While I'm glad to see that both parents in this case have to serve time,it is very disheartning to see public defenders using arguments such as the fact the father was in the national guard and the stepmother pled guilty to spare the children having to testify,to make them look good to a judge.
The bottom line is,they are guilty of child abuse and neglect and they deserve the harshest punishment allowed.
Sadly, it has been my experience, working within the victim services arena, working with police and the judicial system...I've come to learn that children are seen as expendible...it makes me crazy, and at the same time breaks my heart.
This is a huge point of contention for me.I believe that the system perpetually fails children who are in abusive situations.I'd like to say that this case is an exception to the rule but unfortunately,I see this kind of this over and over.And obviously you do too,Stuck!
It continually amazes me that our government can spent billions of dollars a year on smart bombs,judicial investigations into why Dick Cheney can get drunk and shoot someone in the foot,but we can't spend that kind of money on America's children,who unfortunately can neither fight back or find someone to help them on their own.
Did you get a load of the latest idiots who blew their $50,000 inheritance on a plasma tv and video game systems while their two children were found so malnourished and neglected that one actually had to have her head shaved because her hair was so matted with cat urine? Yeah. I'll hunt that link up,the site I saw it on is down for maintainance at the moment.But I was like,what the HELL?
