Judges and Agendas

The recent July 4th celebration of our freedom was an opportunity to pause, remember, and honor  those who put their lives on the line for the very freedoms we enjoy and yet, along with many others, I am greatly concerned about our economic and religious liberty since the latest controversial ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in upholding the right of the federal government to force every citizen to purchase insurance.

The central focus of much of the news coverage was Chief Justice John Roberts and his tortured logic in upholding the law. The main point of most of the coverage is that Roberts decided what he wanted to do and then found a “fig leaf” of legal reasoning to justify doing so. In other words, Chief Justice Roberts had an agenda beyond interpreting the law according to the clear meaning of the U.S. Constitution.

Many judges have agendas. Last week we observed as a Tarrant County father was back in court continuing to fight the years-long effort by the maternal grandparents to take his daughter from him. The judge in that case also appears to have an agenda which can best be described as one that is opposed to the fundamental constitutional right of a fit parent to direct the care, control, and upbringing of their child if a grandparent is involved.

This same judge removed a six-year-old daughter from a fit mother and placed her with people who were not even grandparents.  He was finally overruled, after four years, by the Second Court of Appeals. In his mind, grandparents and others have rights to children over and above that of their own parents.

How do we respond to such egregious violations of the law and common decency? The one thing we must not do is to give up or quit. During the Texas Revolution in 1836, Texans lost the battles at San Patricio, Agua Dulce, The Alamo, Refugio, and Coleto before winning the Battle of San Jacinto and the war on April 21st.

While Texas continues to battle with federal agencies and bureaucrats, many argue that it is a futile effort and we cannot win against the resources and power of the federal government. That is not, however, the way we, as Texans, respond. We will continue to focus on the upcoming elections later this month and in November and do everything in our power to elect officials at the local, state, and federal level that respect the rule of law and the fundamental constitutional right of fit parents to direct the care, control, and upbringing of their children.

Just as those battling for liberty in Texas in 1836 continued to fight, we must continue to educate those in our sphere of influence and get them to the ballot box on July 31st and make efforts to encourage them to vote for candidates who will uphold freedom and liberty.

A few weeks ago I met a home school family who told me that they had taken THSC PAC mailings and e-mails of our endorsements and shared them with hundreds of home school families and friends. That is an example of what we must do–share with others the THSC PAC endorsements for the Republican Primary Runoff and make sure they vote. Another form of action would be to make a contribution to help elect these candidates who have committed to work toward securing our freedom and protecting parental rights and home schooling in the next Texas legislative session. Most importantly, pray that godly men and women will be elected.