I can't believe I'm posting another one of these... First off, since this keeps happening, I've been hearing alot of people saying the law needs to be toughened. I'm not going to discuss that subject here, but I will say this: Toughening the law will not bring a child back to life. Nor will it undo the effects of an assault. A sociopath, by definition, does not consider the outcomes of their actions. If the sociopath did that, he would not commit the crime to begin with. We're not talking a thief here, who, on one hand, has no money, but on the other, fear the repercussions of being caught. We're talking about someone whose brain is malfunctioning. This is something you must keep track of in taking care of your family. When you are crossing an intersection, you don't assume the other car will stop, because it might not. You cannot assume your kids are safe, because they might not be. A popular saying in our ryu is expect the unexpected. It's a riddle, for how can you? But this is exactly what you must do. If you really tried to handle every case, you'd drive yourself crazy. Instead, it's best to follow rules of thumb, and to have backups, when those rules fail. Stay aware of your surroundings, your community, who you spend time with, and adapt to those circumstances. Some notes about Sarah:

• It appears she kidnapped while home alone. Her brother came home to find she was gone.
• She was 13 years old. Too young to be on her own, but old enough to memorize some things to do in an emergency, and large enough that if she had struggled, it could have deterred her kidnapper.
• She was kidnapped by someone known to her.
• She spent some time hospitalized so she would not hurt herself.

One thing I've noticed about the unexpected, is that it often should be expected! This is yet another case of someone known to the child doing the kidnapping. Chances are good Sarah let this guy right into the house. Logically one thinks "friends and family should be ok", but this expectation has been proven wrong again and again. It's not that you cannot trust family, family is all we have. Rather, you should have a plan at all times.

• Children should not be left alone.
• Children should be taught to make decisions.
• Children should be taught to have confidence in their decisions.

When I say children should be taught to make decisions, I don't mean they should be burdened with them, rather, the art of discernment should be taught early. Given the chance, kids are good at this. They learn to look both ways before crossing the street. They can also learn to say "No" when somebody tells them to do something they don't think they should do. As it always will be, this list is incomplete, but I mention these items according to the case. I hope these ideas help you at home, because we cannot wait for Law Enforcement and Legislation to make us safe.

The abduction and slaying of Jessica Lunsford is a tragic loss for the family, and there is no way to express what the death of a child entails, a whole potention universe has been ended. What upsets me about this is how much can be done to prevent these kind of occurences. Jessica is dead, but the living can do something to reduce the likelihood of this happening again. Just a year ago, Carlie Brucia was abducted and killed near a carwash in Sarasota. Now a scant 100 miles away, a similar event takes place. I'd like to highlight some details of Jessica's case, and show how concerned parents can reduce the likelihood of this happening again. Carlie was not the last, and neither is Jessica. Some circumstances I'd like to discuss:

• Jessica was at home
• She was taken at night
• She was taken by a past sex offender, and burglar

A parent problem thinks "Gee, what am I to do if my own home is not safe?" Indeed, things like alarm systems can help, but not without a family ready to take action when the alarm goes off. There is no substitute for arming yourself and family with confidence, and awareness. To be blunt, kids these days are docile. They are taught to be nothing but obidient towards adults. As we can see here though, not all adults are good poeple. Kids are also scared. There is war. There is terrorism. It's pretty overwhelming. What's a kid to do? There are a number of things. I'll address some here which are specifically related ot this abduction.

Learn to Yell

Jessica was at home. She and her family were asleep. When John Couey broke in, she probably awoke, but she probably did not yell or struggle. Kids are taught not to do that. A good child is a well behaved child, but not in this case.

Have some confidence

Perhaps the abducter told Jessica her parents would be upset if she said anything. Perhaps he threatened her. there are all kinds of what if's, but one thing did happen: she died. Given this, kids should be encouraged by their parents to make a decision. If she was suspicious, she should yell, kick, hurt the guy. If it's a false alarm, everyone can go back to bed. If it turns out it was grampa coming over for a surprise visit, he'll get over a swollen toe. There is no turning back from death.

Be Aware

Kids should learn to identify danger. Crossing a busy street is dangerous. Strangers should be considered such, too. In addition, kids should have a knee jerk reaction to danger. Just as a child is taught to look both ways before crossing the street, a child should contact parents if a stranger approaches. If the stranger tries to prevent this contact, the child should be taught that this just as dangerous as an oncoming car. Note, I'm not saying the kid needs to be a martial arts expect to fend off ninjas sneaking into her room. This stuff is pretty simple. Make noise. Struggle. Don't trust strangers. Karate is great, but when it comes down to it, the best thing it will give you is a level head.

Some additional notes

Couey was a neighbor. The abductor is usually someone close to or known to the child. Sad, but true. By stranger I don't mean someone who looks different, or someone from out of town. I mean someone acting strange. Kids can identify this, it's pretty obvious, just need to learn to trust that bad feeling. Couey is a sex offender. You can search the Florida Department of Law Enforment Website for local predators. Awareness is your best tool.