The Slippery Slope Of The Loss Of Individual Liberties

How does the plight of one German Christian homeschooling family expose the hypocrisy of the Obama administration’s policy on religious freedom, homeschooling, education in general and parental rights?

In addition to finding objections to their Government school’s curriculum, their children were being teased and bullied in German public schools for their Christian faith.

In 2008, the Romeike family fled Germany and sought political asylum, in the United States, as the government of their homeland seized their children and imposed them with large fines because they chose to homeschool. Homeschooling is illegal in Germany.

It didn’t take long for the U.S. government to throw a wrench into the works, after the family was granted political asylum, in 2010, and settled in Tennessee. U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder and The Department of Homeland Security is now contesting the ruling and seeking to have them deported back to their country.

Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is representing the family. In an article released by them, HSLDA clearly outlines the basis for which the U.S. government granted the family asylum. As the German government acted against the family to “counteract the development of religious and philosophically motivated parallel societies”, the family was granted asylum under U.S. law for religious persecution.

Here’s where it gets sticky for the Romeike’s, and possibly for American citizens as well, if Erik Holder and DHS have their way. As Holder and Co. challenge the political asylum ruling on grounds there were no violations of the Romeike’s protected rights, HSLDA contends our government is utilizing “group think” strategies to overturn the original ruling. While past precedent has been set that religious freedom is an individual right, HSLDA contends the government is trying to classify individuals in “groups or factions” as a form of “identity politics” to undermine individual liberty. If DHS wins their appeal, will a precedent be set to classify Christians, and others, as groups, and will it reclassify individual liberty, under the Constitution? There’s a lot at stake here. And it’s larger than just educational freedom, or religious freedom.

If U.S government supports the contentions of the German government, that families can teach their children what ever they want after being mandated to attend government schools, then you will have no basic rights to choose what or how your children are taught, or perhaps a better term is indoctrinated, within public schools. What’s next? A ban on homeschooling, for all Americans?

“When the United States government says that homeschooling is a mutable choice—they are saying that it is a characteristic that a government can legitimately coerce you to change. In other words, you have no protected right to choose the education for your children. Our nation could remove your ability to homeschool and your choice would be mutable—since the government has the authority to force you to implement their wishes.”

If you produce enough smoke and mirrors perhaps you can fool some of the people. As Romeike v. Holder flies under the mainstream radar, the Obama administration in its usual grandstanding fashion creates a resplendent, if not erroneous, display of religious freedom. In January, the White House released a statement proclaiming:

“Today, we also remember that religious liberty is not just an American right; it is a universal human right to be protected here at home and across the globe.”

After witnessing a myriad of lies regarding the budget, Obamacare, Benghazi, second amendment, Fast and Furious, and on and on, one wonders if the present administration only advocates religious freedoms, educational choice, and parental rights for anyone but Christians. Interesting that it takes the violation of the individual rights of a German family to bring this assault of our Constitutional rights to light, here, in the United States.