Another co-sleeping death? We need MORE hard-hitting advertising!!!
Another baby died while "co-sleeping" during the early hours of January 7th in Milwaukee . According to news reports, the six day old infant was sleeping on a couch with his mother. Mom, who had been drinking vodka since noon and taken a painkiller before "falling asleep" rolled over and smothered the infant. Supposedly "dad" even woke mom up once during the evening to feed the little boy, but "mom" didn't remember that...
Sad, disgusting, and totally preventable.
Already the first "co-sleeping" incident for 2013 in the area. How many more will happen? Are we headed towards another year of double-digit infant deaths due to "co-sleeping" like last year? Sure looks that way - especially after the limp-wristed response from the bury-my-head-in-the-sand Mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett.
Barrett was on a WTMJ AM620 afternoon news show, discussing this recent incident. The host gave Barrett several opportunities to address this issue by going the legal route - make "co-sleeping" that results in death a "criminal act" - punishable by jail time. Use the threat of jail time to establish the "fear of prosecution" - something that may cause some individuals not to risk co-sleeping for fear of being sent to the slammer. When asked (twice) about the possibility of "criminalizing" the co-sleeping act which results in death, Barrett said that he is focused on "keeping at it" - by educating people on the dangers of co-sleeping. Barrett said the message "has to be delivered over and over..." We have to "keep advertising" on the dangers "just like McDonalds or Coke does." We have to tell people that they should not sleep with their infants if they are "overtired," "on medication," or (I love this one) have used a "substance that impairs their alertness." (Think that translates into "drunk" and/or "stoned?" Mr. Mayor? How come you can't call it what it is?) Barrett eventually deflected the "criminalization" questions away from himself, saying the "fear of prosecution" avenue may be better served by the Milwaukee District Attorney.
We should not continue to sugar-coat these horrific deaths as "accidents." When parents drive drunk with their children in the car - they can be arrested for drunken driving AND child endangerment. What is the difference when a parent uses their body as a weapon when drunk and/or stoned and smothers their child when passed out? (Even if a parent is NOT drunk or stoned, they do not know what they do when they sleep and the infant they are sleeping with is always at risk of being smothered or crushed.) Isn't that "child endangerment?"
We must stop allowing this type of behavior - resulting in infant deaths - to keep happening. All the education, free cribs, and advertising in the world will do nothing to stop many of these individuals who are ill-equipped to be a "parent" in the first place. What is needed is the threat of jail or prison based upon the conditions surrounding infant co-sleeping deaths. Start sending people to the slammer for their negligent and irresponsible behavior for "co-sleeping" and others in the community MAY take notice.
How many weeks...or days... before the next "co-sleeping" death?
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55 Comments
Mucho - Jan 09, 2013 4:37 PM
Milwaukee seems to take it to the next step and offs a few post-birth. The same value is being put on these lives as Planned Parenthood puts on the ones they kill.
The education that is required to fix this won't come from Obama, Barrett or any government agency.
ahemmer - Jan 09, 2013 5:21 PM
Until there are REAL consequences for such dangerous behavior, nothing will be done to protect the lives of the innocent babies who can do nothing in their own defense. If we continue to excuse it away as an "accident" and nothing more, what incentive is there for people to take notice and change their irresponsible and "child endangering" behaviors. Co-sleeping needs to be made a crime. Co-sleeping while drunk and/or stoned needs to be called manslaughter.
Wake up, Mr. Mayor. All the platitudes and lip service does nothing - like many liberal programs, it may make YOU feel good, but it doesn't address the problem.
WFB resident - Jan 09, 2013 7:55 PM
murders ! Yet they say nothing !
jman99 - Jan 09, 2013 8:47 PM
The mayor of any city cannot criminalize anything. the most that can happen is that city council can pass a bylaw.
Criminalization has to take place at the state level. that means your Scott Walker needs to get on top of this.
Why are you not taking Walker to task on this?
Why are you not taking him on the carpet for failing to do this in the last session?
What a hypocrite!
ahemmer - Jan 09, 2013 9:12 PM
The Mayor of Milwaukee could open up his mouth (which he is just fine doing when it comes to anti-gun legislation and speaking out AGAINST Voter ID laws) and say that co-sleeping should be criminalized. It's as simple as that. If he really wanted to do something for his floundering city, he could meet and talk with the powers that be over what is a real problem in Milwaukee - infants dying due to the brain-dead actions of their parent(s).
The Mayor of New York has no problem holding court declaring a war on guns (the latest liberal cause of the hour), touting anti-gun legislation. If he cannot create the laws, why is Bloomberg even bothering?
WFB resident - Jan 09, 2013 9:25 PM
walker to imposen on the Mayors ? If Walker should say something then the O would
and is the one who should comment on this problem ! Jman why ar5e you not calling
the o out on this ?
referee33 - Jan 09, 2013 10:32 PM
WFB resident - Jan 09, 2013 11:54 PM
stepping up and doing something for their constituents ! Why did your PDLS media
not tell you that Walker already commented on this last year PDLS's ? Like always
you assume that when your media does not inform you, that you are well informed !!
lol...
Mucho - Jan 10, 2013 1:57 AM
get involved in a domestic dispute outside State Fair by physically inserting himself into
harms way between Caucasian adults, why does he bow out when babies are involved
between African American parents?
jman99 - Jan 10, 2013 5:51 AM
Because he can restrict the commercial licensing of gun shops in NYC.
Gosh I cannot believe just how little you really know about government.
As to the actual topic here, if it is problem in Milwaukee, it is a problem in the state. It is up to the state to make this law and the taxpayers of Wisconsin to pay for its enforcement.
Let see your letter to Walker demanding this law and not your rants.
jman99 - Jan 10, 2013 6:46 AM
I'm sure this happens with brain dead parents elsewhere in the state, but it is not politicized by the right wing when it happens elsewhere in more "proper" neighbourhoods. usually it gets covered up or noted as "sids" in "better " neighbourhoods.
Here is a much better article on the subject:
http://lovelivegrow.com/2011/12/cosleeping-milwaukee/
ahemmer - Jan 10, 2013 6:49 AM
Bloomberg is speaking out in favor of changing the current gun laws - taking guns and ammo away from the law-abiding citizens.
(What libs fail to understand is that the Bill of Rights exists for a reason - to protect the people from a tyrannical government. When the government comes after our guns, we will be helpless as a "we the people." In addition, the crazies and the criminals will always have access to guns and/or other weapons. There are more than enough gun laws on the books - which law-abiding citizens follow. We don't need some more "feel good take away more guns" legislation from that clown Joe Biden, Barry "never let a good crisis go to waste" Obama, or other anti-gun, bigger government henchmen.)
And another question for you, jman99: If Barrett cannot suggest "criminalizing" co-sleeping cuz he cannot make the laws, how come he is now going on an anti-gun tour himself? or speaking out aginst the Voter ID laws? or backing up same-day registration? If Barrettt cannot make the laws in regards to any of these issues, why can he suggest outlawing certain types of guns, but not outlawing co-sleeping?
By the way, the highest number of "co-sleeping" deaths do occur in and around Milwaukee. Barret's Milwaukee. Don't blame Walker for not addressing this issue when limp-wristed Tom Barrett doesn't do anything more than promote "advertising" to stop co-sleeping. Barrett could take the initiative and talk to the Milwaukee D.A. OR Scott Walker for goddness sakes.
jman99 - Jan 10, 2013 7:22 AM
And if Barret is not doing the job on "co-sleeping" in his constituency, why isn't Walker down there walking the streets and bringing this issue to light for all of Wisconsin's voters?
He should lead this discussion as should his wife.
What are they afraid of?
jman99 - Jan 10, 2013 7:28 AM
"Bloomberg, co-chairman of the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, urged Congress to renew the ban on certain semi-automatic firearms that expired in 2004. He also called for improved databases to trace gun ownership, stricter enforcement against illegal gun trafficking and more laws to prevent sales to criminals.
“We just don’t need guns everyplace,” Bloomberg said today on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program. “We don’t need people carrying guns in public places. That’s not what the founding fathers had in mind. It doesn’t add to anybody’s safety. Quite the contrary, it makes us have a much more dangerous society.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-16/obama-s-got-to-try-to-get-new-gun-laws-bloomberg-says.html
WFB resident - Jan 10, 2013 9:25 AM
problems in Milwaukee ! But Milwaukee is part pf the USA also . Why has the o not
cared to help the minority children being killed by their parents in there own
Milwaukee (USA) homes ? The o only thinks about himself again !
jman99 - Jan 10, 2013 10:37 AM
On April 11, 2011 it was reported in the Waukesha Patch that another co-
sleeping death was being investigated:
http://waukesha.patch.com/articles/waukesha-police-investigating-possible-co-
sleeping-death-of-infant
Obviously, this is a state wide problem ( " infants dying due to the brain-dead actions of their parent(s).") and Walker has dropped the ball and shown no leadership at all in this area.
Start your own Task Force Hemmer. Call Walker and rip him a new one....
jman99 - Jan 10, 2013 12:40 PM
Walker served as County Executive for ALL of the citizens of Milwaukee County
for eight years. Surely he must have had something profound and meaningful to
say about the "Sad, disgusting, and totally preventable" co-sleeping deaths that
occurred under his watch."
Just add it to the list here:
http://www.scottwalkerfailurefiles.com/