We were all sickened by the recent events that occurred in rural Gordon County when Jerry Jones is alleged to have killed four people, including is own infant daughter, and then proceeded to kidnap his other three daughters which led to a massive search that ended with him attempting to take his own life. Many people have talked about the horror they felt when they saw the news footage of the three children after Jones was finally caught in Tennessee. Thanks to some pretty savvy police work and more importantly thanks to God, the children were unharmed. But, the thing that stands out in this story is just how vulnerable children are. They are completely susceptible to whatever behavior that might be dished out by their parents. If that behavior is one of a loving and healthy environment, that every child should be entitled to, then everything is fine. If the behavior that the parents choose for their children includes domestic violence, substance abuse, molestation and all of the many social ills that should never touch the life of a child, then the child is suddenly doomed to a life of horror.

The look on the faces of the Gordon children, as it was shown across the nation, is a look that most parents will never see in their own children. As someone who has worked in the criminal justice and judicial systems for many years, the looks on those children's faces is one that I recognized and have seen many, many times. As painful as it is for us to see these expressions of terror on the faces of the innocent, imagine what is going on in the mind of the child. It is beyond comprehension for me that anyone can cause harm to any child. How would you ever come to terms with knowing that you had purposely caused pain, whether it be emotional or physical, to an innocent child?

I have seen children who scream at the top of their lungs for their parents after having been removed from their homes based on the abuse that had been perpetrated by their own parents. I will take to my grave the images of children's faces as they desperately fought and clung to their parents when they were removed, in an attempt to actually save their lives. Children are loving, forgiving, and are completely willing to accept whatever comes their way, especially when it comes to their parents. Parents who abuse their children depend on this connection, which allows the violence to continue. As difficult as it is to remove a child from a parent who is not deserving of the love these children offer, hopefully the removal will prevent an incident such as those of the Jones children.

As our legislators begin to gather at the state capitol, there has been much discussion about a variety of topics that they hope will provide a better way for us all. None of these issues should even be discussed until we get serious about protecting children. Both Governor Perdue and Lt. Governor Taylor have introduced new laws that deal with felony child endangerment issues. Apparently, Georgia is the only state in the nation that does not have specific penalties that punishes parents and caretakers who recklessly put children in harms way or to simply protect them from abusive situations. This is unacceptable. If we are not willing to protect our children, any other such legislation is simply a waste of time. If we are not willing to protect our children, who would believe that we will ever be serious about doing anything that is "in the best interest of the people" Generational abuse is the direct result of us refusing to do what is needed to hold people accountable when they harm children.

We have made great strides in protecting children in the case of child molestation and acts of physical cruelty. However, most of these laws are written with a false perception that these types of abuses will come from outside the child's house. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that most children are abused in their own homes at the hand of parents, guardians or someone who they trust without question.

Let's all hope that this is the year where we accept the fact that there are those who will harm a child, including their own, in the blink of an eye. We have to ensure that we protect these children and provide swift punishment for those who choose this path. Taking children out of an abusive home is never an easy task, but burying a child is even more difficult.