Arkansas Republican gave adopted girls to rapist because they were ‘possessed by demons’: report

[riversedge]

Source: raw story




Arkansas Republican gave adopted girls to rapist because they were ‘possessed by demons’: report
David Ferguson

11 Mar 2015 at 10:15 ET


The story of Arkansas state Rep. Justin Harris (R) — whose family adopted a pair of girls then “re-homed” them to another household where one of the girls was raped — has taken a bizarre turn with allegations that the Harris family gave the girls up because they believed the children could communicate telepathically and were possessed by demons.

The Arkansas Times reported on Wednesday that sources close to the family dispute many of the assertions Harris and his wife Marsha made last Friday at a press conference at the Arkansas state capitol.

The Harrises said they were never made aware that the girls were violent or that they posed a risk to a household with other children. Rep. Harris claimed that the family received no aid from the Department of Human Services (DHS) and that when they attempted to make the agency aware of issues with the girls, they threatened to charge him with child abandonment.

A bevy of witnesses — including, the Times said, “two foster families who cared for the girls prior to the Harris adoption, the girls’ biological mother, a former DHS employee familiar with the proceedings and a former babysitter at the Harrises’ West Fork home” — dispute virtually every word of the Harrises’ account of the adoption and subsequent “re-homing” and rape. .................

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/arkansas-republican-gave-adopted-girls-to-rapist-because-they-wer

---

Rep. Justin Harris (ArkansasHouse.org)

[niyad]

1. oh my, this gets sicker and sicker. let's see, first it was that the traumatized girls

were soon-to-be axe murderers. yesterday this whiner was being persecuted because of his religion--and now this.

the man clearly needs an i-love-me jacket. he does NOT need to be an elected official, chairing a committee that oversees dhs and children's services.

[erronis]

11. Oh, but he has a lapel pin!

That's what all the people that don't have real credentials wear. Something you can buy online for $3 that says "I am a patriot" or "I am a religious cretin".

I'm so f'in tired of those suits with pins that encapsulate the same old bag of crap - usually a fat white guy.

[diabeticman]

2. They only wanted these girls for political/photo op reasons

In the article it states:


Other foster families who worked with the girls say that the middle girl was never violent and that the Harrises were warned multiple times that their family would not be a good fit for children from such a traumatic background, which included neglect, violent abuse and sexual molestation.

However, the Harrises relied on their friend Cecile Blucker — a DHS official — to push the adoption through in spite of the warnings and serious misgivings on the part of state officials.




Those poor kids.

[me b zola]

10. In conservative christian circles, adopting children gives you prestige

Conservative churches literally hold bake sales to raise money for their members to adopt children. They send members to underdeveloped nations to build "orphanages" and then tell the impoverished or struggling families that they will watch and feed their young children during the week to help them out. Many children are then adopted out through the "orphanages", many times the families do not understand what they are signing, they do not understand that their child will have her name changed to never return again. These are poor and struggling families doing everything they can to make things better for their children, many have no intention of losing them.

[diabeticman]

15. oh wow that is so screwed up.

[notadmblnd]

29. There were some religious people who were caught doing this in Haiti after an earthquake

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7118254/Haiti-earthquake-US-church-group-tried-to-take-children.html

[Orrex]

3. Well, if they were possessed, what the hell else could he have done?

Science!

[niyad]

4. I just read the entire article, and sickening does not even begin to cover it. harris

and his wife are monsters, period. I would say I cannot believe there are no charges against them yet, but, considering who backed him, the legislative position he holds, I doubt there ever will.

those poor, poor girls. I hope that they get all the help they need, and all the love they deserve.

and I hope that the harris family receives everything it deserves.

[Iliyah]

5. This is beyond anger for me.

The logic from a unstable religious fanatic was?

Someone else can "effing" get the demon out from a six year old?

[RussBLib]

12. no atheist would have done anything like this

but then again, a self-proclaimed atheist would probably not even have been allowed to adopt.

[VWolf]

20. Ironic, isn't it? n/t

[mountain grammy]

6. Fucking sick bastard.

[d_legendary1]

7. Excuse my language

but this is pretty fucked up! Even for Arkansas.

[RussBLib]

8. if looks mean anything

this guy looks like a mentally crippled shithead.

[uppityperson]

9. Sounds more like they were the only ones NOT possessed by demons.

[LongTomH]

13. Creepy Bastard! He reminds me of one of the sleazier breeds of televangelist!!!

[secondwind]

14. After reading the article, I feel sick to my stomach.. these people shouldn't be around children!!!

[Android3.14]

16. Is Justin a woman?

It may just be that ugly suit, but that's a strange-strange picture.

[appalachiablue]

21. What I thought also, note the sideburns, not. Very strange. Sick story, so sad for the girls.

[secondvariety]

27. Dude looks like a lady.

[notadmblnd]

30. I got the same impression

That person looks like a woman dressed as a man.

[Katashi_itto]

31. I thought so too.

[NickB79]

36. "He" has some killer lips on "him", I'll say that. nt

[Sunlei]

17. omg there was a third little girl and Rep. Justin Harris locked those 2 toddlers in barren rooms.

How many other children has he 'adopted', and then cast off when they 'broke' under the Justin Harris method of child abuse?

He has other adopted children. The authorities, police and Medical professionals need to do a full investigation to help all these children.

[niyad]

34. don't forget that he runs a preschool--growing god's kingdom--that has "helped" hundreds, and

received hundreds of thousands in state subsidies, DESPITE clearly being a religious organization.

[cindyperry]

18. you have got

to be kidding me that in this day and age this damn idiot believes that garbage

[me b zola]

19. Rehoming children is a big problem in the US

I hope the focus will stay on the problem of rehoming children and not turn to the crazy christian conservative doing despicable things.

from Reuters:

Americans use the Internet to abandon children adopted from overseas

By Megan Twohey

Filed September 9, 2013


~snip~
The Puchallas had rescued Quita from an orphanage in Liberia, brought her to America and then signed her over to a couple they barely knew. Days later, they had no idea what had become of her.

When she arrived in the United States, Quita says, she "was happy … coming to a nicer place, a safer place. It didn't turn out that way," she says today. "It turned into a nightmare."

The teenager had been tossed into America's underground market for adopted children, a loose Internet network where desperate parents seek new homes for kids they regret adopting. Like Quita, now 21, these children are often the casualties of international adoptions gone sour.

Through Yahoo and Facebook groups, parents and others advertise the unwanted children and then pass them to strangers with little or no government scrutiny, sometimes illegally, a Reuters investigation has found. It is a largely lawless marketplace. Often, the children are treated as chattel, and the needs of parents are put ahead of the welfare of the orphans they brought to America.

The practice is called "private re-homing," a term typically used by owners seeking new homes for their pets. Based on solicitations posted on one of eight similar online bulletin boards, the parallels are striking.

"Born in October of 2000 – this handsome boy, 'Rick' was placed from India a year ago and is obedient and eager to please," one ad for a child read.


~much more @ link important read~
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/adoption/#article/part1

Dan Rather also did a documentary on child rehoming entitled, "Unwanted Children". I would post the link if I could find it.

[tiptonic]

22. Scary

Not much surprises me anymore but this guy scares me. Of course he did it in the name of god.

[azurnoir]

23. and it gets worse-this guy runs a PRE-SCHOOL-claims he was forced to take oldest girl

Responding to the Arkansas Times' report that uncovered Harris' "rehoming" of his children, the state legislator said he was "failed" by the Department of Human Services when he told employees the girls were too difficult for the family to handle. He said DHS' threat to charge him with abandonment could have cost him custody of his three biological sons (and, though he did not say so, could have cost him his business as well, Growing God's Kingdom preschool). The lawmaker also said DHS "misled" him about severe behavioral issues with the girls. He said they suffered from reactive attachment disorder, a condition sometimes occurring among children with unstable backgrounds that results in severe emotional and social problems.

Harris spoke for the first time of a third, older sister that he said DHS made him adopt before he could take the younger sisters into his home. The Times had reported on the third sister before the press conference, held Friday afternoon in the old Supreme Court chambers in the state Capitol. The older girl, who would have been about 6 years old at the time she entered the Harris household, presented an imminent danger to his older three sons, Harris said. DHS ultimately placed the child into a hospital after just a few months of living with the family, and the Harrises did not proceed with the planned adoption

http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/casting-out-demons-why-justin-harris-got-rid-of-kids-he-applied-pressure-to-adopt/Content?oid=3725371

[Mopar151]

24. Some of the creepy factor has to do with that suit!

Shoulders excessively padded, to make this asshat look stronger and more "manly". I suspect he has the dough-boy shape of those who have never done physical work. I wonder if there is something wrong with his testosterone levels?

[Trillo]

25. Amazing how all these "stories" by different "witnesses" are "baseless" per Harris' attorney.

The "story" by the original foster family, and now the "stories" by the "babysitter" and the other by the "exorcist".

[blkmusclmachine]

26. Arkansas is also the state that toyed with the idea of executing "wayward" minor children:

Arkansas Republican Charlie Fuqua Advocates Stoning Rebellious Children, Per The Book of Deuteronomy

http://www.alternet.org/speakeasy/brucewilson/ar-republican-charlie-fuqua-advocates-stoning-rebellious-children-deuteronomy

[FiveGoodMen]

28. Believe absurdities ... commit atrocities.

Those who think there are demons are not fit for any position of authority.

Especially raising children!

[carla]

32. No public official

who looks like The Churchlady should be allowed in office. This man is insane, visibly so. He adopted and couldn't rape the girl so he passed her off on a rapist. Responsible Repuke. I hope he gets a disease. A terminal one.

[herding cats]

33. For those interested, here's an excellent article on this topic.

It's very detailed, and be warned, it exposes things which will rip your heart out.

A snip:

"The first night I was over there, I just broke down and cried with this little girl because I just felt so bad for her," Goldsborough said.

According to Goldsborough, the two girls were kept in separate rooms that were outfitted with locks, alarms and video cameras. They were not allowed to be around each other because of the Harrises' belief in demonic possession and telepathy, she said.

While Annie would be allowed to roam the house and interact with other family members, Mary was often confined to her room, Goldsborough said.

"We couldn't ever take [Mary] out. I'd watch her from a camera. I think it's crazy. They were adopted, so they're going to want TLC."

Goldsborough said the "exorcism" was performed by specialists from Alabama who came to the house to orchestrate the event. Other sources confirmed to the Times that Marsha Harris told them at least one "exorcism" was performed on the girls.

Goldsborough said the Harrises showed her "a picture of [Mary] where they're like, 'You can see the demon rising from her back,' and it just looked like a little 6-year-old to me." [Mary was 4 or 5.] The separate source close to the Harrises reported seeing a video that Marsha Harris said showed a demon interacting with one of the girls. The source said demons were an "obsession" with Marsha Harris.

"They consider it to be spiritual warfare," the other source said. "I'm a Christian, and I have these beliefs, but this was completely beyond anything I've ever seen or heard about."

Goldsborough said the reason the family removed Mary's toys was "because a demon told [Mary] not to share. ... Demons told her to not appreciate [her toys] and all that, so they took away all the toys and her colored clothes."

http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/casting-out-demons-why-justin-harris-got-rid-of-kids-he-applied-pressure-to-adopt/Content?oid=3725371

[csziggy]

35. They used the methods of Nancy Thomas

From the article linked in the OP:

The Harrises’ attorney Jennifer Wells insisted there is no truth to the allegations against her clients. “Exorcisms and telepathy are not part of the Harrises’ religious practice,” Wells said. “They followed the techniques in a book called When Love Is Not Enough, a Parent’s Guide to Reactive Attachment Disorder by Nancy Thomas, who is a recognized expert on therapeutic parenting techniques.”

Reading about her methods makes me sick. She's part of the "rebirthing" crowd and "recognized expert on therapeutic parenting techniques" only in her delusional mind.

Thomas has no formal training in psychotherapy and no academic credentials. She calls herself variously a “Therapeutic Parenting Specialist,” a “secondary lay-therapist,” and “co-therapist” in Intensive Holding Therapy sessions. A former dog groomer, Thomas learned many of her methods working as a “therapeutic foster parent” under Foster Cline at the Attachment Center at Evergreen (now Institute for Attachment and Child Development).

<SNIP>

Thomas’s parenting methods are based on isolation, deprivation, humiliation, and being non-communicative with the child. She claims her methods are effective not only for treating children with “Reactive Attachment Disorder” (actually Attachment Therapy’s unrecognized diagnosis Attachment Disorder), but also for Asperger’s, Tourette’s Syndrome, and those who have been “ritualistically abused” by satanic cults. One of her online workshops carried this warning from the host (Foster Care & Adoptive Community): “PLEASE NOTE: Some of the strategies outlined in this workshop may be considered in-humane and unethical by many child protective agencies and can result in an investigation and loss of foster care license.”

More: http://www.childrenintherapy.org/proponents/thomasn.html

That page cites the Candace Newmaker case:

Two Attachment Therapists in Colorado were found guilty by a jury of reckless child-abuse resulting in the death of 10-year-old adoptee Candace Newmaker during a “rebirthing” session. Both are appealing their convictions, but have begun serving historic 16-year sentences in Colorado state prison.

Connell Watkins, a pioneer in the treatment of “Attachment disorder” in children, and her associate, Julie Ponder, a marriage and family therapist from California, were convicted after a grueling three-week trial.

<SNIP>

The convictions came almost a year to the day after a video camera recorded the four Colorado therapists killing Candace, while Jeane Newmaker, a pediatric nurse practitioner from Durham, NC, watched. The therapists required Candace to assume a fetal position on the floor, wrapped her in a flannel sheet, piled over a dozen thick pillows, and pushed against the 75-pound girl with a combined weight of 673 pounds. At one point, the adults can even be heard grunting with effort.

In a voice filled with panic, Candace repeatedly screamed that she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, and couldn’t find the way out. Her struggle was so intense that she kicked a 31-inch tear in the sheet with her stocking feet. In time her protests got weaker and eventually only labored and irregular breathing could be heard from her. Fifty minutes into the session, Candace went completely quiet. The therapists taunted her with “quitter, quitter, quitter” and sat on top of her for another twenty minutes before unwrapping the sheet. Candace was discovered blue and lifeless. Paramedics called to the scene were able to coax a heartbeat from her, but her pupils were fixed and dilated. She was pronounced dead the next morning from cerebral edema.

http://www.childrenintherapy.org/victims/newmaker.html

I am so angry at these people I can't stand to read about anymore.

Those poor girls and what they have been through. I hope Justin Harris and his wife are charged with trafficking in children since they turned those two girls over to a pervert. The employees at the state who helped them ignore the advice that they were not the right family for them should be fired and brought up on charges also.

[Mopar151]

37. Raising serial killers?

Has there been any follow-up on the consequences of the Nancy Thomas methods of parenting? Good Gawd.....

Sorry if I am predjucied, but the words "specialists from Alabama" gives me the creeps.