“This kind of thing happens every day,” John Couey said while being arrested for the rape and murder of Jessica Lunsford. This kind of thing happens everyday, that a child would be taken from her home, raped over the course of several days and then be buried alive.
I’m not going to make this a 3 or 4 part post. I certainly could. I’ll just say a few things and let it go at that.
I read that the pedophile John Couey didn’t say anything during his sentencing nor did he show emotion for this act however, he is recorded as one time saying that when he gets to heaven he’d like to apologize to Jessica for what he did to her. In my opinion, that comment alone is worthy of the death penalty. Somebody step up and shoot this man.
Since the law supports the death penalty for capital crimes the law will have filled it’s obligation once Couey is dead. But what about other obligations for serving justice? I’m upset by the many loopholes in laws written to protect children and adults from predators. For example, although Couey’s family knew about his pedophilia and his thirty year criminal history they did not report his whereabouts. They also were not required by law to report it to the police. Had they reported it, had they been required by law to report it they could have been held partially responsible for Jessica’s death. I’m not saying it would have stopped it but it would have at least kept blood off their hands. In my opinion not letting the police know Couey was in the area gave him unsupervised access to a number of victims. By them protecting their pedophile they allowed him to hunt and kill. They should be held accountable for that but the loophole in the law doesn’t provide that sort of justice.
Why does it take death to change laws? And why does it take re-writing those laws to close loopholes that let justice slip through? On the issue of Florida laws changing Jessica’s father Mark Lunsford said, “The problem is still growing. Children are still being molested. Sex offenders and predators are still being released,” Lunsford said. “Justice was served for this little girl, but what about the rest of them? What about the ones that survive? You can’t do anything to bring my daughter back, but you can do everything to save these other kids.”
What about the ones that survive? What about us? The ones that grew up watching other children become survivors? We’re caught here in the middle, as the laws do not change for us we struggle day in and day out, alive but not really living. Mark Lunsford said something I personally haven’t heard before from the mouth of a parent of a murdered child, “What about the one’s that survive?” Thank you for that acknowledgment. From the bottom of my heart, thank you because sometimes I think we are forgotten. Sometimes I think it is harder to deal with us as adults and feel sympathy for us than for child victims. We’re kind of out here in the middle, the left behind children of molestation if you will. But the more protection there is for children the fewer left behind adults there will be. I’d like to see us become a dying breed. I’d like to see us become an extinct civilization, one only read about in history books with a look of horror on the faces of modern man that anyone would have let it go this far for so long. Thank you for acknowledging the ones that survive.
As for John Couey, you’re a dead man as well you should be. Not only did he remark that he would apologize to Jessica once he got to heaven he also said something good came out of her death. The weasel said at least now the laws are stricter in Florida for sex offenders. He said this as if he’d done something worthwhile, something to help his community. See, had he not snatched this child from her family the laws wouldn’t have been changed. Give me a break and a chance at pushing the needle. They should lottery off his execution. Charge $5 per ticket. The winner gets to push in the needle. I have $5.00. For once I wish this were a country like the one where they executed Saddam Hussein. Thirty days and you’re outta here. Thirty days and they blotch your hanging while catching it on a cell phone cam. Cause you know, that sort of thing over there happens every day.
Jessica Lunsford links
CNN- a page full of links
Jessica didn’t suffer a great deal. Death likened to Kevorkian’s assisted suicide. (When viewing this article a sign in window will pop up. Hit the escape button several times in a row and it’ll disappear.)
Couey colors during the trial
You’re not retarded, just stupid. Couey tries to avoid death penalty by saying he’s retarded. 2002 laws changed making it unconstitutional to put to death someone who is mentally retarded.
Couey’s housemates Questions about DNA and how the case was handled.
Stop Child Predators , Jessica Marie Lunsford Foundation
**GPS Tracking for Sex Offenders**
Couey You’re A Dead Man-Sunday, August 26, 2007-1:02PM EST
Yes, I can understand your anger over this. I am with you but somehow it’s easier to think that we older surviving victims came from a different era and the problem isn’t around now. Funny, seems to me the world is even crazier now, those people in denial better brace themselves for the worst is yet to come unfortunately.
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We have indeed come from a different era. The era we come from is one of hush-hush but this new world we live in, the more dangerous one, allows us to speak about it whereas before talking wasn’t an option. That’s one good thing that has come out of the new era, we can scream our lungs out. Someone may or may not listen but in this era we can scream our lungs out. Abuse still happens, the difference, talking.
I’d like to think that when we from the hush-hush era pass we’ll leave behind knowledge of what hush-hush does. I hope that people will begin to stop protecting predators and I hope that laws will be written effectively so that more are protected. This guy Couey, he has a 30 year history of violence and crime. There are 30 years worth of victims of some kind of his alone. That makes me sick. I want to see it stop. (see the next entry)
UPDATED reply
My reply may have seemed rather strong towards you. I hope it does not come off that way because it’s not how I meant it. And the entry I wrote is about anger but not anger at you okay? It has nothing at all to do with you. I got heated up when writing and I think it might be a bit easy for readers to think that you caused me some sort of irritation sparking that entry. You didn’t. I thought your comment was just fine.
Austin
What frustrates me is when people “play by the rules” and “trust in the system” and then get totally screwed over. Then again, I’ve just had some up close and personal experiences with this in my work life lately. Some of us adults (like me) are trying. Sometimes we win – other times we lose. It’s not fair. But I’m deteremined that the children I fight for will know that someone out there tried.
Most “retarded” people are not violent. I also hate people who try to use bipolar as an excuse for molesting children. My bipolar may cause me to do some stupid stuff, but it does NOT cause people to molest children!
This scumbag definitely deserves to hang. Burying someone alive–that is above and beyond the call of duty in the field of heinous. Maybe they should bury him alive.
I use to think, my goodness how horrible to see a family gather in picnic style for a hanging. But now I understand it. I understand why it is that people act like it’s a festive event, it is. If I were to go to the Couey execution don’t think I wouldn’t’ show up with snacks. I’d have popcorn and Pepsi. Heck I might even try and capitalize off of it and sell popcorn and Pepsi to on lookers. I want it filmed with HD quality. I want fireworks and games like put the needle in the pedophile or even a door prize where all the money goes to a charitable organization. This is an community event, sell tickets, have door prizes
…….. stop for a moment of silence for all the victims that didn’t make it and celebrate those who did with a post execution barbecue and dance.
Aussie
Don’t worry about offending me, I am fine. Just too darn much to do and not enough time to do it so I don’t get to frequent blogs as often as I would like.
As for the era I was referring to, I think there’s one in the middle between the never talk about, talk about it everywhere and now. Seems to me that during the late 70s and early 80s there was a lot of attention paid to the sexual abuse of children. Every talk show, tons of magazine articles, it was in the forefront all the time.
Then the offenders got organized and the false memory syndrome crap started to immerge, that got the airtime and then everyone backed off. Enabling offenders to hide behind the “falsely accused” banner and making victims again look like the bad guys. Society will pay a big price for getting caught up in that deceit.