Missing Teen Elizabeth Smart Found Alive

Amazing, great. Hope she isn't too damaged psychologically.

Thank God. I was sure after all this time that the result wouldn't be a good one. I'm glad I was wrong.

Truly it is a miracle for the family and the child and I am so happy for them. Surely Elizabeth will suffer the rest of her life from this ordeal. Thankfully her family can afford to get her the best help.

*caramel*- In these times of fear and misery, it is so lovely to hear a story like this. Thanks for bringing it to us. Like LarryBS said, I too hope that she will be able to get over what must have been an awful trauma for her!

This isn't probably going to win brownie points, but what the hell -

Does anyone else besides me see any disproportion in the massive coverage of this ONE abduction (terrible as a kidnapping is)?

Does anyone believe if this had been "Lashonda Jones" from Newark, instead of Elizabeth Smart from Salt Lake City, we'd have been regaled with this kind of media saturation?

Snood- Can't you just be happy for the kid, and not try to turn it into a racial thing? Recently in Tampa, a black girl had been "lost" in the shuffle by Children's Services. The story was in the papers for weeks.

Yes, ma'am. I stand corrected! Whew! Forget I mentioned it

But the fact that you can't remember the little Black girl's name without a google search says something.

sorry! ...just slipped out! Devil made me say it!!

Violet Jones, for the record.

Damn. Rilya Wilson was the little girl who got lost in Florida. Why is it so hard to recall these little black girl's names?

Snood- If I hadn't seen it in the papers, I would not have remembered Elizabeth Smart's name. Unfortunately, I am an equal opportunity forgetter!

I think it's wonderful for the nation that Miss Smart was found alive and seemingly well. A great human interest story like this one can take our minds off of Dubya's UN tango for awhile.

Yes, it was great to have a good news story to hear about tonight.

Snood, I think a lot of it is that the family kept the situation in the spotlight. I wonder if they hadn't if Elizabeth would have been found. They worked hard at finding her, and the results were miraculous!

I personally wonder why she ever went, that night with the kidnapper. Kids need to be brought up with "street smarts" for their own protection.

http://www.elizabethsmart.com/

Check out the photos of the kidnapper.

I would be disingenuous if I were to leave this thread without saying that my point is a very heartfelt one. I believe that black lives are simply valued less than white ones in this country - yes, I do. I believe that Smart (and I am glad she's home, and wonder about her trauma as any decent person would) would not have received near the kind of attention had she not been a blond blue eyed caucasian.

I don't think this is an isolated case with unique distinctions from other abductions. I don't think the reason is that the [parents kept the story alive. It is simply true that black lives are not considered as important.

Ask yourselves this (and I believe cicerone impostor asks this question on another thread), would we be so fired up about going into Iraq if the target country was populated by Scandinavian types? If you can say yes without even thinking about it, then we have a disconnect and a chasm accross which weprobably will not be able to communicate - ever.

Snood- In the 1940s, the US had no problem going into a country that had Aryan types.

You and I would probably best be served if we simply agreed to disagree (hugely) about race, and its proper place in our daily consciousness and conversation. I was probably unwise to breach it here - but some things are motivated by my conscience, and I felt it needed saying. I won't bring it up related to this thread again.