It’s an ugly story that made most parents’ blood boil.
On Thursday, I started posting a “Daily Talker” in the local news section of our Web site. “Talkers” are a long-loved talk radio gimmick meant to get tempers flaring, phones ringing and listeners ... well, talking. From the response to our first “Talker,” it works online as well.
The story detailed the prison sentences given a Kansas City mother and her boyfriend who were found guilty of molesting and prostituting the mother’s 12-year-old daughter. Not only was the girl sexually abused by the couple, she was being trained by the boyfriend as a dominatrix and her services marketed on a Web site.
The mother — and I even hesitate use that term — received 15 years in prison for her involvement and the man is going away for 25 years. Most of those who decided to chime in on the story in our comments forum didn’t think that was enough time behind bars for the pair. However, one commentor decided to equate the abusers’ actions and the bondage inflicted on the girl with the Obama administration’s ultimate goal for America:
“Forcing people to do things they don’t want to do, including chains around their necks and bondage, reminds me of what Obama wants all Americans to do for him and the liberal agenda. These parents are just doing what Obama will soon demand we all do.”
— Anonymous
Wow. Talk about getting a new online forum talking. I shouldn’t be surprised. Often times, just one off-base comment gets things cooking in the comments forum at joplinglobe.com.
‘Hatred and nonsense’
“To the person who wrote the last post ... It’s people like you who spew this hatred and nonsense that makes Southwest Missouri look like morons. Only an idiot Republican like you could relate prostitution with Obama”
— Disgusted
“They were about four years too late. They could have gone to ACORN and Obama would have helped them not pay any taxes on what the daughter brought in.”
— Anonymous
“The last post might be the most absurd, uneducated, ridiculous thing I have ever heard. They think a stepdad having sex with a 12-year-old girl is what Obama or anybody else for that matter would ever want? The reason our country is in trouble is the people who leave comments like that actually believe what they said. I feel bad for this girl and you compare it to politics.”
— Are You Kidding Me!
‘Have some sympathy’
“It is absolutely tragic and disgusting what this girl has endured. There can be no arguing that point. The arguable point is that the comment on this article likens what President Obama is doing to what this child has been through. It is such a sad day in our country when you use this poor girl’s experience to make completely inappropriate political comments on the president. Your agenda is clear to any readers, and it doesn’t have anything to do with compassion for this child!”
— Tacie Thomas
“How can a mother do this to her own flesh and blood?”
— Anonymous
“When will the fine courts of this country realize biological parents may or MAY NOT be in the best interest of the children. We have to have a license for just about everything else, seems fitting we should have one to be a parent!”
— 42 Reasons
“A 12-year-old girl is raped and prostituted with her mother’s consent and your only thoughts are to compare this to Obama. How about the mother getting only 15 years, while the guy only gets 25 years. They should both be serving life. Any thoughts about that or about how this will affect the girl for the rest of her life.”
— Mike
‘Don’t like him either,but ...’
Support for the young girl in question was bi-partisan. Even those who don’t like, and didn’t vote for President Obama had no qualms in condemning the anonymous comments left comparing the administration to the pervy couple who abused her.
“Pardon me, but where in the hell do you get off drawing a parallel between Obama and a group of people committing heinous sex crimes against a minor? I don’t care much for Obama myself, but there’s a world of difference between the two. Unless you’ve gotten wind that the government’s planning to turn our children into sex slaves, then you should have better decency than to fire off an ignorant statement acting like these two things are similar.”
— Step Off Your High Horse
“Really, the President reminds you of forcing a 12-year-old into sexual perversion? I am a Republican, and he is my president. I did not vote for him, but he is the leader of my country. That makes him my president, and your president too.”
— anon
“These are some twisted times. And to the genius that posted, but refused to leave his name, who was willing to drag Obama into this. I know, I don’t like him either, but not everything in the world went bad when he got elected. We have been on a downhill slide for years. Not every evil in the world is named Obama.”
— James Copeland
Dave Woods is new media editor at The Joplin Globe.
