Patterico's Pontifications

1/14/2009

What’s in a Name? (Updated)

Filed under: Civil Liberties,Law — DRJ @ 3:31 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Last month, New Jersey residents Heath and Deborah Campbell made headlines when a local supermarket refused to sell them a birthday cake with a swastika and their 3-year-old son’s full name, Adolph Hitler Campbell. The Campbells later expressed surprise at the angry responses they received from comments on the internet:

“I think people need to take their heads out of the cloud they’ve been in and start focusing on the future and not on the past,” Heath Campbell said Tuesday in an interview conducted in Easton, on the other side of the Delaware River from where the family lives in Hunterdon County, N.J.

There’s a new president and he says it’s time for a change; well, then it’s time for a change,” the 35-year-old continued. “They need to accept a name. A name’s a name. The kid isn’t going to grow up and do what (Hitler) did.”

The Campbells also have two younger daughters: JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell. At least, they did until last week when New Jersey’s Division of Youth and Family Services removed all three children from their parents’ care:

“State authorities have removed Adolf Hilter Campbell and his two sisters from their parents’ home in Holland Township, township police Chief David Van Gilson said today.
***
The chief didn’t know why the children were taken but said his department received no reports of abuse or negligence.

Campbell, reached at home this evening, declined comment.”

Other reports indicate this week’s removal hearing was postponed until next Tuesday so the Campbells could get counsel.

I’m very interested in what the grounds were for this removal, and I’m sure everyone who was concerned about the Texas FLDS case will be interested, too.

UPDATE: Why the kids were taken is still not clear but Hot Air has more.

— DRJ

46 Responses to “What’s in a Name? (Updated)”

  1. I’m definitely interested in why the kids were removed and not just a little bit fascinated by these characters. Clearly there’s more than cake involved.

    Cake AND Death as it were.

    David Ehrenstein (ca6f57)

  2. It sounds like one of those “a pox on both their houses” situations.

    Mike K (f89cb3)

  3. I wonder if they’ll try to claim that the names alone are de facto child abuse.

    Steven Den Beste (99cfa1)

  4. Sounds like it, doesn’t it?

    DRJ (345e40)

  5. Color me skeptical.

    If this is all about the kids’ Hitler-flavored name-ings, and the apparent fact that they’re being brought up to revere Hitler, I still don’t think such qualifies as abusive enough to merit stripping the parents of custody. Creepy and unfortunate, but not over the line like, y’know, repeated physical abuse or neglect.

    If Hitler-lovin’ by the parents is grounds for removal, then what other ideologically outlying views also will be grounds for removal?

    Mitch (890cbf)

  6. I love that part about being “shocked” people took offense. Kinda like the guy who dipped a crucifix in urine and later claimed he had no idea people would get so worked up about it. Calling your kid “Adolph Hitler” is, at best, an extremely pathetic cry for attention. Well, you got what you wanted — or at least what you thought you wanted. Enjoy.

    As for the idea of taking the kids out of their parents custody, when was the last time you met a couple of perfectly normal, well adjusted neo-nazis? Methinks the swastika tatoos, “Happy Birthday Adolph Hitler” birthday cake, holocaust denials and human skulls lying around their house is just the tip of the iceberg.

    Sean P (e57269)

  7. I have yet to find that clause in the either the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution, that criminalizes stupidity.
    If it was there, it would severely limit the voters’ choices for political office.

    AD (1d0fdb)

  8. Sounds like the Jooooos control things in New Jersey. It’s close to New York, where they control and count all the money.

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  9. Now we know why Adolph went bad.

    Forensic psychologist N.G. Berrill said naming a boy Hitler could be considered child abuse.

    He was abused. So was his father.

    And his father.

    And…

    Mike K (f89cb3)

  10. Investigators will soon discover that the Campbells routinely indoctrinate their children in Jew-hatred, dress them in fake suicide belts and take them to Anti-Israeli demonstrations.

    And then the charges will drop.

    Pious Agnostic (b2c3ab)

  11. If it was just the names, I’d expect there’d be some outrage from honest leftists. Next thing you know, kids named after Che Guevara, Mao and other mass-murderers could be taken by the state.

    DWPittelli (dd9f59)

  12. PWPittelli – They aren’t worried. Those are the wrong mass-murderers.

    Pious Agnostic (b2c3ab)

  13. #8: Well, Charles Johnson has been using the term “Palestinian child abuse” to describe the way toddlers at Hezbolla rallies are paraded around in Hezbolla attire and toy uzis for years, and I frankly agree with him. And I really don’t see that this is different.

    Sean P (e57269)

  14. I discovered your homepage by coincidence.
    Very interesting posts and well written.
    I will put your site on my blogroll.
    🙂

    Jamie Holts (322264)

  15. Well, it would not come as a great surprise that someone who would name their son “Adolf Hitler Campbell” might have other poor ideas. It does not boggle the mind that the child protection folks found lots to dislike besides the names. Hopefully it wasn’t trumped up.

    Kevin Murphy (805c5b)

  16. Nazism and perversion are inseparable. I expect that there is more to the case than swastikas and funny names.

    nk (9097f8)

  17. Hussein – a name associated with 13 centuries of hate, murder, slavery, and misogyny. Wasn’t a guy named Hussein just elected President?

    Perfect Sense (9d1b08)

  18. #8: Well, Charles Johnson has been using the term “Palestinian child abuse” to describe the way toddlers at Hezbolla rallies are paraded around in Hezbolla attire and toy uzis for years, and I frankly agree with him. And I really don’t see that this is different.

    Doesn’t every Individual here deserve to hear why the Children were taken? And also why the Islamofacistists have succeeded in killing their children in order to kill others, and this act is in fact praised by these same Progressives who claim that they want to save Clildren?

    J."Trashman" Peden (b7ebef)

  19. Doesn’t every Individual here deserve to hear why the Children were taken?

    I don’t claim a right to know, but I sure hope the parents (regardless of their status as idiots) were told the reasons.

    steve sturm (3811cf)

  20. I am curious why the state will not openly say what the charges are.

    If it is for their ideology and the crazy name they gave their child no matter how repulsive I find it, is a violation of our liberties and right to stupidity by the thought police.

    ML (14488c)

  21. On a sidenote, when considering the level of vile anti-Semitism evidenced these past few weeks here in the states, I’m relieved there is a public outcry over naming a child Hitler.

    It’s not hard to imagine that if history continues to be slyly revised enough that eventually such a hideous name would become acceptable, if grudgingly so. After all, in the past week we’ve seen that it’s acceptable to a huge number of citizens who feel righteously justified to publicly carry signs telling the Jews to go back to the ovens.

    Dana (137151)

  22. But is Hitler reviled for what he did to the Jews or for starting a world war?

    DRJ (345e40)

  23. “Doesn’t every Individual here deserve to hear why the Children were taken?”
    — Absolutely — its part of our 14th Amendment due process rights, and they should have been advised of the charges immediately. But I don’t think that takes away from my earlier points.

    “And also why the Islamofacistists have succeeded in killing their children in order to kill others, and this act is in fact praised by these same Progressives who claim that they want to save Clildren?”
    — Again, no dispute (although Progressives tend not to praise the actions of Islamofascists so much as excuse them with that pseudospychological ‘cycle of violence’ claptrap). But that’s an argument to use against lefties when Hamas/Hezbollah terrorists child abuse is excused, not an argument in favor of doing nothing here.

    Sean P (e57269)

  24. Why is the Gov.t involved in these matters?

    This is pure gestapo at its worse and I am a little shocked so many alleged “Conservatives” are OK with the State taking away someone’s children just because they disapprove of their politics.

    Shocking and disappointing how conservatives cherry pick when they believe in freedom.

    Da'Shiznit (dc4a50)

  25. Ask our friendly local anti – Semites Timmah! and Sleepy for that one.

    Dmac (eb0dd0)

  26. nk,

    I suspect this a knuckle head who wanted to stick it to people moreso than anything else.

    If knuckleheads are barred from having kids 50% of this countries children would be orphaned.

    Da'Shiznit (dc4a50)

  27. That was in response to DRJ’s question, btw.

    Dmac (eb0dd0)

  28. This is really not the Gov.t’s business.

    This is a violation of everything we allegedly believe in.

    Da'Shiznit (dc4a50)

  29. Oh, but they’re doing it “for the children”.

    AD (1d0fdb)

  30. Orwell is alive and well.

    Kind of shocking. At least in Texas there were stories of child rape and involuntary marriage.

    This is what? A goofball name?

    Some politically sensitive beaureucrat pretending to give a crap about kids?

    A reaction to complaints by intrusive individuals who turn yellow/red/green every time they here about anything related to the holocaust?

    Wow.

    Da'Shiznit (dc4a50)

  31. If they were Hindu and this was a “forced marriage” — no one would be involved.

    Da'Shiznit (dc4a50)

  32. I’ve updated the post with a Hot Air link that has more information.

    DRJ (345e40)

  33. I am sure there is more than a name. Adolph Hitler is bad, but that name is not enough. But call a kid George W. Bush or Sarah Palin (or Godforbid Dick Cheney) and CPS is going to swoop in.

    Joe (dcebbd)

  34. If they’re going to take children away for being named after conquesting mass murderers, what are they going to do with all the children in New Jersey named Mohammed?

    (Full disclosure: I stole that from someone and I can’t remember who.)

    Pablo (99243e)

  35. And since we’re running low on trolls these days, where are they going to put all the kids named George?

    /BDS off

    Pablo (99243e)

  36. Ed Driscoll makes the point,

    If you’ve named your kid Hitler (and one of his siblings “JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell”), you’ve already come out in favor of a leviathan all-encompassing state. So why act surprised when it works against you?

    Dana (137151)

  37. Maybe there is something else going on, or maybe the CPS people just didn’t like the attitude of those smart ass Neo-nazis and decided to show them who is boss!

    A sad situation either way.

    EdWood (7b8d12)

  38. […] Gothamist, QandO, City Room, Patterico’s Pontifications, Outside The Beltway, Don Surber, Wizbang, AMERICAblog News, The Impolitic, New Jersey Online , […]

    The Obligatory Kids with Nazi Names removed from home posting | Political Byline (e78bc3)

  39. I find the name Mohammed just as offensive as Hitler and his record of violence compares.

    Dennis D (ae900a)

  40. There is a lot of tit-for-tat going on here — well if THIS name is bad, what about THIS guy, he killed people too! (Never as much as Hitler, but I digress). That isn’t my objection. My objection is that this guy is a 100% dyed in the wool neo-nazi. The fact he named his kid Adolf Hitler and Aryan Nation or whatever is ONE example of that. The swastikas are another. The skulls lying around there house is another.

    Now, a lot of parents teach prejudice and bigotry, and we don’t advocate taking them away, I get that and I agree. But there is teaching your child bigotry, or even hate, and there’s teaching your child to put my child in an oven (and yes, I mean “me” specifically; my daughter is Jewish). Nazis don’t just preach hate, they preach ACTING on that hate. That is a clear brightline distinction between the other examples you folks are relying on and the examples I am (ie: dressing your child up like a suicide bomber).

    Sean P (4e644b)

  41. If you’ve named your kid Hitler (and one of his siblings “JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell”), you’ve already come out in favor of a leviathan all-encompassing state. So why act surprised when it works against you?

    Because I’m white! It’s supposed to work against them, not me!

    Pablo (99243e)

  42. Comment by Sean P — 1/15/2009 @ 7:59 am

    If you look at my blog, you’ll find I’m pro-Israel. That being said, I find the 3-monkey approach of CPS in this case to be very troubling. I strongly agree these parents are more than just idiots. They’re vile, a poison on our society, and their ideology is very dangerous. But, they have a right to their political and racist beliefs. They also have a right to exhibit those beliefs. They also have a right to teach those beliefs to their children.

    They are vile and poisonous to any society, of that there is no doubt. But that alone, being their Constitutional right, is insufficient to remove children from their home. And if it becomes sufficient, those vile Jews and Christians (I am a member of the latter and supporter of the former) will be the next groups who will have their children taken from them for their “vile and poisonous” child-rearing.

    John Hitchcock (fb941d)

  43. Look, John, I get what youre saying, but you would have to agree there is a difference between teaching children that Jews are scum of the earth and should be exterminated, and teaching your kids that Jews are scum and should be exterminated and you should do it.

    In fact, I’m so sure that these parents are unfit that I would be willing to modify my position. Instead of pulling the kids out now, the NJ Deptment of Child Protective Services should return them and launch an investigation. Not an investigation into this nutjob’s political views, but an investigation into charges of physical or psychological abuse. Because, lets be honest here — just how many healthy happy functional neo-nazis are out there? This is an movement that attracts people who are already borderline psychopath and/or sociopaths to begin with and makes them worse. But we’ll do the investigation first. If after an investigation, they don’t find any credible allegations, then little Adolph Aryan Brotherhood Aushwitz Hitler Campbell can go back to his little family and learn all about proper heel clicking technique. But if there is any credible evidence of abuse, or drug use they are GONE. Fair?

    Sean P (4e644b)

  44. I find that CPS is populated by the dullest knives in the Politically Correct drawer. In fact, if anyone behaves like Nazis, it is usually CPS.

    As to taking kids away based on their name, how about confiscating all kids with the name of Hussein??

    PCD (7fe637)

  45. Look, John, I get what youre saying, but you would have to agree there is a difference between teaching children that Jews are scum of the earth and should be exterminated, and teaching your kids that Jews are scum and should be exterminated and you should do it.

    Any who tell others to murder can be charged with and convicted of various crimes. I am no attorney but words like accomplice, inciting, conspiring come to mind. Nothing in my understanding says “leave the criminal uncharged but yank out the innocent” according to US law.

    I, myself, am guilty of “slippery slope” desires. I would like Nazism to be a capital offense. I would like extremist mohammedism to be a criminal offense. I would like anti-Christian and anti-Semitic speech to be unprotected in civil courts (not criminal courts). Nearly all speech hating groups other than Christians and Jews is quickly followed by law-suits or job losses. Duane Chapman, out of a misunderstanding on his part, said something that is quite offensive and lost his TV show for some time (and income because of it). Yet, attacks on Christians and Jews do not receive the same response. The scales are already imbalanced due to the slippery slope and the power of some hyper-sensitive people and the power of other hypo-sensitive people.

    That being said, we really need to watch what we scream out for, for we will likely be the next victims of regulations we cause.

    John Hitchcock (fb941d)

  46. My position remains the same. Child “Protective” services are and will remain one of the most dangerous bureaucracies ever conceived. While some form of these agencies might be a good idea, the current system is abusive to society as a whole and children in particular. Many, if not most, of the children that fall into their clutches end up worse off than otherwise.

    Ken Hahn (4f6254)


Powered by WordPress.

Page loaded in: 0.1071 secs.