Deja Vu?

I typed this out earlier this week, but then didn't finish it before leaving town. I was also sidetracked by writing a rare mass-mailed notice on the subject, because I have far more people in my address book than readers of my blog. :) But I want to put it here anyway.

I wrote my election thoughts post on Sunday evening, though it didn't post until early Monday morning.

While sitting here at the computer trying my darnedest to get some replacement crib parts, I browsed a couple emails that just popped through. One of them is from Parentalrights.org, and is eerily similar to some of what I wrote the other night.

They write:

"Imagine If..."
The Reality of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Imagine an Air Force mom, serving her country on a month-long deployment, who learns that her daughter has been secretly removed by local authorities, claiming the child has been "abandoned." Children begin mandatory sex-education at the age of four, regardless of their family's opinions, beliefs, or convictions, and parents are imprisoned if their children fail to receive any of their mandatory vaccinations. Parents live in a state of constant supervision and suspicion.

Imagine if your national government had the audacity to appoint a "guardian" to monitor your child from birth, charged with the legal responsibility to evaluate your decisions as a parent and armed with the legal authority to "intervene, prevent or rectify" any violations of your child's rights. Public and private schools alike are policed by the national government, and classes begin with singing about the principles of peace, tolerance, and the United Nations. Your child's confidential medical records, stored in a nation-wide electronic register from birth until age twenty, can be accessed at any time, without your knowledge, by any physician, teacher, or government social worker in the nation.

Now stop imagining, because for parents in the 193 countries that have ratified the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child, each of these scenarios is true. Read the rest of this article.

I had a hard time wrapping up this post (and in fact, didn't), so I'll close with the last paragraph of my email:

If this seems alarmist to you, please, research it until you feel secure in your opinion. I don't want to GIVE you your opinion, just point you to a relevant issue today. How relevant? Well, this Convention came through under President Clinton, but has never been ratified. President-elect Obama supports ratifying this, and he has promised considerable change. This isn't *my* preferred brand of change, obviously. ParentalRights.org supports amending the Constitution to preserve our historic (and I think, God-given) rights as parents. Even if you're not a parent, if you see the value in this, please sign their petition. Tell others. If your kids are all grown, think of your grandchildren. If you really don't care, but you like me, sign it, k? :)