Sunday, March 1, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fema-evidence-of-fraud-in-hurricane-sandy-reports/

FEMA: Evidence of fraud in Hurricane Sandy reports
February 27, 2015


FEMA official says he has seen evidence of fraud in engineering reports used to deny thousands of Hurricane Sandy claims

Photograph – Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi interviews Brad Kieserman, FEMA Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance
 CBS NEWS

Thousands of people who have been denied flood insurance claims for homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy have been crying fraud. Now, the executive in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's insurance program tells 60 Minutes he has seen evidence of fraud in reports used to deny them full insurance payouts. The executive, Brad Kieserman, FEMA Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance, also tells correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi he has seen evidence of the use of unlicensed engineers for flood damage reports, another criminal act. What's more, he says FEMA has been aware of this evidence for more than a year. Kieserman speaks to Alfonsi for a 60 Minutes investigation into how fraud may have been the reason thousands of homeowners' claims were denied. Her report will be broadcast Sunday, March 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"I'm not going to sit here and conceal the fact that it happened. Because in the last three weeks, I've seen evidence of it," says Kieserman. He is referring to engineering reports that originally blamed flood water for severe structural home damage, but were then changed to say there was no structural damage to homes. The changed reports were used to justify a heavily reduced insurance payout. It's a scenario under which hundreds of Hurricane Sandy victims are now suing insurance companies and engineering firms, who are part of the FEMA-backed flood program.

Asked by Alfonsi if he had seen evidence that unlicensed engineers had been used, Kieserman replies, "Yes. Which is why I referred it to the Inspector General."

Kieserman then tells Alfonsi he believes there were "signals" of these problems in late 2013 -- a year after the storm -- that FEMA could have acted on. "This upset me very much... had [the signals] been elevated in the agency--[they] would have been very helpful in helping us help people earlier," says Kieserman.

He is referring to people like Bob Kaible of Long Beach, N.Y. Kaible said he had proof his engineering report had been altered to deny most of his claim. But he got nowhere with his insurance company. He tells Alfonsi, "We ended up having to sell the property...I had estimates of 300 to $350 to rebuild the house. I'm getting $60,000. What am I going to do?"

Kaible sued and his case was brought to the attention of Texas trial lawyer Steve Mostyn, who specializes in insurance cases. "The fraud is taking engineers' reports and changing them-- from saying there was structural damage to saying there's no structural damage, or giving the engineers a form to fill out that already has the conclusion of no structural damage," says Mostyn.

The insurance companies do it to save massive amounts of money, says Mostyn. The insurance companies are overseen by FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, a fund that is currently $23 billion in debt to the U.S. Treasury. Alfonsi asked Kieserman if anyone at FEMA told the insurance companies to "keep the claims down." Kieserman says he sees no evidence of it. "As far as I know, no one at FEMA has ever done that."

Kieserman also says the current settlement negotiations may not satisfy all of the Sandy homeowners. "...the program was never designed to make everyone whole," he tells Alfonsi.




“Thousands of people who have been denied flood insurance claims for homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy have been crying fraud. Now, the executive in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's insurance program tells 60 Minutes he has seen evidence of fraud in reports used to deny them full insurance payouts. The executive, Brad Kieserman, FEMA Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance, also tells correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi he has seen evidence of the use of unlicensed engineers for flood damage reports, another criminal act. What's more, he says FEMA has been aware of this evidence for more than a year. … Because in the last three weeks, I've seen evidence of it," says Kieserman. He is referring to engineering reports that originally blamed flood water for severe structural home damage, but were then changed to say there was no structural damage to homes. The changed reports were used to justify a heavily reduced insurance payout. It's a scenario under which hundreds of Hurricane Sandy victims are now suing insurance companies and engineering firms, who are part of the FEMA-backed flood program.... Kaible sued and his case was brought to the attention of Texas trial lawyer Steve Mostyn, who specializes in insurance cases. "The fraud is taking engineers' reports and changing them-- from saying there was structural damage to saying there's no structural damage, or giving the engineers a form to fill out that already has the conclusion of no structural damage," says Mostyn. The insurance companies do it to save massive amounts of money, says Mostyn. The insurance companies are overseen by FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, a fund that is currently $23 billion in debt to the U.S. Treasury. Alfonsi asked Kieserman if anyone at FEMA told the insurance companies to "keep the claims down." Kieserman says he sees no evidence of it. "As far as I know, no one at FEMA has ever done that."

The lawyer Mostyn blames the insurance companies and not FEMA. FEMA was in a scandal after Katrina, too, though I don't recall the details – they bought gazillions of low cost trailers and then failed to give them out fairly to people who had made claims to receive one. There were also complaints that their claim forms were difficult to use – perhaps they were on the Internet like Obamacare forms. Ever since DHS was set up under the Bush administration I have had the opinion that they simply had too many difficult tasks assigned to them. Also Republicans in Congress have been pushing for a smaller and smaller national budget, and that is undoubtedly the reason why the National Flood Insurance Program is, according to this article, $23 billion in debt to the US Treasury. The role of fraudulent engineers in writing the claim forms is also shameful, but for those forms to be accepted may be the fault of FEMA, too. It is shocking that nor only were forms changed to show less damage than actually occurred, but some insurance companies have given engineers a form on which a statement is written in ahead of the inspection to say that there is “no structural damage.” Also reports were accepted from people who have no engineering license at all, and that “he says FEMA has been aware of this evidence for more than a year.” I do hope legislators will act soon to clean FEMA up in every way. The federal government is the only source for help when a whole city is inundated by a hurricane, and other such events occur.





http://forward.com/articles/215584/missouri-republican-tom-schweich-commits-suicide-a/

Missouri Republican Tom Schweich Commits Suicide Amid Jewish Ancestry 'Whisper Campaign'
By Forward Staff
Published February 27, 2015.

Grandfather Taught Him Not To Ignore Anti-Semitism

Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich, a Republican candidate for governor, died on Thursday in an apparent suicide after he went public with allegations that rivals in the GOP planned to mount an anti-Semitic ‘whisper campaign” about his Jewish heritage.

The suicide came minutes after he called the Associated Press to accuse John Hancock, the head of the Missouri Republican Party. of making anti-Semitic comments about him.

Schweich was a churchgoing Episcopalian but his grandfather was Jewish.

Hancock later denied making anti-Semitic remarks about Schweich, but admitted that he believed Schweich was Jewish because of his last name.

“Until recently, I mistakenly believed that Tom Schweich was Jewish, but it was simply a part of what I believed to be his biography — no different than the fact that he was from St. Louis and had graduated from Harvard Law School,” Hancock said in a statement to the state’s Republican committee.

Political columnist Tony Messenger wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Schweich had disclosed the existence of the anti-Semitic “whisper campaign” a few days ago.

Schweich told the columnist his grandfather was Jewish, and that he was “very proud of his connection to the Jewish faith.”

“He said his grandfather taught him to never allow any anti-Semitism go unpunished, no matter how slight,” Messenger said in a written statement, the Post-Dispatch reported.

Even though the columnist conceded he didn’t know if the campaign drove Schweich to suicide, he believed it deeply disturbed the candidate, especially in a deeply conservative state where racism and anti-Semitism still loom large as evidenced by last year’s shooting rampage just across the border at a JCC in surburban Overland Park, Kansas.

He said his grandfather was Jewish, and that he was “very proud of his connection to the Jewish faith.”

“He said his grandfather taught him to never allow any anti-Semitism go unpunished, no matter how slight,” Messenger said in a written statement.

The Post-Dispatch reported that Schweich had contacted the Anti-Defamation League about his allegations.

Schweich, 54, had been re-elected in November after serving for four years and announced a month ago he would seek his party’s nomination for governor.

Police were called to Schweich’s house in Clayton, Missouri, shortly before 10 a.m. and found him with a gunshot wound, Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy told a news conference.

“Everything at this point suggests that it is an apparent suicide,” Murphy said, adding Schweich’s family was cooperating with the investigation.

Schweich was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead of a single gunshot wound, Murphy said, declining to say where the bullet struck him. A handgun was used and at least one family member was in the house at the time, he said.

Murphy said investigators were talking to Schweich’s family and friends. An autopsy is expected to be conducted on Friday, he said.

Schweich, a lawyer and former acting assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department, was “a brilliant, devoted and accomplished public servant who dedicated his career to making Missouri and the world a better place,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement.

Nixon ordered flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Schweich.

With Reuters and JTA

The Jewish Daily Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, The Jewish Daily Forwardrequires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, our spam filter prevents most links and certain key words from being posted and The Jewish Daily Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.

Read: Jewish GOP Donor Gave $200K to Tom Schweich


COMMENTS

Vik_S 91p · 2 days ago

Very sad for whatever Schweich was going through and for his family. I have to assume that he was emotionally unstable for other reasons as well. Suicide over an alleged whisper campaign when anti-Semitism isn't even all that much of a political concern? Something doesn't add up.

MichaelNJ 78p · 2 days ago

How does the shooting rampage by a sole gunman (who happened to be from Missouri) at the JCC in Overland Park, Kansas demonstrate that Missouri is a state where antisemitism "still looms large"? Is there any survey data that would support this claim?

Kenneth Kaplan · 2 days ago

Sad, but far-fetched to blame it on anti-Semitism, whispered or otherwise.

JacobFLove 1p · 2 days ago

Suicide is almost always the result of deep depression, a major mental illness. There are few cases of suicide in people without this illness, which is why in states like Oregon which have allowed suicide as a way to end life in the face of imminent terminal illness so many precautions are required. 

Certainly there are triggers, things that help push people along to the decision. But that is irrelevant, because if a person is suffering from this illness, then that person will find a trigger. If not this, then something else. 

What happened to this man was a tragedy. Insulting him or others is not a way to honor his memory.

jw0736 88p · 2 days ago

I am a 56 year-old Lutheran-Christian, Rock-Ribbed Republican male born in Kansas City. My mother once told me that we had a Jewish Maiden somewhere deep in our ancestry. If that is true... and even one drop of her blood made it to me, I couldn't be more proud. (And I would credit that drop for forming the attitudes I have today.) 

I stand with...

@Benkarkis · 2 days ago

This is a classic example of today's news reporting, make blanket statements about racism or anti semitism. With no factual support data. Every newspaper, not just this one, using personal opinion and acting like it is a fact.

Daniel1948 86p · 2 days ago

My mother always told me that if you scratch a racist, beneath the skin there is an anti-Semite. And many (most?) Republicans are racist, especially today. Oh, but the GOP Congress members will stand and clap for Netanyahu. Maybe because he, too, is a racist.

Pyotr7 31p · 1 day ago

Coruarum: I read your comment, didn't like your comment, so I clicked thumbs down. How is that "preconceived hate"-? As a Jewish American, I strong disagree with your characterization of the Obama administration, so I clicked thumbs down. I am glad that Pres. Obama, while remaining strongly supportive of Israel, has challenged Netanyahu's right wing government in some areas. Coraurum wildy exaggerates this healthy debate among allies as "...appears to care about anyone in the Middle East other than the State of Israel." I also think it was totally unsupported to claim that: "The article seemed to have an anti-Republican slant...."

Ben Hoffman 13p · 1 day ago

Only a self-hating Jew would be a Republican or vote Republican. It's like a black person joining the KKK. IT'S NOT IN YOUR BEST INTEREST.

strohs01 1p · 2 days ago

Very sad. It is also pathetic that, in 2015, a person's religious beliefs or the fact that people in his or her family were of a different faith even comes up as at all, never mind as a weakness. Anyone with at least a kindergarten and a semi-functional brain should know that it makes NO difference. It's a though some would think, "she's a convicted felon but she is the same denomination as me so I'll vote for her". I guess when the pilgrims left Europe because of religious persecution they should have kept going as 350 years later it still exists. It is sad that he could not be proud of his heritage versus taking his own life. Will good, long time residents of the state be run out of town because they are Muslim? Get out of the Dark Ages people.

Scott Graham · 22 hours ago

I don't know the man. And I don't disbelieve that the groups in the GOP run hateful racist whisper campaigns we specially against their own. You can spend some time on the whisper campaign against McCain in south Carolina where it was claimed that his non white adopted daughter was a result of him spending too much time behind the woodpile. It was ugly. 

But I find it really crappy journalism to make these kinds of speculations about why he took his own life. 

Right now I have a feeling that his friends and family know why and are doing what everyone who survives someone's suicide does...blaming themselves for not seeing the signs more clearly and being there to save him. 

I spend some time looking at editorial posting boards around the country and though that perhaps the forward was a place to discuss and argue issues relevant to Jews and Jewish life. But here it is...a christian republican who has only a remote connection to judiasm kills himself and the board is full of the same crud I see everywhere. 

A man killed himself. It was a bad day. I wish his family some peace.

TeklaEtole 79p · 1 day ago

I have no idea why he committed suicide. But I do know that mean spirited comments about the shape of his head or his personal appearance are just plain wrong. I wonder if the posters who made these comments are familiar with the concept of "Loshon Hara?"



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lashon_hara

Lashon hara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hebrew term lashon hara (or loshon hora) (Hebrew לשון הרע; "evil tongue") is thehalakhic term for derogatory speech about another person.[4] Lashon hara differs fromdefamation in that its focus is on the use of true speech for a wrongful purpose, rather than falsehood and harm arising. Speech is considered to be lashon hara if it says so mething negative about a person or party, is not previously known to the public, is not seriously intended to correct or improve a negative situation, and is true. Statements that fit this description are considered to be lashon hara, regardless of the method of communication that is used, whether it is through face-to-face conversation, a letter, telephone, or email, or even body language.
Lashon hara (lit. "evil tongue") is considered to be a very serious sin in the Jewish tradition. The communicator of Lashon Hara (and rechilut) violates the prohibition of "Lo telech rachil b'ameicha (Leviticus 19:16)."[5]
By contrast, hotzaat shem ra ("spreading a bad name"), also called hotzaat diba, ormotzi shem ra (lit. "putting out a bad name") consists of untrue remarks, and is best translated as "slander" or "defamation". Hotzaat shem ra is worse, and consequentially an even graver sin, than lashon hara.[4] And the act of gossiping is called rechilut, and is also forbidden by Jewish law.[4]




“Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich, a Republican candidate for governor, died on Thursday in an apparent suicide after he went public with allegations that rivals in the GOP planned to mount an anti-Semitic ‘whisper campaign” about his Jewish heritage. The suicide came minutes after he called the Associated Press to accuse John Hancock, the head of the Missouri Republican Party. of making anti-Semitic comments about him. Schweich was a churchgoing Episcopalian but his grandfather was Jewish. Hancock later denied making anti-Semitic remarks about Schweich, but admitted that he believed Schweich was Jewish because of his last name. “Until recently, I mistakenly believed that Tom Schweich was Jewish, but it was simply a part of what I believed to be his biography — no different than the fact that he was from St. Louis and had graduated from Harvard Law School,” Hancock said in a statement to the state’s Republican committee. Political columnist Tony Messenger wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Schweich had disclosed the existence of the anti-Semitic “whisper campaign” a few days ago. Schweich told the columnist his grandfather was Jewish, and that he was “very proud of his connection to the Jewish faith.” ….Schweich, a lawyer and former acting assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department, was “a brilliant, devoted and accomplished public servant who dedicated his career to making Missouri and the world a better place,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement. Nixon ordered flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Schweich.”

“He said his grandfather taught him to never allow any anti-Semitism go unpunished, no matter how slight,” Messenger said in a written statement, the Post-Dispatch reported.” I remember a classmate when I was in the 7th grade in school saying, when I asked her why so many Christians hate the Jews, “The Jews killed Jesus.” When I got to college and found that I didn't like my roommate I did meet a beautiful, intelligent and lively young woman who had slightly slanted eyes. I told my fiancee at the time that I thought she must have some Asian heritage, and he said, with great distaste, “She's Jewish.” A couple of years later he invited a close friend of his to lunch with us when I had invited my Jewish friend. His friend went up to her immediately when he saw her and said something to her that I couldn't hear. She looked furiously angry and turned on her heel to walk out. That young man then said to me “I don't like Jews.”

Neither he or my husband were strongly Christian in their faith, but they were highly biased against Jews and blacks. The social malady of Antisemitism was strongly entrenched in the South, along with racism of all kinds, among Republicans and other conservative groups such as “Dixiecrats”. It is a battle that we who are liberal or progressive in viewpoint are still having to fight. I thought these comments to the article showed an interesting spectrum of public opinions. It is interesting to me how many of the comments were almost disbelieving that the issue had come up again in the US. Peer pressure on people to be “politically correct” has covered group hatred over and hidden it, but it is not dead.




ABANDONMENT OF BABIES


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/indiana-baby-box-bill-debate-abandoned-newborns/

Do baby boxes make it easier to abandon newborns?
AP February 27, 2015

Photograph – A prototype of a baby box, where parents could surrender their newborns anonymously, is shown outside the fire station in Woodburn, Ind., Feb. 26, 2015.  AP PHOTO/MICHAEL CONROY

INDIANAPOLIS -- On the outside, the metal box looks like an oversized bread container. But what's inside could save an abandoned newborn's life.

The box is actually a newborn incubator, or baby box, and it could be showing up soon at Indiana hospitals, fire stations, churches and selected nonprofits under legislation that would give mothers in crisis a way to surrender their children safely and anonymously.

Indiana could be the first state to allow use of the baby boxes on a broad scale to prevent dangerous abandonments of infants if the bill, which unanimously passed the House this week, clears the state Senate. Republican state Rep. Casey Cox and child-safety advocates say they're unaware of any other states that have considered the issue at the level Indiana has.

Cox says his bill is a natural progression of the "safe haven" laws that exist in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Those give parents a legal way to surrender newborns at hospitals, police stations and other facilities without fear of prosecution so long as the child hasn't been harmed.

Many children, however, never make it that far. Dawn Geras, president of the Save the Abandoned Babies Foundation in Chicago, said safe haven laws have resulted in more than 2,800 safe surrenders since 1999. But more than 1,400 other children have been found illegally abandoned, nearly two-thirds of whom died.

Cox said his proposal draws on a centuries-old concept to help "those children that are left in the woods, those children that are abandoned in dangerous places."

Baby boxes, known in some countries as baby hatches or angel cradles, originated in medieval times, when convents were equipped with revolving doors known as "foundling wheels." Unwanted infants were placed in compartments in the doors, which were then rotated to get the infant inside.

Hundreds of children have been surrendered in modern-day versions in place in Europe and Asia. The devices are even the subject of a new documentary titled "The Drop Box," which chronicles the efforts of a pastor in Seoul, South Korea, to address child abandonment.

Supporters contend the boxes can save lives by offering women who can't face relinquishing a child in person a safe and anonymous alternative to abandonment or infanticide.

But critics say the boxes make it easier to abandon a child without exploring other options and contend they do nothing to address poverty and other societal issues that contribute to unwanted babies. Some baby hatches in China have been so overwhelmed by abandonments in recent years that local officials have restricted their use or closed them.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has called for a ban on the boxes in Europe and has urged countries to provide family planning and other support to address the root causes of abandonments, according to spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell.

Whether the U.S. is ready for the boxes is a matter of debate. Geras said many parents who surrender their children at safe haven sites need medical care that they won't get if they leave the baby in a box. Handing the child to a trained professional also provides an opportunity to determine whether the mother simply needs financial support or other help to develop a parenting plan.

"If you use a baby box, you have stripped away that option," Geras said. "There's a lot of things that need to be done to improve safe haven laws throughout the country, but that's not one of them."

A better approach, she said, is for states to spend more money to promote their existing laws.

Monica Kelsey, a Woodburn, Indiana, firefighter and medic who is president of Safe Haven Baby Boxes Inc., said the boxes aren't meant to circumvent the laws that already exist. Instead, they're part of a broader approach that includes increasing awareness about the laws and other options available to new mothers in crisis.

"If these boxes are the answer, great," she said. "We're trying to come at it from all angles."

Kelsey, who was abandoned in a hospital shortly after her birth because her mother's pregnancy was the result of rape, suggested the boxes to Cox and has formed a nonprofit that is working with a Fort Wayne, Indiana, company to develop a prototype. It would be about 2 feet long and be equipped with heating or cooling pads and sensors that would set off alarms when the box is opened and again when a weight is detected inside.

The boxes also would include a silent alarm that mothers could activate themselves by pushing a button.

"We're giving her the power to do what's right," Kelsey said. "We're hoping that these girls know that once they push that button, their baby will be saved."

She stressed that the boxes should be viewed as a "last resort" and would include a toll-free number staffed 24 hours a day by a counselor who would first ask the caller to surrender the baby to a person.

The state health department would regulate the boxes. Cox's bill, which covers children up to 31 days old, also would create a public registry listing box locations.

Kelsey said the bill expands safe haven locations to include churches and established nonprofits that deal with child-welfare issues to ensure that everyone has access.

"We want these locations to be able to accept a child if somebody ... thinks this is the only thing they can do," she said.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_hatch#History

Baby hatch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A baby hatch is a place where people (typically mothers) can bring babies, usually newborn, and leave them anonymously in a safe place to be found and cared for. This kind of arrangement was common in the Middle Ages and in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the device was known as a foundling wheel. Foundling wheels were taken out of use in the late 19th century but a modern form, the baby hatch, began to be introduced again from 1952[1] and since 2000 has come into use in many countries, notably in Germany where there are around 100 hatches[2][3] and in Pakistan where there are over 300 today.[1]

Baby hatches have existed in one form or another for centuries. The system was quite common in medieval times. From 1198 the first foundlingwheels (ruota dei trovatelli) were used in Italy; Pope Innocent III decreed that these should be installed in homes for foundlings so that women could leave their child in secret instead of killing them, a practice clearly evident from the numerous drowned infants found in in the River Tiber. 



Infant exposure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The motif of infant exposure is a recurring theme in mythology, especially among hero births. Some examples include:

Sargon, King of Agade - Exposed to the river.
Moses - Exposed in a vessel made of reeds on the river.
Karna - Exposed to the river.
Xuanzang - Exposed to the river on a wooden plank. The historical person he is based on never suffered such a fate.
Oedipus - Exposed in the mountains.
Paris - Exposed at the top of Mount Ida.
Telephus - Exposed on Mount Parthenion.
Perseus - Boxed and cast into the sea with his mother, Danaë.
Gilgamesh - Thrown from the acropolis.
Romulus and Remus - Exposed in a tub to the Tiber River.
Siegfried - Exposed in a glass vessel to the river.

Following the exposure, the infants are commonly reared by wild animals or adopted by lowly country folk, such as shepherds, before reaching maturity.

Interpretation[edit]

Otto Rank explores this topic in his book, The Myth of the Birth of the Hero. The exposure, especially in water, "signifies no more and no less than the symbolic expression of birth. The children come out of the water. The basket, box, or receptacle simply means the container, the womb; so that the exposure directly signifies the process of birth".

Further, according to Rank, these myths epitomize the natural psychological tension between parent and child. In all these stories there exists "a tendency to represent the parents as the first and most powerful opponents of the hero .... The vital peril, thus concealed in the representation of birth through exposure, actually exists in the process of birth itself. The overcoming of all these obstacles also expresses the idea that the future hero has actually overcome the greatest difficulties by virtue of his birth, for he has victoriously thwarted all attempts to prevent it." [1]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_abandonment

Child abandonment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Causes[edit]

Poverty is often a root cause of child abandonment. People in cultures with poor social welfare systems who are not financially capable of taking care of a child are more likely to abandon them. Political conditions, such as difficulty in adoption proceedings, may also contribute to child abandonment, as can the lack of institutions, such as orphanages, to take in children whom their parents cannot support.

Another common reason for baby dumping is teenage pregnancies. Pregnant teenagers experience problems during and after childbirth due to social and psychological distress. Abandonment is an alternative to abortion.

Education, family planning, government support, and post-natal services and support for motherhood are available tools for reducing this problem.

History[edit]

Historically, many cultures practiced abandonment of infants, called "infant exposure." Although such children would survive if taken up by others, exposure is often considered a form of infanticide—as described by Tertullian in hisApology: "it is certainly the more cruel way to kill... by exposure to cold and hunger and dogs."

Similarly, there have been instances of homicidal neglect by confinement of infants or children such as in the affair of the Osaka child abandonment case or the affair of 2 abandoned children in Calgary, Alberta, Canada by their motherRie Fujii.

Medieval laws in Europe governing child abandonment, as for example the Visigothic Code, often prescribed that the person who had taken up the child was entitled to the child's service as a slave.[1]

Conscripting or enslaving children into armies and labor pools often occurred as a consequence of war or pestilence when many children were left parentless. Abandoned children then became the ward of the state, military organization, or religious group. When this practice happened en masse, it had the advantage of ensuring the strength and continuity of cultural and religious practices in medieval society. [2]

The largest migration of abandoned children in history took place in the United States between 1854 and 1929. Over two hundred thousand orphans were forced onto railroad cars and shipped west, where any family desiring their services as laborers, maids, and servants used and abused them. Orphan trains were highly popular as a source of free labor. The sheer size of the displacement and degree of exploitation that occurred gave rise to new agencies and a series of laws that promoted adoption rather than indenture. Almost all children without parental care in the United States were in orphanages or foster arrangements until President Theodore Roosevelt declared the nuclear family was best able to serve as primary caretaker for the abandoned and orphaned. Inspired by his leadership, forces against institutionalization gathered momentum, and the practice of formal adoption gained popularity. Eventually, adoption became a quintessential American institution, embodying faith in social engineering and mobility.

By 1945, adoption was formulated as a legal act with consideration of the child’s best interests. The origin of the move toward secrecy and the sealing of all adoption and birth records began when Charles Loring Brace introduced the concept to prevent children from the orphan trains from returning to or being reclaimed by their parents. Brace feared the impact of the parents’ poverty and their Catholic religion, in particular, on the youth. Reformers during the Progressive Era later carried on this tradition of secrecy when drafting American laws. [3]




“Indiana could be the first state to allow use of the baby boxes on a broad scale to prevent dangerous abandonments of infants if the bill, which unanimously passed the House this week, clears the state Senate. Republican state Rep. Casey Cox and child-safety advocates say they're unaware of any other states that have considered the issue at the level Indiana has. Cox says his bill is a natural progression of the "safe haven" laws that exist in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. … Dawn Geras, president of the Save the Abandoned Babies Foundation in Chicago, said safe haven laws have resulted in more than 2,800 safe surrenders since 1999. But more than 1,400 other children have been found illegally abandoned, nearly two-thirds of whom died.... Baby boxes, known in some countries as baby hatches or angel cradles, originated in medieval times, when convents were equipped with revolving doors known as "foundling wheels." Unwanted infants were placed in compartments in the doors, which were then rotated to get the infant inside.... But critics say the boxes make it easier to abandon a child without exploring other options and contend they do nothing to address poverty and other societal issues that contribute to unwanted babies. Some baby hatches in China have been so overwhelmed by abandonments in recent years that local officials have restricted their use or closed them. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has called for a ban on the boxes in Europe and has urged countries to provide family planning and other support to address the root causes of abandonments, according to spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell.... Handing the child to a trained professional also provides an opportunity to determine whether the mother simply needs financial support or other help to develop a parenting plan. … Monica Kelsey, a Woodburn, Indiana, firefighter and medic who is president of Safe Haven Baby Boxes Inc., said the boxes aren't meant to circumvent the laws that already exist. Instead, they're part of a broader approach that includes increasing awareness about the laws and other options available to new mothers in crisis. "If these boxes are the answer, great," she said. "We're trying to come at it from all angles."... It would be about 2 feet long and be equipped with heating or cooling pads and sensors that would set off alarms when the box is opened and again when a weight is detected inside. The boxes also would include a silent alarm that mothers could activate themselves by pushing a button. "We're giving her the power to do what's right," Kelsey said. "We're hoping that these girls know that once they push that button, their baby will be saved."

I have never heard of “orphan trains” before, or of the legal use of such orphans as servants here in the US by people who wanted them for labor purposes. These several articles do show that this problem has existed as far back as the ancient Greeks when unwanted babies, especially physically deformed children, were “exposed” because they were deemed unable to survive. This business of special heated boxes, or the “wheels” that were installed in church doors for the purpose, are an improvement over the horrible cases when babies are found in dumpsters in modern times or out in the fields in ancient times. To me it should be sufficient if the mother can go to the hospital and leave her baby with the receptionist there, but I suppose some young mothers are afraid of repercussions for their action – such as their family punishing them for being “wayward.” Of the boxes or hatches in particular, there is some danger, it seems to me, of a baby being left there unattended, perhaps in cold weather, and dying as a result. The modern boxes do have a built in sensor that records the weight of the baby and sets off an alarm in the hospital, church or fire station so that the workers there can go out immediately and get the baby. Hopefully we won't run out of spaces for more children in our orphanages here, as has occurred in China according to another news article today.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/victor-arden-barnard-accused-maidens-group-minister-arrested-brazil/

Accused U.S. sex offender "minister" arrested in Brazil
AP March 1, 2015

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian authorities said Saturday they arrested a self-professed minister put on a U.S. most-wanted list for allegedly molesting two girls in a "Maidens Group" at his religious fellowship in rural Minnesota.

A statement posted on the website of the Public Security Secretariat for the Rio Grande do Norte state government reported the arrest of Victor Arden Barnard, 53. The U.S. Marshals Service also confirmed the arrest in a statement.

The Brazilian statement said police captured Barnard late Friday in an apartment near a paradisiacal white-sand beach in northeastern Brazil. He was being held in the city of Natal to await extradition to face charges in the U.S.

Bernard, who faces 59 counts of criminal sexual conduct, was on the most-wanted list of the U.S. Marshals Service.

According to a criminal complaint in the U.S., two women said they were among about 10 girls and young women who were chosen to live apart from their families in a camp that Barnard set up near Finlayson, Minnesota, about 90 miles north of Minneapolis.

One woman alleged Barnard sexually abused her beginning at age 13 and continuing until she was 22. The other said her abuse occurred between ages 12 and 20.

Barnard allegedly kept the girls isolated, and U.S. authorities have said he used religious coercion and intimidation to maintain his control over them, calling it cult-like behavior. He allegedly told one victim she would remain a virgin because he was a "man of God," according to a criminal complaint.

Investigators believe Barnard abused other girls but have been unable to get others to come forward. Most of the criminal counts against him carry maximum sentences of 30 years in prison.

Cindi Currie, who said she had visited Barnard's River Road Fellowship religious camp in Minnesota years ago and tried to persuade a friend to leave the group, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper that she can't wait to see Barnard behind bars.

"He has ruined more lives. That man is the devil incarnate," she said. "I'm just ready to cry. I'm so glad they found him. Not only will Victor Barnard go to jail, but every adult who knew what was going on up there can start to pay, and maybe these girls can start to heal."

The U.S. Marshals Service said Barnard initially left Minnesota in 2010, before the women came forward, and his whereabouts were unknown for some time. It was believed he and his followers had moved to Washington state.

Brazilian police inspector Paulo Henrique Oliveira told the news portal G1, the website of Brazil's biggest TV network, that Barnard entered the South American country legally in 2012.

Authorities said Barnard had been living for at least six months at the apartment where he was arrested near Praia da Pipa beach, about 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) from Rio de Janeiro.

Taken into custody with him was a 33-year-old Brazilian woman. Police also confiscated computers, cellphones, pen drives and other objects.




“Brazilian authorities said Saturday they arrested a self-professed minister put on a U.S. most-wanted list for allegedly molesting two girls in a "Maidens Group" at his religious fellowship in rural Minnesota. A statement posted on the website of the Public Security Secretariat for the Rio Grande do Norte state government reported the arrest of Victor Arden Barnard, 53. The U.S. Marshals Service also confirmed the arrest in a statement. The Brazilian statement said police captured Barnard late Friday in an apartment near a paradisiacal white-sand beach in northeastern Brazil. He was being held in the city of Natal to await extradition to face charges in the U.S.... Barnard allegedly kept the girls isolated, and U.S. authorities have said he used religious coercion and intimidation to maintain his control over them, calling it cult-like behavior. He allegedly told one victim she would remain a virgin because he was a "man of God," according to a criminal complaint.... Most of the criminal counts against him carry maximum sentences of 30 years in prison.... Not only will Victor Barnard go to jail, but every adult who knew what was going on up there can start to pay, and maybe these girls can start to heal." The U.S. Marshals Service said Barnard initially left Minnesota in 2010, before the women came forward, and his whereabouts were unknown for some time. It was believed he and his followers had moved to Washington state.... Brazilian police inspector Paulo Henrique Oliveira told the news portal G1, the website of Brazil's biggest TV network, that Barnard entered the South American country legally in 2012.”

This story would have been better if the writer had told how Barnard was discovered and tracked down. Every now and then one of these cult groups pop up, and usually sexual molestation is a part of the case. Also they usually have scams in which adults are attracted into their religious beliefs and a part of their membership requirement is to give up all their worldly goods. Scientology has been able to get a certain amount of public acceptance as “a religion” but as far as I'm concerned they are just a cult. Their in it as a way of making money and they perform brainwashing as a regular part of their “therapy.” I used to know a woman who had been in it, but had broken away from them. She had lots of unpleasant things to say about them.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sierra-leone-vice-president-sam-sumana-in-ebola-quarantine/

Sierra Leone vice president in Ebola quarantine
AP March 1, 2015

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone's vice president has put himself in quarantine following the death from Ebola of one of his security guards.

Vice President Sam Sumana voluntarily decided to quarantine himself for 21 days following the death from Ebola last Tuesday of one of his security personnel, according to a report issued late Saturday by the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation.

Sumana called on all those who have been in contact with the dead man to also put themselves in quarantine, said the report.

"The Vice President opted to quarantine himself because he wants to lead by example," Sierra Leone's Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Theo Nicol told the Associated Press. Sumana will carry out his official duties from home for 21 days, he said.

Sumana's dramatic quarantine comes as Sierra Leone is experiencing a rise in new Ebola cases which prompted President Ernest Bai Koroma to reinstate restrictions on Saturday.

Sierra Leone recorded 18 new cases of Ebola in the week ending Saturday, up from 16 new cases last week. This breaks the trend of declining cases in Sierra Leone. Many of the new clusters of cases are related to the capital's fishing industry.

The measures re-imposed include a nighttime ban on all boats launching from shore and from commercial vehicles off-loading goods in western market areas. Naval vessels will patrol the shore and wharves.

In addition there will be restrictions on ferries and health checkpoints by the police will be strengthened. Public transportation will be reinstated which limit the numbers of passengers in taxis to two in cars and four at the back of large taxi vans.




“Sumana called on all those who have been in contact with the dead man to also put themselves in quarantine, said the report. "The Vice President opted to quarantine himself because he wants to lead by example," Sierra Leone's Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Theo Nicol told the Associated Press. Sumana will carry out his official duties from home for 21 days, he said.... Sumana's dramatic quarantine comes as Sierra Leone is experiencing a rise in new Ebola cases which prompted President Ernest Bai Koroma to reinstate restrictions on Saturday. Sierra Leone recorded 18 new cases of Ebola in the week ending Saturday, up from 16 new cases last week. This breaks the trend of declining cases in Sierra Leone. Many of the new clusters of cases are related to the capital's fishing industry.”

I'm glad to see that the government in Sierra Leone is powerful enough to actually succeed in making restrictions on people's movement. In a situation of large numbers of people getting ill like this, and the extremely easy way the disease spreads, it amounts to a major human disaster. I was appalled at the nurse in the US who refused to go into quarantine and stay there. She knew enough about medicine that she should have known her behavior was very risky.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/netanyahu-speech-congress-demand-tickets-boehner/

Massive "demand for tickets" to Netanyahu speech, Boehner says
By REBECCA KAPLAN FACE THE NATION
March 1, 2015

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said the White House has "attacked" him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Netanyahu's planned address to Congress Tuesday in which he is expected to criticize international negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

"The demand for seats in the House, the demand for tickets, I've never seen anything like it. Everybody wants to be there," Boehner said. "What I do wonder is why the White House feels threatened because the Congress wants to support Israel and wants to hear what a trusted ally has to say. It has been, frankly, remarkable to me, the extent to which, over the last five or six weeks, the White House has attacked the Prime Minister, attacked me, for wanting to hear from one of our closest allies."

In January, Boehner invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress to talk about the Iran nuclear negotiations. He did so without consulting the White House, which some argue is a violation of protocol. The White House has said President Obama will not meet with Netanyahu while he is here, citing a precedent that U.S. officials have a longstanding practice of not meeting with foreign leaders so close to their elections. Israel's elections take place on March 17.

Additionally, after Netanyahu declined Senate Democrats' request to meet privately ahead of the speech, prominent congressional Democrats have been vowing to skip his appearance in their chamber. Vice President Joe Biden may also not attend.

The speaker said the strained relationship between Netanyahu and Mr. Obama "is no secret here in this town" but that the White House has "certainly made it worse over the last five or six weeks."

Boehner also defended the invitation, arguing that Congress has every right to invite a foreign leader to speak.

"The threat coming from Iran and the Iranians having a nuclear weapon is a threat to the region. It's a threat to the United States. And it's a threat to the rest of the world. This is a serious issue," he said.

"We're not going to resolve this issue by sticking our heads in the sand," Boehner added. "The prime minister can talk about this threat, I believe, better than anyone. And the United States Congress wants to hear from him. And so do the American people."

In a separate interview on "Face the Nation," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said she was "very concerned" about the speech, citing Netanyahu's 2011 address to Congress to discuss a peace plan for the region.

"I went to the speech in 2011. I didn't believe it was helpful then, and I don't believe its going to be helpful now," Feinstein said, though she said that she will attend and listen respectfully, if not "jump up and down" the way she is expecting many of her fellow lawmakers to respond.

She said that she hopes Netanyahu will discuss what would happen if there is no deal or if the U.S. backs out of the agreement but other world powers decide to move forward.

"What happens then to sanctions if we were to put on additional sanctions and the rest of the nations would not abide by them?" she said. "If he throws out the gauntlet again I'd like to know what they intend to do if there is not an agreement."

Boehner argued that the president did not say enough about the Iranians during his State of the Union address in January, and furthermore, he does not believe that the talks will succeed in rolling back Iran's nuclear program.

"From what we've all heard, what they've leaked out about these negotiations, it just doesn't strike me that the deal is going to be good enough," he said.

Former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was recently in Israel, said in a separate interview that he hopes Israel has not become a mere political football.

"There's some Washington politics involved in this. But let's hope and pray it doesn't spill over into a strained relationship with the one reliable ally that we have, basically, between Africa and Asia, and a very important one," he said.

He also rejected the idea that Netanyahu is using the speech to bolster his political profile back home ahead of Israel's elections later this month, citing in part a conversation with the prime minister during his recent visit.

"I feel like I know this country. I know many of the people in government, many of the people on the streets of Israel. And the fact is that they're separating the issue of the election from the existential threat that they face from the possibility of the Iranians having a nuclear weapon," Huckabee said. "Israel is the canary in the coalmine. Something happens to Israel, and that's not the end of it...we need to recognize the valuable strategic role that Israel plays in our own safety. This isn't just about Israel. This is about the safety of the United States."




“Former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee, who was recently in Israel, said in a separate interview that he hopes Israel has not become a mere political football.” As I read this article it looks exactly like a “political football,” or better still a legislative Food Fight, and Boehner threw the first piece of pie. Now the Democrats have to throw some, too. All this about wanting to stay away from an agreement with Iran on their nuclear program, which they swear is not a weapons program, is the way we keep putting polemics up as foreign policy. Many Republicans are hard set against the UN and international agreements in general. They claim that its aim is “one world government,” which was mentioned by Larry P. McDonald, a very conservative Democrat who was very concerned about a Communist takeover in the US. Many citizens here are very worried about Communism still. I'm more worried about NeoFascism. I see more signs of that in the daily news.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boris-nemtsov-killing-spurs-thousands-to-march-in-moscow/

Boris Nemtsov killing spurs thousands to march in Moscow
CBS/AP
March 1, 2015

MOSCOW - Carrying flowers, portraits and signs that said "I am not afraid," thousands of Russians marched Sunday in Moscow to mourn opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, whose slaying on the streets of the capital has shaken Russia's beleaguered opposition.

President Vladimir Putin has marginalized and intimidated his political opponents, jailing some and driving others into exile. Nemtsov, 55, was among the few prominent opposition figures who had refused to be cowed.

The mourners on Sunday marched to the bridge near the Kremlin where Nemtsov was gunned down shortly before midnight Friday.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of the once-jailed Russian punk protest group "Pussy Riot," tweeted a photo of a large crowd near the bridge with an "I am not afraid" sign.

The mood was somber, with a heavy police presence. Ilya Yashin, a friend and fellow opposition leader, said he hoped the killing would not frighten people.
"Essentially it is an act of terror. It is a political murder aimed at frightening the population, or the part of the population that supported Nemtsov and did not agree with the government," Yashin told The Associated Press. "I hope we won't get scared, that we will continue what Boris was doing."

The mourners were marching to the bridge near the Kremlin where Nemtsov was gunned down shortly before midnight Friday. The march could serve to energize the opposition or it could prove to be a brief outpouring of emotions that once again dissipates in a climate of fear.

Whoever was responsible for the slaying, the signal it sends to Putin's foes is that if Nemtsov can be killed for his political activism then no one is safe. As a former deputy prime minister and longtime politician, he retained strong ties among Russia's political and business elite.

Russia's federal investigative agency said it was looking into several possible motives for his killing.

The first possibility, the Investigative Committee said, was that the murder was aimed at destabilizing the political situation in Russia and Nemtsov was a "sacrificial victim for those who do not shun any method for achieving their political goals."

This suggestion echoed comments by Putin's spokesman and other Russian politicians that the attack was a "provocation" against the state.

Former CBS News Moscow bureau chief Beth Knobel told CBS News Radio there is some evidence to support this argument.

"It kind of hurts Putin to have somebody in the opposition killed because Nemtsov is going to be a martyr," Knobel said.

Additionally, the investigative agency said it was investigating whether the killing was connected to the Ukraine conflict, where Russia-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since last April, or whether there was a connection to Islamic extremism.

Opposition activists had planned a protest rally on Sunday, which the city demanded they hold in a suburban neighborhood. After Nemtsov's death, they called instead for a demonstration to mourn him in central Moscow. The city gave its quick approval.

Nemtsov was working on a report presenting evidence that he believed proved Russia's direct involvement in the separatist rebellion that has raged in eastern Ukraine since April. Moscow denies backing the rebels with troops and sophisticated weapons.

Putin ordered Russia's top law enforcement chiefs to personally oversee the investigation of Nemtsov's killing.

"Putin noted that this cruel murder has all the makings of a contract hit and is extremely provocative," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.

President Obama said the Russian people "lost one of the most dedicated and eloquent defenders of their rights."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Nemtsov's courage in criticizing Kremlin policies, and urged Putin to insure that the killers are brought to justice, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev echoed the suggestion that the killing was a provocation. "It's an attempt to push the situation into complications, maybe even to destabilizing the situation in the country," he was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

The widow of murdered Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko thinks the Russian government may have been involved in the murder of l Nemtsov.

Marina Litvinenko told BBC Radio on Sunday she thinks Nemtsov's slaying Friday night in Moscow seems to have been the Russian government's way of silencing critics of President Vladimir Putin, but offered no proof.

She said the Russian government has become particularly aggressive since the Ukraine crisis began. She called Nemtsov's death "absolutely devastating."




“Carrying flowers, portraits and signs that said "I am not afraid," thousands of Russians marched Sunday in Moscow to mourn opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, whose slaying on the streets of the capital has shaken Russia's beleaguered opposition. President Vladimir Putin has marginalized and intimidated his political opponents, jailing some and driving others into exile. Nemtsov, 55, was among the few prominent opposition figures who had refused to be cowed.... Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of the once-jailed Russian punk protest group "Pussy Riot," tweeted a photo of a large crowd near the bridge with an "I am not afraid" sign. The mood was somber, with a heavy police presence. Ilya Yashin, a friend and fellow opposition leader, said he hoped the killing would not frighten people.
"Essentially it is an act of terror. It is a political murder aimed at frightening the population, or the part of the population that supported Nemtsov and did not agree with the government," Yashin told The Associated Press. "I hope we won't get scared, that we will continue what Boris was doing."... Whoever was responsible for the slaying, the signal it sends to Putin's foes is that if Nemtsov can be killed for his political activism then no one is safe. As a former deputy prime minister and longtime politician, he retained strong ties among Russia's political and business elite.... Opposition activists had planned a protest rally on Sunday, which the city demanded they hold in a suburban neighborhood. After Nemtsov's death, they called instead for a demonstration to mourn him in central Moscow. The city gave its quick approval. Nemtsov was working on a report presenting evidence that he believed proved Russia's direct involvement in the separatist rebellion that has raged in eastern Ukraine since April. Moscow denies backing the rebels with troops and sophisticated weapons. Putin ordered Russia's top law enforcement chiefs to personally oversee the investigation of Nemtsov's killing.... Opposition activists had planned a protest rally on Sunday, which the city demanded they hold in a suburban neighborhood. After Nemtsov's death, they called instead for a demonstration to mourn him in central Moscow. The city gave its quick approval. Nemtsov was working on a report presenting evidence that he believed proved Russia's direct involvement in the separatist rebellion that has raged in eastern Ukraine since April. Moscow denies backing the rebels with troops and sophisticated weapons. Putin ordered Russia's top law enforcement chiefs to personally oversee the investigation of Nemtsov's killing.”

We will never know the exact truth about this killing, but I don't believe Putin's denial of responsibility. He denies their involvement in Ukraine all the time, which was one of the issues that Nemtsov had been speaking out about. I'm glad to see that there are citizens there who can get out and express themselves even after this. Marina Litvinenko spoke to BBC, saying that Russia has been “particularly aggressive since the Ukraine crisis began. There is a real danger to US security in letting Russia take over its old empire again. We will be fighting both Russia and ISIS, then.