My cousins, posted this and I just copied and pasted. Hopefully this will spread quickly as most internet things do. Anyway I hope this will inspire everyone to write their Senator and to get the message out!The Internet can sometimes seem like the Wild West for child predators—a place that largely operates outside the law. While trading in pedophile pornography is illegal, lack of adequate funding means law enforcement officials are able to investigate just 2 percent of their leads. And, according to Interpol statistics, only one-half of 1 percent are ever prosecuted."What you are going to see is going to shock you to the core, but I'm asking you to please don't turn away," Oprah says, "because this is happening in our country to our children in the United States every day."The map behind Oprah shows how quickly one pornographic image of a child being molested can spread. It starts with the large red dot from a computer in Washington, D.C. Within 24 hours, it has spread all across the United States—from coast to coast and north to south. "This is just an average day in America—24 hours," Oprah says.The demand for new videos and photos is so high that authorities report tracking increasingly brutal pornography with younger and younger victims.Hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.The PROTECT Our Children Act will: Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.Act Now!Your U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately.Go to www.senate.gov to find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either dropdown menu. Contact information is provided here. To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference! "For once, you and I can do something about it!" Oprah says.
To find out what you can do visit this website:
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20080911_tows_predators/1
