Madeleine McCann

[joglynne]

YouTube has joined the hunt for missing children. First lady Laura Bush and English soccer star David Beckham offer their own video testimonials in support of the channel and the effort to find Madeleine McCann

The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), in collaboration with the Find Madeleine Campaign and with the generous support of YouTube, has created this channel to help reunite missing children with their families.

The title of the channel, "Don't You Forget About Me," is named after the hit song by the Scottish Rock group "Simple Minds," and is featured in the video of 4-year-old Madeleine McCann who went missing on May 3, 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/dontyouforgetaboutme
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292859,00.html

[Gareth]

Originally Posted by Chris T

I know the children in this case are much younger, but even so - times have changed, and not for the better IMO.

I completely agree. As a parent I'm torn between wanting to give my son the level of freedom that I had at his age yet wanting to protect him from harm. Admittedly I grew up in a sleepy village in Worcestershire, whereas we live in the 'burbs of a large town, but the change in geography isn't solely to blame.

However, do people think that it's really more dangerous today than it was in the 70's or 60's... or is it just that the media report things more openly these days?

I ask this because my missus was very surprised at the amount of "bad news" that is reported in the UK news on a daily basis when she first moved here. The French media is less obsessed with murders and car crashes and rapes than the British media is, so it was a bit of a culture shock for her initially. Now, however, she realises that Blighty is no more dangerous a place than France really, it's just that violence appears more apparent and openly discussed over here than it is over there.

I think it is a case that the risks are no higher but they are more widely known now then they were. I think anyone over a certain age can remember playing in the countryside and going on little adventures things we simply would not allow our kids to do today because we are more aware of what lurks. It is a shame but i fear it is something that has gone and will not come back and that is the most painful part of it.

A lot of kids aint street aware like they used to be cuz they spend a lot of their time on video games and such. Its not like when I was a lad and we were off as a group (now this makes a difference the group saftey in numbers) Also depending on where you live now certain areas are not as friendly as others. My estate for example the end I live on is quiet and most of the kids are well enoigh behaved but you do not have to go far to find the rougher family areas where drug dealers live and their kids are less than savoury

[Tinky]

[quote=Gareth;34373044]

However, do people think that it's really more dangerous today than it was in the 70's or 60's... or is it just that the media report things more openly these days?



I think it is the latter Gareth, there have always been perverts around. As a girl, when me and my chum went to the cinema, there would always be some old man would come and sit beside us, and no matter what the weather, they would always carry a raincoat, which they draped over their knees. They would then offer us sweets....I don't need to tell you what they would be doing when we turned to get one!

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Gareth

I'm not saying whether they were directly involved or not, but I have always believed that they were largely responsible for what happened.

Hmm we seem to be forgetting that there is only one person responsible for this and they are entirely responsible and that is the person that took her, the parents certainly made it easier for him but that doesn't put them on par with him

[Pia]

Yeah - IF someone took her. There seems to be a lot of other possibilities flying round at the minute.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Pia

Yeah - IF someone took her. There seems to be a lot of other possibilities flying round at the minute.

What do you mean if, some one definitely took her and those possibilities flying around are pure speculation, until any evidence or substance are added to them I don't see what good commenting on them will do

Originally Posted by Chris T

Cold, callous and calculating?...

Cold...what they did that night was hardly warm & affectionate.
Callous...as I said above, what if one of the children had woken up, frightened and crying for their Mum or Dad, who were't there to comfort them? They had no regard for the feelings of their children, so yes...callous.
Calculating...they didn't leave their children alone by accident. They weighed up the pro's & con's and made a decision.

Originally Posted by Chris T

...Tell me, does it give you a warm glow inside as you hand down righteous judgement on someone you don't know and have never met?...

It certainly does not give me a warm glow, quite the opposite. I am commenting on the facts provided to us. Facts provided by the McCann's themselves. I don't see how knowing them personally, or meeting them will change the way I feel about what they did that night (and previous nights). I have formed my opinion of them by their own actions & words. As I have said previously, a bit of humility, or a recognition of some kind of responsibility from the McCann's would go a long way to change my opinion of them. It wasn't just what they did on the night, but their subsequent, sometimes flippant, comments that has helped form my opinion.

Originally Posted by Chris T

...Does it make you feel good about yourself?...

No. Not at all.

Originally Posted by Chris T

...Does it help you to think how much better you are than they are because you would never do anything so stupid?...

No. It doesn't help me in any way. We are all individuals. Some aspects of our lives we perform better or worse than others. We all make mistakes, but...I can say this with 100% certainty, I would not have left those children alone in that apartment as the McCann's did. Never, in a million years. I honestly don't know how they could have done it. I really don't...and I consider it to be more than just stupidity.

[Rockabilly Spike]

if she is found alive and returned to her parents, will the UK authorities prosecute the parents for this act of gross negligence and have the child put into care?

i doubt it.

[Gareth]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Hmm we seem to be forgetting that there is only one person responsible for this and they are entirely responsible and that is the person that took her, the parents certainly made it easier for him but that doesn't put them on par with him

Yes, as I said, they are largely responsible for what happened.

---------- Post added at 12:29 ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 ----------

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

What do you mean if, some one definitely took her and those possibilities flying around are pure speculation, until any evidence or substance are added to them I don't see what good commenting on them will do

In the absence of any hard evidence, it's pure speculation that she was abducted by someone too.

---------- Post added at 12:34 ---------- Previous post was at 12:29 ----------

Originally Posted by Rockabilly Spike

if she is found alive and returned to her parents, will the UK authorities prosecute the parents for this act of gross negligence and have the child put into care?

i doubt it.

Nobody knows yet. According to the Daily Express last month the CPS were supposed to be "having “informal discussions� to see whether any offence was committed. And in Portugal a campaign has begun in an attempt to see the couple jailed for neglect."

We'll have to wait and see, I guess.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Gareth

Yes, as I said, they are largely responsible for what happened.

Are you really saying that they bare more responsibility for her disappearance than the person that took her?

[Gareth]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Are you really saying that they bare more responsibility for her disappearance than the person that took her?

Did I say that?

[goldoni]

While you are all entitled to your opinions just remember it’s a small world and you know how good cable forum is indexed by the search engines. So before you put your four pennies worth please think what the McCann family must be going through and they may just see what is quite hurtful to them.

Madeleine was brought into this world with more than just love she is a test tube baby, that take more than just love it takes years of being mucked about with and the husband doesn’t get away scott free, I know I have the tea shirt. So please think before you post, don’t let your opinion upset someone that’s already totally devastated with the loss of their little girl.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Gareth

Did I say that?

Yes you did, by definition largely responsible= almost completely responsible