C'mon. Was she not married to the Bear River Tribe's Attorney? Not just a waif who fell through the cracks.

It's disingenous to bemoan her "slipping though the cracks" and not mention that fact. They weren't "poor" either, we can guess, given his political donations. Poor people don't donate $1,000 to political campaigns. ◼ (In addition to the $10,000 contribution in the name of the Rancheria, Leonard and his wife personally contributed $100, the FPPC documents show. The same documents indicate Bear River attorney Michael Acosta contributed $1,000 (to Paul Gallegos's campaign).)

Where were the protecting and nurturing arms of the loving Bear River Tribe? At one with the universe, peaceful and beautiful, are they not?

◼ The tragic case of Maggie Jean Wortman: A woman who never had a chance gives her son the same fate - Thadeus Greenson/Times Standard

Some would say the deck was stacked against Maggie Jean Wortman from the very beginning, from the day her name was misspelled on her birth certificate.

By extension, those same people would say Wortman's son, Michael Phillip Acosta III, simply never stood a chance.

While many in the public have been quick to direct their ire at Wortman -- who was sentenced Monday to serve six years in prison for voluntary manslaughter stemming from the overdose death of her infant son -- experts feel otherwise. They say the Loleta mother's case underscores the cyclical nature of addiction, dependency and violence, and the need to better protect the nation's drug-endangered children.

After reading through Wortman's probation report, which details her broken upbringing, her addiction and ultimately her crime, experts said that, sadly, there's almost nothing unique about Wortman's story....

But there is.