Michael Farris is a Liar

There is no getting around it. Farris peddles half-truths, fabricate facts, complete lies, and anything he can muster forth to keep his army of homeschoolers focused squarely on his fearmongering.

Libby Anne of Love, Joy, Feminism posted a guest post on her blog, written by one Rachel Lazerus. This woman copiously and impeccably documented the hearing on the UN Disabilities Treaty ratification, even transcribing the testimony itself. Then she went through Michael Farris' testimony, piece by piece, compared it to his letter to his troops, cross-referenced the facts with well-documented evidence, and concluded that Michael Farris is a liar.

Give it a read. It's long - but well worth it. If, as Michael Farris and his followers say, their cause is so mightily needed in this horrid day and age, it would be better for him to be honest about it. Lies get you nowhere with the readily available video evidence these days.

One thought that I think explains everything about Farris' organization, the Home School Legal Defense Association. Farris purports to be on the side of God, fighting for homeschooling (or, as he says, "the rights of parents to take care of and educate their children") as a god-given right. But then, he slyly says the following:

Senator Boxer thinks that your membership in HSLDA and your support of our critical work to defend homeschooling, support widows and single parents through the Home School Foundation, and the work of ParentalRights.org to pass a constitutional amendment makes you an evil special interest that must be vilified and defeated.

Support widows and single parents? Hmmm... So, when organizations like Homeschooling's Invisible Children claim that HSLDA is not focused on the rights of a child, but rather the parents to do whatever they want with the child with no external scrutiny - including disciplining them as they see fit - they actually have something to go on.

After all, Jesus said to be concerned with "widows and ORPHANS". NOT widows and single parents. This quick sleight of hand works well for Michael Farris to try and appear "godly" to his biblically-minded followers, focusing on them - the adults, rather than the children who deserve to be safe and secure.

Anyway...enough of my semantics. Give this expose a read.

The Sinister Side of Homeschooling

You may have heard of Michael Farris, founder of The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Patrick Henry College.  Michael is very active in the homeschooling community and uses the advocacy power of the HSLDA to pressure governments to remove any and all regulation on those that teach their children at home.  

This gentleman has unflinching trust in every single parent that homeschools, including defending those that are accused of abusing or murdering their children.

This article, The Sinister Side of Homeschooling, by The Daily Beast gives a clear narrative of why Michael Farris is dead wrong.  The facts do not lie.  Lack of regulation and increased secrecy, coupled with the large percentage of homeschoolers that follow ultra-conservative teachings, like the child abuse practices of Michael and Debbie Pearl, make stories of physical abuse, death, and sexual abuse an all too common story.

Now, should you think that I, Incongruous Circumspection, am against homeschooling, I will put that thought to rest right now.  I am not.  I think that it can be done well and I have dear friends that are living proof of this.  It works for some and I wish them the best of luck.  

But the frequency of the stories found on Homeschooling's Invisible Children gives succinct examples as to why those that do it well should want to make sure they are proven both legitimate and loving.

Try not to weep as you go through the stories.