root@sigma.UUCP (The Root of all Evil) (12/13/85)
I know some of you will be quite concerned about the preceding posting about parent abuse by the State, especially if you now have or plan to have a family. Fortunately there are two things you can do: #1: Write! Write S.O.F.T. and Concerned Women for America (C.W.A.) to learn more about the abusive activities of CPS and the State of Washington. Their addresses: S.O.F.T. C.W.A. 5312 9th Ave N.E. Suite 800 Seattle, WA 98105 122 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20001 Write your state legislators. Tell them you have learned about CPS and are concerned. Tell them you feel an investigation into CPS activities is in order. Tell them you protest against the unconstitutional operations of the courts. Also, there is legislation due to be introduced in the next session that, if passed, will curtail the abusive activities of CPS somewhat. Tell them you support it. To get their names and addresses (I had to do this to reach my legislators): -Get your district number from your voter registration card. -Call your local library and ask who the legislators are for your district. Write the Governor. Tell him you want Washington's courts brought into conformity with the Constitution. Also, he is trying to trim next year's budget, and CPS and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) are the single largest item on it. They are running a campaign to justify their activities, their existence, by fanning the hysteria over child abuse (which is not to say that child abuse isn't a problem, but parental abuse is not the answer). His address: Gov. Booth Gardner Legislative Building Olympia, WA 98504 (206) 753-6780 Your input to the government is needed. The government only reacts to problems it is aware of. The only people telling it anything about child abuse are the people in CPS, and they are crying out for even more power! #2: Talk! Talk to people you know. Tell them about CPS, and encourage them to write. Give them copies of these postings. Talk to people in your company: managers and Personnel. It is expensive for a company to lose an employee to this system. Enlist their support. If your company is planning a move to Washington, warn them. The government reacts most quickly and strongly to those issues that people express the loudest concern about. Enlist all the support you can. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some of you, like me, find it a real effort to sit down and compose a letter. For those of you who need help, I have composed an outline for a letter, so that it should only take a few minutes to write. I won't write it out fully, to avoid the "form-letter" appearance. If you need help beyond that, send me a request via e-mail and I will be glad to help you. (Today's date) [Gov./Mr./Mrs./Ms.] (Name) (address) Dear (Name): (Tell them you have heard about the abuses of CPS and Washington courts. Elaborate a little if you want, but keep it fairly short.) (Tell them who you are, in relation to who they are and to the problem. If you live in their district, tell them. If you have a family, plan to have a family, have siblings or friends with family, tell them.) (Tell them of your specific concerns: the threat of CPS to you, your family or planned family, the fact that they are reaching for more power, the dangerous precedents they set in the courts, and so on.) (Tell them what you want them to do: to launch an investigation -immediately- into the activities of CPS, to cut their funding, promote legislation to reduce their powers, bring the courts in line. Remember that they work for you, but they cannot do it unless you tell them what to do.) (You might even tell them that you think they should get in touch with S.O.F.T. and C.W.A. for more information, and give them addresses.) Sincerely, (Your name) (your address) (optional: your phone) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you do not live in the State of Washington, check on conditions where you live. Washington is one of the worst of the States right now, but abuses like those described are becoming more prevalent in other states and countries. Don't sit back and wait until it happens to you.
root@sigma.UUCP (The Root of all Evil) (12/19/85)
Organization: Some of you have questioned recent postings about Washington State's DSHS system. Here are pretty much real-to-life scenarios that are happening to people I know, starring yourself. You are eating dinner one evening with your family. Two police come to the door and say they want to talk to you for a minute. Not knowing why, you let them in. One, seeing your family at the table, introduces himself, and, of course, you introduce your family. He then says he has something for you to read, hands you a slip of paper, and, while you start to read it, he goes over and takes your three-year-old daughter. You suddenly realize something is wrong, because the paper says they are taking her under allegations of sexual abuse, and the other policeman has stepped in front to prevent you and your wife from reaching your daughter (who of course is very upset and crying). They tell you that they are taking her to DSHS, and you will have to get more information from there. One suggests that you might need a lawyer. Neither seems to think that you're worth very much. They leave, and the two of you are sitting there stunned. What is going on? Did somebody do something to her? Why did they have to take her? How *can* they take her? Neither you or your wife sleep very well that night. The next morning you find an attorney, and suddenly learn about *that* expense. He seems to know the system, so he places a few calls. He can't reach the people he wants, but does get something from some assistant about a child brought in last night whose parents were sexually molesting her! You are in shock, and sit there trying to think of anything and everything you might have done that could be mis-construed as abuse. The lawyer laughs all of your suggestions off, telling you that it's much more serious than that. He also tells you that there has to be a hearing within 72 hours (not including weekends and holidays), at the juvenile court. Unfortunately, this is Thursday, so you realize you have a weekend without your daughter ahead of you. He arranges to meet with you at the Juvenile Court Monday morning. Oh, and yes, he's going to need money. BIG money! First thing Monday morning! You spend the rest of the day trying to come up with the thousand or two he wants. Fortunately you had some money accessible, but it wipes out your "cash" reserves. Any additional monies are going to take weeks to get ahold of. You spend your weekend avoiding everybody you know. How can you tell them that the State took your daughter away and is accusing you of molesting her? You figure it's just a big mistake, which will come out at the hearing, you'll take her home again, and all will be well. Monday morning: You arrive at Juvenile Court, meet your lawyer, and sign in. He finds the DSHS worker, and gets a packet of papers to review before you go in to court. You start to read it.. and are shocked! You are accused of all sorts of filthy abuses, which, it is stated, she told the case worker all about! Some of the things you don't even understand! The statements even quote her using words she doesn't know! You suddenly realize that *something* is very wrong! You are called into court, and the judge, the case worker, and your lawyer talk a bit. The judge grants DSHS 30 days to hold your daughter (who is not there, by the way) while they start an investigation. You begin to realize that you aren't going to see your daughter for a while. You start wondering what people are going to think about you, when you (inevitably) have to tell them. You wonder if you can "cover up" somehow, to avoid the shame of the allegations. The lawyer has some ideas, some things he needs to do, before the next hearing. He gets going on them. You start trying to lead some semblance of a normal life. You *have* to tell some people, who are all shocked because they know you, and cannot believe that you are capable of such a thing. One small comfort. You just wish the State knew you so well, too. Three weeks pass.. You are beginning to look forward to the next hearing, so you can clear things up and bring your daughter home. It's late, you and your wife have turned in, and turn the light out. Suddenly there's a knock at the door. You open it, and there's two policemen. They ask if they can come in to talk. You are tired, not thinking clearly, so you say yes. Suddenly they've got handcuffs on you, and are reading you your rights!! You ask what's going on, they tell you they are arresting you on suspicion of child abuse (sexual), and that you're going with them to jail to be questioned. After a little pleading, they finally allow you to get dressed, and they drag you off. It's 11:00 at night. Sevral hours later you are downtown, booked, and tossed into an (overcrowded) cell for the rest of the night. Next morning you are finally allowed access to a phone (one phone for the entire jail, you have to dicker with other -other!- inmates to get to it). Your lawyer says he will meet you in court in the afternoon. You get to sit around idle, nothing to read, you don't feel like talking. You are in an unconfortable jumpsuit they gave you last night after the strip-search. You go into court, and they let you go on a promise (by your lawyer) that you will show up for the filing of the charges in a few days. Suddenly you become aware that they are going to try you in criminal court, as well as in Juvenile, and that if you lose the case, you go to prison. MANDATORY five years without any possibility of parole, plus whatever else the judge feels appropriate.. up to life. Time passes.. You are "in the system" now. You are waiting for the trial, your lawyer is doing what he can to establish your innocence, but there isn't much he can do because the State treats the case worker's statements as absolute fact. You cannot see your daughter, nor can your wife. She is told that if she divorces you, so that you will be guaranteed to not be around (and they'll be checking!), she can have your daughter home. If not, your daughter stays in the foster home, and could eventually be put up for adoption if you don't cooperate. You'll never see her again. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. --- The opinions expressed above are not represented as those of any organization, including those involved in the distribution of this posting.
root@sigma.UUCP (The Root of all Evil) (12/19/85)
"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding." -Louis Demblitz Brandeis Sunday's (12/15/85) Seattle Times mentioned a new bill going before the Legislature that presents an even greater threat to families in Washington. The intent of the bill is good and I strongly support the intent of the authors of this bill, but there is a clear danger in its implementation. The bill would make it a felony to physically abuse children, including shaking children under three, blows to the head, any spanking severe enough to produce bruises, and so on. I doubt that anybody could argue that this kind of abuse would ever be called for. The problem arises with the involvement of Children's Protective Services (CPS). Whenever faced with a situation of a possibility of abuse, these people automatically take the position that the worst possible abuse has occurred, and they pursue matters on that basis. Unfortunately, they have been granted the power to do extreme damage to the family, under the rather naive assumption that they would exercise restraint in the use of that power. Under the current laws in Washington State, teachers and daycare workers are required to call in CPS if they observe any bruises that could possibly be indicative of physical abuse, under threat of being accused as an accomplice if they fail. The State does not provide any training in discerning "naturally-occurring" bruises from those arising from abuse. If you have an active child, or one that bruises easily, you could be in for some serious trouble if this law passes. As I mentioned, CPS automatically assumes the worst. Their normal first action is to remove the child from the home, and place him in foster care. (With no proof, they can, at any time, remove and hold your child for 72 hours, not including weekends and holidays.) Then they start their "investigation", which takes the form of a trial in everything but name and legality. You will be required to undergo psychiatric evaluation. Your child will undergo psychiatric and physical examinations. You can expect a three to six month separation from your child. You also get to pay for all this, whether you prove your innocence or not. Be prepared to shell out anywhere from $5000 to $25000. For a bruise. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." -John P. Curran "The price of eternal vigilance is indifference." -Marshall McLuhan I must apologize for the use of a sympathetic "root" to post these items anonymously. The intent is to protect people I know who are caught in the system, as previously described. By putting a distance between their indentites and the net, I am able to (I hope) effectively warn you without bringing unjust retribution upon them from the State. "The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government." -Franklin Delano Roosevelt I have done my duty in warning you, with places to turn for more information. You may ignore it if you wish. It's on your heads. I shall say no more. --- The opinions expressed above are not represented as those of any organization, including those involved in the distribution of this posting.
warren@pluto.UUCP (Warren Burstein) (12/22/85)
Do all this and I'll read your future postings, maybe. -- The Maxwell R. Mayhem Institute for Quandary Requiem and Maternal Sciamachy Accept no substitutes.