Helpless

Wouldn't it be nice if music accompanied us through every scene of our lives the way it does on TV? Yesterday I called the Corrections Department here in order to ask about a known sex offender who has gotten out of prison and is living with a family in my neighborhood. Also living there are two kids, ages 4 and 6.

This whole situation has been a mess long before the sex offender showed up. The woman who lives there let her son, daughter-in-law, and kids move in years ago. She supports them since they aren't working, for reasons that seem a bit of a stretch. Her partner, husband (I'm not really sure) doesn't want the anyone else there, and is trying to evict the son and family. So what does he do? He lets his recently released ex-con brother move in. I found out about the sex offender part on a visit, when the woman walked me outside and told me in whispered tones that she doesn't want him there. Are you kidding me? Why is everybody whispering. Get him the hell out!!!

You would think that this turn of events would cause some sort of reaction, some sort of move on somebody's part, but no. They are all just staying put. So I called to see if this sex offender person is violating parole or breaking a rule. Guess what? He isn't . I was informed that he is no longer under any restrictions, and any authority they had over him has expired.  So that is why I wish we had that background music playing in our lives. Anytime this guy approached a child, there would be an ominous tone. It would be unmistakable. People would hear the deep, eerie strains, grab their children and run.

The crazy part is, that this family have those deep, eerie strains sounding in their ears all day long. They know the risk here. They know that this is absolutely dangerous and wrong, but they do nothing. And after having gone to the authorities myself, guess what? They are doing nothing.

All I can hope for is vigilance on the part of those parents. If they don't have the sense to get out, then I hope they have the sense to never leave the side of those children. But I imagine they don't sleep with their kids. How could you even close your eyes at night? I realize that they probably have no place to go, but if it were me, I'd get creative real fast. I'd do what I had to do to keep my kids safe.

This is one of those situations that is horribly, horribly wrong, and I don't understand why there isn't some sort of law that protects these kids, some sort of restriction that disallows sex offenders, whose crimes involve children, from coming within 20 feet of them EVER There is no law against stupidity either. So the man who let his brother move in is free to do it. And the others are free to stay in this dark and awful mess.

How does Heavenly Father stand it? Seeing all the evil in the world. My gut is in knots.