Safety first

I got the following in my email at work today as a caution to be safe. I copied it here because I think that a little attention to safety is a good idea, especially now when many people go to malls after dark to shop for the holidays:


You can now add to the list of victims the retired 77 yr. old TCU professor from
Ft Worth whose body was found last week in Oklahoma--and the 11 yr. old in
Sarasota, FL. Because of these recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh
yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation...This is for you, and
for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know.


After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It
never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you
are close enough to use it, do!


2.Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your
wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are
that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go
for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!


3.If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights
and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't
see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.


4.Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working,
etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO
THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity
for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you
where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.


5.A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.)Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor,
and in the back seat.
B.)If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door.
Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while
the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.)Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the
passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may
want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you
back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6.ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible
places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at
NIGHT!)

7.If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The
predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it
most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig-zag pattern!



8.As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped,
or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man,
who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a
cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his
vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

************* Here it is *******
9.Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby
on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was
late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT
open the door."

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and
she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The
policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open
the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded
and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a
baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women
saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone
at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----Thise-mail
should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned
on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer
in Louisiana.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A
candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the
ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters,
etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we
live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry.


Shannon LaForge
Courtroom Deputy to Judge Robert Junell
U.S.District Court