European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 29, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes tuesday August 29,1989 Mary Mcgrory social service scene being swamped by crack some people were startled to Sec that six children who were picked up in a Washington police raid on an apartment that was thought to be a crack House were returned to that Home after a Brief excursion to the child protective serv ices. Why one reason could be that there was no place for them to go. It is always easier for the authorities to Send them Back Home. That Way there arc no records no lingering Case files no papers to till out. Judges often Send children Back to the parents who have abused them thus ruining and in some cases ending their lives. The reunification of families is As much an obsession with the courts As it is with the Helsinki commission. The children from the suspected crack House never got into the custody of the child protective services which subsequently sent a social worker out to investigate the conditions in the Home. The youth division of the police department did nothing because there were no immediate signs of abuse or neglect among the children who Range in age from 14 months to 7 years. The Mother told police that she is a prostitute. Last april she was convicted of cocaine Possession. A judge with an extraordinary sense of humor gave her probation and 40 hours of Community service. Who do you suppose monitored her Community service drug Possession docs not make a Mother legally unfit nor docs an Asser Tion she is a prostitute. Her lawyer said she was in any Case she will not be prosecuted. The amount of crack found in the House was not sufficient. The episode May not make the Case for the return to the orphanage but it docs encourage people in the Field of child care to whisper at least the word that is banned in the Best child advocate circles. Crack has created a Host of new orphans and swamped the social service scene. Before Small children of the in the cocaine hour lass do class had to Dodge blows from some hostile source like mom s boyfriends now it s bullets. Crack makes irresponsible parents pregnant addicts won t spend $160 for an abortion they need it for crack. The problem has snowballed in the last two years says Rae Par Moore in formation specialist for the District of Columbia s department of human serv ices. Social service agencies Are Grap pling with the Impact of drugs on family crack addicts arc giving birth to babies who undergo the agonies of withdrawal during the first months of their lives. The mothers recover and go Home. The babies arc left behind creating a whole new class of Boarder Howard University Hospital has 12 of them. One baby has aids. The others were born of substance but the worst thing and it shows How crack has destroyed the safety net under the marginal family is the Dis appearance of the grandmother. Says Haynes Rice director of the Howard University Hospital the 28 to 35-year-old grandmother the one that used to be the Rock who used to step in and Lake Over the baby she s gone she s on crack Rice has repeatedly and forcefully told District authorities that a Hospital is no place for babies to grow up. One Boarder has been in residence for nine months and has Learned to walk there. District authorities say they do not have the Fos Ter parents to take the children. At How Ard the babies Cost the City nothing. Howard says Rice is out of pocket $250,000 for their care. Medicaid has repaid $6,600. . General Hospital has nine babies All recovered from birth ailments. They have no place to go. Hospital work ers buy them toys and cribs. Orphanages have had a bad name since Dickens time often deservedly and in the 70s, they were virtually wiped off the map. Washington has Only one left St. Ann s infant and maternity Home which despite an exemplary re Cord people periodically have tried to close Down. It survives because it is desperately needed. On Channel 5 s City under siege sister Josephine administrator of St. Anns made the Case for the orphanage it is a place where children can be Chil Dren. They Are entitled to play and have Little Joy in their lives. A Good institution is better for a child than a Home that is last year the Washington monthly which is often ahead of the curve published a powerful plea for the return of the orphanage by a retired Philadelphia judge named Lois g. Forer. She recounts Case after heartbreaking Case of grossly abused children in their Homes. She concludes that All institutions Are not bad All families arc not Good a proposition that is still debated by the experts who really ought to look again and Sec that they have no Choice. C Universal presi Carl Rowan Guys required to word off new mccarthyism a decade or so ago i gave a speech at the . Naval Academy under the auspices of Chrysler corporation whose then director of advertising Peter Dow was present. An Admiral got up and said you sponsor Rowan s radio show. He says some controversial things. Why Don t you run a disclaimer saying his views Are not your views no guts no glory Dow said and sat Down. The midshipmen applauded lustily. Sad to say guts and glory arc fading fast in parts of corporate America and on Madison Avenue As advertisers face a tidal wave of what Abc executives Call the new advertisers Are running from sponsorship of pro Grams that mean the most to most americans simply because the subject matter is intensely controversial such As the Issue of abortion. Corporation executives Are cowering in the face of Boycotts and threats of Boycotts especially by a Tupelo miss., group called the american family association. It is led by the Rev. Donald Wildmon who boasts that his $2 million direct mail and advertising Campaign is going to Hurt corporations that sponsor to shows that exploit sex violence support porn magazines and stereotype certain groups especially christians. Wildmon and his group of evangelical christians have assailed Toyota Johnson & Johnson Mcdon Ald a Pepsi general motors and other to Advertis ers. They forced the Southland corp. To take Playboy and Penthouse magazines out of their 7-11 stores. They tried to Force Heaters not to show the last temptation of and every Little Success emboldens them to be Lieve that they can become the grand censors of what americans May Sec on television and in the movies hear on radio or read. It looks As though the to networks have begun to Cave in to the onslaught by Wildmon and others. The nervousness is not on our part Abc s Hon Cho Brandon Tartikoff said the other Day. It s on the part of advertisers who arc the ones who arc caving in but while laying a claim to guts and glory Tartikoff admitted that Abc is spending More than $100,000 on a study to Sec if the Public s taste has taken a conserva Tive swing. We do want to know that and we want to be responsive to that Tartikoff said his Tongue spewing yellow paint Down his belly. Sure television is full of sexual innuendoes graphic sexual scenes incredible violence foul Lan Guage no matter where you turn the dial. Even though that is the reality of life some Are or pretend to be offended. They can tune out but they Don t have the right to use the exploitation of sex and violence As an excuse to become the grand censors of network programming. The existence of some trash on to does not give wild Mon a License to prohibit the networks from among programs on issues such As Flag burning affirmative action abortion birth control aids homosexuality or anything else. We americans take Pride in the fact that we remain free no matter How elections go no matter what crises arise. We know that Freedom is in peril where there is no Freedom of information where the state a Bunch of politicians or a group of preachers can Tell us what to program is Good or bad for us or which Book or Magazine is tit to read. We need More people controlling corporate advertising budgets who believe what Peter Dow said if you want the glory you must show the guts to allow americans to read and hear that great variety of controversial things that say to them you be heard it All now make up your own North America Syndicate the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in noway to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government
