A New York woman, Margery Tannenbaum, was re-arrested today for further charges due to her posting a Craigslist ad under the guise of her nine year old daughter’s rival that said, “I need a little affection”.  Of course, this resulted in a number of phones being made to the child of those who stood ready to provide this perverted affection.

Her lawyer declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said that his client is a good person.  In the meantime, another mother across town is surely living in fear of the phone ringing and probably taking monumental efforts to protect her little girl.  Tannenbaum pleaded not guilty when she stood before a judge in May and once again today when she was charged with child endangerment.  She was released without having to post bail.

In a world where kids go missing every day, many of whom are featured on nightly news programs, to purposely place an electronic ad simply because of a rivalry between nine year olds is unthinkable.  Whether or not this woman did it, the ad exists and someone had to have placed it - and it certainly wasn’t the child.  Because the two families happen to be neighbors, it’s doubtful there’ll be a block party this Fourth of July.

Now for the kicker - Tannenbaum was once a social worker and is a licensed psychologist.

The family who was the target of this Craigslist campaign has said that at no time did their daughter answer any of the incoming calls from the twenty-plus men who answered the ad.  Tannenbaum apparently used her own email address and then replied to those interested with the family’s phone number.

This comes on the same day another meddling mother was in the headlines.  This time, the cyberbullying mom, Lori Drew, who relentlessly harassed a young girl on MySpace had her conviction thrown out by a federal judge.  This woman’s hoaxes are what many say led to a 13 year old girl’s suicide.  For now, she’s no longer facing a prison sentence of up to three years nor a $300,000 fine, which her lawyer argued was excessive considering her convictions were misdemeanors.

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 Monday marks the beginning of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season.  In the four years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we’ve heard much about lessons learned.  Hopefully, and especially for those who live on the Gulf Coast and spend one half of our lives in hurricane season, those lessons have been heeded. 

From the ultimate resignation of Michael D. Brown, the one-director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the months of finger pointing and blame-laying over what went wrong with the levees that crumbled and flooded New Orleans, new guidelines have been put in place to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.  It might be decades before we know if those guidelines will suffice.  Then again, it could be put to the test over the next several months.

Hopefully, the 1800-plus deaths that resulted during Katrina alone will be enough incentive for everyone to heed evacuation orders.  It’s doubtful since people have chosen to stay since the beginning of time; still, the horror and fear of the 911 calls that were released and told chilling stories of those who had nowhere to go and could only relay the hell of their last minutes will be enough to give folks pause to rethink their decisions to stay.

Perhaps the most disturbing after-effect of Katrina’s landfall was the kindness extended by Houstonians and the unfortunate cost to them.  By welcoming more than 150,000 New Orleanans, it was repaid with a 22% increase in violent crimes, unemployment rates that most of the rest of the country is just now beginning to see due to the recession and depleted coffers for social programs, hospitals and unemployment.  It was so bad, Houston police officials were forced to form a Gang Murder Squad to deal with the influx of criminals, many of whom were gang members who left their territory on New Orleans’ streets.  Its murders rose 20% in the year after Katrina and many, if not most, involved those relocated from New Orleans, either as the accused or the victim.  It’s estimated that the costs associated with the rise in crime after Katrina neared 18 million dollars. 

Baton Rouge welcomed 100,000 evacuees.  It had its share of crime as well.  As the police chief of that city, Jeff LeDuff, said, “I’m willing to be my brother’s keeper, but while my brother is in Baton Rouge, he must behave.”   Calls to the Baton Rouge police departments went from around 500 a day to over 750.  New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagan said at the time that they welcomed the city’s citizens to return home, but that they must be willing to work.  This left many in Houston and Baton Rouge to wonder what exactly the officials in New Orleans expected them to do with those who would not or could not work.

Sadly, should history repeat itself, neighboring cities will most likely be hesitant to be so welcoming to those most in need.  Then again, southern hospitality being what it is, there’s a good chance memories will be short when it comes to matters such as those.

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Today’s latest suicide by a high level executive in corporate America has many of us thinking there’s simply nothing worth such a permanent and drastic measure.  Freddie Mac CFO David Kellerman was found this morning by his wife.  He hanged himself in the family basement.  Although it’s being investigated and there’s been no definitive reason - not that there ever is - released for his choice, neighbors and co-workers have told the media that work pressure and the stress over Freddie Mac’s financial problems was most likely the reason for his choice. 

As we know, Freddie Mac was taken over by the government late last year and since then, both Freddie Mac and its sister company, Fannie Mae, have battled the guidelines set forth by government regulations. 

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Executives insist the government is imposing too-strict guidelines and are desperately trying to meet those guidelines, but many say it’s not been an easy task. 

What makes this especially tragic is Kellerman wasn’t only not a target in the number of investigations that have been ongoing since the government bailout, but he was one of the good guys who not only refused to play fast and loose with the rules, but was actively working to turn things around.  He was reported as working long hours and standing up against those with less than noble intentions.  He surely missed out on a lot of family time, especially with his five year old daughter.  He was also a volunteer with the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless.  The executive director told the media today that Kellerman was nothing short of a compassionate, dedicated and committed man. 

So with one whose intentions were clearly on the up and up, you can’t help but wonder why suicide was his only option.  He’s left his wife to raise their child and a group of co-workers who will be reeling for quite some time and must now pick up the pieces of an already tattered company without their leader who had no patience for half-hearted attempts and under the table deals. 

This only reiterates what appears to be a new trend among high level executives at the helm of struggling companies.  There have been five suicides in the past six months of those who also believed as Kellerman - the only solution to some problems is permanent and unlike the recession and other financial ruin, it can’t be undone.

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After seeing several different stories in different regions of the country in this weekend’s newspapers regarding child abuse (including yet another teacher who’s been charged with molesting one of her 12 year old male students) and drug abuse, I started thinking about the correlation with different problems that are wreaking havoc in our social structures. After about the four or fifth research report that discussed findings from many sociologists and psychiatrists, it became clear that there are not only predictable denominators, but the basic foundations are always very similar.

The vicious cycles associated with all forms of abuse are reliable by definition. For instance, some warning signs of abused children include:

• Depression at an early age
• Withdrawal from classmates, friends and those outside their immediate families
• Older kids are at much higher risks to become drug addicts and alcoholics
• MPD (multiple personality disorder) is more common that some may think. Most psychologists and psychiatrists agree that these other personalities are formed as protective mechanisms that allow another identity to “step in” to allow the child to escape while the abuse is being inflicted. This remains one of the most controversial diagnoses in the psychiatric field. Some are more comfortable with classifying this as a form of post stress disorder; regardless, there are many who’ve been diagnosed with MPD or DID (dissociative identity disorder), as it was most recently renamed. Another important factor is the ratio of female to male diagnoses is 9 to 1 (girls are ten times as likely to be sexually abused).
• Suicide attempts
• Acting out with inappropriate sexual behaviors even before puberty (most often saw in children who have been victims of sexual abuse)

Once these children reach adulthood, the myriad of problems they’re likely to encounter are extensions of those that developed years earlier. Often, without resolution via counseling or not being allowed to pursue legal avenues to prosecute these abusers, the cycle begins once again. Often, women who were abused as children grow up to marry men who continue the abuse into the marriage, and any children that are born during the marriage become victims themselves of the same abuse his parent(s) suffered. Too many times, mothers who were forced to submit to incest with siblings or even their fathers will be helpless to ensure her own’s child’s safety. These women are most likely to become chronically depressed, addicts, alcoholics and are almost always passive in nature. They’re not capable of protecting their children from the same fate that’s destroyed their own lives.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this cycle is the common profile of a pedophile. Many pedophiles were abused as children, had parents who were addicts and alcoholics, had low self esteem and were pulled out of school. Clearly, the cycle repeats time and again. Other factors of victims once they’re reached adulthood and have become parents include neglect towards their children and provided they’re not removed from the custody of their parents, those who do drugs can sometimes introduce their own children to these addictive patterns, thereby ensuring a new generation of drug users.

So, what is the answer? Experts, of course, disagree on the best solution, but some of the most obvious include allowing the victim his day in court. If kids don’t have an adult to step up to the plate for them, they will certainly carry that with them and will equate it to not being important enough to seek justice. Legislation efforts are also awaiting the review process, and most agree (or at least hope for) the punishments will become harsher for abusers. Despite all of the many programs that are in place, far too many fall through the cracks and sadly, some don’t live to tell the tale. For those who are removed from the abusive homes and are placed in foster care or other protective custody are sometimes returned due to lack of proof of abuse. The most frustrating aspect is, of course, breaking the cycle when there seems to be no one agency or methods to slow it down long enough to break it before it gets the desperate places that send up the red flags. With that said, there do appear to be ways to protect some of these little ones. By using a team approach designed to protect the rights of these kids, a lawyer or lawyers who represent these minors often work hand in hand with government agencies, counselors and even the foster parents at times when appropriate. These combined effort works to the advantage of these young clients and are often the first time these kids feel as though someone is looking out for them.

With so much going on in the world of politics, finances and American legal structures, we’ve heard words such as “recession”, and even phrases like, “Well, back during the days of the Depression…” Hopefully, things won’t get this despondent. Contrary to what some may believe, I don’t think we’re anywhere near a depression. Maybe a series of “blue days” would be a more apt description, for now anyway.

Still, though, I was interested in comparing the days of the Depression and the years prior that some say is the true beginning of what culminated into a near-decade decline. For the sake of uniformity, I’m using a general “pre-1940″ as my comp point with specific years within each reference.

*All figures come from US Census Bureau and BLS/PPI Government site

Even though there are some similarities, when you take a step back, you begin to realize many of these comparisons are indicative of society throughout the decades. Divorce, even though the rates were down, is as evident now as it was in the 1970s. Dropout rates are actually a bit better than they were in the early 1980s. Murder rates weren’t really any higher in the late 20s through the early 30s. Of course, robbery and theft was up for obvious reasons. On the other hand, a depression is defined as:

Deep extended slump in total business activity. Buying and selling drop, forcing a decline in production prices, incomes and employment.

Again, that statement can be applicable to many times even within our lifetimes. So, as bleak as the political and financial fronts seem to be, it’s not as discouraging as some insist, especially the ones who declare the sky is falling.

My guess is burglary, petty theft and misdemeanor charges for things such as a lack of automobile insurance and expired tags will be on the increase. Hopefully, the winds of change will begin to shift sooner rather than later.

As if the mortgage downfall and uncertainty of what the future brings weren’t enough, all the months of market fluctuations, the endless debates within the House and Senate and each day bringing a new

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downfall of some financial institution have culminated into a ninety year old woman attempting to kill herself because of the overwhelming burden foreclosure proceedings brought. Fortunately, she wasn’t successful. Still though, for anyone who wondered how bad things would get for the everyday American, this should be a clear indicator of the crisis.

Police had attempted to serve the foreclosure notice to her over thirty times! What makes this even sadder is she had lived in this home for the past 38 years. My guess is she probably raised her children in this house; the walls surely hold a lifetime of joys, accomplishments and dreams.

It was reported that in her efforts to refinance her home at some point resulted in having to do so through a sub-prime mortgage lender - most likely her age being a factor. The stress must have been overwhelming for her to believe the only out - the only way to remove the fear and stress - was to take her own life. Recognizing the lender’s right to protect its investment, you would think there would have been a far more satisfactory solution. Therein lies the heart of the problem - the vicious cycle of lenders not being able to collect mortgage payments because homeowners can’t make those mortgage payments because the economy is close to hitting rock bottom because the lenders can’t collect mortgage payments…..and so it goes until a rod is slammed into the spokes resulting in an unsuccessful suicide attempt by an elderly woman.

Unfortunately, sometimes acknowledging the problem isn’t always the first step towards solving the problem. There is certainly no visible solution in this situation. I guess they finally got her evicted, though. Meanwhile, the rod is kicked out of the spokes and the wheels start turning again, complete with the cycle that has no end in sight. If the recently passed rescue bill were to kick in this very minute, it’s too late for so many who have avoided being served foreclosure notices in hopes of a miracle or windfall of money. Since no one even really understands how this rescue bill will help anyone other than the big dogs on Wall Street, it’s likely there will be many more like this woman. Most won’t consider suicide as their only way out, but their lives are surely to drastically change and because of that, they could care less about the economy’s impact on the mortgage industry since they are no longer homeowners with anything at stake.