Judge Legalizes
Persecution of Children
by Jen Shroder
6/27/04
True Story: Little Sarah didn’t want to "become Muslim."
She didn’t want to praise Allah or fast for Ramadan, so her mom
wrote her a note to "opt out" of the 7th grade Islam
course. When Sarah handed her teacher the note, the teacher became
angry, held up the note and shouted at the class, "Is there anyone
else!?"
Another student crumpled the note on her desk, squeezing it
tightly, searching for the strength to hold up her note as Sarah did.
"Sarah’s in big trouble," someone whispered. The teacher, who had
dressed in a belly-dancing costume, appeared angry as she glared at
the class, waiting.
Peter, a grown fisherman, faltered at the question of a servant
girl, "Aren’t you one of His disciples?" Peter eyed the sharp spear of
a Roman soldier and replied, "I don’t know Him." A servant pointed a
finger and accused him, "DIDN’T I SEE YOU IN THE GARDEN WITH HIM??!!!"
The teacher’s words echoed in the classroom, "IS THERE ANYONE
ELSE?!!!! Sarah stood there, alone and condemned, and her friend
struggled to join her, gripping her note, fearful of the sharp spear
of the teacher’s wrath and the eyes of her classmates, the eyes of a
crowd.
WHY are our children being persecuted at the tender age of 12 in
ways that a brawling fisherman such as Peter could not withstand?
Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled "Thus, even if Sarah perceived Carr
[teacher] as becoming angry at her for requesting not to participate
in the unit, or that Carr seemed unwilling to answer her (unasked)
questions about her alternate assignment, that is nonetheless not
enough to revive an otherwise-improper Establishment Clause claim."
[Citing another case], "student's allegations of retaliation and
harassment based on decision to opt out of class later found to be
constitutional, if true, demonstrated a 'lack of sensitivity,
crudeness, and poor judgment' on the part of the school community,'
but 'd[id] not rise to the level of a constitutional violation' and
could not be used to 'breathe constitutional life into otherwise
unactionable conduct.' Carr thus did not violate Samantha's
constitutional rights."
Eklund v. Byron Union School District,
19:24
Don’t miss this. It is now open season on any child who opts out
unless a violation of constitutional rights, such as the Establishment
Clause, can be proved. This outrageous example of questioning what
"is" is, to claim participation in religious practices is not real
participation because a hypothetical "reasonable observer" is imagined
by the court to view the practice as "without belief," is such a
perversion of the law that all hope of justice is lost. Hamilton has
given a free pass to teachers to hold our children up to abusive
public scrutiny and intimidation if they opt out.
Sarah was sent to the school office, listening to comments from
other children about how she did something wrong. She reported to the
school office for more than a month, often three full class periods a
day, and was told to study without instruction or guidance from the
teacher who was always too busy. She was tested on an entire chapter
of the French revolution and failed.
Her parents sought justice through our court system and were met by
an infuriating judgment.
Appealing to the Ninth District Court of Appeals is like appealing to
Hitler because Himmler was abusive. Public schools have applied their
own religion of Pluralism in a fascist manner, depriving all of us our
constitutional rights.
IMPEACH HAMILTON.
SIGN THE PETITION. FIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN.
Because Hamilton has made it legal to persecute our children, my
son will not be opting out of the Islam unit or any other unit. I can
withstand death threats, phone calls, searching calls to relatives,
Palestinian websites directing people to find me, warnings from the
FBI, I am willing to take all of that on and more, but I am NOT
willing to subject my son to the wrath of a teacher holding him up to
persecution in public school, legalized by Hamilton!
IMPEACH HAMILTON.
SIGN THE PETITION. FIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN.
Opting out is often a poor choice. Parents are reluctant to single
their children out at this tender age when children are just beginning
to feel self conscious about their identity. Expecting our children to
stand strong for Jesus when we won’t even take the time to object or
vote is weak. Our children need US to be strong. Don’t allow public
schools to abuse our children because of their faith. Jesus Christ
said, "Pick up your cross and follow Me," and we do, but our children
need our help. God provided children with parents to defend them.
Don’t make your child carry his or her cross alone.
REGISTER TO VOTE.
SIGN THE PETITION. For the love of God, nation and children,
please sign.
Christians fail to sign petitions and contact senators because it
feels hopeless, do we really think reps like Feinstein or Boxer will
listen? We feel inconsequential and trying only exacerbates that
feeling.
But there is One who is watching who doesn't consider you
inconsequential. As you take the time to sign petitions, His eyes are
upon you as He watches your labor of love. God knows the internal
struggle, the frustration, the tendencies we have to ignore the
situation because we don't want to feel the outrage about so many
issues. He knows the effort it takes to exert the diligence to seek
and sign petitions, He knows the oppressive spirit that whispers in
your ear, "Why bother to vote? The world will do what it will do," and
it's so much easier to pick up the remote.
But we just gave up the battle, we signed our children over to the
mistreatment of teachers, to the abuse of judges like Hamilton. We
gave our freedom to the liberal special interest groups that DO take
the time as they target our children.
These small internal struggles are what all of heaven watch for. We
give audience to a spiritual realm that curiously watches this small
battle...are we lukewarm or do we exert the faith of David? This is
far more interesting to angels than the usual hours we fill up our
world with. These small battles are why we exist.
Nobody on earth is watching as we tediously fill out another
petition form. There is no applause that we can hear, no parties, no
slaps on our back from fellow Christians, we don't call excitedly to
proclaim our 2 minute effort for Christ.
But there is One who watches and is blessed. The One who was
betrayed and abandoned is not abandoned now. Because you took the
time, you made that small yet eternally remembered effort to sign your
name on a petition to stand for the message of Christ, and regardless
of what you think, it is NOT a small battle. You overcame the
continuous onslaught of "who cares", "it won't matter", and "I'm only
one person."
You are one person that means more than the world to Jesus Christ.
More than His comfort, more than His life, you made a decision to
stand with Him, and as you tirelessly
