SUPER MONDO WAY BIG IM-POR-TANT-O

I copied this letter from Mindy's site, in an effort to help spread the word, and also as some sort of attempt at safeguarding myself from landing in the Big House one day, 'cause whoa nellie, I would kill --KILL-- if either of my babies were victims of these FREAKS.



Dear Bloggers,

NBC would like your help in raising awareness about the dangers to children on the Internet. On Friday, Feb. 3 at 9 p.m., NBC will broadcast part 3 in a Dateline investigative series called "To Catch A Predator."

Earlier this month Dateline wired a house with hidden cameras and watched as members of an Internet watchdog group, Perverted Justice, pretend to be 12 to 13 year old children chatting online. Within hours, adults solicited the undercover operatives for sex. Some sent graphic sexual images to what they believed were minors. Soon, many of those same men actually show up at the house for a rendezvous with the child. In just three days, this hidden camera investigation exposed 51 men, giving viewers a frightening glimpse at how widespread this problem is.

NBC is also adding an interactive element to this broadcast. Dateline correspondent Chris Hansen will participate in a live blog during the show, offering anecdotes, behind-the-scenes information and answers to viewer questions. In addition to the live blog, NBC has prepared an information page that including online safety tips, links and an Internet safety contract for parents and kids (go here and scroll to the bottom).

If your blog's subject matter is in any way related to technology, family or the Internet, NBC would like to encourage you to start a conversation with your readers about the dangers of the Internet for children. Please don't feel obligated to promote Dateline. All we ask is that you help raise awareness around this issue. And if you have any comments you think NBC or other viewers will find useful, please participate in the live on-air blog.

Thank you.
Jon Accarino jonathan.accarrino@nbc.com

I'd also like to go one step further and let you know that I have actually been watching this series, and the scariest part of all is what many of these "men" do for a living: teachers, clergy men (all faiths), prominent business men, etc.

And while we're on the subject, let's not limit our awareness to the internet only. As a volunteer at our church's nursery, I was required to attend a workshop focused on knowing the tell-tale signs of child predators, safety techniques, etc. There were a couple of people on the video they showed who told their stories of being former child predators, how they manipulated the kids, and so on. Being the skeptic I am, I was assuming these people were actors. Not so, my friends. I saw one of the "reformed predators" that was featured on the video in church the very next Sunday. Talk about an eye-opener.