I wanted to write this Friday night, but, I was really too angry and wanted to have some cooling down time.

OK, so I watched Prime Time and 20/20 and I have to tell you, I'm insulted and appalled at the lack of professionalism of the media.

This must be the month to attack the Cruise Lines. I guess they thought they'd give the airlines a break for awhile. I don't care what they report on as long as they do a thorough job. They don't. Its sad that it has come down to a ratings game. What will get the audience to pay attention? That must be the number one question on their minds.

This weeks topic was tragedy on the high seas. Cruise ships are under attack again. The media decided to investigate crimes aboard cruise ships. One story involved a 12 year old girl who was sexually assaulted by a crew member. (This took place several years ago.) While I watched this expose, I had several questions which of course went unanswered. WHERE were the parents of this child while she walked around the ship alone? Why do people tend to lose their good sense when they change locations? Why would anyone think that a ship (or resort, hotel, beach, shopping mall etc) would be any safer than any other place in their home town? Did they never tell their daughter NOT to go off with strangers? You are on a ship with about 3,000 other people, most of whom will be strangers. This is a small city. How many of us are safe walking the streets of our own cities? The news each night tells of yet another senseless crime against some unsuspecting victim.

What I also hated was the statistics they gave us to ponder: 170 crimes have been committed onboard. There have been millions of people who have taken cruises on this cruise line. Not being a mathematician, I'd say those numbers are in our favor. I wish I could get stats like that in my neighborhood. Florida is NOT a safe place, especially for tourists. It just takes common sense. If you wouldn't do it at home, don't do it in a strange place, city or country. Just because you're on vacation, doesn't mean that you are indestructible. Is this a good time to bring up Spring Break? When I was of college age, I came down to Florida to party with the rest of the crowd. I did not do the things that I see on MTV that go on these days. Do you think it has something to do with how we were brought up? There are two ways to raise children: You can Bring-them-up or you can drag-them-up. The latter seems very common place in our society today. Why are young women, barely dressed, getting drunk in strange bars in strange cities? Common sense, thats where safety begins.

Ultimately, we are responsible for our own safety at least to a reasonable degree. Leaving young children to run around a ship, a hotel or a city unattended is not the action of a responsible parent. So, another question comes to mind: where is the responsibility of the parent(s) in this horrible incident?

This brings me to my favorite soap-box topic: Michael Jackson. Ok, the charges against him were horrible. Did he really do it? None of us really know for sure, we weren't there. HOWEVER, while the press had a field day dragging him through the mud, where were the parents in all this? Shopping perhaps? What responsible parent allows their young child to spend the night in the home of an adult, knowing the idolization and the sleeping arrangements? Granted almost ANY child would want to sleep in the bed of their celebrity hero, BUT, its the parents job to make the right decisions. So, where are the negligence charges against these parents?

Personally, I think it was all about the money. There didn't seem to be any issues until the money stopped when remission set in. Its just my opinion and I try to be objective when I watch these news shows. I also found it interesting that in the cases involving cruise lines, lawsuits were settled out of court.

Stay Safe.