Gray County Libertarian Party Resolution

A Resolution concerning Child Protective Services, known by different names in various states:

WHEREAS Child Protective Services infringe upon the first amendment rights of parents in the routine performance of their duties by denying parents the right to make medical, disciplinary and educational decisions based on their religious convictions, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services infringe upon the fourth amendment rights of parents in the routine performance of their duties by asserting their right to "home visits" and interviews with the children without first obtaining a warrant based upon "probable cause supported by Oath or affirmation and particularly describibg the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized", as required by said amendment, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services infringe upon the fifth amendment rights of parents in the routine performance of their duties by holding parents accountable for capital or infamous crimes without the presentment of an indictment by a Grand Jury, and further compel parents to bear witness against themselves in a court of law, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services infringe upon the sixth amendment rights of parents in the routine performance of their duties by frequently denying parents the right to a fair, public and speedy trial by a jury of their peers and further denying parents the right to confront witnesses against them, and denying parents the right of legal counsel to defend them in actions against them, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services infringe upon the eighth amendment rights of parents in the routine performance of their duties by removing their children and subjecting said parents to unreasonable standards for the return of said children in violation of the eighth amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services infringe upon the thirteenth amendment rights of parents in the routine performance of their duties by setting work standards and subjecting parents to terms of involuntary servitude, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services infringe upon the fourteenth amendment rights of parents in the routine performance of their duties by abridging the privileges and immunities of said parents as set forth in other constitutional amendments and denying them due process, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services routinely operate without proper governmental accountability for their actions and the harm inflicted on innocent parents and caregivers in their attempt to discover and intercept the guilty, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Servces routinely employs a standard of "guilty until proven innocent" in defiance of accepted American judicial tradition, and

WHEREAS Child Protective Services routinely intimidate the poor, the uneducated and other segments of society that are incapable of mounting a credible defense on their own;

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the Gray County (Texas) Libertarian Party does hereby condemn the actions of CPS in their unconstitutional persecution of innocent parents and caregivers, and will dedicate itself to educating, informing, and offering support to parents who are the wrongful targets of CPS actions.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Gray County (Texas) Libertarian Party will only support innocent parents and caregivers insofar as their actions are legal and consistent with the constitution and the nonuse of force to obtain political and social goals, as outlined in the Libertarian Party pledge.