The Sun Shines Big and Bright

the sun shines big and bright
through my car’s window
drawing masses of people out
like herds of cattle flocking
to stacks of hay out in the field
people are swarming to places
to go spend, spend, spend
shopping places
places selling junk food,
fast food, and greasy food
this economy has them down and out
hopeless, in a waste land so barren
yet the herds of people are out
spending money that they don’t have
with the media reminding them they’re broke
some of them are coming out of Best Buy
buying things they don’t need
things they already have
things that they’ll replace
the sun is out but don’t be fooled
it’s still cold outside, you’re still broke
why are you spending money?
why?
a man comes to my window
asking for some spare change for the bus
I tell him “no”
why doesn’t he just tell me
he wants a drink or a fix?
honesty has evaporated from society’s values
just as the icebergs have evaporated from the planet
a person can deal with honesty
they know what to expect
no one can have expectations anymore
expectations will only lead to resentments
resentments will cause self destruction
can you imagine a world
where you can expect from others
exactly what you expect from yourself?
can you imagine a world
where everybody was honest
and told you exactly what they were thinking?
can you imagine a world
where telling someone what you were thinking
would not offend the other person?
where communication served its purpose
as it was designed to do
go back to spending your money
using it to replace things you already have
to hide from your feelings
to buy things that make you a better person
it’s all staying here when you go
wherever it is that you go
I’m sure the sun will be shining bright
maybe it will be warm as well
maybe you’ll feel better when you get there

©March 2010 – Tamara Nicholas

Quote of the Day

People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel. -- Unknown

Raping our Youth's Innocence

I watched Bill Maher last night.  He had an excerpt about the Catholic church being back in the news again with the same old scandal regarding priests and altar boys.  This time it was occurring all around the world and not in the United States.  It seems that the molestation of altar boys has, in fact, gone global (or at least the reporting in the press has finally made the global market).  I had always known it wasn't just a US problem in my heart however.  What prompted me to write this story wasn't just the Catholics.  As luck would have it my husband was reading the Salt Lake Tribune this morning and he read aloud to me a snippet from an article about the cub/boy scouts.  It seems that there's still a problem with the scouts and molestation as well.  Ironic that the morning after Maher reports on the Catholics that the Mormons would be in the Tribune having paid a settlement for their part in a molestation scandal.

My question is quite simple.  How is it that these big religious organizations are allowed to get away with child molestation with nothing more than monitery penalization?  Why is it that the men involved with molesting our children haven't been brought to justice and aren't serving prison sentences?  Moreover, why aren't the sentences for child molestation more severe in the first place?  Does anyone have any idea how fucked up a child becomes after being molested?  Does anyone have any idea the irrepairable damage that is done to that child?  How that child is much more likely to abuse drugs than a child who is not abused.  How that child is much more likely to, in turn, abuse another child as an adult because of that abuse.  How, if that child does become chemically dependant, that child could break many other laws ranging from theft to murder.

Does anyone stop to look at the horror that these children live in day to day after they've been assaulted?  I'm talking about daily terror.  Terrified that you'll be attacked from out of nowhere.  I'm talking about playing at your friend's house across the street from where you live as a six to eight year old boy or girl until it becomes a bit dark outside in the summer-time.  Then you go to your friend's door to leave.  You open the door a bit to peak outside.  Checking to see if there's anyone out there.  You dart out the door and run as fast as you can all the way home (which is just across the street).  You open your door as fast as you can so you can get inside your house as fast as you can where it's safe.  Where you're safe.  You're panting.  Breathing very hard and fast but you're home and you're safe.  No one got to you.  No one put there hands on you again.  No one did anything to you that you didn't want them to do.  No one took from you your innocence again.  No one.  No one.  No one.  You're okay. 

This is your life each day until you find alcohol or drugs that take you away from that horror and lead you down a new path of horror.  Do you know how I know?  Because I was abused at four years old by the baby-sitter's 17 year old son repeatedly.  That was my story I just told.  My son was, also, abused at the age of five and at the age of seven by two separate children.  His day to day terror has been going on off and on for a while now.  Just recently it started again with tales of a "white van" going around our town taking children.  He lives in fear every day that this white van is going to take him and do horrible things to him.  He is scared to walk to and from school now.  I feel terrible for him because I know his terror.

The cycle of abuse has got to stop somewhere.  It's never going to stop until sentences are increased and increased a lot.  It's never going to stop until these religious organizations are held accountable like the ordinary population.  We need to take a stand people.  We need to let our government know that our children are more important than money.  Do you all know that sexual preditors are the one offenders that can not be rehabilitated?  I'm serious.  I'm not saying it because I was a victim.  I'm saying it because I hold a degree in social work and human behavior.  When studying human behavior we learned that people with addictions to substance can change (though the percentage of people who maintain sobriety for the rest of their life is only about 7%).  However, people who are sexual preditors do not change.  They may have periods of abstinence but they do not ever change.  Do your own research if you do not believe me.  That means they need life sentences or very long sentences with life-time paroles afterward.  Some micro-management to really watch them to make certain they are not connecting with any children and not doing any harm to anyone.

Thanks for hearing my opinion on this.  Please, whether you agree or disagree with me about this subject, feel free to post your opinion as well.