H: Haunted.

I have been thinking of Edward Redhead all day.

His story has the tragic underpinnings of the Phoenix Sinclair case; another child failed.

Their stories do differ immensely; Phoenix was a little girl who was brutally abused, neglected, tortured and eventually killed by her mother and step-father. And Edward was a ward of family services, living with a foster family in the city, and died alone in a house fire, on the Shamattawa Reserve, that was allegedly set by his 16-year old cousin.

They differ immensely, but the end is the same. Tragedy.

Both were just kids; wards of the child welfare system. And both were failed miserably.

What is fucked up is that, in the end, these innocent victims will become the poster children for the war between the "red man" and the "white man."

This has got to stop.

I know there is no simple solution. I know that in order for change "education" and "systemic change" is a dire requirement. I know that these ideas are nothing new. But something needs to happen so that no more people -- children -- die as a result of a faulty system that never changes.

I know I keep rambling. I know I offer nothing new to this table (in regards to a solution), but I am overcome with complete and utter sadness as how deplorable things are.

I am absolutely haunted by this story, and stories of the past like this. (Ironic and perhaps foolish to admit, considering that I want to be a journalist so badly, I can taste it...)

I have so much to say, I just don't know how to say it...