What is Being Done to Protect Our Children?

There is definitely cause to celebrate all around America, but especially in the Ownby and Hornbeck homes.

Friday, two missing Missouri boys, one of them missing since 2002, were found alive in a Kirkwood, Missouri, and their suspected kidnapper was arrested.

William Ben Ownby, 13, had been missing since Monday, while Shawn Hornbeck, 15, according to cnn, was last seen riding his bike to a friend's house in October 2002.

Thursday night, two police officers in suburban Kirkwood went to a residence at the apartment complex to serve an unrelated warrant. While there, they noticed a rusty white Nissan pickup truck that matched the description of that sought in the Ownby case.

Michael J. Devlin, 41, was arrested and has been charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping, and is being held on $1 million bail. More charges are sure to come.

So there, we have a happy ending. Yes and no.

I'm elated that these young men were found and brought home to their families, but I'm disgusting by how a 41 year old man could kidnap two children, and keep, at least one, away from their families for years. The bottom line is America is way too lax when it comes to sex offenders and crimes against children.

They commit these horrendous, unspeakable acts against children, they serve a little time, and then their released as if nothing happen. Who cares if their on probation? Who gives a crap if they end up in the sex offender's database? How exactly will that keep them from harming another child? It won't, they did it once, and more then likely the will do it again.

If you don't believe me then think about Joseph Edward Duncan III, the convicted sex offender who kidnapped Shasta Groene, 8, and her brother, Dylan Groene, 9, but not before killing their mother, older brother and their mother's boyfriend. The family apparently lived in a very rural part of Idaho. Duncan, who was already wanted for child molestation charges in another state, apparently had been watching the family. After killing their love ones, he kidnapped Shasta and her brother. Shasta made it home alive, her brother didn't.

Why was this man released in the first place? He was a sexual predator, and had a long history of violence, but he was released and allowed bail over and over again, even after raping a young boy, a crime that he served time for.

Duncan is only one example of the system failing its smallest citizens, but one example is too many.

Our children are our most precious commodity. We owe it to them to protect them, and frankly I don't think we're doing a very good job. A child shouldn't have to worry that once they get off the school bus that a sick pervert is going to be waiting on them.

Do you want to live in a world where you feel like you can't trust anyone? Do you want to grow so paranoid about having people around your kids that instead of getting to know your neighbors, you spend all of your time trying to get their fingerprints so you can a conduct background check?

Something more has to be done. What do you think?