What is wrong with america?

[koebwil]

Hi. My name is Lauren Archer, my son Kevin and I lived in Midland,TN. On October 2nd, 1999 I took my only son to McDonald’s for his 3rd birthday.

After he finished lunch, I allowed him to play in the ball pit. When he started whining later on, I asked him what was wrong, he pointed to the back of his pull-up and simply said “Mommy, it hurts.” I couldn’t find anything wrong with him at that time. I bathed him when we got home, and it was at that point when I found a welt on his left buttock. Upon investigating, it seemed as if there was something like a splinter under the welt. I made an appointment to see the doctor the next day, but soon
he started vomiting and shaking, then his eyes rolled back intohis
head.

From there, we went to the emergency room. He died later that night. It turned out that the welt on his buttock was the tip of a hypodermic needle that had broken off inside. The autopsy revealed that Kevin had died from a heroine overdose. The next week, the police removed the balls from the ball pit. There was rotten food, several hypodermic needles: some full, some used; knives, half-eaten candy, diapers, feces, and the stench of urine.

If a child is not safe in a child’s play area then where? You can find the article on Kevin Archer in the October 10,1999 issue of the Midland Chronicle.

Please forward this to all loving mothers, fathers and anyone who loves and cares for children!

Don’t think it’s just McDonald’s either or that this is something that just started. When my oldest son who is now 9 was small the area Burger King closed their play area for awhile for “remodeling” because in another town there had been an incident similar to the one described above that happen @ a Burger King.

A little boy had been playing in a ball pit & started complaining of his legs hurting. He later died too. He was found to have snake bites all over his legs & buttocks. When they cleaned the ball pit they found that there was a copperhead nest in the ball pit. He had suffered numerous bites from a very poisonous snake.

Seriously what the hell?

[harper]

What is wrong with america?

What is wrong with america? It’s not capitalized.

[koebwil]

Man. I hate it when I screw up the title. Anyway, why hasn’t this gone on the news. Dateline should blow this crap wide open.

[Zzagg]

Wahooo! Faster than Gild!

[koebwil]

Well it says that this stuff still happens, but I get your point. I hate people who lie on the internet, and I try to use my position as Prince of Siam to stop them, but I just can’t handle all of it.

[Spudman]

Sounds like another good story for the Big Book of Urban Legends.

[UniBrier]

I don’t know of any local fast food joints that still have ball pits.

True or not, they’re all gone.

[phil]

Could a lot of what is wrong with America, and indeed everywhere else, be down to people who use hearsay and other people’s opinions to jump to conclusions and overreact before taking the time to do a bit of research?

Just a thought.

Phil

[maestro8]

…and this, kids, is one more reason why you should SLOW DOWN, THINK and maybe even RESEARCH before you press SUBMIT!

“The Intarweb, bringing you chain mail and urban legends at the deafening speed of stupid!”

@phil

Could a lot of what is wrong with America, and indeed everywhere else, be down to people who use hearsay and other people’s opinions to jump to conclusions and overreact before taking the time to do a bit of research?

applause

stands up

standing ovation

[johnfoss]

@UniBrier

True or not, they’re all gone.

Might be for sanitary reasons. How do you clean all those balls, and how often do they need it?

Yes, surprising none of us remembers hearing about the story above, especially if it happened seven years ago. I’m pretty sure it would have made national news, and I would have rememberd it.

Midland Chronicle, eh? A Google search on “Midland Chronicle, TN” gave an interesting list of sites on urban legends.

[UniGeezer]

I sensed that these accounts were 100% fabricated. I was right.

[uni57]

@BlogApostille

In this controversial critique of America’s role in the world, Lieven contends that U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 has been shaped by the special character of our national identity, which embraces two contradictory features, the American Creed and Jacksonian nationalism. Lieven examines how these two antithetical impulses have played out in recent US policy, especially in the Middle East and in the nature of U.S. support for Israel.

That’s nice. What kind of unicycle do you ride?

[johnfoss]

@uni57

That’s nice. What kind of unicycle do you ride?

This is Just Conversation. Do we need to cloud the air on this 2006 retelling of a 1999 (alleged) fake story with irrelevant details?

[feel_the_light]

I smelled BS right away

I am supposed to believe a junkie just forgot a syringe full of heroin ? Seriously, what is the chance of that ? Trillions of trillions to one. Not once has that happened since the big bang !

Also, as a needle phobic myself, I was worried enough to do some research previously . Surprise ! , hypo needles are made of a special ductile stainless steel that cannot snap like a brittle sewing needle. They bend, but you would need pliers and deliberately bend it back and forth to make it snap.

Here’s the official Snopes debunking link.

So what’s wrong with America ! Rest assured it is not the brittleness of our needles, nor the memory of our junkies.

Heroin Needle in the Ballpit

[itsmrbudman2u]

Snoped!!

[uni57]

@johnfoss

This is Just Conversation. Do we need to cloud the air on this 2006 retelling of a 1999 (alleged) fake story with irrelevant details?

Sorry, my bad. Sometimes I don’t think before I post.

But asking “What kind of unicycle do you ride?” is my subtle way of saying “Go away, spammer! You don’t belong here!”

[john_childs]

@uni57

That’s nice. What kind of unicycle do you ride?

The spammy kind.