What Happened to Your Blog?

Over the past 24 hours, I've received a fantastic number of e-mails from people asking, "What happened to your blog?"

Here's the answer:

We have discovered that one or more people from the Internet have taken it upon themselves to cyber-bully, stalk and harass us. We've received a number of directly threatening e-mails including statements that they intend to make false reports of child abuse to the authorities. These messages have made it clear that the group's goal is to have Danielle removed from our home at any cost. Some of these messages have included our personal identifying information. There is also some indication the group may be aware of Danielle's current location, and may be planning to harass or abduct her.

We are taking appropriate security measures to ensure her safety.

Nice.

These people may not realize it, but cyber bullying is a crime on both state and federal levels.

The federal law states:

Whoever...makes a telephone call or utilizes a telecommunications device, whether or not conversation or communication ensues, without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person at the called number or who receives the communications;...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. [47 U.S.C. 223(a)(1)(C)]

Forty-seven states now have laws that include electronic communications in their stalking and harassment laws. Many of these states take this behavior seriously. Missouri, for example, has made this type of conduct a felony.

Since some states require that victims of cyberstalking formally demand that the harassment stop, here is my message:

Stop harassing me, my wife, my child, my family and my personal and professional contacts. Stop sending me threatening messages, and do not attempt to interfere with my child while she is at home, at school or away. Furthermore, my blogs consist of copyrighted material, and under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Pub.l. 105.304, 17 USC 512 et seq.) I demand that you cease and desist from redistributing my copyrighted materials, and that you immediately remove all copies of my copyrighted materials from the Internet.

A great many of these messages that we have received seem to indicate that the person or persons behind all of this are operating under the mistaken impression that removing Danielle from our home will be some type of rescue, and that she will be better off returned to foster care than remaining in our home.

I can't speak about the reality of foster care in other communities, but what I can say is that in our county this is most certainly not true. Our county's budgets are dwindling, and supportive resources for kids in foster care are becoming fewer and fewer. Whether you agree with our parenting style, or believe that we are bad parents, it's highly unlikely that ripping Danielle away from another family and returning her to foster care could possibly be in her best interest.

Knock if off, you guys.

By the way -- Danielle is safe and we've had communications with her and her current caregivers. All is well and she is doing great.