A Nashua, NH, mother who forced her 10 year old daughter to stand all night and write in a notebook has been sentenced to 2 – 10 years in prison.
According to newspaper reports, Theresa Bergeron, 37, formerly of Nashua, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless conduct, falsifying physical evidence and two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.
The investigation started when the girl arrived at school limping and with bruises on her feet. She told school officials about the previous day’s punishment by her mother. She had to stand from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. and write a phrase in a notebook. She was sprayed with water when she moved out of position.
Other punishments included:
–Confinement in a bedroom overnight, its heating duct taped shut in the winter. She had no blankets or clothes and could not access the bathroom.
–A diet of only Cheerios for breakfast and dinner.
–Getting struck with a crutch after eating too slowly.
This is one case of animal cruelty that PETA can leave to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to investigate.
Seems an employee at a Kentucky Fried Chicken store in Manchester, NH, was cleaning the exhaust hood above a deep-fryer unit when he fell into the fryer. He suffered burns to his arms, chest, and face.
As I have noted here before, PETA is in an on-going battle with KFC to find more humane methods of slaughtering the millions of chickens that end up those hot Friolaters. Mind you, they are not talking about giving up eating meat; they are pressing KFC to “harvest” their product without scalding chickens alive, breaking their beaks and bones, and otherwise abusing live animals.
If you have the stomach for chicken, perhaps you also have the backbone to watch this PETA investigative report about KFC’s operations. Or visit Kentucky Fried Cruelty for more information.
In the meantime, I would caution people about eating at a franchise where they not only practice animal cruelty, but lack the proper safety precautions to protect employees from cruel working conditions.
A mother in Manchester, NH, gave her 10 year old daughter a black eye and bloody lip for taking presents from a sibling. The mother is being held on $20,000 cash bail pending arraignment in Manchester District Court.
For those of you who think hitting children is OK, this is another instance where the “right” to beat your children turns into abuse and an assault and “endangering a child” charge. You might start off thinking you will never abuse your child, but a spanking leads to a slap, then a punch, then a kick, then a full-blown assault on your child. You will destroy your child and end up a felon.
Don’t spank children.
To read the story from the Union Leader, click here.
A voice for moderate Democrats and Independents, Rake Morgan believes that the best politics is a synthesis of political extremes. A long-time friend and supporter of Hillary Clinton, Rake is co-editor of the Hillary Clinton Quarterly. In "A Rake's Progress" he offers his take on politics, society, and the detritus of modern life. He lives in a small town in central New Hampshire.
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The header image for this blog is "Rake in Bedlam" from William Hogarth's series of prints entitled "A Rake's Progress."
Notebook
"A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help."
--Albert Schweitzer
A Rake Classic
Spanking children -- a euphemism for beating -- only teaches kids that violence is OK. Here is Rake's story about disciplining children and a news article about "hot saucing."
