Witness a NY Religious "Sincerity Test" for Vaccine Exemption

By Rita Palma

This can’t happen in America. But it can in New York.

You’ll see a ‘sincerity test’-- conducted by a school attorney when my husband and I filed a religious waiver to refuse vaccines for our boys. David Cohen, attorney for our school, wanted to make supersure that we really, really believed in God. Of course, those people who lie about their belief in God are much more prone to diphtheria, hepatitis, measles, etc.—those disease-ridden atheists must be kept out of the public schools.

(There are three You Tube videos of the test.)

We failed our ‘sincerity test’- twice.

The first time, Mr. Cohen asked us about the vitamins I give my kids, “Why fish oil, Mrs. Palma?” He asked about the foods I serve and the medicines I use.  He accused me of forging a vaccine record.  The Board of Education President, Jim March, said that since I had an ‘invasive’ Titers test done on my son, how could I truly object to vaccines? 

We appealed to the Commissioner of Education who upheld the denial- five days before school started. We appealed; NYS Supreme Court dismissed our case as moot. But only after I explained to the judge that he could not waive immunization requirements. He thought he could personally decide what was needed for school admission. “If the disease is not so contagious then you don’t have to get the shot, right?” he says. So much for the court system.

The second ‘truth-test’and it’s all about God, me and Mr. Dave. “Do you have conversations with God? Does He tell you not immunize? If God is on your side, can He be on the side of those who immunize? If God created man and man created vaccinations, how can accepting vaccines represent a mistrust in God? Have your religious beliefs changed in two years?”  The video speaks for itself. Ninety minutes of harassment, outrageous questions and praying my husband (and me) would stay in his seat.

Mr. Cohen said it is part of the ‘sincerity’ to reconcile my Faith. But does religion reconcile? Does it make sense? Whatever your answer is, we believe anyway-- it’s called Faith. Mr. Cohen didn’t get it so I got an “F” for sincerity.  He believes that in order for me to believe something, he has to believe I believe it.

The law provides an exemption that fits squarely with our beliefs.  All we wanted to do was follow the law and we were treated worse than criminals. The school berated, harassed, intimidated, humiliated and outspent us.

Should it be the decision of a school board to decide if we believe in God and what to put into our children’s bodies? What, after all, do we truly own in life? Our kids, our souls, our beliefs, our convictions.

The policy of my school is to cross examine and deny. A dozen other couples have been tortured by the ‘Team Vaccine’  of Bayport- Blue Point School District. One parent was told to come down for a ‘few minutes’.  Three hours later, she left in tears—asked the same questions, over and over and over. Another parent has to ‘re-up’ the waiver every year—they have to tell the wise and powerful Board that yes, my beliefs are still the same as last year.

Another couple took them to court and won. Others avoid the ugliness and attend Catholic School. Be sure to watch Part 3, minutes 3-4 of the video as Mr. Cohen discusses these people and their options. Cohen admits that those with sincere religious beliefs get denied anyway.

Is this America? Or, ‘Alice in Wonderland’- where up is down, black is white and the Mad Hatter is judging the sincerity of my soul? Can this go on in a country founded on religious freedom? Does America mean something, or was it just a really neat idea? Were our founding fathers drinking too much toddy and this whole thing really can’t work after all? How can they get away with this?

Schools are their own government in New York. They can, if they choose, thumb their noses at the guidelines that the NYS Education Department sets. They can ignore ‘mandates’, Open Meetings Laws and Freedom of Information Laws. They make their own rules and break others. Unless a parent has a bottomless pit of money to litigate, the school gets to play Lord of the Fiefdom; we are the serfs. While most are run by good people, the arrogance of some reflects badly for the many.

I handed in a medical waiver; bona fide and acceptable by any other school. Rejected by the ‘Team Vaccine.’  Again, they can legally do it.

What if I had a vaccine-injured child that I did not want to vaccinate? What if this child needed public school services? What if Mr. Dave and the ‘Team Vaccine’ denied these waivers, I crumbled and the child died as a result of additional vaccine injury? Who do I shoot first? Myself?

I am determined to reclaim a right that no parent should ever lose and it has been a test of faith. Faith that our Legislators will improve our laws so parents are not subjected to a modern-day witch hunt. Faith that more parents will wake up to the fact that vaccines cause more tragedy than they are led to believe. Faith that the medical establishment will own up to the half and hidden truths they’ve peddled for decades at the expense of families. Faith that parents will be able to ‘opt in’ and never be harassed by a buffoon attorney or an arrogant, ignorant Board of Education. Faith that I will earn the good fortune that God gave me and pass laws that will help other parents live their beliefs.

In the years since I turned my back on vaccines, I’ve met hundreds of strong, smart parents that will make these things happen.

Did I immunize? This is America, and in spite of the government, there are still choices.

Rita M. Palma
ritapalma@mykidsmychoice.com

Comments

[samaxtics]

Carolyn M, thanks for your response.

I have lived in the US, actually my son with autism was born in NY; he’s a recipient of the vaccinate with Hep B at birth program. (the program where we live now is to give the Hep B vaccine in grade 5 which we declined with no issues for our youngest son.) Whilst in NY, my husband had excellent insurance through his company and I was happy with the healthcare we were given and the timeliness in which it was provided. We moved to Canada not too long after my son was born so I have no idea what sort of insurance we would have had had we stayed in NY and what it would have covered in terms of autism. However based on what my husband’s boss in the US pays for his insurance premium, I don’t think we could have managed to have me stay at home and help recover my child without a second salary to cover the premium.

Regardless, the point of my previous point was to address the misconception that people have that because the healthcare is universal the government will have greater control over your body. If that were truly the case then it seems to me that Canada should be the country that has the requirements/mandates for school entry vaccination and not the US under its private health care. My perspective is that the pharma companies in the US are heavily influencing government policy. I am sure it happens here in Canada but not to the same degree as it is the government that has to pick up the tab. As an example: when I first moved to NY I paid the same amount for just one month of birth control that I paid for a whole year of birth control in Canada. Pharmas are not allowed direct to consumer advertising here which is what jacks up the price of prescriptions.

As far as therapies such as ABA, sadly it is a provincial and not a federal matter and varies from province to province. The province I live in covers $60,000 a year for ABA up to age 18. The Yukon covers therapy up to 19 years of age with no maximum. Families are also eligible for funds to cover respite, transportation for appointments, babysitting for siblings, summer camps etc. I believe the last contract we had was for around $12,000 to cover those things for the year(I'm sure parents whose children are more severe receive a bigger fund). We also receive a monthly disability cheque that is based on income and is to acknowledge the added expense of raising a child with a disability.

[Terri Lewis]

Veronica,

Since immunized children can also become sick and spread disease, then your immunized kids are a risk to my kids, too.

All kids are a risk to all other kids, although some kids are certainly more of a risk.

But since we rarely check to see which kids develop antibodies to their vaccines, and which ones don't, there's really no way to tell.

Your kids may be carrying any number of diseases without showing symptoms and they could hurt my kids, who apparently can't be vaccinated safely.

Maybe you should keep your kids at home, instead, if you want their world to be utterly without risk.

[Carolyn M]

Samaxtics -

I am glad that you appear to be satisfied with your healthcare system. I live in the US, and I have been subject to government-provided healthcare. That experience has shown me that government-provided healthcare is not desirable for children who have autism. Under that system, my daughter's GI issues were very inadequately addressed (gross understatement); she was not diagnosed with autism until she was nearly 4.5 years old, and a doctor pushed an unnecessary Risperdal prescription on me for my daughter (which I did not fill). That system paid for very little of her autism-related treatment. (At one point it did partially reimburse for ABA, but then they changed the requirements to mandate that the therapist performing the ABA must be BCBA - eliminating the possibility of any reimbursement for us.) It was only when we obtained non-government provided health insurance that we started getting any significant reimbursement. By the way, the government-provided healthcare system I have been speaking of is very pro-vaccine.

We would be much better off with insurance mandates (properly worded) that with universal healthcare.

[samaxtics]

Jeoff, I live in Canada which as you may know has universal healthcare. Vaccination is not required for school entry. (There are I think 3 provinces that require the DTaP and possibly the MMR however religious, philosophical and medical exemptions are available.) No system is perfect however I would rather have healthcare policy dictated to me by someone who is elected to their position as opposed to someone who is not elected and whose concern is just for their shareholders. Seriously think about that for a minute. The government here is responsible for the healthcare of its citizens and yet does not mandate/require vaccination.

Veronica, two things. If your children are vaccinated why the concern? Herd immunity is to protect those that cannot be vaccinated. Oh, like some of our children. Second, are you privy to the vaccination status of all the adults working in your child’s school? Surely you don’t believe that it is only children that carry and spread disease?

[Veronica]

Yes. There are still choices. And when your choices place my kids at risk in the public schools, I will continue to applaud the schools for denying your un-immunized children to attend.

[jeoff]

So, how many of you are excited about nationalizing healthcare so our government can be responsible for all of your health care decisions? I am not. (even though i think that vaccinating my children is the right thing to do).

[Milivica Caly]

Parents with typically developing children have NO IDEA what it's like, parents of special needs children can easily end up experiencing a 'Viet Nam' instead of school years, as can the child. Somehow, it's kept an 'invisible' plague in the media and on television, rarely do we even hear when schools kill disabled children. Even a bus ride can mean death for your child, it's happened many times over on 'the little bus'.

The IDEA Act works about as well as Civil Rights did in the 50's.

Children with special needs are absolutely the new victims of 'Jim Crowe' for disability rights, both in the school system and in the adult world. All those laws, what a crock. Laws that aren't practiced are useless, a bunch of hot air.

I had to 'catch' my school, locking my autistic child in a closet with a bucket for a bathroom so long he'd fall asleep. By fifth grade, he was finally able to talk well enough to explain this to me. I, assuming he was explaining something wrong, asked the teacher who admitted it almost as if bragging. Whirling in disbelief, I yelled that she was a detriment to my child and I didn't want her near him. An hour later, I was in JAIL, arrested for FELONY disorderly conduct...mind you, it was after school, no kids were there, I yelled one sentence, didn't even so much as swear. My 9 year old bailed me out with her savings. Though it never went to court (dropped by the DA, then dropped by my city who was unaware I had even been in jail!). The school's legal team took me to court, I was lawyerless, lost so was prohibited from being on school grounds or yelling at the teacher but not from talking to her - though I had removed my child at that point. The school then began to pursue truancy against me with the state and various other tactics to show what angels they were and what a bad mom I was.

The agencies I contacted are too numerous to mention, the Office of Civil Rights in Chicago did investigate and dismiss the case finding no wrong on the part of school, the Coalition for Advocacy said there was 'no case' since restraint and seclusion is not illegal in my state when a school does it!!, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Civil Rights can you believe gave me the run around telling me to contact the agencies that had already dismissed my child being locked up and given a bucket for a bathroom on a daily basis. Lawyers wanted more in three hours than we make in a week - what about our other kids?

So yes, I did remove my son from school the day after my arrest, he has not been back since. The teacher is still there...last parent I spoke to arrived there to find her autistic child bleeding and shirtless, she was in the 'time out room' tearing at her own chest gasping for air as she was secluded without her inhaler for asthma. Last child I saw her with was being carried down the hallway, feet off the ground by 2 aides 'Jesus Christ' style begging for help cause it hurt, later an ambulance removed him from school., etc...

Like I said, parents unfamiliar with special education would absolutely not believe what we go through. If I'd read what I'm writing 10 years ago, I'd have ranted, "No way would I let school or anyone get away with that". Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing you can do against the government, school is government. Cops and judges automatically presume them innocent, maybe if your last name is Hilton you can make a change. I've devoted years to this, and not made one iota of change to benefit future children and parents.

It is truly Alice in Wonderland, trying to make sense of the power schools yield to break the law. If even a 13 year old babysitter did what my school did, they'd be in an adult prison. The surreal part, somehow school staff became the 'victims' and parents the villains. In all the back and forth of the fight, the main point - the children, are completely lost in the scuffle.

So frustrating, so life draining and joy depleting. I feel for you, I really do.

I'm happy to say now, my child is in a school that nourishes both his academic and spiritual gains - not religious, spiritual. They treat him like a boy, as he now puts it, "I don't get locked up like a zoo animal no more, I like that".

[Colleen, RN, pissed off mother of 4]

Supremacy Claus,
You obviously are extremely ignorant as the definition of ignorance is "the condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed". I don't know if you are uneducated, but you are clearly UNAWARE AND UNINFORMED. I am a registered nurse, have studied vaccines for 10 years, and I would challenge you to go to your nearest walk-in clinic and ask to receive each and every vaccination that you think small children should be receiving. Then, please do let us know the status of your health AFTER receiving these vaccines. I would guess that you have NO CLUE what you are spouting off.

[Recent publicity for the witch hunt]

The Palma's were interviewed for this story in World Net Daily.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=88232

[K Garba]

My question is, at the beginning of the interrogation does the state/board/attorney qualify the criteria used for determining 'bona fide' religious beliefs? If there is no criteria - how can a decision be objective? Also, Chrisitanity is a religion, Catholocism is denomonation of Christianity. Do all the folks involved in the decision have a 'complete' understanding of Christianity or better yet understand your personal walk with Christ. Have they read the entire Bible? Have they had all the training/study/experience that you've had? It seems to me that somewhere in there is discrimination.

[Maja Leibovitz]

I took them to court and won! That lawyer sounds exactly like the asshole that tried to question my beliefs. Perhaps they went to law school together. It was definitely a witch hunt!

I love your line...Is this America? Or, ‘Alice in Wonderland’- where up is down, black is white and the Mad Hatter is judging the sincerity of my soul...excellent!

[Anna Ceberio]

Does anyone know of a TV journalist that is friend of non-vaccination? It would be interesting to see what happens if these clips are shown to a wide audience and this lawer sees his "work" shown to everyone...

It may get some changes in NY started...

[Mary]

Wow. I'm very happy to be living in Colorado where we have Philo, Regligious and Medical. And I have never been questioned and if I were to be questioned I would spend all my time pulling out research, books and trying to convince rude lawyer that he shouldn't be vaccinating his kids either.............of course, unless there is a vaccine for jerkiness, which would presuppose that the vaccines actually work - which they do not.

You go girl.

This is incredible to me and I will never even visit New York if this is what it's like.

[Mom in NY]

I feel for what you went through.

With Head Start in NY, being located in one of the elem. schools, we were told to fill out a questionaire asking who our doctor and dentist was, and other intrusive questions about our lifestsyle-all of which had nothing to do with our religious beliefs. We didn't end up filling it out or sending our child. We figured if we had to fight, we'd wait until school-age. I spent the next year learning everything I could and when Kinder came, I had all my ducks in a row.

We had no problems when Kindergarten came. I had (I say had because we moved to PA) an approved religous exemption in NY, but their stipulation was that I had to resubmit one every year, just like a medical exemption.

I do have to wonder what it is about this particular school district that you refer to. Could it be all about the money?

[Christine]

Supremacy Claus-

Who else should we not waste our education dollars on? Down syndrome, paraplegics, quadraplegics? Tell use who you think is worthy of your tax dollars to receive a proper education? Did you receive an education? If you did it obviously didn't work so maybe we shouldn't waste any money on your offspring because they obviously have bad genes!

[Twyla]

Supremacy Claus, your words are empty with no relation to reality.

I'm not going to spend half an hour writing a comprehensive response, but I will address one thing you said, which was: "The biggest cause of the autism increase is the availability of services to rich, entitled parents." This oft repeated BS was addressed in a recent MIND Institute study published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Epidemiology. The study concluded that that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number of children born in California with autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted. The increase is real.

[Julie Swenson]

Supremacy Claus..what the hell are you talking about? That drivel you spewed was about the most idiotic nonsense I've ever read.

[Carolyn M]

Supremacy claus -

Your post displays a complete ignorance of autism and an appalling lack of empathy for those afflicted with this disorder. I have never met a parent of a child with autism who fit your description of "rich and entitled." I certainly do not fit that description.

Regarding your statement: "Spend $40,000 on an autistic, get nothing back." Is it then your opinion that no child with autism deserves an education, and that they should just be warehoused somewhere? It would appear so, judging by what you posted - which I found to be very inaccurate and bigoted.

[kathleen]

LOL, PLT, I agree.

Supremecy claus:
What they hey? My child is not spreading germs, I am not rich or entitled, and I am completely not understadning where you are coming from. My children attend a great school in our area. That does not mean that my son receives good therapy while he is there. My NT daughter does receive an impressive education, my son, on the other hand, is blamed for his lacking ability with speech (apraxia). The school is failing him, and I absolutley do not feel any need to sue over that. I compensate for their short-comings.
My children are both more in danger from the vaccinted children as they receive and release the live viruses from their vaccines. We are a responsible family that has chosen not to complete a vaccine schedule due to our son'r reaction. With that, we understand that we have limitations for safety. I do not travel around the world trying to see if they will catch anything, or bring anything back to their friends.
I do not see why you are referring to people like me as "bullies". I am so NOT a bully. I am vocal, and this statment by you,..."The biggest cause of the autism increase is the availability of services to rich, entitled parents who have had their lawyers intimidate school districts. They cannot believe their child has delays, and must scapegoat someone.".......makes you lacking desperately in intelligence and due diligence in the realm of educating yourself on the topic you are trying to talk about. That does not make me a bully, it makes you one.

[Deborah A Delp (www.debstake.wordpress.com)]

Rita,
You said: :This can’t happen in America." Oh yes it can and it is. In small doses but it is happening in other states. Our government (state, federal and local) is determined to control our lives. It is the one big reason I am against a nationalized health care system. To begin, the federal government would have control of it. Let's be honest anything the federal government has touched in recent decades has had the effect of the midas touch in reverse. What it touches turns to $hit. I have issues with the government telling me what I can or cannot do with my body or the bodies of my children.

We (and I mean ALL citizens of this once great country) must stand up and say enough is enough and follow through with our words with ANY means that is necessary.

Another revolution is coming people. Only this one will be the citizens against the government. It's time to stand and fight!