Friday, December 21, 2012

The world and/or universe did not fail today.

The world and/or universe did not fail today.

Just in case anybody was wondering.

The Children's Monitor- No Fiscal Cliff Resolution in Sight;

Children need better mental health strategy



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Dear Leonard,
 
The Balanced Mind Foundation has joined with AACAP in urging the White House to convene a summit on children’s mental health, with the goal of developing a comprehensive national strategy for the prevention, identification, treatment and research of mental illnesses.

We need your help in urging your Members of Congress to contact the Administration in support of this summit.  Please click here to send a prepared email to your Members of Congress.  
 
Our children need better care, better treatments, and a simplified process to access treatment. This is the best way we can come together to affect real change. Will you send a letter, and share this email with friends?

Warm regards,

Susan Resko
Executive Director

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John Whitehead- Paying It Forward at Christmas and Always, One Act of Kindness at a Time

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Click Here for a shorter version of this commentary.

Paying It Forward at Christmas and Always, One Act of Kindness at a Time

December 21, 2012
By John W. Whitehead

“‘There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,’ returned the nephew. ‘Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!’”—Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
~
Although Charles Dickens immortalized the money-loving, Christmas-hating, bah-humbuggiest of humbugs Ebenezer Scrooge in his classic A Christmas Carol, the world has always been plagued by Scrooges and Grinches so single-minded in their pursuit of money, power and control that they exhibit few qualms about stamping out acts of kindness, compassion and true charity when they arise.
This year has certainly been plagued with its fair share of Scrooges and Grinches disguised as government agents, threatening individuals with fines and arrest for such simple acts of kindness and charity as distributing free bottled water to the thirsty, giving away free food to the hungry and destitute, and making thermal shelters available to house the homeless during cold winter nights.
The latest Scrooge to dampen the goodwill that this time of year tends to bring out in many people comes from Waynesboro, Virginia, where zoning officials have gone out of their way to shut down a Christmas tree farmer’s big-hearted efforts to raise money to buy wigs for cancer patients by giving away his Christmas trees in exchange for donations.
For Christian Critzer, a Christmas tree farmer who lives with his wife and two children in Waynesboro, the Christmas tree donation drive was his way of paying it forward: a way to show his gratitude for his wife having recently won a battle with breast cancer and inspire hope in those still fighting their own battles and dealing with the aftermath of cancer.
Using what he knows best—Christmas trees—Critzer focused his efforts on raising money for the “Fight Like a Girl” campaign at the Charlottesville, Va.-based Martha Jefferson hospital, a fund for cancer survivors to buy custom wigs as they recover from their long battles with cancer and chemotherapy. The donations are specifically intended to subsidize the purchase of people buying custom wigs while dealing with cancer treatment. As Critzer learned through his wife’s own battle with cancer from this time last year, wigs—often a necessity for women who’ve lost their hair because of chemotherapy treatments—aren’t covered by insurance.
Using his front yard on a busy street as the staging ground, Critzer attempted to first sell the trees, with the hopes of giving the proceeds to the cancer fund. That all changed when Waynesboro zoning officials threatened Critzer with a citation for operating a commercial enterprise in a residentially zoned area. Determined to do his good deed, Critzer decided to give the trees away, asking a donation in return. “People are hurting,” said Critzer. “A free tree is a blessing. So we decided we’ll offer them for free. If people can afford a donation, that’s what we’ll give to the cancer center, and problem solved.” Unfortunately for the Christmas tree farmer, Waynesboro zoning officials didn’t agree and cited him for violating the city’s zoning ordinances.
The Critzers live on Rosser Avenue, one of the busiest roads in Waynesboro, adjacent to big box stores like Walmart and Martins. According to Critzer, the big Martins sign shines its light through his window 24 hours a day, so it’s not as if his Christmas tree drive is bringing an unusual amount of traffic to the area. Nor does his little “tree lot” seem to be overly distracting. Around this time of year, lots of people tend to go all out, decking their houses and populating their front lawns with so many lights, holiday figurines and blow-ups as to start their own Christmas spectacular. In comparison, Critzer’s front lawn is almost stark, with little more than a string of lights, a small assortment of Christmas trees and a simple sign encouraging donations in exchange for the trees.
Despite Critzer’s various attempts to find a solution that would allow him to keep the tree drive going, Waynesboro officials were adamant that he should shut it down, going so far as to threaten his landlord with fines and issuing a cease and desist order against Critzer. Not wanting to cause his landlord hardship, and not wanting to be a burden to his wife and two children, Christian took down the trees, the lights and the signs. His goal of raising $1000 for the cancer fund remains unrealized and his hopes of paying it forward have been dashed. At least for this year, unless The Rutherford Institute, which has come to Critzer’s defense, can work their own Christmas miracle. Either way and to his credit, Critzer insists that next year, he’ll be back with 100 Christmas trees.
So what’s the lesson to be learned here? Is it that no good deed goes unpunished? Certainly, in an age of bureaucracy and overcriminalization, it can seem that way. Is the problem, as Critzer suggests, that the government needs to revisit its priorities and focus on solving the real problems plaguing communities rather than creating problems where there are none? There’s definitely something to be said for that. “There’s a lot going on in this town that needs attention,” said Critzer. “I don’t think it’s my cancer charity.”
Then there’s Charles Dickens’ reminder, offered up in A Christmas Carol, that it’s never too late to make things right in the world and try to be better people and, most importantly of all, pay your blessings forward. Whether you do it, as Critzer did, by raising money for a charity, or as Scrooge did it, by repenting of his greed, selfishness and bah humbuggery and looking out for those in need, the point, my friends, is to do it now before it’s too late, not just at Christmastime, but always. As Dickens writes, “And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”
WC: 1136
This commentary is also
available at www.rutherford.org.


ABOUT JOHN WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute and editor of GadflyOnline.com. His latest book The Freedom Wars (TRI Press) is available online at www.amazon.com. He can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org.

Click here to read more of John Whitehead's commentaries.

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John W. Whitehead’s weekly commentaries are available for publication to newspapers and web publications at no charge. Please contact marketing@rutherford.org to obtain reprint permission. Click here to download a
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You are receiving this email because of your interest in the work of The Rutherford Institute. Founded in 1982 by constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute is a civil liberties organization that provides free legal services to people whose constitutional and human rights have been threatened or violated. To discontinue your membership electronically, or if you feel you are receiving this message in error, please follow the link below. You joined this list as Leonard Henderson at the following e-mail address: leonard@familyrights.us. You must use the correct e-mail address to discontinue your membership.

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Children's Monitor- House Passes Protect Our Kids Act

Child Welfare Information Gateway E-lert! - Child Maltreatment 2011



Child Welfare Information Gateway Child Welfare Information Gateway

Child Welfare Information Gateway E-lert! December 2012

Encourage your colleagues to subcribe to E-lert!
To ensure that E-lert! reaches you each month, please add us to your safe senders list.
The following new and updated publications and resources are now available from Child Welfare Information Gateway. Use the links listed below, or contact us to request print copies, which we will mail you free if they are available.
The Information Gateway website search function is now powered by Google. Check it out today!

What's New

Child Maltreatment 2011
Get national and State statistics on child abuse and neglect from the Children's Bureau, which shows a steady decline in the number of victims for the fifth consecutive year.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/child-maltreatment-2011

Engaging Families in Case Planning
Discusses the importance of involving families in case planning and provides strategies for caseworkers and agencies that can encourage and support family engagement.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/engaging_families.cfm

Rural Child Welfare Practice
Highlights the importance of understanding the diverse needs, strengths, and resources of children and families from rural areas.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue_briefs/rural.cfm

Updates

Finding and Using Postadoption Services
Describes some of the issues that may arise in adoptive families after adoption and how the needs of adopted children and youth change according to their age and developmental stage.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_postadoption.cfm

Intestate Inheritance Rights for Adopted Persons
Discusses the right of an adopted child to inherit from his or her adoptive parents whether or not the parent has written a will.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/inheritance.cfm

Parental Drug Use as Child Abuse
Presents laws that address the issue of substance abuse by parents.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/drugexposed.cfm

Use of Advertising and Facilitators in Adoptive Placements
Reviews States laws that permit, regulate, or prohibit the use of advertising or facilitators in private or independent adoptions.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/advertising.cfm

In This Month's CBX

The December/January issue of Children's Bureau Express (CBX) spotlights social media strategy and policy suggestions from the NRC for Child Welfare Data and Technology, a framework for developing social media privacy guidelines, and research on teen perceptions of social media's effect on their well-being.
https://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov
The CBX Centennial Series, CB Decade-by-Decade, features articles that examine highlights from each decade of the Children's Bureau's first 100 years.
https://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=142&sectionid=1&articleid=3723
Subscribe to CBX at http://www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Did You Know?

Domestic Violence Web Section
This section provides resources on addressing domestic violence and working with service providers to ensure the safety of children and preservation of families.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/domviolence/

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Parental Rights- A Special Holiday Greeting

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December 20, 2012
A Special Holiday Greeting
At this time of year, thoughts turn to family and friends, loving and giving. Many turn their thoughts to perhaps the most famous parents in world history as they experienced a long-awaited birth.

Whatever your personal beliefs, your role as a parent is honorable, noble, and important – and we salute you!

The staff of ParentalRights.org wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, whatever this season may mean to you. May your days be filled with peace, love, and life.

Sincerely,

Michael Ramey
Dir. of Communications & Research
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
P.S. – I thought some of you you might also enjoy this fun arrangement of a traditional holiday hymn as sung by our ParentalRights.org staff.
 
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P.O. Box 1090 Purcellville, VA 20134 * (540)-751-1200 * info@parentalrights.org

The Newtown, Connecticut Shooter: The Conversation You Won’t See Anywhere Else



Fathers and Families
The Newtown, Connecticut Shooter:
The Conversation You Won’t See Anywhere Else

December 20, 2012
Top Story
The Newtown, Connecticut Shooter: The Conversation You Won’t See Anywhere Else
Ned Holstein, MS, MD Founder & Chairman of the Board


Ned Holstein
Ned Holstein, MS, MD
Founder & Chairman of the Board
After our tears dry for the twenty little darlings and seven others who were mowed down by Adam Lanza, we begin to ask “Why?”

There is always a dominant narrative to explain the unthinkable. Now it is mostly about the absence of effective gun controls, or about mental illness. Or, we hear about the effects of violence on television and video games.

We don’t hear about the effects of fatherlessness, especially on young men. We don’t hear that the most reliable predictor of crime is neither poverty nor race but growing up fatherless. We don’t hear that a large majority of violent criminals were fatherless. We don’t even hear that young male elephants go on violent rampages unless they are kept in line by the old bulls.

We know that Adam’s parents separated around 2006 and divorced around 2008. We know that his father, Peter Lanza, moved to Stamford, CT, re-married, and is believed to earn about $1 million per year as a General Electric executive — enough that Adam’s mother and he have lived in a big home and that she has not worked.

The Daily Mail reports quotes several of Adam’s former classmates to the effect that his problems got much worse after the separation. “He was always weird but the divorce affected him. He was arguing with his mother. He was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.”

Several news organizations have combed through the divorce records for tidbits, but none of them have reported obvious issues of importance. Was Mom stable and capable of helping and of overseeing Adam (apparently not)? Was she careful about keeping her guns out of Adam’s hands (apparently not)? Did Dad try and fail to get custody? Has he remained active in Adam’s life (probably not: he chose to move 40 miles away, and we have heard almost nothing from him since the tragedy.)? Was he more capable of keeping Adam in line than Mom, or of seeing that he got help? Was Adam’s distress after the divorce about losing the love and guidance of his Dad, or what?

The fatherhood narrative is absent from our society and from this terrible story.

It was also absent from the awful stories of mass shooters Jared Loughner, James Holmes, Seung-Hui Cho and Jacob Tyler Roberts. Of this group, only Roberts was without a father, but we still need to understand what it is about fathers that inhibits violence in young men.

In fairness, most rare and awful events are the result of numerous influences acting together. The accident happened because the driver was intoxicated and the brakes were worn and the pedestrian was careless and the road was slippery and the lighting was poor. No one factor explains all. If just one of these factors had been different, there would have been no accident.

But fatherhood is not even on society’s list. This is especially sad because a simple change in divorce laws towards shared parenting would take a big chunk out of this factor at no cost. This is a much cheaper fix than a bureaucracy to enforce new gun laws or more mental health services, not that these might not be good ideas.

Ned Holstein
The dominant narratives shut out the other narratives. There was a time in America when the dominant narratives would have told us that Adam Lanza’s soul was possessed by the Devil. Or that his actions were God’s punishment for our sins. Or, in the nineteenth century, we might well have heard that Lanza was not raised with sufficient discipline. Or, in the twentieth, that this tragedy was the result of that ole’ devil drink — either Adam’s or his mother’s.

The dominant narratives of the age close the door on other truths. They are not remarked upon, analyzed, or investigated.

Our job as a movement is to put the fatherhood narrative front and center. That is my job and your job. It may be one of the most powerful ways to help troubled kids — and prevent mass murder.

It is possible that with reformed family courts and more fathering, Adam Lanza and his victims would be alive today. We just don’t know, and we never will know.
In the News
Average Single Mother Less Financially Responsible Than Average Single Father

‘Solution’ to Child Protective Services Problem – Cut Services to Parents

Ethical Standards in Family Courts Uniquely Low

Marsha Kleinman Loses Appeal of Psychological License Revocation

Maine Assistant District Attorney Mary Kellett’s Anti-Male Bias Common in Criminal, Family Courts

Elizabeth Johnson Sentenced to Five Years, Refuses to Reveal Child’s Location

Texas Court Rubber-Stamps Mom’s Abduction of Children

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

New Child Welfare Information Gateway Library Additions


Child Welfare Information Gateway
December 16, 2012
Dear State Resources Subscriber,

Below is a list of new publications that were added to Child Welfare Information Gateway Library in November
Title: Child Welfare Program: Strategies to Help Caseworkers Reunite More Families.
Published: 2012
PDF: http://www.sos.state.or.us/audits/pages/state_audits/full/2012/2012-12.pdf
Abstract: From October 2009 through September 2010, the Oregon Department of Human Services' Child Welfare Program removed 4,736 children who were 19 years old or younger ...


Title: A Guide For Mandated Reporters in Recognizing And Reporting Child Abuse And Neglect.
Published: 2012
PDF: http://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/dfs/cps/intro_page/publications/032-
02-0280-00-eng.pdf

Abstract: While everyone should to be concerned about child abuse and neglect, certain professionals and other individuals are required by law to report suspected child abuse ...


Title: Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978: A Court Resource Guide.
Published: 2012
PDF: http://courts.michigan.gov/Administration/SCAO/Resources/Documents/Publications
/Manuals/cws/ICWACResourceGuide.pdf

Abstract: This court resource guide was written by a special committee formed by the Michigan Supreme Court to help Michigan judges learn about the federal Indian ...


Title: Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Strategic Plan, SFY 2012-2015.
Published: 2011
PDF: http://www.in.gov/dcs/files/ChildAbuseNeglectPreventionStrategicPlan.pdf
Abstract: This report discusses risk factors that compound the likelihood of child maltreatment and calls for Indiana citizens and policymakers to prevent child maltreatment through the ...


Title: Psychotropic Medication: A Guide for CPS Specialists and Licensed Caregivers.
Published: 2009
PDF: https://www.azdes.gov/appFiles/IntranetProgrammaticForms/pdf/ACY-1235AHBPNA.pdf
Abstract: Intended for use by Arizona Child Protective Services Specialists, licensed resource parents, and the Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth, and Families group ...

To view all 6 publications and their detail click here: http://www.childwelfare.gov/cwlibrarian/index_act.cfm?topicId=11&pubMonth=11&pubYear=2012
You can make changes to your subscription here: http://www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe/subscribe_login.cfm
Received this email message from a colleague and want to subscribe? Click here
All of these publications are in the Child Welfare Information Gateway Library along with publications on similar child welfare topics. The Library can be searched here: http://library.childwelfare.gov/cwig/ws/library/docs/gateway/SimpleSearchForm
Sincerely,

Staff of Child Welfare Information Gateway (http://www.childwelfare.gov/)
A Service of the Children's Bureau, US DHHS
Child Welfare Information Gateway

American Minute with Bill Federer Dec. 16 - The Original Boston Tea Party



American Minute with Bill Federer
Dec. 16 - The Original Boston Tea Party
British kept raising taxes and quartering troops in American homes.

When citizens protested, troops fired into the crowd, killing five - "the Boston Massacre."
 
In 1773, British passed the "Tea Act."

While American merchants paid taxes, British East India Tea Company sold a half million pounds of tea with no taxes.
 
On DECEMBER 16, 1773, patriot "Sons of Liberty" disguised as Mohawk Indians marched to Griffin's Wharf and threw 342 chests of tea into the harbor - the Boston Tea Party.
 
The men of Marlborough declared:
"Death is more eligible than slavery.

A free-born people are not required by the religion of Jesus Christ to submit to tyranny, but may make use of such power as God has given them to recover and support their liberties...

We implore the Ruler above the skies that He would bare His arm...and let Israel go."

Get the book, BACKFIRED-A Nation Born For Religious Tolerance No Longer Tolerates the Religion of Its Founders

Read more click here

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Great for Christmas - There Really is a Santa Claus - The History of Saint Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions

   
 
  
   
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