GUILTY IA - Jessica, 13, & Kaleb Dyess, 6, die in arson fire, Cass County, 31 March 2005

My husband and I talked over this case last night and he had a good point. He didn't think the man even made the connection with his own crime. Those with thinking errors often are oblivious to the pain they cause others but scream the loudest when they are hurt.

You can't reason with them, you can't teach. Because of their hard-wiring and their lack of understanding of consequences, they make no connections, seemingly learn no lessons. We are all shocked when a man walks away from a prison after a 10 year sentence for rape and rapes again in two days. We judge his actions by using our thinking patterns. But he is not us.

Most toddlers and puppies can be taught to comply with societal rules with consistent and loving training and education and natural and logical consequences. Tragically, some humans cannot.

As one of our favorite judges says, "Sometimes all you can do, for the safety of society, is sanction them."

Do unto others are you want done upon you.

karma's a b****. I have a great deal of empathy for people who have suffered abuse. However, that being said, I refer back to my first sentence.

This girls 'step father' received 40 years for sex crimes. Tracey will be eligible for parole in 14, but he will not be eligible for 30+.

"Street said he did not deserve to go to prison." Um. Yea you do.

http://www.radioiowa.com/2008/07/11...xual-exploitation-conviction-of-brian-street/

Brian street DOES NOT come up under the Iowa Offender Locator though. WTF?

http://www.doc.state.ia.us/OffenderInfo.asp#list

http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFind...=&LastName=street&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=64&y=12

he was up on federal charges..looks like he is in federal prison in fl

As a survivor of long-term sexual abuse myself, I think that if you have been lucky enough to not live your childhood in a constant state of panic and survival mode, you probably really don't understand that what seems clear and obvious to you probably did not to someone like Tracey. Living in a "weird" environment your whole life makes you weird. I am here to tell you that while I never murdered anyone, I did sleep with steak knives under my pillow and I had many a murderous thought. I had never heard of CPS, foster care, etc and calling the cops never entered my mind. When you are abused from a young age, and I don't understand the pschology behind this myself, you become as desperate to keep the secret as your abuser is. It doesn't mean you enjoy the abuse. It doesn't mean you don't want it to stop. You might tell a person or two but if those people don't help you, you might stop telling and that option no longer seems viable to you. You feel completely on your own and responsible for your own survival. IMO Tracey probably knew that her mother was aware. No help was coming on that front. I'm not saying she should walk, but I can really put myself in her place and understand how she came to feel that setting that fire was her only option. We know she had a lot of options. I feel pretty sure she didn't think she had any.

This girl's reality was not our reality. After abuse all her life her perception and judgement would be so off. She did not know how to go for help the right way or couldn't bring herself to do it after all she'd been through. Even though children are being abused they fear telling and breaking up their family, because although it is abusive it is all they know. It is still their family. She should have been put in a hospital for a long long stretch of treatment.