I am a storm spotter. Occasionally, what I do requires me to place myself in the path of an oncoming storm to gather vital information for the National Weather Service.

What I am dealing with, routinely, are some of the most awesome forces of nature. What I do is extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

Let's suppose for a second that I position myself to spot an approaching tornado. The tornado is on a clear path and I am observing it. Sudenly, the tornado shifts its path and I am in its way. For one reason or another I can't get away and I'm killed by the violent storm.

Did I deserve what happened to me? Absolutely not. Could I have prevented it? Absolutely. While I had every right to be there, beating my breast and demanding my rights in the face of the oncoming storm would not only be foolish, it would actually DECREASE my chances of survival.

Lately there's been a lot of debate over the tragic deaths and rapes of certain young women. While all of these cases were examples of the worst of human nature on the part of the perpetrators who raped and/or killed these young women, all have another common denominator: they all could have been prevented, had these ladies taken reasonable precautions.

And yet, they all had a right to be where they were. But those rights cannot raise the dead, nor can they erase the pain from the minds of the women who weren't killed by their actions.

I am sure that the vast majority of rapes and murders that occur in the United States were NOT preventable. I am convinced that the animals who perpetrate these crimes should be removed from society for the rest of their natural born lives, so that they, at least, can never repeat their crimes against other individuals. But I am equally convinced that we should educate everyone on ways to prevent becoming victims of these crimes. Demanding that Natalee Holloway or Imette St. Guillen had rights sends a mixed message: that somehow women SHOULD put themselves in these situations, simply because they have a RIGHT to do so.

The fact is, just as a raging tempest is no respector of rights, neither are these vermin. While women should have the right to walk the streets safely at night, a saner approach might center around providing volunteer escorts to assure that they have some degree of protection against these creatures, or educating the women to stay in groups so that they are not easier prey. It's truly tragic that we need to take these precautions, but these are the precautions I will teach my children to take, because I want to see all of them grow to enjoy happy, full lives, and while there's no guarantee of that, the chances are MUCH greater if I teach them how to lessen their odds of being victims.