Something you don’t hear everyday: Roach and the ACLU agree
Thursday, August 26, 2010
I’m not usually on the same side as the ACLU, to put it mildly. In general, I think the American Civil Liberties Union has done much in removing “American” out of America by making every effort to turn us into a watered down version of ourselves. Yet as reported here, the ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a mother who has been unable to volunteer at her child’s school because she is a former addict. And…gulp…I totally agree with the ACLU.
Let’s review.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST- A parent admits she used to be addicted to heroin.
- That same parent wants to be actively involved in her child’s education by volunteering at her child’s school.
- The school says “thanks, but no thanks” because the parent is a convicted felon presumably afraid of the parent’s influence on other children and leading them down the road of drug addiction. The horror!
Trust me, I’m not making light of the situation nor am I saying that the school should not at least consider the implications of this parent volunteering at the school. What I am asking is this: what if you were this parent and you weren’t allowed to volunteer at your child’s school because of a past drug conviction? Is it a just punishment for your crime?
Perhaps this is faulty thinking, but drug offenses for the most part affect the individual (unless you’re selling drugs). We all know stories or have relatives who have succumbed to some form of addiction. It generally destroys whatever semblance of a life they have and in many cases intrudes upon the lives of their loved ones. Coming back from such a life takes herculean effort and those who remain “clean” tend to have a greater appreciation of life and are certainly well equipped to teach others about the dangers of the drug life.
So I applaud this woman’s efforts as well as her desire to not only be a positive influence in her daughter’s life but also others. Let’s be honest with ourselves, none of us are perfect. In fact, part of our charm as human beings is in our imperfections. And in this case we have a mom who wants to help her child and other children make different choices than she made. It’s disappointing the school system could not see beyond “felony” and like I said earlier (and you definitely won’t read this a lot) I completely agree with the ACLU supporting this woman and I hope she regains the privilege to volunteer at her daughter’s school.
So, are you with me and the ACLU?
Don Roach,, is a conservative MINDSETTER™ for GoLocalProv.com. He is a businessman, a Cranston resident, and a graduate of Brown University.
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