Walking To School Equals Child Abuse? Preview..

Preview for Sunday 021912

Hey folks,

Today is one of those days. I'm actually in a pretty good mood. But there are some serious stuff that we need to talk about. There is also some fun stuff. So Happy Sunday to ya. You know who this is, you know WHAT this is. And as always, if you want to be a part of the OPNTalk Blog, by sending in Links, comments, or just say hi, the Email is opntalk@gmail.com.

Coming right up today?

World War Three?
Radio Station?
It's Coming Folks, $4 Plus a Gallon
Chick Nuggets Healthier Than Turkey or Salami on Wheat
IWA For Sunday 021912
IWA 2 for Sunday 021912

So what to do if your little Kiddie can't behave on the School Bus? Give him a ride to School? Let him stay home? Seriously? What to do. As the old saying goes, "When I was your age, we walked to School. In Snow Storms. Up hill, both ways." So a Mom who's Son got kicked off the Bus FIVE times. Yes that is 5 times, decided, he should walk to School. Now she faces Child Abuse Charges, $1000 fine, and possibly even a year in Jail. Of course, CPS had no problem jumping in here. No evidence. No proof of abuse. Just an absurd complaint from a busy body stranger, over zealous Cop, and of course, CPS just being CPS.

I could not agree with this Writer more. According to Yahoo News - Mom Who Made Son Walk to School Is Child Abuser -- Seriously? By Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Fri, Feb 17, 2012

COMMENTARY Well, Stanley, here's another fine mess.

Valerie Borders, an Arkansas mom, made her 10-year-old son Nequavion walk to school after being suspended (for the fifth time) from riding the school bus. Was she congratulated? Nope. As per ABC News, Mom was charged with child endangerment and faces one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Let's unwrap the child abuse charges. KAIT says walk to school was longish (4.5 miles). A compassionate, public-spirited (or nosy, bored) bank security guard spotted the lad trudging to school and called the police. The tween boy implored the officer, "Please sir, don't take me home or my mother will beat me." So very Dickensian.

It was also coldish, 30 degrees, though in my home state of Michigan, that's a balmy spring breeze. Kids walk daily through cold and snow in our area. Stores also sell inclement weather apparel in kids' sizes, (Nequavion was wearing such a garment). Anyway, the concern wasn't weather as much as stranger danger or injury, said officer Lyle Waterworth. He encourages other helpful citizens to call the police when they see kids walking alone.

Segue. I find no fault with the police officer for checking this out. As a mandatory reporter, he has to; it's the law. He may have suspected that Nequavion's "beating" reference was just a deflector shield to save the boy's naughty hide, (which Nequavion told KAIT it basically was). Police officers can't take that chance, however. I do fault them for filing charges, once mom explained that her son had been kicked off the bus repeatedly and was being punished.

I give Borders props -- I'm not sure, as a mom, I'd have enough moxie to enforce a march to school. As a teacher, I applaud her for following up with consequences. I once disciplined a student for kicking kids (and explained to mom why). Later, I saw that child at the grocery store enjoying an ice cream cone. Mom's explained, "he had such a hard day."

Admittedly, Nequavion's walk was long, but that's what made it consequentially perfect. As he said, it was mom's way of teaching him to appreciate the bus (kudos, Nequavion, for recognizing that). If she had chauffeured him to school, what would that have taught him? I can see the wheels turning. "Get in trouble--ride in comfy car. Be good--ride crowded, uncomfortable school bus."

Mom needs a commendation, not jail.

Yup. but then again, if I really messed up when I was a kid, Grandma would "correct" me with a switch to the behind. She would be sitting in Jail right now most likely. Have we really come to a place where the Government, CPS, can come in and rip a healthy Family apart because the feel they know better than the Parent? That would be yes.

You know, this stupidity needs to stop. Government needs to shrink and get out of our Private Lives. Let Parents BE Parents. Of course, if there IS Abuse, REAL not imagined nor created, but REAL Abuse, we have Police and Laws to take care of it. CPS is out of control, they answer to no one. They NEED to be regulated. If not disbanded. Parents need to be Parents. We need America and Freedom BACK!!
Peter

Over Weight Kids, Go Out and Play

This one is going to be hard for me to stay on topic.

Hey folks,

By now I'm sure that you have heard about this. According to Reuters - 219-pound boy shows growing problem of extreme obesity By Kim Palmer Reuters – 2 hrs 47 mins ago

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The case of a 219-pound 8-year-old boy taken from his mother for health reasons spotlights a problem that has almost tripled in the U.S. in the last 30 years -- cases of extreme child obesity.

"Not only do we have a higher percentage of kids who are obese but a higher percentage of children who are severely obese," said Dr. Garry Sigman, director of adolescent medicine and associate professor of pediatrics at Loyola University Medical Center near Chicago, in an interview with Reuters.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 17 percent or 12.5 million of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years are obese, as opposed to merely overweight.

Obesity in children is defined by the CDC as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. "Overweight" is defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile.

About 2 million U.S. children have a BMI at or beyond the 99th percentile, according to a July article on childhood obesity in the Journal of the American Medical Association, co-authored by Harvard University child obesity expert Dr. David S. Ludwig. The article ignited controversy by saying that in some cases, removing a child from a home may be justified.

An average 8-year-old boy is about 55 pounds, making the boy in question approximately 165 pounds overweight or four times more than average, according to the CDC.

OK stop there. You get the point. The problem I have dealing with this is a simple one. Everyone is unique. You can tell when someone is over weight for THEM. But it may not be for, well, me. I know this guy, a friend, who is what one would call fat. No offense to my friend, he knows it. But here is the thing, He weighs 5 pounds more than I do. Yet, you would not consider me fat at all. Here are two 6 foot 1" 230 pound guys. Get the point?

We have talked about this before. Take someone like John Cena, or another one of the Pro Wrestlers out there. Some of them weigh 250 to 300 pounds. Yet there is not an once of Fat on them. Yes some you can pinch an inch and whatever, but reality is, they are not fat and no where near Obese. I'm Obese according to the "Chart." So I do not take any creed in this garbage. Hell, my Son Josh came home from School with a note saying he was bordering on Obese. Really? Screw off.

But then my next problem I had when I first heard this, was the obvious. CPS came and ripped this kid from his home, because some twit felt that because he is fat, the Parent is not suited to be the Parent. Now you know I have MAJOR issues with CPS. They have way too much power and they answer to NO ONE. We get reports all the time of Kids that disappear, are abused while in the "System." Nothing is done about it. Yet Joe the Neighbor has a problem with you and calls CPS. They can then come and take the kid out of your house BEFORE they conduct an Investigation. They after however long it takes, even if there is nothing found, the Kid can be returned or not, and there is nothing you can do about it. That is way too much power for ANY agency to have. This should never happen in the Land of the Free. We have Cops. We have Laws, if abuse is found, the Abuser goes to Jail, and they THEN should take the Kid into Safety.

Told you this was going to be hard for me to stay on topic. Now I will admit that an 8 year old that weighs 219 pounds is most likely a Health Problem. But the kid is an Honor Student. Never been in trouble. There is no abuse. Yet, CPS came in and ripped this kid from his Mother? That is a major issue with me.

Look folks, I love this definition of why this happened by Dr. Garry Sigman:

"That kind of weight gain is a very serious imbalance in both movement and calorie intake," in a younger child, he added.

LOL How long have I been telling you about the ELMM Diet? Every time I talk about the ELMM Diet it never fails. I get "Experts" that tell me, or those that have been sucked into the whole Diet Industry, "Pete, you can not say this. It's too simplistic a solution to a complicated Problem. You need to take into consideration all these different variables. Genes, Chemical imbalances, Thyroid Problems, ETC. Pete, do you not realize that Fat People are now protected as a disability Class? You can't say Eat Less Move More will help one to lose weight. Too simplistic." So what is the leading cause of Obesity? Of people getting fat. "A very serious imbalance in both movement and calorie intake." SO?

Kids today, as we have talked about in the past as well, no longer go out and Play. They sit home and surf the Web. Play on Facebook. Play Video Games for HOURS. Even a lot of their TOYS now do everything on their own. No need for imagination nor activity. Just watch. This is why I commend the people behind Kinect. YOU have to move when you play.

I understand that the Diet Industry is a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry. I understand that the ELMM Diet costs you NOTHING. No Pills, Shakes, Prepared Food Packs, Doctor Visits, Drugs, ETC. As a matter of fact, it could cost you LESS. Less food you have to buy in the long run.

I understand, TRUST me, the ease of turning the Computer or the XBOX into a babysitter. After you get home from a long day of work, sometimes you do not want to be bothered. "Daddy, can I go on the Computer?" Then before you know it it's 9pm and you haven't seen your kid for like three hours. How about saying "No. I thought we could take a bike ride, or a walk, or toss the ball around outside?" An active Kid is an Active Adult. Lets teach more Parents to do THIS. Wouldn't THIS be better than ripping Families apart? Just a thought. If you think your kids maybe getting a little chunky, or getting a bit of a belly, why not try what YOUR Parents most likely did. Tell them to go out and play.
Peter

Sources:
Reuters - 219-pound boy shows growing problem of extreme obesity

The Continuing Saga of CPS Running Out Of Control

CPS / DCF NEEDS REGULATION!

Hey folks,

Happy Tuesday to you. Today is Super Tuesday number? Anyway, it is a big day in North Carolina and Indiana. To my friends in those states, remember, VOTE for the person you want. The person you feel is the best one for the job. Make sure THAT is what you tell anyone who asks. {Smile} Of course, check back here tomorrow for the results.

But right now I want to talk about this. As you know, I really am on a bit of a quest. CPS / DCF, or whatever they are called in your area, is WAY out of control. They REALLY need to have some regulations. They have UNLIMITED power to absolutely destroy families and do irreputable harm to innocent children. Those same children they have claimed to be helping. I have been doing a series on this, and point out to you whenever another incident becomes known. See here for a history of what I am talking about.

Well, I go this in the Emails and I have to share it. It is by Columnist Lew Rockwell, I do not have a link, nor do I know where it was printed, But it goes to the very HEART of what I am talking about. Here it is.

CPS OUT OF CONTROL

"Christopher Ratte, professor in the department of classics at the University of Michigan, was recently turned into a jailbird and had his son taken away from him, all in the name of protecting the child from the father. He had taken his 7-year-old son to a baseball game in Detroit and ordered him lemonade. What was served up was a 'Mike's Hard Lemonade,' which his son prepared to drink. Suddenly security arrived.

" 'You know this is an alcoholic beverage?' the security guard asked. 'You have got to be kidding,' responded the professor. And before the professor could examine the bottle, the guard snatched it away, and the boy was taken to the hospital where no traces of alcohol were found in him. The boy was then promptly put in foster care. It was two days before the mother, a professor of architecture, was allowed to take him home, and a full week before the father was allowed to come back into the home again.

"The case provides a remarkable look at the workings of bureaucracy. The Detroit Free Press interviewed all the people involved. It turns out that no one was happy about what happened, but the gears of the bureaucracy ground away, ruining peoples' lives for no good reason.

"The cop on duty thought it was a mistake, but his supervisor was insisting that he act. When Child Protective Services came to take the child away into their cruel foster care, the police objected. But CPS was just doing its duty. It had no choice but to take the child since the police had requested a court order - also triggered by events - to remove the child.

"Observers who know the system say that the only surprising aspect to this case is that child was returned so quickly. Had the couple been poor, uneducated, and unconnected, the case might still be tied up in the courts.

"The lesson many people draw from this is that social workers are being given too much authority, that governments need to be reformed so that they do not take extreme measures too hastily, that cops need to use good sense before busting up families, etc. The problem is that all of these reforms ultimately depend on the state to use its discretionary power judiciously."

- Columnist Lew Rockwell

Folks, WE NEED CONTROL over CPS, and DCF. They LOSE children in their custody. Children are abused in their care. Yet with no evidence of abuse, not FACTS, nor cause whatsoever, they can destroy happy and healthy families. Although no charges were leveled against this Father or Mother, they shall now forever have a record. A second complaint? Valid or not? The kid is gone. It is that simple, and that scary. Something needs to be done.
Peter