TresSugar

Parents in Nebraska Dumping Teens Before Law Changes

CitizenSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:32:35 -0800

More than half of the 33 children legally abandoned in Nebraska since the state's safe-haven law took effect in July have been teens. Nebraska is the first state to permit the abandonment of anyone under 19 years of age.

The state's governor announced that lawmakers would rewrite the law, which was created to provide an alternative for so-called "dumpster babies," at the end of October after a circus of attention on stats that showed many parents were abandoning teens. Sadly, the number of drop-offs has almost tripled since the announcement of the law change.

Authorities searched for a 17-year-old girl yesterday who escaped an Omaha hospital when her mother tried to leave her there. Her 14-year-old brother was reportedly taken into custody by the state.

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Parents Abandoning Teens Under Law Created For Babies

LibertySugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:30:44 -0700

Nebraska recently became the first state to permit the abandonment of anyone under 19 years of age, despite speculation that such a law might encourage anyone with an unruly or disabled child to simply leave them at a safe haven. It looks like those fears have been justified.

Last month, 15 older children in Nebraska were dropped off at safe-haven spots after their parents or guardians deemed them unmanageable, according to the New York Times.

One mother left her 14-year-old son, two more boys and one girl, ages 11 to 15, were abandoned in hospitals and, a single father surrendered nine of his 10 children, ages 1 to 17, saying that his wife had died and he couldn't raise them alone. Sadly, the list goes on. To see what lawmakers have to say about the trend, read more.

Officials are calling the child surrenders a "misuse" of a new law that was intended to prevent the abandonment of infants (usually by teenage mothers), but is actually being used as a way to get rid of difficult teenagers or older children that are straining financially strapped or overwhelmed families. It is believed that a shortage of short-term care, counseling, and psychiatric services has led to families feeling like they have no other choice. Nationwide, more than 2,000 babies have been turned over since Texas enacted the first safe-haven law in 1999, according to the National Safe Haven Alliance in Virginia.

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NE Town Bans Porch Couches: Should Lawmakers Relax?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:00:00 -0700

Perhaps fearing scenes just like this dotting older neighborhoods, the town of Lincoln, NE, just passed a law banning indoor furniture from being used outside. The development could have big ramifications on the chillaxing abilities of the town's large population of college students, traditionally grand proponents of the "porch couch."

The city council voted 5-2 in favor of the new measure, and no one testified against the proposal during the open public hearing. An aide close to the mayor says he intends to sign the ordinance into effect on Oct. 7. Other towns have similar aesthetic or quality of life bans on furniture outside, including Ames, IA, Boulder, CO, and East Lansing, MI, but some question whether the law unfairly targets the large population of students renting homes in older neighborhoods. Is it discriminatory? Should lawmakers have the ability to legislate what you can put on your own property?

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Lock Your Doors! Nebraska Town Plagued by Butt Bandit!

CitizenSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:00:07 -0700

Sometimes crime is terrible, sometimes it comes with a big greasy imprint of a bottom. Yup. I mean, I'm sure it's terribly violating to the victims but I can barely type I'm giggling so hard. Here goes: the town of Valentine, NE, isn't feeling so romantic lately - their most prolific vandal has been leaving imprints of his nether regions on windows all over town. Using Vaseline to ensure the imprint shows up nice and clear, store owners and school janitors have been mopping up the mess for more than a year.

The police chief says, "This is the weirdest case I've ever seen." But not ha-ha weird. He says, "It's not funny. We're worried about the next step." Reportedly, no one has seen the vandal in the act, though they're quite acquainted with his calling card. One victim said of being the butt of the crime, "We were completely grossed out. One day I walked into the office and an employee said, 'Oh, my God, we've been struck!'"

I can't fathom why they haven't caught the guy. I mean, it might not be of the finger-variety, but they have his prints, right?

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Nebraska Lets Parents Surrender Kids - Up to 19 Years Old

CitizenSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:04 -0700

When you say “abandoned child,” most people conjure up an image of a basket with a baby in it left at the doorstep of an orphanage or a wealthy benefactor. In Nebraska, a new vision of the baby amongst the reeds might emerge - one of an unwanted teenager left at one of the many “safe-haven” drop-off centers for abandoned children.

Whereas every other state in the Union with safe-haven laws focuses on newborns, Nebraska just became the only state to permit the abandonment of anyone under 19 years of age. Critics of the law claim that this is going to encourage anyone with an unruly or disabled child to simply leave them at any safe haven. The executive director of a New York adoption institute says, "Whether the kid is disabled or unruly or just being a hormonal teenager, the state is saying: 'Hey, we have a really easy option for you.'"

However, Senator Tom White, who helped craft the legislation, thinks differently: “All children deserve our protection, if we save one child from being abused, it’s well, well worth it.” Is it? Should parents have the ability to abandon any kid, regardless of how old they are?

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Three States Consider Banning Affirmative Action: Right Move?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:45:47 -0700

With one comment John McCain made Sunday that he supports an Arizona initiative that would ban hiring practices that favor one group over another McCain has brought attention to similar calls in two other states. He said that the initiative gives "the people of Arizona the opportunity to end preferential treatment based on race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin by state or local governments."

Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska are all considering ballot initiatives that ban affirmative action hiring practices. Sunday's comment combined with one 10 years ago where McCain called affirmative action "divisive" shows the anti-affirmative-action campaign is gaining steam toward their ultimate goal of getting "either the Supreme Court or the Congress to get the policy changed at the national level."

The crux of the argument being debated in the initiatives is whether it's a ban on discrimination or an attack on programs that help women and minorities. Which do you think it is?

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NE Town Proposes Law to Ban Harboring Illegal Immigrants

CitizenSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:15:16 -0700

Fremont, NE, has made a move to become the first and only city to banish illegal immigrants - making the town the antithesis to famous sanctuary cities like San Francisco. The controversial law proposes a city ordinance that goes a step further than other city bans and will outlaw harboring and renting to illegal immigrants. The potential effect of the law is huge as the town, just west of Omaha, contains a Hormel Foods processing plant that relies on immigrant labor.

The longtime councilman who sponsored the proposal said that his constituents were "sick and tired" of the federal governments lax enforcement of immigration laws, and that he'll, "fight to the dying end to do what they want." To see what happened in the debate, read more.

The meeting to discuss the ordinance this week turned tense - some left because they thought there wasn't adequate security and one opponent of the ordinance burst into tears over the "hateful" statements.

A spokesman for the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission said the council proceedings "degraded" the dialogue over immigration laws, while a council member said, "people expressed their opinions. That is a given right in the United States of America."

Should a town be able to pass an ordinance that bans the renting of housing to illegal immigrants - and is it enforceable? Will the measure serve to strengthen the federal measures, or just provide an economic blow to the local factory? Is this a case of a city stepping in to fill a void left by the federal government?

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Awaiting Results: Obama Scores Decisive Win in Nebraska

CitizenSugar — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:31:58 -0800

Continuing his curious streak of big wins in conservative states, Barack Obama just won a landslide victory in the Nebraska caucuses. The Nebraska Republican contest will be held May 13.

Say What? New Cubs Owner on Coming Out in Her Thirties

TresSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:10:00 -0800

"I think for a long time I wasn't really out to myself growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, to a Catholic conservative family. It took me a while to come out to myself and not long after that I came out to them. I think that it really couldn't of been a better experience. They were all immediately supportive."

- Laura Ricketts, one of the new owners of The Chicago Cubs who happens to be an openly gay woman - a first for Major League Baseball. The Ricketts family bought the Cubs and Wrigley Field from the Tribune Co. for $845 million in a deal. Laura Ricketts is also on the board of the gay rights organization Lambda Legal. To watch a video of the family talking about their acquisition, read more

Group Therapy: Should I Wait For Him?

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:00:00 -0800

The holidays are both a good time and a bad time for dating. I met a great guy the weekend before Thanksgiving and we totally hit it off. We've been having an amazing time together, but he's going home for the holidays for an entire four weeks! His family is from Nebraska and I live in California. The relationship is far too new for us to even consider discussing long distance. I like him, but wonder if he will still be interested in me when he gets back. Should I wait for him or should I move on - I need a New Year's Eve kiss, after all! Help!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To be read more GROUP THERAPY, click here or submit your own question here.]

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