This happened six years ago and still makes the blood boil. 

We lived in a nice enough suburb in northern CA, mostly 10 schools, tight community, low crime, a happy place full of average Californians. We’re high achievers, hard workers, rule followers, non religious golden rule type folks.

Headed to a big family reunion, we pick up our son from school 15 minutes early to catch the plane. After an amazing three day weekend, we return to a letter from Kamala in the mailbox.

In the most condescending fear mongering abusive illogical language ever addressed to us, she threatens that if our son is ever tardy/absent again he’ll be branded a truant first, then have his drivers license revoked, then we’ll be arrested, and finally CPS will remove our child for neglect!

Even if it was a shitty form letter, Kamala, then attorney general, signed it and was all about it. She pushed the scared-straight approach and seems fine with this basic big brother police state type of subjugation not to mention the school to prison pipeline connection. It was 15 minutes in an otherwise perfect attendance year!

It might be a tiny thing, but was huge to us.

Oh yeah, our son was 5 years old at the time, a first year kindergartener.