There’s a teen-aged girl in Butler, Georgia tonight that’s sleeping better than she has in a long time. The young lady was adopted by Diana and Samuel Franklin in 2007. It should have been a happy occurrence for the child. But the Franklins decided to home school the girl and raise her ‘according to the bible.’ Any infraction of their rules resulted in severe punishments, including up to six days at a time on a bread/water diet, performing hours of manual labor in the hot sun, and living in a chicken coop. Eventually the Franklins put a shocking dog collar on her. Finally, the neighbors reported the couple to the Department of Family and Child Services who, after visiting the home, removed the girl immediately.
The young lady lived in the home with the Franklin’s natural children, but she was the only one singled out for abuse. Experts say that’s not uncommon. Our culture puts a big premium on the safety of children — at least in theory. But I grew up with an old saying: “Beat you like a red-headed stepchild”. I think I’m beginning to understand just what that means…
Sources: CBS News, Daily Mail, Daily News, Raw Story
