Clearly Nebulous

The Littlest Casualties in the War on Drugs

A strong strance against the use of recreational drugs hasn't always made me popular. But having a father who was a Chicago police officer -- knowing that a drug user or dealer could easily mow him down -- I felt there was no way I could ever partake in good conscience.

So when I hear liberals, libertarians, or some conservatives talk about legalization, I really get my Irish up. All one has to do is hear read the stories -- not about the drug runners fighting it out with each other nor about the amounts of money being spent on the drug war -- but about the truly innocent casualties to realize what a mistake that would be.

                                                                 

I'm talking about the children of those who are trapped in the grips of drug addiction -- that is, addiction to legal prescription drugs. One can only imagine how widespread stories like this heartbreaking tale would be if we were to legalize cocaine, heroin, etc -- even marijuana.

"It is unclear how long the girls [ages 4, 3 and 18 months] had been shut in the room, but Robinson said it was probably at least several hours, adding that the children were hungry and filthy and the room was covered in feces.

[The parents] had been in the throes of drug abuse, using legally prescribed painkillers. When a neighbor came to help... [they] were passed out in their bedroom.

As darkness fell that night, the younger sisters became scared. The oldest girl used mattresses and a pile of clothes and toys to scale the wall... She got a few cupcakes from the kitchen, tossing them to her sisters before escaping the house.

The girl arrived at her neighbor’s door barefoot and carrying a flashlight.

...The neighbor went [and] freed the children and cleaned them in a bathroom. Then she took them to her house for dinner before calling police."

The parents have apparently been in jail since the incident in March and have undergone rehab and want the children back. They will probably not only get the children but also serve no more jail time, only probation. Lucky for them their 4-year-old was obviously quite intelligent and had a will to live -- otherwise the story may have had a very different, tragic ending.

God help those poor girls, and God help many more just like them if even more "prescription drugs" flood our streets.

 

This is what you get when you google "cops find children alone in apartment drugs."

 http://tinyurl.com/433ybwp 

China through the Eyes of a Mom of 6 Girls (and 1 Boy)

Most unexpectedly, I took a trip to China this past spring (thanks to a last-minute invite my husband received to join a press junket sponsored by a Chinese organization promoting good business relations with the U.S.) I have always had mixed feelings about the nation of China -- finding its modern political policies deplorable, but recognizing what an amazing cultural history it has. I knew an excursion there would be a challenge, but my personal feelings added to my apprehension.

You see, in January of this year I had discovered the organization All Girls Allowed. As a pro-life feminist I had long known about China's one-child policy, but this new group is revealing just how harmful this abhorrent program is.

Duly reported by Kathryn Jean Lopez of the National Review, AGA was founded by one of the student leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Chai Ling. Having been forced to abort twice, Ling is bearing witness to the coercive actions of the Chinese government and the devastating impact it is having in the lives of Chinese women and their families. She and others recently testified before Congress, in hopes that the U.S. administration would decry this wide-spread trampling of human rights.

So I prepared for my trip wanting to bring along this shirt I purchased from AGA to show my solidarity. My husband had already said (only half-jokingly) that there was a 50/50 chance one of us would get kicked out of the country if we expressed our views, so I decided against it.

 

This shirt says how at least 40 million young women are currently "missing" in China, since that is how many more young men reside there, even though there should be an approximately even ratio of males to females. However, the Chinese government itself says that the one-child policy has limited their population by hundreds of millions.

 

But I did bring along a picture of all of my children, as did my husband. We both showed the photo to as many people we could -- not to rub their noses in it, but to add to the debate in a small way. We felt our responses to their reactions could spread the notion of just how wrong this policy is.

Very often my husband was congratulated on finally getting a boy. He would say that each of his girls is a treasured gift as well. A couple of women I talked to expressed their desires to have a large family, but then very matter-of-factly stated their government's policy. They seemed so impassionately resigned that I have to admit I was stymied, not knowing what to say...

As I searched in vain for days for any pregnant women, and saw many little boys and fewer girls -- as I observed the majority of parents with only one child in tow, often escorted by grandparents, recalling the "Little Emperor Syndrome" and how it is spreading beyond the borders of China -- I grieved for all the little girls who were deemed "undesirable"  and "unworthy" and therefore "disposable."

 



I met this exuberant young woman in Tiananmen Square. She seemed so excited to meet me... but the honor was all mine. 

 

As I saw the beautiful smiling faces of so many young Chinese women, I wondered if they knew how "lucky" they were. If they feel like a treasured gift, like each of my daughters -- or merely a burden to their families. If they will remain under a regime that someday might rip their own daughters from them. Or if they will rise up to declare and reclaim their dignity and their value to their countrymen. 

I returned from my trip with so many amazing memories. And a tenacious resolve to help those smiling faces increase in number, not diminish. 

 

Make a donation to All Girls Allowed here. 

 

Hail to these Homecoming Queens!

One downside to going to an all-girls high school was that we didn't really have the true experience of homecoming: The pep rally, the football game, the dance, the homecoming court, etc.

I never really thought much of having missed out, but now that my own daughters are attending a public high school -- and one boyfriend is a contender for Homecoming King -- I can see that it is really something to experience. 

And this year there have been two Homecoming Queens crowned that are worth crowing about. First is a young woman who gets that you don't have to compromise your talents or your femininity. She's just as comfortable wearing a football helmet and a tiara. I'd like to see her as a future Miss America -- and as a member of the USA World Cup Soccer Champions!

 

 Not only was Brianna Amat crowned queen, but she kicked the game-winning field goal!

The other young woman was always known around the school for being a real sweetheart, and a true blue fan of her high school football team. She and her parents were simply thrilled that she made the top four. Watch as Mariah Slick -- who just so happens to have Downs syndrome -- is announced Homecoming Queen with her dad by her side:

 

And by golly, why couldn't Mariah be Miss America someday?

I was pleased as punch to show these stories to my daughters as evidence that it ain't only about fancy hair, piles of make-up, and a slinky dress. It's about the character of who you are that leads to the kind of success you can be proud of.