bring the noyz

It's incredibly easy to abuse a child. They're little. They're trusting. They don't know any better.

It's easier still to abuse a child with disabilities. . .

. . . to make a victim of the voiceless.

And it is exponentially more repugnant and repulsive.

When the abuse is masked in medical terms for medical reasons, when the abuser is a parent, primary care-giver and a trained medical professional. . .

And a giant fucking asshole with cantelope sized balls who's method is this freakish combination of bullying and bullshit designed to intimidate or coerce people into accepting or agreeing with his fucked up world view and ideas for caring for his child. . .

Yes yes yes, my dear reader, shades and shadows of Ms. von Munchausen indeed.

I wanna throw up just thinking about it.

For the past four days I have done little but wrestle with this issue.

I have a student in my class just for this summer. During the school year he attends his home campus, a local high school.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that his father is physically abusive. I have seen it. Three times now.

Each time I sat in stone silence, slack-jawed with astonishment at what I witnessed. I felt a terrible and nauseating sensation building in my stomach. I thought to myself, "Sweet fucking crap, if this is how the man acts towards his child when he knows there are people watching who have previously discussed the inappropriateness and overall wrongness of his actions with him, what the fuck does he do to the kid in the privacy of their home?"

Then I wondered about the mysterious injury in the middle of the student's back that has all the appearances of a burn, possibly caused by a cigarette.

Or the strange circular bald pattern above his forehead which dad insists is because his child self-injuriously bangs his head while citing it as evidence that he is inadequately supervised at school. To me it looks like it is regularly shaved and trimmed.

By a crazy punk ass bitch of a father who has little to do but clamor for attention.

Again, I am quite convinced. There is no doubt in my mind.

But therein lies the problem, no doubt in my mind.

My mind is not that of those who will be investigating my claims. Those who will be investigating are not so easily swayed. They are much more easily deceived and conned. They lack the knowledge and understanding to accurately assess the situation.

It is not their fault. Like the rest of us who toil on the behalf of children and people with disabilities, they are overworked and underpaid. The population of students I serve is literally such a minute portion of the total population they are easy to overlook. Those investigating have little to no experience, no baseline from which to guide their judgements.

We still live in a society where it is socially acceptable, however fucked-up ass-backwards and plain wrong, to strike a child as a means to discipline. I have learned that the line between just bad parenting and abuse is frequently quite wide, gray, and fuzzy.

This makes it even easier for the reprehensible behavior of the perpetrator to exist in this nebulous gray area masked with terms about therapies, behavior modification methods, medical necessity, blah blah blah as though the ends justify the means.

I mean really, we all need to eat. Food is a requirement. Nutrition is non-negotiable.

Agreed?

Okay.

Does that make it acceptable to push, shove, hit, slap, and shout at a kid to bully and badger him into eating? Does that make it acceptable to literally pick a kid up by the collar and push and toss him into a chair like an angry child who throws down a ragdoll? Does that make it acceptable to then grab the child's chin with one hand and force open his mouth, while using his elbow to pin the child's hands down? Does it make it acceptable to use the free hand to jab a spoonful of food into the kids mouth, blathering in a harsh and abrasive tone about the need to eat?

As I have stated, in my mind it is quite clear.

NO.

The right of an individual to be treated fairly, with respect and dignity at all times is the most basic of human rights. It is unbreachable.

[Or at least it should be. It is tragically unfortunate that those at the top levels of power apparently do not share that belief. They do not lead by their example. Some would say they scarcely lead at all, but that is a topic for a different rant.]

I am quite clear as to my course of action. The law requires it.

So I comply with the law and do what is morally and ethically right while remaining quite certain that my action will have no impact other than to come back and bite me on the ass. . .

. . . really fucking hard.

My experience with Ms. von Munchausen quite clearly illustrates to me those entrusted to protect individuals with disabilities are powerless, clueless, and quite useless at performing their duties.

I am angry.

Angry at at once again being unwillingly tossed into this situation.

Angry at the father who abuses his son to satisfy the needs of his own twisted ego.

Angry at the utter inability and ineptitude of The System set up to protect those who who cannot help themselves.

Angry at the Grandstanding Ego Gratifying Pig Sodomizing Dog Ball Sucking Political Heroes who talk the talk but have yet to try to walk.

I know nothing positive will come from my reporting this abuse. It will certainly do nothing to improve the situation of my student. It will only serve to anger an already disagreeable and litigious pompous egocentric fuckhead.

I am fully aware of the probable futility of my actions.

But nonetheless, I am compelled to act. It's just what I do.

"My Rocinante sailed by night on her final flight"

Let's hope not.
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