There’s nothing like having your family destroyed by bureaucrats to wake you up to the fact that there’s something terribly wrong with America, that there’s no real “liberty and justice for all,” and that much of the patriotism that was hard-boiled into us by public schools may be misplaced loyalty. I’m sure most of us love our country and still believe our Constitution was a great beginning for the USA, but now, after being victimized, traumatized, and stigmatized by the government we loved and trusted, do you still think America is the best nation in the world to live in?

I’m sure some will think that we’re still so lucky because we have “freedom of speech” … unless perhaps you’ve tried to tell a juvenile court judge your side of the story and been told to be quiet. When you’re not even allowed to defend yourself against government agents who lie, is there any real freedom of speech? Is there any justice left in this country?

I’d like to know your opinions.

As for me, my heart is broken. I thought I lived in a decent country but after twenty years of reading and listening to traumatized parents and children, after learning that children are being systematically poisoned with pharmaceuticals in foster care, after finding out all the dirty tricks social workers use to falsely accuse and persecute families, I can no longer believe that America is such a great place.

Our federal legislators don’t help change the laws. I hope every one of them is voted out of office save perhaps for Ron Paul, and I’m not sure about him. My trust has been shattered. Every one of those scoundrels that didn’t do a thing to help families harmed by CPS should be ousted. But I doubt it will happen. Most Americans are too fluoridated and dumbed down to even realize there’s a problem. If you tell them what’s wrong with this country, they’re instantly in a state of denial. They can’t deal with that information.

My heart aches severely for all the innocents in foreign countries that are being harmed by American soldiers overseas. The killings and maimings of children and other innocents in Afghanistan and Iraq weigh heavily on my heart. For many years people in Middle Eastern countries reviled and hated Americans. Now I’ve come to understand they were right. This country is horribly corrupt. I’m not sure if it is *hopelessly* corrupt but honestly, I don’t see much hope. I’m ashamed to be part of a country that kills children overseas. And that’s got me in a panic. I hope those people know that we’re not all in favor of these insane wars. Yet I know they must think we’re all responsible because we do so little to try to make them stop. Americans are so fluoridated, all they want to do is watch sitcoms on TV, go shopping for hot fashions, read about celebrities, and watch football games. Meanwhile our country now is into torture and child kidnapping under color of law.

So tell me – is the USA still the best country in the world?

Was it ever?

…

Tamekca Evett Walker, 26, has been convicted of killing a 17-month-old girl who was a foster child in her home. She said the child cried constantly and so she held her hand over the girl’s mouth until she was quiet.

Walker was found guilty of second-degree-murder. The foster child also had internal injuries and a diaper rash so severe she’d been bleeding.

Source: Sacto woman guilty of murdering foster child – AP article published July 21, 2009 in the Silicon Valley Mercury News.

My comment is that it is about time that foster parents are found guilty of murder, rather than of some lesser charge like child maltreatment, when foster children are killed.

Hannah Overton, 30, the Texas foster parent and Christian homeschooling mother of five convicted to life in prison without parole for the murder of a foster child, is asking for a new trial.

She was convicted in September 2007 because she allegedly forced a four year old, Andrew Burd, to drink a mixture of two cups water, salt, pepper, chili powder and Cajun spices as a punishment. Hannah’s version of this is different. She says the child requested the “Zatarain’s Seasoning” and she put it in water instead of on food because he had an overeating disorder. She says she did not force him to drink it as a punishment. Source: Free Hannah Overton Website.

While many more violent foster parents have gotten off with a mere hand-slap, this young woman was sentenced to life without parole even though she had no intention to kill the child. She reportedly panicked when she saw Andrew wasn’t breathing, and waited an hour and a half to call for medical assistance. This is what the prosecutor said made her responsible for Andrew’s death. Source: Woman Convicted In Foster Child’s Death Seeks New Trial published on November 7, 2008 at KWTX.com.

A commenter at Sarah Walston’s blog article about Hannah Overton said that the actual time Overton waited to take Andrew to the hospital was only five minutes, not an hour and a half.

This case shows that foster parenting is a dangerous occupation. For years now I’ve warned people NOT to get involved with the foster care industry because of the risk of false accusations, and because of things like this where foster children die or are murdered, and there must be accountability.

One foster parent wrote on Sarah Walston’s blog:
“This story TERRIFIES me because I currently have 2 foster children living in my home, and now I’m forced to think ‘What IF this happens to ME?’ This story shows how easily some unfortunate twist of fate, can leave someone wrongfully convicted…”

There is a website created by Overton’s Christian supporters: Free Hannah Overton.

My opinion on this is that she got a much longer sentence than she deserved. Without a doubt, forcing a child to drink hot spices is a form of child abuse, and she deserved some prison time if she actually did that, but to put her away for life without parole is far too much time, especially for a young woman who is unlikely to be a danger to society if set free.

Another blog article, Suffer the Children, gives an opposing view, criticizing the “Free Hannah Overton” movement and pointing to perceived flaws in the thinking and writing of those seeking to help her.

For a picture of Andrew Burd: Corpus Christi Couple Charged in Death.

See also: Hannah Overton convicted of killing foster son.

This case has become a favorite cause for bloggers, especially Christian bloggers:
Hannah Overton :: Pray for Hannan Overton :: Release Hannah Overton :: Free Hannah!!! :: Hannah Overton Alleged Salt Poisoning Case :: Urgent Prayer Request for Hannah Overton :: May God Bless Hannah Overton and Family :: Free Hannah Overton :: Free Hannah Overton.

Other FightCPS articles about Hannah Overton: Texas: Fosterer charged with murdering 4-yr-old boy with hot pepper

Hannah’s aunt posted extensive information on her MySpace blog in which she said part of the conviction relied on a FALSE affidavit filed by a CPS social worker! See: The Wrongful Conviction of Hannah Overton.

What is your opinion? Should Hannah Overton be freed? Should her sentence (life without parole) be exchanged for something less harsh? Or do you think she got what she deserved?

Twenty years ago, articles like these were suppressed. But now the media lets us know when foster parents are accused of killing foster children. States can no longer cover up the murder of children they claim to protect.

I read about these tragedies often, but many times don’t write about them here. Not only is it a source of fear and depression for people who use this site, whose children are being held in the foster care system, but I honestly can’t keep up with telling you about all the on-topic articles that are published. For more about children killed in foster care, see In Memory of Children Protected to Death by CPS.

The latest news is that a two-year-old girl, Alize Vick, was killed in a foster home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The foster parent, Jules Lynn Cuneo, 34, is accused of throwing Alize against a coffee table where she sustained a head injury. Instead of immediately rushing the child to a hospital or calling an ambulance, she put her in the shower and sprayed water on her, apparently in an attempt to revive her.

I don’t know if this foster parent is guilty of intentional abuse, or whether Alize was injured accidentally. Her first story was that she was bouncing Alize on her lap when the girl fell back and hit her head on the coffee table. Perhaps her decision to try to revive Alize in the shower was the most reasonable thing to do.

In any case, another “protected” foster child is dead, and the foster parent is being held without bail. The foster parent’s two natural children have been moved to another foster home, along with Alize Vick’s younger brother, Anthony.

Sources:
Foster parent arrested in death: 2-year-old allegedly thrown against coffee table and suffered severe head injuries by Erin Emery, for the Denver Post. Published October 12, 2007.
New Details on Foster Mother Accused of Murder by Nicole Vandeputte for KOAA News. Published October 12, 2007.