Why is it that just because technology makes communication easier, people feel the need to communicate with ANYONE and EVERYONE? Just because you can have a cell phone conversation in the middle of Starbucks about your sexualy preferences and endeavours the previous night, does that mean you should? That rampant mentality which is infesting the internet can have some dire consequences if not used with the respect and responsibility it deserves.

The other mentality penetrating the minds of the people lately? If something bad happens, it’s can’t be your fault, so sue whomever you think is responsible regardless of reality. Not to make light of these poor girls’ ordeals, but I hope their case gets dismissed without prejudice, and I’ll tell you why: They’re stupid.

Yup, I said it. What 13 or 14 year old in their right mind and and IQ God gave a turnip would think it’s a good idea to meet up with some stranger they found on MySpace? Has common sense been completely bred out of our children? Whatever happened to the rule of not talking to strangers?

Which brings me to whom is really at fault and deserves a severe beating with the clue-by-four. Where are the parents? Why are they not watching what their kids are doing? Part of being a parent is spying on your children. I think too many parents today are so concerned with being their kids’ friend rather than being a parent and fulfulling their duty to educate their children about the world in which we live. The sad truth is, bad things happen to good people. Worse things happen to stupid people. Not preparing your children for that fact, I believe, is the largest contributor to child molestations, kidnappings, rapes and the like. Teaching you kids just one ounce of common sense goes a very long way.

Parents nowadays are so concerned with the governmnet stepping in and controlling the “bad things” that they don’t take the time to think that if they just take the time to sit down with their kids and, heaven forbid, talk to them, they could help them prevent these situations from ever happening. Granted, it won’t stop bad things happening to them, but why leave it to chance? If a five minute conversation could help prevent your child from being abducted or sexually assaulted, isn’t that five minutes well spent?

Lawsuits like the one filed against are useless. The lawsuit stipulates that MySpace is at fault because they failed to verify the information given during registration. I’m curious how, exactly, they expect them to do that. MySpace doesn’t have the authority or the right to access anyone private information that may be stored with, say, the DMV, IRS or hospital records. In the cases of the DMV or the IRS, anyone under the age of 16 may not have any records with them. Requiring an SS number may be an option, but I’m not comfortable with MySpace having acceess to that information and nor should they have it.

No, this is just another case of the parents lashing out at someone because they don’t want to own up to their share of the responsibility for this happening. And they are responsible in part.

/vent