The death of a child is a horrible and agonizing experience; it effects not only the parents and family members, but everyone in the community. This is especially true when the death is NOT an act of God, but due to an accident, or even worse, to child abuse, neglect or malice.
The recent case of Caylee Anthony in Orlando, Florida, illustrated this point quite clearly. Two-year-old Caylee allegedly drowned in a backyard swimming pool while unattended by parents or guardians. Not immediately reporting the death and trying to cover it up resulted in a murder trial which gripped the nation. The not guilty verdict of Casey Anthony filled many who watched the trial on TV with outrage. Some have responded with a call for a new law, Caylee's Law, to make it a felony to NOT report a child's death promptly.
I propose that Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and other states adopt a Caylee's Law. But I propose going even further. I believe there should be a law which requires that all swimming pools, including above the ground pools, be surrounded by a fence with a locked gate. This would secure the pools from easy access by very small children and go a long way to preventing accidental death by drowning.
Moreover, we need to have programs in our public schools that teach proper parenting, survival and first aid skills for our children. These may also involve the YMCA, 4H, scouts, churches,or other organizations such that children learn how to swim at a very early age.
Just recently a five-year-old boy, Raquez Traquan Mefarland Whitfield drowned at Clarkco State Park. Although this may have been a accident, children who do not know how to swim should not be allowed to go near lakes, rivers or deep water when not accompanied by an adult. If adults are irresponsible and their neglect results in the death of a child, perhaps we as a society need to consider this fact and take action to make laws and provide for better education of both parents and children.
Although we teach our children how to read, write and do arithmetic, are we doing enough to also teach survival skills? Although this may be the responsibility of parents, is not it also the responsibility of our public education system to teach our children how to survive? Perhaps that should include knowing how to swim, how to do first aid and CPR, and a host of other life saving skills such as driver's education, drug abuse prevention, firearm safety, safe on-line computing, and comprehensive sex education available regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.
We may teach our children not to go near the water or abstinence, but what if they go near the water anyway? Should not our children all know how to swim? Should not our children all be taught the skills they need to survive in the real world? And should not parents be required to learn how to be good and responsible parents BEFORE they start making babies and having children?
Until we as a society begin teaching our children how to swim in the waters of life, there will be accidental drownings, young people killed driving under the influence, or teens endangering their lives by getting HIV/AIDS through having unprotected sex. Yet more children may kill themselves due to depression and lack of self esteem caused by bullying, on-line abuse, or even worse, abuse by parents or guardians.
Some many count these as "accidental" deaths, but I for one believe that when a child or young person dies and that death might have been prevented had we endeavored to create a more perfect, safe, and secure society through comprehensive education that includes learning, developing and practicing life survival skills, then we all bare part of the blame.
Parents are to blame for not teaching their children how to swim or for putting swimming pools in their backyards and not fencing them off from two or three year old toddlers. Parents are to blame for letting their children go play down by the lake, pond or river unaccompanied by an adult or supervised by someone who knows how to swim and is trained in first aid and CPR. Schools and churches are to blame when children get HIV/AIDS and were not provided with comprehensive sex education. The same systems are to blame when a young person is killed driving under the influence and they were not required to take a mandatory driver education class which included an anti-drug abuse curriculum.
Plus when we hear of the death of an innocent child like Caylee Anthony, we all are to blame when we do not cry out for new laws to protect the children of the future from such alleged accidents as drowning in a backyard pool, not properly reporting the accident in a timely manner, and/or disposing of the body in an utterly disgusting, irreverent, and horrible manner -- treating the dead like trash rather than that which they are, a sacred human life.
Perhaps someone will take notice and listen to these sentiments. Maybe you will not agree with all of them. But if you care about the children which are our future, even if you do not have any of your own, please take to heart what happened to that little girl in Orlando, and what happens to so many other children in America -- their so called "accidental death" before they hardly have a chance to live at all. Then please write to your respective representatives and urge they pass a Caylee's Law in your state. But don't stop there, demand that city and county laws require backyard pools be enclosed by a fence with a lockable gate. Also urge that public schools require courses which teach life survival skills, that whether the danger be deep water, driving under the influence, or engaging in other risky behavior, our children are equipped with the knowledge, information and skills they need to survive in a modern world.
Please help raise awareness and support the passage of Caylee's Law in all 50 States with these adorable gift and apparel items.
Originally we featured Caylee's adorable picture but the 'Powers That Be' would not permit this after an innocent verdict came in. In other words, a child cannot cry out from beyond the grave for justice! Rather, others, even those responsible for the child's death may profit from that death. The 'Powers That Be' would not let us use Caylee's image even though it has been broadcast around the world and used by every major network and media to sell newspapers and advertising. Even though we make only a small commission, if that, and apply it to good purposes, the only one now who will be able to profit from Caylee's death is her mother. Go figure? Perhaps there also needs to be a law that puts ownership of intellectual property rights of the images of dearly departed children who are disposed of like garbage by their parents into the public domain. In any case, because the 'Powers That Be' pended our designs featuring Caylee with her big, bright adorable brown eyes, these promotional items now feature Blind Justice.
 Promote Caylee's Law in All 50 States Patriotic red, white and blue colors Baseball Jersey Click to see more items like this We would like everyone in America who has an infant, child or loves kids to get one of these items to help promote Caylee's Law nation-wide. |
 Promote Caylee's Law in All 50 States Organic Women's T-shirt Click to see more items like this |
 Promote Caylee's Law in All 50 States Infant T-shirt Click to see more items like this We would like everyone in America who has an infant or child to get one of these items to help promote Caylee's Law nation-wide. |
 Promote Caylee's Law in All 50 States Jr. Ringer T-Shirt Click to see more items like this |
 Promote Caylee's Law in All 50 States Click to see more items like this Sorry! The powers that be would not let us use Caylee's image even though she is in Heaven. Thus we put Blind Justice on this design holding a sword and scales, that one day, God willing, justice may prevail and Caylee's Law will be the law of the land. |
 Promote Caylee's Law in All 50 States Click to see more items like this Sorry! The powers that be would not let us use Caylee's image even though she is in Heaven. Thus we put Blind Justice on this design holding a sword and scales, that one day, God willing, justice may prevail and Caylee's Law will be the law of the land. |
Visit our emporium to see more items like this and help promote this good cause.
Caylee's Law
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Please help! Sign Caylee's Law Petition today. Those who support Caylee's Law seek to make it a felony to NOT report a missing or dead child to authorities in a timely manner. You can also help by Promoting Caylee's Law with these adorable memorial tributes. Over 750,000 signatures were obtained in the first 48 hours that Caylee's Law petition was posted. As of 9:30 AM EDST on July 10, 2011, over 1-million people signed Caylee's Law petition!
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