Brendan Calling

Other People’s Kids

The most infuriating thing about this report is that is is more of the “other people’s kids” attitude that seems to rule Washington DC.

“Let’s have a war.. with other people’s kids.” (Only three members of Congress, perhaps four).

“Let’s cut reform welfare… it’s only other people’s kids.”

“Let’s cut human services spending by $13,000,000,000 billion dollars… it’s only other people’s kids.”

“OK, so Foley was a pervert, but he wa in the House Leadership. So he screwed around with kids… they were other people’s kids.”

The notion that failing to do ANYTHING about Mr. Foley, after knowing about his predations for over a fucking decade, is unacceptable. And not just in the abstract either: every day you read about some rotten-to-the-core douchebag going to jail because he or she didn’t bother to mention that someone in the household was using the kids as a punching bag or a cum dumpster. It’s called “aiding and abetting”, and refusing to report child abuse is a crime. It’s almost a daily occurence here in Philadelphia. All 50 states have some form of mandatory reporting for child abuse.

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CAPTA mandates “minimum definitions” for child abuse and sexual abuse. Child abuse or neglect is any recent act or failure to act:

o

Resulting in imminent risk of serious harm, death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation
o

Of a child (usually a person under the age of 18, but a younger age may be specified in cases not involving sexual abuse)
o

By a parent or caretaker who is responsible for the child’s welfare

Sexual abuse is defined as
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Employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct or any simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct; or
o

rape, and in cases of caretaker or inter-familial relationships, statutory rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children.

But it said it discovered a pattern of conduct on the part of many individuals “to remain willfully ignorant of the potential consequences” of Foley’s conduct.

This is business as usual in DC and it is a disgrace.

If it was their kids, you can bet this business about “no evidence that any current lawmakers or aides violated any rules, and recommended no sanctions in the case” would be out the window. But because it’s YOUR kids, who gives a rat’s ass? And by “rat” I mean Howard Berman, Doc Hastings, Mike Doyle, Melissa Hart, and every other scumbag that signed off on this stinking turd of a whitewash.

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