File under: WTF Kind of World are we Living in???! I'M ANGRY! What do we DO??

I'm struggling to find the words to express everything that is bubbling up out of me right now... I am physically sickened by this entire course of events.

Quote :

==WARNING: I USED FOUL LANGUAGE BELOW, SO IF THAT OFFENDS YOU, SKIP TO THE ARTICLE, PLEASE==

WHAT has BECOME of us??? What kind of a FOCKING WORLD are we LIVING in?? What sort of a SOCIETY?? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THIS COUNTRY (THE BEST COUNTRY ON THIS PLANET!)??? If something does not change dramatically -- and soon -- we will all find ourselves protecting ourselves by obtaining sidearms (well, those of us who have not already done so) and concealed carry permits. (And let's face it, that's scary, because the average citizen is not sufficiently trained or prepared to do so.) Either that, or we best be prepared for teems of vigilante justice groups to hit the streets. I tend to think that this downward spiraling road we're on will eventually bring our society to anarchy... utter mayhem and a crumbling of our society, or what's left of it. I am not just referring here to this one disgusting and horrible case in the article below, but to the depths to which out society has descended in the past years and far beyond. We are on a road to a very bad place. Face it, we read about atrocities such as this every goddamned day.

And... Oh, I'm not even going to start on the "Social Media" aspect of this whole subject aside from saying that THAT cord needed to be severed before it was ever plugged in.

I'd love to hear you all's thoughts... I admit that I may just be on Big City Overload from today and this struck me in the very worst of ways... But society is in serious decline. I don't think anyone could argue with that... Can you??

Florida man allegedly kills wife, posts confession, photo of body on Facebook
By Dave Alsup and Ben Brumfield, CNN
updated 3:53 AM EDT, Fri August 9, 2013

Quote :

Hours before the slaying, Derek Medina posted a picture of himself with his family at a marina.

(CNN) -- People confess to a lot of things on Facebook: their frustrations, bad habits, secret longings and new loves. A Florida man allegedly confessed to a slaying Thursday on the social media website, that of his wife, whom he told police he shot dead in their kitchen.

Derek Medina, 31, posted a picture of her blood-stained body -- collapsed and contorted on the floor in the corner -- to his Facebook feed with a note.

"Im going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife love you guys miss you guys takecare Facebook people you will see me in the news."

Medina, who lives in South Miami, drove to see his family, to tell them what he did. Then he turned himself in to police, according to his arrest affidavit.

He was charged with first degree murder.

Facebook friends commented on the photo in shock.

"That is my friend there."

"What happened???? derek."

"WHAT??????"

Other Facebook users reacted with disgust to the posting of the picture of his wife's corpse. She was 26.

"this is crazy omg ... guy kills his wife post pic in facebook."

The disgust did not prevent the commenters from sharing Medina's photo. Again and again.

Her gruesome likeness stayed online and was passed along for at least five hours, until Facebook was notified of the content. Employees removed the picture and disabled Medina's page and that of his deceased wife, according to Facebook.

In his note, Medina accused his wife of abusing him and asked his friends for their understanding for what he did to her because of it.

The police report with his confession cast a more detailed light on the course of events.

This was Medina's account to Miami Dade police:

He and his wife argued. He pulled a gun on her. She threatened to leave him. He put the gun away and followed her. She unloaded a volley of punches on him. He fetched the gun again. She pulled a knife. He wrestled it out of her hands. She punched him again.

Then he shot her "multiple times."

He felt certain she was dead. He did not call 911, the affidavit states. He changed clothes, and after seeing his family, went to a police station and began the process of confessing.

After he gave police his address, they drove to the scene, where they found the body.

The couple's 10-year-old daughter was also still in the house, police said. She was physically "unharmed."

Hours before the slaying, Medina posted a picture of the three of them having dinner together outdoors at a marina.

They were all smiling.

CNN's Katie Caperton and Ryan Marylynn contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/09/us/florida-facebook-confession/

May their daughter's mother be resting at peace, and may her daughter find peace and strength. She is in my thoughts.

Why in hell didn't he just let her leave him as she tried to do? This was not a seld-defense story, as the perp tried to make it out to be.

What kind of self-centered turd would take his wife's life rather than let her go? It is as if to say "you cannot have a life without me."

I don't know, E. I see that picture of them smiling together just before it happened and my world goes sideways. Unfortunately, I've been with too many men like that whose disposition changes from peaches and cream to murderous at the drop of a hat... usually when you "just add alcohol." They always hide it until you're in so deep you don't know how the hell to get out with your life intact.

I could tell you some harrowing stories that would raise the hair on your head. In short, those men chose the wrong girl to f* with. Except in one situation, I've always had friends more than willing to dispense with street-justice after I finally figured out how to get away. Karma took care of the exception, and his karmic end was far better than any revenge I could have arranged. He got beaten to death with a 2x4 in an alley. I am happy he is dead, and I'm happy it was painful and that he suffered greatly. That animal deserved it.

In retrospect, I'm sure that's why this story struck me so acutely... it hit uncomfortably close to home.

I so feel for the young woman's family and friends... And I hope they put that animal down.

Oh Rice Me, I hope you you're putting this behind you just as you have your own personal experiences.

It's sick and we need to do so.

Hey, it's Sunday............relax and be happy!

I am alarmed pretty much every day by what I see on TV and on the internet. Is it so much worse than it used to be or is it the 24/7 access we have now to the news?

Aside from the evil murderer in this story, I do believe that we have a generation of young people who share WAY too much on the internet.

nekochan wrote:

I am alarmed pretty much every day by what I see on TV and on the internet.  Is it so much worse than it used to be or is it the 24/7 access we have now to the news?  

Aside from the evil murderer in this story, I do believe that we have a generation of young people who  share WAY too much on the internet.

It would be interesting to know the answer to that $64 question. I think the personal violence may be about the same, but we'll never know, since communication was limited in the past.

One thing for sure that is worse is the idiots that want to kill as many people as they can... to get their name in the paper, on the TV, and in the record books. I have said this before, but it is worth repeating... names of mass murderers should NEVER be published. Yeah, the media will want to report the story and publicize family grief, but the perp's name should remain unpublished. Do NOT give them even 15 minutes of fame...

stormwatch89 wrote:

Oh Rice Me, I hope you you're putting this behind you just as you have your own personal experiences.

It's sick and we need to do so.

Hey, it's Sunday............relax and be happy!

Yes ma'am... I am not so upset about it any longer. You get it PB, that story hit a little too close to home for me, but I'm good now.

I spent all Saturday afternoon into the late evening down the hill at James' parents' house celebrating Poppi's 65th birthday, and we had a wonderful time.

You know that they've always treated me like the daughter they never had, and since I moved up the hill from them (and James' wife is crazy-jealous) I've become much closer with them than I am with the boys... But for the first time, Mama Kathy and I really bonded. I mean, we talked nonstop the whole time I was there! And you know me... I don't make "girlfriends' all that easily, lol! It was really great for me to get to talk with another gal like that. And I'm going back over this afternoon, which I'll tell you about in an email.

XOXO!

nekochan wrote:

I am alarmed pretty much every day by what I see on TV and on the internet.  Is it so much worse than it used to be or is it the 24/7 access we have now to the news?  

Aside from the evil murderer in this story, I do believe that we have a generation of young people who  share WAY too much on the internet.

I am of the opinion that crime *seems* worse to us because of advancements in not only technologies allowing 24x7 access to up the the moment news, but also because of a tremendous uptick in *reporting* of violent crimes AND the abilities of law enforcement to analyze & report (in this case ultimately to the public) violent crime statistics. I'm not even going to get into sensationalistic media for the purposes of netting higher ratings (among other things) because it will simply anger me but I have now mentioned it, so you all no doubt get my point.

In general I limit my news intake to home, Pensacola and Kansas (plus Wind, the price of diesel,... &c, &c, &c), and have my GoogleNews feed tailored to above. Of course I also monitor politics and major world & national news, which is how I found the above story. I really wish that I would have just IGGY'd it! :/

I could not possibly agree with you more that this new generation shares FAR too much on social media (and text, email,... ,... ,... ). I HAVE a Facebook account, but I hardly ever log in and when I do, it is almost always to see what new photos my cousins have posted of their little rascals.

IF I post at all -- which is extremely rare -- it is nearly exclusively to express how much I love my family. I *NEVER* post ANY personal information whatsoever. When I first got back to town a friend & I got together at the local wine bar... I had my phone in my back pocket and it buzzed so I looked at it. It was notifying me that my friend who was sitting across from me had posted to FB that she was at the wine bar... with me. AAAAARRRRRRRRRGH! I immediately asked my friend to remove my name from the post, then had to explain the safety ramifications of doing stuff like that. Uhh, "DUH!!" Sooo, it's not just the new generation... MY generation is doing this dumb stuff too!

 

E, I am in 100% agreement w/you about not EVER revealing the names of serial killers. Aside from the issue of them getting off on having their 15-minutes of fame, there are the following issues: copycats, fans who write to them in prison (spawning more copycats!), those crazy women who fall in love with them while they're behind bars..., &c, &c, &c.

You are feeling better, Riceme?

As you know, I too experienced serious domestic violence, both as a child and as an adult. The notion that battered female children seek out life partners who are batterers was true in my case when I was much younger. It was what felt like "normal" to me. It was what I knew.

That's one of the reasons I thank my higher power every day for my maturity and insight. I also thank my HP for bringing my husband into my life at a time when I never thought I'd date again, much less ever get married.

Sometimes my anger still surfaces. I don't think it will ever go away completely. The odd thing is (but it's not really that odd, is it?), I also chose a career - nursing - which, as a whole, has tended to accept battering and abuse by patients as the norm - as "just part of the job." Most nurses don't even report physical abuse by a patient, much less file charges against the person.

I don't know if I ever mentioned it here, but one of the reasons I finally left nursing was the abuse and violence toward nurses I witnessed night after night. One night last January, I was punched in the head by a patient. I was nearly knocked out. It was the first time in 35 years I've ever been battered by a patient, although I have experienced consistent and ongoing verbal abuse over the years. Four nights later, another nurse was punched in the face by the same patient. That nurse suffered a broken nose and, as I understand it, a concussive injury. She never returned to work.

It took me a few months to process it, but I had finally had enough. Now, I spend a good bit of time online trying to raise awareness in nurses of the fact that we don't have to accept battering as part of the job. I am also trying to raise awareness among administrators, who simply must do a better job of supporting nurses and medical personnel who have been abused and/or battered on the job.

New laws are being passed all over the country that address battering of nurses and other medical personnel. Right here in good, old Pensacola, the person who punched me was ultimately charged with and adjudicated guilty of felony battery on an emergency health care worker. The person was sentenced to a year in jail. I didn't even know we had such a law, but I am learning more about this every day.

Riceme, I'm trying to harness all of that anger and direct it in a positive way. Is there something you can do that will help you in a similar manner?

Damn, Mel. Can't the hospital press charges??? Throw the asshole out on his ear??? Give 'em a liberal dose of Ex-Lax??  

Eric, I pressed charges myself. Some members of the administration seemed none too pleased with my action. I was told, "yes, you have the right to press charges, but we have to think about the patient, too."

The other nurse, the one who never returned to work, pressed charges as well. In her case, the patient was adjudicated guilty of felony battery on a person over the age of 65. The one year jail sentence was ordered to be served concurrently.

Hospitals do not press charges on behalf of employees. They do occasionally press charges for damages to the facilities, but not often.

These days, it's all about patient satisfaction. I find it sad that maintaining "patient satisfaction" seems to include the right of a patient to physically assault or otherwise abuse nurses and other health care personnel.

Some hospitals in other states are handling this issue by letting patients know right up front, in group meetings, that violence toward staff will not be tolerated, period. The consequences of perpetrating violence against staff are clearly explained in those meetings. To the best of my knowledge, this is not happening locally. We have a lot of catching up to do.

My Mom-in-Law, deceased, worked for 15 years in the psychiatric area at Baptist Hospital.  I'll bet she had her share of violence.

I remember her telling a story about a wild-eyed guy that asked her "I bet you think I'm going to stab you, don't you?"  She answered in her best Nurse Ratchet voice "What makes you think I'd think that?"

---

She was not too tall, but she was a very big woman, and she talked slowly so people understood her very clearly.  One time, another guy came up to her and said "I'm going to get past you and (pointing) get out that door."  

She said in her drawl "Wellllll... ain't anybody got past me YET!" When she described this, she really emphasized the YET and had a tight-lipped scowl on her face...

That dude wasn't going ANYWHERE.

I received a really encouraging letter from my attorney yesterday. I wish I had the chutzpah to post it here, but alas, I don't know if that would be damaging to my case.

Otherwise:              

Melissa (PB) wrote:

I received a really encouraging letter from my attorney yesterday. I wish I had the chutzpah to post it here, but alas, I don't know if that would be damaging to my case.

Otherwise:              

Good. I don't think I would want to work for an establishment that took the side of the customer in a dispute.

That just ain't right.

Congratulations on your impending victory.

The hospital administrators will do anything to avoid looking bad to the general public that uses them, except giving better care to the patients, which will cost the hospital money........

Since I never even said I had a case to begin with, I suppose it's time for me to woman up and and tell you I have decided to sue my former employer. No names, please don't ask.

It took me nearly three months to make the decision to do so, but the ball started rolling about a week ago. I have a fabulous labor attorney (no names, again) who has already proven to be worth his retainer.

It had to be done. Had I not taken action, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life, so that's that. Sometimes a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do. It's the first time I've every sued anybody or any corporation.

Hopefully the hospital will learn to take care of the employees before profits for the administrators, but I wouldn't make a bet on it.. The judge will have to tell the hospital exactly what they have to do while having his hands open for campaign contributations from the hospital....

I hope this action won't get to court. But if it does, it does.

All I want is for administration to learn to care about their employees.

I want a policy that states precisely what the staff member and the administrators will do in the event an employee is attacked and injured. I don't want to ever hear again, from an administrator after a staff member has been injured by a patient, that I, as charge nurse, should tell the staff member not to report her injury to our Worker's Comp representative (as our policy clearly states we are to do), in lieu of letting an administrator "talk to somebody about it in the morning."  I want to know it will not be brushed under the rug, and, most importantly, that the employees who report being assaulted and/or battered by patients will not become the victims when everything is said and done.

Melissa (PB) wrote:

Since I never even said I had a case to begin with, I suppose it's time for me to woman up and and tell you I have decided to sue my former employer. No names, please don't ask.

It took me nearly three months to make the decision to do so, but the ball started rolling about a week ago. I have a fabulous labor attorney (no names, again) who has already proven to be worth his retainer.

It had to be done. Had I not taken action, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life, so that's that. Sometimes a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do. It's the first time I've every sued anybody or any corporation.

Good for you, Mel!  I haven't sued anybody (or been sued) either... good luck.

Thanks, Eric. It's been a long road. It took me several months to decide if this was the route I wanted to take. There's a lot to be said for sucking it up and moving on, but ultimately I realized I couldn't do that. Hopefully this will bring about some positive changes in my prior work setting. I really do hope so.

I'm proud of you Melisa.. The biggest thing is the problem is recognized and corrected by the administrators but the stockholders are the ones that really need to know what the administrators have been doing because they are the owners...... Perhaps a letter to ALL stockholders stating the problem and solution would be the best way to fix the problems..

PB you rock. My fingers are crossed for you. Hospitals need to realize without the medical staff they can't make money.

When I first started in the ER at Baptist..the 11-7 charge nurse did my orientation. She called it the night orientation. The first thing she showed me was the heavy stainless steel mayo tray. She warned me to never let a patient get between me and the tray. She told me it was the best available weapon. I was shocked....she said the ER is dangerous at night and if anything happened, with just 2 nurses on duty, there is no one to call for help.

I only had to use it once when a man attempt to assault me. It worked.

Good luck, PB. It's unbelievable what nurses go through.