A LETTER FROM JIM BENTLY

[wakeupamerica]

A Letter from Jim Bentley
Executive Director of PRO

My family just enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. Even though we are just settling into our new environment, we have still been able to observe many of our holiday traditions. For instance, we enjoyed the opening of presents on Christmas morning.

In our family, we each get three gifts. It has been this way since our children were infants. We decided that, since the Bible mentions three gifts that Jesus received, we would set that as our limit. Over the years it has made Christmas (and shopping!) much less stressful. We don’t expect everyone to follow this tradition, but it works for our family.

I also started coding the kids’ presents when they were young, instead of labeling them with to and from tags. Each year I make up a new code and label the presents accordingly. This way the children never know which presents are theirs and which are their siblings’. They always enjoy trying to crack the code (which they have done on several occasions) to figure out which presents are whose. Again, I don’t expect other families to follow our traditions, but we have enjoyed them for years -- they work for us.

From its infancy, our nation has been a melting pot of families of various heritages and cultures; we successfully cultivate these differences to make a unique, diverse, and even enviable country. One hallmark of America is that we as individual families have our own traditions, our heritage, and our beliefs, and we pass them on to our children.

Some of the traditions may change over the generations, but who we are as families does not. This heritage is an important aspect of our American culture. As we opened our doors to the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” we did not require that they leave their traditions behind; instead we embraced them as part of the great American experiment. This patchwork of family heritage forms the fabric of an independent, prosperous, generous America.

Unfortunately, there are those who envy America and want to control our prosperity and independence. Brute force would be too obvious a threat, so “diplomatic control” becomes their most effective weapon. We have seen the use of and acceptance of Customary International Law erode much of our U.S. sovereignty over the last few decades. Even more alarming is the successful intrusion of international treaties into American policy. One such treaty, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), is a direct threat to me as a parent, to my family’s heritage, to my freedom as a citizen, and ultimately to U.S. sovereign rule.

Under the UNCRC, children of any age would have the right to legally challenge the traditions and beliefs of their parents. My “three gifts” tradition could be challenged simply because it is based on a biblical concept, or my “coding” of gifts could be categorized as “psychological abuse.” My children, your children, or our neighbors’ children could decide they want to read or watch graphically violent material, and their privacy to do this would be protected under the UNCRC. These minors would have the right to associate with whomever they choose—gangs, ethnic hate groups and others—and would be protected under the UNCRC. Under the U.N.-sanctioned International Baccalaureate curriculum, children would be taught that guns and gun ownership are bad, and that we are all citizens of The World -- not of America.

The proponents of this treaty will tell you that they are only trying to protect children, that my statements are misinterpretations. However, even a cursory understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the Supremacy Clause (as well as some exposure to various country reports to, and responses from, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child) will quickly demonstrate otherwise.

All children should be protected and well cared for. In America, we have historically understood that parents are best equipped to do this. Yet we also allow our government to provide helpful services, and to intervene when, in rare instances, compelling evidence exists to indicate that a child is in imminent danger. We don’t need an international body to tell us how to do that; Americans are capable of taking care of Americans and policing our own. Are we perfect? Of course not! But as parents first and Americans second, we take our responsibilities seriously and work to make our children’s lives safe and enjoyable and their futures bright. We also enjoy passing on to them our heritage—their heritage—and participating in our own family traditions.

When we as parents can no longer securely remind our children of their heritage and their future, while they may become “good citizens” of the world, they will no longer be truly Americans.

I will not yield my children or my country so easily. Won’t you join me in protecting our children by denying the UNCRC any jurisdiction over us? Please help us empower parents to protect our children by supporting the Parental Rights Amendment to our Constitution.

Sincerely,
Jim Bentley
Executive Director