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Thursday, August 17, 2006

JonBenet Ramsey

Along with so many others, I must say that I had thought JonBenet's parents had killed her. Although it goes against any natural instincts to molest and kill your own child, the case seemed to point in that direction. We all know that there are monsters out there, lurking behind the eyes of your neighbors, your friends, your loved ones. I've known people that seem normal, even charming, who turn out to be a seething mass of putrescence underneath.

Now we find out that, after ten years, the killer has announced himself. He is 41 year old John Mark Karr, a former elementary school teacher. Karr was arrested in April 2001 in Sonoma County and charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, but fled the U.S.A. before he could be prosecuted. Now he's being extradited from Thailand: "Child Pornography & Prostitution Central". Hmm... I wonder what he was doing there?

Interestingly, Karr had been named by the Ramseys at one point. Of course, as Crime Magazine rather smarmily points out, the Ramseys campaigned vociferously to protest their innocence and mentioned several other possible suspects. What a pity that their words fell (for the most part) on deaf ears.

But despite the parents' innocence in JonBenet's actual death, they still must be held accountable for the way they sexualized this pretty little girl.

No child should be paraded about like this, in frocks and makeup that rivaled Tammy Faye Baker. To do so is to advertise to every child molester that this child is more than desirable. It's like waving a red flag in front of a bull. The Ramseys aren't alone in this mistake, but they paid a higher price than most.

I look at children in the malls and I wonder what their parents are thinking. How could a loving parent allow their daughter to dress like a tramp? What sort of father allows his child to wear a shirt that says "Maneater", "Get me drunk and enjoy the show", or "Free Samples"?

More important than catching JonBenet's killer is the lesson we've learned from what happened. We learned that lesson, didn't we? Didn't we? Hello?

22 comments:

Miss Cellania said...

No, from what I've seen, we haven't learned a thing. I love back to school, not only because I get some free time, but also because all those children in their school uniforms and eyeglasses all the sudden look like KIDS again.

But I'm also so glad they finally captured this guy.

Ed said...

When I heard the news yesterday, I remember back ten years ago when the general public was almost foaming at the mouth wanting to lynch the Ramsey family. People always seem so quick to judge people over "facts" that have been presented through the media. We weren't there, we don't know all the details, so how can we judge has always been my question.

I've seen it happen with OJ and later with Michael Jackson. I'm not suggesting that the latter two are innocent but I am suggesting that the general public seems to be degenerating back to the salem witch hunt days and not letting the police do their jobs.

mikster said...

As someone who works in a mall I can so relate to what you're saying about how many young little girls dress. Their parents must live under a rock.

clew said...

Couldn't agree with you more. The pageant stuff is creepy.

Creepy creepy creepy.

No idea why people are so surprised that pedophilia is rampant.

clew said...

Oops, I got so crabby I forgot to say thanks for always checking in on me. XOXOXO

mckay said...

so sad. so sad. my gut said that the ramsey family was innocent, at least i sure hoped they were. it just didn't fit that they'd do something so horrible on christmas eve. anyways..

it still amazes me that parents still drag their daughters to those horrible toddler beauty contests. no, the lesson wasn't learned.

when my daughter was 10, it was practically impossible to find her a modest pair of jeans or shorts or a shirt that didn't reveal her belly. every store only sold the low cut slut line. sigh. yes, and thank God she went to a school with a uniform policy. today, i can be thankful that my, now 16 year old girl automatically dresses rather modestly, even if she is slightly impressed with her little bit of cleavage.

Grant said...

I thought the same thing about the poor girl - that her life was already a tragedy before she was killed. Like you, I also thought the parents responsible. Normal parents would rather die than harm their child, but I didn't sense any love or protection from that pair that delighted in tarting her up and parading her in front of crowds.

Ellen said...

I've heard so many different things on this in the news today. It's been said that Karr's wife claimed they were Alabama at the time of the murder... no logistical way he could have done this. This made me wonder why Karr would confess from Thailand. Perhaps he did something worse there and is looking for extridiction to the cushy US?
All speculation, mind you, but I can't wait for all the facts to come out on this, and I'm sure the media will play a big role.

daveawayfromhome said...

"Learned anything"? As a father of two duaghters, I can assure you that not only have we learned nothing, we're at a stage where it's difficult to even have a choice not to. Have you been in a Target lately? Finding simple tops and shorts is almost impossible, even the dolls are ho's. I do a lot of my shopping in thrift stores, where you can find not only a wide selection of clothing (with a lot searching through the dross, of course) but in colors different from this years model.

The Ramsey story has been a travesty from every angle. At least in the end, they got the bastard. I hope he fries.

daveawayfromhome said...

oops.
that should read we're at a stage where it's difficult even if we choose not to.

kids, always use "preview".

AQ said...

To all those who are upset with the fashion that exposes the belly and the short-shorts, I'd like to say how pleased I am that knee-length shorts are now back in style. My teenager has a closet full of them now and only wears shorter shorts when playing sports. It appears the belly thing hasn't evaporated yet, but, thankfully, my teen is not into that so we've not had to do battle.

Dave said...

Saur,

I knew Patsey and I can't believe she's gone. She was a nice lady.

Kristie said...

i remember when i was a teenager i wanted to dress in shirts that showed my middrift. My dad would have none of it. if my belly button showed, he would have a cow. even if it was an old shirt i threw on to do yard work in the Backyard in. at the time i thought it was rather lame of him, but i followed the rules. later in life, i lost the desire to dress that way. sure i have worn sexy shirts that show my belly or my back, but on rare occasions and now when i see young teens dressed that way i dont agree with it. especially when their parents are around. i felt this before i became a mom and as a parent myself, i get it even more. letting your kids or even promoting your kids to be desirable is not helping keep the predators away. it draws attention to them that you dont want.

Lee Ann said...

I know, what a development!
I am actually watching a special on this right now.
A psychic drew a picture of her murderer....looked amazingly like John Mark Karr.

Anytime there is murder or molestation it is horrifying....I just cannot fathom someone doing this to an innocent child (or anyone for that matter).

Such a sad story.

High Power Rocketry said...

We still dont know that he did it. The fact that he is obsessed with the story makes it possible that he is just making this up, he may have lost his touch on reality. They still need to prove he was there, some clear evidence or something that matches his story.

Anonymous said...

Well as the daddy of a female girl woman I definately agree the pagent thing is damn freaky. And I also agree that no child should be forced to do them. My child will not participate until she is 15-16 then only at her request. I hope that this fellow is the killer, I'm afraid he isn't, i think he is a fucking nut that is babbling about the facts of the case but is just thrusting himself into the "limelight" for some freak thrills of some sort. I make no claim to be able to spot pedo's or deviants but that cat surely looks the part. Anyway if he is guilty I hope they test him to see how much he will bleed from his dick, after cutting it off, before he bleeds to death.
jsull28fl

Tyson said...

yes, i agree the child pageant stuff is super creepazoidal.

BUT ... putting blame on the parents for karr's actions relies on the same logic that blames rape victims for dressing in skimpy clothes. the parents shoulder NO blame in what happened to their daughter, in my opinion.

Meow (aka Connie) said...

What ever happened to kids who looked like kids. Those barbie doll children who parade on stage for their parents are very sad creatures ... I feel terribly sorry for them.
Hope you have a great weekend.
Take care, Meow

High Power Rocketry said...

Just saw the film little miss sunshine. The real girls used in that film were scary. I mean they obviously worked out to try and gain women like figures before their time, they were over tanned, and were just really scary.

Anonymous said...

md,
not only would not allow my bride to cake makeup on my daughter and parade her around I won't allow my daughter to wear any at all until she hits high school.

this case ain't over, I'm betting he didn't do it
jsull

exMI said...

It is actually looking more and more like Karr si a mental case who has developed a fantasy that has covered his life. I rather suspect that he had nothing to do with it in any way except in his imagination.

Jenn said...

I lived in Colorado when this was going on and it was on the news NON STOP.

Karr is sick and I find myself more interested in the fact that he was already known as a sexual predator in multiple states.

I want to know why this man was free to even move to CA let alone be let go when he had charges pending against him giving him time to leave the country. This makes me SO ANGRY.