Even Now, You Can't Get Away With That

I've just seen the video of Judge William Adams beating his teenage daughter 7 years ago.

Should he be removed from the bench? yes. If legally. This is egregious.

Have I seen worse? Not in progress in an actual case I worked, but in results, much worse. In equally "respectable" homes.

Could he be right that his threat into withholding a Mercedes from a 23-yr-old daughter triggered this? And that matters, how? He hasn't beat her lately?

Great if he is screwed.

Do I think this abuse gives the daughter a free card on society? no. She doesn't have rights to the Mercedes (if ever) again.

I met worse stories in the break room at work. These were men and women who had grown up in neglect and abuse and chose to get out, educate themselves and get paid to stop it for others. And we talked easily, those with no abuse, those with abuse and neglect,in the break room, where we all griped about the price of cold caffeine.

A couple of reasons CPS workers don't get chosen for criminal trials: we might know some of the officers of the court, and we might be or know people who grew up in adversity and --surprise, surprise! have turned out to be law-abiding, college educated folks despite vicious, squalid cirumstances.

Actually, it's hard. A lot of folks can't do it.

Hard doesn't make impossible.

I used to be a newspaper reporter when that meant something. I always figured my job wss to let the public know what was going on, and live with what they, and I, voted at the polls. When it was this bad, the voters almost always voted the bad guys out.

Even as a kid, I knew the white hats didn't always win.

Then, I didn't know about the child beaters.

They never ever deserve to win.

Never ever.

Underage behavior? Never ever.

We clear about that?