To the Point
I read different kinds of books and articles, and quotations are one of my favorite subjects. I like them so much I keep a folder just for ”Quotations”. In this column I will use several quotes from famous or outstanding Americans. I will not name the author, I want the reader to name as many authors as they can. Some will be easy, as they have been used many times in books, magazines and newspapers.
I have been complimented many times and they always embarrass me; I always feel that they have not said enough. But then, I can live for two months on a good compliment.
If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat. If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.
Age is an issue of mind of over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. A man is never more truthful than he acknowledges himself a liar. Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.
How are you doing so far? Good luck! (That’s all the quotes for this week.)
Vandals continue to plague Munday. The latest strike was at Down Town Park, where a large section of the short brick wall (across the front) was broken off. This was no accident, no roaming tom cat could have done it. This was a willful act of malicious destruction to the property of another. The park is owned by the Munday Chamber of Commerce.
Individuals vandalize for a variety of reasons including: to send a message, to express frustration, to stake revenge, to make money, or as part of a game. Vandals may work alone or as members of a loose or organized group.
It is difficult to gauge the true prevalence or cost of vandalism based on the official reports to police because they are some of the most underreported crimes. As compared to violent crime, an incident of vandalism may be considered trivial; however, all together, vandalism may be a reflection of a larger or more systematic problem in the community. Vandalism is widely viewed as a “broken windows” offense which, if not addressed, could lead to other more serious crimes.
Because the destruction of public and private property poses a threat to society, modern statutes make vandalism a crime. The penalties upon conviction may be a fine, a jail sentence, an order to pay for repairs or replacement, or all three. In addition, a person who commits vandalism may be sued in a civil tort action for damages so that the damaged property can be repaired or replaced.
The state of Texas holds parents financially responsible for vandalism committed by their minor children. This is designed to encourage parental supervision and to shift part of the cost of vandalism from the public to the individuals who should be best able to supervise the children who destroyed the property.
Destructive acts of this nature will not be excused nor will they be tolerated in Munday. The City of Munday will do what is necessary to stop this senseless destruction of public property and bring the perpetrators to justice. Parents, you are responsible for the minor children living in your household. You need to know where every child under your roof is at every minute of the day. Do you know where yours are right now, this very minute? Teenagers are smart and crafty, if you are lazy and indifferent, they have a huge advantage over you. There is a lot at stake here, parents, wake up and do the right thing for your children. Don’t expect some other parent to keep your teenager out of trouble, it just doesn’t work that way.
Richie Smith said at Lion’s Club last Tuesday that he was proud of Munday because, “People of Munday are a caring, helpful people. And people from other places are seeing this and talking about Munday.” As we think along these lines, let’s talk about something close to home. It has come to my attention that the Munday Food Bank is in dire need of OUR assistance. The bank now feeds over 800 people from around the county: Munday has the only food bank. Food and money, lots of each will help, now. Also, the bank could use a medium/large enclosed trailer to transport food stuffs from Wichita Falls, If anyone has one to loan or donate, please contact Adrin Fletcher at the Church of Christ. The $10 gift boxes from Lawrence Brothers make good gifts for the Food Bank.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
To The Point
Our main topic this week is “unity” or “unity of purpose.” Following al-Qaida’s infamous attack on our nation, the 9/11 Commission Report said, “We have come together with a unity of purpose because or nation demands it. The nation was unprepared.”
“The most important failure was one of imagination,” the report continued. “We do not believe leaders understood the gravity of the threat.”
“Imagination,” said Albert Einstein, “is more important than knowledge.”
Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington D.C., our political climate has become increasingly partisan. Instead of meeting in the middle and working toward solutions, people are standing on the fringes and yelling at each other. We have forgotten that we share many common goals and should work on achieving these goals together.
It has been a while since Munday suffered a tragedy. Many of us remember the last one too well. We do not relish an enactment of that terrible time. We don’t want a tragedy of any kind to come our way.
With that thought in mind, no one will mind if I step in here and try to prevent a tragedy from happening. For the most part Munday is a community of like-minded individuals. At least that is what we all want to believe. Okay, if we are like-minded does that mean we do not have a mind of our own? Bear with me here.
When Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told an audience in London she was "ashamed" that President Bush came from Texas, she had no reason to think her words would cause country music stations in parts of the United States to boycott the trio's latest album and their best-selling hit single, "Travelin' Soldier."
It wasn't just that she was caught up in Europe's antiwar spirit; something more profound is in play here. Maines lives and works in artsy, liberal Austin. Her remark wouldn't cause a ruckus among the like-minded transplants who have moved there in droves over the past two decades (including Maines, who hails from the decidedly less liberal West Texas city of Lubbock).
I propose that we are like-minded on many subjects, or ojects, but, that we all have a tendency to have a mind of our own. And when we are in the “mind of our own” mode, we become close-minded to other ideas: the ideas of other people. Some of us are closed to any ideas other than our own. Now, if you can convince these like-minded people that what you are saying is really their idea, bingo, you have a semblance of unity. At least between the two of you.
My point is: we need unity in Munday. We need a unity of purpose to survive as a town. When people talk about survival the theme is usually “survival of the fittest.” That means someone comes out on top and is king of the hill. We don’t need a king in Munday. We need a whole town surviving against the odds. The odds are all those things that work together, as in unity, to destroy small towns like Munday.
Now, the unpleasant part of my whole point is this: Munday has an abundance of wanna-be kings. Some will not play with the rest of us if they can’t be the quarterback calling the plays. Others refuse to play if they have to agree with Joe Schmo’s ideas. Some won’t play this game because, well, we’ve played it before and it wasn’t any fun then. People’s excuses, reasons, for not cooperating are many and, well, quite rediculous.
People of Munday, it is time for ALL of US to put aside our selfish feelings and ideas, and pull together. If we want to survive as a community we MUST cooperate with each other. And to cooperate we MUST stop talking about each other and tearing each other apart; this is negative and works against Munday. Instead we need to build up each other, encouraging everyone. Like-minded folks will put the best interest of Munday first and foremost. It will be for US, WE WILL overcome. WE WILL survive, together!
When you put in a good word for Munday, you are putting in a good word for all of US. We are one, WE are for the survival and growth of Munday. It’s onward and upward: there are no alternate routes.
Our main topic this week is “unity” or “unity of purpose.” Following al-Qaida’s infamous attack on our nation, the 9/11 Commission Report said, “We have come together with a unity of purpose because or nation demands it. The nation was unprepared.”
“The most important failure was one of imagination,” the report continued. “We do not believe leaders understood the gravity of the threat.”
“Imagination,” said Albert Einstein, “is more important than knowledge.”
Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington D.C., our political climate has become increasingly partisan. Instead of meeting in the middle and working toward solutions, people are standing on the fringes and yelling at each other. We have forgotten that we share many common goals and should work on achieving these goals together.
It has been a while since Munday suffered a tragedy. Many of us remember the last one too well. We do not relish an enactment of that terrible time. We don’t want a tragedy of any kind to come our way.
With that thought in mind, no one will mind if I step in here and try to prevent a tragedy from happening. For the most part Munday is a community of like-minded individuals. At least that is what we all want to believe. Okay, if we are like-minded does that mean we do not have a mind of our own? Bear with me here.
When Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told an audience in London she was "ashamed" that President Bush came from Texas, she had no reason to think her words would cause country music stations in parts of the United States to boycott the trio's latest album and their best-selling hit single, "Travelin' Soldier."
It wasn't just that she was caught up in Europe's antiwar spirit; something more profound is in play here. Maines lives and works in artsy, liberal Austin. Her remark wouldn't cause a ruckus among the like-minded transplants who have moved there in droves over the past two decades (including Maines, who hails from the decidedly less liberal West Texas city of Lubbock).
I propose that we are like-minded on many subjects, or ojects, but, that we all have a tendency to have a mind of our own. And when we are in the “mind of our own” mode, we become close-minded to other ideas: the ideas of other people. Some of us are closed to any ideas other than our own. Now, if you can convince these like-minded people that what you are saying is really their idea, bingo, you have a semblance of unity. At least between the two of you.
My point is: we need unity in Munday. We need a unity of purpose to survive as a town. When people talk about survival the theme is usually “survival of the fittest.” That means someone comes out on top and is king of the hill. We don’t need a king in Munday. We need a whole town surviving against the odds. The odds are all those things that work together, as in unity, to destroy small towns like Munday.
Now, the unpleasant part of my whole point is this: Munday has an abundance of wanna-be kings. Some will not play with the rest of us if they can’t be the quarterback calling the plays. Others refuse to play if they have to agree with Joe Schmo’s ideas. Some won’t play this game because, well, we’ve played it before and it wasn’t any fun then. People’s excuses, reasons, for not cooperating are many and, well, quite rediculous.
People of Munday, it is time for ALL of US to put aside our selfish feelings and ideas, and pull together. If we want to survive as a community we MUST cooperate with each other. And to cooperate we MUST stop talking about each other and tearing each other apart; this is negative and works against Munday. Instead we need to build up each other, encouraging everyone. Like-minded folks will put the best interest of Munday first and foremost. It will be for US, WE WILL overcome. WE WILL survive, together!
When you put in a good word for Munday, you are putting in a good word for all of US. We are one, WE are for the survival and growth of Munday. It’s onward and upward: there are no alternate routes.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF MUNDAY, TEXAS ESTABLISHING
A MAYOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL (MAC) FOR THE CITY OF MUNDAY
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Munday, Texas, wants to know what is happening in every part of the city of Munday; and
WHEREAS, the City Council realizes that every citizen cannot and would not address their every individual needs or grievances to the council; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes by establishing a Mayor’s Advisory Council that citizens’ needs, expectations, and/or dreams could be met; and
WHEREAS, the City Council understands the purpose of the Mayor’s Advirory Council (MAC) to be as follows:
Section 1. Purpose
(1) To resolve citizen grievances, to accept citizens' complaints, to determine the legitimacy of such complaints, and, to report citizen’s complaints to the mayor and City Council.
(2) To aid in making the mayor and City Council aware of problems in the Munday community.
(3) To recommend and present new and progressive ideas to the mayor and city council.
(4) To promote civic pride and community goals.
(5) To consider nominations for the wall of fame award as described below in Section 3.
Section 2. Composition of MAC and selection of members.
The MAC established by this resolution shall consist of no less than ten (10) members and no more than fifteen (15) members being representative of all ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic interests existing in the city. No employee of the city shall serve on the MAC. All members shall be appointed by the mayor.
Section 3. Qualifications.
Each member appointed shall be a registered voter. Further, each member who is appointed by the mayor shall live in the city. In the case of a 15-member council, three business people can live outside the city limits.
Section 4. Wall of Fame Award
(1) The membership of the MAC may, by majority vote, select persons as recipients of the Wall of Fame Award (known before as Attaboy Club). Such selection shall be memorialized by way of a formal resolution adopted by the MAC. This resolution shall then be forwarded to the city secretary for consideration and approval by the Munday City Council.
(2) This award shall be given to a person who has made significant and outstanding contributions to the City of Munday over a period of many years.
(3) The Wall of Fame Award may be bestowed posthumously.
(4) The City of Munday shall maintain a plaque in a prominent place at City Hall which contains the names of each recipient of the Wall of Fame Award.
Dated at the City of Munday this 13th day of October, 2009.
Buddy V. Norville
Mayor of Munday
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF MUNDAY, TEXAS ESTABLISHING
A MAYOR’S YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL (MYAC) FOR THE CITY OF MUNDAY
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Munday, Texas, has determined that the young people of our community have unique insight into the needs, desires, problems and issues which confront, and are experienced by young people; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that our youth, as inheritors of the community, are certainly deserving of a voice and representation, in efforts adopted by the City to identify and resolve issues which concern the youth of the community; and
WHEREAS, the City Council feels it is important to provide an opportunity for the youth of Munday to acquire a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the political system through active participation in the system; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes by establishing a Youth Advisory Council it will instill a feeling of positive self-worth and esteem, to teach respect for the rights and property of others, to promote community pride, and eliminate potential negative influences among our future community leaders.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MUNDAY,
TEXAS:
There is hereby established a "Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council" hereinafter "MYAC". The purpose of the MYAC is to actively advise the City Council with thoughtful recommendations on issues concerning youth and to assist City staff in considering youth perspectives in its planning efforts. The MYAC shall hold periodic meetings with the Mayor and/or City Council and will attend City Council and City Board meetings when youth issues are on the agenda. MYAC shall create task forces, as needed.
Dated at the City of Munday this 13th day of October, 2009.
Buddy V. Norville
Mayor of Munday
CITY OF MUNDAY, TEXAS ESTABLISHING
A MAYOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL (MAC) FOR THE CITY OF MUNDAY
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Munday, Texas, wants to know what is happening in every part of the city of Munday; and
WHEREAS, the City Council realizes that every citizen cannot and would not address their every individual needs or grievances to the council; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes by establishing a Mayor’s Advisory Council that citizens’ needs, expectations, and/or dreams could be met; and
WHEREAS, the City Council understands the purpose of the Mayor’s Advirory Council (MAC) to be as follows:
Section 1. Purpose
(1) To resolve citizen grievances, to accept citizens' complaints, to determine the legitimacy of such complaints, and, to report citizen’s complaints to the mayor and City Council.
(2) To aid in making the mayor and City Council aware of problems in the Munday community.
(3) To recommend and present new and progressive ideas to the mayor and city council.
(4) To promote civic pride and community goals.
(5) To consider nominations for the wall of fame award as described below in Section 3.
Section 2. Composition of MAC and selection of members.
The MAC established by this resolution shall consist of no less than ten (10) members and no more than fifteen (15) members being representative of all ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic interests existing in the city. No employee of the city shall serve on the MAC. All members shall be appointed by the mayor.
Section 3. Qualifications.
Each member appointed shall be a registered voter. Further, each member who is appointed by the mayor shall live in the city. In the case of a 15-member council, three business people can live outside the city limits.
Section 4. Wall of Fame Award
(1) The membership of the MAC may, by majority vote, select persons as recipients of the Wall of Fame Award (known before as Attaboy Club). Such selection shall be memorialized by way of a formal resolution adopted by the MAC. This resolution shall then be forwarded to the city secretary for consideration and approval by the Munday City Council.
(2) This award shall be given to a person who has made significant and outstanding contributions to the City of Munday over a period of many years.
(3) The Wall of Fame Award may be bestowed posthumously.
(4) The City of Munday shall maintain a plaque in a prominent place at City Hall which contains the names of each recipient of the Wall of Fame Award.
Dated at the City of Munday this 13th day of October, 2009.
Buddy V. Norville
Mayor of Munday
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF MUNDAY, TEXAS ESTABLISHING
A MAYOR’S YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL (MYAC) FOR THE CITY OF MUNDAY
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Munday, Texas, has determined that the young people of our community have unique insight into the needs, desires, problems and issues which confront, and are experienced by young people; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that our youth, as inheritors of the community, are certainly deserving of a voice and representation, in efforts adopted by the City to identify and resolve issues which concern the youth of the community; and
WHEREAS, the City Council feels it is important to provide an opportunity for the youth of Munday to acquire a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the political system through active participation in the system; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes by establishing a Youth Advisory Council it will instill a feeling of positive self-worth and esteem, to teach respect for the rights and property of others, to promote community pride, and eliminate potential negative influences among our future community leaders.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MUNDAY,
TEXAS:
There is hereby established a "Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council" hereinafter "MYAC". The purpose of the MYAC is to actively advise the City Council with thoughtful recommendations on issues concerning youth and to assist City staff in considering youth perspectives in its planning efforts. The MYAC shall hold periodic meetings with the Mayor and/or City Council and will attend City Council and City Board meetings when youth issues are on the agenda. MYAC shall create task forces, as needed.
Dated at the City of Munday this 13th day of October, 2009.
Buddy V. Norville
Mayor of Munday
To The Point
Last year Texas crops suffered a loss of over $50 million in damage to wild hogs. Just to give you an idea of their destructive capabilities, a herd of 30-40 hogs can destroy a 25-acre field in a night. Some of our readers have experienced their power. Many individuals are doing their best to eradicate these creatures. The problem is, the hogs multiply faster than individuals can kill them. It may take a disaster declaration by the governor to remedy this problem, because this is a stateside situation. The problem is larger than a city or even a county can handle. Oh, there are no funds budgeted for this type of disaster. That is not a viable answer. All we need is for these hogs to get rabies or something worse. Why didn’t President O’bama promise every Democrat a hog on his plate. Texas farmers would be more than happy to furnish the hogs for a few billion of them bail out dollars. They can even keep their Cadillac clunkers.
Early voting for the upcoming Nov. 3 statewide election begins Monday and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Although no state, county, or city offices will be filled during this election, the fate of 11 proposed constitutional amendments is at stake statewide.
Texas has gained approximately 1,100 jobs, based on more than 230 contracts awarded from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The construction industry was the big winner regarding contracts, with road, bridge and other transportation infrastructure projects. Environmental jobs, too, were boosted by funding relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy creation and use. Texas continues to lead the nation in these areas.
I know everyone in Munday is happy to hear that October 31, will be our fall city-wide cleanup day. There are signs of trash buildup all over town, so folks are cleaning out their garages, storage rooms and their cellars, just for this time. (There is a story in another part of this paper telling where to take your trash and what time to get it there, and what you can take. No chemicals, explosive items or heat-seeking missiles. Please follow the directions in the story.)
Something of interest to Munday folks has come to our attention that has not been broadly publicized. The site for the Knox County Livestock Show will be in Munday on a permanent basis. This is due to the fact that Munday has the best facilities, with ample parking for trucks, trailers and cars of visitors. The show is always held in January.
The showbarn, formerly owned and operated by the Young Farmers, is now under the umbrella of the Development Corporation of Munday (DCM or EDC). According to Mark Reed, president, the DCM will take care of some needed repairs, install more lighting in some areas of the showbarn and apply insulation to the interior.
“Of course the whole place needs cleaning up, especially the back of the building,” Reed said, “the back has rotting railroad ties all over the area. Right now it’s hard to see them because the grass is so tall. We could really use some help back there to get this place ready for the County Show in January.”
Yeh, I know, this is only October. But the 31st is only two weeks away. And cold weather is another few weeks away. NOW would be a good time for all you volunteers to come down and help, either on or before October 31st. There is nothing that says your club or organization can’t go over there and do it all before the 31st. Please, let this be a community effort and make that area of Munday shine. Let’s show our county visitors how Munday takes care of business.
Several of us have been attending all kinds of meetings around the state learning and networking with others from all over the state. People everywhere have heard of Munday, even though they don’t remember why always. So we remind them why Munday is so well-known. We’ll be telling all about soon enough, but first we have a ton of paper work to do and thousands of photos to shoot. And some day we will hear, “Lights, camera, action!” You’ll want to keep your subscription to the Courier paid up.
Last year Texas crops suffered a loss of over $50 million in damage to wild hogs. Just to give you an idea of their destructive capabilities, a herd of 30-40 hogs can destroy a 25-acre field in a night. Some of our readers have experienced their power. Many individuals are doing their best to eradicate these creatures. The problem is, the hogs multiply faster than individuals can kill them. It may take a disaster declaration by the governor to remedy this problem, because this is a stateside situation. The problem is larger than a city or even a county can handle. Oh, there are no funds budgeted for this type of disaster. That is not a viable answer. All we need is for these hogs to get rabies or something worse. Why didn’t President O’bama promise every Democrat a hog on his plate. Texas farmers would be more than happy to furnish the hogs for a few billion of them bail out dollars. They can even keep their Cadillac clunkers.
Early voting for the upcoming Nov. 3 statewide election begins Monday and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Although no state, county, or city offices will be filled during this election, the fate of 11 proposed constitutional amendments is at stake statewide.
Texas has gained approximately 1,100 jobs, based on more than 230 contracts awarded from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The construction industry was the big winner regarding contracts, with road, bridge and other transportation infrastructure projects. Environmental jobs, too, were boosted by funding relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy creation and use. Texas continues to lead the nation in these areas.
I know everyone in Munday is happy to hear that October 31, will be our fall city-wide cleanup day. There are signs of trash buildup all over town, so folks are cleaning out their garages, storage rooms and their cellars, just for this time. (There is a story in another part of this paper telling where to take your trash and what time to get it there, and what you can take. No chemicals, explosive items or heat-seeking missiles. Please follow the directions in the story.)
Something of interest to Munday folks has come to our attention that has not been broadly publicized. The site for the Knox County Livestock Show will be in Munday on a permanent basis. This is due to the fact that Munday has the best facilities, with ample parking for trucks, trailers and cars of visitors. The show is always held in January.
The showbarn, formerly owned and operated by the Young Farmers, is now under the umbrella of the Development Corporation of Munday (DCM or EDC). According to Mark Reed, president, the DCM will take care of some needed repairs, install more lighting in some areas of the showbarn and apply insulation to the interior.
“Of course the whole place needs cleaning up, especially the back of the building,” Reed said, “the back has rotting railroad ties all over the area. Right now it’s hard to see them because the grass is so tall. We could really use some help back there to get this place ready for the County Show in January.”
Yeh, I know, this is only October. But the 31st is only two weeks away. And cold weather is another few weeks away. NOW would be a good time for all you volunteers to come down and help, either on or before October 31st. There is nothing that says your club or organization can’t go over there and do it all before the 31st. Please, let this be a community effort and make that area of Munday shine. Let’s show our county visitors how Munday takes care of business.
Several of us have been attending all kinds of meetings around the state learning and networking with others from all over the state. People everywhere have heard of Munday, even though they don’t remember why always. So we remind them why Munday is so well-known. We’ll be telling all about soon enough, but first we have a ton of paper work to do and thousands of photos to shoot. And some day we will hear, “Lights, camera, action!” You’ll want to keep your subscription to the Courier paid up.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Obama is sure about somethingSandy Rios - Guest Columnist
Do you remember the anticipation surrounding the great non-debate between Barack Obama and John McCain hosted by Pastor Rick Warren? Televised from Saddleback Church as millions watched, Warren pledged to ask the hard questions in order to get to the truth. It was a critical juncture in the presidential campaign and there was much public discussion over faith and values and marriage and Proposition 8 and where, exactly, each man stood.
So there it was...proof. The skeptics of Obama's Christian faith and his position on the moral implications of same-sex marriage had been put in their place. The man had said he believed marriage was between a man and a woman, it was sacred and that it was his Christian faith that informed him of this. It was convincing and powerful and many social conservatives breathed a sigh of relief and voted for the charming candidate with the lovely smile, believing they were affirming a new era in race relations and signing on to "hope and change."
Fast forward to a recent appearance by the president in Washington, DC. The occasion was the annual dinner for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the leading organization promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. That audience was also eager to know just where he stood. Restless with his perceived inaction on their issues, they waited eagerly as Obama rose to speak.
He promised them the world. He promised a hate crimes bill that will put an added measure of federal law enforcement on anyone perpetrating a violent crime against a gay, lesbian or transgender person. If passed, murdering a gay man will be a much more serious crime than killing a grandmother. With bravado, he pledged to name this bill after Matthew Shepherd, the young gay slain in Wyoming in 1998. ABC tried to correct the narrative not long after the incident to clarify it was robbery not "homophobia" that resulted in the murder, but the story was already larger than life. Matthew was known for soliciting straight men and abusing drugs. His murder was tragic, but he was no hero. Still, Obama advanced the legend, and gave tribute to a man not known for his character, but for his sexual preference.
Next he promised ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) to punish moral objections to hiring of GLBT persons -- even in schools, churches, private business and government offices. The next time you visit your child's school, after it passes, you could be met by a male teacher in a skirt or a drag queen as the office secretary.
"There are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors, even loved ones -- good and decent people -- who hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes," Obama continued.
I wonder if he had Rick Warren or the audience at Saddleback or the Christian world in mind. Surely that inference to a homosexual audience very clearly suggested that objections to homosexuality on moral grounds constituted those "outworn arguments" and "old attitudes." What could be older than the biblical prohibition against same-sex sex?
"I'm here with you in that fight....My commitment to you is unwavering....Do not doubt the direction we are headed and the destination we will reach," the president promised to the applause of the crowd.
If he had only made promises that definitive to Rick Warren....But he did say this during that televised "debate" in the heat of the campaign: "I'm not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage."
Really? He promised those at the HRC banquet he would overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. Ultimately he fought against Proposition 8 in California, a vote by its citizens to prevent same-sex marriage. And later he made sure he spoke in opposition to traditional marriage advocates in Iowa who were, with his help, defeated.
But the promises to the Human Rights Campaign didn't end there. In spite of objections by the best military minds who have cautioned about the dangers to troop cohesion in the face of open sexuality of either gender, Obama declared defiantly, "I will end 'Don't ask, don't tell.' That's my commitment to you!" Commitment to the homosexual activist community...not so much to our troops in the field.
"My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians whether in the office or on the battlefield. You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as between a man and woman...I am committed to these goals...."
Indeed, I believe he is. For a man who is so uncertain on so many things, of the need to advance homosexual rights he seems passionately convinced.
Monday, October 12, 2009
to the point
The State’s involvement in the sales tax revenue is even more incredable, when they send us back only two percent of what we send to them. It takes a lot of sales in Munday to come out with much at the rate of two percent on the dollar.
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Now that you are in a mode for dealing with statistics, here’s a few for you from the crash calendar of 2008.
Statistics show that Texas has a significant traffic safety problem. In 2008 there were approximately 3,468 traffic related fatalities, with 1,422 (42%) being speed related. Fatalities in traffice crashes in rural areas accounted for 1,877 deaths (54.1%). That’s right, over half of the deaths occurred in areas like Munday.
There were no deathless days on Texas roadways in 2008. Friday, August 8th was the deadliest day with 32 persons killed in traffic crashes. August and October were the deadliest months with 320 persons killed in both months.
Of those killed in 2008 56% were not wearing seat belts. Of 529 motorcyclists (operators and passengers) killed, 56% were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash.
Single vehicle, run off the road crashes resulted in 1,116 deaths. This was 32% of all deaths. There were 829 people killed in crashes occurring in intersections or related to an intersection. Another 510 were killed in head-on crashes.
There were 975 killed in crashes where a driver was under the influence of alcohol. This is 28.1% of the total killed. More DUI-alcohol related crashes were reported in the hour between 2:00 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. than any other hour of the day. Also, more alcohol related crashes occurred on Saturday than any other day of the week.
Pedalcyclist fatalities totaled 48, a 4% decrease from 2007.
Okay, so you think you’d feel safer walking than riding in a car? Pedestrian fatalities totaled 48 in 2008. This is a 5% increase over 2007. So it was more dangerous to walk in 2008 than it was in 2007.
Then there are the airlines who brag about how much safer it is to fly. I don’t know how one would go about comparing statistics realistically. One airline says it is safer to fly with them because they had fewer accidents per takeoff. Another says they are safer because they have had fewer accidents per 100, 000 flying miles. Another is safer because they have the best peanuts in the air. One website, sponsored by a law firm, says if calculated by distance, planes are 62 times safer than cars and trucks However, if calculated by journey, planes are three times more dangerous than cars.
Another site, sponsored by a book on air safety, says more a realistic figure is the rate of fatalities per number of journeys. By this measure, air travel takes on a different complexion. Fatalities per 100 million passenger journeys are 4.5 for cars, 2.7 for trains, and 55 for planes. This means one is 12 times more likely to die on a commercial jet compared to a car, and 20 times more likely to die on a plan than on a train.
A good statistician can crunch the numbers to come up with any story his boss wants, whether they are correct or not.
Just give people the facts about Munday and how great it is and you’ll be correct in every way.
Today one might expect to pay at least $130 for a speeding fine, plus $97 in court costs. In 1994 a speeding ticket was anywhere from $58-$63. A no driver’s license fine was only $67, whereas today it could be around $200. Today’s fees reflect more involvement by the State of Texas in our business. For instance the State tells the courts how much to charge for court costs and how much we can keep in Munday. Not much stays here. And if we don’t collect as much as they prescribe, we still have to send it to them every quarter.
Now that you are in a mode for dealing with statistics, here’s a few for you from the crash calendar of 2008.Statistics show that Texas has a significant traffic safety problem. In 2008 there were approximately 3,468 traffic related fatalities, with 1,422 (42%) being speed related. Fatalities in traffice crashes in rural areas accounted for 1,877 deaths (54.1%). That’s right, over half of the deaths occurred in areas like Munday.
There were no deathless days on Texas roadways in 2008. Friday, August 8th was the deadliest day with 32 persons killed in traffic crashes. August and October were the deadliest months with 320 persons killed in both months.
Of those killed in 2008 56% were not wearing seat belts. Of 529 motorcyclists (operators and passengers) killed, 56% were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash.
Single vehicle, run off the road crashes resulted in 1,116 deaths. This was 32% of all deaths. There were 829 people killed in crashes occurring in intersections or related to an intersection. Another 510 were killed in head-on crashes.
There were 975 killed in crashes where a driver was under the influence of alcohol. This is 28.1% of the total killed. More DUI-alcohol related crashes were reported in the hour between 2:00 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. than any other hour of the day. Also, more alcohol related crashes occurred on Saturday than any other day of the week.
Pedalcyclist fatalities totaled 48, a 4% decrease from 2007.
Okay, so you think you’d feel safer walking than riding in a car? Pedestrian fatalities totaled 48 in 2008. This is a 5% increase over 2007. So it was more dangerous to walk in 2008 than it was in 2007.
Then there are the airlines who brag about how much safer it is to fly. I don’t know how one would go about comparing statistics realistically. One airline says it is safer to fly with them because they had fewer accidents per takeoff. Another says they are safer because they have had fewer accidents per 100, 000 flying miles. Another is safer because they have the best peanuts in the air. One website, sponsored by a law firm, says if calculated by distance, planes are 62 times safer than cars and trucks However, if calculated by journey, planes are three times more dangerous than cars.
Another site, sponsored by a book on air safety, says more a realistic figure is the rate of fatalities per number of journeys. By this measure, air travel takes on a different complexion. Fatalities per 100 million passenger journeys are 4.5 for cars, 2.7 for trains, and 55 for planes. This means one is 12 times more likely to die on a commercial jet compared to a car, and 20 times more likely to die on a plan than on a train.
A good statistician can crunch the numbers to come up with any story his boss wants, whether they are correct or not.
Just give people the facts about Munday and how great it is and you’ll be correct in every way.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The ACLU's real agenda in the Mojave Desert
Robert Knight
Where is Art Carney when you need him?
The straight man for the classic Honeymooners TV show could deliver a line sorely needed at today's (Oct. 7) Supreme Court hearing on the fate of the Mojave Desert war memorial cross: "Simmer down, Ralphie boy!"
In this case, Ralphie is Frank Buono, a man who has gone to absurd lengths to find offense. In fact, it's reminiscent of the false knock on the Puritans that they above all else feared that someone, somewhere was having a good time. In Frankie's case, he apparently fears that someone, somewhere might take comfort in a cross erected to honor America's fallen heroes.
At issue in Salazar v. Buono is the five-foot-tall (estimates vary) cross that is the latest in a series of crosses erected on Sunrise Rock since 1934 in California's Mojave National Preserve. The original was built by World War I veterans with the Veterans of Foreign Wars who had gone to the desert for their health and decided to honor their fallen comrades and the rest of America's war dead by erecting a wooden cross. The current one, made of pipe, was built in 1998 by a local resident, Henry Sandoz. The cross is in a remote region seen by few. But one of those is Buono, a former Park Service employee and ACLU member who told the ACLU that although he moved to Oregon, he comes down and sees the cross "two to four times a year." That was enough for the ACLU to file a lawsuit in 2001 demanding that the National Park Service tear down the cross.
A quick comparison. In Berlin, Ronald Reagan thrilled millions by saying "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The ACLU, on the other hand, squeals loudly, "Courts, tear down this cross!" Whose country would you rather live in?
In 2004, Congress passed laws designating the site as a national war memorial and swapping the land on which the cross stands for some privately owned acreage. But Mr. Buono, whose complaint was that a cross on taxpayer-owned federal land violated his First Amendment right against establishment of religion, filed an injunction halting the transfer. He claims that he's an injured party although the government gave him relief on his original request: "Stop saying 'yes' to my demands, or I'll sue!" Naturally, the wacky Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco found merit in his argument, bringing us to the Oct. 7 hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Park officials years ago covered the cross in canvas lest the sight of it burn Mr. Buono's eyes on one of his strolls. After some patriot tore off the canvas, the cross was covered in a plywood box. Could there be a more apt symbol of what the ACLU wants to do to religion in this country?
C.S. Lewis once remarked that the agenda of the Left is to make pornography public and religion private, a goal clearly reflected in the ACLU's endless string of nuisance cases. They've gained a lot of ground. While America is awash in Internet porn and ever-more coarse trash on TV, an obscure cross honoring our war dead gets hammered into a box.
In June, the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU), an antidote to the ACLU, filed an amicus brief that says Mr. Buono has no standing in this case because he is claiming injury based on his own injunction that has foiled the relief that he had sought.
The brief by ACRU attorneys Peter Ferrara and Ken Klukowski observes that,
"It is therefore not an end to taxpayer support for the cross that Mr. Buono seeks, but rather to employ judicial power to compel the executive branch to destroy this war memorial. Standing doctrine should not be construed to empower plaintiffs to use the courts to convert the executive branch into a demolition crew that levels crosses to the ground."
The VFW and many other groups also have submitted briefs in defense of the cross. There is much at stake. An ACLU victory could imperil crosses and Stars of David on the graves of soldiers in 22 war memorial cemeteries and encourage the ACLU to look for yet more targets. They are still trying to tear down the 29-foot Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross near San Diego. In recent years, they've sued to have religious symbols removed from the seals of Stow, Ohio; Redlands, California; Duluth, Minnesota; Plattsmouth, Nebraska; and Republic, Missouri. In Los Angeles, the mere threat of an ACLU lawsuit motivated the County Board of Supervisors to vote to remove a cross from the county seal in 2004 despite the wishes of 94 percent of the residents.
This past week, the Pentagon reported that eight more American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. They paid the ultimate price defending freedom and America's security.
What do you think their fathers, mothers, wives, and children would say if they came upon that cross covered up in a box?
Robert Knight
Where is Art Carney when you need him?
The straight man for the classic Honeymooners TV show could deliver a line sorely needed at today's (Oct. 7) Supreme Court hearing on the fate of the Mojave Desert war memorial cross: "Simmer down, Ralphie boy!"
In this case, Ralphie is Frank Buono, a man who has gone to absurd lengths to find offense. In fact, it's reminiscent of the false knock on the Puritans that they above all else feared that someone, somewhere was having a good time. In Frankie's case, he apparently fears that someone, somewhere might take comfort in a cross erected to honor America's fallen heroes.
At issue in Salazar v. Buono is the five-foot-tall (estimates vary) cross that is the latest in a series of crosses erected on Sunrise Rock since 1934 in California's Mojave National Preserve. The original was built by World War I veterans with the Veterans of Foreign Wars who had gone to the desert for their health and decided to honor their fallen comrades and the rest of America's war dead by erecting a wooden cross. The current one, made of pipe, was built in 1998 by a local resident, Henry Sandoz. The cross is in a remote region seen by few. But one of those is Buono, a former Park Service employee and ACLU member who told the ACLU that although he moved to Oregon, he comes down and sees the cross "two to four times a year." That was enough for the ACLU to file a lawsuit in 2001 demanding that the National Park Service tear down the cross.
A quick comparison. In Berlin, Ronald Reagan thrilled millions by saying "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The ACLU, on the other hand, squeals loudly, "Courts, tear down this cross!" Whose country would you rather live in?
In 2004, Congress passed laws designating the site as a national war memorial and swapping the land on which the cross stands for some privately owned acreage. But Mr. Buono, whose complaint was that a cross on taxpayer-owned federal land violated his First Amendment right against establishment of religion, filed an injunction halting the transfer. He claims that he's an injured party although the government gave him relief on his original request: "Stop saying 'yes' to my demands, or I'll sue!" Naturally, the wacky Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco found merit in his argument, bringing us to the Oct. 7 hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Park officials years ago covered the cross in canvas lest the sight of it burn Mr. Buono's eyes on one of his strolls. After some patriot tore off the canvas, the cross was covered in a plywood box. Could there be a more apt symbol of what the ACLU wants to do to religion in this country?
C.S. Lewis once remarked that the agenda of the Left is to make pornography public and religion private, a goal clearly reflected in the ACLU's endless string of nuisance cases. They've gained a lot of ground. While America is awash in Internet porn and ever-more coarse trash on TV, an obscure cross honoring our war dead gets hammered into a box.
In June, the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU), an antidote to the ACLU, filed an amicus brief that says Mr. Buono has no standing in this case because he is claiming injury based on his own injunction that has foiled the relief that he had sought.
The brief by ACRU attorneys Peter Ferrara and Ken Klukowski observes that,
"It is therefore not an end to taxpayer support for the cross that Mr. Buono seeks, but rather to employ judicial power to compel the executive branch to destroy this war memorial. Standing doctrine should not be construed to empower plaintiffs to use the courts to convert the executive branch into a demolition crew that levels crosses to the ground."
The VFW and many other groups also have submitted briefs in defense of the cross. There is much at stake. An ACLU victory could imperil crosses and Stars of David on the graves of soldiers in 22 war memorial cemeteries and encourage the ACLU to look for yet more targets. They are still trying to tear down the 29-foot Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross near San Diego. In recent years, they've sued to have religious symbols removed from the seals of Stow, Ohio; Redlands, California; Duluth, Minnesota; Plattsmouth, Nebraska; and Republic, Missouri. In Los Angeles, the mere threat of an ACLU lawsuit motivated the County Board of Supervisors to vote to remove a cross from the county seal in 2004 despite the wishes of 94 percent of the residents.
This past week, the Pentagon reported that eight more American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. They paid the ultimate price defending freedom and America's security.
What do you think their fathers, mothers, wives, and children would say if they came upon that cross covered up in a box?
Commies, Fascists and Perverts, Oh My!
By Matt Barber
Obama’s inner-circle is shaping-up like the bar scene from Star Wars. It’s a swollen throng of unaccountable czars and policy advisors comprised of some of the most bizarre fringe leftists imaginable. As mom always said, you’re known by the company you keep and Obama keeps some downright creepy company.
Here’s a sampling: First, we have disgraced former green-jobs czar Van “tinfoil hat” Jones. Jones, a self avowed communist and 9-11 “truther,” was forced to resign after revelations of his extremism became public.
Then there’s science czar John Holdren, the unzipped Harvard professor who wants a “Planetary Regime” to control world population through compulsory sterilization and forced abortion.
And of course there’s the administration’s very own Dr. Dolittle: regulatory czar Cass Sunstien, who advocates that animals be allowed to sue people.
But perhaps the creepiest of Obama’s advisers is “safe schools” chief Kevin Jennings. Jennings – an open homosexual activist – is former director of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), a highly controversial group of adult homosexual activists who promote sexual anarchy and tacitly work to normalize the criminal practice of pederasty.
GLSEN’s primary purpose is to push dangerous and even deadly homosexual and cross-dressing behaviors in our government schools on children as young as five. So bold is Jennings in his promotion of homosexual behavior among children that he even penned the foreword to a book entitled “Queering Elementary Education.” (I don’t know about you, but Jennings and his ilk will “queer” my elementary-age kids over my dead body.)
A number of Jennings past activities disqualify him from holding any position relating to children; but a recently revealed scandal involving an exchange between him and a former tenth-grade student leaves no doubt that he’s unfit to serve in his current capacity. Jennings has admitted that while he was a teacher, a boy –– whom he understood to be 15 years-old –– shared that he had been sodomized by an “older man” who lured him home from a bus stop toilet.
Of course any reasonable teacher would have immediately called police and notified the student’s parents. But Kevin Jennings –– an anti-Christian bigot who once said of Christians: “F – k ‘em! … Drop Dead!” [in a church]– is anything but reasonable. Instead, he affirmed both the man-boy homosexual encounter and the boy’s “gayness,” flippantly telling him, “I hope you knew to use a condom.” (Jennings recently admitted that he “should have handled this situation differently” but, as of yet, has arrogantly refused to step-down or even apologize).
Still, Jennings’ cavalier attitude toward adult-child sex should really come as no surprise. In a1997 speech he voiced his admiration for Harry Hay, longtime advocate of the homosexual/pedophile group NAMBLA (the North American Man-Boy Love Association.)
According to NAMBLA’s website, Hay made the following statement in a 1983 address: “I also would like to say at this point that it seems to me that in the gay community the people who should be running interference for NAMBLA are the parents and friends of gays. Because if the parents and friends of gays are truly friends of gays, they would know from their gay kids that the relationship with an older man is precisely what thirteen-, fourteen-, and fifteen-year-old kids need more than anything else in the world. And they would be welcoming this, and welcoming the opportunity for young gay kids to have the kind of experience that they would need.”
Sickening, right? Shocking, no? Well, not to Kevin Jennings. His take? He gushed, “One of the people that’s always inspired me is Harry Hay.”
But, again, this should come as no surprise. Homosexual/pedophile groups like NAMBLA and homosexual activist groups have long been brothers-in-arms. In many instances, members of both groups are one-in-the-same. According to the non-partisan homosexual activist watchdog organization Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, NAMBLA marched alongside “gay” activist groups in “gay pride” parades for years until it became politically burdensome for homosexual activists to continue allowing them to do so.
As with “gay” activist pioneer Harry Hay, legalizing adult-child sex has long been a goal of many homosexual activists (for years, overtly and today, covertly). Boys and teens utilized for homosex are referred to as “chicken” in “gay” lexicon.
In fact, part of homosexual activists “1972 Gay Rights Platform” called for the “repeal [of] all laws governing the age of sexual consent.” This should send a chill down the spine of any parent. Such a repeal would legally allow homosexuals and pedophiles to access your children and teens for their own predatory sexual gratification – so long as those children “consented” to having sex (like the boy who confided in Jennings).
To be sure, Jennings is no stranger to scandal. In a 2000 GLSEN sponsored event, adult homosexual activists were caught in an ACORN-style sting teaching children as young as 13 the horrific practice of “fisting.” (For a definition click here, it’s not fit to print). Jennings’ response? He defended the event and even filed suit in an attempt to cover-up the scandal.
But “cover-up” is at the very core of Jennings’ strategy. In 1995, while summarizing his political approach of manipulation and indoctrination, he warned fellow homosexual activists to hide their true motives and avoid using language about “promoting homosexuality.” Instead, he astutely observed that “the effective reframing of this issue” through the disingenuous use of propagandist euphemisms such as “safety” and “violence” was “the key to…success.”
It’s worked like a charm.
But rather than being appointed by Obama to such a position of power and prestige, both Kevin Jennings and GLSEN should be held liable for engaging in reckless educational malpractice. By promoting and facilitating homosexual behavior among children, they demonstrably place children at risk.
Multiple studies have established, for instance, that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking.
One such study – conducted by pro-“gay” researchers in Canada – was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE) in 1997. (see the study here: http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/26/3/657.pdf)
While the medical consensus is that smoking knocks from two to 10 years off an individual’s life expectancy, the IJE study found that homosexual conduct shortens the lifespan of “gays” by an astounding “8 to 20 years” – more than twice that of smoking.
“[U]nder even the most liberal assumptions,” concluded the researchers, “gay and bisexual men in this urban centre are now experiencing a life expectancy similar to that experienced by all men in Canada in the year 1871. … [L]ife expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men.”
The risks associated with homosexual conduct are so drastic, in fact, that U.S. health regulations prohibit men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have had sex with MSM, from ever donating blood. (Yet Jennings and GLSEN encourage children to engage in the very behaviors that – for quantifiable health related reasons – would preclude them from giving blood … ever.)
Consider that, according to the Food and Drug Administration, MSM, “have an HIV prevalence 60 times higher than the general population, 800 times higher than first time blood donors and 8,000 times higher than repeat blood donors.”
Adults and children who engage in homosexual conduct – especially males – are also susceptible – at an astronomical rate – to nearly all other forms of sexually transmitted disease (STD). For example, the Hepatitis B virus is about five to six times more prevalent among “gays,” and Hepatitis C is twice as common.
Furthermore, a 2007 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that, although homosexuals make-up only a fraction of the population (one to two percent), they account for an epidemic 64 percent of all syphilis cases.
So, all of this begs the question: Why on God’s earth is this Kevin Jennings nut – whose entire life’s work has irrefutably placed children at risk – in charge of promoting “safe schools”? He’s even bragged in his personal memoirs about his own drug and alcohol abuse.
Indeed, Obama’s Jennings appointment was a gold medal blunder among a litany of Olympic-sized missteps. If his administration seeks to salvage any modicum of rapidly waning credibility, the President must force Jennings to step down and denounce his reckless behavior.
Every day Jennings remains in place is another day he hurts Obama; but more importantly, it’s another day he hurts children.
The real scandal is that Jennings was ever appointed in the first place. He must go and he must go now.
J. Matt Barber is Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel and also serves as Associate Dean with Liberty University School of Law. He is also a Board Member of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality.
By Matt Barber
Obama’s inner-circle is shaping-up like the bar scene from Star Wars. It’s a swollen throng of unaccountable czars and policy advisors comprised of some of the most bizarre fringe leftists imaginable. As mom always said, you’re known by the company you keep and Obama keeps some downright creepy company.
Here’s a sampling: First, we have disgraced former green-jobs czar Van “tinfoil hat” Jones. Jones, a self avowed communist and 9-11 “truther,” was forced to resign after revelations of his extremism became public.
Then there’s science czar John Holdren, the unzipped Harvard professor who wants a “Planetary Regime” to control world population through compulsory sterilization and forced abortion.
And of course there’s the administration’s very own Dr. Dolittle: regulatory czar Cass Sunstien, who advocates that animals be allowed to sue people.
But perhaps the creepiest of Obama’s advisers is “safe schools” chief Kevin Jennings. Jennings – an open homosexual activist – is former director of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), a highly controversial group of adult homosexual activists who promote sexual anarchy and tacitly work to normalize the criminal practice of pederasty.
GLSEN’s primary purpose is to push dangerous and even deadly homosexual and cross-dressing behaviors in our government schools on children as young as five. So bold is Jennings in his promotion of homosexual behavior among children that he even penned the foreword to a book entitled “Queering Elementary Education.” (I don’t know about you, but Jennings and his ilk will “queer” my elementary-age kids over my dead body.)
A number of Jennings past activities disqualify him from holding any position relating to children; but a recently revealed scandal involving an exchange between him and a former tenth-grade student leaves no doubt that he’s unfit to serve in his current capacity. Jennings has admitted that while he was a teacher, a boy –– whom he understood to be 15 years-old –– shared that he had been sodomized by an “older man” who lured him home from a bus stop toilet.
Of course any reasonable teacher would have immediately called police and notified the student’s parents. But Kevin Jennings –– an anti-Christian bigot who once said of Christians: “F – k ‘em! … Drop Dead!” [in a church]– is anything but reasonable. Instead, he affirmed both the man-boy homosexual encounter and the boy’s “gayness,” flippantly telling him, “I hope you knew to use a condom.” (Jennings recently admitted that he “should have handled this situation differently” but, as of yet, has arrogantly refused to step-down or even apologize).
Still, Jennings’ cavalier attitude toward adult-child sex should really come as no surprise. In a1997 speech he voiced his admiration for Harry Hay, longtime advocate of the homosexual/pedophile group NAMBLA (the North American Man-Boy Love Association.)
According to NAMBLA’s website, Hay made the following statement in a 1983 address: “I also would like to say at this point that it seems to me that in the gay community the people who should be running interference for NAMBLA are the parents and friends of gays. Because if the parents and friends of gays are truly friends of gays, they would know from their gay kids that the relationship with an older man is precisely what thirteen-, fourteen-, and fifteen-year-old kids need more than anything else in the world. And they would be welcoming this, and welcoming the opportunity for young gay kids to have the kind of experience that they would need.”
Sickening, right? Shocking, no? Well, not to Kevin Jennings. His take? He gushed, “One of the people that’s always inspired me is Harry Hay.”
But, again, this should come as no surprise. Homosexual/pedophile groups like NAMBLA and homosexual activist groups have long been brothers-in-arms. In many instances, members of both groups are one-in-the-same. According to the non-partisan homosexual activist watchdog organization Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, NAMBLA marched alongside “gay” activist groups in “gay pride” parades for years until it became politically burdensome for homosexual activists to continue allowing them to do so.
As with “gay” activist pioneer Harry Hay, legalizing adult-child sex has long been a goal of many homosexual activists (for years, overtly and today, covertly). Boys and teens utilized for homosex are referred to as “chicken” in “gay” lexicon.
In fact, part of homosexual activists “1972 Gay Rights Platform” called for the “repeal [of] all laws governing the age of sexual consent.” This should send a chill down the spine of any parent. Such a repeal would legally allow homosexuals and pedophiles to access your children and teens for their own predatory sexual gratification – so long as those children “consented” to having sex (like the boy who confided in Jennings).
To be sure, Jennings is no stranger to scandal. In a 2000 GLSEN sponsored event, adult homosexual activists were caught in an ACORN-style sting teaching children as young as 13 the horrific practice of “fisting.” (For a definition click here, it’s not fit to print). Jennings’ response? He defended the event and even filed suit in an attempt to cover-up the scandal.
But “cover-up” is at the very core of Jennings’ strategy. In 1995, while summarizing his political approach of manipulation and indoctrination, he warned fellow homosexual activists to hide their true motives and avoid using language about “promoting homosexuality.” Instead, he astutely observed that “the effective reframing of this issue” through the disingenuous use of propagandist euphemisms such as “safety” and “violence” was “the key to…success.”
It’s worked like a charm.
But rather than being appointed by Obama to such a position of power and prestige, both Kevin Jennings and GLSEN should be held liable for engaging in reckless educational malpractice. By promoting and facilitating homosexual behavior among children, they demonstrably place children at risk.
Multiple studies have established, for instance, that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking.
One such study – conducted by pro-“gay” researchers in Canada – was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE) in 1997. (see the study here: http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/26/3/657.pdf)
While the medical consensus is that smoking knocks from two to 10 years off an individual’s life expectancy, the IJE study found that homosexual conduct shortens the lifespan of “gays” by an astounding “8 to 20 years” – more than twice that of smoking.
“[U]nder even the most liberal assumptions,” concluded the researchers, “gay and bisexual men in this urban centre are now experiencing a life expectancy similar to that experienced by all men in Canada in the year 1871. … [L]ife expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men.”
The risks associated with homosexual conduct are so drastic, in fact, that U.S. health regulations prohibit men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have had sex with MSM, from ever donating blood. (Yet Jennings and GLSEN encourage children to engage in the very behaviors that – for quantifiable health related reasons – would preclude them from giving blood … ever.)
Consider that, according to the Food and Drug Administration, MSM, “have an HIV prevalence 60 times higher than the general population, 800 times higher than first time blood donors and 8,000 times higher than repeat blood donors.”
Adults and children who engage in homosexual conduct – especially males – are also susceptible – at an astronomical rate – to nearly all other forms of sexually transmitted disease (STD). For example, the Hepatitis B virus is about five to six times more prevalent among “gays,” and Hepatitis C is twice as common.
Furthermore, a 2007 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that, although homosexuals make-up only a fraction of the population (one to two percent), they account for an epidemic 64 percent of all syphilis cases.
So, all of this begs the question: Why on God’s earth is this Kevin Jennings nut – whose entire life’s work has irrefutably placed children at risk – in charge of promoting “safe schools”? He’s even bragged in his personal memoirs about his own drug and alcohol abuse.
Indeed, Obama’s Jennings appointment was a gold medal blunder among a litany of Olympic-sized missteps. If his administration seeks to salvage any modicum of rapidly waning credibility, the President must force Jennings to step down and denounce his reckless behavior.
Every day Jennings remains in place is another day he hurts Obama; but more importantly, it’s another day he hurts children.
The real scandal is that Jennings was ever appointed in the first place. He must go and he must go now.
J. Matt Barber is Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel and also serves as Associate Dean with Liberty University School of Law. He is also a Board Member of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality.
Obama's HRC appearance will 'alienate' Americans
by Allie Martin
The president of an organization dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda believes President Barack Obama will alienate many Americans when he speaks this weekend at a meeting of the largest homosexual-rights group in the nation.
On Saturday night, Obama will deliver the keynote address at the 13th annual National Dinner in Washington, DC -- an annual event organized by the Human Rights Campaign, the largest homosexual activist group in the United States.
Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says it is clear President Obama is trying to appease homosexual activists, many of whom have been vocal about their disappointment with the chief executive.
"The problem with having the homosexual lobby as an ally is that they're very loud and obnoxious -- and if they don't get their way immediately, they start carping and complaining," says LaBarbera.
"That's what they've been doing -- they're saying Obama is not moving fast enough," he continues. "But the further and faster Obama moves on the gay agenda, the more he will alienate mainstream and middle-of-the-road Americans."
LaBarbera points out that HRC has "Bible studies" online that claim homosexuality is not sinful. Among those studies is one HRC says is designed to train individuals to "move people of faith and congregations from acceptance to public advocacy."
What does it tell you about President Obama when he refuses to acknowledge thousands of pro-life or 'TEA Party' demonstrators - but finds time to speak at a 'gay rights' event?
by Allie Martin
The president of an organization dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda believes President Barack Obama will alienate many Americans when he speaks this weekend at a meeting of the largest homosexual-rights group in the nation.
On Saturday night, Obama will deliver the keynote address at the 13th annual National Dinner in Washington, DC -- an annual event organized by the Human Rights Campaign, the largest homosexual activist group in the United States.
Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says it is clear President Obama is trying to appease homosexual activists, many of whom have been vocal about their disappointment with the chief executive.
"The problem with having the homosexual lobby as an ally is that they're very loud and obnoxious -- and if they don't get their way immediately, they start carping and complaining," says LaBarbera.
"That's what they've been doing -- they're saying Obama is not moving fast enough," he continues. "But the further and faster Obama moves on the gay agenda, the more he will alienate mainstream and middle-of-the-road Americans."
LaBarbera points out that HRC has "Bible studies" online that claim homosexuality is not sinful. Among those studies is one HRC says is designed to train individuals to "move people of faith and congregations from acceptance to public advocacy."
What does it tell you about President Obama when he refuses to acknowledge thousands of pro-life or 'TEA Party' demonstrators - but finds time to speak at a 'gay rights' event?
7 October 2009
To The Point
Where was the dance? We usually have rain only when Rita schedules a dance. No dance, okay, thank You God for the rain and cooler weather.
Those fall gardens should be coming around soon. Clarence Searcy has been experimenting with delayed scheduled planting -- I think there’s a name for this, but I couldn’t come up with it. Every few weeks he plants another crop of peas, or whatever. He’s had good luck with this experiment. He will have peas long after the first planting has quit bearing. Today he has a black, one-eyed pea, next month he may have black, cross-eyed peas. Experiments like this is how things evolve. Keep it up Clarence, and let us know when you get peas with blue eyes.
Someone actually went to the market place last Saturday and found no one there, “not even the mayor was there.” I’m sorry about that. We all wanted to be there, but a bug of some kind kept us away. No, I don’t think it was swine flu, I haven’t eaten pork in weeks. Actually I think it was beef sausage I had in the freezer since last year. Dummy, don’t you know better than to keep things that are out-of-date? I didn’t notice the date, until I dug it out of the trash later. So do what I say but not what I did. Or can the mayor say that? Only about old sausage, not about your lot in life. Okay!
I won’t mention the place, again, but I was eating out one nite recently when I overheard that same group of golfers that I wrote about earlier. They must have been rehashing the same story, because the situation with those who drink and pitch has not improved. I guess it’s time we appointed a morality squad to look into these golf cart capers at the golf course. We could train some of those wild hogs that run around the golf course how to sniff out and eat beer cans/bottles. Then we could sell the special mineral-laced pork for premium prices.
I guess you can tell it is a bad week for ideas to write about. But I have one more sighting from the same restaurant I want to tell about. Everyone knows the layout, I mean the size of the east parking lot and all. I’m sure everyone has noticed the grassy area on the southeast corner. I’ve noticed our out-of-town customers will usually park at the back of the lot near that grassy area. Then they will open the back door and let Rover or Ruby out to “stretch” their legs. I think we should put in for a federal grant to erect a fire hydrant in the center of the grassy area. Of course we would have to get the mayor to write a Proclamation for the ribbon cutting of Munday’s latest, Puppy Pooper Park. Then we could market Munday’s own Puppy Pooper Park Pooper Skoopers.
For parents of any age, I found a good web site for you to go to for help raising your teens. The hype for this 12-page article reads like this: “If you are ready for the truth and ready for the inside information you need to better undestand your difficult teenager, this free, special report will be the most important thing you’ve ever read. And by the end of the article you’ll begin to understand how your teen’s life really is, rather than what you think it is.” I’ve read it and encourage all parents to do the same. I’ve thought about adopting a teen so I could try out the suggestions.
This article talks about how the teen will hustle or scam their parents in an effort to get what they want. I know this isn’t one of your teens I’m about to describe but read on: Sometimes kids won’t do their homework or help out around the house. But they seem to have an amazing instinct for figuring out the system that they are in and manipulating it to get what they want out of you or the adults around them.
I’m not saying that your teen is a bad egg or that you are a bad parent. Kids sometimes don’t have the sense of right or wrong that we expect from them. The problem is adults often think teens are going to soak up the morals like a sponge, and they don’t. As a parent, YOU have to teach them morals and ethics, or they are not going to get them. Go to www.tameurteen.com/freereport today and download this article and read it and put it into practice tonight.
Don’t forget to tell folks on your next out-town trip how wonderful Munday is.
To The Point
Where was the dance? We usually have rain only when Rita schedules a dance. No dance, okay, thank You God for the rain and cooler weather.
Those fall gardens should be coming around soon. Clarence Searcy has been experimenting with delayed scheduled planting -- I think there’s a name for this, but I couldn’t come up with it. Every few weeks he plants another crop of peas, or whatever. He’s had good luck with this experiment. He will have peas long after the first planting has quit bearing. Today he has a black, one-eyed pea, next month he may have black, cross-eyed peas. Experiments like this is how things evolve. Keep it up Clarence, and let us know when you get peas with blue eyes.
Someone actually went to the market place last Saturday and found no one there, “not even the mayor was there.” I’m sorry about that. We all wanted to be there, but a bug of some kind kept us away. No, I don’t think it was swine flu, I haven’t eaten pork in weeks. Actually I think it was beef sausage I had in the freezer since last year. Dummy, don’t you know better than to keep things that are out-of-date? I didn’t notice the date, until I dug it out of the trash later. So do what I say but not what I did. Or can the mayor say that? Only about old sausage, not about your lot in life. Okay!
I won’t mention the place, again, but I was eating out one nite recently when I overheard that same group of golfers that I wrote about earlier. They must have been rehashing the same story, because the situation with those who drink and pitch has not improved. I guess it’s time we appointed a morality squad to look into these golf cart capers at the golf course. We could train some of those wild hogs that run around the golf course how to sniff out and eat beer cans/bottles. Then we could sell the special mineral-laced pork for premium prices.
I guess you can tell it is a bad week for ideas to write about. But I have one more sighting from the same restaurant I want to tell about. Everyone knows the layout, I mean the size of the east parking lot and all. I’m sure everyone has noticed the grassy area on the southeast corner. I’ve noticed our out-of-town customers will usually park at the back of the lot near that grassy area. Then they will open the back door and let Rover or Ruby out to “stretch” their legs. I think we should put in for a federal grant to erect a fire hydrant in the center of the grassy area. Of course we would have to get the mayor to write a Proclamation for the ribbon cutting of Munday’s latest, Puppy Pooper Park. Then we could market Munday’s own Puppy Pooper Park Pooper Skoopers.
For parents of any age, I found a good web site for you to go to for help raising your teens. The hype for this 12-page article reads like this: “If you are ready for the truth and ready for the inside information you need to better undestand your difficult teenager, this free, special report will be the most important thing you’ve ever read. And by the end of the article you’ll begin to understand how your teen’s life really is, rather than what you think it is.” I’ve read it and encourage all parents to do the same. I’ve thought about adopting a teen so I could try out the suggestions.
This article talks about how the teen will hustle or scam their parents in an effort to get what they want. I know this isn’t one of your teens I’m about to describe but read on: Sometimes kids won’t do their homework or help out around the house. But they seem to have an amazing instinct for figuring out the system that they are in and manipulating it to get what they want out of you or the adults around them.
I’m not saying that your teen is a bad egg or that you are a bad parent. Kids sometimes don’t have the sense of right or wrong that we expect from them. The problem is adults often think teens are going to soak up the morals like a sponge, and they don’t. As a parent, YOU have to teach them morals and ethics, or they are not going to get them. Go to www.tameurteen.com/freereport today and download this article and read it and put it into practice tonight.
Don’t forget to tell folks on your next out-town trip how wonderful Munday is.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
To the Point
By Bunny Norville
We are seeing signs of fall in the daily weather patterns, and we are feeling the temperature changes, especially early mornings. Welcome! Those hottest days of summer are gone, we hope, at least. Of course Sunday was a sweaty reminder that the Weather Maker is still in charge.
Farmer’s Market, what can I say. It’s not dead, at least the idea isn’t. There was one lonely table Saturday morning, with some vegetables, too. Possibly folks look first for the burritos, if they aren’t there, they drive on by. M A we miss you. Munday’s resident expert on wild flowers was there with a box of wild flower seed. I doubt if the famous Las Angeles Farmer’s Market has someone like our own expert.
We are not giving up on the idea of having a downtown market place, be it vegetables, crafts, or fleas. The main idea is to get folks out and about, especially downtown where we still have a few businesses. Some of them are even open on Saturday. By getting this started we hope to attract more people to move to Munday and more businesses to locate in Munday. Think positive.
I attended a workshop recently about becoming a “Certified Retirement Community.” The total program was upbeat, encouraging to small towns like Munday, and presented as a possibility. Other than filling in this lengthy application and coming up with a little money, we need to accomplish a few things to bring Munday into a competitive-minded mode. The main thing is, Munday has to want it. If Munday as a whole doesn’t want it, then all the work some of us do will be in vain. This application will bring out the wants and want nots of Munday citizens.
We hope to get many of our own exes to retire to Munday without the certified route. Even then we need to show our exes we want them and we are trying to improve our situation here. If those who don’t recognize the “situation” could move away from Munday for awhile and then move back, they would see what so many of us who have moved back saw and continue to see.
Munday has changed in ways that people who have never lived away from Munday do not see. thesse changes have occured over time, so slowly that people havn’t even noticed them taking place. But someone who has been away for some time can see the changes.
I mention the DQ so often that you probably think I live there. No, I just eat there, too Much. Anyway I was there for lunch last Saturday and witnessed a random act of kindness. There was an older couple eating at a booth and one of them evidently had spilled a drink on one of the benches. Before I could even process what had happened a woman, who was in line in front of me, went back to the kitchen area and found a wash cloth and a plastic container. She went to where the couple were sitting and proceeded to wipe up the icy spill. No doubt she had done it at her house many times before. I’m sure everyone would know her if I mentioned her name. But since I failed to get her permission to use her name, I won’t embarrass her by printing it.
In your daily walk how many acts of kindness do you see? Maybe you see so many that one act alone doesn’t even register. Munday is a friendly town, that’s why a lot of peole like it. In case you didn’t know, people do say that about Munday. Munday, keep on being friendly and keep on doing those acts of kindness. They don’t have to be random, make them regular.
Woodworkers, or those who want to become a woodworker, we need to have a meeting. I’m going to say this up front: we don’t need to over organize the thing. Over organizing can ruin a good thing early. I’ll explain what I’m talking about if you want me to. Let’s meet at the DQ Wednesday morning, September 9 for lunch at 11:30. Call me if you can come, or if this is not a good time. Just call me and tell me you are interested, 421-3334. You don’t really need a lot of tools to be a part of this club. But let’s meet and talk about what, how, when, where, and any other question that comes up.
In the mean time say good things about Munday. And if you can’t think of good things to say about a Munday citizen, just don’t say anything. Let’s create an atmosphere of kindness all around us. If we can do that, we will all be blessed. If you are a stick in the mud, just don’t say anything, let others enjoy the blessings of being kind.
By Bunny Norville
We are seeing signs of fall in the daily weather patterns, and we are feeling the temperature changes, especially early mornings. Welcome! Those hottest days of summer are gone, we hope, at least. Of course Sunday was a sweaty reminder that the Weather Maker is still in charge.
Farmer’s Market, what can I say. It’s not dead, at least the idea isn’t. There was one lonely table Saturday morning, with some vegetables, too. Possibly folks look first for the burritos, if they aren’t there, they drive on by. M A we miss you. Munday’s resident expert on wild flowers was there with a box of wild flower seed. I doubt if the famous Las Angeles Farmer’s Market has someone like our own expert.
We are not giving up on the idea of having a downtown market place, be it vegetables, crafts, or fleas. The main idea is to get folks out and about, especially downtown where we still have a few businesses. Some of them are even open on Saturday. By getting this started we hope to attract more people to move to Munday and more businesses to locate in Munday. Think positive.
I attended a workshop recently about becoming a “Certified Retirement Community.” The total program was upbeat, encouraging to small towns like Munday, and presented as a possibility. Other than filling in this lengthy application and coming up with a little money, we need to accomplish a few things to bring Munday into a competitive-minded mode. The main thing is, Munday has to want it. If Munday as a whole doesn’t want it, then all the work some of us do will be in vain. This application will bring out the wants and want nots of Munday citizens.
We hope to get many of our own exes to retire to Munday without the certified route. Even then we need to show our exes we want them and we are trying to improve our situation here. If those who don’t recognize the “situation” could move away from Munday for awhile and then move back, they would see what so many of us who have moved back saw and continue to see.
Munday has changed in ways that people who have never lived away from Munday do not see. thesse changes have occured over time, so slowly that people havn’t even noticed them taking place. But someone who has been away for some time can see the changes.
I mention the DQ so often that you probably think I live there. No, I just eat there, too Much. Anyway I was there for lunch last Saturday and witnessed a random act of kindness. There was an older couple eating at a booth and one of them evidently had spilled a drink on one of the benches. Before I could even process what had happened a woman, who was in line in front of me, went back to the kitchen area and found a wash cloth and a plastic container. She went to where the couple were sitting and proceeded to wipe up the icy spill. No doubt she had done it at her house many times before. I’m sure everyone would know her if I mentioned her name. But since I failed to get her permission to use her name, I won’t embarrass her by printing it.
In your daily walk how many acts of kindness do you see? Maybe you see so many that one act alone doesn’t even register. Munday is a friendly town, that’s why a lot of peole like it. In case you didn’t know, people do say that about Munday. Munday, keep on being friendly and keep on doing those acts of kindness. They don’t have to be random, make them regular.
Woodworkers, or those who want to become a woodworker, we need to have a meeting. I’m going to say this up front: we don’t need to over organize the thing. Over organizing can ruin a good thing early. I’ll explain what I’m talking about if you want me to. Let’s meet at the DQ Wednesday morning, September 9 for lunch at 11:30. Call me if you can come, or if this is not a good time. Just call me and tell me you are interested, 421-3334. You don’t really need a lot of tools to be a part of this club. But let’s meet and talk about what, how, when, where, and any other question that comes up.
In the mean time say good things about Munday. And if you can’t think of good things to say about a Munday citizen, just don’t say anything. Let’s create an atmosphere of kindness all around us. If we can do that, we will all be blessed. If you are a stick in the mud, just don’t say anything, let others enjoy the blessings of being kind.
Study: Religiosity and Parental Involvement in
Sex-Ed Protect Youth from Risky Behaviors
By Peter J. Smith
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study from Marquette University has found that religious attitudes toward sexuality, parent-based sexual education and intact two-parent households have a positive influence upon youth in their sexual practices and the onset of first sexual intercourse.
Researchers took a nationally representative sample of 3,168 men and women ages 15-21 years old from a 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and obtained the data from 60-90 minute interviews with participants from the 2002 survey.
The study's findings confirmed previous research literature, which suggests "religiosity" - defined by the authors as a set of institutionalized beliefs, doctrines and rituals, and ethical standards for how to live a good life - is "a protective factor that appears to contribute to decreased sexual risk behaviors."
According to the study, those who viewed religion as "very important" reported an average of 1.9 lifetime sexual partners and on average began sexual activity at 17.4 years. In contrast, those who viewed religion as somewhat important or "not important at all," began their first sexual activity at 16.9 years and had an average of 2.9 lifetime sexual partners.
However, researchers found that high religious attitudes toward sexuality (RAS) "appeared to be the most protective religiosity variable in terms of decreasing sexual risk."
RAS had the greatest influence for youth remaining virginal by 21 years - an effect greater than just frequent attendance of church services or religious values.
Among those who valued religion as "very important" 20 percent were still virgins by age 21; among those who attended church services frequently, 25 percent of participants reported they were still virgins by 21 years.
But those who had high "religious attitudes on sexuality" reported the highest rate of virginity by 21 years and the highest rate of delayed first sex. 34 percent of these youth remained virgins by 21 years, and the average onset of sex began at 18.8 years.
By contrast, researchers found that only 8 percent of those with low religious attitudes toward sex were still virgins by 21, and began their first sex on average at 17.0 years old - just about the same time as those who did not value religion (16.9 years).
However, parents and an intact two-parent household also have an enormous effect on children and the choices they make in regards to sex, researchers found.
"Those adolescents who lived in a two-parent family from birth to the age of 18 were 14 percent less likely to ever have had sex compared to those who did not and had significantly fewer lifetime sexual partners" researchers reported.
Of youth with parents who raised them with a "just say no" attitude toward pre-marital sex, 31 percent remained virgins until 21 years, and the mean age of sexual debut for the group was 17.4 years. For youth, who "did not learn to say no," having their parents involved was also beneficial: 29 percent remained virginal until 21 years, although the average age of first sex for this group was 17.1 years.
Just parental involvement in children's sexual education and voicing their expectations for their children in regards to sex was superior in reducing the rate of risky sexual behaviors and onset of first sex than formal sex education. Researchers found that the topic most brought up by parents with their children was "how to avoid having sex," but the study found primarily that "speaking with parents about abstinence was associated with decreased sexual risk behaviors."
Youth who had only formal-based sexual education were far more prone to engage in sexual behaviors than their peers who had the involvement of their parents in sex-education. Of those trained in "abstinence and abstinence-plus" sex-education 26 percent remained virginal by 21 years, and on average began their sexual debut at 17.6 years. Those without any abstinence-component to sex education had only 25 percent remain virginal by 21 years, and began having sex at 17.1 years.
"It is important for parents to make it explicit that they do not approve of adolescents engaging in sexual activity," researchers concluded. "This 'simple' practice of letting one's child know about expectations for their sexual behavior has been shown to be efficacious."
"Further, the influence of parental education about avoiding intercourse was strengthened when there was a close relationship between the parent and the child."
The researchers conclude that formal sex-education in the United States - even abstinence-based education - has thus far failed on its own power to address rampant sexual promiscuity and high numbers of sexual partners among youth. A new approach is needed, but the study's findings indicate that integrating religiosity and close parent-child relationships into sex-education may be the most promising avenues for fixing the problem.
The results and conclusions of the study are contained in a paper called "The Association of Religiosity, Sexual Education, and Parental Factors with Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults" written by lead researchers Kristin A. Haglund and Richard J. Fehring.
Sex-Ed Protect Youth from Risky Behaviors
By Peter J. Smith
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study from Marquette University has found that religious attitudes toward sexuality, parent-based sexual education and intact two-parent households have a positive influence upon youth in their sexual practices and the onset of first sexual intercourse.
Researchers took a nationally representative sample of 3,168 men and women ages 15-21 years old from a 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and obtained the data from 60-90 minute interviews with participants from the 2002 survey.
The study's findings confirmed previous research literature, which suggests "religiosity" - defined by the authors as a set of institutionalized beliefs, doctrines and rituals, and ethical standards for how to live a good life - is "a protective factor that appears to contribute to decreased sexual risk behaviors."
According to the study, those who viewed religion as "very important" reported an average of 1.9 lifetime sexual partners and on average began sexual activity at 17.4 years. In contrast, those who viewed religion as somewhat important or "not important at all," began their first sexual activity at 16.9 years and had an average of 2.9 lifetime sexual partners.
However, researchers found that high religious attitudes toward sexuality (RAS) "appeared to be the most protective religiosity variable in terms of decreasing sexual risk."
RAS had the greatest influence for youth remaining virginal by 21 years - an effect greater than just frequent attendance of church services or religious values.
Among those who valued religion as "very important" 20 percent were still virgins by age 21; among those who attended church services frequently, 25 percent of participants reported they were still virgins by 21 years.
But those who had high "religious attitudes on sexuality" reported the highest rate of virginity by 21 years and the highest rate of delayed first sex. 34 percent of these youth remained virgins by 21 years, and the average onset of sex began at 18.8 years.
By contrast, researchers found that only 8 percent of those with low religious attitudes toward sex were still virgins by 21, and began their first sex on average at 17.0 years old - just about the same time as those who did not value religion (16.9 years).
However, parents and an intact two-parent household also have an enormous effect on children and the choices they make in regards to sex, researchers found.
"Those adolescents who lived in a two-parent family from birth to the age of 18 were 14 percent less likely to ever have had sex compared to those who did not and had significantly fewer lifetime sexual partners" researchers reported.
Of youth with parents who raised them with a "just say no" attitude toward pre-marital sex, 31 percent remained virgins until 21 years, and the mean age of sexual debut for the group was 17.4 years. For youth, who "did not learn to say no," having their parents involved was also beneficial: 29 percent remained virginal until 21 years, although the average age of first sex for this group was 17.1 years.
Just parental involvement in children's sexual education and voicing their expectations for their children in regards to sex was superior in reducing the rate of risky sexual behaviors and onset of first sex than formal sex education. Researchers found that the topic most brought up by parents with their children was "how to avoid having sex," but the study found primarily that "speaking with parents about abstinence was associated with decreased sexual risk behaviors."
Youth who had only formal-based sexual education were far more prone to engage in sexual behaviors than their peers who had the involvement of their parents in sex-education. Of those trained in "abstinence and abstinence-plus" sex-education 26 percent remained virginal by 21 years, and on average began their sexual debut at 17.6 years. Those without any abstinence-component to sex education had only 25 percent remain virginal by 21 years, and began having sex at 17.1 years.
"It is important for parents to make it explicit that they do not approve of adolescents engaging in sexual activity," researchers concluded. "This 'simple' practice of letting one's child know about expectations for their sexual behavior has been shown to be efficacious."
"Further, the influence of parental education about avoiding intercourse was strengthened when there was a close relationship between the parent and the child."
The researchers conclude that formal sex-education in the United States - even abstinence-based education - has thus far failed on its own power to address rampant sexual promiscuity and high numbers of sexual partners among youth. A new approach is needed, but the study's findings indicate that integrating religiosity and close parent-child relationships into sex-education may be the most promising avenues for fixing the problem.
The results and conclusions of the study are contained in a paper called "The Association of Religiosity, Sexual Education, and Parental Factors with Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults" written by lead researchers Kristin A. Haglund and Richard J. Fehring.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
DO NOT DELETE-PLEASE PASS ON
Message from Iraq
The proud warriors of Baker Company wanted to do something to pay tribute to our fallen comrades so since we are part of the only Marine Infantry Battalion left in Iraq the one way that we could think of doing that is by taking a picture of Baker Company saying the way we feel.
It would be awesome if you could find a way to share this with our fellow countrymen. I was wondering if there was any way to get this into your papers to let the world know that 'WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN,'
and are proud to serve our country.
Semper Fi, 1st Sgt. Dave Jobe.
The attached photo was forwarded from one of the last U.S. Marine companies in Iraq. They would like to have it passed to as many people as possible, to let the folks back home know that they remember why they're there and that they remember those who've been lost.....
Message from Iraq
The proud warriors of Baker Company wanted to do something to pay tribute to our fallen comrades so since we are part of the only Marine Infantry Battalion left in Iraq the one way that we could think of doing that is by taking a picture of Baker Company saying the way we feel.
It would be awesome if you could find a way to share this with our fellow countrymen. I was wondering if there was any way to get this into your papers to let the world know that 'WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN,'
and are proud to serve our country.
Semper Fi, 1st Sgt. Dave Jobe.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Babies learn quicker than dogs
A new study shows that dogs and young human babies both make the same classic error in a famous psychology experiment — while wolves raised by people do not.
The experiment was originally devised decades ago by the well-known child psychologist Jean Piaget. He found that if babies 10 months old or younger repeatedly see a toy placed in location A, they will look for the toy there even after watching the toy being placed in location B.
This is called the "A-Not-B Error." By 1 year of age, children have grown out of it. But it's such a weird observation that psychologists have been talking about it for decades. Some think it has to do with how babies perceive the permanence of objects. But others think it has something to do with how infants learn from people.
__________________________________________________
Crows can recognize human faces and remember them for years.
__________________________________________________
July 27, 2009Adam Miklosi of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, is interested in how dogs have evolved to live with people, so he decided to see how dogs and their wild relatives, human-raised wolves, would do on this test.
In their experiment, wolves were generally not misled by what they had seen humans do before, according to a report in Science. They'd make a beeline for the right hiding place.
But dogs would act like a 10-month-old baby, going to screen A even though they'd just seen someone put the toy behind screen B.
The Human Influence
Miklosi think this means that dogs interpret the situation as a learning situation and choose to trust what the human is communicating rather than what they see with their own eyes.
"The dogs are sort of looking at the human as a sort of a teacher that has the privilege of some sort of information and they don't want to override it with their own understanding of the case," says Miklosi.
When the experiment was rigged up so that it involved no people, and the toys were instead dragged from place to place by a moving string, the dogs were less likely to make the mistake. They suddenly acted more like their wolf relatives.
"If there's no teacher there, then the dogs are switching back, and then they are solving the problem on their own," Miklosi says.
Human babies also were more likely to find the toy in the correct location if it was moved by a string instead of a person. "For me," says Miklosi, "this was the biggest surprise."
He believes all this shows that the presence of a person — social interaction — has a profound effect on how both dogs and babies interpret the situation.
For Dogs, It All Depends On the Person
There was one difference between dogs and young babies, though. When they redid the classic experiment but had more than one person do the hiding, it didn't matter to the babies. They kept reaching for screen A, suggesting they were able to generalize about people.
But adding a new person changed everything for the dogs. "For the dog, if you're changing the person, the knowledge is gone," says Miklosi. The dogs ignored what had previously happened and, like the wolves, went straight to the toy.
"It's a very original approach. It's a very thought-provoking experiment," says Clive Wynne, who studies dog cognition at the University of Florida. "I think like a lot of good studies, it doesn't lead so instantly to conclusions. It leads to new questions."
For example, he says, "there's a puzzle in this paper in that you've got adult dogs behaving like 10-month-old children, when 10-month-old children are only going to act like this for two more months. They're going to grow out of it very quickly."
Still, he thinks we need more studies like this one, to learn about both human cognition and the inner lives of our canine companions.
"It is important that we understand how dogs think about us," Wynne says, "because we have 70 million of these animals in our homes in the United States — more dogs than we have children."
A new study shows that dogs and young human babies both make the same classic error in a famous psychology experiment — while wolves raised by people do not.
The experiment was originally devised decades ago by the well-known child psychologist Jean Piaget. He found that if babies 10 months old or younger repeatedly see a toy placed in location A, they will look for the toy there even after watching the toy being placed in location B.
This is called the "A-Not-B Error." By 1 year of age, children have grown out of it. But it's such a weird observation that psychologists have been talking about it for decades. Some think it has to do with how babies perceive the permanence of objects. But others think it has something to do with how infants learn from people.
__________________________________________________
Crows can recognize human faces and remember them for years.
__________________________________________________
July 27, 2009Adam Miklosi of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, is interested in how dogs have evolved to live with people, so he decided to see how dogs and their wild relatives, human-raised wolves, would do on this test.
In their experiment, wolves were generally not misled by what they had seen humans do before, according to a report in Science. They'd make a beeline for the right hiding place.
But dogs would act like a 10-month-old baby, going to screen A even though they'd just seen someone put the toy behind screen B.
The Human Influence
Miklosi think this means that dogs interpret the situation as a learning situation and choose to trust what the human is communicating rather than what they see with their own eyes.
"The dogs are sort of looking at the human as a sort of a teacher that has the privilege of some sort of information and they don't want to override it with their own understanding of the case," says Miklosi.
When the experiment was rigged up so that it involved no people, and the toys were instead dragged from place to place by a moving string, the dogs were less likely to make the mistake. They suddenly acted more like their wolf relatives.
"If there's no teacher there, then the dogs are switching back, and then they are solving the problem on their own," Miklosi says.
Human babies also were more likely to find the toy in the correct location if it was moved by a string instead of a person. "For me," says Miklosi, "this was the biggest surprise."
He believes all this shows that the presence of a person — social interaction — has a profound effect on how both dogs and babies interpret the situation.
For Dogs, It All Depends On the Person
There was one difference between dogs and young babies, though. When they redid the classic experiment but had more than one person do the hiding, it didn't matter to the babies. They kept reaching for screen A, suggesting they were able to generalize about people.
But adding a new person changed everything for the dogs. "For the dog, if you're changing the person, the knowledge is gone," says Miklosi. The dogs ignored what had previously happened and, like the wolves, went straight to the toy.
"It's a very original approach. It's a very thought-provoking experiment," says Clive Wynne, who studies dog cognition at the University of Florida. "I think like a lot of good studies, it doesn't lead so instantly to conclusions. It leads to new questions."
For example, he says, "there's a puzzle in this paper in that you've got adult dogs behaving like 10-month-old children, when 10-month-old children are only going to act like this for two more months. They're going to grow out of it very quickly."
Still, he thinks we need more studies like this one, to learn about both human cognition and the inner lives of our canine companions.
"It is important that we understand how dogs think about us," Wynne says, "because we have 70 million of these animals in our homes in the United States — more dogs than we have children."
Friday, September 25, 2009
Time to Look Back Again, Obama
and Abortion - He Really Meant It
Commentary by Steve Jalsevac
September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Yesterday, I happened to come across the short three and one-half minute 2008 election campaign video produced by AmericasChoiceNow.com. Its revelations were stunning - even thought I knew all about them and have reported them again and again. What it did was remind me in a powerful way, how crucial it is that pro-life people continue their intense efforts to stop the Obama abortion machine.
It's not about politics. It's about saving lives. Everyone should see this compelling video production (http://americaschoicenow.com/) of various Obama statements again and again - to help them to not lose focus. This IS the great social justice issue of the day - dwarfing all others. Pro-life Americans need to engage in the reality check of videos such as this - to remind themselves what Barack Obama really believes and what he really wants to do about abortion.
The video footage is irrefutable. It is Barack himself, incriminating
himself, and telling you and I what he really thinks about the value of the life of an unborn child.
and Abortion - He Really Meant It
Commentary by Steve Jalsevac
September 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Yesterday, I happened to come across the short three and one-half minute 2008 election campaign video produced by AmericasChoiceNow.com. Its revelations were stunning - even thought I knew all about them and have reported them again and again. What it did was remind me in a powerful way, how crucial it is that pro-life people continue their intense efforts to stop the Obama abortion machine.
It's not about politics. It's about saving lives. Everyone should see this compelling video production (http://americaschoicenow.com/) of various Obama statements again and again - to help them to not lose focus. This IS the great social justice issue of the day - dwarfing all others. Pro-life Americans need to engage in the reality check of videos such as this - to remind themselves what Barack Obama really believes and what he really wants to do about abortion.
The video footage is irrefutable. It is Barack himself, incriminating
himself, and telling you and I what he really thinks about the value of the life of an unborn child.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
- Over 100 Quebec Doctors
- Say No To Euthanasia
Quebec is close to the U.S. These global/New Age programs will be tried in Canada first, to feel things out. But you will see them in the States soon. Our Chief Ill-Legal Alien will shove it down our throats. Americans, We the People need to start speaking out and loudly against this end-time stuff. We are allowing it happen right in fron of us. These guys have stepped up the pace 1000 percent. Their leaders know the end is near. So wake up!
Parents can spot teen drug use
and take steps to prevent it
Even if you're 99 percent sure that your teenager is not drinking alcohol or using other drugs, consider the facts:
Sixty percent of high school seniors report having been drunk at least once--as do 20 percent of eighth-graders.
Forty-six percent of high school seniors have tried marijuana.
Teenagers also report use of other illicit drugs, including inhalants, LSD, MDMA (ecstasy), cocaine and heroin.
These findings are from the 2004 Monitoring the Future survey, an annual study of adolescent drug use sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. They underline the fact that drugs are widely used among teenagers, putting even the best kids at risk.
Michael Borowiak, a social worker who counsels addicted adolescents, defines "experimenting" with drugs as using them once or twice. "The experimenting is over after that," says Borowiak. "After that, they're into a pattern of substance abuse."
Adolescence can lead to sudden changes in a child's moods and behaviors, making it hard for you to spot the signs of alcohol or other drug use. But according to Lea Goldstein, a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with teens and families struggling with substance abuse, observing more than a few of the following signs means that it's time to take action:
the smell of alcohol or odor of marijuana
stealing or borrowing money
defensiveness about activities and possessions
unusual mood changes or temper outbursts
marked changes in eating or sleeping habits
decline in academic performance
heavy use of perfumes, mouthwash or other scents to hide drug use
a bedroom littered with burned matches, pipes or other drug paraphernalia
changes in friend groups
significant change in personal appearance or hygiene
loss of interest in usual activities and hobbies
difficulty with concentration
The earlier you respond to such signs, the better. Goldstein offers the following guidelines:
Talk about it. Share your observations with your child, while avoiding direct accusations. Stick to the facts and stay calm during this discussion. Don't have it if your child is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
Help your child create a plan for refusing drugs. The key is to come up with a plan that your teenager will actually use in a social setting where kids are using drugs. "If you're in that situation," Borowiak says to teenagers, "go to the bathroom--wherever it is--and sit in there for five minutes and time it. Then come out and tell your friends that you're sick and that you need to go home. Call home and have a parent pick you up."
Enforce a zero-tolerance rule. Research indicates that parental disapproval does deter adolescent drug use. Remind your children that you expect them to avoid all alcohol or other drug use--period. Set clear rules and expectations around alcohol and other drug use and establish reasonable consequences if those rules are broken. Borowiak suggests developing a written contract, including a clause such as this: "If I ever use alcohol or another drug in the future, this means that I need help to stop and am asking you to provide it."
Involve other people. You don't have to do this alone. Many people can help you intervene with your child--for example, a family doctor, school counselor, or addiction counselor. In addition, turn to support groups for teenagers and their families who are in recovery from addiction.
Focus on prevention. Stay actively involved in your teenager's life. Get to know his or her friends and their parents. Set and enforce curfews. Encourage participation in school and after-school activities. Also take time each week to ask what your child is thinking, feeling, and doing--and listen to the answers without interrupting.
Sources used in this article and the guidelines above are taken from Teen Alcohol and Other Drug Use: Knowing the Signs and What to Do About Them, a 15-minute video and DVD produced by Hazelden. For more on this video and other prevention resources, call Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services at 1-800-328-9000 or send an email to customersupport@hazelden.org.
--Published September 5, 2005
and take steps to prevent it
Even if you're 99 percent sure that your teenager is not drinking alcohol or using other drugs, consider the facts:
Sixty percent of high school seniors report having been drunk at least once--as do 20 percent of eighth-graders.
Forty-six percent of high school seniors have tried marijuana.
Teenagers also report use of other illicit drugs, including inhalants, LSD, MDMA (ecstasy), cocaine and heroin.
These findings are from the 2004 Monitoring the Future survey, an annual study of adolescent drug use sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. They underline the fact that drugs are widely used among teenagers, putting even the best kids at risk.
Michael Borowiak, a social worker who counsels addicted adolescents, defines "experimenting" with drugs as using them once or twice. "The experimenting is over after that," says Borowiak. "After that, they're into a pattern of substance abuse."
Adolescence can lead to sudden changes in a child's moods and behaviors, making it hard for you to spot the signs of alcohol or other drug use. But according to Lea Goldstein, a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with teens and families struggling with substance abuse, observing more than a few of the following signs means that it's time to take action:
the smell of alcohol or odor of marijuana
stealing or borrowing money
defensiveness about activities and possessions
unusual mood changes or temper outbursts
marked changes in eating or sleeping habits
decline in academic performance
heavy use of perfumes, mouthwash or other scents to hide drug use
a bedroom littered with burned matches, pipes or other drug paraphernalia
changes in friend groups
significant change in personal appearance or hygiene
loss of interest in usual activities and hobbies
difficulty with concentration
The earlier you respond to such signs, the better. Goldstein offers the following guidelines:
Talk about it. Share your observations with your child, while avoiding direct accusations. Stick to the facts and stay calm during this discussion. Don't have it if your child is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
Help your child create a plan for refusing drugs. The key is to come up with a plan that your teenager will actually use in a social setting where kids are using drugs. "If you're in that situation," Borowiak says to teenagers, "go to the bathroom--wherever it is--and sit in there for five minutes and time it. Then come out and tell your friends that you're sick and that you need to go home. Call home and have a parent pick you up."
Enforce a zero-tolerance rule. Research indicates that parental disapproval does deter adolescent drug use. Remind your children that you expect them to avoid all alcohol or other drug use--period. Set clear rules and expectations around alcohol and other drug use and establish reasonable consequences if those rules are broken. Borowiak suggests developing a written contract, including a clause such as this: "If I ever use alcohol or another drug in the future, this means that I need help to stop and am asking you to provide it."
Involve other people. You don't have to do this alone. Many people can help you intervene with your child--for example, a family doctor, school counselor, or addiction counselor. In addition, turn to support groups for teenagers and their families who are in recovery from addiction.
Focus on prevention. Stay actively involved in your teenager's life. Get to know his or her friends and their parents. Set and enforce curfews. Encourage participation in school and after-school activities. Also take time each week to ask what your child is thinking, feeling, and doing--and listen to the answers without interrupting.
Sources used in this article and the guidelines above are taken from Teen Alcohol and Other Drug Use: Knowing the Signs and What to Do About Them, a 15-minute video and DVD produced by Hazelden. For more on this video and other prevention resources, call Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services at 1-800-328-9000 or send an email to customersupport@hazelden.org.
--Published September 5, 2005
Monday, September 14, 2009
To The Point
This week I am changing my weekly column to To the Point. Since I am not officially the city judge anymore I can't really say that I'm writing from inside city hall. The mayor does not have an office at city hall. So, I'm not officially a part of the city hall crew. For some time I will be at the court training Ida Jo Watson. Ida Jo will succeed as our new ciy judge. To the Point is what I started with, so I am comfortable with it, and I will try to write to the point. Meaning, I will try to have a point to everything I write.
I need to apologize to the high school administration for not speaking to them before I wrote the infamous article about teen pregnancy. Sometimes a writer can be right about what he has to say, and still not be right about something else. I am sorry for the way I did it and for the commotion it caused.
I do not want to be known as an enemy to the Munday School System, because I am not. I don’t even want to be known as a yellow journalist: but I’ll have to live with that one for awhile.
The Munday Chamber of Commerce, under new leader, Rita Carney, has let it be known that they are on the field and ready to work for Munday. One whole session last week was devoted to the planning of the Harvest Fest set for Halloween Day, October 31. They have pulled out all the stops for this occasion and there is something on the program for every age group. Pumpkin carvers get your carving tools ready and shop for the perfect pumpkin. See Rita’s Column where she talks about the whole day.
Farmer’s Market got rained out last Saturday. Seeing as how we needed that rain no one will complain about that. If you still have some produce and want to share it with us Knox Prairie folks, bring it out this Saturday. If you have baked items you would like to sell, bring them. This would be a good opportunity for anyone who would like to begin a small business of any kind...as long as it is portable at this point. If you make something and have been wondering if anyone would buy it, this is your best chance to find out. Bring it to Munday Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m., located right in the center of town, south of the city hall on Main Street. If you need to call for directions or information of any kind call me at 203-0221.
Sales tax is that extra line at the bottom of your sales receipt. Most things are taxed in Texas, but a few things aren’t. Every concern that does business in Texas is supposed to collect a certain about of sales tax from their customers. Most customers are required to pay sales tax, while some are exempt for one reason or another. Those businesses that do not charge their customers sales tax and do not pay sales tax to the state comptroller, are breaking the law. They need to register with the comptroller’s office.
A portion of the sales tax paid in by folks here in Munday actually comes back to Munday. So far this calendar year (Jan-Dec) Munday has received about $6,656 ahead of the same period last year. If we look at the budget year (April -March) Munday is ahead of last budget year around $8,105. What that means is, Munday folks are shopping more at home than last year. That is a good sign, keep it up Munday. This money will help the City of Munday do a better job taking care of Munday.
This year’s “:See You at the Pole” theme is — ENGAGE: Go and Pray . . . GO to your school flagpole on Wednesday, September 23, at 7 a.m., and PRAY for your friends, family, school, community and the world.
The Moguls are off to a good start this year. Their record is 2-1 thus far in the season. The Moguls won the first half against the Jim Ned Indians Friday night. As far as we are concerned, rain won the second half, but sorry to say, Jim Ned was allowed the scores on the field. With every down the Moguls are gaining experience and wisdom that will help them more than victories when they get into the tough district schedule. Victories are sweet too. Support the Moguls all the way.
Okay John Boy, say goodnight now. Don’t forget to give Munday a plug every chance you get. Be nice to your neighbor and chances are he/she will be nice to you. Don’t expect it though, after all, there are still a few old soreheads living in Munday. But there are a lot more wonderful neighbors who will be nice to you even if you aren’t nice to them.
This is extra from the newspaper:
This isn't the first time i've apologized for something i've said. But, it hasn't happened often. This time, however, I acted impulsively and went straight to press. I won't do that again.
Last night after church the "After church mob" went to DQ and I had my usual crushed tacos (making it a good salad). There was a double table full, including three singles. We always talk about many different things, for instance last night one subject was cats. Travis and Brenda have too many cats around their place. Doug Donahue would like some cats at his place in the country to eat mice, etc., maye a snake or two. But then he has dogs out there that just might kill the cats. We didn't resolve that problem. After the Dentons came from Knox City, where Royce is preaching, the conversation shifted to the mayor's infamous column on teen pregnancy. Nola is known or her candor: although last night she might have shown a little malice as she critiqued my literary genius. You need a new thesaurus to help you choose your words. Things went downhill from there: someone even suggested I quit writing, or write cook books from now on. We all laughed and went our separate ways. I didn't sleep at all, just laid there thinking: cookbooks! I can't write cookbooks, I don't know how to boil water.
Well, you saw a change in my column this week, didn't you? I'm going to try to be more positive. So next week I'll write about the 81 percent of the high school senior girls who are not pregnant. Just kidding. I think the private love-life of Baptist deacons would raise more eyebrows. And sell more papers. But no, I can't do that either. I'm reformed. But you see how difficult it is for me. I just want to go for the jugular, you know, the glitter stuff. But I'm reformed.
Next week's lesson will be on Spiritual Warfare. I would like to teach on Spiritual warfare, if anyone is interested. But first I need to finish my FEMA emergency training. My deadline to finish is Sept. 30. I only have five (of 7) more courses to do.
With that I sign off and return to FEMA. thanks for reading.
This week I am changing my weekly column to To the Point. Since I am not officially the city judge anymore I can't really say that I'm writing from inside city hall. The mayor does not have an office at city hall. So, I'm not officially a part of the city hall crew. For some time I will be at the court training Ida Jo Watson. Ida Jo will succeed as our new ciy judge. To the Point is what I started with, so I am comfortable with it, and I will try to write to the point. Meaning, I will try to have a point to everything I write.
I need to apologize to the high school administration for not speaking to them before I wrote the infamous article about teen pregnancy. Sometimes a writer can be right about what he has to say, and still not be right about something else. I am sorry for the way I did it and for the commotion it caused.
I do not want to be known as an enemy to the Munday School System, because I am not. I don’t even want to be known as a yellow journalist: but I’ll have to live with that one for awhile.
The Munday Chamber of Commerce, under new leader, Rita Carney, has let it be known that they are on the field and ready to work for Munday. One whole session last week was devoted to the planning of the Harvest Fest set for Halloween Day, October 31. They have pulled out all the stops for this occasion and there is something on the program for every age group. Pumpkin carvers get your carving tools ready and shop for the perfect pumpkin. See Rita’s Column where she talks about the whole day.
Farmer’s Market got rained out last Saturday. Seeing as how we needed that rain no one will complain about that. If you still have some produce and want to share it with us Knox Prairie folks, bring it out this Saturday. If you have baked items you would like to sell, bring them. This would be a good opportunity for anyone who would like to begin a small business of any kind...as long as it is portable at this point. If you make something and have been wondering if anyone would buy it, this is your best chance to find out. Bring it to Munday Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m., located right in the center of town, south of the city hall on Main Street. If you need to call for directions or information of any kind call me at 203-0221.
Sales tax is that extra line at the bottom of your sales receipt. Most things are taxed in Texas, but a few things aren’t. Every concern that does business in Texas is supposed to collect a certain about of sales tax from their customers. Most customers are required to pay sales tax, while some are exempt for one reason or another. Those businesses that do not charge their customers sales tax and do not pay sales tax to the state comptroller, are breaking the law. They need to register with the comptroller’s office.
A portion of the sales tax paid in by folks here in Munday actually comes back to Munday. So far this calendar year (Jan-Dec) Munday has received about $6,656 ahead of the same period last year. If we look at the budget year (April -March) Munday is ahead of last budget year around $8,105. What that means is, Munday folks are shopping more at home than last year. That is a good sign, keep it up Munday. This money will help the City of Munday do a better job taking care of Munday.
This year’s “:See You at the Pole” theme is — ENGAGE: Go and Pray . . . GO to your school flagpole on Wednesday, September 23, at 7 a.m., and PRAY for your friends, family, school, community and the world.
The Moguls are off to a good start this year. Their record is 2-1 thus far in the season. The Moguls won the first half against the Jim Ned Indians Friday night. As far as we are concerned, rain won the second half, but sorry to say, Jim Ned was allowed the scores on the field. With every down the Moguls are gaining experience and wisdom that will help them more than victories when they get into the tough district schedule. Victories are sweet too. Support the Moguls all the way.
Okay John Boy, say goodnight now. Don’t forget to give Munday a plug every chance you get. Be nice to your neighbor and chances are he/she will be nice to you. Don’t expect it though, after all, there are still a few old soreheads living in Munday. But there are a lot more wonderful neighbors who will be nice to you even if you aren’t nice to them.
This is extra from the newspaper:
This isn't the first time i've apologized for something i've said. But, it hasn't happened often. This time, however, I acted impulsively and went straight to press. I won't do that again.
Last night after church the "After church mob" went to DQ and I had my usual crushed tacos (making it a good salad). There was a double table full, including three singles. We always talk about many different things, for instance last night one subject was cats. Travis and Brenda have too many cats around their place. Doug Donahue would like some cats at his place in the country to eat mice, etc., maye a snake or two. But then he has dogs out there that just might kill the cats. We didn't resolve that problem. After the Dentons came from Knox City, where Royce is preaching, the conversation shifted to the mayor's infamous column on teen pregnancy. Nola is known or her candor: although last night she might have shown a little malice as she critiqued my literary genius. You need a new thesaurus to help you choose your words. Things went downhill from there: someone even suggested I quit writing, or write cook books from now on. We all laughed and went our separate ways. I didn't sleep at all, just laid there thinking: cookbooks! I can't write cookbooks, I don't know how to boil water.
Well, you saw a change in my column this week, didn't you? I'm going to try to be more positive. So next week I'll write about the 81 percent of the high school senior girls who are not pregnant. Just kidding. I think the private love-life of Baptist deacons would raise more eyebrows. And sell more papers. But no, I can't do that either. I'm reformed. But you see how difficult it is for me. I just want to go for the jugular, you know, the glitter stuff. But I'm reformed.
Next week's lesson will be on Spiritual Warfare. I would like to teach on Spiritual warfare, if anyone is interested. But first I need to finish my FEMA emergency training. My deadline to finish is Sept. 30. I only have five (of 7) more courses to do.
With that I sign off and return to FEMA. thanks for reading.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Politically correct
Paul Weyrich, founder of the Heritage Foundation, said, "The ideology usually known as ‘Political Correctness,’ which is really the cultural Marxism of the infamous Frankfurt School, is using every type of cultural institution in our country to achieve its purpose, which is the destruction of traditional Western culture and the Christian religion."
The modern politically correct movement began at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; one of the most liberal institutions in the United States and is often viewed as a liberalist degrading of the freedom of speech. George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four famously incorporated the notion of limiting thought through language. Words or actions that violate political correctness are called politically incorrect.
At American universities, Liberals began imposing political correctness to prevent recognition of differences among gender, religion, belief system, sexual orientation and nationality. In the 1960s, feminists began to demand that the neutral pronouns he, him and his be replaced with expressions like "he or she", "him or her", "them", etc. They argued that no one would be able to understand that the masculine gender included the feminine gender in neutral contexts. But this was just part of their campaign to redefine the social roles traditionally associated with masculinity and femininity.
Political correctness or P.C. also means the alteration of ones choice of words in order to avoid either offending a group of people or reinforcing a stereotype considered to be disadvantageous to the group. More specifically, groups which (or whose putative "leaders" or other activists) claim some status as systemically oppressed or discriminated against will periodically attempt to change the terms by which they are referred to and demand that society as a whole change its usage of words as well.
Examples
An example of political correctness is the changing terminology used to describe handicapped people. In the past the term "crippled" was perfectly acceptable and not considered offensive. At some point, somebody decided "crippled" was degrading and the preferred term changed to "handicapped". This, too, was eventually deemed offensive and "disabled" became the preferred term. Today, "disabled" is now considered degrading and "differently abled" and "physically challenged" are now the politically correct terms. The same can be said for the changing uses of terms for Black Americans: "Negro" and "colored", once perfectly acceptable terms, were declared degrading and offensive by some activists during the 1970s and "Afro-American" and "Black" came into use, which in turn gave way to "African-American", and in broader usage, "people of color". The distinction for example between "colored people" (1950's-60's usage) and "people of color" (today) is an important one which illustrates the basis of political correctness.
The question of politically correct language has spilled over from the use of racially descriptive words and affected the use of traditional language. In 1999, an aide to the mayor of Washington DC described a budget decision as "niggardly" (a word meaning "stingy," unrelated to the racial slur). The aide immediately came under criticism and was forced to resign even though he had not said anything racially charged. However, his name was cleared within a matter of days and was offered to return to his previous position.
As well as language, political correctness discourages the use of racial or stereotypes in fiction out of concern that these stereotypes may become self-perpetuating. For example, frequently seeing the image black gang-members decked out in gold chains, carrying guns and listening to rap may pressure young black people into seeing this lifestyle as the more 'acceptable' choice for their racial group. The common image of female-dominated occupations (nurses, secretaries, care workers, etc) and of male-dominated occupations (IT workers, military, machinery operators, mechanics, etc.) can discourage individuals of either gender from considering those occupations traditionally belonging to the other. Additionally films like "The Siege" and "True Lies" have been criticized by pro-Islamic groups as having Muslims portrayed as terrorists, despite the fact that most current terrorists are in fact Muslims. Thus political correctness becomes the consideration of all public statements and media for their unintentional social impact.
Political correctness can even affect terminology that's viewed by secularists as too "proreligion" or an alleged "violation of the separation of church and state" in the United States. The best example of this is the active promotion of the use of C.E. and B.C.E. as the abbreviations used after dates (instead of the commonly and traditionally used A.D. and B.C.).
Differing Opinions
Demands for politically correct language usage are rooted in the notion widely promoted among left-wing academics and sociologists that Western culture promotes systemic oppression against some groups by marginalizing them and excluding them from the "norm"; the groups thus supposedly systemically marginalized are referred to as "the Other" by these left-wing academics. The implication is that these groups are systemically excluded from the mainstream. "Colored people" is therefore deemed offensive because the order of words puts "colored" first, emphasizing their difference from the mainstream, while "people of color" is acceptable because putting the term "people" first emphasizes that they are people and thus does not emphasize their difference from the "norm".
Some people allege that instead of encouraging supposedly marginalized groups to integrate with and assimilate into the mainstream of Western culture, political correctness ironically encourages them to emphasize and indeed to wallow in their marginalization from society, and to make a public display of such. This is known as identity politics. According to this view, gays and lesbians are therefore encouraged to label themselves as "queer" and make public displays of "queerness" calculated to disturb the sensibilities of mainstream people, rather than integrate into the mainstream themselves; Black Americans are encouraged to adopt Afrocentrism and convert to Islam or to conform to stereotypical black behavior, etc.
The Language Police
Conservative scholar Robert Bork has charged that the educational system is a battleground where the future of America is being undermined and ill-served. He has counseled against the troubles which will ensue as a result of anti-religious policies in the schools, permissive attitudes toward homosexuality and abortion, as well as welfare policies that have destroyed families since Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty.
In her book "The Language Police", Diane Ravitch documents just how easy it is to get a word, phrase or idea banned from modern textbooks and references. Textbook producers are beholden to small non-elected liberal educational boards in a few key states such as New York or California. Few citizens know anything about these boards or who holds the seats of power on these boards. It's not difficult for an interest group to mobilize a campaign to bombard the educational board. Meanwhile, the public is not even aware that their words or values are under attack from this corrupt system, while many elected Conservatives have rallied against this polocy. Then, once a big state makes a textbook purchase, it's very difficult for a small state or any municipality to make any changes. Thus, profound changes can be inserted into textbooks and reference books by putting pressure on a handful of educational administrators. The work of textbook selection committee's is done privately, to avoid politicizing textbooks, but the reverse has happened.
It's easier to pressure a lawmaker who is not beholden to community standards, but instead is enamored with political correctness. Ravitch has documented "bias guidelines" for major publishers of texts and tests. These "guidelines" consist of advice to writers and editors about words and topics that must be avoided.
Totalitarianism and Political Correctness
The comprehensive and detailed control of all ideas, beliefs, and statements is one of the most problematic features of totalitarian regimes. Political correctness can trace its origins back to the world of 1920's Germany, where Communist academics sought to impose their Marxist views on students. It is now acceptable in many Universities to have courses on gender, homosexual and African American studies, which, in fact, encourage the mainstream public to become different to avoid criticism.
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