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Friday, November 05, 2004
This kind of stuff both infuriates and saddens me
If you are here for some political commentary or legal analysis, look at a different post. I am posting this as a father.
Stories like this scare me, anger me, and sadden me. This young man, a fifteen yaer old boy with a severe physical handicap, was tortured by someone in his special education classroom.
The teacher says she left him alone for a moment, and when she came back, he had a minor burn, apparently from a hot water faucet.
The water was so hot (170 degrees) it would have caused third degree burns within 2 seconds of skin contact. That's about 30 degrees hotter than most hot water tanks are maintained.
The kicker is, this young man is so physically disabled, he could not have done this to himself.
As a father of a child with a disability (Down's), I am terrified that something like this could happen to my Katie.
And if it were the result of a malignant act (as this appears to be), I greatly fear what impact of my reaction would have on my family. I have three other kids, and I would hate to do anything that would deprive them of my companionship and fatherly advice.
On the other hand, my anger at this event involving a total stranger is such that, were it to happen to my daughter, I am not sure i could control my reaction.
How can one be so inhumane to another person?
If I ever strike it rich and don't have to work for a living, I'd either take up cases like this and sue folks, or I would prosecute child abusers and other who do violence to the most innocent and helpless amongst us.
This is unconscionable.
- posted by MrSpkr @ 01:43
