PA teen murdered by those meant to protect

"The Department of Human Services (DHS) strives to protect children from abuse, neglect, and delinquency. We also work to strengthen and preserve families by enhancing community-based prevention services. Our ultimate goal is to ensure the safety and permanency of DHS youth in nurturing home environments."

"Unable to help herself because of her cerebral palsy, she wasted away from malnutrition and maggot-infested bedsores that ate her flesh. She died alone on a putrid mattress in her mother's home, the floor covered in feces. She was 14 but weighed just 42 pounds."

I will say nothing about her parents, there is no combination of words that can appropriately address or explain my rage.

But the Department of Human Services (DHS) is another matter. They knew what was going on in that home, and they lied, falsified documents, and left that child there to die. After she was dead, they attempted to cover their tracks.

Perhaps the system is over burdened, perhaps the caseworker(s) were under trained and overwhelmed, and perhaps a million other excuses. Because in the end, that's what they are: excuses.

God grant her the rest and comfort she did not get in this life.

UPDATE: If you wish to contact the PA DHS and tell them your thoughts on the matter, their commissioner, Anne Marie Ambrose, can be at:

AnneMarie.Ambrose@phila.gov
215-683-6000

All hail our shadowy overlords!

I always knew my vote counted for zilch...



...but I liked the illusion of democracy.

Don't misunderstand, I know this is satire (I hope...), but after 8 years of King George Bush, and looking down the loaded 4 year barrel of Crown Prince Barack Obama, you kinda start to wonder.

No End In Sight

I want to see this movie. It will only reiterate the things we know, but what's better than being told "you're right?"

2008 Beijing Olympics

I am an Olympic Junkie.

When they came to Utah, I became the poster child for couch potatoes everywhere. I was up by 7 to watch morning highlights, sat there all afternoon, and only shut the TV off when coverage was over. Winter Olympics in Italy I was no different. I pulled 8am-8pm shifts on the couch, ogling Olympians everywhere and wishing I could be like them.

This year I'll be watching for a different reason. In the past I watched to see the best compete. In a few short days, I'll watch to see how big a disaster it will be. I'd like to be an optimist, but deep down (ok, not all that deep) I'm a pessimist.

Who thought following Utah, Greece, Italy...with Beijing...was somehow a good idea?

For example...

Internet Censorship
Environmental Disasters
Allegations of Cheating
PR Control (what protesters, where?)
Attempts to control foreign media

...are just a few things challenging the Chinese and my hopes for a successful Olympics.

What do you think?

Canadians Apologize to Americans for...everything

Have I ever mentioned that I'd like to run away to Canada?

Heir Apparent to the USA

I'm going to move the general focus of this blog from political bitching, I swear. Just not yet.

Dana Milbank (Washingtonpost) said it best in todays article when she said: "Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming it presumptuous nominee."

Barak seems to have forgotten that he hasn't won (yet). Polls show him leading McCain, but never by much. American voters chose him over Hilary, but now it seems there not sure they want him or McCain. Basically, he has a lot of winning over to do.

Strutting around the globe, playing King George's first born golden child is not the best way to win any love. At least in my book.

Caveats and fancy promise side stepping

I was afraid this is what would happen if he won the Democratic party nomination.

Throughout this campaign, Obama made tall order promises I was certain he wouldn't be able to fulfill or, in the case of article linked to this post (or this one), would seek to find ways out of ("what I meant when I said that was...").

I'm not telling those who voted for him I told you so, but I will remind you of what he said:

"[Obama] repeatedly said voters should demand a clear plan on how to end the war from all the Democratic candidates. On Sunday afternoon, he flew to his hometown of Chicago for a boisterous rally attended by more than 8,000 people at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where he once taught.

'The time has come for us to end this engagement in Iraq,' he said, saying he was proud he had been "consistent and constant" in his Iraq message" (Washington Post, Feb. 2007).

Now it's,

"[The] United States cannot sustain a long-term military presence in Iraq, but [Obama] added he would be open to “refine [his] policies” about a timeline for withdrawing troops" (New York Times, July 2008).

Oh I give up.

I told you so.