July 12, 2008

"It was one of the stupidest things I've done in my life but it's no reason to take my kids."

A woman in Canada drew a swastika on her daughter's arm — twice, and the authorities took the daughter, who is 7, and a son, who is only 2, from the home.
"I'm willing to jump through their hoops," the woman told the CBC. "If they want me to deny my beliefs, I'll tell them that, but at the same time, I'm not a traitor to my politics, my beliefs. I just want my kids back."
Way to show your opposition to political oppressors, Canada.

49 comments:

Chris McClure aka Panhandle Poet said...

I think Canada has gone off the deep end....

rhhardin said...

A controversy!

What's needed for balance is some Nazi bureaucrats. As it is, she's got unsympathetic ones.

You ought to be able to request politically sympathetic bureaucrats on your case.

Ron said...

Is this what, Canada's way of fighting potential future hockey goons?

If she had only served her children poutine, they'd be safe in her arms now!

Meade said...

In a related item: Federal authorities Friday, in a predawn operation, entered the Chicago home of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr., seizing the iconic civil rights activist's swiss army knife, scissors, and garden loppers. As agents loaded the weapons into up-armoured Humvees, Rev. Jackson was heard shouting from an upstairs window, "I said I was sorry. The loppers aren't even mine! I borrowed them from Peter Hoh."

bearbee said...

I'm torn.

The thought of her drawing a swastiska on her child makes my stomach turn and I would like to slap her silly. Who know what crap she fills that little girls head with.

Taking the child is extreme and exposes a totalitarian streak.

Video

Bob said...

"First they came for the Nazis..."

Baron Zemo said...

Ah this brings me back to the old days! The carefree days of my youth.

Canada does not have a first amendment.

Unknown said...

Gee, I wonder if it was Mr. Warman who turned her in.

Of course, this would be liberal fascism so we don't talk about such things.

Automatic_Wing said...

Could be worse...at least she didn't draw a picture of Mark Steyn on the kid's arm.

Trumpit said...

Is Canada a more racist country than is the U.S.? My unscientific, unintentional test of this thesis suggests the answer is yes. I created an identity on bridgebase.com as a bridge expert from Nicaragua. I'm referring to the card game, not the London Bridges falling down kind. When I ask people from Canada to play with me, I often get rejected, no questions asked. My pseudonym on the website is Dr. Miguel Quixote Loveless, a veterinarian who lives in lovely downtown Managua. I used to think that Canadian were more liberal minded, and so less likely to be of the racist mindset. Now, I'm not so sure.

Randy said...

Meade, the reverand Jackson is a Sr. IIRC, the junior Jackson, a congressman, severely criticized his father yesterday.

Unknown said...

LOL, Maguro.

Meade said...

Thamks for the correction, Randy. I hope the younger Jackson's criticism wasn't too... cutting.

Jeff with one 'f' said...

If she had drawn a hammer and sickle they would have hired her as a guidance counselor.

vbspurs said...

My bf is Canadian, and I used to live there as a kid, so I am not one of those Righties who hates Canada (I have few hates, anyway).

I know with the Mark Steyn trial people might jump to conclusions about Canada, but just imagine the eccentric news which sometimes comes out of the US. Imagine how foreigners see us, our laws, and local obsessions, only to rush to conclusions.

I think Canada is a free country, but she wants to do her best not to insult anyone, and to be vigilant about political correctness. IOW, she is what her people are -- polite.

I feel badly for this mum, but she was an idiot. Let's hope she's learnt her lesson.

Cheers,
Victoria

vbspurs said...

P.S.: One thing which may tip the balance against Canada is "trends".

Is there a trend to do a particular something? That's what we should be paying attention to, and if the answer is yes, then the vigilance will merit outrage.

Richard Fagin said...

Not very different, is it, than Family Protective Services in Texas taking 400-odd children, some of whom were in fact adults, from a religious community residence on the basis of a mere phone call.

Jeff with one "f" got it right about the hammer and sickle. Better yet, a crescent.

Ann Althouse said...

I agree that the mother was an idiot. She agrees that she was an idiot. But should the government take away the children of every parent who has been an idiot about something?

AllenS said...

Could I borrow an eraser from someone?

ricpic said...

In Victoria's world there shall be no free expression, only the learning of lessons.

And oh yes, Victoria doesn't fail to remind us what a sweetie pie she is. No hates for Victoria.

Righto Victoria, closet-racist hypocrite-supreme.

Keep those inane lies coming old gell, old gell.

bearbee said...

She agrees that she was an idiot.

The pity is that she agrees only to the idiocy of the redrawing not for the ugly ideology she will continue to pump into the little girls head.

blake said...

"First they came for the Nazis..."

Hey, that's exactly what I said the last time this came up in the news.

Which was less than a month ago. Only it was a father in Winnipeg.

I wonder if it's the same family--but how could it be if their kids were just taken away last month?

If not, WTF is up with Winnipeg?

Also, WTF is up with using your child as a billboard?

Did I miss where the Third Reich said "Swastika Tattoos For Everyone!"?

Baron Zemo said...

Perhaps the young people could be sent to Reverend Wright’s church in Chicago to be reeducated.

Kohath said...

Victoria,

Someone might be offended by your remarks. Perhaps a bunch of people should load up their guns and come to your house to abduct your children. Because they think you are an idiot.

Or maybe your views are politically correct, but just not quite PC enough. So they'll be taking your children.

I'm sure they can be re-educated. It's good to know you'll be OK with that when it happens.

Unknown said...

Symbolic speech is always symbolic of something.

A star of David or a Crucifix is symbolic of a set of beliefs. So is a swastiska. A swastiska means "I am superior and I will kill you all if I choose to." It is a threat of immediate physical harm. Drawing one on a child's arm is way beyond stupid. Canada has done some VERY dumb things recently, but this is not one of them

Kohath said...

Looks like it's open season to abduct D's children too.

Those re-education camps might have to be expanded with so many people endorsing the abduction of children for incorrect politics.

Adjoran said...

There is hardly any political or religious belief which doesn't offend SOMEONE.

Once the precedent is set for removing children from their families solely for the beliefs (not actions) of their parents, the only limitation becomes the good will and good judgment of the government. Given the track record of Canada in this area, they are already sliding down the proverbial slippery slope at break-neck speed.

Not that the good will and/or judgment of America's federal and state bureaucrats has ever been convincingly demonstrated . . .

Bissage said...

Hey, I think some of you male commenters are missing the bigger picture, here.

If you’ve got the right looks, sex with a hot 18 year old aspiring white supremacist is some of the best sex you’ll ever get.

Just make sure you wear a condom.

And get a vasectomy . . . just in case.

Meade said...

Or just let Jesse Jackson cut your nuts off. That way, the little white supremacist hotty won't go all dominatrix on you.

Kel said...

Unless things change in Canada, it's only a matter of time before they start going after others who they think have undesirable beliefs, like Christians who think that homosexuality is a sin. Wear a cross to school, they'll abduct your children.

It's really only a matter of time.

Granny J said...

Come on folks, check your anthropology and or history. The Nazis expropriated the swastika from India and the symbol has been used in many cultures. The authorities should check things out with The Google.

Almost Ali said...

I'd like to see them try that stunt with a Muslim. Like at the airport when yet another mother-of-the-bride is packing her 9-year-old daughter off to Pakistan.

blake said...

granny j--

Yes, and the Nazis got it backwards, I believe.

And...?

Unknown said...

Looks like it's open season to abduct D's children too.

No, it's not. I'm not stupid or nuts enough to send them to school with a T-shirt with pictures of the Columbine killers and a caption saying "I'm going to bring a gun to school and kill you all tomorrow."

If I did, they would be taken from me, with good reason.

And if they were, I wouldn't be stupid enough to say "Yeah, the T shirt was bad, but I still believe it."

Yes, children should be taken from parents who say or believe certain things. For example, I would take a child from a parent who publicly supported having sex with their own children, whether or not there was evidence it had happened yet. I'd take children from someone who sent them to school dressed as suicide bombers.

Just how nuts do you think a parent should be, and still raise their kids? Do you think that people in the midst of a psychotic break, screaming about the mind control rays from mars and nuclear bombs in the sewers, should have custody?

vbspurs said...

Kohath wrote:

Or maybe your views are politically correct, but just not quite PC enough. So they'll be taking your children.

Yes, it's definitely troubling. But I hasten to add that I wasn't saying the government was right to do what they did. Like a true Conservative, I lay the onus on the individual first and foremost. And the reason I am NOT a Libertarian, is that unlike them, I do believe sometimes the government should intervene in some situations.

My greater point is that this is a Canadian (specifically Winnipegian) situation and I personally do not extrapolate more from the situation, that needs to be.

Canada is a free country. But freedom means different things to different people, given their own historical and cultural trajectories.

Finally, I think those kids are in heaps lot of trouble with a mum who likes to thumb her nose at authority herself. Hope they will be okay.

Cheers,
Victoria

Peter Blogdanovich said...

Well, nuttier than this lady.

ron st.amant said...

As an American living in Canada, I can state uncategorically that there are idiots, racists, and moonbats on both sides of the border.

Ann asks: should the government take away the children of every parent who has been an idiot about something?


If they're INCREDIBLY stupid, YES!

Nice to see the 'Canada hates Christians' meme still going strong. Really? Canada hates Christians?? Any states in the US fully subsidizing Catholic schools? No? Must be because they hate Christians.

Vader said...

Trumpit,

Your example may have had nothing whatsoever to do with race. It may have had everything to do with "Nigerian businessman." Get spam much?Fr0d0B

H. said...

Nicaragua != Nigeria

Kohath said...

D,

You used the word "swastiska" when posting your opinion on the internet, and you talked about "threats" in connection with it.

What kind of a person does that? Why shouldn't they take your children just for that? You already agree it's a good idea.

Why don't the authorities take them now? Maybe there's an explanation why you were talking about a swastika. You can explain it to a judge and maybe get your children back someday -- if your politics are good enough.

Anonymous said...

As a Canadian - I find it very scary.

The interviews of the mother offer a very bright woman. Who had she been black or gay etc... and sent her child with a black power fist on her arm - this would not be an issue.

Be Black Be Proud

Be Gay Be Proud

Be Muslim Be Proud

Be White - Get your kids taken away

Some of you should do some research on the the swastika, as its history runs far deeper than the Nazi's.

And to D -

If were going to start to taking kids away from parents for political view points - We better start building some very large homes for all the kids.

blake said...

I don't get why people keep bringing up the fact that the swastika is old.

Did she get her kids taken away for professing a love of the Bhagavad-Gita?

Sloanasaurus said...

The irony here is chilling. A Nazi being oppressed by an equally totalitarian government. This kind of thing will only result in more Nazis. Now the Nazis have a new martyr - they can say to their potential recruits: "we told you so!"

I am off to buy "proud global warming denier" t-shirts for my kids. I wonder if I will get any hassle?

I predict there will be a new Nazi party that will arise in Europe. Maybe by 2030-2040. The Europeans will elect them rather than submit to majority control by muslims.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Blogger vbspurs said...

I feel badly for this mum, but she was an idiot. Let's hope she's learnt her lesson.

She has:

"I'm willing to jump through their hoops," the woman told the CBC. "If they want me to deny my beliefs, I'll tell them that..."

She thought she had the right to pass on her beliefs to her child. She was wrong.

Now she's been taught who's boss. Those who use state power to coerce the unpopular are boss. That's not her, so she must jump through hoops. Lesson learned.

Unknown said...

Kohath -

No, the authorities won't come take away my kids for agreeing with them.

They will take my kids away if I set up a website promoting the killing of children.

There's a difference between the two.

The DCS is not made up of 'bots. They are people. Sometimes they are painfully stupid or misguided, but they aren't going to say "Hey, we took that kid because her mom was advocating mass murder, and that's just a point of view, so we should take this kid because her dad is Republican."

Please try, just a for a moment, to come up with some kind of cogent reasoning.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

@D:

Equating a drawing with an imminent physical threat is a sure recipe for totalitarianism.

Suppose the United States treated flag-burning as treason?

Solzhenitsyn met a guy in Gulag who wrapped a fish in a newspaper bearing Stalin's picture.

Anonymous said...

"blake said...
I don't get why people keep bringing up the fact that the swastika is old.

Did she get her kids taken away for professing a love of the Bhagavad-Gita?"

No. It most likely happened because she didn't tattoo an arabic motto on the kid's arm.

submandave said...

The silliness that passes for rational thought:

"A swastiska means 'I am superior and I will kill you all if I choose to.' It is a threat of immediate physical harm."

Please provide an example (in the last dozen years) of the use of the swastika as an explicit threat that the agressor then acted upon. And I won't accept a situation in which violence was done first and then decorated with the symbol, as you seen to believe the symbol itself is an explicit real threat of "immediate physical harm." Disgusting? Yes. Offensive? Yes. Physically threatening? Probably not; most certainly not when communicated to no one in particular through placing on a third party.

"Be White - Get your kids taken away"

The day that being White and prodly wearing the swastika are synonymous is the day I forsake the entirity of my European ancestry and claim to be exclusively Muskogee and Chinese.

All the Nazis have to do to be protected is to wrap their bigotty, racism and hate in the mantle of religion and then they, too, can receive tax dollars to teach their children their twisted ideology in segregated isolated madrassas, too. Come to think of it, maybe that's the answer to the GWOT: turn it into a proxy war between racist Nazis and racist Islamofascists. When the ideologies have killed each other out all us reasonable folks can live a bit easier. We only need to make a few million more Nazis to have a fair chance of success.