Free Republic

An Open Letter to Terri 04/06/05 Dearest Terri, How can it be? How can I have loved you so much without ever having met you? How can my country have abandoned you and starved you to death? How can it be? I first heard of you on Catholic radio in 2003. Johnette Benkovic and Fr. Edmund Sylvia let us listeners know that a disabled woman might be killed merely because she couldn’t speak for herself. I began praying for you then, but suddenly the wheels of injustice had begun to crush you. Your starvation and dehydration began, and I wept...

PM faults other countries for deporting criminals to Jamaica By STEVENSON JACOBS, Associated Press June 17, 2004 KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica's prime minister said Wednesday that countries should take responsibility for their problems instead of deporting hundreds of Jamaican criminals to the island each year. P.J. Patterson's comments came less than a week after British officials said they would send home hundreds of Jamaicans behind bars in Britain to cut costs and ease overcrowding. The plan has angered some Jamaican officials who worry the influx will add to the Caribbean island's crime woes. Speaking at a conference of overseas Jamaicans...

Perilous childhood when innocence is betrayed COMMUNITY VOICES By PATRICIA THIGPEN Duct tape binds a child's body like frayed wire. An infant smothered in a fit of rage. Two kids flung out a second story window to see if they can fly. Young siblings left alone in a cold, dark apartment without food or warm clothing. A child burned beyond recognition as a disciplinary measure. An eight year old fighting back and pitched against the wall like a fastball. These are our Children and this is Abuse. Two powerful words linked together unnaturally. For almost two decades, our civilized nation...