~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL
Well, here we are in the middle of this huge financial disaster and guess what the Republicans are working on now? A brand new, spiffy WEDGE ISSUE for our future enjoyment!
This one has tons of potential, because it sounds so “logical”–but, of course, there’s a lot more churning beneath the surface.
Here’s the report, originally from Politico:
If there were a recipe for creating a new conservative culture-wars issue, it might look something like this: Start with the United Nations, fold in the prospect of an expanded role for government in children’s lives, add some unfortunate court decisions, then toss in Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton.
And indeed, when House Republicans recently found themselves with all these ingredients at hand, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) started pre-heating the oven.
Hoekstra last week introduced a bill in the House to amend the U.S. Constitution to permanently “enshrine” in American society an inviolable set of parents’ rights. The bill had 70 co-sponsors, all Republicans, including Minority Whip Eric Cantor and Minority Leader John A. Boehner.
The bill, said Hoekstra, is intended to stem the “slow erosion” of parents’ rights and to circumvent the effects of a United Nations treaty he believes “clearly undermines parental rights in the United States.”
MORE
The story details the background on the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child which was signed by Bill Clinton but never ratified. Barack Obama brought it up during the campaign.
The story continues:
Notes Baruch College political science professor Douglas Muzzio: “Nuance isn’t the culture warrior’s forte. And in fact, the lack of nuance is their major weapon.”
“It’s a no-win kind of debate for the advocates,” agrees Zelizer, who believes treaty supporters could find themselves caught off guard.
Conservatives, he notes, are “looking for issues. And if this looks like this is an issue they can hook onto, they’ll turn this into a bigger issue than human-rights advocates ever expected it would be.”
Sigh. You can imagine what THIS will turn into…We’ll hear about abortion and underage on teens for one thing, I’m sure. If there’s anyway to work in women’s bodies, I’m sure it will be there.
I still have my “Becky Bell” bracelet from the 80’s. You can review her story and the “parental rights” climate at the time…a nightmare.
***
Some people seem to miss the point, so I will clarify…as I commented:
It’s the making of a new WEDGE ISSUE which has caught my attention…and how it will be used to divert people’s attention…esp. to rally the hardcore base of the GOP.
It’s another thing to be used by BOTH the right and the left…like the abortion issue, etc.
The point is….SAME OLD, SAME OLD!
Meanwhile, everything else falls to pieces. But that’s probably what they ALL want…the blame for our mess lies with
Republican and Democrat…so, if anybody is thinking “conservatives” will help save the day if they take power again…BE WARNED!
The don’t give a shit, either!!!
Filed under: Current Politics | Tagged: abortion, Barabara Boxer, Barack Obama, Becky Bell, Bill Clinton, culture-wars, Hillary Clinton, human rights, Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Minority Whip Eric Cnator, parental rights, Politico.com, Professor Douglas Muzzio-Baruch College, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Mich.), Republicans, U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations, wedge issues |
InsightAnalytical -- Watching Our World 
Sorry GRL, but I’m going to be cautious on this one. I have grave doubts about any treaty which affects American sovereignty these days, and of course is the current administration supports it, I immediately find it suspect.
Hey, here’s a thought: Why don’t we just pass on both laws and let parents be parents? I am sick of the PC attitude that the entire world needs to be painted with the same brush! Yes, there are countries where this treaty probably saves childrens lives; the US is not one of them! To say (as the article and Barbara Boxer do) that we are standing with Somolia on this issue is absurd! We don’t treat children like third world nations do, and if some parents do that here, we have laws under which the parents can be arrested and the children removed from the situation.
I think we should abstain from both the treaty and the Republicans bill; there are already enough laws in America protecting children. All we need to do is enforce them.
It’s the making of a new WEDGE ISSUE which has caught my attention…and how it will be used to divert people’s attention…esp. to rally the hardcore base of the GOP.
It’s another thing to be used by BOTH the right and the left…like the abortion issue, etc.
The point is….SAME OLD, SAME OLD!
On that part we agree completely!
GG,
We do indeed have enough laws protecting children…more than enough. Let me tell you a story:
When my son was twelve he was sent home from school in a police car for threatening to kill the principal. We paddled him. He went back to school and reported it, whereupon they called DHS and reported us as child abusers. DHS classified that report as “unfounded”. All clear.
Six months later my sister’s cockatoo left a couple of scratches on my son’s arm. Angry at us for refusing to buy him a video game he wanted, he reported to the school that we had done it. DHS showed up on our doorstep again. Another report, but this time classified as “undetermined”.
The third time was a charm for him. He ran away from home and, when captured by the police, demanded that they call a DHS worker because we had “beaten” him. That finally worked. We were classified as “known child abusers” and placed on a state list of people who could not associate with children in any setting such as a day care.
It took us almost a year to get off that list. We’d still be there if we hadn’t been able to demonstrate a lifetime of effort to raise that boy…doctors and meds and counselors galore.
My best friend’s husband spent a night in jail when his daughter decided to get even with him for not letting her go out by accusing him of hitting her. That man wouldn’t harm a fly, much less his own daughter.
No, more laws for children are the last thing we need. For every child who is abused I’d be willing to venture there are ten parents caught in the system who were only trying to raise a decent human being.
What is this overwhelming compulsion to pass more laws when we don’t even enforce the ones we have?
I’m with you on this Grail. There are enough laws on the books already. And any treaty that involves the UN gives me pause. They have their collective noses in our business too much as it is.
Now they’re telling us what religion we cannot speak ill about ( Islam). IMO the UN has long outlived it’s usefulness. I am still trying to figure out what good they have been to the U.S. at all. They’ve provided a safe haven for America haters to come to our shores and foment trouble, given them a platform from which to bash us as they see fit, and take our money to do it with.
Keep the government out of our lives and that of our children as much as possible. Leave the Constitution alone. Just live up to what is already in it, and we’ll be fine. That is the problem. Our so-called lawmakers have disregarde and abused the Constitution until they’re well on their way to destroying this country altogether.
When they raise the battle cry like this over something we don’t need they are trying to cover up something else that we’d better be wary of.
How about this?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94418
Every time a legislator tries to introduce a bill, they must cite the part of the Constitution that grants them the authority to do so! Call your Congress critters and push this baby!