Posted on 09/11/2011 5:00:12 PM PDT by BUGSWOL
My girlfriend has a friend in Washington State, who is a bit odd, Christian, home school type. While they are not not the normal standard people the government would like us to me, she assures me that they are in fact good people who love their children. The also adopted a couple of children from Ethiopia. One of those children died under strange circumstances, so naturally it was investigated. That is perfectly understandable.
It turns out that the child had some sort of tropical malady that led to rapid weight loss loss, erratic behavior and an untimely death. Now this is where it gets bad. Despite the death being ruled to have been the result of natural causes, their other children have been removed form the home and kept form the parents by child protective services. These children who have been home schooled their entire lives and fed on a diet of healthy natural foods are now in foster homes being fed junk and sent to public schools. The children were tested before enrollment and all of them tested at least 3 grade levels above their chronological age. Sounds like some awful parents doesn't it.
Now they have been told by their court appointed lawyers not to say a word or make waves of any kind even though they are regularly being slandered in the press there.
I am chomping at the bit to post some of the articles here and encourage freepers to let the CPS working in Washington State know what we think, but my girlfriend says no, because they haven't asked. I am of the opinion that if we sit on our hands their kids will just quietly be taken away permanently and they will move on to taking kids away from parents who do other odd things like vote Republican and believe in God.
lawyer up.
“Some sort of a tropical malady?”
There is a financial incentive for CPS to keep the kids. However the legal route is really the only one to take. Maybe get a better lawyer/
If they had a good lawyer, I’d whole heartedly agree. I suspect the court appointed lawyer has their own agenda and career track that may not include winning a case for Christian home schoolers.
She told me what is was, but I can’t remember what exactly. It isn’t something one gets in the USA normally.
My best advice is for them to hire their own lawyer if they can afford it. A court appointed lawyer... I just think one that you hire would do better. That being said, you mentioned a “healthy” diet. May I ask if the diet is be called into some sort of question? Are they eliminating all fats and sugars completely or have they adopted an extreme form of eating only a handful of items?
Probably following their lawyer’s advice at this point would be the best thing they could do. Except for one other, which is to PRAY. The gubmint loves any excuse to take peoples’ kids away when they’re Christians, homeschool, etc. But God is bigger than any government.
HSLDA: Homeschooling Advocates since 1983
They need to contact these people as ASAP! They defend homeschool families, and they are sharp!
No just home cooked meals with lots of home grown fruits and vegetables. Awful stuff like that.
HSLDA: Homeschooling Advocates since 1983
They need to contact these people as ASAP! They defend homeschool families, and they are sharp!
No just home cooked meals with lots of home grown fruits and vegetables. Awful stuff like that.
It seems odd that the other children would be taken without just cause. I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to the story that your wife doesn’t know about. However, if what you have written is accurate, then they need to hire a lawyer, get their children back, and sue the state.
From first hand experience, your friend’s case has gone way beyond easy fixes.
DO NOT get a lawyer that practices in that family court. They only kiss up for the next time they are in front of the same judge. You gotta get an attorney that has no reason to be nice to that judge.
We got our grandkids, their parents and practice preventative measures.
they probably can’t find a lawyer in the phone book that doesn’t have an agenda dictated by the state. nevertheless, better to keep the enemies close and on the payroll.
In hindsight, HSLDA membership would have been wise.
In the present, they shouldn't be relying on a court-appointed legal representative. If their church community can't help them find a good attorney and, if necessary, help with the costs, then they need a better church community.
Could the ... agency, institution, whatever ... that placed the Ethiopian children with them help them to find competent representation?
“Awful stuff like that..”
I had to ask since I was wondering if Social Services actually requested from the Foster family to feed them higher caloric foods. Sounds to me like the foster family just like to eat junk instead. Prayers for your friends and their poor children. After burying one of their children, I can’t imagine what they are going through losing the others. I pray it is only temporary.
If this is the case I think it is, the girl didn’t exactly die of “natural causes.” She died of hypothermia, in the rain, in her own backyard.
A prosecutor friend told me that court appointed lawyers regularly committed unethical acts by telling their clients to agree to pleas that the lawyer should have fought. (Now this is criminal law, but I think the reasoning applies here too.) The reasons they did this is the lawyers have to deal with the same prosecutors all the time and they want the relations to go smoothly. Also, the court appointed lawyers are looking for better jobs as court appointed anything is the bottom of the food chain. The court appointed lawyers lack experience and that’s what they’re getting in their present job but many of them pencil-whip the job without putting any effort into their clients’ defense.
These folks need their own lawyers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.