Isolated family/teen celebrates "1st" birthday-merge

[Lady Grass Lake]

Found this article on the English News Site the Daily Mail, but it happened close to my Michigan home. This young man, 19, is only a few months younger than my son.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ay-19.html

Father raised the kids in isolation, this poor boy had nothing to document his existence, no birth certificate, no Social Security number, no education. Father supported the family by farming and doing small engine repair. The only words the boy recognized were from the Bible his father read to him. He was "discovered" when the family was evicted from the farm for not paying property taxes. A Lutheran Church is helping acclimate the boy and getting him caught up education wise. The mother is now living with a friend, the older siblings are living together and the father moved in with them. The article makes it sound like this kid has nowhere to go. How horrible!

[Jana814]

I agree sad story. So glad he's getting the help he needs.

[France Nolan]

'People tried to get my dad to let us go to school, but my dad said he had his ways,' Noah told the Jackson Citizen Patriot newspaper.

This part made me rage, not at Noah but at the people who knew what was happening and refused to do anything. Nobody contacted the authorities? A truant officer? CPS? The fact that people knew these kids existed and were being isolated like this is appalling.

[longskirtlotsakids]

I know it is appalling, and wrong, but parents like this have the law on their side. I know two fundie families here in WI that "homeschool." Wisconsin does not test or monitor homeschooled students; in one family, the ten year old cannot read. Really though, its not much different than what our local Amish do...they teach thru 8th grade, and not necessarily well. No Amish teachers have a college education either.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Thats awful :(

[France Nolan]

But it sounds like the kids were not "just" homeschooled (or their pathetic version of it), they rarely left the property. That's what raises a huge red flag to me. I've known people who homeschool, and the kids get to leave the house.

[FloraDoraDolly]

Michigan allows anyone to homeschool. No restrictions. No regulations. No testing. Nothing.

[Peas n carrots]

How utterly sad. I couldn't imagine how overwhelmed the poor kid must feel. I wonder about the older siblings... If they were able to move into their own place they must have had some kind of ID and some street smarts.

Dad sounds like a certifiable loon. He was probably prepping for his ownRuby Ridge type showdown with the gubberment.

[Palimpsest]

I'm glad he is getting support from the church. I am only surprised that this unfortunate young man's last name is not Anast, but there are more of these folk out there living isolationist/survivalist lifestyles.

Remember Gabe's other site, the one that wasn't 7XSunday -- Urban Exodus or something? They are both defunct now, but Urban Exodus was a "How To" site/forum:

What is the least restrictive state to move to re. unregulated homeschooling and keeping off the grid? How to set up in business as a puppy mill. How to practice veterinary (and probably human) medicine without a license, e.g. stitch up wounds and use herbal remedies. How to build your house out of straw. Literally. And my own personal favorite: how to finagle government grants to enable you to set up as a rural off-the-grid fundie!

[GinaM]

I just came across this and wondered if anyone has ever heard of this before. I searched to see if this family has been discussed before and couldn't find anything.

Basically, dad believed that the government should follow "God's" Law. Son was left with no birth certificate, no social security card, and no schooling. This kid is trying to play with the had his parent's dealt him. Its kinda sad.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/teen-celebrates-first-birthday-142404291.html

Not breaking link since it's yahoo

[flyawaystray]

This guy makes me rage. Does he not understand that property taxes fund stuff like libraries, parks, schools, firefighters, police, etc?

[NotALoserLikeYou]

This guy makes me rage. Does he not understand that property taxes fund stuff like libraries, parks, schools, firefighters, police, etc?

I think he is an anti govt type.