Wow... ignore the intarwebz for a few days...

... and EVERYONE posts something good to read!

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First off, go read the new Perspectives. Start at Lawdog, then hit Ambulance Driver, and finish off with Babs. Have a hanky handy, this one's a tear-jerker.

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Ok... done crying? Time for something a lil' more light-hearted, over Boobs, Injuries, and Dr Pepper

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Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately: I've taken over the position of State Rep for BACA, and that has kept me hopping. And there's a REAL cool job opportunity in the works: we'll see how it goes.

Have you actually studied your religion?

You know, I once had a conversation with someone convinced that Christ was "Christian". No matter WHAT I said, this person was adamant that Jesus Christ fllowed the teachings of that great man, ummm... Jesus Christ. Because Christianity was the oldest religion on Earth, don't ya know. I thought that ignorance was the ultimate in bliss.

I was wrong.

Via LabRat at Atomic Nerds, get this clip:



My gawds... how does this woman come up with this?I assume she's a Christian herself: did she NOT study her Bible any better than an irritated Satanist with an agenda?

This is the problem with WAY to many "religious folks": they don't actually study what they're claiming to practice.

Here's a newsflash for anyone that didn't know: Jesus was a Jew living in the Mid East many centuries after the Greeks had their heyday. Yes, he was a Jew: in fact, he was a Rabbi. And there was a LOT of history that predated his birth (hence the whole "BC" thing).

I'm frelling WICCAN, and I know these things. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over?

I just had to...

Got this via the Squeaky Wheel:

Everyone,

I am asking a favor…

Teresa is my supervisor at TBI. She is the type of person who always does for others. She constantly gives to her co-workers, employees, and family members and rarely takes anything in return. She loves her Harley and her brother finally convinced her to enter a contest they are having for women who ride. The prize is a trip to Bike Week in Daytona. She needs this trip more than anyone I know and she definately [sic] deserves it. Watch her video and please vote for her (the winner is chosen by those who go to the site and view the video) then pass this on to anyone you know. You can vote everyday but it closes on Dec. 10th.

Please go to this link http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Events/Daytona/2008/womens_ride.jsp?locale=en_US and put your vote in for Teresa Weston.

Thank you,

[name redacted]

Folks, she kinda got to me too. Click the link, and give her a vote: let's see if we can't make her able to give her brother this gift!

Comments from yesterday...

After yesterday's post, there was a comment or two. I thought I'd address them openly, where everyone (all three of ya) sees 'em...

Mark said:

We can save the need for a trial, just lock those two up with the hard lifers and let it be known what they did to that poor child. there is no level of hell low enough for these two.

I agree... there IS no level of Hell low enough. The saddest part is, there are LOADS of people who pull shit like this, and get away with it. Yet there are people who just give a (much deserved) spanking, and have their kids yanked away.

The big question (and it's all over our criminal justice system), is how do we balance between the two extremes?

Asphyxiated Emancipation said:

I just look at that little face, and I see my own daughter....
This is why I want to start a BACA chapter where I live, to try and keep these things from happening...
I read stuff like this, and I alternate between soul wrenching sadness, and white hot rage.

I know how you feel, bro. It's even more fun when you're there, trying to help these kids: what you hear makes you SERIOUSLY want to hurt someone, and you have to hide it completely. Showing anger in front of a child, gets interpreted by said child as them being the cause. So you swallow your anger, smile while you're with 'em, and rant at your chapter's designated therapist* for awhile...

The part that hurts the most though, is knowing that there was NOTHING that you could have done to save this one. She was so young, living with her abuser, and it happened that fast. I do NOT like being powerless, but we are in these cases.



*some Chapters use an actual therapist, some will call a member from another Chapter. With us, my mom-in-law takes care of our sanity. Gotta admit, my mom-in-law rocks (and has kept me from going out "hunting" more than once)

Something lighter after yesterday...

Caught this via Hammer. For those wondering what to get me for Christmas... ;)

Evil...

People sometimes ask me "Why do you do what you do with BACA?". I usually answer "For the kids, to see the smiles when they realize they are safe.

That isn't always the truth. Sometimes, something else spurs me to renew my commitment to BACA. The Article:

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- The stepfather of a 2-year-old girl lost control and beat her to death because she wouldn't say "please" and "yes sir," an attorney for the girl's mother said Wednesday.

A body found last month in Galveston Bay is believed to be that of the little girl, Riley Ann Sawyers, though DNA tests are pending.

Her mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, and stepfather, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, were arrested Saturday.

Trenor's attorney, Tommy Stickler Jr., also said Wednesday that Trenor is pregnant.

According to court documents, Trenor, 19, told police she and her husband killed the girl in July and hid her body in a shed before dumping it in the bay.

Stickler said Zeigler, 24, was overwhelmed by his sudden fatherhood and didn't know what behavior to expect from a toddler. Trenor moved with her daughter from Mentor, Ohio, to Texas in June to be with Zeigler, whom she met online.

Zeigler wanted his wife to spank Riley with a belt when she failed to say things like "please" and "yes sir" or "no sir," Stickler said Wednesday. Zeigler didn't believe Trenor was doing it, however, because the 2-year-old's behavior wasn't changing.

The fatal beating happened after Zeigler stayed home from work to make sure his wife was following his discipline plan, Stickler said.

In her statement to Galveston authorities, Trenor said the girl was beaten with leather belts, had her head held underwater in a bathtub and then was thrown across a room, her head slamming into a tile floor.

Although the affidavit said the couple abused Riley over a four- to six-hour period, Stickler said it wasn't a continuous event. Instead, Zeigler grew increasingly enraged as he spanked Riley and she kept forgetting to do things the way he wanted.

"There was never an intention to beat Riley to death," he said.

At one point, Trenor wanted to call an ambulance but Zeigler wouldn't let her, saying they would both be arrested if officials saw her injuries, Stickler said. Instead, Riley was given some over-the-counter pain medication.

When Riley later stopped breathing, Zeigler performed CPR on her tiny body, Stickler said.

Neal Davis III, Zeigler's attorney, said Trenor's story isn't believable.

"She is placing all the blame on Royce, but I think that once the facts come to light, once the timeline's established and the evidence is combed through ... I think her credibility is gonna become a big issue," Davis said.

Trenor and Ziegler were arrested after investigators spent weeks trying to identify the girl they dubbed "Baby Grace," whose body was found in a plastic box floating in Galveston Bay. Riley's paternal grandmother in Ohio had called police, thinking a sketch of the dead child might have been the granddaughter she hadn't seen in months.

Trenor and Zeigler remained jailed Wednesday on charges of injury to a child and tampering with evidence. Bail was set at $350,000 each.

so... the next time I'm talking about what my brothers and sisters do, and you feel the urge to ask "why?", here's your answer. Because I can't read something like this, and NOT do something to help another child avoid dying.