Children of the U.S.- The forgotten children.

According to the 2009 report put out by the CWLA 510,885 children were living in the foster care system. There is a lot of media attention on the stars going out and adopting children from third world countries. What about the children in the United States? Are their needs not relevant? On television their are infomercials on children living in third world countries who need to be fed. In the year 2007, 18% of the children living in the United States were living below poverty level. I am not denying the needs of children in the third world countries. However, it seems that the children of the United States are the forgotten children of the world.
In the year 2006 there were 139,064 children in the foster care system waiting to be adopted. All the stars and the high profile individuals out there should be adopting our children and donating to take care of our children first before they head over to a third world country to take care of children of another country. Oh excuse me, would that not bring them enough media attention? I used to be a fan of Angelina Jolie until, she started adopting children from other countries. If she would like to adopt children of another race, I am all for it but, there are plenty of beautiful children right here in the U.S. who are in need of a good home. I believe everyone should love everyone the same regardless of race. We are all beautiful. Does Angelina Jolie & other high profile individuals know that 34% of children in the foster care system are African American, 40% are white, 18% Hispanic, 2% American Indian/Native American & 7% of other races & ethnicities. So, the next time all the Angelina Jolie's of the United States decides they want to help children in the third world countries they need look into their own back yard first and help a child living in the United States, they need you.

Here is a snapshot of the children living in the United States.

America’s Most Vulnerable Children:A Snapshot
Estimate of referrals of possible child abuse and
neglect (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,300,000
Children substantiated/indicated as abused or
neglected (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905,000
Children who died as a result of abuse or
neglect (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,530
Children living in out-of-home care (2006) . . . . . . . 510,885
Children adopted from the public foster care
system (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,705
Children waiting to be adopted (2006) . . . . . . . . . . 139,064
Children living in poverty (2007) . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,247,238
Children living in low-income families (2007) . . 28,803,055
National Poverty Rate (2007) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.5%
National Poverty Rate, children under age 18, (2007) . . 18.0%
National Poverty Rate, children ages 5–17 (2007) . . . 16.8%
National Poverty Rate, children under age 5 (2007). . 21.2%

Bardwell; Is he concerned about the future interracial children of America or is he a racist?

Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in the southeastern part of Louisiana, should be fired. Bardwell earlier this month refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Bardwell claims he refuses to marry interracial couples because he is concerned about their children. Bardwell should concern himself with other important issues; such has poverty, the homeless, educating today's youth and so on. There are so many other causes out there in need of attention, if he would like to pick one. Claiming he is only concerned about their children's future is a smoke screen to cover that he is racist. Now, if a Afro-American judge refused to marry an interracial couple he would be a racist and would be asked to resign and it would probably make the national news. Bardwell has served as the justice of the peace for 34 years. How can a justice of the peace step on the civil rights of the Louisiana residents for 34 years and this is the first time Bardwell's racial discrimination has come out? Bardwell should be required to give the couple a televised apology with his resignation. Apparently, Bardwell needs to step out of the year 1950 and into the year 2009.

The Sexualization of Teens & Women

This year I returned back to college to get my degree in Family Life Education. In doing so, I was I was required to write a thesis and design a program. I did research on the sexualization of teens and women related to the negative affects they have on an individuals self-esteem and mental health. I would like to share some of that with you. If I can change one individuals life, then all this time spent on blogging was well worth the time spent.

One of the common problems with teens and women today is referred to as the sexualization of teens and women. Sexualization is when a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person is sexually objectified or made into a sexual thing for another’s use (APA Task Force). Falling into this trap of being sexualized by the media and Internet has a lot of unhealthy consequences on one’s own mental and physical health and sexual development. Sexualization leads to eating disorders, poor self image, depression, and unhealthy sexual development.

The media and Internet make it appear to be more socially acceptable to be a sexual object. The Internet glorifies pornography, prostitution and stripping so that it looks appealing to young girls. “Research has found that adolescents make use of mass media, notably TV and magazines, to learn about how important aspects of identity development-sex and gender (Connecting developmental Constructions to the Internet: Identity Presentation and Sexual Exploration in Online Teen Chat Rooms, Developmental Psychology 2006, Vol. 42, No. 3, 395-406, apa.org). But, the reality is these people are preying on teens. The sex industry is a billion dollar industry in the United States. A lot of these girls or boys, who get involved in this kind of lifestyle end up prostituting, being raped, or sold off to the highest bidder as a sex slave and when they are done with you, they throw you away like trash on the street. “It’s a thriving international business in our increasingly interconnected global economy, generating some $9 billion in profits every year” (Human Trafficking: An IntelligenceReport,http://www.fbi.gov/page2june06/human_trafficking061206.htm). These kinds of people prey on teens in chat rooms, on myspace, facebook and various social networking sources on the Internet. They lure them in by glamorizing the industry. Telling them they can make a lot of money, buy the nice clothes or material things they want. Also, there are the sexual predators that prey on girls and boys on the Internet. One of the problems with meeting people online is you don’t really know who is sitting on the other end of that computer.

Another problem that the Internet is creating is a rise in sexual addictions. Pornography is more addicting than cocaine and does not discriminate. The Internet provides easy access to pornography. All these images give boys and men an unrealistic view of women. Women are being viewed as sexual objects rather than an actual intelligent human being with emotions and vice verse. The choice that we have to make is “are we going to allow it to take over our lives?”

Not only is the Internet and the media contributing to the sexualization of teens in women, it has made it made it as though casual sex partners is socially acceptable. There is a rise in the number of sex partners one has throughout there lifetime and a rise in the number of STDs'. Oral sex has become the new kissing in today's society. Some people are not aware of the negative effects this can have on one's health. Contracting STDs' can have a negative impact on one's health throughout their lifetime. There are some STDs' that require lifetime treatments and some STDs' that can cause a woman to be infertile.
Seriously think about the consequence before you jump in the sack with the next available person. Sit down and think about, what you want from your life and is this lifestyle going to help me achieve it. Posting nude photos and videos of yourself on the Internet will follow you the rest of your life. Do you really want your children or grandchildren to someday find those photos? If you are doing it now and you have children or grandchildren, do you want them to find out what you are doing? If your having multiple sex partners do you want to share an std with your loved one or your future loved one?

Morals, Do They Still Exist?

Lets start with a clear definition of what morality is. According to the dictionary, morals is defined as; of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes. To have or possess morals or values is becoming socially unacceptable. Those who walk around half dressed, posting nude or nearly nude photos of themselves on the Internet call it freedom of expression. I call it a lack of morality, a lack of real talent and low self-esteem. Those who post nude photos of themselves on the net are so desperate for attention and desperate for someone to love them, they will strip down and bare it all just for a little attention. These women who are doing it are a disgrace to all women. Women having been struggling for years to get respect for their intelligence and their ability to succeed, then you have those women out there who spend endless hours on the net posting pictures and videos of themselves tearing down all the accomplishments real women who have been working so hard to be recognized as equals. The problem is they aren't intelligent enough to know the harm they are doing to young girls and women. Because of women like this, there is a new generation of problems. Women and young girls are being viewed as sexual objects. The Internet can be a wonderful world of information right at your finger tips. But, there is also a dark side. The dark side of the Internet that is destroying our youth, our men and women and our marriages. The Internet has brought pornography in our homes, in the hands of our children and our families. The Internet has now made it possible to bring prostitution to a new level, made it easier to sell humans in the sex trade, gave pedophiles access to our children,
and the list goes on. But, we can't blame the Internet. What it all comes down to, is a break down of morals and values in society. I think everyone needs to sit down and evaluate "what is really important in their lives and "Is it really worth destroying your life over?"