This Is How They Pick Us Off
Mike Nellis
This weekend, someone with hate in their heart picked up a phone, called Child Protective Services, and falsely reported that Pete Buttigieg was abusing his four-year-old twins.
It was a lie. A complete fabrication, built on a story about some woman who supposedly met Pete at a conference in Alabama a town he has never set foot in. But thats all it takes. The call triggered a process. CPS and the police showed up at his home in Michigan. His kids were sent to their grandparents. Pete was told he could not be alone with his own children until theyd been interviewed by strangers. For twenty-four hours, this family had no idea what he was even accused of. This wasn't just an attack on Pete Buttigieg. It was an attempt to make public service hurt. That's the point.
Twenty-four hours. He called it among the darkest of his life. And as a father, I believe him because Ive been sitting in my own rage about this for two days, and theyre not even my kids.
Heres what you need to understand about Pete Buttigieg. The man is calm. He is level-headed to a fault the kind of person who keeps his voice even when everyone around him is losing it. So when *that* guy tells you about the rage and the sadness he felt, when *that* guy says someone dragged our children into this, you should feel your stomach turn. Because it takes a lot to rattle Pete Buttigieg, and somebody found the one thing that would do it. They did it on purpose. They did it during Pride Month, right after he posted photos of his family for Fathers Day. Thats not an accident.
https://endlessurgency.com/p/this-is-how-they-pick-us-off
SuzyandPuffpuff
(790 posts)But Pete did what we all must do . Do not accept this bad behavior. He fought back. We fight back. End of story.
stopdiggin
(15,841 posts)On the other hand - the only thing even slightly new/different about this is the prominence (and means?) of the targeted family. This is a dirty trick that has been played out since .... Child welfare or Protective Services were on the books?
CPS knows they're being 'played' a certain percentage of the time. Unfortunately we can't go back (and certainly don't want to) - to pretending that this 'only' happens in certain 'types' of families. And certainly not in people that go to my church - or god forbid sit on the board of alderman, or city council, or drive a squad car, etc., etc..
So ... You're stuck ... Investigating - and apologizing - (a lot where necessary) . But it is the job.
TomSlick
(13,131 posts)At least in my part of the country, allegations are made by people with an ax to grind - exes, in-laws, grumpy neighbors. A bunch of CPS investigators; again in my part of the country, with little training and less judgment, swoop-in with a presumption of guilt. Their victims are obliged to pay lawyers' fees and in the end, the allegation is usually "anonymous" and the victim is left without a remedy.
Child abuse is a serious problem but the CPS system is broken, again in my little corner of paradise.
GiqueCee
(5,092 posts)... was probably posting photo of his family. BIG time trigger to bigoted filth like the one that dimed him out.