Was it a slow day in news about human rights violations? I had to laugh when reading Taeler De Haes`s most recent column, “Forced Health.” In it she describes the actions of a Chicago public school banning sack lunches in favor of mandatory cafeteria lunches with healthier options. She denounces the policy as a violation of human rights, citing that it is as if the public school system is telling parents they are incapable of properly feeding their own junk food-dependent children. Well, it seems they are, given that 34 percent of Americans are obese, a statistic Taeler herself stated.

I don’t know where Taeler stands on health care policy, but as she identifies as a conservative Republican, I have my suspicions. If you fear socialized medicine, don’t cry foul when paying into a system covering the costs of diabetes or obesity treatments because no one wanted to step up for the health of our nation’s kids. There’s no better reminder that we live in the United States than when our kids are “forced to eat” and we deem having to exchange a preferred food junk for healthier option as a legitimate violation of human rights.