LETTERS
Massachusetts News--March, 2000 Outrage
at Breakup of Petersons
Outrage at Breakup of Petersons I read your article regarding the Peterson Family and am outraged! What will it take for Massachusetts courts to return all those children to the loving home they were torn from? It seems that those children have suffered far more emotional and physical pain in the hands of DSS, than their parents could have ever inflicted upon them. Instead of offering emotional support to the entire family at the loss of their son Randy, the "system" hurled that entire family up into a tornado of wrongdoing. Was this to give them a better life? Now, after 4 1/2 years of abuse, if these children statistically become dangers to themselves or society, will they then throw them in jail when they’re not normal? From your article, I am simply astonished that the state has allowed this to continue for as long as it has, ultimately causing these children irrevocable harm, stripping them of believing in themselves, society, justice and most of all, family. I can’t speak for others and am not one to get involved, but please tell me what I can do to help. Please tell me that others have responded and are willing to do something. Please tell me that there is a group working together to bring these children home. Please tell me so I don’t lose faith myself. Is the state that ignorant? Are they afraid they will have to pay monetary damages for admitting they made an enormous mistake? How much has it cost the state in medical, housing and court costs to rip this family apart? I was placed in foster care as a child on two separate occasions. As much as my mother was not well enough to care for us for a short time, I would rather have stayed with my ill mother than endure the abuse I endured with the DSS solution. Not all foster parents are bad, but a lot of them need the money and feel burdened or don’t have the patience for "someone else’s problem." Why don’t they research foster parents’ backgrounds as well as they say they research so-called unfit parents? Take the money spent on foster parents, counseling, shelters and give it to the parents to help them be better parents. Not that I am implying that the Petersons were, because I absolutely don’t know, but come up with programs that involve the parents, not strangers. Don’t the testimonies of people that came to bat for the Peterson family mean anything? Teachers, counselors, doctors? DSS and the system don’t believe them? Or do they think they are part of the Petersons’ plot to bring their children to their demise? This is all so sickening. I would take all six children for no money. I would personally see that I worked with their family to bring them home and give them peace. I don’t read the newspaper a lot, especially the smaller circulations. I hope this story gets globally big enough to catch the attention of people with influence to help this family. Carol Lee of DSS should have to duplicate all the abuse she led all of the children to. Losing her job, doing time and being horsewhipped at sundown each and every day would not be enough. -Cheryl DiMuro, Revere, MA Many Attorneys Defend Children I was very pleased to read "Tara is Free!" It is encouraging to know that there are judges out there who will give a little girl back to her family. I am also glad that the mother could not rave enough about her attorneys, that they "were exceptionally lucky in that the lawyers who were appointed to represent Paul and her were awesome." The reason I am writing and where I take exception is her statement that, "Usually, when parents’ children are stolen from them by this system, they are appointed a public defender who could not care less about any aspect of any case they have. Keeping the judge happy and getting home to dinner on time seem to be their main concern." I am an attorney who takes appointments to represent parents or children to defend against DSS-initiated care and protection cases (though it would be inaccurate to call me or most of the attorneys in that system "public defenders"). I am also a mentor for the Children and Family Law Program of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, which oversees the appointment system and the training and supervision of attorneys who take those appointments. There are attorneys (a small minority, I would suggest) who fit the dismal description that Heidi provides. My experience, however, is that most of the attorneys who practice in this field of law do so because they want to help children and families. They are mostly dedicated and diligent, frequently postponing or delaying their own family responsibilities to work with their clients. Yes, Heidi, Tom and Tara were "lucky" to have "awesome" lawyers; but they were not "exceptionally lucky." Families in the child protection system in Massachusetts and around the country have awesome lawyers working for them every day. I hope that Heidi and Tom will use their experience to help educate the Legislature and the bench about the abuses that occur in the system and to rein in the outlandish, almost unlimited power that has been given to DSS in the name of "protecting children." Many children need more protection from DSS than from their own parents! Thanks to Massachusetts News for keeping DSS in the public eye. -Michael L. Rich, Esq., Arlington, MA Applause, three cheers for your newspaper! I live in a small town in East Tennessee. If all of our hometown newspapers would do the same as you are doing, DSS corruption would be a thing of the past, But alas most papers are only interested in sensationalism. Thank you for objective journalism and for giving people like myself timely, nonbiased information about this all-important issue, DSS corruption. -James L. Waycaster , Johnson City, TN The Constitution has been buried! The people of this country enslaved. But they have grown so accustomed to their enslavement, that they believe themselves to be free. Our elected dictators number more than 500 in the federal government, and as many more within our own state. They rewrite the rules of the land, passing thousands of new laws and regulations each year, which further insure our enslavement. The hungry dictators have put their gods above the one true God, and in the pursuit of their gods, money and power, have devalued all our lives. The lessons of old have been forgotten, but they are true, money cannot bring happiness, and it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy man to pass through the gates of heaven. Change will come though. People will realize that their children and families are more important than the pursuit of money, or that second job, or car. That no nanny can take the place of a parent, any foster home, any state facility. When people realize that, they are their brother’s keeper. Not the government mind you, the government can only look out for its own self-interest. This change must come in the hearts of each individual. People helping people, putting self interest aside, if only for a few moments a day, to open their eyes, see the needs of others, and offer their genuine help. A few, like Liz Richards, have already made this change within themselves, but we must all join in, each individually, to help one another. My story is like a million others. The state gave my child away right out from under me. It does the same thing to others each day, some falsely accused of abuse, others truly charged, but does this give them the right to take the very life out of a person’s soul? Some children need to be protected from abusive situations, but does this give the government the right to proclaim itself a superior parent and steal the child from his/her blood relatives permanently? Wouldn’t it make more sense, and be healthier for the children, if people could help other people become better providers for their children? Not through the authoritarian controls of a bureaucracy like DCF, but real people helping each other to better themselves and their families. As it stands now, DCF and other organizations like them protect only themselves from scrutiny. Without the funds for good legal counsel, most have no ability to fight to protect their children from the zealots of the bureaucracy at all. I’ve had great difficulty even obtaining the court records to show the injustices that have been committed in the name of protecting my child. But still I fight, at the risk of being stepped on by the bureaucracy, to open the eyes of others in the hope of making a difference in the name of my own daughter and for all the others that are living the same hell every day. I do so because I wouldn’t ask you to change, and reclaim your freedom of mind and spirit if I wasn’t willing to take that step myself. Please join me in a world in which charity and benevolence are practiced on an individual basis, and the government’s job is to protect our rights to be this way, free! -Paige Belles, Middletown, CT I am deeply disturbed by Gov. Cellucci’s simplistic views concerning teacher-testing. His stance on testing math teachers is pure politics at the best and outright stupid at the worst. The pretence [sic] that this is improving education would be laughable if it were not so destructive to the moral [sic] of all those involved with public education. I’m sure math teachers will not come flocking to Massachusetts. I teach in Connecticut which has been a leader in educational reform, teacher accountability and teacher preparation. Connecticut students rank near the top in the nation in student performance, and are among the best paid. [sic] This was accomplished in a spirit of shared responsibility and cooperation between the teachers and the state. Cellucci’s scapegoating tactics are not designed to improve education, but create an atmosphere of distrust, frustration and anger. His assumption that problems in education, including the gaps between the more and less affluent communities, can be solved by giving a content test to teachers, is absurd. - Charles Thompson, Hampden, MA Teacher Reacts to Ritalin Article Your front-page article in the November 1999 issue, Ritalin: Violence against Boys prompted me to write. The article is full of misinformation, disinformation, and one-sided views on the whole subject of Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder, commonly known as ADHD or ADD. The article does a disservice to the families of children who suffer with this very real condition, and creates a climate of hysteria about the use of effective medical intervention to treat it. First of all, no mention is ever made in the article that these syndromes are biochemical in nature. A biochemical imbalance is no one’s fault. It’s not caused by bad parenting, it’s not the child’s fault, it’s not society’s fault. You can’t blame someone for having ADHD any more than you can blame a person for having diabetes. An insufficiency of insulin is not a moral dilemma, it’s a medical one. Just recently, researchers reported that using CAT scans they’ve found differences in the brains of ADHD sufferers, compared to non-ADHD individuals. Ritalin and other medications used to treat ADHD are stimulants, true, and they work because they stimulate the central nervous system to produce more of the chemicals that enable the majority of us to concentrate on a task without being continually distracted by extraneous stimuli. These are the chemicals that are lacking in children (and adults) with attention-deficit problems. ADHD has certainly existed for centuries. You’re right. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer might well have had trouble in school today. We now expect children to attend school for a minimum of 13 years; add 4 more for college and another 2 or more years for advanced degrees. Before universal public education, expectations were different. A high school or college diploma was not essential for adult success. A boy could run away to sea at age 12 and become a cabin boy. Perhaps he could work his way up to sea captain. Most children lived on family farms, where hard work provided an outlet for their energy. I have taught kindergarten children for 30 years and have become very adept at identifying children with attention deficits, with or without hyperactivity. Does every energetic little boy or daydreamy little girl have ADD? Of course not! It would be irresponsible to put every wiggly 5-or 6-year-old on medication. But I feel it is equally irresponsible to deny treatment to the children who really need it. Would you deny insulin to a diabetic? Would you withhold medication from a person with severe depression? Children with Attention Deficit often have a hard time learning and retaining information essential for school success. Letters, numbers, how to write their names, etc. are here one minute, gone the next. They usually have poor organizational skills, so following directions and performing multi-step tasks are difficult. Many of them are either so distractible that they cannot finish the simplest task without step-by-step input from an adult. Or else they race through the task, leaving out steps and handing in messy, disorganized papers. They get frustrated because they aren’t making progress when all their classmates are. They also often have social problems caused by aggression toward other children, volatile tempers, and inappropriate behaviors. If hyperactivity is present, they are frequently disruptive during group activities or lesson periods. They have little or no impulse control - one teacher described their behavior as "Ready; Fire; Aim!" They behave inappropriately because they cannot slow down long enough to think, "If I do this I’ll get a time out so I’d better not do it." One child like this in a classroom of 20 can demand much of the teacher’s time. More than one in a class can drive the most patient teacher to consider early retirement. When these same children are properly diagnosed and given appropriate medical treatment, it’s like witnessing a miracle, and the results are often noticeable within a day or two. Even without knowing that a child is taking medication, classmates can notice the difference. The day after one of my kindergartners was put on Ritalin, a child commented, ‘Johnny is being really nice today - he hasn’t hit me even once!" Putting a child on medication for ADD does not create a zombie. If it does, another medication or a different dosage level needs to be prescribed. And medication alone should not be the only treatment. Family counseling is helpful and often necessary. If one or both parents also have ADHD, they may have difficulty maintaining a consistent, predictable, organized environment for the child. The frustrations that these children have endured also can create emotional problems. It’s hard to have any self-esteem if you’re the only one in your class who isn’t reading yet. Also, a significant number of children with ADHD do have some additional form of learning disability, which also need to be addressed. Dr. Breggin’s statement that "most children who have been labeled as having Attention Deficit Disorder don’t get enough attention from their fathers" is absurd and simplistic. In the community where I teach, a wealthy suburb of Boston, most of the children with ADD that I’ve seen come from intact families and have fathers that are involved with their children. ADD or ADHD is highly heritable, by the way. In the cases where parents are divorced or the father is absent, couldn’t it be that the father is absent because he also has ADHD (possibly undiagnosed and untreated) and has had problems maintaining a marriage/job and family responsibilities? You do a disservice to the public and undermine what little credibility you may have when you publish such biased nonsense. - Judith Lorimer, Pepperell, MA Editor’s Comment: Although Ms. Lorimer is obviously sincere, we hope she reads Dr. Schneebaum’s article. We’d be interested to know if it changes any of her thinking. Scientist Liked Kansas School Board Story Knowing of my interest and minor involvement in our Kansas School Board controversy concerning creation vs. evolution, a relative in the Boston area sent me your article, "Are Ultra-Liberals Wrong About Kansas and Evolution?" along with Chuck Colson’s column on the subject (November 1999 issue). Your article was excellent. The only error I noted was in the first sentence, ‘When Kansas stopped requiring that students know the most controversial theory of evolution for state exams" Actually, Kansas never has had such a requirement: the State Board of Education merely declined to add one. My understanding of this state, national, and even international debate was greatly helped when I realized that there are (at least) three aspects to the debate and that almost all reporters, columnists, and letter writers mix them together. In hope that it would be of assistance to your readers, I would like to discuss these three aspects – 1) theology, 2) science and 3)school control. Because most writers misconstrue this debate as being between Religion and Science, I would like to state that I am a Christian (theology) and also a scientist (occupation). Theology. Creation, the concept that an intelligent and all-powerful being created life, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian scriptures. Evolution, the concept that life came into being due entirely to random chance, is a foundation stone of secular humanism, declared by the U.S.Supreme Court to be a "religion." Thus, both creation and evolution are religious in their natures. Whether you believe that God exists or you believe that there is no God, this belief colors your perception of biological data (among many other aspects of life). Those who believe that God does not exist accept evolution as the only "scientific" theory based on their theology, and reject any theory pointing to a creator. Those who believe that God does exist see God’s handiwork everywhere they look. Scientific. Both creation and evolution are scientific theories, i.e. plausible but unproved concepts, concerning the origin of life and of species. Ideally, both theories should have criteria for acceptance or rejection. Neither creation nor evolution has such criteria, although Darwin did say that his theory would be proven by the discovery of large numbers of transitional species in the fossil record. After 140 years of intensive search, no such transitional species have been found. Neither theory is suitable, either for laboratory tests or for repeatable testing by independent researchers. No evidence has been found to prove either theory. The fossil record does clearly show the sudden appearance of species instead of Darwin’s predicted slow change from one species into another. Whether one interprets that sudden appearance as indicating species creation by God or as sudden "spurts" of evolutionary change depends upon one’s theological view. In this case, the evidence is "science" while the interpretation is "theology." School Control. The Committee which proposed new science standards for Kansas included requirements for state control instead of the existing local control of science education. Many of those on the Kansas State Board of Education had been elected on platforms which included local control of schools. Had the Board voted for the proposed power grab by the state, we voters should indeed have been most properly indignant. Before the State Board’s decision, Kansas had local control of science education and most districts chose to teach evolution. After the State Board’s decision, the situation is unchanged. Far from being the "revolutionary change" touted by so many, it appears the Board simply voted to maintain local control, thereby maintaining the status quo. Comment. Thanks to the media’s incorrect reports, there is a heightened awareness of creation and many are reading books to learn the scientific creation perspective for the first time. Other states, facing similar requirements to adopt new science education standards, are pausing and considering alternatives to evolution indoctrination. - Richard E. Wells, Olathe, Kansas I am a new subscriber who enjoys reading a newspaper that tells it like it is. I would like to see this letter made public. I am afraid that the Boston Herald would not print it. There is a word that I think the liberals are trying to bury but needs to be addressed more. It can be found in the encyclopedia and dictionary so it can’t be too bad. That word is sodomy. Webster calls it "unnatural sexual intercourse between males." Its origin is in the Bible in the book of Genesis where it is called "loathsome vice" and because of which God supposedly destroyed the city of Sodom. Sodomy is what male homosexuality is all about. Most men think that even the thought of it is repulsive. This is what AIDS is all about also. I have read that the U.S. Center for Disease Control in Atlanta claims that the first known cases of AIDS in this country were five gay men in the San Francisco area in 1985. Also I read in the Boston Herald not long ago that seventy-five percent of all new AIDS cases are gay men. The other twenty-five percent are women infected by men and children infected at birth. Our government spends millions of the taxpayers’ money on AIDS research. All they have to do is stop sodomy. A few years back every state had anti-sodomy laws. I understand that eleven of them still do. This country used to be one of values and morals. We don’t need a President who says, "Gays are OK." - James Standish, Stoneham, MA Citizen Sick of the Liberal Media Just want to say how glad I am to read the truth for a change! Keep up the good work. The T.V. news is so liberal they make me sick. Sorry for the harsh words but I can’t stand it any more. I turn it on at 6:15 to catch the weather and sports. Then quickly turn the thing off. Thanks again. - Gerald J. Pinault, Westminster, MA Aggressive Coyote Populations Growing Thanks for the breath of fresh air. I am sick of the liberal bias in this state, and I was ignoring your paper as another such rag. I am glad that I took the time to look it over. You will be hearing from me frequently on issues that the liberal-biased government agencies in our state seem to ignore or dismiss as unnecessary. Not to mention the issues where good intentions bring bad results and even disaster when it comes to policy, and there is a refusal of policy change or an admission of failure. Such as this: Coyote populations are decimating other wildlife species. Here in Massachusetts we have an overabundant coyote population, and in several areas they are killing the other wild game species at alarming rates. This includes deer, ruffed grouse, (partridge), raccoon, and especially cottontail rabbit. The Massachusetts Board of Fisheries and Wildlife refuses to admit that there is any problem and that it is all a matter of natural cycle. My personal experiences and those of many friends and fellow outdoorsmen and women tell a much different story. There is also an alarming inbreeding in local packs with their northern cousins the timber wolf. The average weight of a coyote should be somewhere in the 40-pound range. We are seeing an alarming number of 50, 60, and even 70 pound coyotes with reports of wolf- looking animals that look to weigh in at over 100 pounds. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but I begin to wonder about the liberal elitist mentality that thinks it knows better than the populace. Could there be some sort of hidden reintroduction of wolves program that the public has not been privy to? The shackling of our hunters and outdoorsmen by emotion-based fraudulent information on statewide ballots is causing many to fear shooting these vicious and dangerous predators even when they are an obvious problem. These predatory killers would just as soon eat your cat, small dog, or even infant or small child found by itself. They are killers and scavengers of opportunity. There is a problem growing here that will only get worse without unshackling those who can keep it managed and in check. I propose an open season on the coyote allowing those of us with the knowledge and experience to be able to shoot and cull the packs of the rogue and more aggressive animals. This will not start unchecked killing or the annihilation of these scavenger predators, for their pelts are not in high market demand nor is their meat. So the outcome would only be the shooting of those that are becoming too bold and aggressive, living within the human habitat areas. Yet my pleas and warnings have been falling upon deaf ears. This topic could use some investigation, and unfortunately I do not have the resources or connections to gain the more useful knowledge and information for changing policy. These animals have their place in the food chain and natural cycle, but that place is not to dominate and decimate at will! - Jim McCullough, Southampton, MA Art for art’s sake. Free speech and news.
- Alfred E. Reil, Waltham, MA I received one of your horrible newspapers in my mailbox this afternoon. And after reading the garbage you call journalism, I not only fed the paper into my fireplace but also put the ashes into my composter. Attitudes like the ones expressed in this rag add fuel to the fires of hate, prejudice, and oppression. I certainly hope that your paper never darkens my door again. - Elliott Kronenfeld , Brookline, MA I purchased your newspaper thinking that I would get a more well rounded sense of the news; however, what I’m getting is a regular monthly shock treatment. I read the story about the Peterson family who lost their six children to DSS, every word of it! I am appalled that my tax dollars are contributing to this horrible travesty of so-called justice. Now that I have read the story and lost a couple of nights of sleep, I want to know what can be done about it? What can anyone do to help the Peterson family? What can I do to help? Since you have printed this story and must be intimately familiar with the myriad of details surrounding it, you must have some idea what people could do to help this family. Let’s not drop it now. What is the next step to bring about something positive out of this inexcusable mess? - Donald F. Hall, Reading, MA Editor’s Comment: Please contact your State Rep or Senator and demand that they look into this matter. They are afraid to touch it. Or you can contact Rep. Marie Parente who is terribly concerned but does not have much support from anyone. She is from Worcester County and is Chair of the Legislative Committee on Foster Care. There is not much you can do to help her except to contact your own local Rep or Senator; although everyone in the world, including Parente, appreciates words of encouragement and support. You can also contact Nev Moore, a housewife who has started Justice for Families, PO Box 141, Barnstable, MA 02630, 508-362-6291. Born in Massachusetts, I graduated from Wakefield High in 1940 and the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944. Minimum visits to the Bay State since. I am absolutely appalled at the lawless abrogation of civil rights and due process detailed in your paper. This is completely lawless. And the worst part of it is that those in DSS who are responsible for these horrors will never be held accountable. Obviously, the law was intended to help battered women; but, unfortunately, it has been perverted by ideologues who care not who are crushed beneath their chariot. That innocent men can be victimized without a fair hearing, by a remorseless, unqualified bureaucracy is an absolute disgrace; that whole families of innocent children can be torn from their blameless parents with no recourse, the children ruined forever, is reminiscent of Pol Pot, and no less degenerate because it is on a lesser scale. If an anonymous source can accuse a man of striking his wife and then, even though his wife denies it, a faceless bureaucrat, backed by the police, can tear their children out of their home, probably forever, with no due process, no meaningful review is so awful that the mind and soul recoil in horror. The actual lesson is that when you have a media which is in lockstep to a certain political philosophy, and willfully denies the public any information which is at variance, then the politicians will be afraid to oppose the factions which support this philosophy, and those that do find the courage to stand against injustice, will be denigrated, vilified, and even worse, will not be heard at all. I truly feel that we are increasingly in the grip of an all-powerful ideology which is dedicated to total power of the State, and which is willing to use any means to crush and terrorize all opposition. I tremble for the future of this country. I really do. - Don Rock, Winterhaven, FL Somehow, a copy of the January issue of Massachusetts News arrived in our mailbox; and although I am only halfway through it, I have to say it is like the fulfillment of a dream. You see, I was brought up in Melrose, Massachusetts, and lived in Mattapoisett since we were married 62 years ago. After I quit Dartmouth College with a belly full of the sour taste of young Communist class mates, I have seen this nation, this state especially, and the South Coast all become a "Jurassic Park" of liberal, Socialistic Democrats. As a friend of mine says, I am a very right wing, libertarian voice "crying in the wilderness" with scores of letters to the editor of the Standard Times, some of which they wouldn’t publish of course! It’s tough to have lived in such a lovely geographical area and watch it become saturated with creeping Socialism. I have been thinking of starting my own Web site to escape the Standard’s ultra-liberal monopoly; but at 83, and involved in my sixth book about boatbuilding, it is a relief to see you have taken up the cause. I have felt driven by the comments, "Keep those letters coming, Al!" from friends and neighbors. Now I can tell them if they want to get the straight stories, to get the Massachusetts News. Wherefore, I can hardly believe that you are holding the state’s pols and bureaucracies’ feet to the fire so well. I am ecstatic! Somebody has to shake off the nasty lies of some of the Standard’s favorite columnists like Means Marianne, Sorrowful Sorentino, Tom Tinpan, et. al. Go get ‘em! Because of you, I’ll sleep better at night. - Allan Holmes Vaites, Mattapoisett, MA Rep. Ellen Story’s ethnic and religious slurs should have a far greater impact than has been demonstrated. Let’s look at this from a few angles: 1) Instead of the comments being directed towards Irish Catholics, let’s say Ms. Story said, "All those (take your pick here) gays, Jews, blacks, women, on the Hill are biased towards mental illness." Can you imagine the uproar? I am not Irish but I am Catholic. And I am tired of this double standard of ethical behavior. We are either united against all forms of hatred and bigotry or we are all open game for Ms. Story’s style of hate speech. 2) The Irish, Catholics and every moderate to conservative in this state are just as responsible for the acceptance of this type of behavior as the people conducting it. The biggest difference, politically anyway, between "us" and a gay, a black or Jewish community is they would never allow this to go unchecked. As much as I hate to say it, I think it is time for us to march, to kick and to scream, especially in this area (Northampton/Amherst). It is through this style of activism that all these groups achieved such a voice, while we laid back and remained passive. In many ways we deserve what we have gotten. If it is OK for the gay community to have a political alliance to further their agenda, why doesn’t the straight community have one? If it is acceptable for pot-smokers to hold rallies, why don’t we? If the schools are permitted to distribute condoms, why can’t they also pass out literature about abstinence? I don’t mean to go off and rant about other issues, but I am trying to make a point. Public policy is based upon popular belief, and if we don’t explain to our representatives what we believe is right (and do it louder then our opposition) then we deserve what we get. I still believe most of this ultraliberal behavior stems from a vocal minority! It is up to us to influence change. 3) And finally, examine closely Ms. Story’s meager apology during which she said, "I hope my comments will not have an effect on my reelection." What did she really intend to accomplish with her "apology?" Make amends or make sure she doesn’t lose votes? - Tony M. Long, Hatfield, MA Thank You I just wanted to thank your paper for printing intelligent and informative material. I couldn’t believe what I was reading when I picked it up for the first time. It’s about time that the "right-wingers" stand up for morality, decency, and truth. The liberal media is so biased I don’t read their newspapers. I especially appreciated your editorial in the February 2000 issue. This was a thought-provoking and very candid article about America’s spiritual and moral state. I might add also that I’m very happy to see that someone is uncovering what the humanist religion (agenda) is doing to this country. I hope to see more articles like this because I don’t believe that the general public realize what they’re being fed when they’re taught evolution as a fact (and not as a theory). I especially liked how you tied this into the abortion issue and the Unitarian church. The liberal media would never print anything like this. Thanks once again, I look forward to receiving your paper on a regular basis. - Jennifer Fimbel, Chicopee, MA Character Education Makes Citizen Nervous I am writing to say that having the Governor and Senate President talk about character education makes me nervous. Last year I asked to have two bills filed in the legislature. One would mandate that school superintendents read the 1963 decision about school prayer and Bible reading. It asks that those controversial issues such as abortion, sex education and homosexuality be treated with ideological balance – and that schools teach the way that Biblical values and religion have aided the development of American political theory and institutions. No one was interested in this bill. The other would mandate that state colleges require unmarried students to live in single sex dorms. (Forty percent of the women on our college campuses, ages 18-24 will have an abortion.) No one was interested. Hence my qualms. Our society was founded on a Judeo-Christian religious, moral and philosophical base but that shifted first to humanism and now increasingly slipped to paganism. Valid statistics indicate that 70% of kids from evangelical homes do not attend the church of their youth two years after their high school graduations. Tests show that kids in the government schools tend to think more like humanists and socialists than they do as people who are learning to integrate Biblical ideas and values into the way they think. Many pastors and Christian leaders are concerned that government education is indoctrinating children in such a way as to leave their beliefs hollow and spiritless. If state officials want to do something that will bring character and morality back to education all they need do is pass S.225. Any guidelines formulated under that bill will be inherently friendly to people of Biblical faith and they will enjoy the full support of all Supreme Court decisions. But those officials will not do this. They just want to placate the public while pursuing their own agenda and the agenda of the radical left. The religious public should not be fooled. What they should do is consider the message of men like Rev. E. Ray Moore – for many years a college chaplain and an army chaplain in the Gulf War. Rev. Moore enjoys the support of such prominent Christian leaders as Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries. Rev. Moore is the national director of Exodus 2000. The purpose of the Exodus 2000 project is to trump the insidious anti-academic, pro-social control policies of Goals 2000 (so called "education reform") with the only option available to today’s families: the rapid withdrawal of their children and grandchildren from a corrupt public school system. Today some 12-15 million evangelical Christian children, or 90% of the children from Christian families, are still attending government schools, which are now totally hostile to their faith. If these families were to leave Pharaoh’s schools for the promised land of Christian schools or homeschooling, it could trigger the spiritual awakening we are all praying and longing for to renew our churches, our nation, and our debased culture. This event could seriously cripple the power that secularism now holds over our culture by holding our children as near-hostages in state schools. Now this is character education. - Lawrence Andrade
Congratulations on your unique and relevant newspaper. I want to see it succeed. Therefore, will you permit me to make a suggestion toward that end. Your article in the January issue, ‘Family Is Destroyed By DSS,’ is extremely upsetting to most readers. If it is reliable, this is necessary. Presumably, the goal is to provoke a remedy, which requires the engagement of the public. The trouble is that the story standing alone can be counterproductive. It is so horrendous, that most readers will escape the discomfort that it brings, by simply telling themselves that there must be another side to the story, about which they are not being told. I would suggest that this is a protective mental mechanism utilized by a lot of readers, in response to many of your articles. This may be achieving no more than numbing and indifference to brutality, and an increased sense of social helplessness. Clearly, this is counter to your laudable objectives. This could be minimized by your printing a clear and conspicuous statement at the end of every such article, that: 1) the alleged miscreants have received a copy of the article, and, 2) the paper will publish verbatim any rebuttal that they wish to make, and as soon as they do so. This would reassure your readers that, if there were another side to the story, they would get it. Otherwise, they can accept the truth of the article itself. This would make your reporting even more interesting, and more effectual. Please keep up the good work. - Martin N. Griffith, M.D., Buzzards Bay, MA Editor’s Comment: An excellent idea. Many thanks for sending it. I enjoyed reading the editorial in the February issue of Massachusetts News ("Let’s Not Repeat Mistakes of Twentieth Century"). However, for the sake of historical clarity, I would like to say a few things regarding John Adams and the Unitarians. John Adams was, in fact, both a Unitarian and a Christian. At the time of the founding fathers, Unitarianism was considered a legitimate Christian sect. It was not until around the mid 1800’s when Unitarianism started to take a more "enlightened" turn. Adams, Daniel Webster and others were associated with the Unitarians. If these men were alive today, they would doubtless have nothing to do with them. The current teachings of Unitarianism are repugnant to most Christians. Primary sources indicate that the original Unitarians believed in salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ. However, because most Unitarians today are both non- and anti-Christian, many people wrongly conclude that the founders who were associated with Unitarianism could not have been Christians. - Andrew Thomas, Middleboro, MA In Mr. Miron’s reply to "Marijuana, the Deceptive Drug," (February issue) it is clear that he "protests too much." Having been involved for over fifteen years in fighting those whose goal is legalization, in my opinion, this article had no new rhetoric; the same old claims with the same lack of substantiation. In faulting Mr. Biernson’s cited studies, why then, does Mr. Miron fail to cite any studies to validate many of his statements? Contrary to the Grinspoon/Bakalar quote: "...the only deleterious physical effect of marijuana is harm to the pulmonary system," is a recent report (December, 1999) by Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang of the Jonsson Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, which adds to evidence that smoking marijuana can cause cancer. "Many people may think marijuana is harmless, but it’s not." Mr. Miron’s reference to the conclusions by Zimmer/Morgan which claim "there is little evidence of any harm even from regular use," is a gross misrepresentation of truth! In testimony submitted by Drug Czar General Barry McCaffrey for the Record to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, October 1, 1997: "...misconceptions about marijuana continue to abound. Confused by conflicting messages, it is no wonder that many Americans, especially our youth, do not understand what current scientific research is teaching us about the damaging effects of smoked marijuana. Current research points to serious risks to society. Marijuana contains cancer-causing compounds, reduces workplace productivity, and is increasingly prevalent in automobile accidents and youth fatalities. Treatment figures for 1995 show that 141,000 Americans were admitted to drug treatment programs for marijuana addiction. Over half (55%) of all youths ages 15-17 admitted to drug treatment were seeking treatment for marijuana." Miron’s statement regarding text from Goodman and Gilman’s reference that "relatively few patients ever seek treatment for marijuana addiction," is again refuted in a Washington Post article (01/12/2000, by Sally Squires) "Biggest Short-Term Risks. Marijuana users are as uncoordinated as drunks on standard driving tests, and more than 120,000 people seek treatment each year for marijuana addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse." As Robert Gilkeson, M.D. stated: "The toxic properties of chemical molecules and their cellular damage are not matters of opinion or debate. They are not determined by adolescent servicemen, or by scientifically uneducated lawyers, legislators, judges, or ‘doctors’ without the facts. "We cannot vote for or against the ‘toxicity of a drug.’ How much a drug impairs cell structure or chemical function is neither subject to nor governed by congressional committee, public referendum, or the federal Constitution. "We cannot govern the electromagnetic behavior of chemical molecules by popular vote, judicial proclamation, personal opinion or individual desire. "Everyone is entitled to his own ‘opinion.’ He is not entitled to his own ‘facts.’ Chemically, marijuana is a far more dangerous drug than most of the scientifically ignorant media and American consumers have been duped into believing." The harms and dangerous effects of marijuana are all that Mr. Biernson stated ... and more! - Lea Palleria Cox, M.A.T.
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