Current mood:	aghast
Entry tags:	california sucks, homeschooling

The Honorable Justice WaitOMGWTFH?
EDIT:It turns out the ruling wasn't quite recent. Initially handed down by the 2nd Appellate Court of California in connection with a case of suspected child abuse, it has been up for review, with a decision last month sustaining that the matter is not settled so long as the child is not considered at risk. Regardless of how the ruling ends, it is rather appalling that the public school system was ever considered to be some sort of safety net for abused kids. If there is a correlation, which I am disinclined to believe from my personal experience, then we should resolve the root problem of abuse, instead of accusing homeschooling of creating the problem.

Recently, California decided that the outdated quaint notions of individual liberties and parental rights had for too long oppressed the zombie masses. In a landmark case, an appellate court has just ruled that legislation requiring state licensure in order for parents to teach their kids at home is in fact constitutional. Though this in and of itself is a travesty and a blow to personal liberty, I am more concerned about the presiding judge's statements:

"California courts have held that ... parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children." Justice H. Walter Croskey

I have to wonder, if the Constitution doesn't in fact disprove this statement(which mind you, it most certainly does), but beyond that, wouldn't the right to manage your genetic legacy as best as you see fit be considered a NATURAL and inalienable right?

"A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation."
Justice H. Walter Croskey

Wow, my zombie circuits must have been fried with critical thought. Isn't the ONLY purpose of any education to obtain KNOWLEDGE and SKILL, for whatever reason, but most often used to pursue a career? Sorry, bud, nowhere in the mix do I implicitly or explicitly grant you some special privilege to brainwash my kids with your jingoist bullshit. I do, however, appreciate the candor with which the whipholders have decided to speak in this instance. It's a refreshing change, from the slick whealings-and-dealings common to politics. I am comforted in the knowledge that the reason California citizens pay property taxes is so that their children can become good little soldiers - warriors of fascism - their hearts, minds, and lives devoted to the Religion of the State.