Wednesday, October 24, 2012

CPS and the Media

Since I'm on day 15 of the Hunger Strike and the most asked question at this time is "how come I haven't seen this on TV?" I thought I'd give my opinion of why the media isn't going to cover this hunger strike.  After all, if UC students go on a hunger strike to protest the rising costs of education that makes it to the news on day 5 (if not day 1!!).  But you have to understand that UC students protesting isn't going to cost the Government 100's of millions of dollars.  I'll explain.
Whenever you see anything about CPS on the media it's in little blurbs.  Like a child that dies because they didn't do their job, hiring sex offenders as social workers and mostly, you hear about children being taken from their parents.  Which this is off track but isn't everyone screaming "it has to be kept secret for the best interests of the child!!!".  Really?  And plastering their parents name all over the news isn't going to let the people that know them have knowledge of what's going on with their children?  Anyways, that's as far as the media goes with CPS.  Just last month (or maybe a little longer)Channel 10 showed 3 huge dumpsters filled with trash and then filmed inside a home that was nice and clean and told that the woman's children were removed because of the condition of her house.  From the sounds of the news report, they took her kids because her house was "messy".  If it had been in complete shambles (as I'm sure CPS portrayed it)then I don't think that it could have gotten cleaned up as good as it was in just a day.  Anyways....what the news report failed to say is that CPS violated the law and that mother's rights by removing her children.  That is, unless there were other reasons they were taken but nothing else was stated in the report. 
So in short...people say that the Government controls the media.  I've even been told that by an investigative reporter.  Now this issue is about CPS violating the law and parents rights on a regular basis.  By doing so, they rake in 100's of millions of dollars from the federal government every year.  Do you really think that they are going to allow the public to know what's really going on with CPS?  Just the people that I've had a chance to talk to at the Capitol are STUNNED to see the statistics and they always take the address of the blog with them to read the personal horror stories.  Just what would happen if the media were to put this on the news with the FACTS?
The only reporter that I have seen actually address the root of the problem is in the article written by Lois Henry which is also listed in another post.  WHO OVERSEES CPS WHEN CPS TAKES THE KIDS???  The answer she received is basically the same one everyone else does...NO ONE!!!
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/columnists/lois-henry/x1282765845/Lois-Henry-Who-oversees-when-government-takes-the-kids
I am so grateful to have at least one reporter that actually addresses the real issue as well as telling yet another, horror story.
What I'm asking of the Governor is that social workers be required to give a "Calbretta" warning when removing a child from their home.  Stating that the child is in imminent danger BECAUSE and have to give the reason and provide EVIDENCE.  Last year a man also had all of his children removed because they said the house was filthy.  Did they have to provide photo's of this?  Of course not.  Whatever Social Workers say....goes.  Now what kind of justice is that and how can anyone NOT expect corruption when you give a Government Agency that kind of power?  What this would do, however, is drop the removal rate of children drastically.  Because the majority of the children removed from their homes are NOT in imminent danger.  And a drop in removal rate equals drop in dollars.  Not something the Government wants to see and certainly not something they want the media reporting on.  In addition, accountability has to be provided.
So that's theory #1.  #2 would be that they think I'm just some crazy loon and not worth their time.  Crazy... hmmmm I am insane by the definition of "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".  Because I continually go from one Politician or Government Agency and expect them to take care of this problem.  So absolutely, I'm insane by that definition.  But a crazy loon?  Well, in order for that to work for them, they've got to say the same about the attorneys suing CPS all the time.  So that one doesn't work.
I don't know....maybe my signs aren't pretty enough?  Maybe because there aren't enough people here?  That one is purposeful.  I don't care if it's 1 child or a 100,000 that are violated by this agency.  It has to be addressed. 
Always, in fairness to the media, I end my explanation to people telling them these are just my opinions and they'd really have to call the media to find out why they aren't covering it:)  So certainly, please feel free to call them and ask why they don't feel it's important to cover this:)  Maybe they don't want the taxpayers knowing about all their taxpayer's dollars being paid out in lawsuits:)

News stations
(916) 441-2345/ 10
(916) 446-3333/ 3
...
916-374-1301/ 13
(916) 454-4422/ 40

2 comments:

  1. I have been calling almost every day and they just seem to keep blowing me off.... What is wrong with these people?

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    1. HA! Don't get frustrated, you know it's the game. I'm getting more and more people from the capitol that are all none too happy so maybe they will start getting enough calls and will have to do something. Thanks for hanging in there!!!

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