deconversion

Remember the Island of Misfit Toys from "Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"?  For those who somehow haven't seen the Christmas special, the Island was where all the toys that didn't make the grade at Santa's workshop were sent.  Rudolph and his friends feel so sorry for these rejected toys that they decide to include them in Santa's bag so that they too can have a home.  So they do so, and presumably everyone lives happily ever after.

But I always wondered what happened the next morning when children found these malfunctioning and mismade toys under the tree?  Were they delighted?  Somehow I don't think so.  Maybe the toys were better off on their island after all.  

This week in a small town not far from where I live, a jury is deciding the fate of the Springers, whose 16-year-old daughter Calista died in a house fire in 2008.  The details are enough to turn one's stomach.  Calista was found dead of smoke inhalation, chained to her bed by a dog chain that firemen had to cut in order to free her.   The Springers said they had to chain her because she wandered at night.  But the fire broke out in the morning while her legally blind stepmother was vaccuuming downstairs and her stepsisters had already gone to school.  Calista, who was described as having an autistic spectrum disorder, and an IQ of 74, was allegedly being homeschooled.   According to her parents, she was taken out of school because the school was more intent on educating her than socializing her.   According to the school, she was removed by her parents because school personnel (and others) made too many complaints to Child Protective Services.  Michigan has one of the most lenient homeschooling laws in the nation.  Anyone can homeschool and there is no follow-up by authorities to see if that is indeed happening.  A perfect set-up if you want to hide child abuse.  Predictably, the home-schooling crowd does not want this to change.  When an area businessman said that he did not like to hire people who were homeschooled, because in his experience, they lacked critical skills in dealing with people from diverse backgrounds, he was jumped on and called a bigot.

I do not know how the jury will rule in this case.  The state is pressing for first-degree murder and child torture, which means that the Springers fully intended for Calista to die.  Everyone seems to agree that the fire itself was an accident.  Personally I think the state is making a mistake and it is very possible that the Springers will get off.  The jury has been out several days now.

What especially disturbs me about this case, is that there for the grace of God, or good luck, or whatever, go I.  When it came time for the defense to take the stand, this poor dead girl was demonized, called a liar and dangerous to herself and others.  An expert, who never met Calista, testified that "these children" are "emotional vampires" who suck the energy out of those around them.  Having been one of "these children" myself, I greatly object to this characterization.  No, the Springers may not have set out to kill Calista, but it sure sounds a whole lot like "good riddance to bad rubbish."

So what is to be done with us "misfit toys" who are admittedly not easy to raise?  Would euthanizing us shortly after diagnosis be the kinder thing?  We could call it parental choice or some such euphemism.  After all, what happened in that Centerville bedroom was nobody's business, was it?