Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,
 Mike Farris is founder and chairman of HSLDA and an expert on international law. |
|
Yesterday, I testified against the
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
before the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee. During this
hearing, it became clear that the Democrat senators on the committee weren’t interested in hearing how this dangerous United Nations treaty could harm our freedoms.
Instead, this hearing showed that the senators leading the charge to
ratify this treaty have decided to take a page from the far left’s
playbook and will stop at nothing to vilify and destroy anyone who has
concerns with the UNCRPD.
Dr.
Susan Yoshihara from C-FAM and I were the only witnesses against the
UNCRPD. There were five witnesses in support of the treaty, and one
neutral witness who generally supported the treaty but thought more RUDs
(written reservations) were needed. Two of the witnesses, Senator Mark
Kirk (IL) and Kelly Ayotte (NH), are sitting senators.
False Trail
After we gave our introductory remarks, the personal attacks began.
Senator Barbara Boxer (CA), the second most senior Democrat senator on
the committee, asked me if HSLDA or ParentalRights.org has ever raised
money during our battle against UN control over children and families
with disabilities. Instead of asking her if she had ever raised money
during her campaigns for U.S. Senate, or whether any of the pro-UNCRPD
organizations raise money for their fight, I explained that HSLDA is
funded by you, our members. ParentalRights.org is funded solely by
donations.
Senator Boxer’s attack, however, was not really against me or HSLDA. It was against you, and every other homeschool family who has ever supported HSLDA
because you believe in our mission to defend the God-given right of
parents, not faceless bureaucrats, to care for and educate our children.
Senator Boxer thinks that your membership in HSLDA and your support of
our critical work to defend homeschooling, support widows and single
parents through the Home School Foundation, and the work of
ParentalRights.org to pass a constitutional amendment makes you an evil
special interest that must be vilified and defeated.
Next,
Senator Dick Durbin (IL), another senior Democrat on the committee,
falsely argued that HSLDA’s position is that the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) is the threat to homeschool freedom. The fact is
that HSLDA
strongly supports the ADA and other laws advancing the freedom and dignity of persons with disabilities
which our democratically elected representatives have passed. What’s
more, the UNCRPD would actually threaten parental rights which are
enshrined in the IDEA. I explained to him that it was the UNCRPD, not
the ADA, which was the threat. He ignored me and persisted in stating
that HSLDA believes the ADA was the threat. Logic teachers call this a
straw man argument, which is used by people who do not wish to debate
the merits of an issue.
And
finally, near the end of the hearing, Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (NJ) said, by way of dismissing HSLDA’s
legal arguments about how the UNCRPD is binding under international law,
“I appreciate that you have an LLM from London which is as I understand
from a distance learning course….” The room packed with supporters of
the treaty burst out in rude and loud laughter, forcing Chairman
Menendez to gavel the room to order.
Avoiding the Facts
Again,
while this was a personal attack aimed at me intended to sideline my
arguments, Chairman Menendez was admitting that he had no response to
HSLDA’s arguments about the dangers of the UNCRPD and international law.
He showed that he will resort to petty, silly, and personal attacks rather than substance.
This
battle is about one thing: who will make the laws for the United
States? Our democratically elected representatives? Or UN treaty law? Homeschoolers know that they cannot trust the United Nations to protect the freedom of loving parents to raise their children.
And any honest American understands that the UN cannot be trusted to
preserve and protect our nation’s sovereignty and fundamental freedoms
which have been bought with the blood of patriots through the centuries.
It
is ironic that President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and the other
politicians who are promising us that the UNCRPD will not threaten
parental rights, homeschool freedom, and our nation’s sovereignty, are
the same politicians who promised us that if we like our healthcare
insurance, we can keep it. They’ve been proven wrong. We cannot let them win this time when our children’s future is on the line.
This is a tough
battle. The senators who are trying to ram the UNCRPD down our nation’s
throat will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who stands in their way.
Please pray. And please call your senators and urge them to reject this
UN treaty. Your calls made the difference last time. By the grace of
God, they will make the difference this time.
Contact Your Senators
You can reach your senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, by using our legislative toolbox to
type your address and find their contact info, or by using HSLDA’s emailing tool to send a prewritten letter to your senators by filling out your information online.
Please call right now and keep calling, and please also forward this email to your friends. You can visit HSLDA’s action page here to learn more about the CRPD, and you can read the text of the CRPD here.
Standing with you for Liberty,
Michael P. Farris, JD, LLM
Chairman, HSLDA
P.S.
The Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee will hold another hearing on
the UNCRPD on Tuesday, November 12. We do not yet know when it will come
up for a vote in the Committee, but it will likely be very soon. We
will send out more information as soon as we have more details. Finally,
even though Senator Boxer doesn't want you supporting the battle
against the UNCRPD and for U.S. sovereignty, you can donate if you wish.
**********************************
Farris' CRPD Hearing Report
November 6, 2013
|
It was
obvious from the earliest moments of the hearing that I was going to be
the brunt of a lot of abuse. During the course of the hearing I was
personally attacked by Senator Menendez, Senator Boxer, and Senator
Durbin. I don't mean they disagreed with me on the merits of the issue. I mean they attacked me personally
for "fear-mongering", misrepresentation, fund-raising, political
motives, and having earned an LLM through distance learning. The shots
were cheap and it wasn't really any fun. But here is the point. When the left stoops to these kinds of tactics, it is a sign of two things: 1. They have no effective answers to the substance of my arguments. 2. We are having an impact. |
 ParentalRights.org President Michael Farris |
If we let the left get away with these tactics, our movement - indeed, our country - is doomed.
I have to admit that I took a lot of solace in this idea during the hearing: The people will protect the sovereignty of the United States even if our Senators are ready to jettison it.
Sincerely,
Michael Farris
ParentalRights.org Founder and President
Editor's Note:
1. Please call your senators again. Urge them to oppose treaty ratification. You can reach them through the Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121) or find their info by clicking on your state at ParentalRights.org/states.
2. Please donate generously to support our efforts. Yesterday, Senator Boxer attacked Mike for raising funds on this issue. Apparently she believes that while those who agree with her have every right to donate to her campaign coffers, you don't have the right to support us financially. Help us as we work to make your voice heard!
Sincerely,
Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Researh
No comments:
Post a Comment