It’s become clear in the past two years that there are people in this world and this country who want total control of citizens instead of allowing us to decide for ourselves how we and our families live.
You may shake your head at me and say that can’t be. After all, we are a country that was founded on and fought for freedom.
Sadly, that was a long time ago. Even though we have fought wars on our own soil and in other parts of the world to preserve our freedom, it seems that our population has completely forgotten the principles of freedom that make our country unique.
In the decades since World War II, we have been creeping our way into letting government be responsible for us, for our children, for everything.
It was small things at first. An addition of a government agency to control certain aspects of our lives. The institution of an Unconstitutional law to “protect us.” Presidential and State “executive orders” created to promote a political dogma. The permission to vaccinate our children and ourselves without really knowing the effects of the vaccine, the real statistics about the disease it supposedly prevents, and why we were complying. The blind acceptance that the politicians we voted for and the officials we hired were on our side as long as they were of our political persuasion. The belief that those who disagreed with us would discuss their disagreement without name calling and threats. The idea that our government bureaucracy would NEVER lie to us and take away our rights.
And, the most damaging one of all, the belief that the school system, the teachers, the administrators, would handle the education and development of our children with the same care parents would.
I’ve said this many times and I will repeat it. Most of the teachers I worked with were caring people who wanted to do right for their students. But, as with any political organization, and school systems are political, there are people who will do anything, agree to anything, and say anything to get ahead. Education is no different. Many Superintendents are people who have gone up the ladder in that way.
These are people who will walk all over you, your children, and your parental rights to do that. They create an environment where the prevailing opinion is that parents should sit down and shut up. If you don’t you are labeled a “terrorist” and threatened with arrest.
One clear example is the recent push in many states, including Maryland, to mandate masks in schools as a “safety measure” to prevent the spread of Covid, even though the real science shows us that they don’t work and they are actually dangerous for children to wear all day. (1,2) In Maryland, the State School Board, through a weird legal loophole, took this decision away from the locals. Then, they created unrealistic metrics for ANY school or system to stop the mandate.
When parents tried to appear before their school boards to protest these unscientific, money based decisions, they were immediately shut down.
In our county, our Board meets in a room that seats about 20 people. Because of Covid, they limit public input to 10 people who must apply via email and are allegedly picked “first come, first served.” Of course, you can submit a written statement and have some disinterested board employee read it at the meeting, but we all know that this is actually suppression of public input that has an impact. They refuse to arrange for larger facilities which are readily available throughout the school system. (I know I have shared this situation a lot, but I think it is important to note that our local school board DOESN’T WANT PARENTS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHTS.) What are they afraid of?
We know the answer to that.
Honestly, it works with many parents. Even though we have parents who share their disgust with the current system and their actions, they limit their input to Facebook and Twitter posts. When push comes to shove, they won’t do any more. They are afraid.
That in itself shows you that when the system takes away parental rights, they destroy freedom. These parents no longer have the freedom or courage to express their opinions openly.
Plus, they no longer have access to the lessons and curriculum that are taught in the schools on a daily basis. Some school systems want to make it a crime for parents to ask! Most systems take a more sneaky approach by directing parents/community members to look at the “State Standards” that supposedly guide daily instruction in the classroom. They tell parents that these are the curriculum,
They aren’t. I guarantee you that in every system in the United States, each school, grade level, and classroom, has what I call the “hidden curriculum.” It’s the curriculum the teacher actually teaches. This curriculum will often have little or no connection to the standards or academic content at all. Most parents won’t get to see that because many systems will claim “academic immunity” from having to share it with parents or the public. The unions will stand right behind them and back them up. They will tell you that a freedom of information act application does not apply because the lessons are “teacher’s property” or that they don’t know exactly what each teacher does in their classroom. (Yes, I had an administrator say that.)
Every time this happens, a parent loses their right to see what their child is being taught. They lose the freedom to voice their opinion on what the school is foisting on their child.
Even more insidious is the new practice of school centered mental and medical counseling that has been promoted via the Covid pandemic. This has been promoted by Maryland’s “Age of Consent” laws. (3)
Even if you have a child under 12, that child could be receiving mental health and medical counseling in school without you even knowing. One elementary school in our area sent out a notice from a school counselor. It said that the child had been “identified as needing counseling in a small group.” The notice was TO THE PARENT but was not mailed. It was given to the child who promptly stuffed it in his backpack. Kicker is, unless that parent dug through the backpack and inadvertently found the notice, signed it saying he/she did NOT want his/her child to participate in the counseling, the child was going to get counseled. Talk about a work around for actual parental permission.
More frightening is that the parent doesn’t know what their child is being counseled about. As we have seen, the popular issue currently is whether the child wants to stay the gender he is or change because, well, just because.
Once a parent no longer has access to what their child is being taught, treated for, or told in school, that parent loses the freedom to raise their child with the values the parent wants. When the parent can no longer influence the child, the child is subject to the values of government and society. A child who has been taught that Government and Society are his/her gods, can be made to do anything as an adult and won’t have a problem abusing those who don’t agree. It will be like a huge cult, or even better, like Communist China.
Too many people in Government are afraid of speaking up for parental rights even if they do believe in them. They are afraid of being called racist, or white supremacists, etc. If they would really think about that, being able to take parental rights away will affect minority parents as much or even more than majority populations. Minority populations want to preserve their values and beliefs as much if not more. Not sure why wanting what is best for your child is considered racist. Are we assuming that minority parents don’t?
Others in Government really don’t want parents to have rights. They see our children as commodities, chips to be traded, money to be made. They team up with unions and make deals. They chip away at these rights every year! This is part of the reason for the big push for the Covid vaccines for children even though they have very little chance of catching and dying from Covid. Practically zero.
There are a few in government who are fighting for Parental Rights. Below is a link to HB618, Maryland Parental Rights Act sponsored by Delegates Cox, Arikan, Parrott, Reilly and Szeliga
Thank God for these people!
The title of this blog is “The Death of Parental Rights is the Death of Freedom.” You may think that is drastic. Here’s a story that shows it isn’t. In the 90’s I worked at national level gymnastics meets that involved other countries. Also during that time I wrote many letters to sponsor the Russian coaches I became friends with so they could come to this country. They told me so many stories about the Soviet Union.
One of them told me this story. When the Soviet Union threw off the rule of Communism, it was not an immediate switch from dictatorship to freedom. One of the main reasons was that the people there were trained over many generations to live under government control, so they didn’t know HOW to be FREE! Many things remained the same as they had been under dictatorship until the next generations gradually learned how to be free. Freedom is something you learn to be.
So is not being free. Parents are a huge part of teaching any child about the concept of freedom, its blessings and its responsibilities, how freedom takes hard work and independence. If we take away parental rights to assure that the schools are teaching this most basic American ideal, to make sure children aren’t being taught dependence on government for their lives, and to question the officials in charge and demand accountability, we will become the USSR in reverse, sliding toward a more authoritarian society a generation at a time. Freedom will die.
Bob Keeshan, who was Captain Kangaroo on 50’s TV said, “No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than a parent.”
We need to protect that. No one cares for a child more than the parent. No one.
Think about that when you vote this Fall.
Delegate Cox is also running for Governor with his running mate Gordana Schifanelli. Go to restorefreedoms.com to learn more about them.
