Subject: Letter to M.P.

Dear Dianne,

I must confess that it is with a deep sense of shock that I read this morning's newspaper. The article in question is found on the front page of the London Free Press entitled "Cops drag seven kids from home." I realize that we must always take the media with a grain of salt but if there is even an ounce of truth to this article then it is time to rip down the flag and mourn the death of our precious liberties. I have never written to an M.P. before. I have often felt a sense of righteous indignation at the directions I have seen our country heading. However, with this story I am horrified beyond anything I have ever felt in my life. As you will know if you have read the article the CAS seized 7 children, not because they were spanked but because their parents would not lie and promise not to spank them. There was no evidence of bruising and yet because of the fear that sometime in the future they might be traumatized by some disciplinary action they have been wrenched from their family and parents in an action that will undoubtedly scar them for life. Were they spanked a thousand times the trauma would not begin to compare with this inflicted upon them by the authoritarian CAS. Who is there to protect them from the CAS? Since when has the CAS become a law unto itself? Where are our politicians when such a travesty of justice occured? Do we no longer have constitutional rights of religious liberty? Did all our forefather's die in vain in two world wars as they laid down their lives to defend our precious liberties? The same liberties they died to protect seem to have been surrendered to a social agency which has run amuck!

The whole question of discipline is of course a thorny one. There are many within this country who on the basis of Biblical or religious ideas would still hold to some form of corporal discipline. Most of us who are now parents ourselves once upon a time experienced the rod of correction. I know some would argue that we were abused. However, when are these so called experts going to take their head out of the sand and look around. The bigger problem surely is a lack of discipline. Back when the strap was in the schools we had a healthy fear of disobedience. The worst problems encountered were running in the halls, talking in class and chewing gum! Now we face teenage pregnancy, suicide, weapons offenses, drugs, etc., etc.

I know that there are many other factors as well but you would be stupid to believe that discipline is not at least part of the problem. There has been and is growing concern about the Young Offenders Act. Is it not this very issue? There is not force behind law. There is no discipline. The situation has now become so pronounced that an agency of the government will punish those who do discipline; will walk in and take children away for disciplinary measures we all faced when we were children. Yet you never hear of children being removed because their parents don't exercise any form of discipline. Yet what is more serious? I have witnessed countless cases of kids who have had no discipline from home. They are the most lawless individuals I know. They have no respect for authority! This to me is a far greater abuse than using a switch on a child. (I would not personally use such a thing myself, but I would argue for the right of a man to do so within obvious limits. But even an abuse of that measure cannot compare to abduction by a fascist government agency!) Encourage this trend of discountenancing discipline and we have the perfect recipe for social disintegration.

Short of murder I would consider abduction the greatest crime a man could commit. Yet, under the sanction of our government and with the support of our law enforcement agencies the CAS has brazenly abducted 7 children from their parents. Every man and woman who played any part in this horrific event ought right now to be facing criminal charges. The government officials who protect them should be charged with complicity in the crime! Instead we will all bury our heads in the sand and try our best to forget. One by one we will surrender our freedoms until suddenly it is we ourselves who face the loss. Then who will be left to protest our victimization?

Obviously there are real cases of abuse out there but it seems that the CAS is so caught up with meddling in decent, godly and moral people's lives that they don't have time to do anything about those. How many more children will find their way into drug addiction and prostitution or be lost to teenage suicide because of the real abuse of non discipline before this aberrant society gets its act together or is brought to justice? I wonder how many will even raise an eyebrow this morning? How many will even understand what we have obviously lost? Today I am ashamed to call myself Canadian. Our flags should be at half mast! We who were once proud Canadians can only but cry "Shame, Shame, Shame!"

Yours Sincerely,

Doug Adams

Professor Doug Adams
The Toronto Baptist                           email: daa@tbs.edu
Seminary and Bible College                      web: www.tbs.edu
130 Gerrard St. East                         Tel: (416) 925-3263
Toronto ON M5A 3T4  Canada                   Fax: (416) 925-8305