Parent's Right To Spank Lies At Heart Of Custody Case

Scripps-McClatchy ^ | June 17, 2002 | Mereva Brown

[KentuckyWoman]

can quickly make EVERY home a "potentially dangerous environment".

That's where they're heading with all these "children's" agencies. Why else would they be quizzing children in school about whether their parents have guns in the house, whether they smoke, whether they ever use curse words, etc., etc. Once these little dossiers are in place, don't tell me that CPS (or whatever) won't begin pulling these "school files" to make cases against parents who buck the system. There is simply no other valid reason for the instrusive nature of these type of questions. Add to this the fact that now they're trying to MANDATE pre-school to being no later than age 4!!! The earlier they can get their hands on the children, the faster the indoctrinational, politically correct, nanny state group-think can be instilled.

[southern rock]

What is even scarier is that too many people are simply getting used to the concept of punishment without conviction in this country. We see it with DUI cases, minor drug offenses, and especialy with CPS. Obviously, having your children taken away by the state is punishment - a violation of basic human rights. Yet, if the parents are never arrested or prosecuted, what does that tell you? Exactly. No crime.

Punishment without conviction - the new American way.

[Orual]

Though some of her son's claims are in dispute, McLinden readily acknowledged she had spanked him with a belt and locked him in his room to control his behavior. She described her son as an angry, aggressive child who hurt other children, assaulted a teacher, stole her money, forged her checks to buy junk food and forged school progress reports.

McLinden's suit also claims the county deliberately excluded information from her case that would have provided context for the discipline, specifically that she had sought advice from school officials and tried other methods before resorting to corporal punishment.

Too little information in this article. How did the school discipline her son when he assaulted a teacher, hurt other children, and forged school progress reports? What advice did they give her? What other methods did she try? Did his behavior improve when he was placed in foster homes?

Superficially, it appears she has a good case.

[callisto]

Me, personally, no, but I remember hearing her tell my cousins to go pick one. One time she had all of the grandchildren over at once without our parents and I believe she tried "preventative maintanence"...The fruit bowl on top of the refrigerator was already full of switches and she just pointed to the bowl as we entered the kitchen. When our parents returned they were all told how wonderfully we had behaved. LOL!

[Nonstatist]

CPS officials acknowledged that a heavy volume of new cases in 1999....hastened the decision to remove the boy . Even so, the director ..said the agency's actions had withstood review by a juvenile court referee and later by a juvenile court judge.

Corporations get sued for less egregious malfeasance than this. But the worst thing about is they are unrepentant.

And look again.. they say they need more money to hire more social workers, but hey, they also didnt do anything wrong, they were just following the law! In truth, they need to be disciplined, and bad..

[SCalGal]

LOL, preventive maintenance.... that's great!

Having to cut your own switch is the WORST!! Talk about punishment.... That part's almost worse than the actual switching.

[Kermit]

The mother made two mistakes. One, where's the father? Two, sending the kid to public school, where he was taught to betray his family.

[patriot_wes]

CPS officials acknowledged that a heavy volume of new cases in 1999, coupled with a critical shortage of social workers, might have hastened the decision to remove the boy and could have resulted in a cursory investigation

you see all we need is some good bureaucratic excuse and we can burn your constitutional rights!

[RobRoy]

Let me be more clear. If they leave a child in a home where the parents that is unsafe because of abuse, then the child could die. If a child dies from abuse, then CPS catches all kinds of flak. Not an easy job.

Your entire argument stands on the definition and scope of one word: ABUSE.

What is your definition of this word?

[RobRoy]

Good! The state should wait until the parents starve or beat the kids to death. [/sarcasm]

Not necessarily to death. But they certainly can't go in just because they think a parent may beat their child.

So when do they go in? When would you have them go in. And how can you take children from parents that are not even arrested or booked for alegedly committing a crime?

[goodieD]

is lying part of that "difficult job"? don't kid yourself, a friend of mine quit a CPS job because she was instructed to "do whatever it takes" to remove a child from the parents. CPS makes big money from the government for placing kids in foster care, and even bigger money for adopting the kids out. 80 percent of CPS cases are bogus. And why does CPS get to be above the law and the Constitution. Why did judges have to actually rule that CPS workers could not violate constitutional rights in the process of their jobs? And why does CPS get to make up rules in direct conflict with state laws? Guess what? There is NO law against spanking in California.

[RobRoy]

Hardly indiscriminately.

Read about the Wenatchee Washington case. It is a travesty brought on by CPS and a "poster case" around which most of those that think the CPS should be abolished can rally!

[RobRoy]

Causing physical harm to a child

How much?