Captain Bret Alan Smith Part 4: Now with Bad Poetry!

[JMO]

@Mudgie that bothers me too. Only infants appear to be in car seats. 

[Lurky]

What IS it about Fundy megafamilies and car safety?  An idea that using car seats and seatbelts is an affront to God, because if they trust God they know they'll never be in a car accident?

[nastyhobbitses]

1 hour ago, Lurky said:

What IS it about Fundy megafamilies and car safety?  An idea that using car seats and seatbelts is an affront to God, because if they trust God they know they'll never be in a car accident?

Or if one kid dies or gets paralyzed, they have plenty more as backup. And if mom's young enough, they can just make more. That's why people had so many kids back in the olden days.

[JermajestyDuggar]

There are actually quite a few things that go into poor car seat safety. It's definitely not just a fundie thing. First, it's quite regional. People are influenced by all the people they are around every day. So if it is the norm in the middle of nowhere USA, then that's what they will do too. That includes where they mortons go on missions. I can guarantee car seat safety isn't huge where they mission. In the US, I would imagine large families (even the ones who aren't fundie) are more lax about car seat safety. Large families typically don't have a lot of extra money so they will probably buy old expired car seats at yard sales. They may not be able to fit 3-4 car seats in all of their vehicles so they graduate the kids early to a booster seat for the sake of space and money. Even families with only 4 kids do that. Education about car seat safety is also a factor. Lots of people just go by the minimal guidelines and don't know that keeping a kid rear facing longer is safer. Finally in large fundie families, the older kids are buckling in the younger kids in most cases, so they may be leaving straps loose and twisted because they are 12.

[ophelia]

On 27.8.2017 at 4:47 AM, Mudgie said:

One thing that bothers me greatly about the Mortons is that in every photo where a child is a passenger in a vehicle of any kind the appropriate car seat safety is non-existent. None of the car seats appear to be installed correctly. Children of certain ages are not in age and size appropriate car seats. I've seen photos of small children who should still be in 5 point harnesses not even in a car seat of any kind.

It bugs me. A lot. There is absolutely no reason on earth not to use a car seat properly. 

They have JEEEEEBUS!!11!! And they constantly fight against the ebil guberment, gays and for the unborn child. They are holier than anybody else so why should they care?

 

And yes, I also think that it has a lot to do with the tight financial situation a lot of megafamilies find themselves in. If you can't afford car safety for all your little blessings it might be an indicator that you should probably stop having a new baby ever year.. but yes. That is just my evil worldly and logical approach.

[Flossie]

A few years ago there was a car accident that got a lot of local attention for a few reasons.  It happened at an intersection that had a lot of accidents, it happened right in front of a cop, and a car filled with small children was involved.  It could have been a real tragedy, but luckily there were only minor injuries.  What happened was a cop was driving west down the heavily travelled expressway that ran east to west on the south side of town.  He noticed a car driving toward him.  

Suddenly, another car blew a stop sign and attempted to cross the expressway.  The offending driver said later that they were distracted and didn't realize what they were doing until they saw they were about to T-bone a car full of children.  He hit his breaks and instead of hitting the car in the middle, he hit the end of the car.  The car that got hit was whipped around and came to rest facing the other direction.  The cop saw a car seat fly out the open back window, bounce a couple of times across the pavement, and come to rest in the grass on the opposite side of the road.

As the cop pulled to a stop, he realized that although he heard lots of cries and screams coming from the car, there was no sound coming from the car seat.  He feared the worst, and told the two women in the car to stay put and wait for the ambulance.  As he approached the car seat, he saw that it was broken from the impact, and that it was intended for small infants, but an older baby (18 months old) was strapped into the seat.  It was on it's side and the baby was awake, but totally silent.  Maybe she was too scared to cry?

Anyway, everyone was taken to the hospital and the kids were all kept overnight for observation.  The grandmother was driving and she got a ticket for having too many people in the car.  There were three or four kids sharing seat belts in the back seat.  The baby was in a car seat, as stated above, but the car seat wasn't tethered to the back seat because there wouldn't be enough room for the rest of the kids if they used a seat belt for the car seat.  The mother of the kids was up front on the passenger side.  She and her mother were given tickets for putting the kids in danger. 

The most striking part of the story was when our local news station played the 911 tape as the cop calls for help and describes what's happened.  He sounded so shook up as he approached the car seat obviously expecting to find a dead or severly injured baby, and his incredulous and thankful tone when he reported that the baby appeared to be awake, alert, and was moving both arms and legs.  The picture of the busted up car seat on the side of the road as the last ambulance pulled away was on the front page of the paper and shown on all the news stations.

[FeministShrew]

A man I used to go to church with refused to use car seats for his kids, and later, his grandkids. He also refused to use a seatbelt. He claimed that using restraints of any kind was "tempting God," because you are supposed to trust God completely for everything, including your physical safety.  His kids used car seats for their little ones in their own vehicles, but when the littles rode with Papa, no one was retrained in any way, and the parents just shrugged it off (and prayed for the best, I guess).
He also refused to have car, health, life, or homeowner's insurance. In SC you can opt out of car insurance by paying some sort of bond.

There was once a nasty confrontation when my ex was driving the church van somewhere for a group of men, and refused to start the van until this guy put on a seatbelt. They guy ended up driving his own car and following the van.

I never thought about it before, but he may also have had some sort of early quiverfull beliefs, because he and his wife had 8 kids, basically one every two years. 

[VVV]

8 hours ago, FeministShrew said:

 His kids used car seats for their little ones in their own vehicles, but when the littles rode with Papa, no one was retrained in any way, and the parents just shrugged it off (and prayed for the best, I guess).

Wow, that would have been a dealbreaker for me. Nobody puts my kids at risk in a car, nobody.

[warriorblade8857]

On 9/1/2017 at 9:39 AM, FeministShrew said:

There was once a nasty confrontation when my ex was driving the church van somewhere for a group of men, and refused to start the van until this guy put on a seatbelt. They guy ended up driving his own car and following the van.

I'd insist on seatbelts too if I were driving. When the cops pull you over, it's the driver that gets the ticket, not the unbuckled passenger.

[EmiGirl]

2 minutes ago, warriorblade8857 said:

I'd insist on seatbelts too if I were driving. When the cops pull you over, it's the driver that gets the ticket, not the unbuckled passenger.

In Tennessee if you're a licensed driver riding as a passenger you get the ticket. Now other driver is responsible for any minors or unlisenced adults. 

[SolomonFundy]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 7:39 AM, FeministShrew said:

A man I used to go to church with refused to use car seats for his kids, and later, his grandkids. He also refused to use a seatbelt. He claimed that using restraints of any kind was "tempting God," because you are supposed to trust God completely for everything, including your physical safety.  

There are quite a few of these folks in my family, male and female. My maternal grandmother staunchly refused to wear a seatbelt for the entirety of her life, and was scornful of car seats. Several of my parents' siblings don't wear belts, and even my own mother was inconsistent about it. I was allowed to be "free range" in the back seat and floorboard of the car 99% of the time, though she'd stand on formality and insist that I wear a seatbelt if anyone else was riding with us. Nobody in my family is fundy to any degree. At least among my kin, it's the product of rural conservatism ('Cain't nobody tell me what to do in my own damned car."), ignorance, pride, and a fair amount of laziness. 

[ophelia]

I cannot imagine sitting in a car without a seatbelt. I feel very very uncomfortable.

[DaisyD]

I never wore seat belts until the first time I got punched in the face by an air bag. I thought I'd gone through the windshield. That scared me into wearing it. Good thing too. I was in a roll over a couple of months later. My wallet came out of my back pocket and landed well behind the vehicle. That could have been me.

[Lurky]

Has anyone seen any updates on if this has come to court yet?  I can't find any, because I don't know where to look and his name is too common to google well!

[Bethella]

6 hours ago, Lurky said:

Has anyone seen any updates on if this has come to court yet?  I can't find any, because I don't know where to look and his name is too common to google well!

I'm not seeing anything new, but they're in Moultrie, Georgia for your google searches.

[ophelia]

I've been wondering just the same yesterday. He is in jail no for what? 18 months?

He can rot there for the rest of his life IMHO.

[Lurky]

Thanks @Bethella

[Letgo]

10 hours ago, ophelia said:

I've been wondering just the same yesterday. He is in jail no for what? 18 months?

He can rot there for the rest of his life IMHO.

Unfortunately, we have that pesky right to a speedy trial thing. How long can he be held in county jail?

It sure does seem to take a looooong time for some people to actually go to trial. I guess the court docket is very crowded, but I would love to know what is happening with Alan. But really, the fact that Katie actually divorced him speaks volumes and I think it's probably all I really need to know.

[SolomonFundy]

1 hour ago, Letgo said:

Unfortunately, we have that pesky right to a speedy trial thing. How long can he be held in county jail?

It sure does seem to take a looooong time for some people to actually go to trial. I guess the court docket is very crowded, but I would love to know what is happening with Alan. But really, the fact that Katie actually divorced him speaks volumes and I think it's probably all I really need to know.

In most of the US, you can be held in county jail for an indefinite period of time, though you have to be issued a "reasonable" bail unless bail is outright denied. What is "reasonable" is entirely up to the courts, and they do not generally factor your ability to pay into the equation. Alan would have had his set by a superior judge due to the severity of the charges (Georgia's "Seven Deadly Sins"), and my assumption is that nobody in his family is willing or able to pay it. He may have been denied bail. 

He could sit in jail for years without criminal indictment.  If he accepts a plea, he will be moved to a prison. He faces a minimum of 10 years per criminal count if he is convicted, and they will factor in time served at the county level. This is just a personal assumption, but I think his legal representative has probably encouraged him to stay in county as long as possible for his own safety. (I'm not saying he has it easy in jail, but generally speaking, he's less likely to be harmed by other inmates there than in prison unless he's isolated.) It makes sense from that perspective, though some inmates aren't credited the full amount of jail time when they do this. So it's a gamble if that's what he actually is going for. Naturally, if the state gets all of the evidence they need and decides to indict him, he will either need to go to trial or accept a plea. He won't receive a reduction of his sentence in any event because SDS convictions require 100% of the time to be served.

What makes it interesting is the additional case that was alluded to in the original article. If he is convicted of the Colquitt crimes and then is later convicted of a separate SDS crime from Ashburn County, he will never be released from prison. Georgia has a "two strikes" penalty on SDS crimes. However, it seems like the two jurisdictions were working together, so in all likelihood, any related charges will be added to the same case.

 

On a personal note, I think that his loyal family members would probably have paid his bail bond if it were even remotely possible. My guess is that he was denied bail, or it's so high that even 10% of the bond is impossible for the Smith clan.

[fundiefan]

Anyone read daddy Smith's latest FB post? I didn't watch the video linked but it seems they think the answer for peace is to smuggle bibles into North Korea for the persecuted Christians.

There are times when crazy fundies render me speechless. The Smiths go several steps further and render me completely dumbfounded.

 

[VVV]

3 hours ago, fundiefan said:

Anyone read daddy Smith's latest FB post? I didn't watch the video linked but it seems they think the answer for peace is to smuggle bibles into North Korea for the persecuted Christians.

There are times when crazy fundies render me speechless. The Smiths go several steps further and render me completely dumbfounded.

 

I hope nobody actually follows that crazy advice. That's a good way to end up spending the rest of one's very short life in a North Korean prison.

[Jess]

On 10/19/2017 at 4:26 PM, SolomonFundy said:

In most of the US, you can be held in county jail for an indefinite period of time, though you have to be issued a "reasonable" bail unless bail is outright denied. What is "reasonable" is entirely up to the courts, and they do not generally factor your ability to pay into the equation. Alan would have had his set by a superior judge due to the severity of the charges (Georgia's "Seven Deadly Sins"), and my assumption is that nobody in his family is willing or able to pay it. He may have been denied bail. 

He could sit in jail for years without criminal indictment.  If he accepts a plea, he will be moved to a prison. He faces a minimum of 10 years per criminal count if he is convicted, and they will factor in time served at the county level. This is just a personal assumption, but I think his legal representative has probably encouraged him to stay in county as long as possible for his own safety. (I'm not saying he has it easy in jail, but generally speaking, he's less likely to be harmed by other inmates there than in prison unless he's isolated.) It makes sense from that perspective, though some inmates aren't credited the full amount of jail time when they do this. So it's a gamble if that's what he actually is going for. Naturally, if the state gets all of the evidence they need and decides to indict him, he will either need to go to trial or accept a plea. He won't receive a reduction of his sentence in any event because SDS convictions require 100% of the time to be served.

What makes it interesting is the additional case that was alluded to in the original article. If he is convicted of the Colquitt crimes and then is later convicted of a separate SDS crime from Ashburn County, he will never be released from prison. Georgia has a "two strikes" penalty on SDS crimes. However, it seems like the two jurisdictions were working together, so in all likelihood, any related charges will be added to the same case.

 

On a personal note, I think that his loyal family members would probably have paid his bail bond if it were even remotely possible. My guess is that he was denied bail, or it's so high that even 10% of the bond is impossible for the Smith clan.

Someone said that he was denied bail. Apparently, Georgia had a law that doesn't allow bail for his type of crimes.

 

[Lurky]

13 minutes ago, VVV said:

I hope nobody actually follows that crazy advice. That's a good way to end up spending the rest of one's very short life in a North Korean prison.

I would bet cash money that Captain Bret isn't suggesting he takes this kind of risk, and just that others should do as he says.

[Letgo]

1 hour ago, Lurky said:

I would bet cash money that Captain Bret isn't suggesting he takes this kind of risk, and just that others should do as he says.

But, but, he's innocent! The witnesses are lying! He didn't do it. Not the Cap'n's son! Nonononono! Or he did it, sort  of, maybe, but it's really a misunderstanding, and anyway, he is really sorry. He has repented, and witnessed in jail, and made a song and everything! Just let him out now. . .

[Black Aliss]

On 8/28/2017 at 10:04 AM, JermajestyDuggar said:

There are actually quite a few things that go into poor car seat safety. It's definitely not just a fundie thing. First, it's quite regional. People are influenced by all the people they are around every day. So if it is the norm in the middle of nowhere USA, then that's what they will do too. 

For people like the S'mortons, it's also political--the ebil gummint telling them how to live their lives. I've noticed that relatively few people in that part of the country use their seatbelts.