Justice Schmustice

One of the painful and frustrating things about interning where I do is the extreme ball drops that happen from time-to-time, and usually from the social worker. Take this case for example.

Imagine 4 kids being severely sexually abused by their uncle. The older kid tells his teacher, the school nurse but no one helps him or his siblings. Or so he thinks.

Come to find out, those mandated reporters had been calling but the complaints were going unheard despite the state law requiring a follow-up within 48hrs. Eventually a CPS worker did make it out to investigate but claimed the allegations were 'unfounded', meaning no evidence was found to support them (never mind that he didn't conduct a forensic interview or take into account he bore a strong resemblance to the uncle and dad).

And now, a year later, after the kids were finally removed and placed into foster care, yet still not given any trauma counseling, there is a 95% chance they will be returned home. There is talk and speculation about the kids possibly "making it up" because they are "mentally retarded", too.

It all just makes you want to SCREAM! sometimes.

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A Whites-Only Basketball League?

Wow. Just wow. The fact that this "whites-only" league would be comprised of teams from 12 southern states makes me laugh in the ironic sense.

But wait, there's more:

'I don't hate anyone of color,' he told the Augusta Chronicle. 'But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here's a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like.'

And that's as far as I got because I started laughing so hard at the idea of white people not being allowed to play basketball in the NBA because too many black people (and other nationalities) have taken over?

Then I decided to take another quick peak and found this gem:

Players would have to be 'natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race.'

Bigoted racist privileged white man that Don "Moose" Lewis is, I'm not going to change his mind. So I'll just avoid him and his ilk.
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My 2nd Job

Or would you consider it my 3rd? Maybe even 4th?

Anyway, On Tuesday's and Wednesday's I've been interning at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate). I've been learning A LOT about the court system, how CPS (Child Protective Services) and in turn DSS (Department of Social Services) work and that abuse and neglect of children happens Way. More. than. Anyone. Can. Imagine.

I have also learned that I really really really wanna be a macro social worker because I want to effect change in a big way, not one person at a time. However, I think practicing at the clinical level will make me more effective at the policy level. So one I plug away....

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Knitting has been On Hold

About 2 or 3 weeks before Christmas, my right elbow started hurting. A lot. But it wasn't your typical smash and bruise. When I asked a physical therapist I work with what it could be, she said tendinitis. So I iced it, took lots of ibuprofen and still it hurt. Here I am nearly a month later and the pain has ebbed yet hasn't gone away completely. The problem?

I had to stop knitting.

Which I did and haven't knit in almost 2 weeks. Thursday will be the complete 2 weeks recommended; I don't think my elbow will be good enough by then. Sitting at my computer typing hours on end hasn't been helping.

My regimen for the last 10 days has been 800mg of ibuprofen in the morning with breakfast, ice/stretching for at least 2 hours, 800mg of ibuprofen with lunch, no ice but stretching then I go home where it's 800mg with dinner and more ice.
Anything that keeps my elbow bent for long periods of time has been avoided. I keep the laptop at arms length so my right arm isn't bent (or at least much). I've even taught myself how to keep my Nintendo DS at arms length which isn't as easy as it sounds.

So I'm looking forward to Thursday but honestly, I think I'm going to need another week. And the above means no knitting. Thank goodness school starts again Thursday and I'll probably be too busy reading 100 pages to miss knitting (yeah right).

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So it's been a while

I've been contemplating what to do with this space I have reserved for myself. Should I make it a knitting blog? Should I scrap it altogether?

Then I had an epiphany.

Why not make it a political mommy knitting blog? You'll get to see pictures of the projects I'm attempting and/or have finished, hear their stories, as well as experience the frustrations as I trudge along in my 2nd year (of 4) in grad school and try not to notice as Peanut enters into his tween years (complete with attitude).

Every so often I might vent about why birth control needs to be put in the water source.

So to get everyone up to date: Peanut informed me the other morning that one nostril was bigger than the other.

And I realized I didn't have any pictures of the only sweater I've knit myself in 4 years.


Expect to hear more from me. Hopefully a lot more. I have missed this space that has allowed me the kindness to vent my frustrations and work through a few things. Especially my ever-increasing grasp on our foster care system, state budgets and so much more.

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