John Montgomery Presents This Week's  Creep Logo by Lynn Kauczka

June 23, 2001 Andrea Yates

What can you say about a woman who methodically drowns her five children, one by one, in the bathtub? She's a lunatic. She's an evil bitch. She deserves to suffer and die just like those poor little kids. She needs sympathy and understanding. It demonstrates the need for HMO reform. I've heard of postpartum depression cases before, but sheeeeit! No child will be left behind.

We've heard all that and a lot more this week in reaction to Andrea Yates, previously the mother of five children in Houston, aged 6 months through seven years. Everyone's had their say. From the liberal bleeding heart opportunists to the right wing screamers on Fox TV News. Even some people who actually knew what they were talking about were talking. Andrea's husband Russell says, "She's really hurting. She's really hurting, it's really bad. It's terrible." Prosecutor Joe Owmby says, "I've been here 15 years ... this is the most horrendous thing that I have ever seen."

So everyone's had their say. Now it's my turn. After all, I know at least as much as those Fox guys.

Evidently, Andrea had a "very serious" bout of depression after the birth of their fourth child and had attempted suicide. She'd been taking antidepressants and anti psychotic drugs. Things got worse after child number five arrived and Andrea's father died. Despite all that, Andrea was alone with the kids in the house each day where she was home schooling them.

Home schooling?

Why in the hell would someone with a history of serious depression and suicide attempts be home schooling their kids? Doesn't anybody check these people out? Can just anyone decide to keep their kids out of school? Could Timothy McVeigh or Charles Manson have decided to open up a school in their homes? I know nothing about what the schools in Houston are like, but you can bet no matter how badly they treat their students, no school worker is assigned the task of throwing kids in bathtubs and drowning them.

I'm sure there are some sincere people involved in home schooling who are just doing what they think is right for their children, but why are there so many religious zealots and whacked-out sociopaths doing it, too? Society is bad, bad, bad! We can train our kids to become paranoid, delusional half-wits just like us! What do you suppose Andrea's kids were being taught all day long? What drugs are the best for beating the blues? What bathtub water temperature is just right for drowning five children? Did those kids have any possible chance of turning out even half way normal? Provided, of course, that they were given a chance to turn out at all.

And how about some birth control? Or some control of any kind? Sounds like the school house was just a bit crowded and stressful for the school marm. Husband Russell, who's understandably in shock, knew about the problems at home. Why didn't he make some changes, like keeping the kids (as well as his dick) as far away from Andrea as possible?

Now there's even been a possible copycat case reported 90 miles away in Orange, Texas. Six-week-old twins turned up dead there and police are investigating the mother. Luckily for the twins, they don't have home schooling to look forward to.

Do you know where your children are being schooled? If it's at home, better check out the teacher and make sure she's not in need of a visit to the principal's office.