RANT: Aren't Children Innocent?

I get so irritated when I read news stories where innocent children are involved. So did you see the one where two children were thrown off a hotel balcony by their father before he too jumped to his death? What the hell? If you want to commit suicide, why do you have to bring your children with you? The children were 4 and 8. They didn't know what was going on. Their lives were taken away from them for some stupid reason. I feel the same way when I read about sexual predators and abusers who prey on children via the Internet or anyway really. Child porn site numbers are up online and it's very disheartening to know that statistic. Our children our innocent human beings!! Some sicko is out there looking for "fresh meat" to rape and abuse. They are children. They should be running around outside. They should be living carefree lives. No one, especially a child, should have to live their life looking over their shoulder because they think something is going to happen to them. Remember those days when you could send your children to the park by themselves and know they would come home? Remember when you could trust next door neighbors to watch your children for a few hours while you went grocery shopping? Now you can't take your eyes of your child because there could be someone right around the corner ready to grab them. I just watched a 60 minutes show this past week about a guy who raped and abused over 40 children before he was finally caught because of one brave girl who refused to be his victim. The scumbag got over 400 years in jail for it. I would have said execute his ass. They are innocent children! What I hear nowadays with the way teenagers have started to dress is that "their asking for it." Now come on...is that at all realistic? I don't think any teenager out there is asking to be raped or abused by anyone! With the development of the Internet and sites such as MySpace, more and more sexual predators are out there trying to lure that 12 year old to meet them somewhere. The sad thing is, many of the children will meet these people because they think they are friends. Parents...SPEAK UP!! You need to sit down and talk to your kids about it. You might think they aren't going to listen...but they will hear your voice in the back of their head when they think about meeting someone they met online. Then I watch CSI episodes (yes I'm a CSI addict) and I can't stand to watch some of the episodes about children. I know it is only a TV show, but I also know that many of the ideas they have for shows come from real live situations that have happened throughout the country. Kids are beaten and abused and killed...I just don't know how someone could hurt a child. I don't think I ever will understand that. Granted I don't have any children of my own...and I'm not sure I don't want children of my own...I can't help but smile when I watch them. They are also so happy. They don't have a care in the world. Who would want to take that away from them? I can't help but think about the time when I local girl went missing. Sara Ann Wood...she was found dead in the woods and it sent shock waves throughout the entire area. To think something like that could happen here. That was before a lot of the publicity on the Internet and stuff like that came out. I remember my parents not letting me leave the house at all unless they were with me. I couldn't go to friends houses, I couldn't go to the mall by myself, everyone was terrified. I think it was a wake up call that...children aren't safe. There are people out there who will do everything in their power to make sure children aren't safe. It's sick people! But let me open your eyes to something...IT'S A SICK WORLD!! That's all I'm gonna say...