Dallas Theatre Center actor not indicted in molestation case

A Dallas Co. grand jury Friday declined to indict the Dallas Theatre Center actor who was accused of molesting a young relative last year.

Hassan Shareef El-Amin, 53, had performed in a Christmas play starring several child actors while the case was pending.

That attracted some concern, understandably so.

He had been arrested by DeSoto police last November on one charge of indecency with a child.

But he claimed all along that the charge was made as part of a nasty divorce proceeding.

We all know how nasty those can get.

The Dallas Theatre Center had stood by him despite the accusations and allowed him to keep working because they said he was “an outstanding professional actor” and should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

Let’s hope he is, for everybody’s sake in the community!

Backyard train operator ordered to mental hospital before standing trial for child molestation

The former backyard train operator from Keller who was charged with 14 counts of child molestation has been ordered to the Vernon State mental hospital before he can stand trial. He’s also a former Church of Christ preacher in Haslet TX.

Problem is that the hospital is filled that he can’t be admitted until they make room.

Clinton Don Simpson, 66, will be kept under house arrest until they do.

He and his attorney claim he is innocent, and suffering from all kinds of problems since being charged and arrested.

Read more details in the Dallas Morning News here.

“Healthy Families Dallas” succeeding to prevent, reduce child abuse in DFW

There are several programs in DFW which are succeeding to prevent and reduce child abuse/neglect.

For example, Healthy Families Dallas, part of Healthy Families America, has achieved success in the inner city by assisting families at high risk for perpetrating child maltreatment. Working with other agencies, such as the Exchange Clubs in Dallas, health and nurse practioners visit homes and teach parents one-on-one how to properly raise children.

According to TexProtects, which has been instrumental in lobbying for reforms to protect children in Texas, Healthy Families spends only $3,000 per family per year to prevent child abuse, while the state of Texas spends $34,000 annually per family after a child is abused or neglected.

They propose that if the State would invest just $360 million to increase funding for Healthy Families initiatives – before maltreatment even becomes an issue – then the investment would prove to be a cost savings to the state within one to four years, let alone the good it would do for children and families.

TexProtects claims that for every dollar we spend on treating child maltreatment victims, if we would spend seven to nine cents to prevent victimization, we would then save millions of dollars dealing with the after-effects, plus save thousands of lives and the futures of children at risk.

We agree!

The Dallas-based agency suggests offering prevention programs such as Healthy Families Dallas to approximately 120,000 Texas families to make a measureable impact.

Why would any legislator not agree to try this proven approach?

Child abuse continues to rage across Texas and America

About one million confirmed cases of child abuse/neglect, such as “Baby Grace,” occur each year across the U.S.

Four  children die every day in America, as a result.

In Texas, over 50,000 children are confirmed victims each year.

Two hundred thirty-three children died in the Lone Star state in 2007.

Tragically, experts believe there are actually three or four times more cases than reported.

Neglect occurs more often – in about 60 percent of cases, according to the nation’s CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).

Over 90 percent of child abuse/neglect is performed by the biological parents – about 60 percent by young mothers.

Children under four are most at risk, who are growing up in stressful situations, frequently caused by family violence, alcohol and drug use, health problems and poverty. Black, Hispanic, American Indian and mixed race children are also at a higher risk than Causasian.

Unfortunately, the rate of unwed teen pregnancies increased this year – after years of decreasing pregnancies. These parents are at particularly high risk of abusing their children.

Research clearly reveals that babies born to unwed mothers will have far better lives if placed for adoption. But most mothers and grandmothers keep the babies, who generally grow up in poverty and stressful situations – all adding to the likelihood of abuse or neglect.

Convincing unwed mothers, the fathers and their parents to offer babies up for adoption would go far towards reducing child maltreatment and give many more children a better chance in life.

Baby Grace endured daylong torture session before death

Two-year-old “Baby Grace”

One of the most sickening child abuse stories I’ve ever read is posted on WFAA-TV’s website today, quoting the mother describing how she and the so-called father of two-year-old Baby Grace tortured and killed her for not saying “please,” “thank you” and “yes, sir.”  This was before they placed her battered, broken body in a plastic container and then threw it in Galveston Bay to cover up their atrocities.

You can read the story here, but be prepared for disgusting details.

While most everyone seems to agree that these “animals” should face a fate worse than death for their actions, what amazes me is that, according to Texas law, neither can face the death penalty because “the prosecutors didn’t think they could prove that the pair would be a future danger,” apparently a requirement for such a punishment.

Now how difficult could that be, prosecutors? Would any jury have any doubt – knowing what these parents did – that they would do it again, given half a chance?

The defense attorney was quoted as saying that the mother never intended to kill her daughter and that things just “spun out of control.”

Yeh, right, just out of control. Like there ever was any control in the first place! What did the idiot mother think would happen if she kept hitting her with a belt and dunking her in a bathtub of cold water?

Oh well, maybe placing them in prison with inmates will be the best punishment, after all. We all know how badly that inmates hate child abusers and what they do to them. Perhaps these parents will get to feel a least a little of the abuse which Grace had to experience.

What I wonder is what terrible things were done to the mother and especially the father when she and he were children to cause them to act so mercilessly towards a sweet little girl? The rage inside of him was like Hurricane Ike. The father literally flung the little girl across the room so violently that the room actually shook, according to the mother’s testimony. He even took a day off work to discipline her.

What a psycho!!!!!!!!! But not insane, because he and she planned out their moves and knew what they were doing when they dumped her body.

Child abusers frequently were abused as children. The background of both sets of grandparents should be investigated. Might there be any other siblings or family members who were also maltreated during the years?

At least Baby Grace is in a far better place now.

Coincidentally, this morning, I read the words of Jesus Christ who warned anyone who would even offend a child, much less abuse one: “

‘But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea’ (Matt. 18:6).

That is very strong language from the Prince of Peace, the Son of God.

And it should be.

Dating violence epidemic raging out of control in Texas

The nationwide dating violence epidemic is raging out of control in Texas.

According to the first ever statewide survey conducted in Texas, in 2006, by The Texas Council on Family Violence, with support from the Texas Attorney General’s Office:

• 75% of 16 t0 24-year-old Texans have either personally experienced dating violence or know someone who has
• 50% of 16 to 24-year-old Texans have personally experienced dating violence

These numbers are mindboggling! Communities across Texas have so much work to do to teach teens that dating abuse is not normal or acceptable.

Oklahoma state senator proposes providing handguns to domestic violence victims

An Oklahoma state senator has just introduced a bill to allow domestic violence victims who get an emergency victim protection order in Oklahoma to also get an emergency license to carry a concealed weapon.

State Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee proposed the bill after another Oklahoma mother and her four young children were gunned down by the mother’s ex-boyfriend.

Oklahoma currently ranks tenth nationally in the number of women murdered as a result of domestic violence.

To see the video news story reported by KTEN-TV, click here.

Women’s shelters leaders in Oklahoma are meeting in February and will likely determine their positions about the proposed bill then.

Do you think that domestic violence victims who are in danger should be provided with guns to defend themselves?

If they are trained properly how to use guns, then I think it may be a good idea.

Within the past year, Texas Gov. Rick Perry recommended that Texans each get guns to defend and protect themselves, because it’s so dangerous “out there.”

My wife and I are looking into it ourselves now.

Texas Council on Family Violence adds new blog to report legislative actions

The Texas Council on Family Violence has added a blog to its website featuring updates by its legislative director regarding their lobbying efforts in Texas 81st legislative session.

TCFV’s Director of Policy, Aaron Setliff, will be posting on the Capital Crew Blog on a regular basis.

For more info, see the TCFV website at http://www.tcfv.org.

Basketball coach fired after beating up opponent, 100-0

The girl’s basketball coach at The Covenant School in Dallas was fired yesterday,  after he publicly posted an objection on a website to the apology which had been offered late last week by the school’s head and board chairman.

Coach Micah Grimes wrote that neither he nor his girls did anything for which they should be ashamed, in beating Dallas Academy, which has a fine reputation for teaching children with learning disabilities.

He added that if he was fired for so saying, then so be it. I wonder who will hire him now?

Didn’t it ever occur to him to instruct his girls not to shoot any longer, after leading 50-0, for example?

Good riddance. That’s the way to deal with abusers.

“Christian” girls b-ball team in Dallas beats opponent, 100-0

Speaking of abuse, have your heard about the so-called “Christian” girls basketball team in Dallas which beat up their opponent, 100-0?

The winning team’s coach still had his players pressing full-court until midway throught the fourth quarter, according to news reports.  Guess he was worried about their opponents making a comeback!

The game took place last week between The Covenant School and Dallas Academy, which evidently has an excellent reputation for teaching children with learning disabilities.

The head of the school, chairman of the board and athletic director of the “bullies” – I mean, The Covenant School – have all apologized, issuing this statement on their website.

But apparently their coach, Micah Grimes, still has not seen the error of his ways, and continues to defend his actions.

He wrote the following lengthy statement today on www.flightbasketball.com, objecting to their public apology. Read his statement here.

The question is, what should he have done? As a former successful  youth basketball coach myself, had I been in that situation I would have instructed my players to stop pressing (he claims they did stop in the first quarter, despite reports he did not) and to STOP SHOOTING!

The Covenant School could easily have turned this game into a scrimmage, in which they practiced proper passing, spacing, rebounding and other mechanics of the game.  Apparently the coach didn’t think of such things.

Some people just don’t get it, do they?

I recommend that he be fired!