Scouting in the Woods

My little brother was a boy scout for a short period of time. He only went to a couple of camp outs. My mother boycotted the Boy Scout idea after the last camp out he attended. He came home filled with stories of massive wedgie attacks (not minor wedgies but horrendous stretch your underwear up somewhere maybe on your head? I don't remember where and I don't have a point of reference not being male) on younger boys by the older troops and troop leaders. (thus in my mind forever after, the boy scout official name has been "Wedgie Boy", I cannot erase the connotation) There were also disturbing tales of rampant nakedness in the woods, both adult and child nakedness.

My mother decided that this particular troop was a little, well, weird. (she probably was not a good judge, she had trouble with the whole raising a boy thing.) I actually agreed with her at the time. (why would an adult give a child a wedgie?) (Why run naked thru the woods? This was many years ago and to be honest the thing that bothered me the most about the naked in the woods thing was the poison ivy. WHAT ABOUT THE POISON IVY YOU FOOLS AS YOU RUN NAKED THRU THE WOODS GIGGLING, AND DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE!

Don't get me wrong, I have no evidence the Boy Scouts are not a healthy club for boys. To the contrary, I think that the majority of Boy Scout troops are probably great places for boys to learn useful things and to hang out with adult males.

Over the years, I have stumbled on a few stories about Boy Scout leaders going awry. The Boy Scouts aren't the only organization beset by accusations of wrong doing by leaders, any profession or organization that deals with children seems to be fair game for predators.

Nothing like this however:
Longtime Program Director of the Boy Scouts and chairmain of it's Youth Protection Task Force pleaded guilty in court today to a charge of possession and distribution of child pornography.


Makes me feel downright queasy when I think that he could have been giggling naked in the woods and giving poor younger boy scouts wedgies.

Easter Sunrise

dogwood
Originally uploaded by E_llie.

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said."

Matt 28:6

Happy Easter!

Death Sentence Upheld Today

Florida Judge rejects latest and said to be final, Shiavo Appeal


I have been so upset about this case, I have been unable to blog about it. Terry Shiavo's last appeal against her death sentence was turned down today. She did not have a living will, is not terminally ill, was NOT brain dead since she apparently recognized her parents.

Her sentence, death by slow starvation and dehydration. Her crime? Becoming incompacitated under what can only be called, suspicous circumstances.

I can only pray for her family, and pray that her death will come swiftly.

Cartoons from a Killer

The Smoking Gun website has posted an animated cartoon created by Jeff Weiss, the kid who killed 9 people before shooting himself. In this animated cartoon, the character commits suicide after his bloody rampage. There is also a link to his MSN personal website profile.

If you want a detailed psychological analysis of these cartoons, MSNBC has an interview with Dr. Katherine Newman, author of the book "Rampage" posted on it's website.

Among the things disclosed on these websites:
One of Weiss' favorite movies was Dawn of the Dead.
His favorite quote was "We are little flames, poorly sheltered by frail walls against the storm of dissolution and madness, in which we flicker and sometimes almost go out." - Wehrmacht Private Paul Baumer, All Quiet on the Western Front

Jeff Weiss Identified as Shooter at Minn School

His name was Jeff Weiss and he was 16 or 17. He killed himself after killing 9 other people, starting with his grandparents.

He dressed in black, wore a trench coat, (note the similarity between Columbine killers), wore eyeliner, wrote stories about zombies, created comic books with graphic pictures of death, and may have posted messages on a neo-Nazi Web site supporting Adolph Hitler using the name Todsengel or Angel of Death.

He had been placed on the schools Homebound program for violation of school policy. He was a loner who was often teased by others (Columbine similarities again). It has been reported that his father committed suicide 4 years ago and that his mother lives in a nursing home, disabled by brain injuries suffered in a car accident. He lived with his grandfather, Daryl Lussier and his grandfather's live in companion, Michelle Sigana.


Link to Red Lake High School where tragedy occured. It has pictures of the school and hallways.

Link to Red Lake Band of Indians web site.
The story below this one gives more details about the incident.

He was Grinning and Waving as He Shot Fellow Students

Updated: The death toll now stands at 10 and it is currently being reported he was grinning and waving as he was shooting....
Star Tribune
In September 2003, central Minnesota's Rocori High School, had a shooting incident that killed two students, Aaron Rollins and Seth Bartell.

It has happened again in Minnesota, this time at the Red Lake Indian Reservation, about 240 miles north of the Twin Cities.

In the worst school shooting since Columbine, a student, whose name has not been released, first shot his grandparents, then he went to his high school and killed 6 students and wounded 14 to 15 more. He was found dead at the scene. It is believed that he killed himself.

There are few details as of yet, but it is being reported that all the dead were in one room. Tribal fire marsal Roman Stately told reporters the shooter entered the school around 2pm, shot a security guard, then walked down the hall to a classroom where he shot a teacher and more students. He was armed with a shotgun and two handguns.

There is no word on a motive at this time.

Nurse to Patient Ratio becomes Law

California

Touted as a victory by the California Nurses Association, a California low now puts the patient to nurse ration for general medical care at 1:5, it was 1:6. For emergency room services, the new ratio is 1:4. The opposing viewpoint states California is already short 14,000 nurses. The new law could close hospitals unable to fulfill the mandate.

Governor Swartzenegger plans to appeal the ruling.

John Evander Cooey being sought for questioning in disappearance of Jessica Lunsford.

Cooey a convicted sex offender can be seen here in an undated photo. He has some ties to Jessica, the police are not releasing the nature of those ties. John Cooey was last seen in Savannah Georgia and has a warrant out for his arrest for failing to report to his probation officer. Officials believe he has left the area.

Horrific France Sex Abuse Case

If some of the perpatrators had not confessed you would think this latest sex abuse scandal was fabricated by it's accusers. In the 430 page description of charges, a group of parents and friends have been accused of passing their children around for sexual pleasure. Selling their offspring for booze and cigarettes while the children screamed in the next room. The number of accused stands at 66, the victims 44.

Angers, France
Twenty-seven of the accused are women. The victims, girls and boys, ranged in age from 6 months to 16 years. Some of the defendants have confessed, lawyers said.

Mommy Dearest

Mommy Dearest
Originally uploaded by E_llie.

Police in Instanbul Turkey have arrested a man posing as his dead mother to collect her retirement check.

He showed up at a bank, dressed in womans clothes complete with proper support hose. The officials became suspicious of their account holders deep voice. A manager secretly photographed him and called police.

Serafettin Gencel, told police that his 68 year old mother had been dead 2 years. He had buried her body in the basement at her death to be able to collect her checks.

Police are exhuming the body to see if foul play was involved. The man is being held on various charges.

Animal House?

ARCADIA, Fla. - Violent sexual predators at a privately operated state treatment center brew their own alcohol, wander around "staggering drunk" and often have brutal fights, investigators found.

25.5 Million To Be Paid By U.S. for Nazi Era Plundering

MIAMI - The federal government on Friday reached a $25.5 million settlement with the families of Hungarian Holocaust victims and will acknowledge the U.S. Army's role in commandeering a trainload of the families' treasures during World War II.

How was BTK caught?

If you are looking for one stop shopping for information on Dennis Rader, check out the Johnsville News, a blogger site. The information is comprehensive and contains links to photos of BTK from the 70's thru 2005. It also contains links to court transcripts, videos, and more information about the victims.

You will also find in-depth analysis of the developing case and up to date information on how BTK was caught, and more information to the ongoing question, about Kerri Rader's role in her fathers capture.

Haunted Desert

She was found a decade ago, in a ravine at the bottom of Sycamore Canyon in Yavapai Canyon, Arizona. She had already been dead about a year. She was 9 months pregnant, had on Gap jeans, a solar shield from a recent eye surgery. Her clothes matched, she was well dressed. She was from between 5 foot 2 inches to 5 foot 5 inches tall. She had a straw hat, purple hair clip, a hooded sweat shirt and a day bag. Her black, green and blue bathing suit hung from a tree. Not the description of your typical unclaimed body.

What happened? How did she get there? Was she left to die by the babies father? Was she unable to climb out? Was the bathing suit hung from the tree as a help signal?

Her remains are one of 150 people that Laura Fulginiti, forensic anthropologist stores at her downtown Phoenix office.

Remembering "Bloody Sunday"

Have you seen the tape of this event? There were families complete with small children, marching across that bridge in Selma, AL.

"F orty years ago today, 500 people marching for civil rights crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Ala., on their way to Montgomery to protest the murder of a young demonstrator, Jimmy Lee Jackson".

Prison Fire In Domincan Republic Kills 133

Like most prisons, this one was overcrowded. Built to house 100, it held 500. The firefighters that responded to the blaze could not get into the building. The locks had been filled with sand by prisoners.

The fire was set by rival gangs fighting to gain control of the prison using knives, machetes an guns.

133 were killed and at least 26 injured.

Pot Smokers Seeking Treatment?

For years it has been touted as a lesser of evils by some, a gateway drug by others.

Chronic pot smokers are stereotyped as being "eternal hippies" laid back and seeking undemanding career paths. Relying on spouses or family members to take on the responsibilities of the world.

A new study released by the federal government claims that more people are actually seeking treatment for marijuana use. The figures given show that numbers of imbibers seeking help have more than doubled since 1992.

Advocates of legalizing marijuana use disagree stating that the laws have changed and people are being given a choice to get help or serve jail time.

Whatever the reason for the increase in treatment, I have observed a few stereotypical pot smokers. Mostly, Peter Pans and Janes that never quite grew up.

One in particular, who is dearly loved and a great friend to his children. A creative, highly intelligent person, who writes poetry on the refrigerator, but works a job far below his capabilities. He lets most of the adult responsibilities fall on his wifes shoulders.

Who knows the things he might have accomplished, the contributions he might have made, had he stopped smoking pot. I don't think it bothers him though. He is a great person, but he doesn't think the pot thing is a problem. He doesn't seem to mind that he could be a college professor or a great writer and that he settled for less. He doesn't seem to care.

No More Death Penalty for Teen Agers

I know they have committed, in some cases, heinous crimes. Maybe it is because I remember what it was like to be under 18, a teenager and incredibly stupid. Maybe it is because I have teenage kids and see their immaturity. Right or wrong, I am happy that kids under 18 can no longer be sentenced to death.

Here is a list of some real Arizona cases. At the time of their crimes these kids were under 18. They were tried and were on death row until today. As of today, as much as we might hate what they did, they can no longer be put to death for these crimes.