Tag Archive for victim

Let It Never Happen Again–to Anyone

January 29, 2019 Comments Off on Let It Never Happen Again–to Anyone

The ultimate example of man’s inhumanity to man was put to an end 74 years ago, on January 27, 1945, when Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp, was liberated.  It imprisoned people who were torn from their families and lives simply because they were Jewish.  It was a place of unspeakable conditions, torture, and death.  It used human beings for ghastly experiments because, after all, these weren’t people  in the Nazi mind but sub-humans, so it didn’t matter if they suffered.  Some 200,000 people were able to leave the camp, but not without physical, emotional, and spiritual damage that has lasted even to today for those thousands of survivors still alive.

Auschwitz is still fresh in our minds on this anniversary and, to many, every day.  As it should be–so that we never allow that to happen to any group of people ever again.

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Did He Dress Provocatively?

September 4, 2018 Comments Off on Did He Dress Provocatively?

As they say, turnabout is fair play. I love the turnabout in this short British video. Yes, female victims ARE still being judged on these questions–mentally, at least, in the best of settings.

(Wait for the video to load, then right-click to “unmute” to get the sound.)

Thanks to Mark O’Donnell for this one.

https://www.facebook.com/BBCOne/videos/10155307004551778/

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The Enemy

April 5, 2018 Comments Off on The Enemy

Today’s Thursday Thought quote calls into question who “the enemy” really is…or  isn’t.

“We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, for those it calls ‘enemy,’ for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.  I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution until some attempt is made to know them and hear their broken cries.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.   (From his speech “When Silence Is Betrayal,” given at Riverside Church, New York, April 4, 1967.)

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You are the Target

March 27, 2018 Comments Off on You are the Target

Scammers are always attacking us.  I wish they’d  get a real life, but apparently enough of us are taken in that they’re making a bundle of money.

I just read an AAPR article on scammers–how they draw us in by personalizing their pitch.  I thought you might  be interested in reading it.  It gives good information that may protect you or a loved one, especially that senior citizen you care so much for and who is in the age group most targeted by scammers.

It’s called “You are the Target”  and can be found at this AARP webpage.

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Sticks and Stones

July 28, 2016 Comments Off on Sticks and Stones

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” So goes the child’s defensive chant. But we all knows that isn’t true, because we’ve all been the victims of words. Today’s Thursday Thought, then, gives some excellent advice.

 

 

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This Law is Weird but Necessary

April 17, 2015 2 comments

Who would think that a law would have to be on the books against putting a video camera into a public restroom?  You’d think it was common sense and reasonable respect not to do so.  Guess not.  It happened twice in a Walnut Creek, CA, Starbucks–the same Starbucks.  There is a suspect, Jacob Turner.  However, embarrassed, mortified victims must come forward to make the case against him strong.  I’m not sure I’d admit to being a victim.

Anyway, this is, on the surface, a silly law, and it may be hard to enforce; but, unfortunately, people being people, it’s needed.

 

 

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What a Stroke Victim Wants from You

August 4, 2014 2 comments

If you have a loved one who has had a stroke, this is for you:  40 Things I Need the Most–Requests from a Stroke Victim.    So many of us fear doing or saying the wrong thing.  As a result, many of us do nothing, thus isolating our loved one when he or she most needs  human contact and love.  This simple guide should remove all discomfort and make life better for both you and that person you care about.  Click on the above link and look for “Special Feature” a short way down the page.

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Executions: Purpose and Practice

July 25, 2014 Comments Off on Executions: Purpose and Practice

 

What do events in Arizona a few days ago, in Oklahoma in April, and in Ohio in January have in common?  Three botched executions, in which the condemned man tried to gulp air for nearly two hours (Arizona), writhed in agony for several minutes before dying of a heart attack (Oklahoma), and snorted, gasped, and struggled for some time before the lethal drugs killed him (Ohio).  These–and many similar events–also show that carrying out a death sentence can be far from the humane practice it’s legally supposed to be.

I feel compassion for families of victims.  I understand their need for “closure” (whatever that is) and that they believe in “an eye for an eye” (even Christians, whose faith says that Christ came to bring mercy and forgiveness, replacing the Old Testament law of getting even).  And I know that executions are codified in our laws.  But unless they can be carried out in a legal (meaning humane) fashion, they should be discontinued.  Otherwise, they aren’t justice but simply vengeance.

 

 

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Pray or Shut Up

April 7, 2014 2 comments

I’m tired of hearing, “My prayers are with them.”  Not that I don’t believe in the power of prayer, because I do.  I just don’t believe THEM, the people who say this.  Sure, their hearts are in the right place; they simply want to comfort the grieving.  How many, though, actually follow through on what they say?  Not a quick “Oh, my God!” on hearing about a tragedy but actual prayer?  Too often, the victims fly out of a person’s mind as soon as he/she has uttered those words.  What would happen if everyone who said that actually DID say a little prayer frequently for the victim and family, DID hold them for a few moments every once in awhile in their minds and hearts?  I bet it would do some good for those being prayed for.  It would be good, too, for those praying, because, as studies show, a little meditation and reaching out to others makes a person happier and healthier.

 

 

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Vicious Game

December 4, 2013 2 comments

Tag has a new version–The Knock-Out Game. A group–usually of young men–wanders around until they choose, at random, an unsuspecting  “playmate.” Then one of the gang, er, I mean group, runs up to this person and punches him/her as hard as he can, trying to knock him/her out with a single punch, then the gang runs away.  Yes, I mean “him/her,” as well as various ages and ethnicities.  Recent victims have included a 50-year-old English teacher stepping off the porch (hit by a 15-year-old boy), a 78-year-old woman, and a 14-year old youngster in Modesto.  At least two deaths have resulted, plus painful injuries sending victims to the hospital.

It’s group-influence at its worst.  It’s humanity being senselessly vicious.  And they’re so proud of their acts that they brag about them on social media.

It makes me sick.

 

 

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