Free Republic

Studies show as many as 15 percent of children in wealthy nations are physically abused by guardians each year, but the alleged torture of a boy who stumbled into a Tracy fitness club battered, half-starved and in chains last week stands out for its cruelty, a leading child abuse expert says. Cases that severe are "not a very common thing." But they continuously pop up, said Carole Jenny, a pediatrics professor at Brown University's medical school. Underfunding and a lack of resources for child protective services is a huge problem, said Jenny, who called what authorities say happened to the...

SIMI VALLEY - Shawn Sage long dreamed of joining the military, and watching "Full Metal Jacket" last year really sold him on becoming a Marine. But last fall, a Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner dashed the foster teen's hopes of early enlistment for Marine sniper duty, plus a potential $10,000 signing bonus. In denying the Royal High School student delayed entry into the Marine Corps, Children's Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel reportedly told Sage and a recruiter that she didn't approve of the Iraq war, didn't trust recruiters and didn't support the military. "The judge said she didn't support the Iraq...

Drugging Our Poor by: Bethany Stotts, October 22, 2007 Many public schools have begun incorporating mental health screening tests into their curriculum, and may soon be analyzing family circumstances as a factor influencing low school performance under the No Child Left Behind requirements (NCLB). The proposed We Care Act (H.R. 3762) would amend the NCLB Act to stipulate that “Each State plan shall include an assessment of the nonacademic factors influencing student achievement, a description of public and private organizations and agencies within the State that are working to impact... including but not limited to state departments....and nonprofit youth development...

Foster Parents Left Toddler In Closet, Prosecutor Says Deters: Boy Was Dead When Couple Returned POSTED: 2:26 pm EDT August 28, 2006 UPDATED: 3:17 pm EDT August 28, 2006 Foster parents Liz and David Carroll have been arrested in connection with the disappearance and death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel. Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said the Carrolls have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Fiesel's foster family said the special-needs toddler disappeared from Julifs Park in Anderson Township almost three weeks ago, sparking a massive search for nearly three days. But Deters said the Carrolls left Fiesel in a closet for...

A near-unanimous state Supreme Court has swept aside an $8.3 million civil judgment against the state for the vicious beating in 1999 of a Somali refugee by a group of teenagers living in a West Seattle foster home.

AUSTIN - Gays, lesbians and bisexuals would not be allowed to become foster parents under an amendment added to the Child Protective Services reform bill tentatively approved in the House on Tuesday. Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, sponsored the amendment approved on a 81-58 vote. "I don't think it is right for young children to be exposed to this type of behavior when they are young and innocent," Talton said. "It is our responsibilty to make sure that we protect our most vulnerable children and I don't think we are doing that if we allow a foster parent that is homosesxual...

OCHESTER, N.Y. - A lawyer shot himself to death as jurors began deliberating whether he sexually assaulted two foster children he had been assigned to protect, authorities said Wednesday. Andrew Dunn, 40, a law guardian for children appearing in Rochester's family court, didn't arrive at his trial Tuesday, setting off a manhunt that ended later that day when troopers found his body on an embankment next to a creek. Dunn shot himself in the head with a 9-mm rifle he took from his brother's home, where he had been staying, and left a brief note that did not address his...

1/16/04 12:39:00 AM To: City and State desks, Political Reporter Contact: Ricardo Davis of Constitution Party of Georgia 770-924-8546; ga@constitutionparty.com ATLANTA, Jan. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In a public statement the Constitution Party of Georgia (CPGa) raised concerns over the current efforts of Gov. Perdue to amend the Georgia Constitution to encourage state funding of church ministries involved in charitable works. State Chairman Ricardo Davis of Woodstock stated that "Senate Resolution 560, the Faith-Based Initiative Amendment (FBIA), may undermine the ability of state-funded Christian ministries to communicate the life-changing message of the Gospel by limiting their Constitutionally-guaranteed right to free...