Grant Legal Status to Romeikes-Homeschool Petition

[TayTay]

Please consider signing...

Immediate Action Requested for Romeikes—Grant Permanent Legal Status to Persecuted German Homeschool Family

We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Obama Administration grant full and permanent legal status to Uwe and Hannelore Romeike and their children. The Romeikes, a homeschooling family represented by HSLDA, were granted asylum in 2010 because Germany persecutes homeschoolers with fines, criminal prosecution, and forcible removal of children from their families. Every state in the United States of America recognizes the right to homeschool, and the U.S. has the world’s largest and most vibrant homeschool community. Regrettably, this family faces deportation in spite of the persecution they will suffer in Germany. The Romeikes hope for the same freedom our forefathers sought. Please grant the privilege of liberty to the Romeike family.

More info: hslda.org/romeike

Sign here: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petitio...y/06vqtgCp

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[sklineho]

I'm conflicted here. On the one hand, I do sympathize with this family. On the other hand, I think this could open some MASSIVE floodgates.

[sanantone]

I agree. I think that families should have the freedom to home school their children, but there are millions of other people in the world who are being persecuted for things they either can't change or that are difficult to change. People are persecuted for their religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, for what family members have done, inter-ethnic/interracial/inter-religious marriage, just for being female, and for speaking out against government atrocities. We can't grant asylum to them all. In all honesty, if I were the president, someone being persecuted for home schooling would be at the bottom of my list. Sorry if that offends anyone.

[sanantone]

I thought something was fishy when I saw the video of the Romeike story. Hearing them tell their story actually made me lose most of my sympathy for them, so I started looking for what the other side of the homeschool community had to say.

German Asylum: I Don’t Buy Into the Homeschool Persecution Excuse
Homeschool: HSLDA Does No Favors - Homeschooling is Legal
HSLDA Destroys German Homeschool Movement - Homeschooling is Legal
Does HSLDA Work with State Associations and Support the Autonomy of Homeschoolers? - Homeschooling is Legal

When millions of people around the world are living in squalor in third world countries and are facing immediate threats to their lives, the hyper-political in this country pick this story out from all of them and use it to make some kind of political statement. They are politicizing homeschooling when it shouldn't and doesn't need to be politicized. Politicizing the issue and polarizing people only hurts homeschoolers. No, I don't agree with Germany banning homeschooling; but, there are much more serious things things to worry about than some family's very comfortable life in a first world country.

[TayTay]

Hi all! Sorry if this post has created some negative feelings... I just wanted to share it for those fellow homeschoolers who wanted to sign the petition or were unaware of it.

I, personally, don't think the issue is about a "family's comfortable life." The problem is that the government is saying that parents do not have the fundamental right to homeschool. The issue is to have the FREEDOM to CHOOSE your child's education, whether public, private, or at home. Even though this is a German family, this decision will set a precedence for ALL future homeschooling, in America.

I am a homeschool graduate, so I am partial to this. Everyone just has to do what they think is best!

HSLDA Chairman and founder Michael Farris, JD, LLM, argues the case at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on
April 23 and explains why this case is so important to Americans.

“When the United States government says that homeschooling is a mutable choice, it is saying that a government
can legitimately coerce you to change this choice,” Farris said. “In other words, you have no protected right to
choose what type of education your children will receive. We should understand that in these arguments,
something very concerning is being said about the liberties of all Americans.”
Source: http://www.hslda.org/legal/cases/romeike...130326.pdf

[Prloko]

Persecuted? C'mon now. It pains me to see a family abuse the political asylum system when there are so many people over the world suffering.

[TayTay]

I would say that fines, threats of imprisonment, and the possibility of your children being forcibly taken away, is not a "cake walk." (All of this, just for choosing to educate your children at home.) I know there are so many issues, in the world we live...we just have to stand for what we feel is right. It's a personal decision.

[Nelson1798]

I agree with Taytay. The Issue here is so much larger than homeschooling, it is the issue of the "pursuit of happiness" as Thomas Jefferson put it in the Declaration of Independence. This is yet another example of government intrusion on personal liberty and I think it should be resisted.

[Publius]

Persecuted? C'mon now. It pains me to see a family abuse the political asylum system when there are so many people over the world suffering.

It kinda pains me to see the political system abusing families. Sorta the other way around, IMHO. Yes, there's many people around the world suffering, and here's a chance to take 30 seconds and sign something to help out a family. Back to basics folks, the golden rule, if you were in trouble and needed help, anything and everything other people did for you would help and be appreciated. Whether this petition ultimately will do anything, or not, none of us knows. But the time we've taken to comment or complain, is more then twice the time it would of taken to just sign it. If you disagree, I'm not saying don't reply or comment, etc. just keep it cool and realize that around the world (and in this case particularly) you're able to do things that these people can't. You have freedoms, that they don't. Would not restriction of freedom and liberty be considered persecution? That's what millions of men and women have died for over the last 2 centuries, to gain the freedom we enjoy and keep it safe. What's my point? If freedom is worth all those glorious lives, maybe it's worth our time to spend 30 seconds and help some other folks.

[sklineho]

I would say that fines, threats of imprisonment, and the possibility of your children being forcibly taken away, is not a "cake walk." (All of this, just for choosing to educate your children at home.) I know there are so many issues, in the world we live...we just have to stand for what we feel is right. It's a personal decision.

Oh, I agree that they should have the right to educate their children but Germany doesn't have a system set up to facilitate that. There have to be standards and Germany has no such system to ensure them.

I think the word persecuted is a bit strong here though. Gemany is simply enforcing their laws. And while I understand people wanting to educate their kids, I think a family's desire to avoid having to send their kdis to a public school trumps a family fleeing say, the Taliban, is a bit unfair. So I can see why people might oppose these people on this issue. In a perfect world, they could homeschool their children. But I don't think America owes them asylum based on their inability to do so.