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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, March 18, 2016

How Does This Society Treat Its Weakest Members?

Gary Foley
Yesterday, NorCo DA John Morganelli filed homicide charges against Bangor resident Gary Foley, age 32, over the death of a 17-month old toddler in his care because her mother entrusted him with her after meeting him online just one week before. She waltzed off to work and left her three children with him, along with his own son. The trailer they were living in had no running water, frozen pipes and no heat other than a few space heaters. Garbage was everywhere, and bugs crawled over tables and countertops.

This incident happened a year ago, in February 2015. Foley told Lehigh Tp police that the little girl had started choking after he fed her, but an autopsy revealed that what actually killed her was a fractured skull. Instead of charging Foley immediately, police sought help from a forensic expert, who ultimately determined that the injuries had been recently inflicted. It was only then that charges were approved.

The children, of course, were taken away last year.

The mother, Heather Marie Surget, age 28, has been charged with child endangerment because of the conditions in which her children were living.

Heather Surget
Morganelli called this just the latest example of people who exercise no responsibility in taking care of their children. He criticized the "cavalier approach to having babies without being able to provide the basics."

Can people really be this ignorant? That is what I was thinking as I wrote my story for a newspaper up the line.

About an hour later, while dropping in at the law library, I got an answer to my question.

A young man came in and told the librarian that he wanted to "give back" his step-daughter to his ex-wife. He was awarded custody of her about a year ago, but is moving and doesn't want to take her with him. So like an unwanted dog, he wants to return her to the baby store.

He got angry, too, when the librarian was unable to answer his questions immediately, and got even more irate when told he'd have to file a petition.

Unfortunately, there are some real assholes out there. It is not their poverty. Many people, including Morganelli himself, grew up poor. But they are very selfish, demand instant gratification and want everything handed to them.

Mahatma Ghandi once said, ""A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." Based on what I am seeing, I'd say we're in reverse.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

This story is depressing.

Anonymous said...

Society has lost all sense of personal responsibility. It is sad. Where does it come from? It comes from a government that tells people it's okay to not be accountable for your own actions and that if you want to give up, that's ok, because we will prop you up with all the assistance you want.

Anonymous said...

This type of stupid behavior has gone on for hundreds of years. Yet we have anon 12:39, make a political statement out of it. Get a life and buy a clue. Try to think more and hate less.

Anonymous said...

Mr. O'Hare you hit the mark on this one. 12:39 is right in that government has allowed people to become less accountable but because that's what their constituents want. Hundreds of years ago it was an eye for an eye now it's hugs for thugs.

Anonymous said...

Typical lib rhetoric from 446. When they disagree with your view, call it hate speech. You are so much more interested in shooting the messenger than finding a sustainable solution. You want to help? Figure out how the government can help a woman like this if she's trying to honestly work and can't find decent child care and ends up leaving the kids with a scumbag because she has no choice. Instead, they give it to dirtbags who sit on their ass and don't lift a finger.

Anonymous said...

The best part about this story is that both of these low life piece of garbage 'parents' will be going to jail for a long time! I hope the inmates there serve their own form of justice as well!

Anonymous said...

This has been a personal experiance to me for too many years than I care to think about¿ The illbehaviors and lifestyle choices are one of many of ournations unaddressed issues¿ The children are told to tell and when they do they are still stuck in the abusers care¿ The human services put in place in the homes have there own administrational agenda, than have designing persons put there to help to no avail except to recieve more monies and cover for one anothers neglegence never really being there for the childrens best intrests, but for entertainment perposes only to caus reactions to there incompatence and maladjustments while having a shepswool that make them a clueless expert¿ When the facts are that god has probably never blesse them with child and there illintent is obvios as to there designs of negation¿
There are some above them that can see through there unaddressed issues and negation of facts put to print yet will only question there integrity as to being child care experts as there sheepwol make claims thereof, but the life experiance is just not there similar to the brain in there hollow heads¿ They too are a great part of the failing institution of help for the innocent indigent children brought into this world as it is today to no choice of there own¿ Than there are the old spinsters that are clueless as to the dynamics of raising a child in todays atmosphere of the circus creation that they themselfs have had a hand in¿!)$
Clueless on and all and most in this particular public sector are lacking the cognazant abilities too be there because of there closed mindedness and archaic thoughts on the family dynamics in todays world were illbehaviors are a tolerated example by most¿!)$ Not I and I will have no part¿!)$
redd for registered Republican
patent pending

Anonymous said...

I think you should put story's about the struggling poor who work 2 or 3 jobs but can't make enough to keep up.Yes these people you wright about are dirt bags but it does not mean that poor people are lazy like you seem to want people to believe

Anonymous said...

11:47, it's the assholes not all poor people that are being called out. It's there in black and white and yet people only see what they want.

Anonymous said...

What an awful story. Life has been significantly devalued. This is why abortion should remain legal until the moment the head emerges from the birth canal.

Sincerely,
Pro-choice liberal

Bernie O'Hare said...

I'm not calling out poor people, a point I made in my story. I'm calling out the selfish.

Anonymous said...

It shows how whacked out people have become. You have scumbags who are scumbags. Now you have teabaggers somehow making this about liberal progressives. Maybe if their was quality affordable childcare or decent paying jobs with living wages this may be more avoidable. Nah, that is to rational and is not angry enough of a solution.

The woman is working and leaves her kids with her new boyfriend. happens all the time, happened forty years ago and longer. How is this political?

Hell she lives in a trailer park, doesn't get abortions and works a shitty job. You baggers should be thrilled.

Unknown said...

Bernado,
I agree with you. I see it virtually every day and all morning long on Fridays at Hearing Court. No one is really wiling to take responsibility for their own actions or the irresponsible decisions they continue to make. Although, upon advice of defense counsel, they say they are now willing to do so, have now found God in NCP or have now seen the path to enlightenment; the reality is we'll see them back before the court in a month or so on the same stupid and selfish conduct that got them in trouble in the first place. Let's consider this: You wouldn't loan your car or entrust your credit card to someone you met only a week ago, yet this woman hands over her child on less faith. Unfortunately in this day and age, the result is not all that uncommon. There will never be an answer to tragedies like this until society stops accepting the feeble excuses being offered (drugs/alcohol, bad companions, sunspots) and truly holds people responsible for their own actions. The courts do what they can but true change must begin with the family and responsible parenting. Pepper

Anonymous said...

Liberal progressive = Socialist

Bernie O'Hare said...

Rich, It hit me yesterday when I was at arraignment court to cover a hit-and-run. Of the 250 or so Defendants there, probably five of them were dressed respectfully. Several of them smelled like breweries.Many came in late, after Judge Zito had already started. You see this more than I, and more frequently. On the other hand, I generally like criminal defendants. Most of them are guilty, pay in cash and are thankful for whatever a lawyer can do. But it seems that a growing percentage think that the world owes them something.

Anonymous said...

This situation is infuriating. On a more personal level, my husband and I can't get pregnant and we spent thousands of dollars on a failed ivf attempt. We long to be parents but adoption fees are upwards of $30k. I would certainly do a foster- adopt type thing but I'm scared that we'll become attached only to have the courts give the biological parents chance after chance after chance to "get it right". I don't know what the solution is, just needed tobe rant. These people suck and I hope they're put away for a long long time!

Bernie O'Hare said...

I am sorry for your trouble. Have you considered Catholic Charities? They might be able to help. I am also aware of some places (one is in Bethlehem) for mothers who don't want abortions but have decided to give up their babies.

Anonymous said...

Thank you. Haven't tried Catholic charities but will definitely look into it. So far we've met with Bethany Christian Services and Adoptions from the Heart. If you have additional resources I'm all ears!

Bernie O'Hare said...

I will ask around and do a story.

Anonymous said...

Bernie - my wife and I have been involved with Diakon for the last few years. We are foster parents to two little ones we hope to adopt in the next few months. We have also been privileged to care for 5 or 6 other Children during times when their foster families were temporarily unable to do it. It is a roller coaster ride as you never know if or when the children will be returned to their birth families but how badly these children need stability and permanency makes it worth the risk. Foster parents that are willing to adopt if it becomes an option are needed to provide a better life for these children. There are lots of pros and cons but I encourage anyone that could provide for a child to look into an organization like Diakon. They have informational meetings like the one in the link below and hours of training before you get to care for a child so you will have plenty of information available to you before you agree to accept a child into your home. Even if the child is returned to their birth family you can feel good knowing you made a difference for the time they were with you.

http://www.diakon.org/child-family-community-ministries/events/detail/4460/diakon-adoption-foster-care-information-night-bethlehem/

Anonymous said...

Thank you. I truly hope that one day we'll open our home and our hearts to children in need... if only for a brief period. For the time being, i suppose I'm being a bit selfish. I've had a hard time mourning the loss of a theoretical child that I could care for from infancy through adulthood. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but I'm already an emotional person, even before I had to mainline pregnancy hormones with nothing to show for it but 15+lbs and a face full of zits...haha. I have a sister who was adopted from foster care and I love her more than life itself. But for right now it's difficult to imagine loving and caring for a child 24/7 only to have the bio parents pass 1 piss test and I never get to see little Janey again. And if I fear that she's in harms way or even just that she's upset and thinking I've abandoned her...oy vey I'd never sleep again my anxiety would be through the roof. At this point in my life, I don't sleep well while on vacation because I'm worried about how/what my puppy's doing.

Anonymous said...

#knowyourlimitations