TresSugar

Pregnant, Addicted, and at Risk For Incarceration in SC

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Pregnant and high, 37-year-old Sandria Doremus entered a treatment facility in Greenville, SC, with the hopes that she could get off drugs and properly care for her baby. Her other motivation? She wanted to avoid being incarcerated after she gave birth.

It could easily have happened to her. A hospital reported her drug use to the police - as required by law.

Although this practice has abated, since 1989, at least 126 women in South Carolina have been arrested and charged with harming their fetuses by abusing drug and alcohol, according to the National Advocates For Pregnant Women. Only about 80 pregnant women around the country were arrested on similar charges in the same time period. Although local and state agencies across the country have attempted to prosecute pregnant women for drug use, their cases are usually rejected by the courts.

Although many women say that they're glad they had a chance to clean up and be sober mothers, some women admit that their fear of being arrested kept them from getting treatment earlier.

"These are addicts who become pregnant," says Lynn Paltrow, executive director of the National Advocates For Pregnant Women. "They aren't women who chose to use drugs after becoming pregnant."

What do you think about criminalizing addicted women who get pregnant?

Student Fights For Right to Wear Confederate Clothes

TresSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:00:00 -0700

South Carolinian teen Candice Hardwick believes her freedom of speech was violated when school officials forced her to change her clothes and turn shirts inside out because they featured the Confederate emblem. Candice, whose state still flies the Confederate flag at the state house, was even suspended from her middle school for continuing to wear the controversial logo. A federal court ruled that the school district could prevent her from wearing the clothing, but now Candice is appealing the decision.

Candice's family says she's not celebrating a past of slavery and segregation; she just wanted to honor her heritage since her family members fought for the South during the Civil War. But for many people, this argument is a smokescreen. To them, the Confederate flag unequivocally represents nostalgia for a disgraceful past, and it's not incidental that the KKK and Neo-Nazi groups use this emblem to represent their views.

If the Confederate emblem is a loaded symbol everywhere, its racial repercussions couldn't be felt more than in Candice's school district, where schools were segregated until the 1970s and separate proms were held for blacks and whites well into the 1980s. Despite Candice's arguments, the lower court ruled that Confederate clothing could disrupt learning in racially diverse schools. We'll have to wait to find out what happens on appeal. Should public schools be able to ban students from wearing Confederate clothing?

Jon Stewart Picks on South Carolina

TresSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:00:09 -0700

What do bestiality, adultery, and Sen. Lindsey Graham have in common? They all can be found in South Carolina. That was the point Jon Stewart was trying to make last night on The Daily Show. From a man getting busted (twice) for having sex with a horse, to a rambling Miss Teen South Carolina, to a disappearing governor, news coming out of South Carolina makes Jon Stewart's job easy. It also makes the viewers laugh. Check it out!

Mother of Obese Teen Charged With Criminal Neglect

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:30:00 -0700

Jerri Gray, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who weighs 555 pounds, has been charged with felony child neglect by South Carolina. Her son has been taken to foster care, and she faces 10 years in prison for putting her son at risk by neglecting his medical needs. Gray, who works three jobs, has told the media that her son got so overweight because she could not keep track of what he was eating.

Gray was a fugitive this past Spring, going to Maryland with her son while authorities attempted to bring the abuse charges. At that time, South Carolina's Department of Social Services said: "This agency doesn't get involved in such cases based on a child's weight alone, but will take action in cases where health care professionals believe the child is at risk due to the parent's possible neglect in providing medical care."

Still, Gray's attorneys say the case could potentially set a dangerous precedent that could, for example, be used to charge parents of anorexic children. If you can charge a parent for a kid being overweight, could you charge parents with underweight children too?

Should childhood obesity be considered grounds for charging a parent with child abuse?

The Love Triangle in South Carolina

TresSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:23:08 -0700

There's nothing new about a politician cheating on his wife, but the tale of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford has a different twist. Still presiding as the chief executive of the state, Sanford is treating us to the drama of an ongoing love triangle.

While the death of Michael Jackson may have distracted the media from Sanford's drama, the two women in his life are still making headlines. Shocked that her husband was continuing to see his mistress as recently as last week, Sanford's wife Jenny told the media that just like the public, she had no idea he was in Argentina. She said: "I was hoping he was doing some real soul searching somewhere and devastated to find out it was Argentina. It's tragic. . . . It's one thing to forgive adultery; it's another thing to condone it."

Meanwhile, the governor's "dear, dear friend" in Argentina has confirmed the affair. Maria Belen Chapur, a 41-year-old former reporter, released a statement yesterday saying that the media coverage "is of great pain to me, as for my two children, my family and all the great friends that I have known and harvested throughout my life and that had always been there for me."

When he gave his press conference last Wednesday, Mark Sanford seemed incapable of hiding his deep feelings for Maria. Do you think he should resign so he can sort out his personal problems? They've already caused him to lapse in his duties by leaving the country without telling anyone.

What's the Best Explanation For Sanford's Disappearance?

TresSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:45:00 -0700

Update: During his emotional press conference, Gov. Sanford admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina.

I've heard of guys up and disappearing before, but the story of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford's disappearance takes it to a whole new level. This week, the governor's staff insisted that no one had heard from him since last Thursday because he was (nude?) hiking the Appalachian Trial. That story fell apart when a local newspaper found him last night at the Atlanta airport returning from Argentina, according to the governor.

On the one hand, I'm sure I'd want to just get away from the glaring public eye if I were a politician, too. But something seems fishy considering he left without telling his wife, kids, or, staff. I'm having trouble buying that he secretly went to Argentina all by himself just to relax. There are many strange details: his wife is not shy about being pissed, his cars were reportedly found at the Columbia, SC, airport and the Atlanta airport, and his staff has been lying about knowing his whereabouts.

Many theories are spinning in my head. Was the governor taking tango lessons? Dealing with an affair gone wrong? Having a nervous breakdown? Or just taking a little solo vacation . . . for a week . . . without telling anyone . . . when he's the governor of South Carolina?

While we wait for word from the governor (apparently he's having a press conference soon) let's indulge in some idle speculation. What you think best explains this strange story?

Front Page: Missing Gov. Was in Argentina, Not Appalachia

TresSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:01:33 -0700

South Carolina's Gov. Mark Sanford, who has been missing since last Thursday, has returned from Argentina. While his wife said she had no idea where he was, his staff said he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, which appears to have been false. - New York Times
Dick Cheney has received a $2 million plus book deal for his memoirs. - Politico
Conan O'Brien paid tribute to the late Ed McMahon on last night's The Tonight Show. - NBC
A new study shows that teens and young adults who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer later in life. - Web MD
Joseph Brooks, the 71-year-old Oscar-winning composer who wrote "You Light Up My Life," has been charge with raping or sexually assaulting 11 different women. He allegedly used Craigslist to carry out his crimes. - New York Post

Oh, Snap! The World Grits Festival Gets Messy

TresSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:39:52 -0700

Some people love grits so much they're moved to go to the World Grits Festival in St. George, SC. Among the activities for grits lovers? A contest for kids in which they roll around in a vat of grits to see who can retain the most of the corn-based porridge on their bodies! Now that's true ~~grit~~ love.

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Candidate for RNC Chair Just Left Whites-Only Country Club

LibertySugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:09 -0800

When Katon Dawson, the chairman of South Carolina's GOP, decided to run for national chair of the RNC he quit his whites-only country club. Noting that his membership would be a distraction for Republicans trying to win elections, Dawson also called for an end of the discriminatory restriction included in the club's deed (which is actually unconstitutional and unenforceable).

One GOP critic says that if Dawson wins the post, it further proves that the GOP has been reduced to "a Southern regional rump party that's held hostage by intolerant crackpots." Barack Obama dealt with his own set of race issues during the campaign. Obama's membership in a mostly black church caused concern after tapes surfaced of the pastor Jeremiah Wright making fiery comments critical of America.

Do you find Dawson's membership with a whites-only club to be a deal breaker, or just an unfortunate association?

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Employee Quits Over "So Gay" Ad: Perfect Pitch or Sold Out?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0700

The South Carolina state employee who approved a controversial ad campaign aimed at gay tourists has resigned, according to the director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

The "South Carolina is So Gay" posters appeared in the London Underground and were aimed at gay travelers - the campaign is sponsored by Amro Worldwide and other cities like Boston, Las Vegas, and New Orleans have used the slogan to proclaim their inclusiveness.

But the frank-talkin' slogan is not what the Palmetto state director had in mind, "Our tourism marketing funds are for the purpose of bringing visitors to South Carolina, not for getting involved in various social agendas," adding that the South Carolina target audience is families.

The poster's mastermind says that the "So Gay" campaign is supposed to reverse the negative impact of the phrase and make it a tourist magnet. Does it work?

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