What is this country coming to?

I had every intention of ranting about this issue yesterday, but decided I should wait a day and see if I still felt the same way... I do!
According to CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/scotus.child.rape/index.html the Supreme Court of the USA has ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute a child rapist. According to the article, Justice Anthony Kennedy said "We conclude that, in determining whether the death penalty is excessive, there is a distinction between intentional first-degree murder on the one hand and nonhomicide crimes against individual persons, even including child rape, on the other,"

Excuse my french, but WHAT THE HELL???

Obviously they did not have enough data to make an informed decision. Do they not realize that a vast majority of these victims grow up to lead lives full of mental illness, drugs, alcohol, violence and some even commit suicide. Now, how is it okay for the victim to pay for this injustice with his/her life but the same is "unconstitutional" for the perpetrator?


According to Wikipedia - and I strongly suggest reading the whole article -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_sexual_abuse
Child sexual abuse can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology in later life. Psychological, emotional, physical, and social effects include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, poor self-esteem, dissociative and anxiety disorders; general psychological distress and disorders such as somatization, neurosis, chronic pain, sexualized behavior, school/learning problems; and behavior problems including substance abuse, destructive behavior, criminality in adulthood and suicide. A specific characteristic pattern of symptoms has not been identified and there are several hypotheses on the causality of these associations.
A study funded by the USA National Institute of Drug Abuse found that "Among more than 1,400 adult females, childhood sexual abuse was associated with increased likelihood of drug dependence, alcohol dependence, and psychiatric disorders. The associations are expressed as odds ratios: for example, women who experienced nongenital sexual abuse in childhood were 2.93 times more likely to suffer drug dependence as adults than were women who were not abused."
Sexually abused children suffer from more psychological symptoms than children who have not been abused; studies have found symptoms in 51% to 79% of sexually abused children. Children may develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder resulting from child sexual abuse, even without actual or threatened injury or violence.

Okay, so I know I said in my last post that Jeff and I would move out of the country if McCain became president, but this is just as bad. I think I'm going to start looking for work in England. (I know, their proper english is practically a different language, but at least I'll be able to understand some of it.)

I am so angry! This will be one of the biggest reasons if Jeff and I decide not to have children. It makes me physically ill to think about how easily this abuse can happen and how many children live with it and are too afraid to tell anyone about it. Think of your children - try to remember when you were a child yourself - how can anyone hurt such an innocent being? But they do, and the Supreme Court has told those criminals that what they have done or are doing is not that bad and it has told those victims that their lives aren't worth shit.

I got tagged by my MIL to answer a few questions - here goes...
a) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I had just finished my first year of school at Utah State University and moved home to Salt Lake City for the summer. I was working two full-time jobs to save money for school (yeah, save money, ha ha ha).
b) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today
1. Sleep in - here it is 9:00am, and I have already been awake for over an hour...
2. Send an email to some old college friends who I had a very vivid dream about last night.
3. Hopefully talk Jeff into going to IKEA to look for the one finishing piece of furniture for our basement make-over
4. Take a nap or play Dr. Mario - I've become addicted to it again, I last played it when I was a young kid and Nintendo was new.
5. Visit with my parents and siblings for our weekly get-together. I sure hope little Harbor is there - I love that kid!
c.) Snacks I enjoy
chips - pretty much ANY kind
Hostess cupcakes - Seriously I could not live without these
Diet Coke
d.) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pay off mortgages for my family
Pay off all of my debts
Invest my money and live off the interest
Become a lobbyist for tougher laws against sex offenders
Buy jewelry... (I love sparkly things)
Get a maid
Oh, the list could go on and on
e.) Places I have lived
West Valley City, Utah
Logan, Utah
Riverton, Utah
Midvale, Utah
West Jordan, Utah

I know, what a boring list of places to have lived, but if McCain becomes the next US President, we're moving out of the country. :)

Loves, Rachael

Ah, the ups and downs of life...

My dad's surgery was a success! The doctor said that when she removed the part of the colon that had previously held the tumor all that was left was a scar! And she was able to put him back together which means that his ileostomy will not be permanent. Yay! So for several days everyone was in really good spirits and thinking that we were near the end of the "cancer" scare. Unfortunately we were all mistaken. :( When the doctor was in doing the surgery, she also took out several lymph nodes to test if there were cancerous cells still in them, and the results came back yesterday - 5 of 22 contained cancerous cells. So that means that my dad will recover from his surgery for one month, then begin his first of six more chemotherapy treatments. Each treatment lasts 2 weeks, and then he gets a month off, then two weeks until the six treatments are completed. THEN they will test the lymph nodes again and determine if he has any cells remaining. Unfortunately he will have to keep the ileostomy bad through this entire process. (He had previously thought he would be free of it within 6-8 weeks from now.) He is the one with the best attitude about this whole thing - which is really good.
A miracle happened yesterday too. My older brother went to the hospital to visit my dad. I know that doesn't seem like much to most people, but they haven't spoken to each other in a couple of years, and I honestly didn't think they would EVER speak to each other again. But I guess it takes stuff like the possibility of your dad dying to make you think and decide to patch things up. Now if I can only get things patched up between he and I, we can all be one big happy family again. I guess we'll see.
Okay, I need to get back to work. Just wanted to let you all know the news.
Loves,
Rach