"What's really striking and frankly horrifying is that the report gives us a tip of an iceberg of children taken into the care of Michigan's foster care system -- five kids who died because of poor efforts to surround them with the proper services and a safety net," said Sara Bartosz, an attorney for Children's Rights, a New York-based advocacy organization that has filed a class action lawsuit against the state. "It shows a history of a management that has seen holes in a safety net but even after children have died have not fixed and mended that safety net..."

Child abuse and neglect investigators do not yield enough evidence and "often make determinations that are not consistent with the facts," according to the report. As an example, the report points to the death of James (Earl Bradley, Jr.), which a coroner ruled a homicide and physician said likely resulted from child abuse. But the Michigan Department of Human Services investigation showed that there was not a preponderance of evidence to support child abuse, a conclusion the report called "entirely inconsistent with facts and ridiculous."

Whatever it is we're spending on DHS, it certainly doesn't seem to be used effectively.  All we see are chronic failures that devastate families.  Sort of the Granholm legacy at this point.  

Maybe the next time someone reports child abuse we could send in the Marines instead.  Looks like they may need a place to do some training, though the City of Grand Rapids is doing what it can to help.  The Grand Rapids Press reports on the growing scandal surrounding the mayor of Toledo, a first class creep who kicked the Marines out of his city the day of a vital training exercise because he though it was scary.  Homeless and without a critical training location the unit was forced to return home and start looking for a new place to practice their urban warfare tactics.

"When the U.S Marines call, you answer," said (Grand Rapids Police Lt. Ralph) Mason...

Mason, who took the call late Friday afternoon, offered the use of a vacant elementary school building used by Grand Rapids police for tactical training. But the offer came too late for the unit to act on it.

Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner ignited a firestorm of controversy in Toledo and beyond when he said he feared the Marines would frighten downtown residents and workers...

To some Toledo residents, Finkbeiner's stand is reminiscent of the controversy he raised in 1994 when he suggested at a staff meeting that a way to resolve complaints about airport noise would be to move deaf people into the neighborhood.

Gotta love the liberal mindset.  The state can do anything including picking up and transplanting residents based on physical handicaps but try to let the United States Military train as they've always trained and oh no, that'd be crossing the line.

Props to the GRPD for stepping up to the plate.  It didn't work out this time but it may the next.  And while this issue is far more serious than any game, here's hoping MSU and U of M lay a serious beating on OSU next fall.  Our Marines aren't good enough for you?  That whole State's got it coming for this one.