GoFundMyLifestyle - Panhandling 21st Century Style

Whoever came up with the idea of crowd funding websites really hit the jackpot. Of course, there are many genuine and deserving cases of people who need money in emergencies , such as life saving surgery. There was a recent story in the news about how crowd funding was used to raise money to help a disabled pensioner move home after he was mugged by scumbags. It was heartwarming to see that there is still hope in humanity.

But crowd funding has also attracted scores of unscrupulous individuals who see this as a gateway to obtaining easy money without having to lift a finger - well, apart from typing up a short sob story, that is. These are probably the same sort of people who turn up their noses at some poor homeless person begging on a street corner.


I have previously written about the unfortunate case of Jahi McMath. 15 months later, and this circus is still going on. The GoFundMe that was originally set up to move her from CHO to another facility is still up and running, even though she was moved over a year ago. And in the meantime, we have seen how the family have been spending those donations. But enough about Jahi's family for now.

Recently I received a link to this other GoFundMe site:
Buy a Car for Rania El-Alloul

"This campaign is to help raise funds to buy Rania a car and also raise awareness of the issue. No woman with Hijab or any other religious symbol should be treated differently anywhere, let alone in a court of law.
We want to buy a car for her because she is separated and on welfare. She went to court to try and get her car back. It was taken because her son drove with a suspended license.
Any excess funds will be directed to her legal fees or as requested by Ms. El-Alloul."

Now, I don't care if this woman  had gone to court stark bollock naked, claiming that her rights as a nudist were not being respected. What I do object to is this culture of entitlement. There are millions of separated women on welfare from all walks of life, races and religions, (including Muslims) so why should she be special? And why did she allow her son to drive with a suspended license? What if he had caused an accident or even killed someone? So she had her car confiscated, big deal. It's got nothing to do with what she was or wasn't wearing. She broke the law. Tough!

Another case I have been following recently is that of a mother who lost her baby and set up a GoFundMe to bury her child.  I am not going to go into too much detail out of respect for the family, as this is a very recent case. All I will say is that a couple of weeks ago, this same woman was bragging on Facebook about the new luxury car her husband (who incidentally is in the military) had bought her as a Valentine's gift. 

No doubt she has been left with crippling medical bills, but then again, she was advised by the doctors treating the baby that any intrusive treatment was futile. 

IMO, these people are in the same league as the scammers who prey on vulnerable people on online dating sites. This culture of entitlement is just wrong. Of course, we all have our dreams, be it an exotic holiday or a new home. But people need to learn the value of money and value qualities such as intelligence and hard work.

I would rather give some spare change to this guy, at least he is honest!

Now, how can I raise some money for that new car I've been dreaming about......

If you love someone, set them free

Anyone that has suffered a bereavement in their life knows how difficult it is to let go of the one you love. Denial and anger are part of the stages of the grieving process. But eventually one comes to terms with the death of a loved one.

I admit that I have been following the tragic case of Jahi McMath with a morbid fascination since I saw a news report on Sky just before Xmas. Jahi was a 13 year old girl in Oakland, California. On 12th December 2013, following complications after surgery, she was declared 'brain dead', I am not going to go into details about this case, Doc Bastard provides excellent information on his blog about the medical aspects, including an FAQ of what brain death really means.

I do not know if the family were offered any sort of bereavement counselling at this stage. What I do know is that an unscrupulous ambulance hearse-chasing lawyer called Christopher Dolan got involved shortly after. His firm specializes in injury claims - the sort of vultures that harass people outside supermarkets and whose tv ads harp on about 'no win no fee' claims. Hell, I've even seen ads for their services in A&E departments!

Now this is when this gets totally bizarre - the family, advised by this douchebag of a lawyer - are not suing the hospital for 'wrongful death' but rather the fact that Jahi has suffered a 'massive, life-altering brain injury'!!! In other words they are not accepting the fact that she is dead, because her heart is beating (albeit due to the fact that she is hooked up to a ventilator!). They ask that Jahi be moved - not to a funeral home but to a facility that cares for brain injured people. Even weirder is that the facility that comes forward is run by someone that used to be a hairdresser!!! The family also insist that the hospital carry out further surgical procedures so that Jahi can have a feeding tube, which the hospital rightfully refuse as she is legally dead. She hasn't got a massive life-altering brain injury, she is DEAD.

The family also set up a panhandling donation site to get the money to be able to move her to this new facility, where she can be sustained on 'life support' indefinitely. The story then explodes on  the worldwide stage. Even today, nearly a month into this tragedy, this is still making international headlines.

When I first heard the story, my heart went out to the family, as they appeared to be unable to cope with their grief. But as this macabre charade develops, their motives are now starting to become clear. This is not about having difficulty grieving for a dead child. This is not about faith and hoping for a miracle, although there are many posts doing the rounds on social media from religious fanatics who think that their God is going to make her wake up, even though the decomposition process of her body has already started - check this document (*warning - extremely graphic description of how Jahi's body is decomposing*). The rabid right wing press have also jumped on the bandwagon, using Jahi for their pro-life agenda.

No, their real motive is money, and how much Jahi's life (or death) is really worth. The maximum that can be awarded for death due to negligence under California law is apparently $250k, but hey, that's just 'chump change' when you can get an unlimited amount for a life-altering brain injury!! Uncle Omari (the beast - his words, not mine) mentions an amount of $30 million. You can hear him for yourself towards the end of this video.

Jahi's body is now in an undisclosed location, apparently a Catholic facility,after the coroner gave the family permission to remove it from hospital. According to  Dolan, she is now being 'treated' as a person and referred to as 'Jahi' instead of the body. But he admits that she is in a worse shape than they originally thought she would be - duh, she's been dead for nearly a month!!!

Now let's just put the facts aside for a minute and imagine that Jahi is not really dead (which she is) but her brain injured to such an extent that she would be in a permanent vegetative state, and would need round the clock care. She would never sing, dance, fall in love, or have any quality of life whatsoever. She would just be lying lifelessly on a bed being maintained by machines and fed through a tube. Is this really the quality of life a mother would want for her child? Or would she not rather remember her beautiful smile and treasure the happy memories?

As a mother myself, I know what any human being with an ounce of dignity would choose. A precious child is worth much more than all the money in the world. A child is not to be used and abused to further one's career and make a name for oneself (take note, Dolan!). Hell, I wouldn't even put one of my PETS through this, let alone a child!

But the family and their scumbag of a lawyer have already shown the world that they have no shame or dignity whatsoever. How this train wreck is going to end is still yet to come. But I guess that it wont be pretty. Unfortunately, the memory of this sweet little girl has already been tarnished by this gruesome insanity.

Rest in peace, Jahi McMath

Died 12 December 2013, aged 13 years