Monsters Among Us

When a monster enters a room, it is reasonable to believe that fear would be rampant from those anticipating its arrival. After all, we have all heard and as parents, we have read to our children story after story about monsters and the damage that they can cause. Many a knight in shining armor has fought bravely to protect the kingdom against one monster after another. The end of the story was usually heard by a squelching child whose head was firmly placed under the covers of the bed. But, last week a real life monster prepared to enter a courtroom in Brookville Florida.

This monster was more dangerous than anything that Grimm's Fairytales had ever envisioned. But, as this monster walked into the room, his appearance was misleading. There was no smoke, no horns protruding from his head or fire from his nostrils, or anything else that would cause fear based on first impression. In fact; quite the contrary. This monster was a frail old man of average stature, who hobbled in somewhat hunched over, as he prepared to answer to an act of destruction that ultimately took the life of a 9-year-old little girl. A truly monstrous act! This monster, who was dressed in a costume of contradiction, is what makes him the most dangerous monster of all. He looked like every child's grandfather or favorite uncle. His weapons were kindness, gifts, and an ample supply of candy that led a steady path to the monster's cave. His magical powers were of mortal creation. He had the ability to gain trust from children. He had the perception of kindness. He had mastered the art of deception that allowed him to allure innocent children into a world of perversion and evil like most of us cannot even imagine. John Couey is as
much of a monster as any that we have ever known. The story of his most recent act, based on his own confessions, involve kidnapping a child as she slept in her home, sexually assaulting her over the three day period while he smoked crack, and eventually placing her in a garbage bag and burying her alive. I have never heard of a more dangerous monster in my life. When the child was found, her small hands had punched through the plastic of the bag, although Couey says that she laid down as told and never objected to his instructions. His reasoning for her murder was that he did not want to go back to jail. Oh, did I mention that this was not his first sexual offense? This monster was later arrested and now faces charges for his acts. Of course, although he admits to the act, he pled not guilty in court. Of course!

Our society deals with monsters much differently than those of fairytale proportion. We do not drive silver spikes through their hearts. We do not slay them with ceremonial swords. We do not set them afire and watch as they writhe in pain until nothing remains but their ashes. We deal with monsters in a manner that is more humane according to societal standards. After all, we are a civilized land. It is infringing on a sexual predator's rights to notify others as to where he may live. It is beyond compassion that we would require these people to adorn electronic monitoring devices until the day that they die. That would be barbaric! It is unreasonable to require these offenders to serve lengthy stints in prison. We cannot do that. There are those who truly believe that it is possible to rehabilitate them and make them productive citizens.

Whether you think it is politically correct or not, for once in our lives, let's be honest here. People who have made it their life's passion to fulfill their sexual desires at the hands of small children pose a threat that must be dealt with. While I may have another opinion as to how I think that they should be dealt with, let us at least utilize what we have available and what is in line with current law. They should not be free to roam the streets of our communities searching for their next prey. They should be forced to report in on a regular basis where they are living. They should be subjected to wearing electronic devices so that we know at all times where these predators are located. They should be placed on sexual offender registries that are kept current and easily accessible to the public. They should be forced to stay in prison for the maximum amount of their sentence. They should be forced to pay restitution to victims who face a lifetime of emotional and sometime physical scarring. They should not be allowed to have any contact with children, under any circumstances. They should be placed in a position where we can recognize.

These monsters at all times so that we can protect our children. Unfortunately, we do not have Sir Lancelot or any other knight in shining armor to protect our children. We must now pick up the proverbial sword of educated parents and responsible lawmakers to protect our children. Their safety and protection depends on it. Who knows what monster is lurking in your neighborhood?