It’s made news all over the country today that Elizabeth Smart has been hired by ABC to provide commentary on abduction cases. Apparently she’ll start in a few weeks. I’m not sure how regular this gig is going to be. I think she still has a year or so left to go in college. (It is my understanding that Brigham Young University degrees take longer than four years because students are required to do a mission trip.) Elizabeth will not talk about her own abduction, but will focus on current cases. She’s as photogenic now as she was nine years ago and I’m sure she’ll look great in the TV studio.
Articles:
Detroit Free Press
Salon
The Associated Press
Reuters
The Charley Project Blog 
Well, good for her, I guess. But I have to wonder just what insight she can realy bring to the subject. All she knows is her own abduction and she won’t talk about that, and hers was pretty unusual. I mean, does she have a law enforcement background or something like that?
Seems to me like they want her mainly for her famous name and her good looks. Kinda like when CBS hired Sully Sullenberger as their aviation expert. He’s a good pilot, obviously, but he’s still more of a celebrity than an expert.
It’s all about the ratings, baby
This is off topic and I don’t care, but is all over the news now that Cora Hood had been found after 41 years, that’s fine and all, but it’s all “mother of SIX” found. I thought she had 14 kids. Is this all who lived, or what? I’ve read three articles so far that state she has six kids. I’m a little confused. I thought it was someone else at first.
Any opinion on Caylee’s Law proposal?
http://news.yahoo.com/caylees-law-petition-drive-missing-child-laws-change-234203533.html
It would certainly help with cases like the Bryant brothers and a few others on Charley. The problem is that most parents who kill their kids and hide the bodies arent discovered for years if at all. So many of the children are around Caylee’s age when they die so there are no schools, dentists, doctors etc looking for them. Sadly, there are quite a few unidentified bodies of children on the Doe Network. The Boy in the Box, the little boy in Oregon that was found in I believe 1963. There was a little girl in New Jersey found in 2005 that hasnt been identified. there are 3 children under the age of ten that havent been identified along with an adult skelton that is believed to be their mother; I believe this case is also in New Jersey but I could be wrong. There are just too many of these cases that are just plain forgotten.
Here is another side of it.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/blog/2011/07/08/dead-children-make-bad-laws
I agree entirely with that Fox Business editorial. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
California is jumping on the bandwagon as well.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/two-bills-dubbed-caylees-law-proposed-in-california.html
I really don’t see how this would help anything. If anything, it might hurt. Suppose, for whatever reason, the parent didn’t report the disappearance right away, but they had nothing to do with the disappearance. Maybe, if they realize they’ve just committed a felony by waiting too long to report, they won’t EVER report it because they’re afraid of being arrested.
The version I read in Oklahoma said within 2 hours of realizing the child is missing. I believe that would prevent any parents from being prosecuted who have children that are chronic runaways or wander out of the house while the parents are busy etc. This law will help prosecute the ones that are caught hiding the fact that their kids are missing and/or dead. If they are caught at all. I believe Caylee’s law is more in response to the fact that a toddler who was in the care of mother died and her mother didnt do anything, alert the authorities, family, friends etc. She just went on with her life partying and will not have to spend anytime in jail for negligence. I believe most people have it wrong, they believe this law is going to prevent child injury/death by a parent. This law is not for that, it is to make sure that even if murder, abuse, neglect cant be proven the parent isnt going to get off with a slap on the wrist such as with Casey Anthony.
The Bryant brothers sorry excuse for parents the only reason they may spend any time in prison at all is for defrauding the state not for anything to do with the brothers disappearance and failing to report this missing. Failing to report your child missing isnt a grave offense right now so they would have got off with a slap on the wrist at most.
I think that would be a typo and they meant within 24 hours of realizing they’re missing, not 2 hours.
The three kids and their mom were found up in New Hampshire. No telling who they are or where they came from. They’re thought to be Native American, and there’s not very many of those in NH, they could even be from Canada, or out west someplace.
Thank You for the correction.
Sorry it should say her mother and them missing. I need to do a better job of proofreading.
Re: Elizabeth Smart and Brigham Young University/BYU
Students aren’t required to serve a mission but many of them do…males for 2 yrs starting at age 19 and females for 18 months starting at age 21…the LDS church (which owns/runs BYU) has strict guidelines/moral codes for all students based on the principles of their religion and encourages their student body to serve as missionaries within their own communities by example/good works/volunteerism as well as “formal” missions all over the USA and the world
Elizabeth served a mission to France but left it briefly for the trial of her abductor and then returned to finish it.
info here: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/08/hfr-for-tues-amelizabeth-smarts-other-journey/
Elizabeth Smart is IMHO going to make such an important contribution to improving the exposure of missing persons cases. She’s using her ‘fame’ to do good in the world and turning her back on being a victim. Good for her.