Beltane Comes In With A Bang

After many late freezes and springtime snowstorms, we finally got a few nice days here in the Midwest, just in time for some wild storms and tornadoes. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Beltane!

Another School Uses Bullies Against Disabled Child

A twelve year old boy with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism, is hospitalized with a cracked skull now, because his classmates at Liberty Middle School in Liberty Missouri thought that beating him up in the cafeteria was a good example of social skills. A bigger kid took the boy's backpack and moved it away from his seat, during lunch. After all, why not? Who is an autistic child to argue with a big, athletic, monster whose behavior is reinforced by a school that does nothing to stop constant assaults by the same bully? After all, in unified school districts, each school can pretty much do as it pleases, and bullies are a great way to get rid of disabled students.

The administration of the public school in Frankfort, Kansas attempted the same with a disabled child in the same grade as the child who was injured at Liberty Middle School. The principal waited until the state and federal "enrollment dollars" came in for each student, then encouraged some bigger boys, two grades ahead of the disabled child, to beat him up in a shower stall in the boys locker room. No teacher was present at the time. Afterward, the principal, Dean Dalinghaus, called the boy's parents and lied, blaming the boy!  He was actually planning to expel the victim, because he doesn't like autistic children. The truth came out when one of the bullies bragged about the incident to the disabled child's older sister. Dean Dalinghaus almost crapped himself when he found out that the Americans With Disabilities Act is a real thing.

At Liberty Middle School, there have been other incidents involving the same bully and the same victim. In the past, the school has ignored all of it. This time, the victim spent four days in the hospital with serious injuries, so ignoring it and telling the parent that her child is not as important as a football player was not an option. Because of that, Liberty Middle School is "investigating the incident". So are police: the bully is currently in juvenile detention. Frankfort, on the other hand, did not bother to take any action against bullying.

Who The Hell Chooses This Name For A Business?

Here's another interesting Midwest business logo! This is one of a chain of convenience stores in the Midwest. Who, on earth, thought of that name? Would you go inside and eat something bought in a place called "Kum and Go"?

Update On The Man With The Tacky Chair

On Tuesday, the FBI asked for help identifying the owner of the ugly chair, or John Doe 27, as he is called by law enforcement. His work, specifically child pornography, has been identified online. Now, thanks to the general public, social networking, neighborhood gossips, and the first amendment, the FBI thinks the information given generously to them may have actually helped. They think this guy, with his horrid taste in home décor and his criminal taste in entertainment, may be somewhere in the Midwest, hiding out among republicans, fundamentalist christians, and the like. Until more definitive developments arise in the investigation, there will probably be no more updates or comments from the FBI.

How long should it take to expose this man to furniture inside jail cells, instead of tacky checkered chairs? Quite a few of us are interested in the answer to that question.

 

Listen Up, Midwestern Towns

Small Midwestern towns should really start listening. The morals you push on the children of others do not cut it everywhere. Especially when you consider yourselves more moral than people of other cultures, who do not condone the use of sexuality to define everything from self image to marketability of inanimate objects. Instead of using power to control politics and scare dissidents, small, Midwestern judicial systems should focus on fighting crime.