Monkey Musings Daily Open Discussion #15 2/5 - 2/6/09

[crazybabyborg]

I didn't know quite where to put this, so I'm dropping it here. There is a news article out about Marvin Maple (Google the name). He is a grandparent that kidnapped his grandchildren over 20 years ago and just turned himself in. The grandparents took the children b/c they were being sexually abused. I am friends with Marvin's sister and a this letter from Marvin's other daughter was just passed on to me tonight.

Interesting seeing the other side, the one the news media isn't interested in printing. See below:

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:02:47 Fwd: My Dad, Niece and Nephew Need Our Prayers

Hello everyone I wanted to forward this from my sister.

The last thing I remember my father (Marvin Maple) saying to me was how much courage it took for his grandchildren who are my nephew and niece (Bobby and Christie Baskin) to speak out and tell of the abuse they had suffered, as they had been threatened with their lives if they told anyone.  He said he promised them he would keep them safe.  He told me he would lose everything (including his life) if that is what it took to keep his promise to them. That was 20 years ago I have not heard from or seen him, my mother, my nephew and niece since that time, other than one letter about a week after they left.  They have been lost to our whole family.
 
The last time I saw my sister, Debbie, was also 20 years ago when she and Mark sued my grandparents, my youngest sister, me and my husband for half a million dollars 3 days after we learned my parents had left. We had no prior knowledge of my parents' plans to flee, and the suit against us was dropped. When we were in court, I could hear Debbie, Mark and their attorney, Larry Trail, ranting in the hallway when they learned my parents had left no assets for them to seize.  Attorney Larry Trail yelled in my face at this court hearing and so did the court juvenile referee who sat as judge.  My parents had spent everything and remortgaged their home to pay for legal services to protect the children, for counseling at Vanderbilt Hospital for Bobbie and Christie, and at the end; when all their efforts to protect their grandchildren in the legal system failed ...to start a new life.

I just saw this morning on the Today Show, as the TV reporter repeated the local news story, the booking photo of my dad where he is being detained in San Jose, California.  He had what appeared to be an abrasion on his forehead.  He didn't have his glasses on, and he is almost blind without them. I just learned at 10pm Tuesday night that my mom is dead.  Yesterday I sat hugging my 94 year old Papa yesterday as he learned the heartbreaking news that his oldest daughter was dead. Despite this, my family and friends are full of hope and pray that the truth will finally be told as to what really happened; and that the charges against my father will be dropped.

I do not know what kind of resources my dad has available to him for legal counsel.  I did read in the online newspaper comments from someone who knows my niece in California that my nephew and niece are trying to attain legal defense for him, that my niece remembers the abuse, they do not want to see their parents, and that they know my dad and mom are their grandparents, but choose to call them dad and mom.

I believe God has protected them all these years and allowed my parents to see the fruits of their labor in raising a beautiful young man and woman and giving them the opportunity to a good life.  They did not just simply disappear with these children after a single suspicion or by lightly take the law into their own hands. They fought in court for over a year.  During this time the social workers who were assigned to the case were repeatedly removed and new ones were assigned. Every children's services caseworker, except for the last social worker assigned, recommended that the children stay with my parents under their protection from Mark and Debbie and Mark's family. The Rutherford County court appointed someone to oversee supervised visits between Bobby and Christie with Mark and Debbie and his family at this time.  Bobby and Christie would cry and beg not to go; and after the supervised visits would be unable to sleep at night.  My father taped phone conversations with Mark and Debbie calling and threatening Bobby and Christie.  The court would not admit these tapes as evidence.  They said my parents could continue to tape the phone conversations with Mark and Debbie's knowledge; and then they could admit the conversations as evidence. Mark and Debbie then went from calling daily (often multiple times) to calling rarely and only speaking very briefly and carefully to their children with no more threats.

If you want to talk about inconsistencies, why is it never reported by the news media or the Murfreeboro local authorities in the past 20 years that years ago,  Mark Baskin filed sexual abuse charges against his own father, Mac Baskin, for abusing Bobby?  The former detective with Murfreesboro Police, Carolyn McGowan, said that it was the clearest case of child sexual abuse she had ever investigated.  Nevertheless, the charges were dropped.

Mark and Debbie left for Kentucky shortly after that case was lost against his father. Mark and Debbie were devastated and so were my parents. They implored my parents to take all three children while Mark went to seminary school as they would be living in a very small apartment.  My parents were in their 50's at this time and said no at first.  They then agreed to keep the two oldest children as they would be in kindergarten and first grade that fall. My mom thought she would be able to handle that. The youngest child was only 4, and she didn't think she could emotionally or physically meet the demands of caring for all three.  Bobby was almost 6 and Christie was 7 at this time.  It was after they had been living with my parents, that they told them that their parents were involved in the abuse not just Mark's father. My parents did not want to prosecute their own daughter with criminal charges and filed a civil case to get permanent custody to protect their grandchildren.  They also called the authorities in Kentucky to ask for protection for Mark and Debbie's youngest child. 

Det. Carolyn McGowan called me twice during the first 2 years after my parents left to ask if I had heard from them or had any knowledge of their whereabouts. The last time she called was around 18 years ago. I asked her how she could be treating my parents as criminals now, after she had so firmly believed the charges against Mark's father.  She said it was the anniversary of their disappearance, and she was just doing her job.  She said would never wish any harm on Bobby and Christie.  I still couldn't understand how she could justify putting the children in jeopardy and asked her again to explain herself. Ms. McGowan then told me that she thought the sexual abuse of Bobby and Christie by their parents and Mark's family had been "an isolated incident or two of sexual abuse", which my parents had greatly exaggerated.  I have NEVER read or heard of any case of a pedophile stopping the abuse without admitting any wrong or getting any help when they have continued access and opportunity. Also, how many incidents of child sexual abuse have to occur before it is wrong?  The Murfreesboro police have never tried to speak with me or anyone in my family again in the past 18 years.  The Murfreesboro news media has never tried to speak to me, or anyone who might have another point of view opposing the Baskins. 

When I learned from the newspaper that the television show "Unsolved Mysteries" was taping the segment in Murfreesboro, I called them.  They were not interested in talking to me or the children's' teachers or doctors or any other community or family member that I could reference that might disagree with what the Baskins claimed was true.  They told me they already had their "story". My husband did have a call at one time several years ago when Mark was applying for a position at a church in another city in Georgia or Florida. The man calling was asking for a character reference on Mark.  He said that Mark and Debbie had been receiving "love offerings" to help finance their search for their missing children and something didn't seem quite right to him.  I have also been told by my friends that have contact with the Baskins that Debbie and Mark had kept a bank account to receive donations over the years. Mark and Debbie have also lived in Florida and I'm not sure how many times they have moved.  Mark has always had positions of authority over children as a Boy Scout leader, church youth pastor, school teacher, etc. Debbie has home schooled their children. They have also had several foster children in their home.
This one-sided media story is substantiated only by what the Baskins say and what was found in Rutherford County's legal system.  This was/is at best a flawed, understaffed, overworked court system in Murfreesboro OR at worst a prejudiced and corrupt local legal system with close friends of the Baskins in authority which have prevailed until now.  I believe God is sovereign and will have final authority in the end.  I pray and am asking others to join me in praying that it is not asking too much to see a little justice now.
May God continue to watch over my father and give him and my nephew and niece strength and help to meet their needs.

Signed: Sherry Maple Dallas (oldest daughter of Marvin L. & Sandra Maple)

this makes me physically ill.   it is a proven fact that SEXUAL OFFENDERS CANNOT BE RE-HABILITATED.........THEY JUST MOVE ON AND FIND NEW VICTIMS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow..........this story is so sad. The sacrifices the grandparents made and the family made will be rewarded within the lives of those kids, but Boy, this is just wrong.....   

[JuJu]

flossy, i emailed your likeness to my boys.....they thought it was the funniest thing ever

Wanna send them the original, too, JuJu??

yes....thanks lolol

[Artcolley]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ART





I am thankful to have you as my friend.

HUGS,

OS

OS, (( HUGs)))  Thank You

[Artcolley]

Happy Birthday, ARTCOLLEY!

For the record, I would have discussed AVMs with you!


 

Thanks Flossy, wow, they are such a rare thing and it is so hard to find people to talk about those with, lol! I would LOVE it sometime if you are so inclined! 

I can't say that I have a vast knowledge on the subject of AVMs, but I did learn something very interesting in a class the other day.   The neonatologist/cardiologist who was speaking told us that we should always auscultate a baby's fontanels with our stethoscopes.  The audience looked at him like he was crazy and giggled thinking he was making a joke, but he told us the story of being just out of med school and hearing a bruit in the fontanel of a baby and even though all of the doctors thought he was nuts when he placed his stethoscope over it in the first place, they went ahead and did a CT anyway.  Sure enough, the baby had an AVM and he caught it.   That just floored me! 

Did you know that?

YES!!!! I wish to heck they would do these tests on more babies. Many are lost at birth due to these AVM;s and are not  ever discovered. and those that are, are discovered on autopsy.
Bruits were my FIRST sign. I thought the fellow next door was sawing wood, lol
People have these from birth and are walking time bombs their whole lives til they decide to bleed.
The sad thing is, nobody knows it is even there until that happens.

Wow, so you heard it inside your head??  Holy moly!! 

I was so surprised that it was something we would even be able to hear with a stethoscope, but what a great piece of information!   As soon as he told us that, I decided that at some point during each shift I work, I'm going to listen to each and every one of those babys' fontanels. 

A 9 year old girl here dropped dead last month from an AVM that burst.  They are one of the scariest things out there, in my opinion. 

I think it needs to be part of the mandatory assessment that's done on each baby immediately after birth - just listen to their little head for a minute or so!

I'm so glad that you are okay!  It didn't even dawn on me until after I posted that last post that you had had one - I initially thought maybe you were in healthcare!

DOH!!       

Flossy, I had two AVMs. ONe in NOv 2006 that I had to be life flighted to Mass General for and when I went for a checkup in Feb 07 there was another one bleeding. So, I have had two craniotomies for AVMs. Still recovering. Its a long , hard road.  Good news is that now they are totally gone.

[mytime]

Happy Birthday Artcolley!!   

What time is the party?? We love birthday parties!!

[2NJSons_Mom]

Artcolley,

As Tibro posted earlier, I, too,  remember you keeping us informed about your health issues back then, and Seamonkey filling us in.  So glad those AVMs are gone.

MyTime,

That pic is adorable.  So cute.

[klaasend]

Mytime - is that your dog?  Does your husband know you dress him/her up like that? 

[mytime]

Art  - just curious...why Mass General and not NE Medical??

[mytime]

Mytime - is that your dog?  Does your husband know you dress him/her up like that? 

   Yes that is one of my 5!!  He knows and he hates it!!  LOL

Why did it come out so big??  I am still learning!!

[klaasend]

Mytime - is that your dog?  Does your husband know you dress him/her up like that? 

   Yes that is one of my 5!!  He knows and he hates it!!  LOL

Why did it come out so big??  I am still learning!!

The resolution that the camera takes a photo at is large.  Most photos have to be either resized in photoshop and the resolution changed or put in photobucket and resized there.

[Artcolley]

Art  - just curious...why Mass General and not NE Medical??

THank you for the Birthday wishes!

Love the doggie! I dress mine up too, lol

I went to Mass General as they have one of the top neurosurgeons in the world there, Dr. Ogilvy. He and his team head up the Neuroscience dept there and most are researchers as well and have developed many of the new procedures being used today. I was very very lucky to have him.

[BooMonkey]

Yes BlueMoon, it's in Tennessee! If there are any Tennessee Monkeys reading this, please pass it on. The press needs to be forced to see the other side of this!! Any Monkeys, please copy and put it out there, through email, other forums, etc. This man sacrificed his life for his grandchildren because the system failed them!

[mytime]

Mytime - is that your dog?  Does your husband know you dress him/her up like that? 

   Yes that is one of my 5!!  He knows and he hates it!!  LOL

Why did it come out so big??  I am still learning!!

The resolution that the camera takes a photo at is large.  Most photos have to be either resized in photoshop and the resolution changed or put in photobucket and resized there.

Got it!!  Thanks for your help!!

[mytime]

Art  - just curious...why Mass General and not NE Medical??

THank you for the Birthday wishes!

Love the doggie! I dress mine up too, lol

I went to Mass General as they have one of the top neurosurgeons in the world there, Dr. Ogilvy. He and his team head up the Neuroscience dept there and most are researchers as well and have developed many of the new procedures being used today. I was very very lucky to have him.

OK!  I just wondering.  I have friends that work at both and they never agree with the other regarding the their own hospitals!!  It is like some big competetion!!   

Anyway, glad you found the best!  May your road to recovery be a easier and quicker!!  Have a wonderful Birthday!!!!

[klaasend]

Bearly - you want the thread change or do you want me to get it?

[klaasend]

Don't everyone stop talking at once, LOL 

[Seamonkey]

Goodness, not everyone at once now lol...how will ya ever get it to page 50?? lol

[San]

Don't everyone stop talking at once, LOL 

Three more posts after this one.

[San]

Goodness, not everyone at once now lol...how will ya ever get it to page 50?? lol

Just like this 

[San]