I make no judgment about the guilt or innocence of Casey Anthony. The court has rendered its verdict, and in the American system of jurisprudence that means, legally at least, she is no guilty. I'd like instead to examine the reaction of the public. Are you upset about the verdict in the Casey Anthony case? Obviously, many people are upset and there have been a number of postings made and groups forming on all sort of social media and other websites. The one that got my attention, and about which I have resisted commenting but can no longer hold my tongue, is the well meaning "turn your front porch light on for Caylee Anthony so she can look down from heaven and tell you care." It's the kind of thing we do when we feel helpless - we come up with some meaningless act that accomplishes nothing so we can feel as if we aren't quite as helpless. May I suggest a better alternative?
Caylee Anthony is not floating on the clouds looking down at the earth checking for porch lights. She has been reunited with God and so sees our intentions and concerns without our increasing our electric bills. I believe that campaigns such as porch light campaigns create the illusion that we are doing something to help the situation - an illusion that is not borne out in fact.
If you want to "help" Caylee Anthony, turn off your porch light. Contribute the money you save to a local domestic violence shelter. They will do more to help prevent cases like this from happening again, whereas the electric company will just pocket the money and increase your rates due to an increased demand for electricity. But the ways to help go way beyond throwing a few dollars at a local shelter.
If you really want to help, then you need to fight for universal health care including full mental health benefits so that people who feel the need to kill children can get affordable help before they act on those needs.
If you really want to help, then you need to fight for full funding of all family planning and birth control services, including Planned Parenthood, so that people who have some sense that they may not be good parents can ensure that they don't become parents.
If you really want to help, you really need to fight for full funding of Child Protective Services in your town and around the world, so that when children are at risk there are enough appropriately trained individuals waiting to respond before the situation gets out of control and lives are lost.
If you really want to help, you need to fight for economic justice for all people so that nobody has to try to parent without the added stress of wondering how to feed and clothe their child.
If your really want to help, you need to fight for fully funded pre- and post-natal care for mother and child, so that mothers who suffer psychologically or psychiatrically can get the help they need.
Finally, if you really want to help, get yourself to a local shelter and volunteer so that you can understand first hand what the effects of violence, abandonment, and other tragedies are on the people who suffer from them. I promise that you will not be the same after doing so. I also promise you that you will see funding the safety net in a whole new way.
The ironic thing about this situation is that many will feel very good about turning their porch light on and then continue to work against funding the programs that would actually make a difference. That's the danger in well meaning campaigns such at the porch light idea - you can fool yourself into thinking you are making a difference without really changing anything at all. Caylee isn't watching from just beyond the clouds in some mythological heaven, but in her current state of union with everything she is well aware of your heart. If you want to show her something, show her some sincerity. If you're not sincere, all that's burning on your porch is a hypocrite light.
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