At anchor in ice in MD! - Child abuse charges.

quote:

Originally posted by PeteMrrs

The line as to weather the children belong in the "home" any longer are clear when basic needs as to food, water, sanitation or heat are not provided. They clearly belong in foster care or with relative placement.

The line as to weather the parents should be incarcerated for failure to provide these basic services are far more blurry.






I have to wonder if in this case, like others, the solution isn't to help the family thru the tough times rather than putting the kids in foster care.
 
Pascal, I'm with you. Help them financialy, put a treatment plan in place that may include parenting classes and financial training, help with employment and monitor this families progress very closely.

In this particular case though, the father may have so psch issues.
 
I really don't think it's anyone's business. Who am I or anyone else to tell another person how to live, the man said we had no where else to go. A boat is a hell of a lot better than wandering around on the streets, especially in that cesspool called Baltimore. Also he was at least making an attempt to keep his family together. Now his problems have just ballooned because of the stupid ass authorities in Baltimore. They need to work on solving crimes and murders before they worry about a family living on a boat.
 
Just what the hell is a parenting class and who is qualified to teach it. You? Me? My 90 year old cigarette smoking wooden spoon yielding mother? If kids came with an instruction manual, humans would have been extinct a long time ago.
 
quote:

Originally posted by knotheadcharters

I really don't think it's anyone's business. Who am I or anyone else to tell another person how to live, the man said we had no where else to go. A boat is a hell of a lot better than wandering around on the streets, especially in that cesspool called Baltimore. Also he was at least making an attempt to keep his family together. Now his problems have just ballooned because of the stupid ass authorities in Baltimore. They need to work on solving crimes and murders before they worry about a family living on a boat.






This has nothing to do with Baltimore. This was on the Magothy River which is closer to Annapolis than Baltimore. The last time I checked you've got no shortage of derelict boats in your state and plenty of law enforcement harassing the heck out of them. Have you been through Lake Worth by boat lately? That's some real nice floating examples of how to live near that bridge just north of Peanut Island, isn't it?
 
Kurt, Well no wonder he was living on a boat, between home prices and taxes. I lived in Baltimore for 20 years and Florida for 20 years, yes I have seen my fair share of derelict boats and I have not seen law enforcement harassing them??? So What? None of my business. If more people would mind there own business and stay out of others the world would be a little more pleasant. I just cruise on by.
 
I'm all for the same, Chris, but this case is a bit extreme. We've had lows in the lower teens and single digits quite often this winter (mid to low teens again this week). Somebody would have to be nuts to anchor here most winters, but especially this one. Add to that no heat on the boat and it's probably more cost effective to get them off while they're alive instead of after they're dead. I'm not very into "government knows best", my first thought was "what kind of idiot would anchor in the Magothy River in winter? If they were further south it would make more sense as they'd just blend in with the snowbirds.

One such example of Florida Law Enforcement being a bit over bearing when it comes to boats (especially in a mooring field):

http://cruisersnet.net/129366/

I would imagine the mooring field was put there in the first place to help with the derelict boat issue as other municipalities have done (Stuart is another example). It's a slippery slope and I can see both sides of the issue.
 
quote:

Originally posted by pstew96

Not everyone goes looking to Big Gov't for their every need, hopefully for them it was temporary, what buisness does the Gov't have throwing them in jail? Intrusive I think...





The government is representing the children who have little choice in matters like this. If parents won't or can't care for their children, somebody has to step in. They could have died. What then?

As for "home schooling", if you have little or no education yourself, how are you qualified to teach your children? At some point these children will grow to adulthood and need a diploma from a recognized school to get a decent job. There are people possibly qualified to home school their children but obviously not these people.
 
The early turn of the century solution to these type situations involved poor houses and labor homes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poorhouse
Seems inhumane to seperate children from their parents just because they've fallen on hard times. I think it would be best to keep the family together while provideing assistance with substenance while working towards a permanment self sustaining substenance as a family.
 
quote:

Originally posted by rtribble

...Seems inhumane to seperate children from their parents just because they've fallen on hard times. I think it would be best to keep the family together while provideing assistance with substenance while working towards a permanment self sustaining substenance as a family.





The parents have not just fallen on hard times, they've made some poor decisions as well. We don't know the whole story but I suspect this is not an isolated incident, that there is some history of poor decisions or instability on the parent's part.

I'll relate a story of an acrual incident in my state. Two children were taken away from their mother by the court because the mother could not provide a safe and suitable home environment. The court gave custody to the grandmother who eventually gave the children back to the mother without the court's knowlege or permission.

The mother (and the childern) were living in a storage trailer with electricity supplied through an extention cord from a nearby residence. The mother went out on an errand leaving the (five year old or so) children home alone. The trailer caught fire and both children died.

Some people are not mentally fit to be parents and in this case, even the government failed to protect these children from their mother's poor decisions.
 
quote:

Originally posted by rawidman

quote:

Originally posted by rtribble

...Seems inhumane to seperate children from their parents just because they've fallen on hard times. I think it would be best to keep the family together while provideing assistance with substenance while working towards a permanment self sustaining substenance as a family.





The parents have not just fallen on hard times, they've made some poor decisions as well. We don't know the whole story but I suspect this is not an isolated incident, that there is some history of poor decisions or instability on the parent's part.

I'll relate a story of an acrual incident in my state. Two children were taken away from their mother by the court because the mother could not provide a safe and suitable home environment. The court gave custody to the grandmother who eventually gave the children back to the mother without the court's knowlege or permission.

The mother (and the childern) were living in a storage trailer with electricity supplied through an extention cord from a nearby residence. The mother went out on an errand leaving the (five year old or so) children home alone. The trailer caught fire and both children died.

Some people are not mentally fit to be parents and in this case, even the government failed to protect these children from their mother's poor decisions.








While your above example is tragic, in the big scheme of things it is isolated. It is not in the Preamble or the Bill of Rights and therefore is not the government's place to step in as to who should or should not be a parent. It's a short trip from there to eugenics. IF you are suggesting that is the case, what is your preference; Spartan, T4 or North Carolina. It's a slippery slope with a not too distant past.
 
I don't pretend to even be able to imagine what goes through a parents head when forced to live this way. I certainly can't imagine how it is for the kids either. Without casting a stone of guilt on anyone, it's just a sad sad thing to hear about.
 
I feel terrible sorrow for all involved. I am not about to judge the parents not knowing the entire story. 14 and 15 year old's are hardly children in today's society.
This is a bad situation all around. Too bad they weren't further south it's been a brutal winter.
Bill
 
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