Mother of the Year: Iana Straw
Associated Press – July 16, 2007:
A couple who authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.
The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.
Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.
hopefully those kids will not have long term issues and they can forget these assclowns. I play games myself but damn i also go outside with my children and play with them and get to know them.
Those two are just stupid. the correct words can not be used for what they are.
Some people will read this as the internet’s fault that these honest hard-working people got possessed by the devil and behaved irresponsibly.
I’d love to see the blood workup on this crew..
i highly doubt it was warcraft alone..
“get to know them?”
Haw, Haw. Difference in degree only.
I agree with ChrisMac, there’s more to it than that.
FOR THE HORDE!!!!!!!
It amazes me that ANY couple can have children. We have stipulations for driving in America such as driver’s ed, the 5 hour class and a written and driver’s test. Who are we kidding? There is absolutely no restrictions to having babies. The wealthy want it that way since it drives down wages and protects their wealth.
As far as I know there has never been even the talk of legislation that would require couples to take child-rearing classes. I think it should be a one-year course which would include cooking class, civics lessons and advanced caring.
OMG, what white trash!
#7 – what about Home Ec… I had to take a home ec class in my freshman year of highschool, and thats basically what it was…. I dunno how helpful it was, but over then next 4 years, 50% of the females (who would have been in my graduating class) got pregnant, dropped out of school – i guess thats why it’s required for freshmen level students lol
I wonder how this couple has found the time in this gaming obsession in the first place to have kids.
I hope part of their punishment is sterilization.
I’m with #3. She looks like a crack poster child.
“There is absolutely no restrictions to having babies. The wealthy want it that way since it drives down wages and protects their wealth.”
Are you effing kidding me?
What – you don’t think that the plutocracy doesn’t smile upon a high birthrate among the peons? Keep ’em poor and keep a steady supply of undernourished, undereducated, passive, compliant future wage slaves in the pipeline…
‘My name is Ted Stevens and I approve of these white trash morans.’
At least they didn’t blame the mexican cleaning lady this time.
#15 – Not yet, but when the evidence is all in I’m sure that bitch will get what’s coming to her too.
I’ve got a 19 mo boy…I get home from work, have supper with my familly, and we play together until it is his bedtime – unless there is some unusual circumstances, or a shopping trip to make, or a special event, that is what we do. After he is in bed, my wife and I can watch a movie, or play video games (well, me not my wife) read a book…do yardwork. Whatever. After he is fed, changed, safe, asleep. Nobody is perfect, but if you’re going to have kids, have some freaking responsibility.
These losers will now go on the talk show circuit after paying their dues, they’ll get someone to ghostwrite a book, and make a pile of money. Pathetic.
#17 – These losers will now go on the talk show circuit after paying their dues, they’ll get someone to ghostwrite a book, and make a pile of money. Pathetic.
Huh?
Does that happen often? Is this a problem facing our society? Or are you just living so bland and meaningless a life that you need to swell up with a healthy bout of self righteous indignance toward made up social plagues like best selling books by petty white trash criminals?
Eliminate the sodomy laws. Society’s odds go up on avoiding both of them as well as reducing the risk they’ll reproduce.
#17 – If you want your wife to get interested in video games, get a Wii.
OFTLO….not entirely sure what you mean…I do think this is a problem with our society in general these days, people not taking responsibility for their own actions or lives. I suppose if they do eventually make money off this rather sad time in their lives that may have permanently scarred their kids, and perhaps get themselves together, it would be good.
Not sure what my life has to do with anything…lol….I live a very happy and interesting life, at least as far as I’m concerned. Self-righteous? Hardly…I’ve made plenty of mistakes, and will continue to do so…but I’ve never starved my kid for a video game, and never will. That is my point I guess….there are a lot of parents out there who will not do this to their kids.
#17 – thats what I’ve been hearing…co-worker has a Wii and he says its is a lot of fun for his family in general.
#21 – Well, first… Most of the time when people start complaining about others not taking “personal responsibility” for their problems, what they mean is, “I don’t wanna have any responsibility for how how my own actions impact society but I sure like pointing fingers and casting blame.” But that might not be relative here…
What is relative is this: These losers will now go on the talk show circuit after paying their dues, they’ll get someone to ghostwrite a book, and make a pile of money. Pathetic.
What talk show? What book? What pile of money? Show me three new millionaires who gained there fortune by telling Maury how they abused their kids. You simply have absolutely nothing to base your weird rant on. There is no rash of bad parents cashing in on being bad parents. You’ve invented something to be mad at out of whole cloth.
Further, however, neither parent is quoted in that article. Blaming the Dungeons and Dragons Online RPG is an accusation laid down by prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria. Is this couple shirking responsibility? We don’t know. That question is neither asked nor answered in the article.
Did they actually neglect their kids? Well, the couple charged plead guilty in court, according to the article. I’m not sure that supports your “no one takes responsibility” theory. In fact, I think it supports the theory that this couple DID take responsibility and are not trying to cash in on the video game angle, as if that were even something that people living in reality are able to do.
As a society, we spend a lot of time pointing out the flaws of others and acting pissed off about it, but we appear to have little or no capacity for introspection. That’s too bad, because we all do some pretty stupid stuff, but they only people we ever expect to accept responsibility for stupid stuff is every else but ourselves. This is one of those rare times when the word “hypocrite” might be used accurately online.
I’ll say this, if this couple truly neglected their kids to the point of starvation because of video games, then what they need along with whatever punishment is appropriate, is mental health treatment for an addiction problem. But somehow, I’m sure, plenty of readers would oppose that because… well, I don’t know why one would oppose it… Maybe because its easier to be an asshole than to support a solution to a problem?
I posted a link about this on July 15.
23. “I posted a link about this on July 15.”
Thanks, here’s your cookie!
#24
25. What did you want, a standing ovation?!
Cool! A photo fight!
#26 – No, I can settle for this one.
28. Would you, could you, settle for this?
#29 – Nope
