Today is National Missing Children Awareness Day

Governor Kulongoski Proclaims Missing Children Awareness Day in Oregon

Proclamation - Missing Children's Awareness Day 2007
Office of the Governor
State of Oregon

WHEREAS: May 25th has annually been declared "National Missing Children's Day" and
WHEREAS: there are more than 2,000 children reported missing every day; and
WHEREAS: more than 58,000 children are abducted by non-family members each year and
WHEREAS: Children represent our state's most valuable resource and greater public awareness can play a significant role in helping to reduce the number of missing children:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Theodore R. Kulongoski, Governor of the State of Oregon, do hereby proclaim May 25, 2007, as

MISSING CHILDREN'S AWARENESS DAY

in Oregon in recognition of every child's right to care and protection and join with others across the country in support of National Missing Children's Day. We must all strive to provide our children and the future of our state and nation, a healthy and happy living environment.

End Proclamation

Important facts about abducted children:

[] 797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied, resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.

[] 203,900 children were the victims of family abductions.

[] 58,200 children were the victims of non-family abductions.

[] 115 children were the victims of "stereotypical" kidnapping. (These crimes involve someone the child does not know or someone of slight acquaintance, who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently.

Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children web site, a 2002 U.S. Department of Justice report.

Oregon Senate Passes 2nd Towing Reform Bill

The Oregon Senate passed major towing reform legislation on unanimous votes for the second time today!

Senate Bill 431, carried by Senator Avel Gordly, passed on a 27-0 vote this afternoon, with three Senators excused from the floor on legislative business.

Earlier, on April 23rd, Senator Gordly carried Senate Bill 116 to a unanimous 30-0 vote.

Both bills will be heard in the House Consumer Protection Committee, chaired by Representative Paul Holvey.

Passage is certain.

The unanimous Senate votes illustrate vividly the negative impact that patrol towing has had in Oregon. Patrol towing is illegal in many other states, including California and Washington.

More on this later.

On a related note, a month has passed since Hacienda Community Development Corporation's patrol tower stole my van, and I have heard nothing from those people in the form of an apology.

The United States of America honors the memory of Aaron A. Cruz

Several of the members of Aaron's Army National Guard Battalion spoke at his memorial service. They said that my son was an honorable man, respected by his comrades and superiors alike. They spoke of his love for the Guard and his dedication to his unit, and they all understood that Aaron had consciously and purposefully placed his loyalty above his own health, and had paid the price with his life.

In Memory of Aaron Cruz (March 21, 1982 to April 25, 2005)

My son Aaron died in Utah of medical neglect while under Army orders.

He apparently received no medical care for his seizure disorder after he left our home in Portland, under deployment orders for Iraq, to report to his Utah Army National Guard unit.

Two years after his death, the Department of Defense has still not complied with my request for my son's medical records, citing a "large backlog of requests."