FA Note: Minor children, under
natural law, are rightfully the property of their parents, who bear responsibility
for them. If people do not have property rights they become property,
and liberty is impossible.
It will be at least “6 more weeks of kidnapping” for the 7
homeschooled, homebirthed Stanley children, according to their father. Hal
and Michelle Stanley were given no warning that their court hearing scheduled
for February 12 would be abruptly postponed until March 23. They say they
were not given any explanation as to why the hearing was postponed.
They had been under the impression that their children
would be coming home after the hearing, and had held onto the hope that
the crazy situation would be resolved, and their family would be reunited.
The pain in their voices was palpable as they expressed their disappointment
and grief over the postponement.
The father explains to Health Impact News that they
are only allowed to visit with their children a few hours a week, under strict
supervision. There has to be two observers, and if they talk about things
they are not supposed to discuss with their children, the visit is cut
short. As a condition to these supervised visits, Hal and Michelle must
attend “parenting classes,” even though they have homeschooled their children
for many years. Hal Stanley is also a 73 year old ordained Southern Baptist
Minister.
Full Tactical Team Showed up to Remove Their Children
Chicken and sausage gumbo was simmering on the stove, and
company was expected on the evening of January 12. Instead of welcome
guests, a full tactical team surrounded the Stanley home.
Garland County Sheriff’s Deputies and DPS entered their
home, demanding that Hal and Michelle wait outside in the cold while they
searched the house and talked to the children. There were reportedly at least
30 people, including a SWAT team, Arkansas State Troopers, a coroner, a doctor,
a dozen cars, a medical van, and a sniper in a ditch allegedly aiming at the
parents on the front porch.
Neighbors have questioned the need for such an excessive
show of force for a 73 year old man and a mama whose primary concern is the
well-being of their children.
The search warrant was for a water purifier product known
as MMS, a
substance which is not approved by the FDA for health claims. It is not illegal
to possess, however, and may readily be obtained online legally. Hal Stanley
reports that he uses it for his garden, where he raises much of the family’s
food. He also reports that, if they had simply asked for it, he would have
given it to them and avoided much pain.
There was no indication that the children were going to
be removed until near the end of the 5-hour ordeal. By then, it was after 9 pm,
yet the children were allegedly not even permitted to eat their supper
before being hauled away from their home. They were told to pack 2 days worth
of clothes. But the parents were not permitted to help the little
ones pack.
It was supposedly a 72 hour removal. For children as
young as 4 years of age who had never spent even one night away from home, the
idea was terrifying. There were tears all around, while authorities hurried
them out of the house. It was only later that someone got them something
to eat.
Empty House with no Children is now “Too Quiet”
The house is eerily quiet now for the couple who has been
accustomed to the noise and busyness of lots of children surrounding them.
On the night the children were taken, there was all the confusion and emotion
of the police taking the children away, then:
“Five minutes later, we didn’t have
any children. And we still don’t have any children.”
Under Attack for Their Way of Life?
They feel as though they are under attack for their way of
life, at the core of which is their Christian faith. Their faith has led them
to a lifestyle of homeschooling their children, who were all born at home,
and sustainable gardening, providing for their family a home that is
full of love but not materialism.
According to Evan Soule, “Hal and Michelle are poor
financially but very rich in spirit and love.”
In such an environment, as well as in many normal, loving
families, children do not always get their way. Just as some kids in public
school beg their parents to let them homeschool, a couple of the Stanleys’
older children allegedly wanted to go to public school.
According to a letter from a friend of the family that
was sent to Health Impact News, one of the teens created accusations
that were reported to authorities in a creative, yet ill-considered attempt
to be able to attend public school, not considering the implications that
could devastate younger siblings.
Another friend of the family posted on the Facebook support
page Bringthestanleykidshome that the Stanley kids have
never shown any signs of being abused.
“I have seen first hand the kids who need help who have been
abused and neglected (because I grew up in the foster care system). The Stanleys
are not like these kids. They were happy, joyful kids. They knew no fear, they
were happy to talk and visit with anyone, smart, well educated, clean,
healthy, never sick, love their parents, always smiling. It was said best by
someone who has seen them, since they were taken: the smiling Stanleys
smiles are fading. You tell me, is this right or just?”
There have been no charges filed against Hal or Michelle
Stanley. Even when the children were being removed, the DHS workers reportedly
remarked that there was no reason to take the children out of the home. When
Mr. Stanley asked who actually made the decision to take their kids, Garland
County Deputy Mike Wright allegedly replied, “I did, and I am proud
of it.”
How to Destroy a Family
Now the close-knit family is only allowed a few hours per
week together, under strict guidelines as to what may or may not be said in
the presence of their children. At one visit, Hal says their 4 year
old asked:
“Daddy, can you come spend the night
with me in my new house?,” while referring to his foster guardian as
“dad.”
The children’s lives have been turned upside down, over a
claim that the parents say was easily dismissed as invalid, with no evidence
of abuse or neglect. They have been placed in public school, where their parents
are concerned that they may not be prepared. They allegedly have been seen
wearing clothing that doesn’t fit, and shoes that are worn out. Their diet
has changed and they no longer are eating their mostly organic,
health-based diet. They have never needed to see a doctor before for illness,
because they have always been very healthy.
The Stanley parents have always been able to be there for
their kids as their protector, and now the state has taken that away from
them. They are upset, and feel helpless to take care of their family right
now, but they are more angry at the broken system than at any one person.
Hal tells us that “there are good people bending over backwards to help our
kids, but the system is broken.” They were “basically treated like criminals
running a meth lab” because of the (not illegal or banned) substance MMS.
Why are These Children Being Kept Away from Their Parents?
They don’t understand why they are being treated like this,
and want to know how this kind of injustice can happen. Michelle has dedicated
her life to serving her family, making choices that she has believed were in
the best interest of her family.
“You can’t imagine the horror of it,” says Hal, who has
served his country in the military from 1960 – 1963. He is appalled at the
way the rights that he took an oath to uphold have been completely trampled,
as well as a number of Constitutional rights.
MMS
has not been mentioned by the authorities in recent weeks, leading some supporters
to question what the real motive behind the “kidnapping” is. To some, it
appears that the sheriff’s department has taken the kids first on allegedly
false premises of the home being unsafe, then trying to figure out how
to build a case afterwards, fishing for dirt on the Stanleys. The children
were all found to be in excellent health when the doctors checked them, and
to date, no one has presented any evidence of abuse or neglect.
So why aren’t the Stanley kids home, supporters want
to know.
It will be at least 6 more weeks until this ordeal has the
possibility of ending, 6 weeks without holding their children, or being
there to comfort them when they are hurting. Hal Stanley has no intention
of just waiting to see what happens. He wants to learn as much as he can
about how to fight back, because he and Michelle have made it clear that they
are never giving up on their children.
Supporters Are Asking for Your Help
Friends of the Stanleys supporting them are requesting
you contact the following people:
Please contact everyone you can about this ongoing, massive
injustice against two American parents and their children: friends,
business associates, media, government officials at all levels —from the
Governor of Arkansas to Arkansas State Representatives and Senators
to DHS to the Juvenile Court of Garland County, Arkansas. This is America
and We the People have to stick together!
The DHS address is: 115 Stover Ln. Hot Springs, Ar. 71913
Call DHS: 501–321-2583
DIRECTOR DHS ARKANSAS (501) 682‑8650
Call DHS: 501–321-2583
DIRECTOR DHS ARKANSAS (501) 682‑8650
Garland County Sheriff’s Department at 501–622-3690 or
email Sheriff Mike McCormick directly at mmccormick@garlandcounty.org.
FOLLOWING IS A LINK TO DIRECTLY
CONTACT GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON:
http://governor.arkansas.gov/contact-info
The above link will allow you to send an email directly to the governor’s office.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE:
JOHN VINES In Session Phone: 501–682-6211
Out of Session Phone: 501–682-7771
TWITTER: @ArkansasHouse
http://governor.arkansas.gov/contact-info
The above link will allow you to send an email directly to the governor’s office.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE:
JOHN VINES In Session Phone: 501–682-6211
Out of Session Phone: 501–682-7771
TWITTER: @ArkansasHouse
Comments
Beware of government laws and agencies
claiming to ‘protect’ your children. Homeschooling is far superior to public
schooling.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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