Pond Scum

My sons are getting to the age where we really have to be careful about what they are watching on television. Half of the shows that are on at night would have been rated R when I was a kid. The CSI shows would have sent me into therapy if they were on during my formative years back in the 1970's. "In Search Of" freaked me out for flips sake. Thank God for Three's Company (more on that in another post). There is one show, however, that I will do anything to shield my kids from. It is called:

The evening news.

I swear I'd rather have my kids watch the Saw trilogy than the evening news. At least I could tell my kids that Saw I, II & III are "just stories." I watch the news, and I say "ahhh...that was just down the block." One good thing about the news - if you ever want to feel good about yourself, just turn on the news for countless examples of idiocy. The stories will make you feel like a combination of Einstein and Mother Theresa. Take the latest example of the so-called "parents" of the conjoined twins in Mankato, Minnesota. I use the term "parents" loosely, as you will see as this post develops.

To provide some background on this story, the twins were born back on November 9th by Cesarean. They were born face to face, and shared intestines and a bladder. Two months ago, the twins were separated at the Mayo clinic in a delicate procedure performed by a highly skilled medical team. Both the birth and surgery were "highly traumatic," according to reports. One of the boys is still at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, where doctors continue to care for him. The other boy was released from the Mayo on January 3rd, and allowed to stay with his "mother" and "father" (once again, I use the term loosely) at the Ronald McDonald house. Now - get this - the Olmstead County attorney's office has charged the twins parents, Robert Heck and Valerie James with felony first degree assault on the child.

Let's pause to reflect on those last words, and give my blood-pressure a chance to come back down a little.

Here is some more information from today's article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

"Complaints filed Monday and made public Tuesday allege the baby cried out Jan. 11 when the emergency room doctor at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester touched or moved his thighs, knees or ankles. An X-ray that day showed eight leg fractures, which the radiologist concluded were about seven days old, and 16 rib fractures, apparently more recent, the complaint states. Interviewed separately by an investigator, James and Heck said they were the only two adults caring for Jordan after his release from Mayo, and each denied knowing how the baby's bones were broken, according to the complaint. Both suggested the injuries could have been caused by the infant's car seat, police investigator Sherry Bush said."

The car seat? What was the car seat strapped to - the bumper? I'm not trying to be funny here, folks. This story makes me so mad that I am actually shaking while typing this. According to the report, a Mayo pediatrician remarked that "in his 30 years of practice he has never seen a baby with this number of fractures." The article goes on to say:

"After his release Jan. 3 from the Mayo Clinic, the baby, Jordan, his parents and sister Jayden, a toddler, stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester while waiting for his twin to become healthy enough to be discharged. Another Ronald McDonald House resident reported to investigators that on Jan. 10, the day before Jordan's parents sought emergency care for him, a man in the family's room was heard yelling, "Stop it, stop it. I have had it. That's enough. … Knock it off." In between the yelling, a child could be heard whimpering, the complaint says."

This jack-ass was screaming at the baby (and who knows what else) at THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE??? Now, I know we live in a county where a person is considered "innocent until proven guilty." There is some history here, however. I hope all of you are sitting down for this next part. The "father" has been accused of this type of behavior..........in the past:

"A former girlfriend filed an order for protection against Heck in 2004, according to the complaint filed this week. The woman alleged Heck injured her three children, ages 3 months to 3 years. Injuries described in the protection order included bruises, a leg fracture sustained by an 18-month-old and cigarette burns on the 3-month-old's fingers, according to the complaint."

OK. Let's think about this. I know it's been said a million times, but a person needs to buy a license to fish, but any moron can become a parent. And not just once - let's have more kids! Hey - the first three enrage me, but the fourth one will be different, RIGHT?

In addition, in my opinion, anyone who harms a defenseless child in any way (physical, emotional, etc.) is the lowest form of life on this earth and a Coward in the first degree. I feel very sorry for children who end up with parents like this through sheer chance - they have no say in the matter. Also, it never fails to amaze me the number of wonderful people who cannot have children for whatever reason, but shitheads like Robert Heck seem to have enough sperm for 100 people. And, wonderful parents like mine - Dewey and LaVonne - live relatively short lives because of health issues. Robert Heck? He'll live to be 120 - no question.

I will say this, and then it is time to move on. I would rather have my parents - Dewey and LaVonne - for one day of my life than have Robert Heck as my father for 100 years.

Peace,

Jeff