lmirl

" lmirl is a real, important danger that all students and parents/guardians need to know about and understand." " myspace statistics and adult responses ," by wesley fryer , moving at the speed of creativity , 8 jul 2006.

table of contents:

• lmirl
• introduction
• dangers children face in cyberspace
• suggestions for protecting your children
• resources for parents to become aware and act
• conclusion
• speech author
• speech notes
• speech results - cry for help about possible child victim

patrick henry, in his give me liberty or give me death speech 231 years ago this week, said, " for my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, i am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it ." tonight, despite the pain it may bring us, we will learn the whole truth about children and the dangers of the internet, the worst of this truth, and what can be done to stem the damage. patrick henry never said lmirl .

the internet as we all know is a wonderful resource for recreation and learning. but it has a dark side. it enables criminals and others to lead your children into great danger, sometimes even death. hiding our eyes from the problem does not make it go away. we must learn about the dangers, then act to protect our children.

• myspace.com - who's heard of a web site called "myspace.com."? it's a web site that allows anyone to post online anything at all. great, right? well children are posting personally identifiable information online. a little snippet here, a little clue there, and suddenly your daughter is brutally attacked and left for dead. sadly, this happens too frequently.
• instant messaging - im is another danger. what's that? that's instant messaging. you get to send a message to another person instantly. children are very naive and very trusting. they think they are indestructible. children have disappeared forever, without a trace, when pedophiles they thought were other teenagers instant messaged them to meet them at a certain place. suddenly, your child is gone without a trace. does you kid have dozens and dozens of screen names in his buddy list? guess what. about 10% of them are pedophiles that he thinks are sexy babes dying to meet him. oh yeah, know what lmirl means? that means "let's meet in real life." lovely.
• cyberbullying - bullying. remember that? bullying nowadays is worse. now the bully uses the internet to harass your children. your children could get harassed hundreds of times a day. worse, the bully sends the message to your kid's cell phone, you get the huge bill for thousands of dollars, then you yell at your kid for running up a bill. the bully now has you literally doing the dirty work. think this is not a problem? just yesterday the new jersey state senate unanimously passed a bill to stem the tide of so-called, "cyber-bullying."
• chat rooms - have you heard of those? that's where you sit behind a computer for hours writing messages back and forth with people you don't even know. you can even do this now while playing online, multiplayer games! you know what happens? you start saying things you shouldn't. you start believing things you shouldn't. confidences are gained, pornographic pictures are exchanged, then suddenly its lmirl . there's goes another statistic.
• public libraries - do you think public libraries are safe? who here thinks public libraries are safe environments for their children? let's see, raise your hands. if your public library is effectively controlled by the american library association, your children are in danger of being raped or molested even if you turn your back on them for a single second. why? pedophiles are attracted to the unfiltered internet access that allows them to drool all they want at taxpayer expense. sometimes those people act out and your child happens to be in the right place at the right time, so far as they are concerned.
  
  why are libraries unfiltered? didn't some law get passed requiring libraries to use filters? well, yes, and the us supreme court found that law to be constitutional, but the american library association still advises libraries not to use filtering unless they must. they are essentially skirting the law and the court and, since they have de facto control over so many libraries nationwide, both public and public school, our children are in serious danger and it may be the direct result of the american library association's refusal to accede to community standards or the law.

as debra burlingame said, she's the wife of the downed pennsylvania 9-11 pilot, "i think people, when they get the right information, do the right thing." [11 mar 2006, wabc am radio] we all need to recognize the dangers of the internet and do our part to protect children. here's what you can do, and i have handouts to remind you.

1. get your child off myspace,
2. severely restrict cell phone usage and preclude text messaging,
3. prevent im usage,
4. get blocking software for your computer,
5. get software to spy on your kid's computer usage,
6. and for pete's sake get the computer out of the child's room.
7. at a minimum, if your kid is doing any of these things, you have to do it to so you learn what's what.
8. also, use google alerts to find your child's name, then have google send you daily news and web alerts on that name.
9. lastly, get your public library to change its porn pushing policies .

• hear sad, personal stories at
• cbs news 48 hours: web of seduction about an american girl lured to greece. [see the video here , but note the mpg file is 79mb making for a long download.] i, myself, wrote about this show when it happened and pointed out how the town library board essentially ignored the message of the show, choosing instead to follow the american library association's agenda and use the ala's propaganda. 25 jun 2004.
• also see msnbc's dateline nbc: to catch a predator , a hidden camera investigation into computer sex predators--grown men trolling the web for sex with minors. ongoing.
• see also why parents must mind myspace .
• learn about internet use by kids so they cannot outsmart you at wiredsafety.org . view their tutorial on sexual predators and how they operate .
• discuss safe internet usage with your children at netsmartz.org .
• read these speech handouts : (note that up to 50 of such handouts can be had for free by calling 1-800-the-lost )
• child safety on the information highway
• a parent's guide to internet safety
• teen safety on the information highway
• your kids can fill in the blanks. can you?
• keeping kids safer on the internet: tips for parents and guardians
• know the rules...internet safety quiz for adults
• just for parents :
• tips for parents: who's watching your kids?
• capturing the computer screen --invaluable guidance when gathering evidence
• national sex offender registry
• katiesplace.org --"for young victims of internet sexual exploitation ... i was a victim of an internet sexual predator when i was only thirteen."
• i-safe inc. --"the worldwide leader in internet safety education." for example, see actor robert davi give a 10 minute talk on children and internet safety in a " true life story of an online relationship that turned into a tragedy for everyone involved ." [warning--very long download--the wmv file is 92mb.]
• " caught in the web " video prepared by safeco insurance company to highlight some of the issues relating to internet use and safety. [warning--very long download--the avi file is 123mb.]
• " touched by an angel "--a young girl accidently clicks on porn. [warning--very long download--the mpg file is 34mb.]
• video: what if a stranger from the internet followed one of your students home from school one day... " [warning--very long download--the wmv file is 16mb.]
• the parlor
• from the national center for missing and exploited children :
• ad council information package --online sexual exploitation prevention information, tips on how to talk to your kids, and a list of commonly used chat acronyms
• blog beware --tips for families about safer blogging
• child safety on the information highway --safety tips for families whose elementary-school-aged children use computer online services
• cybertipline: your resource for reporting the sexual exploitation of children --information regarding ncmec's cybertipline
• keeping kids safer on the internet: tips for parents and guardians --safety tips for families whose children use computer services
• know the rules...internet safety quiz for adults --tips for parents on how to make their children's online visits safer
• netsmartz brochure --information on this innovative web site that educates children about online safety
• online victimization: a report on the nation's youth (2000) --groundbreaking national survey focusing on children's use of the internet
• online victimization of youth: five years later (2006) --second groundbreaking national survey focusing on children's use of the internet
• your kids can fill in the blanks. can you? --tips on how families can help protect their children from online sexual exploitation
• read media accounts of internet-related crimes in public libraries and public schools . older cases are viewable at plan2succeed.org .
• learn how the american library association pushes porn on children at safelibraries.org . for example, look at these pictures taking right here, in this library, in a town older than patrick henry's statement, on the other side of those double doors, to see the pushing of porn on children, the placement of porn books next to star trek books, and the large display of unenforced rules next to unfiltered computers with privacy screens. after a criminal gets his fill there or in similar libraries, he occasionally goes on the rape or molest a child who's right at hand, right here in this very library, and many others nationwide. is this the freedom patrick henry had in mind?

• public schools should have yearly, effective internet usage agreements where rules and consequences are clearly spelled out and, just as important, the school itself has the authority to act appropriately upon violation of those rules.
• lastly, get active in your local communities to protect children. for example, expose the ala's influence over your public facilities, then get directly involved in taking action to remove the ala's influence -- but be ready to be persistent -- the ala has been at this for decades and has routinized its response to so-called "censors" like you!

as patrick henry said all those years ago, " we are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty ?" are we wise to close our eyes to how the internet, pedophiles, and the american library association endangers our children? as patrick henry might say, we learned the whole truth about the dangers of the internet, the worst of this truth, and what can be done to stem the damage. now each of us, all of us, let's get out there and do something about it. and if someone ever says to your child lmirl , you need to act, and act fast. will you know how?

speech author:

dan kleinman is certified in "presenting internet safety programs to teenagers" by the morris county (nj) fire fighters and police training academy in june 2007. this speech is updated from time to time. dan is available to present this speech and more upon request.

speech notes:

initially the speech was only about the ala, but based on audience reaction to the crude graphics the ala pushes on children as young as twelve, the speech was changed to remove the shocking material. this first speech version in its original form drew complaints that the graphics and content intended for twelve year olds was too jarring, too explicit. so that led to the next major revision. kind of proves a point, huh?

this second speech version in its original form actually drew rave reviews with multiple requests for more information. sadly, one of the people who heard my speech said how very important it was--his parents knew megan kanka's parents when they were going through the ordeal that became megan's law . however the speech was still too long, too loose, and too detailed for the 5-7 minutes allotted for the speech, and it had no graphics at all. later, i noticed an interesting theme i could use to pique the audience's attention: lmirl and the danger that may mean.

speech results - cry for help about possible child victim:

folks, this is serious. someone read this page and reached out to us for help. (since then many more have contacted us so we published " we recommend .") therefore, we will post this letter and our response to help others who come here. we appreciate those who link to us, so we help them however possible:

from: [anonymous]
date: feb 2, 2007 7:43 pm
subject: i really need a reply, i need help.


i have no idea how to go about this but i found your lmirl article and i don't know where else to go about this.

i was talking on msn messenger just now with a girl from canada, she says her name is [miss canada], i don't know whether or not that's her real name. either way as we were talking she started expressing suicidal feelings to me and started to talk about how she doesn't want to live. i challenged her on it because i thought she might be like a lot of teens whom i know who just say that kind of shit to get attention. after we talked about it for a while she was quiet for a long time and then she said that she was raped almost every day, and that's why she gets so depressed. she'd never told me anything like this before, i've only known her about 5 months, but she's told me before about an abusive boyfriend that she finally left. at first she wouldn't tell me who it was but she finally told me that it was her abusive ex, a guy she calls [mr. abuser]. eventually i asked her why she doesnt report this and she said because he threatens to kill her if she does. while we were talking about it she had said that her mother had come into the room and read the convo, and was in the process of calling the police. i have no idea if any of this story is true or not, least of all whether or not her mom is involved, but i can't let myself live if i don't get into contact with someone who might be able to help me get this to the authorities. she lives in canada and i live in the us, so it's not like i can simply call 911 and report it. i'm sorry if i've wasted your time but i need some guidance here. i check this email 4 to 5 times a day and i have the whole conversation in my msn archives and can provide it. i told her that i'm reporting this, only i told her i was reporting it to someone else, not you, but she is really trying to stop me from reporting it, i just can't not report it. please contact me. thank you.

here was our reply:

i will try to help. i'm no expert though. just so you know.

from what you described, it sounds, at least to me, as if someone is trying to gain your confidence for nefarious purposes. be that as it may, i have some potential resources for you to contact -- real experts. and i'll look over lmirl and if i don't see something like this added there, i'll add it. do not reveal any personal information to this person!

check here: http://perverted-justice.com/ however, they say:

- if your email is in regards to an internet predator you have found or someone who has hit upon your children, we empathize with the occurence but at this point we cannot take tips in regards to predators from the general public. we encourage you to submit such information to cybertipline.org .

sure enough, right at the top of http://www.cybertipline.org/ there is a link to report what you have reported to us at safelibraries.org. i highly recommended you submit your information to http://www.cybertipline.org/

another useful resource: http://www.wiredsafety.org/ and specifically see this page: http://www.wiredsafety.org/911/index.html

another resource generally is http://www.cyberangels.org/

[anonymous], you are right to take this matter seriously. you are right to reach out for help. while safelibraries.org can help no more than this email, we are happy to provide you with the links we have that provide help for people with your situation as you reported it to us.

good luck, [anonymous], and thank you for writing. understand i've written this email as fast as possible so it may not be perfect.

-safelibraries.org

we also blind carbon copied the security resources we named in our letter. they then directly contacted [anonymous] with further important information from rmcp contact us :

to report a crime [in canada], or for immediate police assistance, contact your local rcmp detachment or the police service of jurisdiction in your area.

if you live outside canada, please contact your local police service and ask them to make a request for assistance from the appropriate canadian law enforcement agency.