Dying Man’s Daily Journal – Abandoned Children

 I have been sort of MIA for the past while for a number of reasons both medical and personal. I am so happy, the new second pill has my blood sugars in line and I do feel so much better. For the first time ever I haven’t even been able to keep up with just reading the wonderful comments left by many. I do apologize to all. I have read all and will be responding to each individually. Just know I am back, I am here and doing fine.

I suppose all should be warned. Normally, I try to keep things on a relatively positive note. Today, I am upset, I am angry. I am blowing off steam by ranting here in my journal. I suppose if I am going to rant what better place to do it than here, what is a journal for.

For any that may not know, here in Canada we have been going through a record cold spell. It has been like this for at least a week if not even 2 weeks. With wind chill, temperatures have been in the -30’s and -40’s in some areas even -50’s. Now that is cold, hard to really even imagine unless you have experienced it. Your skin will literally freeze within minutes or even seconds.  Us, Canadians love to brag about the weather, shows how tough we are. This extreme cold is not pleasant, but if prepared, dressed properly etc. it is endurable. OK, my rant is not about the weather but about the unimaginable things some people are doing during it. Every year there are death due to the cold, all of which are tragic. BUT THIS YEAR, ahhhhh, words escape me.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH US, HAS THE COLD FROZEN OUR BRAINS? That is the only answer I can think of.

I have been following a couple of stories in the newspaper.

First story, the gist of which is as follows. some one went to park their car in a mall parking lot. As they did they notice  the car beside theirs had 2 small children in the back seat. The car was not running so there fore obviously no heat in the vehicle. Thankfully this good Samaritan called the police, who arrived immediately. Open the car and took the children, who thankfully were still OK, to the warm and safety of their car. They then waited apparently for about 1/2 hour for a parent to appear. A mother came out of the mall and supposedly was surprised to see the police and couldn’t seem to understand that this was any sort of an issue. Hello.

Second story, an infant, I believe a new born was found abandoned lying face down on the cold concrete of an unheated parking garage. Again very luckily a passerby noticed the child and authorities were called. Miraculously the child had been discovered in time and I understand is doing fine. Police are searching for family.

Third story. They just keep coming and getting worse. A few mornings ago a man showed up banging on a neighbors door at about 5:30am. He was suffering from severe frost bite, hypothermia and was apparently babbling incoherently. Ambulance, police all were called, the man rushed to hospital and treated. Reportedly it was several hours before anyone could understand anything he was saying. When he did become coherent enough to be understood, he asked about his children as he had left them outside in a field. This was the first authorities knew of any children being involved in the situation. Naturally, them rushed to the area he said and sadly found 2 small children a 1 years old and a 3 years old clad only in a diaper and light tee shirt, frozen to death. The only explanation I have read so far includes the heavy use of alcohol and that he must have blacked out!!!!!! This just brings such a sad sigh.

Final rant, this one about our laws here in Canada. I read of a police officer being inter viewed. Apparently we do have a law on the books here that actually makes it illegal to simply abandon a child. Well duh, apparently we needed the government to pass a law to make it illegal. I suppose in fact the need for the law was to set appropriate punishments etc..

Now again according to this police officer, abandoning a child can get you up to 2 years in prison. Now he carried on to say, he was aware of many cases involving such children but couldn’t actually remember even one single time when any charges were actually laid.

My head is both numb and spinning at the same time, how can this be? Our children are our most helpless, wouldn’t it naturally follow that they need our greatest protection. Both within families but also within society as a total. How can this possibly not be the case?

Now, I am trying to imagine a comparable. Now I think of an adult, someone who either through disease or age or what ever is physically unable to do anything for themselves, really as helpless as these little children. Now, I can only imagine but suppose you took that adult. Say in a wheel chair of what ever, had the adult clad only in underwear and a tee shirt and you take them outside into the frigid temperatures and leave them there. Now, while I don’t know this, I am sure you would very likely be charged with murder if this adult died. I think this is as it should be, we need to protect the sick and the elderly.

I ask for feedback as I pose one simple question. So we not need to protect our children as least as much as if not more than all others?