I have family there, but that's not why. (Hi, guys! LOL) The laws there are so convoluted and wack that I can't imagine that they run under the US Constitution any more.
Take this case, for example. Ever have a nurse or someone perform some painful procedure on you, and you ask them to QUIT it, and they keep it up, and then you have to raise your voice... and they still keep it up? Hello, patient rights time, it's not unreasonable to yell after a good and fair shot at communicating your seriousness to the staff. I'm DEFINITELY not advocating staff abuse (do onto others AND not only that, please give the benefit of the doubt!), but I also think that listening to the patient and/or explaining why a procedure is necessary is worth a few extra minutes. I have had my share of kids before and I know that the nurse in question likely had to push pretty hard to find the fundus (top of uterus) and that it is just one of those things you have to deal with if you're in the hospital with these folks. The others? IVs, stupid questions about "are you safe at home," and the collection of totally irrelevant information like whether my great-grandparents smoked crack and/or got cancer. Sometimes I lie because I know the information is extraneous and you are being nosy. So there.
And sometimes I've heard loving parents call their kids greedy. In my home, when someone is being silly, I call them Dorcas Brain, as in, acting like a dork. The article makes it sound like calling someone a name is an instant custody loss right there.
And in the interests of mental health for EVERYONE, don't coerce people to give their mental health history and/or disclose the drugs they're taking. This blatant discrimination against the mentally ill will only serve to keep the illness in the closet and lead to a bad doctor-patient relationship. Want to know why insurance companies can continue to discriminate against the mentally ill? They're afraid to come out and demand their rights. Dang, people. If someone is on an antidepressant and it helps them FUNCTION, why is that fact then held against them in a custody hearing or CPS report? Wouldn't you think that someone with UNMEDICATED mental health issues would be way worse? Do you really want to go there?
Ok. And this story. Now I know you folks in New York value that personal freedom for each person, so long as each person decides to do what everyone else does. Let's stretch that really cool idea out just a mite. But as it stands now, folks must run lesson plans by petty bureaucrats and beg them for the chance to please, please let them educate their own children as they see fit. Failure to submit paperwork and bend over for a spanking (sign on the line that reads, "thanks! can I have another?") can get you into some trouble with the local ya-hoos. If you don't recognize the power they have before they get mad at ya, no telling what will happen after. The folks in the highlighted link could spend a year in the slammer for not filing their homeschool papers.
Now, I know you have to follow the law and that's brought up in the article as some sort of magical excuse to act like a mini-dictator. And you know, yeah, I guess it would be a danged shame if I were to, say, drive 36 miles an hour in a 35 zone. That would be wrong of me. Yep. Do you really have to sit on the streetcorner with the radar gun to catch me doing it, though, when two people just robbed the Qwik-E-Mart yesterday down the block? Do I really need to pay the $150 unlucky citizen of the day quota fee when there are big-bad criminals out there texting teenage girls and arranging "meetings?" Don't y'all have other things to do?
Don't you?
It really would be nice to feel that I could relocate to any area of the country, particularly if we had some sort of crisis and wanted to be near our family. But I just don't feel safe doing that right now. I hope the petty officials in the links lose their jobs but more than that, I hope some people with better common sense take their places. And that voters get some sense!!
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Look Out, Dad!!
My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
The ticket quota thing. Totally hit the nail on the head. Even here in Buffalo, it's not quite as nuts as NYC. Our cops in some of the suburbs have nothing better to do then sit and try to catch someone going a tiny bit over the limit. I mean if your reckless or going too fast by all means they deserve a ticket.
ReplyDeletebut I don't think 3 miles over deserves a ticket..
Hey, I'm from NY! *waving*
ReplyDeleteOur homeschool regulations here are more strict than many other states, but not as strict as some others. They don't really seem all that bad to me, just one other thing to have to get done.
I am fairly familiar with the Cressy case as we live not too far from the area where the family lives. And I have to say that, while there is enough blame to go around to all parties, in all honesty, I think the family was really in the wrong. Now, before you throw something at me, lol, let me explain my thoughts☺
They weren't just late with their paperwork. In all the 7 years of living in that district, they had never filed any paperwork. Even though they knew that paperwork was required. When the officers came to the house regarding this issue, they even gave the family an opportunity to present lesson plans, or other evidence of schooling in lieu of the paperwork, but the family couldn't produce anything. hmmm. I have to admit that at times I get frustrated with families like the Cressy's... their behavior makes homeschooling more difficult for the rest of us.
I do agree that arresting the parents was heavy handed. I'm praying for all of God's best for the Cressy family♥
With ya, Shelly. :)
ReplyDeleteHello, Persuaded! Thanks for coming by and commenting!
I see where you're coming from 100% but at the same time, I think the law itself is unfair. Unfortunately, you can only really challenge an unfair law by breaking it. Think of the Woolworth's counter protests in the 60's... they were breaking the law! "They should have gone to jail, they deserve the book thrown at them, they make it harder for the rest of us black folk," or whatever argument is put forth, it's still reasonable to say the law is wrong in that case just as in this. And maybe it's a good thing to disobey.
That's where I am on this. I don't know that I would be so BRAVE as to actually live in NYS and not submit my plans in (I kinda like living WITH my children), but I fully support those that don't. In fact, I think law-abiding citizens sometimes make it tougher for the rest of us to live in peace when we give too much info too freely.
I'm NOT (not not not not, certainly NOT) criticising you or anyone else for turning those plans in. I know I probably would, just as I'm a stupid putz who answers the census questions even though I think it's plain wrong. I'm just saying that unjust laws flourish when we obey them without question and don't advocate for change.
In *theory,* in Missouri, I have to teach a certain number of hours and keep a record book, but aside from contacts with my children in public school, I have never had anyone come by or even ask pointed questions about my homeschooling from the district. MAYBE (just maybe!) my having tasted that freedom makes me see the full outrage of what they are doing to folks like you; it's unjust for them to have that power over you. And maybe because of my son's awful experience in PS, I don't see the school folks as looking out for children OVERALL. I see some good people, but an overall evil system (hope that makes sense). And I would like to see it have as little power, even over the lives of ps students, as possible. For example, why should they be able to mandate by law when children get eye exams by an opthamologist? Crying out loud, that's not a public health or education concern. If the kid has trouble seeing the board, you can move him or clue me in that an exam *might* be needed. You know? That's probably another post in itself.
Yep. It is. :)
Shelly, thanks so much for answering me hon. And I do hear what you are saying about civil disobedience. I am in total agreement with you. If one truly feels that a law is unjust then one certainly is justified in disobeying it... much of the best changes in society came from people refusing to put up with what they felt was oppression of themselves or others. People who have the courage to stand up like that have my deep respect.
ReplyDeleteBut honestly, the Cressy family was not refusing to send in their paperwork as an act of civil disobedience. They were just disorganized, or lazy or something... The real kicker to me is that they were unable to produce any proof that schooling was taking place in their home. I don't know about you and the circle of folks you hang around with, but I am closely acquainted with at least two families who say they are homeschooling, but actually do little or nothing to educate their children. In truth there are probably many families who are like this and I think that's kind of a dirty little secret that none of us homeschooling families want to admit to. That is what I meant when I said that families like the Cressy's frustrate me. They aren't schooling their kids- they really are being neglectful in the area of their kids' education... but all of us pro-homeschooling folk are obliged to stand up for them out of fear that our own rights will be curtailed in some way. And the sad truth is that folks like the Cressy's are probably much more of a threat to our homeschooling freedoms than any laws which are currently in place.
And as for the public schools... my own kids went there for a while and I have little good to say about them, so we are in total agreement on that front. Total.
Thanks for letting me air my thoughts on your blog.. it's really nice of you and I appreciate the chance to dialog about this stuff☺
Persuaded, I'm Mrs. C. Shelly is the first commenter and also a NYS resident. :)
ReplyDeleteI've put together a new blog post in response to your comment. It just seemed too long to type here and I wanted to be sure other folks got in on the discussion! Probably we're at least mostly in agreement on the major issues involved, but we'll see what you say when you say it! LOL
Ooops sorry! to both you and Shelly *blush*
ReplyDeleteOff to read your post right now☺