Disabled Vet And MMJ Patient On Hunger Strike After The State Takes Children

[Robert Celt]

"They're basically using my kids as a pawn to take away freedoms I fought for."

Disabled Navy veteran Raymond Schwab moved to Colorado last year to free himself from addictions that grew out of the pharmaceuticals prescribed by the VA to treat his service-related physical and psychological injuries.

Because Schwab is legally using medicinal cannabis in Colorado, officials in prohibitionist Kansas have abducted five of his children, ranging from 5 to 16 years of age.

In an email to The Free Thought Project, Schwab tells us that he has begun a hunger strike until his children are returned. The strike began Monday and, according to Schwab, will continue until he is reunited with his children.

In a letter to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Schwab writes:

Now, realizing Riley County Courts do not care about their oath of office, nor the Constitution or the law I will be on a hunger strike at the State Capitol until my children are returned, a Federal lawsuit or injunction is filed against you or those who have committed this crime are indicted. Some have said your State will not care, and they will let me starve to death. If that happens it will be on your doorstep, and my blood will be on your hands. Give me my children. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." — Jesus — Ms. Brownback said recently that Kansas DCF and foster care should be a model for the nation. God help us all if that ever becomes a reality.

As Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access points out, medical cannabis is an effective treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where other drugs fail. Veterans are successfully treating themselves despite the federal government's prohibition.

The ransom demanded by the Kansas "child protection" bureaucracy is a promise that Schwab will refrain from using cannabis, and four months of "clean" urinalysis test results.

"They're basically using my kids as a pawn to take away freedoms I fought for," Schwab explained to the Denver Post. "It's a horrible position to put me in."

Last April, a child abuse investigation cleared Schwab of harming his children in any way. Yet a judge has ruled that the children will remain in state control until Schwab and his wife foreswear any further legal use of cannabis.

Despite admitting that they have no grounds to keep the children because the charges are unsubstantiated, the DCF continues to hold their children hostage.

In a statement to the Topeka Capital-Journal, a DCF spokesperson confirmed that they need no evidence to kidnap a family's children.

Determining whether an allegation is true is separate from a recommendation to remove children from the home, said Theresa Freed, communications director for DCF. Though an unsubstantiated finding that doesn't lead to a parent getting their child back may be confusing, Freed said, substantiated findings account for only 4 percent of the removals the agency handles.

The DCF's declaration that 96 percent of all children they have kidnapped are being held on unsubstantiated charges is chilling and a testament to the arbitrary nature of their motives.

To make matters worse, the Schwab's 13-year-old son has been institutionalized against the family's will. He is now being held in a state facility where he is being given psychotropic drugs and is expected to remain there for up to 60 days.

The DCF has attempted to smear the family in the media by claiming that they are holding more information that can implicate the Schwab's in abuse and claim the if Raymond would allow them to go public, the world would know. However, the Schwabs have repeatedly tried to view the documents themselves – but they have not been allowed.

In response to the DCF allegations, the Schwabs released a statement that read in part:

My wife and I are thankful that DCF is so committed to releasing the truth as we are. We also agree that there needs to be a level of privacy and safety for children concerning sensitive issues such as child abuse.

I have released to the Topeka Capital Journal the findings from DCF that ALL allegations were unsubstantiated against us. Since DCF, District Attorney Barry Wilkerson, and Judge Bosch refuse to give me ALL documents pertaining to our case, even though I am representing myself, I cannot say what DCF claims we are hiding.

We have never said this case is about Cannabis alone. It was based on false allegations of abuse, which the DCF report said were unsubstantiated, then told us that lack of substantiation meant nothing and we had to stop our legal Cannabis Therapy in our home State in order to even visit or get our children back. This we have done as we currently have visited our children after submitting clean UA's.

So this is about Cannabis. When I confronted Governor Brownback today and begged for my children back he stated that since the allegations were unsubstantiated we would get our children back. When I informed him that finding was issued in July of 2015 he said he could not control the courts and walked away.

DCF claim my children are safer in their care, but they have been abused with multiple hotline report of sexual and physical abuse filed while in DCF custody. They are hiding the actual reports from us while telling us on the phone it did happen but they cannot give me details.

Raymond's hunger strike started on the 14th and the state has yet to respond. In what world is it considered acceptable to kidnap a family's children, split them up, medicate them against their will, and allow them to be physically and sexually abused to protect them from their parents who've done none of these things?

Former Gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Winn is on the side of the Schwab family and responded to their case in a statement on her Facebook page Wednesday.

I am now the official power of attorney over Raymond and Amelia Schwabs children.

I am hereby giving public notice to Governor Brownback, DCF, St. Francis, Judge Bosch and Pathway Family Services located at 4101 SW Martin Drive. Suite B. Topeka, Kansas 66609 you do NOT have the authority to medicate Raymond and Amelia Schwab's 13 year old son Caleb Karl Schwab DOB-07-16-03 under any circumstance with mind altering drugs. Should you continue to force feed this child any mind altering medication, your company and ANY personnel performing this task will be in violation of my consent and you will be held accountable in a court of law.

They said we are lying and if we signed a release to any citizen they would open the records to them. We signed a release to former gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Winn and will be going into DCF at 1:00 pm and hold a press conference after so she can report her findings. I stated to the press if she said we were lying I would stop the hunger strike

News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Disabled Vet And MMJ Patient On Hunger Strike After The State Takes Children
Author: Matt Agorist
Contact: MintPressNews
Photo Credit: Schwab family
Website: MintPressNews

 

[Bobby Blunt]

When I read the first article, the thing that stood out was the fact that the Schwab's children were not found in neglect but rather turned over to DCF by family members, who claimed the Schwab's left their children with them so they could run off to Colorado to grow pot, what Mr. Schwab said is he asked the family members to care for their children temporarily while and his wife go to Colorado, to set up house and so forth. He did mention to the family members that he wants to work with cannabis in Colorado in hopes of helping other veteran's suffering from PTSD but that was no secret. Before I say anything about Mr. Schwab's legal situation, I'd like to know what the family members who turned the children over to DCF think now that this situation has turned out horrible wrong, the family has been illegally separated from one another, then some of the children are being forceable drugged and all the children being put under physiological duress on a daily basis while in the care of, yeah right, DCF. Now these beautiful, innocent young one's will surly have their own PTSD issues to deal with and after the dust clears, will these same state government agencies assist the Schwab's in putting their lives back together after they've torn it apart or will they just dump the kids back on the parents and walk away, with the stipulation that Mr. and Mrs. Schwab be under some kind of forced Kansas probation, making them have to return to Kansas periodically with their children in tow for urine test's and evaluation's on their fitness to be parents. The truly sad thing is drug reform and decriminalization of certain drugs, cannabis will be one of them, is just around the corner and we in the cannabis community will benefit from it but it will not be set for us but those addicted to heroin, which has now reached epidemic levels in the addiction and overdose for individuals in the current dominate culture of US society.

 

[PLGreen]

I would like to send out my apology to the Schwabs. The state of Kansas and the DCF have done major damage to this family. I'm glad that he has stopped his hunger strike and is now suing the state. There are advocates that support them and their family. The draconian laws of this state must and will change but the opponents will have to be dragged kicking and screaming as they don't really care what the people think or want.