http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080522/ap_o...
This is an uncomfortable question for me because does make look like I am siding withe FLDS church which am not.
I worry when the government can swoop in and grap up kids with no evidence just a charge and it looks like it was crank call to begin with.
Where the child services has that much power to the point you are guilty and you have to prove your innocents.
Those who think it is for the "children" has never face the business end of child services and see how they treat you.
My own experience I have witness them come in grab the kid and than made charges and the guy had to sign a statement he won't sue them for false arrest if the charges turn out to be false.
If you don't like FLDS I can understand that but does it mean they lose their rights because you don't like how they live? Courts rule that the state didn't act appropriately.
If you don't see the danger in giving the government that much power without question is very dangerous. hmmm ok, I can snswer this: four years ago, MY kids were " removed" because of a crank call my oldest daughter's best friend mom made to CPS. The kid, ( mentally unbalanced anyway) alledged that my hubby was harming my kids. It was because of the fact that my daughter, Kelli,was best friends with a guy that Amy wanted to sleep with and Jeff was..
( gasp) gay! This was also in a church setting. The mom was a child pastor,her daughter was the day care worker,and Jeff was a youth leader. Sooo, because of the " anonymous" letter sent to the CPS people, my kids were taken by a gung-ho detective,wanting to make a name for herself. We had to jump thru many hoops, and also, the court order WAS NOT SIGNED OR EVEN FINISHED when they took my kids, and the detective FORCED HER WAY into my home. It was chalked up to LEGAL KIDNAPPING. i told the judge so, and two weeks later, we got our kids back, and the detective lost her job, as did the CPS workers involved, and several more were " displaced". All in all, we are scarred for life and on Kelli's 17th birthday,she moved out with her boyfriend,cuz she blamed herself. Why?? Because she told Amy that she and jeff were special buds,that they were church buddies,( meaning that they sat together on church trips, in church and waht not, so that they didnt have to sit near ppl they didn't like or didnt know. Then we had to go thru a year of Social services being in our home, and we are still upset about it. So much so, my kids have developmental delays, and my 5 year old, can't sleep by herself and did not speak till she was two. yep, TWO. She did not potty train til she was three. My oldest daughter still blames herself and she will be 19 in June.
CPS has the power, because the gov't grants them that power, it is called: "Probable cause". this is most likely what Texas CPS acted on. It is their way to get into someone's home and remove the kids without a good excuse. We are a victim of that law. But here in Va., they can't follow that law, they need a GOOD,and viable reason to remove chilren, one that can not be disregarded as rumor, and is validated by several denominators. I have been a victim of CPS since I was born,my family a victim since 1935,when social services was starting out. Also, a thing called " legacy", which is what we have on our file,is a thing that they go by as well. If the family parents had had alleged " concerns" then they will bother the kids,too, when they grow up and become parents themselves. Like I said," legacy" is what they put into consideration,alot. They feel that if a parent was a bad one, then the kids will be, too. My mom was an alcoholic/ druggie, and they expected me to be as well. They' re shocked that I don't drink/smoke/ use. And that I am not anything like my mom. they feel that if they were to remove my kids, because of the wrongful removal of my kids, that I can sue their butts off, and they know I would not hesitate to do so. Also , I am a little more intelligent than most of the workers, and they don't like that.They have degrees, I have common sense. sooo, yes I think that CPS in texas went too far and they think that because of the crank call, ( they DO have to follow any and every call they get, " for the benefit of the child, for it is best to " err on the side of the child than to be wrong,") they have to look into this. As for the religion, that is another reason for the removal: I bet one of the charges they will not divulge, is " religious ceremonial sexual abuse," because of the underage " marriages " and forced sexual relations. It will be a LOOONG process to get those kids back,and when they do, you can bet the bank that they will be scarred for life. Those two who have answered ahead of me, I could not have said ti better myself!!Bravo, for two ppl who are on the " other side" of CPS, the inside, and they have good sense and made strong points: i wish all CPS /lawyers, wre like you two!! Yes, they went overboard. Just because people belong to a religion different from others doesn't mean they lose their Constitutional rights and due process.
They were all painted with the same brush and their rights as citizens were violated.
This whole thing stinks. It's amazing that more Americans weren't outraged. I do not agree with the FLDS, but i totally think that the Texas authorities had no right to do what they did. These people are not hurting anyone, and i believe it was alll religious persucution. And the media has gone so overboard making these people look so bad.
It scares me that i could loose my rights as an american, and as a mom. If they can get away with this they can get away with it again.
What has the government become now days? They are trying to control everything we do. the recent court ruling agrees that the state acted hastily and improperly, having insufficient evidence to make the raid. Yes they went way overboard. They went overboard, but overboard is standard procedure for the "Child Protective" Services.
My friend's husband works as a CPS agent. The truth, from the office side of the "Child Protective" agencies is that they have almost unlimited power to remove children from their own homes, and can keep them hidden from their parents for three days with no other authority than that given them by the state. Parents who want their children back are forced to jump through hoops and back, then sign away every right to raise their children the way that they see as best.
NO ONE is overseeing these people except the courts, who do not answer to anyone. Ultimately, the values of judges and attorneys are the ones that are reflected in the CPS system.
Of course, there are many cases where the parents should be in prison for what they have done to their children. But so many of the CPS agents have become so cynical and bitter that they do not believe that any accused parent could possibly be innocent, and they act accordingly.
The effects of the trauma that is inflicted on a child who is removed from a home can last for years. Even children who need to be taken from abusive parents have long-lasting effects from the horror of being taken by strangers while their parents are forced to look on helplessly.
On top of this, there have been vicious people who have falsely reported "abuse" for the purpose of revenge against their neighbors, ex-spouses, and ex-"fiancee's" (live-in partners).
It is an out-of-control system that needs desperately to be reformed. I also think Texas erred. I have represented children for more than 26 years and I immediately wondered why young children, including babies, who were in no immediate danger were removed. The trauma in separately a child under the age of 5 from his/her parents is very significant. When I took a course in representing children, I learned the development of memory in young children is slow. If a custody case, children under 5 should ideally see the non-custodial parent at least weekly. Second, why were ALL the children removed? What danger was facing the young boys? I know it was reported AFTER the fact that some of the boys had injuries, but where was the evidence the injuries were caused by abuse? The members of this church were violating Texas law and that fact was well known. Why the delay in arrest and prosecution? Why haven't the laws been enforced against the adults in bigamous relationships in Texas and the other states (Utah, Arizona, and ?). I have fought our state's version of Child Protective Services on many occasions and they are typically heavy handed and, unfortunately, too many of the social workers are jaded from years of difficult work with low pay. They oftem will not listen to any reasonable explanation and severely over-react. I apologize for painting social workers with too broad a brush, but I have found many to abuse their powers and the Courts have frequently agreed with me. In this case, they exercised no reasonable discretion on which children to remove. If they had prosecuted the adults, perhaps no child's life would have disrupted by removal. If removal was necessary, shouldn't it have been limited to the young girls who were in immediate danger? EDIT: A big "amen" TO "Free to be me" above. Absolutely true. It's not a matter of not liking the way they live. Many of these religious cults believe in having sex with little kids. Our society doesn't accept that type of behavior and our society makes the government protect those who can't protect themselves.
They acted and are acting appropriately. |
