Sixty-four teenagers from our parish (St John the Evangelist) are scheduled to be confirmed on Pentecost. I don't know how we were blessed enough to get the best possible ever date for that Sacrament, but I am tickled pink by it. Saturday was the day retreat for candidates and sponsors - as a first year teacher I didn't have to be there, but my husband is a second year teacher and our daughter is sponsoring one of her friends, so I was there as a general extra pair of hands.
One of the activities was to create a poster illustrating a theme - (loosely based on the works of mercy as far as I could tell)the kids were assigned the themes at random and then had a short time to snip pictures and words, add markers, etc. One poster, about helping friends, had pictures of beer bottles with a circle/slash (the universal NO symbol) as well as a drawing of a marijuana leaf with the circle slash and a pack of birth control pills with the circle slash. It also had positive messages about loving and trusting and walking with Jesus.
Then, Saturday evening we drove up to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire to hear the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra perform. The conductor of this group is also the High School's music director and also the conductor of the Greater Manchester Youth Symphony. He graciously allowed our daughter to play with them as they were doing some of her favorite pieces - Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Beethoven's 7th Symphony. The performance was almost sold out and it was indeed a magnificent event. I'm waiting for the CD to arrive so that I can listen to it in the car during my commute.
The basement has continued to seep water, and John has continued to pump, vacuum, and blow air across it. He says that it is looking better. I've been afraid to go down there myself but I probably should.
The rhubarb plant is very happy after all the rain. I'm hoping to have a great harvest this year.
Meanwhile, my posts about my friend Nancy were picked up by Amy Welbornthis morning. I haven't had an update yet today, but I'll let you know if and when I hear anything more - good or bad news. Meanwhile, I had a really scary thought and I hope that it is just my hyperactive imagination acting up.
If you were a really savvy pedophile, where would be the safest and best place to hang out and get your fixes? Where would you be not only allowed to but expected to view child pornography, make kids talk about sexual stuff, and watch/read/report about their naked physical bodies? How about the child sexual crimes unit of any big police force? Does anyone know how they screen cops to prevent this from happening?
Sorry to hear you are still having water problems at your home. So far we have been very lucky. Despite having a brook in our yard and a major river a quarter mile away (the Souhegan), our house has stayed dry. That is one blessing I'm grateful for as I watch local NH news.
A co-worker had leakage problems, bought a sump pump, and then had an extended power outage shortly after getting it setup. I think I'd blow a mental circuit breaker if that happened to me.
Best wishes for a dry home soon...
Continued prayers on the basement issue - ugh.
Congratulations on the upcoming Confirmations.
My understanding is they would run the typical background checks on every police officer candidate (although I know in the past that at the federal level, some enforcement agents were not screened. My brother was a federal enforcement agent, and he said it typically went like this: "Here's your gun. You're not crazy or anything, are you?")
If they're smart, most sex crimes units will have interviews conducted by two officers, or conducted by one and watched by someone else from behind a one-way mirror. That way there are multiple witnesses.
When I worked with my parish's youth group, we had to have two female and two male workers at the meetings so that there was a guarantee at all times that one worker of each gender was present. This was just to CYA, and it was before the scandals rocked the church. If a church youth group can figure this out, I imagine the police would have as well.
this is Nancy's eldest daughter, Jen
right now I'm an "alleged" child of my parents......
anyways we got an update a few minutes ago. Neil (the breastfed baby) is very sick again. A different CPS worker called to ask my mom if she'd drop off the medicine that the Urgent care prescribed for him. It's a cough medicine. He has RSV, a cough medicine is an over the counter drug, and they wanted him to take Ibuprofen too. what he needs are his parents, or at the least caring competent people who wil feed him his breastmilk and give him his nebulizer/SVN treatments).
(He was not sick when he was forcibly taken on friday. and it's not like we have cold nasty weather here either. )
For the record, I have tried emailing one of the major investigation news tv stations. I'll try others today. Mom (Nancy) has already emailed every pro life senator, and the arizona legislature has a law that has passed one session but must pass another and the governor's approval before becoming law. The legislature heard testimony from other government members about CPS workers lying and removing children without cause and that this law is needed to protect families. CPS of course is in an uproar.
(portions edited by site owner for clarity and protection)
Hello again:
Still praying for your family, Jen.
I would suggest you call newspaper reporters over TV reporters -- unless you're calling people at the highest levels. And it is important to somehow let CPS know your family is 1. documenting all of this; and 2. plans to share everything you know with a reporter, preferably someone big-name.
As for RSV -- that is a serious, serious respiratory virus for children under 3, and Neil should be seen by a doctor ASAP. (RSV tends to peak between March and June.) Your parents should request he see a doctor, and make a huge stink if CPS refuses, and document it. Refusal of adequate medical care is a form of child abuse. Your family doctor could be a big help in this -- he or she could demand to examine the child.
Finally, your parents should know they have the right to record any phone conversations they have with CPS, (and any other face-to-face conversation as well!) without informing CPS they are doing it -- so long as that tape is never broadcast. (They can get out of [i]any[/i] legal entanglements by stating at the start of the conversation that they are recording it.)
I strongly advise them to head to the local electronics store, and pick up a quality tape recorder and a phone plug-in, and to get the electronics guy to show them how to use it.
A record of every telephone conversation will be compelling evidence. As a reporter, I strongly advise it -- but if they do it, they should inform their lawyer and get state-specific legal advice.
Saint Michael the Archangel, protect Neil, his brother, and all of the children of this family. Saint Monica, pray for them. All holy men and women, pray for them.
Lord Jesus, please sway the hearts of the people involved in this, so that they may return these children to their loving family. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Mother Mary, protect little Neil. Bring all these children home to their parents where they belong. Amen.
I know a family who lost their son to RSV at around a year old. This should not be taken lightly. My heart breaks for this family.
I asked around about the sex-crimes issue.
According to one responder, cops are screened six ways from Sunday, and that would have shown up.
According to another responder, cops are shuffled out of the sex-crimes unit after a couple of years, both to prevent burnout and depression from the horrible stuff they see, and also to prevent the kind of salacious behavior you mentioned.
I hope this helps.