Shifting sands of blame -- was Russell Yates really responsible?

Russell ignored medical advice about having more children. Russell knew that Andrea couldn't be left alone with the children and that was why his mother was always at the house. He lived in squalid conditions with a filthy, withdrawn wife who had attempted suicide. He cut her off from her family. He didn't help with the children. He overburdened this woman and knew what had happened when she called him with the news that day of the murders. No, he isn't guilty of murder, but he is guilty of child endangerment.

The only thing Russell Yates is guilty of is being a bad husband and father, and even that would be subjective. I don't really consider the not changing diapers or not giving Andrea time off from the kids reason to for her to go into a murderous rage. Nor do I see it as a condemnation of his character. Some men are like that but it doesn't mean they are lousy husbands or fathers.

Andreas lifestyle, minus the mental illness, was the most common lifestyle married women knew up until recent history. Maybe in hindsight it wasn't the life she would have chose had she known more. Obviously she is crazy, so maybe had she been a career woman instead of drowning her kids she would have "gone postal" on her coworkers.

Should she have been watched more and not allowed to be alone with the kids? As a monday morning quarterback it is quite easy to say "Yes, obviously." But we have to remember that they had just started leaving her alone for ONE hour a day. The logical expalnation for this would be that they thought she was getting better. It reminds me how my mom worked with us when she started leaving us home alone- first we got a little bit of time than as we did well we got a little more time.

Andrea Yates is the only one who ran that bathwater. She is the only one that chased down those poor children and held them underwater.If we are going to blame Russell for the bad judgement of leaving her alone with the kids then we also have to blame everyone who knew Andrea's situation. We have to blame the mother in law that came to babysit Andrea and the kids. Blame the mother and brother that didn't think enough was being done to help Andrea yet also didn't do anything to help or improve the situation. Blame the doctors that didn't realize the need to commit her as a "danger to others." If we're taking that road than we have to realize Russell isn't the only one who failed those kids and even Andrea, many people did.

This whole argument of Russell guilt is just so NOW-ish. If NOW, or any other liberal, is watching us they must be laughing over our "blame the man" game and the whole "poor victim Andrea" BS.

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