Broken Britain: Boy, 14, beaten to the brink of death for his iPod
By Claire Ellicott
Last updated at 1:16 PM on 4th May 2010
Surrounded by tubes and medical technology, a 14-year-old boy clings to life in intensive care.
Tyler Molloy was beaten nearly to death by a gang of teenagers after they stole his iPod.
He was in a coma for two days and will not be able to return to school until September at the earliest.
Last night his mother called for action on the gang culture.
'One of the worst mistakes this Government has ever made was taking away the rights of parents to chastise their children,' said Jerry Molloy, from Clapham, south-west London.
'Maybe if there was more discipline and better parenting, these children wouldn't end up in gangs, destroying people's lives.'
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Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Woman arrested for slapping foul-mouthed granddaughter
Grandmother facing battery charges after slapping granddaughter for mouthing off:
Laura Kadechka
Largo, Florida -- The arrest of a 73-year-old grandmother has some asking... where do you draw the line when it comes to punishing unruly teens?
Theresa Collier says she's never been in trouble her entire life, but this week, the grandmother found herself behind bars in the Pinellas County Jail after slapping her granddaughter for swearing at her.
"My heart's going like this. I just thought I was going to die. I wanted to crawl in a hole," Collier told 10 Connects, as she broke down in tears.
Collier says she invited her 18-year-old granddaughter, Felicia Collier, to her house so she could use her computer to do homework.
Felicia is finishing her senior year online after getting kicked out of Catholic school in Massachusetts, Collier explained.
"She said F-off to a nun! I would just crawl into a hole," said Collier.
On Tuesday, the newly turned 18-year-old did not want to obey her commands to complete her assignments.
"She kept repeating the F-word to me, about the whole family. She just went on and on and I just got so upset, I got up and slapped her across the face," she told 10 Connects, "She grabbed my wrists and I couldn't get out of it and she let one go and she punched me in the cheek here."
Felicia then called police to her grandmother's home, but even the teenager couldn't have imagined what happened next.
"The two officers came to each side of me and before I know it, they have my arms and they said, 'You're under arrest,' and they cuff me," Collier said tearfully.
Despite Felicia Collier's attempts to convince police not to arrest her grandmother, the officers took the woman into custody.
Theresa Collier describes the next 24 hours in jail as the worst hours of her life.
"I went to medical, they take my blood pressure, it was sky high and he says, my God! And I said, 'Can you blame my blood pressure?' " said Collier.
"My wife of 52 years went to Catholic Parochial school, went to church, she's a good strong Catholic and raised four kids and no one ever spoke to her like that," said her husband, Walter Collier.
While Collier's arrest seems out of line, under the law, a battery was committed.
"Legally she's 18-years-old, so while I understand the difference between corporal punishment on a child, disciplining your child for using poor language, this is an 18-year-old child," said Lt. Mike Loux, with the Largo Police Department.
Lt. Loux says his department has a mandatory arrest policy when it comes to domestic violence calls, so someone had to go to jail.
"If an officer on scene finds probable cause to arrest a person, because they've committed domestic battery, then our policy is a mandatory arrest of that person," said Lt. Loux, "The discretion does not come because the victim does not want to prosecute. It doesn't come because the victim has remorse for calling police."
Felicia Collier was in court on Wednesday for her grandmother's first appearance and signed a form to not only not prosecute, but allow contact with her grandmother.
This still does not change the pending charges against Collier, who now has to wait for her next day in court and whether prosecutors will pursue the charge against her.
"I think it's ridiculous. We're hurt so bad, I'm so scared she's going to have a heart attack or a stroke over this. She doesn't sleep, she bursts into tears and I'm almost doing it now," said Walter Collier.
They haven't spoken to their granddaughter since the incident.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Laura Kadechka
Largo, Florida -- The arrest of a 73-year-old grandmother has some asking... where do you draw the line when it comes to punishing unruly teens?
Theresa Collier says she's never been in trouble her entire life, but this week, the grandmother found herself behind bars in the Pinellas County Jail after slapping her granddaughter for swearing at her.
"My heart's going like this. I just thought I was going to die. I wanted to crawl in a hole," Collier told 10 Connects, as she broke down in tears.
Collier says she invited her 18-year-old granddaughter, Felicia Collier, to her house so she could use her computer to do homework.
Felicia is finishing her senior year online after getting kicked out of Catholic school in Massachusetts, Collier explained.
"She said F-off to a nun! I would just crawl into a hole," said Collier.
On Tuesday, the newly turned 18-year-old did not want to obey her commands to complete her assignments.
"She kept repeating the F-word to me, about the whole family. She just went on and on and I just got so upset, I got up and slapped her across the face," she told 10 Connects, "She grabbed my wrists and I couldn't get out of it and she let one go and she punched me in the cheek here."
Felicia then called police to her grandmother's home, but even the teenager couldn't have imagined what happened next.
"The two officers came to each side of me and before I know it, they have my arms and they said, 'You're under arrest,' and they cuff me," Collier said tearfully.
Despite Felicia Collier's attempts to convince police not to arrest her grandmother, the officers took the woman into custody.
Theresa Collier describes the next 24 hours in jail as the worst hours of her life.
"I went to medical, they take my blood pressure, it was sky high and he says, my God! And I said, 'Can you blame my blood pressure?' " said Collier.
"My wife of 52 years went to Catholic Parochial school, went to church, she's a good strong Catholic and raised four kids and no one ever spoke to her like that," said her husband, Walter Collier.
While Collier's arrest seems out of line, under the law, a battery was committed.
"Legally she's 18-years-old, so while I understand the difference between corporal punishment on a child, disciplining your child for using poor language, this is an 18-year-old child," said Lt. Mike Loux, with the Largo Police Department.
Lt. Loux says his department has a mandatory arrest policy when it comes to domestic violence calls, so someone had to go to jail.
"If an officer on scene finds probable cause to arrest a person, because they've committed domestic battery, then our policy is a mandatory arrest of that person," said Lt. Loux, "The discretion does not come because the victim does not want to prosecute. It doesn't come because the victim has remorse for calling police."
Felicia Collier was in court on Wednesday for her grandmother's first appearance and signed a form to not only not prosecute, but allow contact with her grandmother.
This still does not change the pending charges against Collier, who now has to wait for her next day in court and whether prosecutors will pursue the charge against her.
"I think it's ridiculous. We're hurt so bad, I'm so scared she's going to have a heart attack or a stroke over this. She doesn't sleep, she bursts into tears and I'm almost doing it now," said Walter Collier.
They haven't spoken to their granddaughter since the incident.
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Largest Lutheran group reinstating 2 gay ministers
May 4 04:19 PM US/Eastern
By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - A gay Atlanta pastor and his partner who have been at the center of a battle over the treatment of gay clergy by the nation's largest Lutheran denomination are being reinstated to the denomination's clergy roster, church officials announced Tuesday.
The Rev. Bradley Schmeling and his partner, the Rev. Darin Easler, have been approved for reinstatement, the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said in a news release. Their reinstatement comes about eight months after the denomination voted to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, and about three weeks after the ELCA's church council officially revised the church's policy on gay ministers.
Schmeling, who serves as pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta, was removed from the church's clergy roster in 2007 for being in a same-sex relationship with Easler. A disciplinary committee ruled that Schmeling was violating an ELCA policy regarding the sexual conduct of pastors.
"I'm grateful that this journey has come full circle and that the church has changed its policy," Schmeling said Tuesday.
"I think the church saw the gifts and the abilities of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and saw that the spirit was calling them into ministry and wanted to create a way for people to serve," he said.
The reinstatement will become effective "once the paperwork has been filed," which should happen in the coming days or weeks, he said.
At its biennial national convention in August, ELCA leaders called for revisions to ministry policy documents, making it possible for "eligible Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships" to serve as clergy, the church said in the statement. The ELCA Church Council adopted those revisions April 10.
The candidacy committee of the ELCA Southeastern Synod in Atlanta met two weeks later and approved Schmeling's request for reinstatement.
Even though Schmeling had been removed from the ELCA clergy roster, he remained pastor at St. John's, putting the church in violation of ELCA guidelines, said the Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod.
"There are people in our church that believe that pastors in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships should not serve as pastors in this church," Gordy said in the church statement. "But the assembly said that while we were not in agreement on this, congregations could call persons in such relationship to serve as pastors, and St. John has chosen to do this." He added that Schmeling's reinstatement "will be very good news" for the members of St. John.
"This congregation has always been clear in its affirmation and support of our relationship," Schmeling said. "When I told them that I had met my partner for life, they threw us a party. When they heard that we were both reinstated to the clergy roster, there was a spontaneous standing ovation in church on Sunday."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Sad truth for too many churches in America. The Bible makes it clear that homosexuality, like many other sins...is a sin. But to have an active sinful lifestyle going on, living in sin, and actually be the Pastor of a so called church is almost unbelievable! Worse yet is the fact that the congregation (some anyhow) are okay with it? It shows how many churches of America are no more than a club to go for entertainment, friendship, and to have your ears tickled. They sadly no longer preach the whole Bible and speak on sin, repentance, the reality of hell, and the grace of God, found only in Jesus for those who not only trust in Him, but Obey Him! Comments welcome as long as they are clean...
By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - A gay Atlanta pastor and his partner who have been at the center of a battle over the treatment of gay clergy by the nation's largest Lutheran denomination are being reinstated to the denomination's clergy roster, church officials announced Tuesday.
The Rev. Bradley Schmeling and his partner, the Rev. Darin Easler, have been approved for reinstatement, the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said in a news release. Their reinstatement comes about eight months after the denomination voted to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, and about three weeks after the ELCA's church council officially revised the church's policy on gay ministers.
Schmeling, who serves as pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta, was removed from the church's clergy roster in 2007 for being in a same-sex relationship with Easler. A disciplinary committee ruled that Schmeling was violating an ELCA policy regarding the sexual conduct of pastors.
"I'm grateful that this journey has come full circle and that the church has changed its policy," Schmeling said Tuesday.
"I think the church saw the gifts and the abilities of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and saw that the spirit was calling them into ministry and wanted to create a way for people to serve," he said.
The reinstatement will become effective "once the paperwork has been filed," which should happen in the coming days or weeks, he said.
At its biennial national convention in August, ELCA leaders called for revisions to ministry policy documents, making it possible for "eligible Lutherans in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships" to serve as clergy, the church said in the statement. The ELCA Church Council adopted those revisions April 10.
The candidacy committee of the ELCA Southeastern Synod in Atlanta met two weeks later and approved Schmeling's request for reinstatement.
Even though Schmeling had been removed from the ELCA clergy roster, he remained pastor at St. John's, putting the church in violation of ELCA guidelines, said the Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod.
"There are people in our church that believe that pastors in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships should not serve as pastors in this church," Gordy said in the church statement. "But the assembly said that while we were not in agreement on this, congregations could call persons in such relationship to serve as pastors, and St. John has chosen to do this." He added that Schmeling's reinstatement "will be very good news" for the members of St. John.
"This congregation has always been clear in its affirmation and support of our relationship," Schmeling said. "When I told them that I had met my partner for life, they threw us a party. When they heard that we were both reinstated to the clergy roster, there was a spontaneous standing ovation in church on Sunday."
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Sad truth for too many churches in America. The Bible makes it clear that homosexuality, like many other sins...is a sin. But to have an active sinful lifestyle going on, living in sin, and actually be the Pastor of a so called church is almost unbelievable! Worse yet is the fact that the congregation (some anyhow) are okay with it? It shows how many churches of America are no more than a club to go for entertainment, friendship, and to have your ears tickled. They sadly no longer preach the whole Bible and speak on sin, repentance, the reality of hell, and the grace of God, found only in Jesus for those who not only trust in Him, but Obey Him! Comments welcome as long as they are clean...
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