Comments on: Another Case of Stupidness–Thankfully No One Is Responsible

By: Trish

Trish — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:03:20 +0000

They’re all wrong.
Melissa, I disagree with you about the exotic pets. The pet owners are not to blame for this incident; however, wild animals are wild animals, not domestic animals, and should be treated as such. Putting them in a residential neighborhood puts everyone in that neighborhood at risk. Cougars are not kittens.

Zitnick is at fault, and they should throw the book at him. An adult man who messes with minor girls is a predator, and should be dealt with as such. It’s called statutory rape. Mel Reynolds went to prison for it.
Breaking and entering is a crime no matter how you slice it.

And where, exactly, WERE this girl’s parents? Why are they letting their daughter run around with a man–MAN, not BOY–five years her senior? And how on earth have they raised her that she would find burglary impressive?

By: rockdalian

rockdalian — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:56:20 +0000

A 16 year old girl with a 21 year old guy?
Where are the parents?

By: Heidi

Heidi — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:33:52 +0000

I agree that there is a fine line between helping and enabling. A huge part of helping involves holding people accountable, but those people need to have hope that they won’t be forever defined by their past failings. But I get your point – our society isn’t holding people responsible, we’re coddling them and generally ruining the old ‘American Spirit’. It’s a lose-lose situation.

By: Viola J.

Viola J. — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:24:21 +0000

Thank God that this girl received help in time. What a nightmare!

The Houston Chronicle just interviewed me two weeks ago for a story they are getting ready to run for me on the Statue of Responsibility. I have been working hard to help heighten public awareness about this statue.(sorfoundation.org)

What you mention here in this post,Melissa, is precisely what I mentioned during my interview as well. Heidi, we all make mistakes, but constantly finding someone to blame for those mistakes is where the real mistake lies.

The article will come out soon in an insert on Thursday’s paper called, “Faces in the Crowds.”

By: Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Dr. Melissa Clouthier — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:47:03 +0000

Heidi,

I agree. We can all change and mature and grow. That growth isn’t encouraged, though, when irresponsibility is reinforced.

There is a fine line between helping and enabling.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:41:37 +0000

*So why be responsible?*

Self-respect, integrity, the ability to sleep at night.

I can’t throw stones at stupid, irresponsible people because that was me not too many years ago. Thank God for the ability to change, to mature.