THE MAJORITY PUBLIC / Part 321 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

What does the public think?

Well the public has only limited information that is true.

Customarily the public has only what comes from a public news source like CBC.

Kathy Tomlinson has completed videod pieces on the Baynes' story well over one year ago and of course much of her information was supplied by the Baynes. They did provide her with verifiable documentation which she had opportunity to review and evaluate. Her videoss were exposes of a sort and critical of the Ministry of Children.

The public does not generally approve of the State removing children from their parents so when a story like this breaks, the expressions are predictable.

CBC encourages comments to its online stories and other readers can approve or disapprove, that is, thumbs up or thumbs down the comments. You should hear a few from,

The April 3, 2009 article called 'Ministry Disregarded Legal Advice to Return Seized Children', which received 102 comments and thousands of hits. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/04/03/bc-surrey-parents-fight.html

Trees Are Good wrote: “ This is a disgraceful example of how this government deals with the best interest of our most vulnerable citizens. Even after overwhelming testimony by their own legal counsel, they have still resorted to the political safety of rigid procedure. Return these children to the protection of the people who care about them most now!! Anything less is child abuse by the state!!” 174 thumbs up / 18 thumbs down

Deputy Dawg wrote: “Now if this isn't a winnable lawsuit I don't know what is.. being the father of a two year old I know what I would do to any bureaucracy that kept me from her on an unsubstantiated whim.” 121 thumbs up / 13 thumbs down

Rayser 213 wrote: “The Inmates are Running The Asylum! They can run but they can't hide! Justice Delayed is Justice Denied! When is this Agency going to think of the best interest of the Family & not protect itself from Courts?” 63 thumbs up / 7 thumbs down

ramont wrote: “paul & zabeth, i feel for you sooo much. i went through a painfully similar ordeal in the late eighties. it was horrible. our family has never completely recovered. we all paid a price. we temporarily lost our children, then regained them but with restrictions. we all still cry from the pain and memory. during that era it felt like a witch hunt. our lawyers at the time told us not to go public with it and I've always regretted listening to them. you are better having as many people aware and on your side. when these situations are kept 'private' there is more opportunity for further abuse of authority. all the power to you. do not back down. do not be intimidated. your love and the truth will win out eventually.” 50 thumbs up / 3 thumbs down

Mighty Rearranger wrote: “Wow! These two are getting a lot of airtime on CBC, I think I am getting fed up with the oh so obvious fake looks of concern and please pity poor old me from the mother!” 7 thumbs up / 55 thumbs down

Raphael Alexander wrote: "I hope that the parents get their kids back, and then sue the government for millions. And I hope they get every penny, even if it does come from our tax dollars. Perhaps they can heal after all this is over by suing the incompetence out of the government and squeezing them for every gut-wrenching penny of bureaucratic idiocy. The nanny state has become the child abusers. Hands off Big Brother!" 49 thumbs up / 6 thumbs down

The Bayne Story / Part 304 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

Soon compelling documentaries will publicly review the B.C. government's victimization of a five-member family. Victoria is not going to like this. News networks are ready and waiting.

Paul and Zabeth Bayne had it all. They were young. They had love for one another, faith in God, a home and property for children to play on. They had one son whose birth was not easy for Zabeth, and then another son born with the challenges of serious prematurity, born at 25 weeks. Zabeth and Paul had strength, resiliency and determination. They took this child for medical checks several times each week and various services to assist his development were brought into the family home, services to assist with feeding and muscle toning and general health developmental. Their family doctor was pleased with the children's health and the parents' care of their children. And then a daughter was born and their joy was immeasurable. She too had a premature birth.

The Ministry of Children became involved with the Baynes during the first year of their second child's life, prior to the arrival of the baby girl. At his sixth month he was suddenly crying inconsolably and as he squirmed they noticed his arm hung limply. Tests at hospital revealed a fracture. Standard protective procedure you might say. Both parents were questioned. Paul was asked to leave his house for two weeks. A study identified prematurity of bones in the child and Paul was permitted to resume his role at home. But a Bayne file had begun in the MCFD database.

Paul and Zabeth have looked forward to a large and thriving family and they love their children, so the family of five was just beginning their lives together when that determinative day occurred. The new baby was doing well, fed well, slept well – all was well. Of course she, like her brother would contend with the conditions that pertain to premature birth. Then a household accident. Can be perceived as preposterous but then how many similar mishaps have occurred in our homes. This one had serious consequences. One child active and happy fell on the baby resting on a blanket on a carpeted floor where daddy could see her and to whom mommy would soon return from the other room. Zabeth says she saw the fall. You know much of the rest of this story. Within hours their girl's feeding habits changed and other serious signs prompted Paul and Zabeth to take her to local hospitals and clinics without anyone accurately identifying her issues over several days. Then at last the baby was taken to BC Children's Hospital where the brain bleed and other symptoms were noted and the shaken baby syndrome assessment was made.

Even the RCMP needed to investigate a possible case of abuse but closed that down early. The MCFD was loath to discard the SBS and Abuse storyline, even when other medical experts disputed the SBS diagnosis. What you will not know is the archived attitudes, tactics, setups and actions by the local MCFD to sustain the assumption of risk to the children at the hands of their parents or to trip up the parents. I won't bother covering it. Journalists are poised and will be all over this. I am guessing that when these become public, Victoria will not be pleased.

If you want to Encourage Reform to our Child Welfare / Part 207 / For Love and For Justice / Zabeth and Paul Bayne/

Many of you have expressed in various tones your conviction that serious changes must be made to the protection component of our B.C. child welfare system. Some of you write from a personal experience of great anguish. Living through months and even years without your children, or worse, never having the children returned. I do think that you have an opportunity to make a difference. You have a story. I don't. I merely have a sensitive sympathy meter and a ready pen. I believe that if you are going to take the challenge there are some things that must be done well. Some of you cannot do this. You are still too angry. This is about affecting change not merely scoring your point. Someone has to do the following and perhaps that someone is you. If enough someones become involved in a proactive movement, perhaps the needed changes can occur.

1.Contact your Member of Parliament. The members comprise the body that has created the framework within which the Ministry of Children operates. When you have identified the primary solution that mean the most to you and will benefit most children and parents affected by Ministry involvement, approach one of these lawmakers.
2.Contact the Media. MCFD is sensitive to media coverage as we have discerned even recently when the Representative for Children and Youth took the government to court. MCFD responds predictably with over zealousness when there has been a child fatality while in care or some abuse in a foster care facility. A change in media coverage, like more of it, more scrupulous investigative journalling can change MCFD operations. For that reason among the people you may want to contact are (1) reporters who regularly cover child welfare items; or (2) the news editor for network stations or news magazines; or even (3) the editorial board of these outlets.
3.Capitalize on Media Opinion Pages. Letters to the editor opportunities invite the kind of comment you desire to make. Make sure you work smartly, writing only 100-250 words. That means thinking clearly about one central point regardless of how many points you could or would like to make. Pay attention to news/media guidelines and stick to them. Enough of these over time makes a point. And if you write to correct a prior statement, simply set the record straight rather than question the journalist's motives.
4.Use the Comment Section of News Agency Websites. News organization welcome comments at the end of stories. No one knows how many people read the comments, and of course because anonymity conceals the writers, some deliver vile and personal attacks. When you find a discussion that is civilized, enter in to make a comment. Keep your focus on the issues.
5.What to Seek in Respect to either MPs or Journalists. Ask for a personal face to face meeting. Make an initial approach by e-mail preferably but it can be by letter and in this explain how the system is harming those whom it is intended to help. Ask for a meeting to speak about possible solutions. Don't get lost telling your own story or accuse anyone in the system of being immorally motivated. Simply give an overview of how your child(ren) are being harmed. When a reply is not forthcoming within a few days follow it up with a fresh email and if time passes again make it a phone call in the morning. If you obtain a meeting it will be brief, at most fifteen minutes. You must be well prepared with your most important points. You can have a written organized document ready to hand to the host.
6.Whatever you do avoid the 'gestapo' references or anything that blows your credibility out of the water and in fact makes legislators and reporters angry.