<p>I’ve been reported for an offensive post on the Parent Forum- what follows is the post. I inadvertently posted this under the thread prompt What’s Wrong With Your Kids College. I’m not sure how to take it back now, but it continues to be a point of discussion. So here it is on the Parent Cafe thread, maybe someone can remove it on the other thread- I don’t know.<br>
Here’s the post:</p>
<p>With all the minutia we get caught up with (grades, meal plans, dorm conditions), take a moment to say a prayer for the families of the innocent college students who were viciously murdered at Gainesville in 1990:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/15586438.htm[/url]”>http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/15586438.htm</a></p>
<p>Send your kids a love letter today. For those of us who still live at home with our kids, give them a hug. Give a prayer of thanks that they are still a light in our lives.</p>
<p>This ghastly story may be coming to a close today (if you can call it closure- Im not sure there ever will be). Danny Rolling is scheduled for execution today for the horrifying murders of five innocent college students over twenty years ago at the University of Florida. This was truly one of the most shocking and gut wrenching episodes in the history of UF.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_k...ng/gain_1.html[/url]”>http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_k...ng/gain_1.html</a>
<a href=“http://www.cfnews13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=19690[/url]”>http://www.cfnews13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=19690</a></p>
<p>Also here was the followup I posted later, in defense of myself.</p>
<p>I attached the links because I assumed people would not be familiar with the story, as it happened over twenty years ago. </p>
<p>Nothing in my post indicates cheerleading for the death penalty. Its a terrible tragedy. I felt it was relevant to the thread, because the story is first, about my sons college. It is something that is wrong with his college, or rather went wrong. Second, I feel that I for one, and maybe others identify or not with this, get caught up with stuff and forget that something so horrible could happen as to take my children from me, and then I would give every bone in my body to be able to take back my complaints. Sometimes it takes a reminder like this to cause me to remember that in the long run, whats really important is that my kids are gifts. Whether or not all the bugs are worked out with regard to college life, they are my gifts and I sit here and thank God from the bottom of my heart that theyre still here.</p>
<p>I sit here and weep over the loss that these families have endured. They sent their children off to school with the same dreams and hopes that we did. Their lives were shattered. I cant imagine being able to go on in their shoes. I thank my lucky stars that I can sit here typing, and that later I can pick up my phone and hear my sons voice. </p>
<p>This day I woke up with the jolting reminder of what happened twenty-five years ago. Its probably not in your news, but its in ours. Im sorry if I offended you or anyone else here. What I meant by my post, what I meant to communicate, was my overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for the important things in my life. I felt it was relevant to this discussion, if no one else agrees thats OK. But certainly I was not trying to engage anyone in a debate.</p>
<p>This thread is not intended to be a debate on the death penalty. Rather, a bittersweet reminder of how precious our children are. Like I said in my original post, I’m not sure there will ever be closure.</p>
<p>I don’t think that there is ever closure when one’s offspring dies. Of course, when one’s child is murdered, there is an even more more painful wound that will never heal.</p>
<p>While you didn’t start this to debate the death penalty, I will bring it up. What happened to the victims and their families was horrendous. The victims were savagely and deliberately killed. I’ve read that some of the victims’ parents plan to watch Rollins executed. They seem to hope that will give them closure.</p>
<p>I feel very sorry for the families. I also think that watching their beloved childrens’ murderer die will not give them closure since nothing can restore their children. I believe that the families will be very disappointed when they learn that their pain is not eased by Rollins’ death.</p>