Gail Coontz is on trial for shooting her 14 and 10 year olds and holding a therapist hostage. The defense is going for insanity — something I’ve rarely seen work. The real kicker to this case is that Kentucky child welfare authorities apparently checked on this family prior to the murders and determined Gail Coontz was not a threat to her children. This would be laughable if it were not so tragic.

Time and again, child welfare agencies stick with the old party line of keeping the family together, rather than looking out for the basic safety of the children. Don’t believe me? There are way too many little graves that testify to this stupidity.

We need better-trained child welfare workers in this country.