I sometimes come upon a thought so well expressed that I just have to share it! Today’s guest post is the editor’s letter from the Writing-World.com newsletter, and it’s reprinted here with the kind permission of the author, Moira Allen.

This Thanksgiving, my husband and I were deeply aware of the many things we have to be thankful for — chief among them being the fact that we are once again living in the United States.  As most of you know, we spent 15 months in England, pursuing (but not precisely living) a lifelong dream.  Those 15 months made us appreciate so many things that, as Americans, we take for granted.

Freedom, for example.  One thing I’ve always taken for granted is that if a civil authority (e.g., the police) wishes to enter my home, a warrant is required to do so, issued by a judge and only on
presentation of “just cause.”  Not so in England!  Any number of “civil authorities,” including social workers, council
representatives, “wheelie bin police,” and quite possibly the vegetable seller down the street can legally enter one’s home for any number of reasons (including things like whether you’re importing an illegal variety of potato — which admittedly wasn’t something we worried about overmuch).

The latest furor, however, has arisen over a proposal to allow authorities to enter the homes of parents who are home-schooling their children, to “inspect” the premises and ensure that they are “safe” for this very “vulnerable” segment of the population… Read more…