Protecting a Critical, Oft Ignored Right

There is a particular right that is so fundamental, so at the core of who we are as a people, that you won't find it listed among our Bill of Rights – although the government has acknowledged it. In fact for over a century the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized it. Simply stated, it is this: the traditional role of parents in directing the care, custody, and control of their minor children is sacrosanct.

In Wisconsin v. Yoder our Supreme Court declared that parental rights have been “established beyond debate as an enduring American tradition.” 406 US 205, 232 (1972).

Protecting the traditional role of parents is key to keeping children safe and healthy. Sadly, parental rights are now under attack across this great land of ours. But as has been the case throughout history, when liberty comes under attack Americans rise up in response. So it is here. So it is for an organization called Moms for Liberty.

For those who may not be aware, Moms for Liberty is a national grass roots 501(c)(4) organization whose focus remains chiefly on protecting parental rights at all levels of government. That in and of itself is a very large and complex task, especially given the current political climate and the fact that those on the far left of the political spectrum seem intent on driving a wedge between children and their parents, the goal seemingly being the removal of objective truth, the elimination of morality and biblical teaching, the subversion of the American family, and the ruination of American society as a whole. Moms is providing pushback against these activities.

In addition to organizing, unifying, educating, and empowering parents to look after their God given parental rights, Moms engages in several important areas. The group works to hold elected officials accountable to the citizens they work for. It also provides support to liberty minded individuals who wish to run for office, monitors legislative efforts (both those supporting and those assailing our liberties), and educates folks on the proper constrained role of government, the rich and amazing history of the American republic, the thinking of the founding fathers, and the principles of liberty upon which our republic is established. Through meetings known as Madison Meetups, Moms is helping to re-connect Americans to their founding documents, the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

Notice that the name Moms for Liberty is a bit of a misgnomer. The brand sprang from the fact that the group's two main founders, Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, were mothers functioning as board members within their respective Florida school boards. Having witnessed first hand the types of policies that were being introduced into the school system and the fact that those policies were not aligning with the fundamental understanding that it is parents who remain responsible for raising and educating their children, the two ladies decided to team up and create an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of parents.

So yes, it is the moms that got the ball rolling, and yes, a good many moms continue to be actively engaged in the group's activities. But Moms for Liberty now involves moms and dads, aunts and uncles, brothers and sister, cousins and friends. Absolutely anyone interested in protecting fundamental liberties and safeguarding the well being of students and families is welcome to join with Moms for Liberty. You needn't be a mom (or even a woman, for that matter). As the group likes to say, we are seeking of joyful warriors.

Given the explosive rate of growth enjoyed by the group, people across the country appear to recognize the need for what Moms for Liberty offers. Now completing its second year of operation, Moms now has over one hundred thousand members working within 250 county chapters throughout the United States. (There is a presence in all but eight states. Yours truly functions as the chapter chair for the recently established Santa Clara County chapter here in California. Please visit us online at momsforlibertysantaclara.com).

I wish to leave you, dear reader, with a final thought. The importance of education and an understanding of the biblical principles which undergird our system of governance cannot be overstated. Today's youth are being led astray by an education system whose objective seems more indoctrination than learning. It is time we return to the original purpose of education, namely the instilling of principles and virtue within our children. That is what has gone missing. That is what needs restoring.

The truths expressed by the founders remain as touchstones for Americans today who wish to see to it that a healthy republic is passed on to future generations. Here are but a few of those expressed truths.

"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, (A)nd if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power."

- Thomas Jefferson

"It is the duty of parents to maintain their children decently, and according to their circumstances; to protect them according to the dictates of prudence; and to educate them according to the suggestions of a judicious and zealous regard for their usefulness, their respectability and happiness."

- James Wilson, Lectures on Law, 1791

"[F]or avoiding the extremes of despotism or anarchy . . . the only ground of hope must be on the morals of the people. I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free governments. [T]herefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God."

- Governor Morris, Penman and Signer of the Constitution

"an inclination joined with an ability to serve mankind, their country, friends and family: which ability is with the blessing of God to be acquired or greatly increased by the true learning and should indeed be the great aim and end of all learning."

- Benjamin Franklin, in the closing statement of his pamphlet Proposal Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania