is done.

We, as American citizens need to take part in the responsibility of protecting these innocent children and women. Let’s officially put our U.S. politicians ON NOTICE, educate your family and friends on human trafficking, and make some noise!

[i] ABC News, “Teen Girls Stories of Sex Trafficking in the U.S.”, June 2006

[ii] Department of Justice—“More Than 1,200 Alleged Incidents of Human Trafficking Reported in the U.S.”, January 15, 2009

[iii] May, “San Francisco is a Major Center for International Crime Networks That Smuggle and Enslave”, October 2006

[iv] ABC News, “Teen Girls Stories of Sex Trafficking in the U.S.”, June 2006

[v] Polaris Project, “U.S. Police Alert on Human Trafficking—Summary of U.S. Policy Activity”, July 2007

[vi] May, “San Francisco is a Major Center for International Crime Networks That Smuggle and Enslave”, October 2006

[vii] Adapted from N.Y.’s Hidden Trafficking, Metro, 21 June 2009.http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/865

[viii] Associated Press, “Report: Las Vegas a Hub for Child Sex Trafficking”, March 2008

[ix] Adapted from: Sam Skolnik, “Do we have a human trafficking problem? Justice Department names Las Vegas among 17 most likely destinations.” Las Vegas Sun, January 29, 2007

[x] Id.

[xi] May, “San Francisco is a Major Center for International Crime Networks That Smuggle and Enslave”, October 2006

[xii] ABC News, “Teen Girls’ Stories of Sex Trafficking in U.S., February 2006

[xiii] Id.

[xiv] Wagner, Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch, “Untold Horrors”, June 2009

[xv] Polaris Project, “U.S. Police Alert on Human Trafficking—Summary of U.S. Policy Activity”, July 2007

[xvi] Id.

[xvii] Id.

[xviii] Id.

[xix] Susan Song, “Children as Tourist Attractions”, Global Child Sex Tourism,http://www.yapi.org/rpchildsextourism.pdf

[xx] Klain, “Prostitution of Children and Child Sex Tourism”

[xxi] The Associated Press, “Child Sex Tourism Spreading in Asia”

WHY ARE WE SEXUALIZING OUR DAUGHTERS?

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:37:00 +0000

DOES MONEY TRUMP

SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE?

In the 2004 teen movie, “Mean Girls”, Lindsay Lohan’s character describes Halloween as the time of the year “where any girl can dress like a total slut and no one can say anything.”

Words of wisdom from Lindsay Lohan?

Early this fall I received a child’s Halloween costume catalog in the mail. Plastered on every other page were little girls dressed in provocative costumes. I’d seen outfits like this, but they were made for adults, not children. I was completely shocked. Do parents ACTUALLY buy this stuff for their kids? Is anyone seriously stupid enough to let their daughter parade around like that?

I’m no prude— and don’t tell me that pedophilia is the “new” sexual fetish and that I should accept how our world is today. I knew without having to think that those little girls’ costumes were sick and wrong. It brought me back to how disgusted I felt when I saw pictures of Jon Benet Ramsey. And I remember most of the country was outraged as well.

Where is the outrage now?

THE BLAME GAME—MEDIA, ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR PARENTING?

“Sorry, don’t take offense…it’s just business…”

Businesses are formed for the sole purpose of making a profit. Do you remember the famous quote from the movie “Wall Street” where Michael Douglas proclaimed, “Greed is good”? Yuppies may be a thing of the past, but business practices have stayed the same, some for the worse.

A business is designed to cater to consumer needs. By providing a product that will guarantee a sale and profit, many businesses are guilty of stooping to despicable levels in order to sell that product, no matter how wrong or harmful. As long as they make money--“that’s the bottom line.”

In today’s business world, people will sell their souls for $50 million, plus a mansion, boat, and three mistresses. It’s the “new style” of business right along the lines of certain Enron executives and Bernie Madoff.

The media, advertisers and marketers act as the fuel that fires this kind of consumerism. And folks, some of you are drinking up that propaganda like a “biggie-sized” cup of kool-aid.

After I received that Halloween costume catalog, I wrote an article outraged that Halloween is a way to cash in for some companies by making and selling costumes that sexualize little girls. A woman who read my post was just as incensed as I was, and took advantage of the company’s email I provided.

By reading the company’s “customer service” response alone you would think that no one out there cares—that we should mind our own business, and “different strokes for different folks”. Get over it.

I hope that his “view” is not the majority. I’m hoping he’s just a really good employee doing his job by defending the company that pays his mortgage. I’m hoping his rudeness comes out of exasperation of having to reply to mounting complaints.

I could be wrong. He might just be a desensitized scumbag all by himself.

ConstumeExpress.com

5915 S. Mooreland Rd.

New Berlin, WI 53151

Dear Terri,  

While we value all our customer's opinions, I must elaborate on the idea of equality. Not everyone shares your opinions, many of our customers find the costumes we sell to be cute and more than acceptable for their children. You no more have the right to tell these people what to buy or allow their children to wear than they would you for yours. We provide a wide range of product choices for a wide audience of customer. Our goal is to ensure that all of our costumes have options when it comes to product choice.

Sincerely,  

Josh 

Customer Service 

www.CelebrateExpress.com

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

I was sick of hearing things from an adult point of view. I wanted to talk directly to a young girl and listen to what she had to say. I wanted to hear her “truth” about what is really going on with kids today; and how she felt about the companies who sell inappropriate clothing to girls her age.

Would she be just another typical pre-teen following the crowd? Do all the images from television, magazines and movies really shape her thoughts and beliefs?

I was pleasantly surprised when I spoke to “Katherine”, a 7th grader from Indianapolis. I am 36. She is 12. We spoke as if we were the same age. This young girl actually has more common sense and intelligence than some adults.

Compared to most girls her age, she is incredibly mature, savvy and grounded. She is more interested in track and tennis, writing in her journal, hanging out with her girlfriends, reading, listening to music, and the world around her. She likes Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, and looks up to Hillary Clinton. “I like Hillary Clinton because she ran for president and she didn’t care what people thought about her.”

She is happy with her body image, but notes that other girls her age are not of the same attitude. A beautiful girl with brains to boot!

I showed her the pictures from the Halloween catalog and she expressed her disapproval and found them “absolutely inappropriate.” She told me about the other girls from her middle school and how things have changed over the last couple of years. Some girls who used to be her friends have turned into what her and her friends call “slocks”…a combination of a jock and a slut.

“From 6th to 7th grade there has been a major change in some of the girls in my school. At cheer practice some girls wear shorts that barely cover their butt. I’ve been noticing a lot of girls that will wear low v-neck T-shirts with a bright bra underneath…so you can see right through it.” She continued, “There is no dress code at my school, so many of the girls will wear see-through tank tops with black padded bras their mom’s bought them from Victoria Secret.”

If I remember correctly, my mom bought my clothes at that age, and it wasn’t from Victoria Secret.

“Katherine” told me about a girl in her school that has her belly button pierced. She is only 13. I asked her how this girl could get a piercing without parental consent? She stated, “Her mom is a hairdresser, so she pierced it for her.”

"Katherine" does not look up to anyone in the media, and specifically mentioned her contempt for the show, “The Girls Next Door”. She even fell off the addictive media/marketing bandwagon for Disney teen queen, Hannah Montana.

“I used to like Hannah Montana…when Miley was 14 she wore appropriate clothes and now Hannah Montana is wearing strapless dresses that barely cover her butt and tiny leggings that go to fingertip length just so she looks like she’s wearing appropriate clothes, but she’s not!”

ADVERTISING & MARKETING = AN EVIL POISON?

In the book Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters From Marketing Schemes, authors Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D., and Sharon Lamb, Ed.D., note that the industry used to push cereal and toys to this age group but that today, this has changed. “…The marketers’ goal above and beyond everything else is to get kids to part with their money. So parents of preteen should ‘be aware of the ways marketers, through the media, are channeling their daughters’ desires…not only are they encouraging girls to be older (sexier, hotter) at younger ages, but they’re introducing girls to a very narrow image of what it means to be a girl.” (Cite)

“Katherine” told me, “It’s hard to buy regular clothes because most stores sell outfits you aren’t even allowed to wear at school.”

This book reiterates Katherine’s problem. “In many retail stores you’ll find things such as tight hip-huggers for five-year olds; faux black-leather jackets for second-graders; low-rise flared jeans for middle-schoolers; and thongs, camisoles and lace panties for preteens. And you’ll even find little girls’ dolls wearing these same fashion items. “

In the article, “So Sexy, So Soon: The Sexualization of Childhood in Commercial Culture” it states, “According to the American Psychological Association, in their Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, girls as young as 4 and 5 years old are no longer wearing “old-fashioned” clothing styles but are now wearing push up bras, thongs, mini or micro-mini skirts, sequined crop tops and other hooker-style “fashionable” outfits.”

The Association also reported “fashion trends in clothing for boys depict disrespectful, violent themes with sayings on T-shirts such as, “Mr. Pimp”, “Mr. Well Hung” and similar disgusting messages.” (Cite)

DARE TO BLAME FEMINISTS!?

“Population Research Institute” published an article in March 2007 entitled, “Feminism, Consumerism & the Sexualization of Girls” in which the author and Vice President of The Population Research Institute, Joseph A. D’Agostino stated that it is the fault of feminists that there is a problem.

D’Agostino argues, “The politically correct view is that the sexualization of girls and feminism are opposing forces, but in fact they have gone hand-in-hand.”

He continues, “Feminists have taught girls and women that chastity is oppressive, that they should liberate themselves. They have also taught that there are no natural limits to sexuality. Witness their enthusiastic embrace of homosexuality. So, based on feminist principles, why shouldn’t little girls sexualize themselves?”

I have a huge problem with this author’s weak argument claiming feminists have taught girls that they should “liberate themselves”. Throughout feminist history, pressure was placed on the government and society to accept women as equals in the world and work-place. There was no mention that feminism encouraged the sexualization of women or girls.

I believe this author has mistaken true feminists with women who believed in “free love”, were “experimental hippies” of the 60’s, or those who participated in the 70’s and 80's sexual excess. Note: These individuals were all adults, not children.

“NOW”—The National Organization of Women, was founded in 1966 with its main focus placed on discrimination in the workplace proclaiming, “…NOW is a public voice for equal rights for women. It has been extremely effective in enacting rhetorical strategies that have brought about concrete changes in laws and policies that enlarge women’s opportunities and protect their rights.” (Cite)

I don’t read anything about the act of sex, or women’s sexuality in that mission statement, do you?

If this author would have done some research before blasting Gloria Steinem he should have read her biography, and then he would have known that it was Steinem who in 1963 wrote a groundbreaking investigative report of how the women of Playboy were treated. Steinem has also “been a vehement critic of pornography, which she distinguishes from erotica:

"Erotica is different from pornography as love is from rape, as dignity is from humiliation, as partnership is from slavery, as pleasure is from pain.” Steinem also argues, “Blatant or subtle, pornography involves no equal power or mutuality. In fact, much of the tension and drama comes from the clear idea that one person is dominating the other.” (Cite)

Without citing this source, D’Agostino claims, “Up to 40% rape allegations are completely bogus. There are just as many morally reprehensible women out there as men…they have a degraded mentality.” (Cite)

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

What is the difference between the parents of yesterday and the parents of today?

“Parents think it’s clever or “cute” to allow their young girls to wear tight T-shirts that say, “So many boys, so little time”, or smiling as their young daughter sings, “Dont’cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?”, but they won’t be so amused when their child becomes sexually active or pregnant by the time they turn 12.” (Cite)

There are plenty of parents that don’t even see their kids off to school, let alone see what they are wearing. Why were parents more involved and protective of their children in past decades than they are now?

I’m not suggesting that every parent is of this nature, but it is obvious that plenty are.

Dressing up and trying to be sexy is not a new phenomenon. In the old days, some girls wore skimpy clothes underneath their school clothes so their parents wouldn’t see what they were wearing when they walked out the door.

“Katherine” expressed that she feels parents today don’t take enough active interest their children. “Some parents really don’t care what their kids do. Like my ex-boyfriend went over to his girlfriend’s house and he didn’t get home until midnight. I know her mom wasn’t home…I was like, ‘what were they doing over there?’”

She also stated, “Some moms…I hate to say are the skanky type, but they are. They are thinking, ‘I didn’t get to live this way, so you should’. I think some moms live vicariously through their daughters. My mom used to…and I was like “Mom! I don’t like that!” I’ve started to stand up to my mom, but I’m scared of what she’ll think of me. I don’t want her to think I’m trying to run against her, like I don’t love her anymore.”

BOTTOM LINE

Parents: Your child does not own you. You are there as a teacher of life, not a friend. Are we as parents too afraid to do our jobs by giving in and purchasing or allowing whatever your child wants just so you don’t have to participate or be bothered?

It’s not ok.

Educate yourself about the consequences of dangerous consumerism and use that knowledge to protect your child. Educate fellow parents. Don’t go with the pack and allow these atrocities. Stand up, say something. You’d be surprised how many would be right behind you because they are too weak, naïve, cowardly, or apathetic to make the first move.

It only takes one person to start the locomotion. Notice how long that train gets when we are together for the greater good? Kill the apathy this country consumes by getting opinionated and vocal. You don’t have to quit your job and start a non-profit organization to make your point. As an individual, communicate. Educate. Elicit awareness.

We can’t accept and believe that society will thrive and maintain itself if we continue to turn a blind eye to long term social and psychological abuse towards our children. A downfall of civilization doesn’t happen with one rock falling; rather, it’s the hundreds of other rocks that chip away at our “American Foundation”.

Without the dollars and demand, these companies wouldn’t produce and market these clothes.

So I ask, who is to blame? If you answered “parents”, then you get a gold star. Congratulations. Now stand up and do something about it.

WHEN DISASTER STRIKES...ON VACATION

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:43:00 +0000

I appreciate the fact that the media is finally bringing attention to people about the real dangers that lurk in your shadows while on vacation; specifically speaking, college students. This is spring break time! This information is for everyone, but particularly young adults who have never traveled outside the U.S., or traveled without their family.

I remember when I was in college and yes, it was "normal" to act like a total animal, an idiot, or a dumb-ass. Annoying, loud, drunk and horny 20 year olds running around naked, puking over railings, urinating in public, making out with a total stranger, talking trash, loosening up and having no cares or concerns whatsoever.

With how the world is today, you just can't ever be too safe. So now I don't feel like a nagging old lady shaking my finger at people. Whether you stay in the U.S., go overseas or just 'over-the-border' you need to watch your back, and your friends backs.

Tourist traps are contaminated with some of the worse scum on the earth. They breed like cockroaches and are un-relentless as blood hungry sharks. They purposely live in these areas so they can assault, steal, hurt, rape, or murder any naive and unsuspecting tourist. We are their easiest targets, and it's so easy for them to get away with the most nominal or horrific crimes.

Don't feel bad or think you are being rude if you don't acknowledge the locals when they say hello or try and befriend you. They are strangers as they would be in any other city. Just because they happen to live where you are vacationing at doesn't mean they aren't real "strangers" with a motive.

If you think otherwise, think again. Ask Natalee Holloway. Oh wait, you can't do that. She was drugged and thrown into the ocean to die.

Nice vacation, huh?

Play it safe during spring break!

Intended to be fun, annual rite can quickly turn disastrous

By Harriet Baskas, MSNBC travel writer

A few years back, I was waiting in line at the Brussels train station when a frantic young man started pushing his way toward the ticket counter. His excuse for cutting in front of everyone was “Man, my backpack just got ripped off! My train pass, my plane ticket and my passport are in there. I need help.”

“Hey! American college kid!” shouted a woman behind me who’d somehow instantly and correctly pegged the young man as a student on spring break, “The train guys can’t help you. Find the embassy. Call your momma. And next time, don’t leave your stuff with the ‘nice guys’ in the park outside the station.”

Welcome to the real world

Getting stuff stolen by “helpful” strangers seems to be almost as much of a rite of spring break as getting badly sunburned and hung over. Unfortunately, each year there are also reports of vacationing students who experience much worse. While trying to out-party their friends, some students drown in oceans, pools or hot tubs and overdose on drugs or alcohol. Others get arrested for drunk driving, public intoxication or drug possession. And some end up getting mugged, kidnapped, raped or murdered.

Of course, terrible things can — and sometimes do — happen to travelers who aren’t on spring break. But spring break trips, with their party-hardy agendas, often leave the doors wide open for disaster. Which is why I was pleased last week when Melissa Zamora at the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau told me that keeping spring break visitors safe was high on the town’s annual “to do” list.

Why pick on college kids?

Everyone needs a safety plan when they’re out on the road. This goes double — maybe triple — for spring breakers because the pursuit of beach and booze can impair decision-making skills, not to mention drunken college students make easy targets.

So listen up, students: Here’s a five-point refresher course to help you stay safe this spring break.

1. Don’t make assumptions about the safety of your hotel

Check in to any American hotel, and you'll likely find the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 11-point list of safety tips on the hotel’s TV channel or printed out on the back of the key card envelope. Review and follow those tips, but don’t assume everyone who works at your hotel is up to speed on even those basic security measures.

The downtown Austin, Texas, hotel I’m currently staying at, for example, has safety tips posted on the TV, on the key card, in the elevators and in the exercise room. Yet no one bothered to ask for my identification when my key-card got demagnetized and I asked a desk clerk to reset it.

2. Follow age-old safety tips — and learn some new ones

Safety tips distributed by tourist bureaus, tour operators and law enforcement agencies generally mimic the common sense tips outlined by the American Hotel & Lodging Association: “Don’t open your door to strangers,” “Make sure your windows and sliding doors are locked,” etc.

Many college Web sites expand this tip list for students heading out for spring break. The College of Charleston, for example, reminds students that there’s a “difference between making new friends and allowing yourself to be alone with a stranger.” And the University of West Florida highlights a significant upside of volunteering to be a designated driver: “It’s always more entertaining to watch people act the fool rather than to be one.”

3. Use your study skills

American students spending spring break in another country should learn a few key phrases in the language of their destination country (“Please,” “Thank you,” and “Call the police,” for starters) and study the country-specific advice on the U.S. State Department’s Web site.

Among the warnings about popular spring break destinations in Mexico, the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica, the site notes that “Americans have been badly injured or have been killed in automobile accidents, falls and other mishaps. Many of these incidents are related to alcohol or drug use. Other Americans have been sexually assaulted or robbed because they found themselves in unfamiliar locales, or were incapable of protecting themselves because of drug or alcohol use, or because they were the victim of a ‘date rape’ drug.”

Scary? You bet. Not scary enough to deter, for example, more than 8,000 students from visiting Jamaica on their own during spring break each year. But scary enough to convince the Jamaican government and its tourist board to beef up security in the resort areas during high profile events such as the JAMFEST concert series in Negril.

4. Share your notes

It may seem so high school, but college students on spring break must make sure someone at home has copies of all paperwork (plane tickets, hotel reservations and credit card numbers) and details of a spring break travel itinerary. And sorry, but “I’ll be in Mexico staying with some of my roommate’s friends” doesn't suffice.

5. Stay with your group

Many heartbreaking spring-break stories involve late-night muggings and the sexual assault of women who are intoxicated or drugged. So it’s important that women — and men — heading out to party stick together, identify well-lit routes back to their hotel rooms, agree on the “please butt in” and “you’ve had enough to drink” signals, and understand why it’s important to make sure their drinks are never left unattended. For more safety tips see RAINN’s anti-sexual assault Web site.

And, of course, never leave your backpack with those “nice guys” in the park.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23578622/

INTERVIEW WITH "HUMAN TRAFFICKING PROJECT"

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:41:00 +0000

I must say, I'm always the one doing the interviewing. But a couple weeks ago, was was the "interviewee".

I was contacted by an organization called "Human Trafficking Project", a website dedicated to raising awareness and exploring innovative solutions to combating modern day slavery.

The fact that this problem is getting more attention through my words and more truth than lies are placed on the table to those beyond my reach is phenomenal.

Here is the article!

http://traffickingproject.blogspot.com/2009/09/interview-michelle-simonsen-us-domestic.html

TOTO, I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN KANSAS ANYMORE

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:06:00 +0000

As an American, traveling outside of the country has always held some sort of inert danger, but in recent years, it has become more apparent that no one is safe when on vacation, and justice is usually never likely when something bad happens. We tend to “let down our hair” and throw caution to the wind because all the smiling foreign faces seem harmless and safe. We’ve all heard stories about vacationers being robbed, assaulted, even killed, yet it is still a popular belief that something like that would never happen to them.

How can we forget the infamous case of 18-year old Alabama native, Natalee Holloway, who went missing while on the island of Aruba in May, 2005, while celebrating her high school graduation with her fellow classmates? Let’s not forget about 24-year old Amy Bradley, who was last seen in March 1998 while vacationing with her family on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship after docking in Curacao, Netherland Antilles. Most recently in April 2007, Phylicia Moore, an 18-year old New Jersey native was with her high school class traveling to Ghana on a good-will mission when she was mysteriously found dead in her Ghana hotel pool with no witnesses, no clues, and no answers for her family.

When we leave our borders we are subject to the laws of the country we are staying in. For victims of crime, this can become a living nightmare due to lackadaisical laws, police corruption, blatant cover-ups, and lack of proper resources.

Rebecca Sinnott, a married 38-year-old North Carolina mother, thought she had hit the jackpot when her 19-year-old niece, Ashley won a vacation of a lifetime: A 5 day trip to Cancun, Mexico. Rebecca had never been out of the country, let alone on a plane. This was going to be the trip of her dreams…a trip to paradise. Little did she know it would be a rape in paradise.

When Rebecca’s niece, Ashley, won the trip to Cancun, she thought it would only be natural for her to join her as a chaperone. Since she had raised her niece, their family agreed it would be safer for Rebecca to accompany her, instead of Ashley taking a college friend. She would be the chaperone, the adult, the one in charge, the one that made sure Ashley would be safe from harm. Little did she know, she would be the prey, not her naïve 20-year old niece.

On May 6, 2007, Rebecca and Ashley flew towards their idyllic vacation spot of Cancun, Mexico, ready to take in the ocean air, the warm sun, and beauty. She was ready to relax and enjoy the opportunity for the vacation of a lifetime.

On their third night, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, Rebecca and Ashley decided to enjoy dinner and drinks on one of the many popular dinner/party cruises that Cancun offered. From approximately 7:00 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. they enjoyed their dinner, drinks, music, the beautiful boat, and the serenity of the ocean around them. The experience gave her a new vitality and when the cruise ended Rebecca and Ashley decided to check out some of the night clubs that were near their hotel.

At approximately 3:00 a.m., on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, Rebecca and Ashley walked back to their hotel after an enjoyable evening. As they walked along the streets breathing in the fresh and warm night air, they decided to stop at a convenience store which was next to their hotel. As they walked towards the store, two security guards befriended them. The security guards, “Carlos” and “Javier” offered them to accompany them at a table in front of the store, along the crowded street to relax and chat. To Rebecca, “Carlos” and “Javier” seemed to be friendly and nice locals, so they all chatted for approximately an hour about how much they were enjoying their vacation, how lovely Cancun was, even talking about their families, children and exchanging stories.

“Carlos” explained that he and the other man “Javier” were security guards for the empty night club behind them, “The Bulldog Café”. Rebecca was not familiar with the club, and “Carlos” offered to show her the inside telling her stories of how American bands such as “Guns-n-Roses” had previously played there.

At this time, Rebecca and Ashley mentioned that it was getting late and they were going to leave. Ashley told Rebecca to go ahead and look inside, and would meet in their room in a few minutes. They separated for what could have been the final time.

Rebecca recalls the next moments vividly, “I remember going into the club and looking around with “Carlos”…and up until this point, no warning, no hint, no flirting, no touching, nothing to make me think anything other than I had met a nice gentleman security guard in Cancun. After we came out of the club I remember saying ‘thank you’ and how nice it was to meet him, so when he offered to walk me to the hotel for my safety, I never thought anything of it. And when he said, ‘Here, let’s cut through the club, it comes out in the back of the lobby,’ I never doubted him. Once inside the club, we walked down a hallway and when I was in the back of the club, I remember coming to a locked door and asking him to unlock it.”

Rebecca continues her story, “I remember him saying, ‘Give me what I want and I’ll take you where you want to go!’ I remember him wailing on my head with his fist and saying ‘American Tourista’ and ‘you know you want it’. At one point I could clearly see his face standing in the doorway and he was smiling at me, while he backhanded me across the face and knocked me to the floor. I remember him tearing at my top; I remember pushing him and saying, ‘NO! Don’t do this!’ I remember grabbing his genitals and how his jeans tore at my fingernails as I tried desperately to hurt him enough to get him off me. I remember his face and his rage and his right hand coming at me and knocking me into a wall. Then I remember telling myself to lay still and act like I’m dead and maybe he’ll go away. I remember the colors of the walls; I remember the blood, so much blood.

The next thing Rebecca remembers is being in her hotel lobby and seeing her niece screaming and passing out at the sight of the blood and her appalling injuries. Rebecca started screaming, “Go get ‘Carlos’! He did this! Ashley knows where he is! Tell them! Go get him! Help me!” Little did Rebecca know through her swollen and bloody face all they could make out were moans.

The next 24 hours were a blur for Rebecca. Ashley recollects no one being able to speak English except for the ambulance driver who quickly asked her, “How much money do you have?” as her Aunt laid on the ground screaming and bleeding profusely. A credit card was her only ticket to the hospital where they immediately did a rape kit, and wanted to start operating on her battered broken face and body. She remembers speaking to her crying husband on the phone screaming, “Get out of there before they kill you! Get out of Mexico! Just come home no matter what! They are going to kill you! Don’t trust anyone, come home!”

With those words of her husband of 20 years, Rebecca got up, signed some paperwork that she couldn’t see, let alone read, and her hotel concierge immediately put her in a wheelchair and told her he would get her on a flight home back to the states right away.

As soon as she was back in North Carolina, she was rushed to the hospital where she learned she had lost three teeth, with both eye sockets and cheek bones broken, her nose broken, several broken ribs, had over a dozen stitches both inside and outside of her mouth, and another dozen around her left eye.

Rebecca stated, “By all rights my face should have caved in from the pressure on the plane and why it did not is a mystery…I was in a hell of a shape, but I was ALIVE.”

A Life Forever Changed

Since the incident, Rebecca’s life has never been the same. It caused her to develop severe depression and post traumatic stress for which she had to start taking medication and seek intense therapy. Due to the depression and stress, Rebecca lost her job due to the fact that she could not perform her job duties the way she used to. She vowed to herself and to other victims that Mexico would not forget her name. She spoke to anyone who would listen to her story…lawyers, politicians, the media, and Mexican authorities.

In August, 2007, North Carolina Senator, Elizabeth Dole referred Rebecca’s case to the U.S. Department of State and they sent her a letter stating that the U.S. Consular Agency in Cancun inquired with local police on her behalf and learned that a suspect had not been apprehended in connection with her case; however her case remains open.

Rebecca got in touch with a Mexican woman named Lydia Cacho who runs an organization called CIAM which helps abused/battered/raped women of Mexico. She also helps dozens of American women who are raped every year in Cancun who have not received justice. Rebecca is currently working with Ms. Cacho and has started her own website, “It Happened in Mexico”,

http://www.ithappenedinmexico.com/, to help and find others like her who were victimized in Cancun with the purpose of coming together to tell their stories, hoping that other victims know they are not alone.

Rebecca has become a crusader and continues to fight her case with the Mexican authorities and has no intention on giving up on finding her rapist and those who helped cover it up to save Cancun’s precious tourist reputation.

ILLINOIS FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LIFE SENTENCES FOR CHILD-PORN

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:47:00 +0000

Originally posted July 29, 2009

I am flabbergasted in grand relief that this judge in East St. Louis, Illinois slapped down two life sentences for child pornography and sexual abuse. This judge should be an example to all judges who currently give minimal sentences or slaps on the wrist to sexual predators in similar crimes. Could this be an unprecedented sentence for this offense? Regardless, I think more are in order.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- A southern Illinois woman and an Indiana man have been ordered to spend life in federal prison on child-pornography charges.

Louise Masulla, 32, of New Athens, Mo., and William Milligan, 28, of Bloomington, Ind., were sentenced in East St. Louis.

Masulla had pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, aggravated sexual abuse and transportation of child pornography. Milligan also admitted engaging in a conspiracy and receiving child pornography.

The complaint said Masulla, Milligan and another defendant at one point were involved in a sexual encounter in an Indiana hotel room with victims aged 11 and 3, and that photographs of the molestation were taken.

Masulla allegedly e-mailed the pictures to Milligan, who circulated them to at least five other men on the Internet.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/20199777/detail.html

HOW CRUISE SHIPS CAN GET AWAY WITH "MURDER"

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Fri, 28 May 2010 02:50:00 +0000

Originally posted May 27, 2008

It is so easy to get away with almost any crime on a cruise ship or vacatio. Here's an example. If you are a psycho male cruise ship employee, it would be easy to befriend women as their "friendly cruise staff" (this isn't the "Love Boat" people...) They may offer to buy a woman a drink, either drug her, or get her very intoxicated and assault her, perhaps steal her belongings, and leave her somewhere in the ship. When she comes to, she has no clue of where she is or what happened. She might never remember who that man was because there are hundreds of employees throughout the ship.

Would she remember what he looked like?

Would she feel too embarrassed to come forward?

Would they just laugh and tell her she was drunk and it was her own fault?

The majority of the time those woman (and victims of other crimes) finish their vacation, go home and try to forget about it. If that is even possible.

If a victim does come forward to report a crime, a "report" is taken; but the law DOES NOT REQUIRE that it must be reported to authorities. ANYWHERE. Cruise ships are companies that follow no moral codes or societal rules. Who knows how many "reports" have been tossed in the garbage already crumpled with round coffee stains smearing all the facts...the blood, sweat and tears of that victim.

Here's a great example from an article regarding

maritime laws and victim recourse by Julia Layton:

"...But onboard crime? Where would someone run to after they've stolen your wallet, or worse, committed rape or murder? It's a logical line of thinking, but it doesn't always apply. A 2007 congressional hearing on cruise ship safety revealed some surprising statistics. According to data provided by the world's biggest cruise lines, in the past three years, 28 people have disappeared on the open seas, and three have been found. Almost 200 people have reported cases of sexual misconduct or assault; and four people have been victims of grand theft [source: Tampa Bays 10].

That might not seem like much when you consider the tens of millions of people who take cruises each year. But it seems like a huge number when you consider the difficulty of enforcing the law on the open seas. Very few of those cases have been thoroughly investigated, let alone solved.

The problem is that maritime law -- the law that applies on the water -- is famously convoluted. Cruise ships aren't even required to report crime statistics to any governing body, and the question of who's supposed to investigate when a crime does occur is a sticky one.

Because maritime law is so difficult to clarify (in part because every country has its own version of it), most cases of cruise ship crime are decided on a case-by-case basis. Law on a cruise ship (or any other ship) starts with the flag the ship is flying under. A ship flies the flag of the country where it's registered, and, in general, the laws onboard a ship are the laws of that country. However, when figuring out which laws apply on a sea vessel, territory also must be taken into consideration.

...Lawsuits against a cruise line are different, though. While it might seem like a U.S. citizen robbed in U.S. territorial waters off the coast of Los Angeles could sue the cruise line in Los Angeles, it actually depends on the cruise ship ticket's fine print. If the ticket says the cruise line can only be sued in Seattle, then a Los Angeles court will almost always refuse to hear the case.

Another article that cites this very issue may invoke some change:

"WASHINGTON (AP) — Only five of the 28 people who disappeared from cruise ships in the past three years have ever been found. That's according to data disclosed to Congress by the world's largest cruise lines. A congressional memo compiled in advance of a House hearing on cruise ship safety also details 177 sexual misconduct incidents and four robberies of amounts over five-thousand dollars.

...Cruise lines are not required by law to publish comprehensive crime statistics and criminal law varies greatly on international waters. Congressman Christopher Shays says he's not comfortable with the accuracy of statistics given voluntarily. The Connecticut Republican, who chairs a House national security panel, is working on legislation to make such reporting mandatory.

In addition, a May, 2006 FBI article entitled, "Crime on the High Seas--Cruises Not a Vacation from Vigiliance cited:

"There were 39 cases of crimes on the high seas last year involving U.S. citizens, including sexual and physical assaults, death, drug smuggling, theft...from Fiscal Year 2000 to mid-2005, the FBI opened 305 criminal cases, more than half of them assaults."

Doesn't sound like the FBI is very successful at getting these right. Only 5 out of 28 people who were missing in the last three years were found? Their batting average is pretty pathetic.

S.O.S! SAVE OUR SOLDIERS!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

In the spirit of Veteran’s Day, and in the unfortunate tragedy of Fort Hood; I felt it necessary to address the obvious refusal of the military and the government to appropriately address the mounting numbers of Veterans living with untreated mental illnesses.

Fort Hood may have been dealt with a massive blow of tragedy last week, but just a year ago in Fort Hood, on September 8, 2008, an altercation between a soldier and his commanding officer ended in a murder suicide.

Do you remember hearing about that case? I don’t.

The next day on September 9, 2008, a VA report acknowledged that suicide rates for young male Iraq and Afghanistan veterans hit a record high in 2006. (Cite)

Marine suicides have doubled between 2006 and 2007, and Army suicides are at the highest level since records were first kept in 1980. Reported suicide attempts jumped 500% between 2002 and 2007. “The Defense Department says the numbers may be partly attributable to better compliance with reporting requirements.” (Cite)

Reporting requirements? Better compliance? Better than what? Has the military lacked its duty in the past? Has the government been feeding us with false information and statistics that aren’t even the tip of the real iceberg?

What am I getting at? What’s my point? The government has failed our Veterans in a big way.

On November 6, 2008, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report stated, “Recent research indicates that an estimated 25 to 30 percent of the Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have reported symptoms of a mental disorder or cognitive condition. Untreated mental health problems can result in long-term negative consequences for the affected individuals, their families, their communities, and our Nation as a whole.”

Once a Soldier returns home, there is no “checks and balances list” on how to cope with regular civilian life. Specifically, no one checks or receives updates on a returning Soldier’s mental health status unless that Soldier specifically requests help. This is a huge barrier since the majority of returning Soldiers are men, and historically men avoid mental health care, therapy and medication.

Kyle Bahrs, a 29-year-old Midwest native was married to a two tour Army Sergeant who served in Iraq from 2005 to 2008. "Tim" currently suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in addition to a traumatic brain disorder that left him 70% disabled.

Kyle knew "Tim" before he joined the Army and served in Iraq. “He was ‘normal’. Trivial things didn’t bother him, he was fun.” After returning "Tim" went from a fun loving guy to “a cruel, mean and abusive man.”

"Tim's" life became crippled by his untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and received no mental health care until Kyle insisted, threatening their marriage. Kyle stated “the health care system was completely overbooked, he was rushed, and there were never enough people working.” She continued, “It was completely bureaucratic. It took "Tim" at least two months just to get in to see someone. And when he did they acted like they didn’t give a shit. It was so disheartening because he put his life on the line and didn’t receive any gratitude and the most basic need once a solider returns. Psychological health care.”

While Kyle was married to "Tim", he started drinking excessively and was becoming violent. “He got real paranoid. He wouldn’t answer the door unless he had a gun in his hand.” Then there were the nightmares, “He would wake up screaming…he had dreams and visions of the faces of the people that he killed. I felt helpless. What do you say to that?”

According to the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine on Combat Stress there is a list of mental and physical symptoms before, during and after deployment. I showed Kyle this list and she said that "Tim" displayed practically every single symptom.

Common Stressors to the Deployment Cycle:

Pre-Deployment (from notification to departure)

Anger and protest
Emotional detachment
Family stress
Marital disagreements

Deployment (from departure to return)

Emotional destabilization and disorganization
Sadness, depression, disorientation, anxiety, loneliness
Sleep disturbances
Health complaints
Financial problems
Some find the midpoint of deployment as the time of greatest stress
Fear for safety of deployed service member

Reunion

Apprehension over redefined roles and power dynamics

Post Deployment

Honeymoon period
Resentment over loss of independence
Insecurity about place in reconfigured system
Service member may have difficulty disengaging from combat mission orientation.
Domestic violence

Soldier Combat Stress Reaction

Physical

Trouble falling asleep
Oversleeping
Waking up in the middle of the night
Difficulty with sexual and non sexual intimacy
Fatigue
Feeling jumpy
Being easily started

Emotional

Feeling overwhelmed
Depression
Irritability
Feeling numb
Difficulty readjusting to family routines
Difficulty reconnecting with family
Discomfort being around other people or in crowds
Frustration
Guilt
Crying

Cognitive

Difficulty with memory
Loss of interest/motivation
Concentration problems
Difficult talking about deployment experiences
Loss of trust

(Source: U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine on Combat Stress, Soldier Combat Stress Reaction Brochure)

Steffan, a 40-year old African American Gulf War Veteran, stated that there was no “mental health” process after he returned to the United States. He stated, “mental health wasn’t even an issue that people thought about.” He added that a lot of guys he knew who had problems started drinking to “dull it away”. If someone needed mental health services, they had to initiate it.

It’s easier to ignore a bad situation by depending on alcohol or drugs, especially when that person doesn’t have strong family support.

As a Country that boasts the best military in the world, we have a lot to learn about humans themselves. These issues need be taken seriously by the military, and our government needs to consciously implement statistic-changing policies before we start to see a change in this downward spiral of unnecessary human demise that affects us all.

Send your concerns to the following:

Department of Defense

http://www.defenselink.mil

Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health

5205 Leesburg Pike

Falls Church, Virginia 22041-3258

Read their 2007 Annual Report:

http://www.health.mil/dhb/mhtf/MHTF-Report-Final.pdf

"MICHELLE SAYS SO" --HUMAN TRAFFICKING EXPOSED ON THE LEVI PAGE SHOW

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:37:00 +0000

Tonight I will be the featured guest on "The Levi Page" internet radio show to discuss human trafficking in the United States. This is a serious problem that has been overlooked in politics and law enforcement. Mr. and Mrs. John Q chooses to believe this doesn't happen in the U.S., that it occurs "somewhere in Asia" and "it doesn't affect them".

Yes, it's happening right here. In the "Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave."

You can live in the city, in a suburb, a farm...you can live in New York, Wisconsin, Utah, Texas, California, Ohio. No state is immune to these heinous acts of violence, rape, torture and death. It happening right under your nose and you don't even realize it.

For more information check out my last few posts on this manipulative, highly integrated, lucrative and most victimizing crime there could possibly be.

UNLESS we educate the public to what is going on, then there can be no citizen intervention and these crimes will continue and many lives will be destroyed forever.

Click link for Levi's show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LeviPage/2009/07/26/The-Levi-Page-Show

RAYMOND CLARK RE-ARRESTED--WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT HIM?

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:04:00 +0000

As of today, murder suspect of Yale University student Annie Le, was re-arrested after police located him at a Super 8 Motel in Cromwell, Connecticut. His bond has been set at $3 million. Sources have claimed that Le was not sexually assaulted and the motive could have been a case of "workplace violence". The New Haven Register has reported that DNA from Clark has been linked in Le's murder, which led to his re-arrest.

So what do we really know about Raymond Clark?

Clark knew Annie Le and police noted he had sent her emails:

"In the e-mails, Clark is said to criticize Le for not adhering to the protocols for tending the mice kept in the basement as part of her lab's ongoing experiments. Le is said to have responded in a conciliatory tone, promising to keep to the protocols. Investigators wonder if Clark was not satisfied, if resentment suddenly flared to rage, if as crazy as it may seem this was a case of mice and murder.

His Family's Explanation "He did not pass the polygraph test . . . But of course, they don't always run true anyway, especially when you're nerved up asking so many questions," the sympathetic [family] source insisted.

As for Clark's fresh wounds, "He had scratches on his arm from his cat," the person said. (What cat? There are pictures of him all over the internet with his dog.)

The source said Clark, whom the family calls "Ray Ray," works at the lab along with his fiancée, sister and her husband. "But he didn't really know [Le]," the source said. "She left the area before he left that morning. He'd seen her and said, 'Hi' and kept on going."

What The Neighbors Say

"It definitely freaks me out," said Ivan Hernandez, 22, who lives directly above Clark. "A possible murderer living right under you, that's crazy. I thought he was just a normal guy."

One of Clark's former neighbors in New Haven said he screamed at children and was "very controlling" of his girlfriend. "Ray was very controlling of his girlfriend," said Anne Marie Goodwin, 40. "He would never let her talk to anyone. I would hear a lot of yelling upstairs."

Clark - a 2004 graduate of Branford High School, who mostly worked with rodents at Yale - "kept a pit bull caged in his apartment," Goodwin said. Clark was found with scratches on his body that he's blaming on the animals he worked with (What about the "cat excuse"?), rather than being from a fighting Le.

http://gawker.com/5360758/what-we-know-about-raymond-j-clark-iii

INDIANA SCHOOL EMPLOYEE ANDREW JAY MCGRATH CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN OF A 5-YEAR OLD

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:55:00 +0000

If we as parents and society can't trust our educators to protect our children, who will? Let's hope if this goes to trial and he is found guilty the judge will sentence this monster to the 60-year max. Let's see how he handles being the new "prison fish" and someone's bitch. What goes around comes around.

Andrew Jay McGrath

CARMEL, Ind. -- A school employee was charged Tuesday with a federal count of sexual exploitation of children after an investigation that involved several law enforcement agencies.

U.S. Attorney Tim Morrison said Andrew Jay McGrath, 30, of Carmel, produced images of a 5-year-old girl engaging in sexually explicit conduct on two occasions, in May and August of this year.

McGrath was employed as an instructional assistant at Tri-County Education Center in Noblesville, said Carmel Clay Superintendent Dr. Barbara Underwood. He was fired on Tuesday.

McGrath had been employed by the Hamilton-Boone-Madison Special Services Cooperative since January 2008, Underwood said.Morrison said there was no connection between images that were found on McGrath's computer and the school system.

If convicted on both counts, McGrath could receive a maximum prison sentence of 60 years.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/20946322/detail.html

ANNIE LE--A MURDERER AMONG THE STUDENT POPULATION?

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Michelle Says So Opinion on the Murder of Yale University Student Annie Le:

I don't believe this was a "random" murder. There is a monster lurking at Yale, and they need to be found and indicted quickly before Yale receives any more bad press.

If Annie Le had to swipe her student card to enter the student building, then wouldn't Yale's security have a log and video of everyone who entered and exited that building during the time Annie was there?

News reports claim that police interviewed someone (and has yet to label them as a "suspect") yet authorities declared this person failed a lie detector test and had defensive wounds on their person.

I'm sure in the coming days we will find out that it was either a student, a faculty member or an employee of Yale University.

It's just a matter of checking the list of people who entered the building that day...this won't be a hard case to solve, hopefully the family will find answers and this person is brought to justice.

MEGAN WANTS A MURDERER?

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:05:00 +0000

I'm about to make an embarrassing confession. I watched the VH1 reality show, "Megan Wants a Millionaire". My sister and I would sit in front of the tube for an hour giggling and laughing at these side-show idiots.

One of the millionaires was a creep with a "capital C". The moment I saw his slimy ass I knew something didn't sit right. He looked smarmy and turned me off with his "Don Juan" pompous, narcissistic persona.

Three shows later, I still disliked "Ryan". Couldn't put my finger on it. It's that woman's intuition, I suppose. I don't think that Megan girl had any.

Next thing I know, I see everywhere on the news and internet: "Millionaire Reality Star Ryan Jenkins WANTED for MURDER" of his playboy model wife by allegedly strangling her, removing her teeth and cutting off her fingers to evade identification, stuffing her into a suitcase and throwing it into the dumpster outside her apartment building. She was identified by the serial number in her breast implants.

Days after the murder, Ryan was seen partying in public and writing messages on his Facebook page.

Once he realized he was wanted, he took his BMW toward the Canadian border with a boat in tow, and allegedly sailed into the distance in order to enter Canada to escape from border patrol.

It is now rumored that his very wealthy parents have lied to the police and FBI, and possibly have helped their son escape and hide.

What I don't understand is the lack of simple background checks on these reality "stars"!? I assumed that would be "a given"? That's just pure stupidity. These people are NOT actors. They are not members of the actors guild. It is a known fact that many reality stars in the years since it's inception are rapists, batterers, drug users and thieves.

Should VH1 be held MORALLY liable? VH1 can't be held legally liable since Ryan Jenkins did not commit a crime during his "tenure" at Megan's mansion.

(Note: VH1 has now pulled the complete "Megan Wants a Millionaire" season.)

Should the television stations that produce reality shows that have publicly ruined people's lives (i.e. Jon & Kate Plus 8) be morally liable ? What should be their punishment?

Hit 'em where it hurts. Their pocketbook.

We, as consumers and responsible citizens bear a part of the blame and responsibility for "buying into" and watching these shows, present company included. I don't think I will partake in this money-making madness anymore.

Should we boycott them all to make a point?

Haven't you had enough already?

CHILD SEX SLAVES BEING ARRESTED, NOT RESCUED!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Contact: Monique Johnson,

Shared Hope International,

703-351-8062

Shared Hope International will release a groundbreaking report on child sex trafficking in the United States at the Congressional Human Trafficking Briefing on Capitol Hill hosted by the Human Trafficking Caucus and Victims' Rights Caucus led by Congressman Poe (TX) and Congressman Smith (NJ), long-time advocates for victims protections.

Former Congresswoman Linda Smith (1994-98), Founder of Shared Hope International, will open a panel discussion on the findings of more than four years of research in America. Shared Hope International's National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, America's Prostituted Children highlights the harsh reality that hundreds of thousands of American children are victimized through sex trafficking in the United States driven by the demand for the commercial sex acts they perform.

A child sex trafficking victim who is purchased for sex by 5 different men per night, 5 nights per week for an average of 5 years would have been raped by 6,000 buyers during her victimization through prostitution. Many of these child rapists are never charged or prosecuted while the young victims' lives are destroyed.

Linda Smith

"The horror is that our children are victimized twice -- first by the prostitution and then by the broken system that treats them like criminals while the buyers are given a slap on the wrist, if anything at all. What kind of message is this sending?" asked Founder and President of Shared Hope International, Linda Smith.

Ambassador Louis C. de Baca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State will present findings from the 2009 TIP Report and panelists from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division will discuss domestic child sex trafficking, followed by an NGO panel led by Congresswoman Linda Smith and highlighting Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Ambassador Luis C. de Baca

"From our investigative research gathered from 11 cities across the nation, we've found so many victims of domestic minor sex trafficking that are misidentified, and labeled as prostitutes. They are sold every day, every night in every city in America," said Smith.

Watch human rights surveillance video instantly here:

www.sharedhope.org/what/dmst.asp

What: Congressional Human Trafficking Briefing

Where: Capitol Hill, Rayburn Room 2226

Washington, D.C.

When: Tuesday, July 21, 2009

10:00 a.m. - Noon

About Shared Hope International

For more than a decade, Shared Hope International (SHI) has worked around the world partnering with local groups to prevent trafficking and to rescue and restore the victims of sexual slavery.

Shared Hope International's DEMAND. project was a 12-month investigation which focused on commercial sexual exploitation in four countries, including the United States.

With funding from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), SHI conducted field assessments on child sex trafficking in 10 U.S. locations.

Visit www.sharedhope.org

http://www.earnedmedia.org/shi0716.htm

CRUISE INDUSTRY CAVES TO GOVERNMENT PRESSURE ON CRUISE SHIP SECURITY & SAFETY ACT

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Cruise ship industry reverses stance, backs federal safety bill

Oh wow...the cruise ship industry is finally backing John Kerry's legislation:

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008.

I'd say the only reason why the cruise industry are supporting this bill is because their backs are against the wall...this is an obvious PR move to save their reputation and further profits.

There has been too much negative publicity in the last few years regarding cruise ship horrors such as murders, missing persons (who always seem to "fall off the ship"), rapes, assaults, and other crimes that occur on their vessels.

It would be business suicide not to back this law, and I believe that is the only reason why they are succumbing to the pressure. If the cruise ship industry had their way, they would continue their path of money over passenger safety.

I applaud John Kerry for his continued efforts. Finally someone has stood up to the plate to fight this industry and stop their shady practices.

--Michelle Says So

The nation's cruise ship industry, in a turnaround from its long-standing position that no additional government oversight is needed, endorsed proposed federal safety legislation Monday, paving the way for increased security measures on cruise ships.

The Senate recently held a hearing on cruise ship safety, prompted by the disappearance of Merrian Carver of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Her dad Kendall ("Ken"), president of the International Cruise Victims Association, was there to tell her story.

MERRIAN CARTER'S STORY

READ HER FATHER, KENDALL'S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

Cruise Lines International Assn., the industry's chief lobbying and advocacy organization representing 24 member cruise lines, sent a letter of support to Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), one of the bill's sponsors.

Association President Terry Dale said in the letter that he would work to ensure the passage of the comprehensive security bill.

If it passes, the bill would make shipboard crime reporting mandatory and require installation of security latches and peepholes on cabin doors. Ship physicians would also have to be trained in sexual assault examinations.

Ken Carver

Ken Carver called the shift "a historic moment...I think they've really taken a lot of heat, and I'm glad to see them joining forces," Carver said, adding that he believes with the cruise industry's backing the bill will pass.

The $38-billion-a-year industry had maintained that cruises were one of the safest forms of vacationing and that its own self-regulation was adequate. But in recent years, after several high-profile reports of missing persons and sexual assaults, cruise lines had increasingly come under scrutiny.

If the bill passes, it would be a significant victory for safety advocates who have long alleged that the industry skirts regulation by registering its vessels in foreign countries to avoid U.S. labor laws and income tax.

The industry requested one major concession: deletion of an amendment to the Death on the High Seas Act that would have allowed surviving relatives to recover damages for emotional suffering and bereavement, as well as any pain and suffering the victim may have experienced before death.

Under the existing law, survivors of people who die at sea can recover only lost wages or burial expenses. If a retired person died, for example, family members would get little if any money, Miami maritime attorney James Walker said.

The legislation would also clarify the long-debated issue of crime reporting. The bill would establish a reporting structure based on the current voluntary reporting guidelines.

Each ship would be required to maintain a logbook to record all deaths, missing persons, alleged crimes, and complaints of theft, sexual harassment and assault. That data would also be posted on a website maintained by the Coast Guard.

International Cruise Victims Website

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008

Link to Full Text of Legislation

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-fi-cruise7-2009jul07,0,5318780.story?track=rss

TEEN GIRLS SELLING SEX ON CRAIG'S LIST

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Says So 2.0) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:24:00 +0000

TEEN GIRLS SELLING SEX?

OR IS IT THE PREDATORS?

I understand the "supply and demand" culture of the sex industry. What I don't understand is HOW easily this can happen to anyone. Should Craig's List or Facebook be blamed for these atrocities? They are just portals...pimps can find victims anywhere. The internet just makes it easier for them.

(CANADA)--Girls under the age of 18 are selling sex on Craigslist, according to police in North Vancouver, and are likely forced into it after falling under the influence of a sex-trafficking ring.

North Vancouver RCMP are reporting a spike in underage sex trade workers on the North Shore, some as young as 13, who claim to be 18 or older in their online ads.

Benjamin Perrin, a University of British Columbia professor who is an expert on human trafficking for the sex trade, said police have identified a dozen victims so far in North Vancouver alone." Police believe there are many more victims, many of them are under the control of what we're being told is a sex- and drug-trafficking ring," Perrin said Tuesday on CTV's Canada AM.

According to North Vancouver RCMP Const. Shannon Kitchen, some girls, but not all, are working alone and not under the control of a pimp." In some cases we've been told about initially a relationship that's been considered maybe a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. And then that relationship's turned into, 'now you're working for me, you owe me money,'" Kitchen told CTV Vancouver.

Many of the ads are explicit, Perrin said, and put the girls in a vulnerable position as they promise unprotected sex." These young girls are being exposed to very serious health risks," Perrin said. He also points out that while some of the girls come from troubled homes and communities, which makes them particularly vulnerable to sex traffickers, others hail from stable families and well-off neighbourhoods.

"So parents really need to look out for warning signs too, like new friendships with people who are not just male but also possibly female, giving large gifts, (having) a new cellphone that's always being answered at any time of the day," Perrin said.

He also said that the problem is not relegated to young girls in North Vancouver. Teenagers across Canada are using online tools to sell sex, he said. Perrin said young women are often recruited through social networking websites such as Facebook, which offer ample opportunities for sex traffickers to prey on vulnerable girls."We know that sex traffickers have used Facebook as well as a tactic to identify vulnerable individuals and once they're part of a school network, Facebook does the work for them," he said.

Perrin said he has also met with officials from both the RCMP and Craigslist to express concern about how easy it is for underage girls to pose as adults.

Craigslist has shut down its erotic services section in the U.S. and now has an adult section that requires users to identify themselves. This is not available yet on the Canadian site. "We're really hoping Craigslist will step up," Perrin said.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090630/sex_craigslist_090630/20090630?hub=TopStories&s_name=

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Cruise ship industry reverses stance, backs federal safety bill Oh wow...the cruise ship industry is finally backing John Kerry's legislation:

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2008.

TEEN GIRLS SELLING SEX ON CRAIG'S LIST

DOES MONEY TRUMP

SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE?

Cruise ship industry reverses stance, backs federal safety bill

Oh wow...the cruise ship industry is finally backing John Kerry's legislation: