1996_04 Insight April 1996

              PAGE 2
Editorial
APRIL 17,1996
lion
Kidnappings prove need
for child safety know-how
■ Childhood safety a
must in today's
unsafe society
by Jennifer Franklin
Staff Writer
Matthew Moorby. 2. disappeared
Feb. 6 from a north Fresno apartmenl
complex. Two days later his bodv w .is
found in a lake near ihe Japanese Gardens at Woodward Park.
Only 19 days later. Traci Renee
Conrad. 11, of Hanford. was reported
missing after failing to return home
from a friend's house. On March 21.
shortly after 7 p.m.. Conrad's remains
were discovered in a pottery kiln at the
home of the friend she was visiting.
The U.S. Justice Department re
ports 359.000 children are kidnapped
every year. Nearly 4.6(H) ol (hose
children arc abducted by people vv ho
are not relatives. Traci Renee Conrad
is one of those children.
Children who are abducted bj
friends or strangers are more likely
to be raped and assaulted than Ihosc
kidnapped by family members
Local tragedies
In the case of Traci Renee Conrad.
her alleged kidnapper is the father of
her friend. Hopes of her being found
alive crumbled as the community was
fed images of her body being discov
ered bound and gagged.
Suspicion still surrounds ihe death
of Matthew Moorby. The discover)
of his pajama-clad body floating in
the lake left people wondering how
mid h
children when to sa
ildei person helps ther
d lhal nol all adults ha\
he n
A    ||k   11
ud ii
his own Kidnappers pfcy on childhood joys
What has happened to the safely ol lo-lure litem in   If a stranger ap-
childicn ' proaches a child ..nd requests help in
Parents in local communities are finding a lost puppy, many children
panic stricken n\ei ihen children's will eagerly .issisi
well beine   Ihen ...neeni is under Patents and educators need lorein-
.standabk in the wake ol mind-hog- force lo children lhal u is OK to end
glint! and In'it ilk disappearances re- conversations with'strangers who
suiting in senseless deaths make them uneasy    fltcy need to
Childh I safety cannoi be .is know that it is OK lo say "no" lo yell.
sinned..: miisi k- laughi scTvam and run away.
Each vear. there are 115.001) al CQI funhei stresses Uiai children
lempted abductions reported lo no- should uevei lei anyone know thai
lice. Ihese are kidnappings lhat. ihcj arc home alone When answer-
failed, riiousands ol children every ing the phone children should say that
year have the coinage io gel away Iheir paa-nts arc nol available and lake
fromrwiiplewhoinictulh>liannihcni a message.
These children hav eKvn educated in
A change in attitude
( luldrei                               I n is limes have.changed since the
them Irom harm il lo Ite.ivei" as icpicscntaiive of ihe
ChildOitesi ! ii inaiionaHCObis typical Kmcrican family.
an organi/alioii thai focuses on child Children lodav aie laced withdnies
iiimlvi ol sue, and violence before leaving grade
gcsiions loi keep    : children oui ol school. Thc higgesi issue Beaver
harms wav Clcavei laced was being grounded for
One ot i                  .io develop a ^pilling p.uni in the garage,
secret code w     i   Children'know As times change, so must our think-
lurnnvrea- *ing   Ihe challenge facing society is
sonLwho does noi know the family \ keeping children safe.
secret cod Newspapei headlines depicting sto-
nielxtddy sj .leu is also a good wa> iies ol children found molested.
lokeepcliildiv e I <.)l stresses thai drugged and murdered have become
i .ilways walk and play so common people arc desensitized
in groups Siiai nci . are more inclined to the brutality.
to appmiicli children who arc alone ' Children like Matiliew Moorby and
rather lhan ihose in -roups I'raci Renee Conrad are our future —
Children are litisiing h\ nature we can't afford io lose .my of them.
Plane crash result of too much
pressure, not enough maturity
I 7-year-old's dream
comes to a tragic
end
by Melyssa Springmeyer
Staff Writer
aDubroff.7y
Jess
to fly.
When most children were playing
with friends, little Jessica was learning how to fly an airplane
She had big aspirations for a girl
her age. She wanted to break the
world record for the youngest person
to pilot a plane across the United
Stales.
While attempting to break the
record, the 7-year-old's plane crashed
in Wyoming, killing all on board.   -
One question lingers in minds
across the country: Should a child be
allowed to pilot a plane.'
The answer is no.
A child shouldn't be allowed to pi-
loi a plane because of ihe pressure and
Too much, too soon
The pressure a pilot is under is tremendous A pilot should know how
lo handle any situation. They need to
know ahoul navigation, flight patterns
and rules and regulations. This is not
lhc kind of pressure a child needs.
FAA rules make sense
Another problem with a child
ing in control of a plane is ihe in;
Maturity is something a per
gains as he or she grows mtclle.
alls, spiritually, physically and ei
tio'nally.
Ihese are feelings children h
yet to experience.
The Federal Aviation Adminisi
lion (FAA) does rccogni/c lhal i
uiriiy plays an important role
One of its regulations is ih.uih
under ihe age ol 16 cannoi been
licensed pilots However, ihe I-
allows anyone lo Hy a plane as I.
as there is an instructor nreseni
The chance to be a kid
The children, y ounger and youngei.
weie competing against other chit
dren ihey had only seen on ihe news
Which lamily could have ihe
youngest child to break a world
record?
Thc leal wasn'i about the child
any more: it was about the child's age
It wasn'i about a child who loved to
11 v but how much news coverage a
oukl
The media's role
Maturity plays a Taci
voting and drinking.
We don't see nioioi
lhal say it's legal lot a 5-
wouldn'l make sci
The media is l.i
have attempted t<
A lew
ui I lie
ane With
.opilot at
Entertainment district would
new, needed fun to Fresno
by Jennifer Southern
loofaitodiivc..-
peciallyityouhavc
.ill lhc same
Staff Writer
beendrinking Vi
i also have the pitib
doing cv.kiI
lem oi youi   1-
ignated drrvei noi
we saw Ihen
I have often wondered what ii
wanting lo dm
all lhc wav  oui
Concerts i
would be like to spend weekends in
there" lo nick vi
i up
when thev d
big cities like San Francisco. Los
Ihis low ii net
the Selland
Angeles or Seattle. There's ■ concert
least some new ,
enialivesfoi Inn on
People end
a minute, and the bars don't close until
thc weekends.
nose lo see
the patrons are ready to go home.
Pan oi the pr<
•leni is thai.the de
just as good
Then it dawns on me lhal I live in
velopeis and pi;
nun'.' commissions
cated in a cc
Fresno, and the chances of this ever
in Fresno have i
lv. avs been able'to
Much ol 1
happening arc about one in a million
randomly sol /oi
me mles
dents and th
The weekend scene for college siu
Ihcicloi.   li
,i - no areas avail-
cheap ennci
dents continues to consist of Black
able loi people |i
live band.
come loplaj
Angus on Thursday nights, followed
watch .: plav. i»l
i ai   : comedy run-
lhc Pil*oi .it
by the never-changing Applebee's on
tine lhal arcn'l i
some reunite coi-.
1 would II
Fridays and Club 25 al Williker's on
itcrofihccii) Hi
i nobody can get to.
sitv iii ihe in
Saturdays (assuming you arc 21. of
Cities like San
•laneisco. 1  A. and
over ihe wee
Campus       fj^
News      $*
You
Can
There are other places student:
could go if they warn a change of pa
or to see a live band. These includi
all of the bars located in the I ■
District.  However, these pi;
2225 E. San Ramon Av...
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Executive Editor
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Chief Copy Editor
Photo Editor
Editorial Page Editor
Lifestyle Editor
Sports Editor
Production Manager
UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
Jefferson Beavers
Brent Liescheidt
Troy Wagner
Kristine Martin
Todd Warshaw
Valerie Gibbons
Matt Lloyd
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Bridget Carter	
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Advertising Production Mgr.
Marty Gutierrez
Reg Wagner
Staff Photographers:
Tommielynn Del Real, Apolinar Fonseca and Ryan McKee.
Production Assistants and Staff Writers:
Ron Armstrong, Summer Brown, Candace Cline, Angela Elliott,
Jennifer Franklin, Natasha*. Frazier, Kristen Gentry, Jerry Lowe,
Draeger Martinez, Rob Morgan, Jennifer Southern, Melyssa Springmeyer,
Tyler A. Takeda, Students of MCJ 108 and 102w.
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Circulation: Kelly McLain        Advertising Staff: Students of MCJ 143
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