Surprisingly, Citizens for Responsible Whatever Oppose National Day of Silence
Tomorrow (Friday, probably "today" when you read this) is the National Day of Silence, when students everywhere can express their support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. It is not surprising that the Citizens for a Responsible Whatever would take this opportunity to encourage their members to avoid educating their children. They just sent out an emergency newsletter. Here's their take on the whole thing:
This is wonderful news. Absolutely no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in Montgomery County. Uh, I mean zero reports of discrimination -- do you know how many forms you have to fill out, what agency you're supposed to go to, to report something like that? The people who get this newsletter will believe that there is no discrimination because, hey look Madge, it says so right here.
Here's the good part, if you ask me:
It makes me want to giggle. There are more schools -- entire schools with thousands of students each -- than the Citizens for Blah Blah has members.
Most of the main players in the Citizens for a Responsible Whatever pulled their kids out of the public schools long ago, this isn't going to affect them. They just can't stand the idea that tens of thousands of students across the state of Maryland are going to take a day to show respect for their friends who happen to be different in an irrelevant way. It just drives them nuts. Oh wait, they were already nuts.
I think TTF parents are talking with their young ones tonight about this. Encourage them. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender kids in their schools face a lot of obstacles. Being gay, being transgender, is not a problem, there's nothing wrong with that, it's dealing with stupid people that makes life hard for them. Show them you support them, print that card out and carry it to school tomorrow. Your teachers will be cool with it.
Tomorrow Public Highschools and Middleschools
Engage in Indoctrination of your kids
Day of Silence, Friday April 25th, 2008
Parents with Kids in Public Highschools and Middle schools WATCH OUT
Tomorrow, Friday, April 25th is the "Day of Silence" Across Montgomery County Schools in MD.
Your public schools, if listed below, is participating.
What does this mean ?
1) Kids in the school will be be wearing "SILENT" signs and NOT responding to teacher's questions.
2) Pro-homosexual rallies, and potentially announcements over the schools intercom will take place at your school, all during schools hours.
There is one sure way to make sure your public school knows that you don't want your kid indoctrinated. KEEP THEM HOME. While SAT scores are dropping, your public school is sanctioning kids being disrespectful to teachers by not answering their questions when directly addressed.
By the way, there were 0 reports of sexual orientation discrimination in Montgomery County and 22 reports of religious discrimination, but does that stop our school system from it's rampant indoctrination of our kids using our tax dollars ? NO.
This is wonderful news. Absolutely no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in Montgomery County. Uh, I mean zero reports of discrimination -- do you know how many forms you have to fill out, what agency you're supposed to go to, to report something like that? The people who get this newsletter will believe that there is no discrimination because, hey look Madge, it says so right here.
Here's the good part, if you ask me:
The List of Schools in Maryland Participating
ALBERT EINSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL
ANNAPOLIS SR. HIGH SCHOOL
ATHOLTON HIGH SCHOOL
BALTIMORE POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
BETHESDA CHEVY CHASE HIGH SCHOOL
BROADNECK SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
BRYN MAWR SCHOOL
C. MILTON WRIGHT HIGH SCHOOL
CARVER CENTER FOR ARTS & TECHNOLOGY
CATOCTIN HIGH SCHOOL
CATONSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL
CHARLES E. SMITH JEWISH DAY SCHOOL
COL. ZADOK A. MAGRUDER HIGH SCHOOL
DAMASCUS HIGH SCHOOL
ELANOR ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL
FRIENDS SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE
GAITHERSBURG HIGH SCHOOL
GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL
GILMAN SCHOOL
GLENELG HIGH SCHOOL
GOV. THOMAS JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL
HARFORD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
HAVRE DE GRACE HIGH SCHOOL
HEREFORD HIGH SCHOOL
HIGH POINT HIGH SCHOOL
HOLTON-ARMS SCHOOL
HOWARD HIGH SCHOOL
JAMES HUBERT BLAKE HIGH SCHOOL
JULIUS WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL
KENT ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL
LAUREL HIGH SCHOOL
LONG REACH HIGH SCHOOL
MAGNOLIA MIDDLE SCHOOL
MCDONOGH SCHOOL
MONTGOMERY BLAIR HIGH SCHOOL
MOUNT HEBRON HIGH SCHOOL
NORTH EAST HIGH SCHOOL
NORTHWESTERN HIGH SCHOOL
OAKLAND MILLS HIGH SCHOOL
OLDFIELDS SCHOOL
PARK SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE
PARKDALE HIGH SCHOOL
PATAPSCO HIGH AND CENTER FOR THE ARTS
PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR HIGH SCHOOL
POOLESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
QUINCE ORCHARD HIGH SCHOOL
RESERVOIR HIGH SCHOOL
RICHARD MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL
RIVER HILL HIGH SCHOOL
ROLAND PARK COUNTRY SCHOOL
SANDY SPRINGS FRIENDS SCHOOL
SENECA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
SEVERN SCHOOL
SHERWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
SOUTH CARROLL SR. HIGH SCHOOL
SPRINGBROOK HIGH SCHOOL
ST ANDREWS EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
ST PAUL'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
SUDBROOK MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL
THE NORA SCHOOL
THOMAS S. WOOTTON HIGH SCHOOL
THORNTON FRIENDS SCHOOL
TOWSON HIGH LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY
TOWSON HIGH SCHOOL
WALT WHITMAN HIGH SCHOOL
WALTER JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL
WATKINS MILL HIGH SCHOOL
WESTERN HIGH SCHOOL
WESTMINSTER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
WICOMICO HIGH SCHOOL
WILDE LAKE HIGH SCHOOL
WINSTON CHURCHILL HIGH SCHOOL
It makes me want to giggle. There are more schools -- entire schools with thousands of students each -- than the Citizens for Blah Blah has members.
Most of the main players in the Citizens for a Responsible Whatever pulled their kids out of the public schools long ago, this isn't going to affect them. They just can't stand the idea that tens of thousands of students across the state of Maryland are going to take a day to show respect for their friends who happen to be different in an irrelevant way. It just drives them nuts. Oh wait, they were already nuts.
I think TTF parents are talking with their young ones tonight about this. Encourage them. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender kids in their schools face a lot of obstacles. Being gay, being transgender, is not a problem, there's nothing wrong with that, it's dealing with stupid people that makes life hard for them. Show them you support them, print that card out and carry it to school tomorrow. Your teachers will be cool with it.
posted by JimK at 10:10 PM
62 Comments:
Ah, Jim, you might want to notify Theresa that I have personally dealt with two sexual orientation discrimination cases in the past few weeks. That's two more than zero.
But what do I know, since I'm just a dingbat narcissist, as Anon says. Ah, those were the days, songs that made the hit parade, gee our old LaSalle ran great.
and you knew what you were then
people didn't switch gender on a whim
Mister, we could a Democrat like John Kennedy again
now, go get Duchy a beer!
"I have personally dealt with two sexual orientation discrimination cases in the past few weeks"
Discriminated against? How? Did someone refuse to marry them?
You are correct, Jim.
I did pull my kids out of public schools. I didn't think it was appropriate to teach 10 year olds to "wait until they were older and in a committed relationship" to have sex right after you have shown them a movie featuring wet dreams, like our current MCPS does.
but, they are not completely protected in the private schools. Our private school admitted two kids from Newport Mills middle school into the 7th grade (yes, age 11 and 12). They are going around telling the rest of the 7th graders that being bi-sexual is the "cool" thing to do. It's all the rage at Newport Mills.
Congratulation folks, I hope you are proud of yourselves.
You did this. Does it feel good ?
do you think this is healthy for our kids....
yes, you do, because, hey they are going to have sex at 12 and we might as well accept it.
You can accept for your kids Jim, I intend to continue to fight for mine.
Theresa
People have NEVER switched gender on a whim, Anon. That you continue to say so simply betrays your ignorance and your hate, to say nothing of plain old disrespect. And no one switches gender, but only changes her gender expression. The gender identity has remained constant.
"there were ... 22 reports of religious discrimination"
Shouldn’t that read: "we’re responsible for 22 reports of religious discrimination?"
Oh, my gosh, Theresa...what a tragedy. You pull your children out of public schools because they were learning about those naughty "wet dreams" and now your "private school admitted two kids from Newport Mills middle school into the 7th grade (yes, age 11 and 12). They are going around telling the rest of the 7th graders that being bi-sexual is the "cool" thing to do."
Horrors!
What on earth are you to do now? Has your private school failed you? Your poor children - how ever are they (or were they) able to deal with that? Perhaps you can continue to "fight for them" by building a non-permeable bubble for them to inhabit to protect them from the vicissitudes of life.
It's interesting that a parent who admittedly withdrew her kids from MCPS feels she has the right to tell other MCPS parents what their kids should and shouldn't learn in school. That's really pathetic!
Stunning said...
"and you knew what you were then
people didn't switch gender on a whim
Mister, we could a Democrat like John Kennedy again
now, go get Duchy a beer!"
--
Clever, I'm impressed.
"Those were the days," All in the Family theme song:
"And you knew who you were then
Girls were girls and men were men
Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again."
If only Archie Bunker was running for president, eh anon?
Theresa Rickman says...
"You are correct, Jim.
I did pull my kids out of public schools. I didn't think it was appropriate to teach 10 year olds to "wait until they were older and in a committed relationship" to have sex right after you have shown them a movie featuring wet dreams, like our current MCPS does.
but, they are not completely protected in the private schools. Our private school admitted two kids from Newport Mills middle school into the 7th grade (yes, age 11 and 12). They are going around telling the rest of the 7th graders that being bi-sexual is the "cool" thing to do. It's all the rage at Newport Mills.
Congratulation folks, I hope you are proud of yourselves.
You did this. Does it feel good ?
do you think this is healthy for our kids....
yes, you do, because, hey they are going to have sex at 12 and we might as well accept it.
You can accept for your kids Jim, I intend to continue to fight for mine.
Theresa"
----
"You are correct, Jim.
I did pull my kids out of public schools. I didn't think it was appropriate to teach 10 year olds to "wait until they were older and in a committed relationship" to have sex"
So basically you didn’t think there was enough of your anti-sex, shame and guilt, head in the sand-AKA "abstinence only" brand of religious prudence in the public schools.
In other words, your entire "argument" is that public schools are not religious schools. Brilliant.
--
"but, they are not completely protected in the private schools. Our private school admitted two kids from Newport Mills middle school into the 7th grade (yes, age 11 and 12). They are going around telling the rest of the 7th graders that being bi-sexual is the "cool" thing to do. It's all the rage at Newport Mills."
Hearsay coming from the leader of an organization that routinely lies. And this enhances your credibility how?
Not to mention the fact that you place the blame for this on the public school system, and not your school for not only admitting them in the first place, but also having done nothing to rectify the situation despite your repeated complaints.
You have repeatedly complained to the head of the school, have you not? I can't imagine that your first complaint about the situation would be on a public forum.
Furthermore, and since you've obviously complained about this repeatedly to the principal of your childrens' school, why have these children not been expelled? Isn't that religious persecution against you?
And if that's the case, who's fault is it that you continue to send your kids there?
--
"being bi-sexual is the "cool" thing to do"
So you’re saying that “being” is something that you “do?”
I’m "being" human right now. Could you possibly explain to the rest of the class how this is something that I’m "doing?"
--
"Congratulation folks, I hope you are proud of yourselves.
You did this. Does it feel good ?
do you think this is healthy for our kids...."
TTF is responsible for you drawing PUBLIC attention to an 11 year old and a 12 year old from Newport Mills middle school?
I certainly don’t think that’s healthy for those kids, or their family. Unless of course you’ve gotten permission from their parents to exploit them for your own personal political gain. Have you?
--
"You can accept for your kids Jim, I intend to continue to fight for mine.
Theresa"
According to your theory regarding the situation, the very simple solution would be for parents like you, Theresa Rickman, to just tell your daughters that they should decide to be only attracted to boys, and to tell your sons to decide to be only attracted to girls.
What seems to be the problem?
Come to think of it Theresa, you better nip this in the bud. Infestations like this can spread like wildfire. Just think of all the sex talk you haven’t heard about.
Anon (aka-Theresa Rickman)- Do you think that your pro-discrimination agenda is good and healthy for our students? NOPE!
We are ready to end bullying at the school in which I teach, not promote it like CRC does.
We've actually been getting ready for the Day of Silence in my school (as a school) for the past two weeks.
Have a ANTI-discriminatory Day of Silence, everyone! Oh, and write back and let every know how the day went.
We're ready to go at my school too!
Theresa has told us repeatedly she has an atheist husband and a couple of kids who now go to private school after getting a great foundation from MCPS. She's also told us she enjoys parading around naked in front of only other XX women in the "ladies room sauna at Bethesda Sport and Health." Now she's screaming bloody murder about a couple of former MCPS middle schoolers who have supposedly told fellow private school students being bisexual is cool. Does she take into account that these students are too young to have taken any MCPS sex ed classes that cover sexual orientation and tolerance? No, she still blames MCPS for the kids' comments.
Theresa once asked Do you think my insistence that we seperate lockers and showerrooms by biology makes me a rightwing loon
Yes, and then some. All her statements and questions taken together make Theresa sound like a self-loathing bisexual rightwing loon like Reverend Ted Haggard.
Andrea- not anon
Theresa, wow, thanks for giving me a laugh to start my day. I suggest you have the kids from Newport Mill flogged and then stoned. How dare your exclusive(like your health club, huh) private school let in these little criminals who talked about sex!!! By the way, if you still think that there is much, if anything, that wasn't already being talked about by 7th graders in "your" private school- you really are deluded! But we knew that already.
Well, I'm gay and I am cool!! So, I guess being LGBT ( and stright) is cool. What isn't cool, Theresa, is that you are an anti-Christian hypocrite.
Theresa- do you wake up in the morning and also scream "WHITE POWER!!" or just "KILL THE FAGS!!"??
Does anyone have the actual facts?
??Do these schools officially endorse the day of silence? Do students have the right to not respond when teachers insist (as opposed to asking permission to be silent, as GLSEN advises)?
Theresa, you are recommending that parents keep their children home from school. We call this skipping. Students have the right to free speech in school, but do not have the right not to engage in schooling.
rrjor
One of my students (a conservative, Republican, Bush-supporting student) offered to teach my class (if I gave him my lesson plans) so that I could participate in the Day of Silence if I chose. One of the nicest things someone has done for me in a long time.
Robert
One of my students (a conservative, Republican, Bush-supporting student) offered to teach my class (if I gave him my lesson plans) so that I could participate in the Day of Silence if I chose. One of the nicest things someone has done for me in a long time.
Robert
Actually, they don't have the right to free speech in a school setting. When a teacher calls on them in a class discussion and they don't answer, they need to be sent to the principal for disciplinary action. That won't happen, of course, because gays are disproportionately represented in schools. Half the time, the principal's one. When we come to our senses, we'll ban open gays from employment in public schools.
The schools do indeed endorse this day. They give the kids a talk beforehand telling them how to treat the unruly gays. (hint: with great "respect") They don't do that for any other protest.
I heard some speakers from Exodus Int'l predict a few years ago say that, if cultural trends persist, bi-sexuality will become the next cool thing among teens. I guess you guys will be yukking it up when kids at Newport Mills start coming down with AIDS. I'm sure you'll blame it on CRC and try to pass a law that all kids must keep a couple of condoms in their pocket at all times- kind of like a driver's license.
TTF sucks.
Teens who receive only abstinence-only classes at school avoid condom use, consider themselves to be technically virgins even if they engage in oral and anal sex, and then wonder why they come down with STDs.
That sucks.
"Actually, they don't have the right to free speech in a school setting. When a teacher calls on them in a class discussion and they don't answer, they need to be sent to the principal for disciplinary action. That won't happen, of course, because gays are disproportionately represented in schools. Half the time, the principal's one."
--
It’s mind boggling, I know. According to Focus on the Family, only .00000000001% of the population is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. Yet, as you clearly prove by saying, HALF of all principles in the United States are gay.
It really just goes to show how efficient the homosexual agenda is at recruiting straights to become gay principles.
Empathy is a spiritual as well as a social strength. It is heartening to see so many schools in such a wide range of educational focus choosing to participate in this empathy exercise.
I don't know all of the schools on that list, but I do recognize a few religious schools among the private school in the list. The headmaster of one of those schools recently led worship at my church (he is an ordained minister as well as a professional educator) and he told us that chapel attendance is mandatory at his school. I am sure that the strong religious foundation of the school helps them see the value of the Day of Silence.
Would the educators on this blog come back over the weekend and tell us how things worked out in your silent classrooms?
I really feel sorry for those two 7th graders from Newport Mill MS. They didn't get a chance to take the public school class that would have answered some questions about sexuality, so they do what kids with questions usually do: they talked to other kids. Now the adults at their new school have turned against them and are blaming them for something the whole school is doing.
It's because it's a place where they know they be embraced, Improv.
It's not in all places. It's in MCPS, fruitcake capital of the world. All the gays flock here where they can push their agenda on kids with taxpayer funding.
"I guess you guys will be yukking it up when kids at Newport Mills start coming down with AIDS."
It’s so tragic. When will the scientific community realize that all it takes to get AIDS is to have sex with someone who is same gender attracted, and that it has nothing at all to do with having unprotected sex with someone who is HIV positive.
Apparently if everyone would shut their eyes, stick their fingers in their ears, and go LALALALALALALALA, they would all understand this.
But don’t tell that to any of these pro-DOS-nonviolence homosexual activists ~ you’ll never hear the end of it.
I looked into Theresa's list. I think she got it from missionamerica.com (an organization run by Linda Harvey, I believe).
I don't know about the Maryland school, but the site also lists a bunch of schools in Fairfax County.
No schools in FCPS endorse the day of silence. Students may or may not choose to participate, as always.
The claptrap Theresa sends in her email is inaccurate; either she is sloppy in her research, or inflammatorily dishonest.
I suspect Mission America gets its list from the GLSEN website. That list is generated by students individually registering. It represents no action on the part of school administrators or teachers.
So, all of this MissionAmerica/ADF/CRC/CRG/CRW stuff is intended to alarm parents about imaginary actions, and encourage them to have their students skip school. My guess is that it's an attempt to generate incidents for lawsuits.
The Day of Silence is designed as a non-intrusive, non-inflammatory educational event, to bring awareness of harassment. CRC's/Theresa's/BigotAnon from above's response to this event underscores the level of hate that exists with respect to lgbt people, and demonstrates the need for lessons on acceptance, tolerance and prevention of bullying needed in schools. MCPS has taken some preliminary steps.
BTW, I think MCPS's lessons are a good first step, some some serious training for teachers on ending bullying is called for.
Theresa, I think as a public spokesperson for a group that engages in litigation, you should be careful what you say in public fora. You're email to your list and your comment on this blog are filled with inaccuracy, and just absolutely drip hate and bigotry.
My students have been interested in the day of silence. Most of them have heard about it, though only a few are participating (the school and county have made no announcements whatsoever, so their knowledge has come from word of mouth). About 20 of them have asked if I'm participating, so I've taken a little time to explain why I am not. This generation of youth is much more accepting and kinder than the people of CWA/FOF/FRC/CRW/CRG/CRC/ADF/Family Foundation/ et. al.
If there's a culture war, I think it's already over.
Unlike fearful haters like Anon and Theresa Rickman, most MoCo residents celebrate our diversity. The Montgomery Extra section in yesterday's Washington Post had a great article that included letters from many county residents, including JimK, expressing that sentiment. Read it here.
And when they take their fingers out of the ears, stop blabbing LALALALALA and open their eyes, (too funny, Emproph!) they might actually read and learn that
...despite 11 years of federally funded abstinence programs, at a cost of more than $1.3 billion, teens are still having sex and becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases. Those who support comprehensive plans said teens should get the information they need to protect themselves.
A study released in December by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a rise in the teenage pregnancy rate in 2006, the first such increase in 15 years. Between 1991 and 2005, the rate dropped 34%.
"All the gays flock here where they can push their agenda on kids with taxpayer funding."
Well I guess that explains why there are no gay pride parades here in Naples Florida.
Really, Theresa/Anon.
Maybe you should stop using the Bible to push an ANTI-Christian theocratic agenda only to protect power and wealth. You most certainly do not have the well-being of our studens in mind. THANK GOD you are not a teacher. You're obviously a self-loathing individual. Get some help, you freak.
Derrick said...
"Really, Theresa/Anon.
Get some help, you freak."
--
What’s that Theresa? You don’t like it when people call you a freak?
You think that’s unfair?
You think that’s mean-spirited?
You think that’s unChristian, and hateful?
You think I’m passive aggressive with the way that I’m asking these questions?
Andrea- not anon
I am guessing the Anon who is not theresa is even crazier than the usual MN Anon. Send a kid to the principal for not answering-yeah,right. "half the time, the principal is gay"- almost right but in MCPS- all staff are gay - it is an employement requirement.
And quiet people are unruly-so,so true.
As to who sucks- I'm gonna guess you- really crazy Anon.
I thought all the gays lived in San Fran, AnonFreak?
Actually...there are gay people in EVERY CITY IN THE WORLD (small and large).
You're so hateful. It's really, really sad.
Anonymous, in a fit of dismissive sarcasm, writes,
Oh, my gosh, Theresa...what a tragedy. You pull your children out of public schools because they were learning about those naughty "wet dreams" and now your "private school admitted two kids from Newport Mills middle school into the 7th grade (yes, age 11 and 12). They are going around telling the rest of the 7th graders that being bi-sexual is the "cool" thing to do."
Horrors!
What on earth are you to do now? Has your private school failed you? Your poor children - how ever are they (or were they) able to deal with that? Perhaps you can continue to "fight for them" by building a non-permeable bubble for them to inhabit to protect them from the vicissitudes of life.
It's interesting that a parent who admittedly withdrew her kids from MCPS feels she has the right to tell other MCPS parents what their kids should and shouldn't learn in school. That's really pathetic!
Fools will mock...I think what Theresa is saying is this: there is a spillover effect from the corrosive effects of sex education as it is popularly taught. One of those effects can be sexually debased children corrupting the children whose parents have worked hard and made sacrifices to maintain a virtue that is regularly and openly mocked and ridiculed on this forum, as you have done here now.
Thank you for confirming what I have long suspected and showing yourself to be not only intolerant but disrespectful of the wishes of some parents not to have sex treated like it is in the Animal Kingdom.
The TTF theme song?
You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals, so let's do it like they do it on the discovery channel.
Orin,
I haven't heard from you in a long time, and I'm disappointed this is how you return to this blog.
It has been said many times here that parents are free to raise their children as they see fit. Theresa can teach her children whatever she pleases. She just cannot dictate her opinions to the public school system, which her children don't even attend.
So what is this VIRTUE to which you allude? Homophobia? This is what these Christianist parents are working to inculcate? It's their leaders who are often outed and arrested these days for adultery, soliciting prostitues (same sex and opposite sex), etc.
"Sex education as it is popularly taught" is abstinence-only education, which has been shown to be a monumental failure.
You show your true colors when you state that those kids were "sexually debased." How do you know? By whose standards?
Underlying all of this is the constrained view of human sexuality that your fundamentalist crowd espouses, but which has never been the reality. This crowd is so uptight that they feel within reason to ignore all the variations that are present. Anything that is not the default they were taught in Sunday school is wrong, sinful, debased . . .
Once again -- Theresa can teach her children whatever she wants, but her sin is trying to impose it on others and using her bully pulpit to foment hatred against the LGBT community. As the recipient of hate mail I can personally attest to that, and I hold her responsible.
I can also attest to the hate mail, Dana.
Oh, I especially loved it when someone wrote in permanent marker on my classroom door (2 years ago): "Kill the Fags, God's OKAY with that!" Then, after school, I went out to my car to find is keyed, all my tires slashed and more phrases like, "We know where you work, you better be scared" and "You don't know who we are but we'll be following you home".
This is exactly what the Day of Silence is trying to STOP, Orin/Theresa/AnonFreak. All I can say is: you more than likely had a pretty hateful childhood as that is all you crave now in your adulthood. I am sorry you guys had to go through a tough childhood but it most certainly is not fair to make the childhood and LIVES of others hate-filled and miserable to make yourselves feel better. Shameful.
Orin
I personally think Theresa is being contemptuous of those "public school kids." That's how I read her comment.
rrjr
Of course Theresa's trying to make it seem like there's a spillover effect, but there isn't any such thing.
MCPS doesn't even mention bisexuality until 8th grade. Private school seventh graders who attended sixth grade at Newport Mill Middle School did not learn about bisexuality from their MCPS teachers.
Newport Mill MS ... epicentre of society-destroying bisexuality???
Given a quick google about the evil people of Kensington MD, I'd almost believe that claim but for the person who made it: Trust-Me-Theresa.
"...sex treated like it is in the Animal Kingdom."
What, Orin?
Like... a dominant male using violence against rivals and then controlling a herd of females for purely procreative purposes?
Hmmm: the last time that sort of thing was in the news it involved religious extremists; as it always seems to. You know, the type of people who imagine themselves to be the only virtuous ones.
Or perhaps you mean some random coupling and then dropping the eggs under a rock in a stream? (Which, admittedly, of course, is behaviour we all know is rife in Mongomery County.) First ones out get to eat their siblings.
The regulars here may want to correct me, but I don't imagine animals get much sex ed at all; let alone comprehensive, fact-based sex ed.
And I suspect a more accurate TTF theme song would be something along the lines of:
Tain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.
Tain't what you do, it's the time that you do it.
Tain't what you do, it's the place that you do it.
(With apologies to Ella)
It must be nice to ONLY be concerned, ultimately, about your own kids and your own religious viewpoints. Parenting would be so much simpler, if more selfish and animalistic, if that were the common approach.
Alas, the poor people at TTF seem concerned not just about their kids, but those of others. Not just their virtues, but those of others. Not just their needs, but the needs of others. Explaining the facts, but leaving any moral interpretation to the parents at home. Soooo complicated and messy and annoying.
That we should all live in isolated cabins in Idaho (or compounds in Texas) we wouldn't need be troubled by all this nonsense about the needs and aspirations and outcomes for others.
If only TTF parents weren't so wedded to the odd notion that all children -- even, yes even, the gay ones -- deserve a thoughtful and respectful education that prepares them for their adult life they could stop with all this stuff about right way, right time and right place... and just go pound everyone with fearful sermons about "what" is immoral and unnatural.
Because that'd work.
PS: Orin, it's normally not advised to lecture about tolerance in wording around other people's children such as "sexually debased", "corrupting" or "corrosive". It's never a wise idea to claim ignorance as a virtue, nor offer the intolerant up as a martyr.
At the least, flagrant hypocrisy must surely be the easiest way to open yourself to the ridicule and mockery you are seeking to avoid.
PS Everyone: for clarity.
The guidelines etc for "Day of Silence" do not require that participants remain completely silent through-out the day. They are making a point about the silencing of others, not joining a silent order of nuns.
Students, as example, are expected to remain in school and fully participate in the lessons. They are free to break their silence in order to do that, and they are expected to reply to a direct question from the teacher etc. Otherwise, they can be still and listen.
Yes... excuse me, but doesn't that sound like a PERFECT teaching environment?
("Can we have this everyday???")
""Sex education as it is popularly taught" is abstinence-only education, which has been shown to be a monumental failure."
Another whopper of a lie from a pro at lying.
Most education in sex ed these days is comprehensive and has been since the early 70s. It was a failure from the beginning when it caused an explosion of teen pregnancy which only began to ebb slightly has abstinence programs began to be developed by churches in the 90s.
Absolutely false. The Bush administration has spent $1.3 billion on abstinence-only lies and misrepresentations. Enough is enough.
over eight years?
that doesn't make it "sex ed as it is popularly
most sex ed in America is comprehensive
it has failed
radicals are seeking to continually make it more corrosive of public morality
society will continue to suffer until the backlash corrects it
oh, and you're a liar, Dana
Oh, and you're an absolute dumb ass, AnonFreak. Why don't you take a big tall glass of "Shut-the-hell-up". Everyone would be happy that way.
Here on the TTF blog...we prefer to discus reality, not Bible stories.
Just because the Bible says something...that doesn't make it true/real.
We weren't discussing the Bible, Drick. We were discussing this reality:
Comprehensive sex ed has been offered by most public schools since the 70s. Immediately coinciding with its introduction, teen pregnancy rates exploded and have yet to return to levels before its introduction.
Facts are facts, buddy.
AnonFreak-
I was referring to the Bible because I am still upset that you are using my faith to promote hate.
Apparently you have not seen this piece of news about Abstinence-Only programs (April 23, 2008- www.populationconnection.org):
This morning on Capitol Hill, Population Connection participated in an
historic hearing on the failure of abstinence-only programming in America's
schools.
Abstinence-only programming uses fear and shame-based tactics in an attempt
to frighten teens away from sexual activity. Contraception is mentioned
only in terms of its failure rates, and abstinence-only literature is rife
with misinformation and offensive gender-based stereotypes. Long a darling
of the Bush administration and its conservative allies, abstinence-only
programming has received more than $1 billion in federal funding since 1996.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep.
Henry Waxman (D-CA) heard testimony from researchers, public health
officials and representatives of mainstream medical organizations.
Under tough questioning by pro-family planning legislators, even the
supporters of abstinence-only programs, like Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) who
made a journey across the Capitol to testify to the House committee,
admitted that federally funded abstinence-only programs have never been
proven to be effective.In addition, the pro-abstinence witnesses agreed that
the federal government should have a medical accuracy requirement and that
the programs need more flexibility.
The clear message that came out of today's hearing was that abstinence-only
programs are denying young people the information they need to make
responsible decisions. Among the members of Congress making the most
compelling statements about the problems with the program were Chairman
Henry Waxman (D-CA), Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), Rep.
Chris Shays (R-CT), Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH), Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), and
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN). If you live in the districts of any of these
members, please take a moment to thank them for their support.
One more thing, Sweetheart-AnonFreak:
We had a very successful Day of Silence in MCPS!
"Anonymous"
Your claims that comprehensive sex education has failed can be laid squarely at the feet of your highly-vaunted non-existent "traditional" family values! You are the one who expounds on the virtues and soundness of family sex-education. You are the one who wants to take sex-education out of the schools. And it is because of this "hide your head in the sand" stance that schools have been forced to fill the void created by families, similar to many of the families that are represented in CRC, who are either ignorant about sex, have a "giggle-giggle blush" attitude toward discussion of sex with their children or have absolutely no relationship with their own children, or believe that ignorance about sex can only lead to purity in their children's lives.
You pontificate that "most sex ed in America is comprehensive
it has failed
radicals are seeking to continually make it more corrosive of public morality"
The only thing that will apparently satisfy you, when all is said and done, is to ban sex altogether and consign America to becoming a vast monastic society.
"Just because the Bible says something...that doesn't make it true/real."
"I was referring to the Bible because I am still upset that you are using my faith to promote hate."
Here are two recent contradictory quotes from Drick to keep in mind when he claims to represent a Christian perspective. One second he says the Bible is not necessarily true, the next he's claiming to have faith in it.
Talk about your post-modernism!
Thnaks, btw, Drick, for showing again how DANA lied. DANA said Bush has spent 1.3 billion on ab-only programs. Your new paste said 1 billion has been spent and that included during the last four year of the Clinton administration:
"abstinence-only
programming has received more than $1 billion in federal funding since 1996."
"Under tough questioning by pro-family planning legislators, even the
supporters of abstinence-only programs, like Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) who
made a journey across the Capitol to testify to the House committee,
admitted that federally funded abstinence-only programs have never been
proven to be effective."
Here's a commonly used misleading phrase among promiscuity advocates. Truth is ab-only has not proved any less effective than comp sex ed. Plain truth is, students don't usually listen to their teachers' advice about sex, regardless of what it is.
"In addition, the pro-abstinence witnesses agreed that
the federal government should have a medical accuracy requirement and that
the programs need more flexibility."
Probably true of any health curriculum. If the ab-only classes have some incorrect information, clean it up, but don't change the basic message.
Wow, so now I'm DANA. I'm impressed.
If I misspoke about the $1.3 billion, and it included monies spent by the extremist Republican Congress during the last four years of the Clinton administration, then I stand corrected. That is not a lie, Anon. Theresa claiming there are pedophiles lying in wait for the trans law to go into effect is a lie, and an extremely pernicious one.
"Here are two recent contradictory quotes from Drick to keep in mind when he claims to represent a Christian perspective. One second he says the Bible is not necessarily true, the next he's claiming to have faith in it."
…said the "Christian" who believes genocide is a moral value.
DANA, try adopting a little integrity and you might gain a little credibility:
"If I misspoke about the $1.3 billion, and it included monies spent by the extremist Republican Congress during the last four years of the Clinton administration, then I stand corrected. That is not a lie,"
1.3 billion divided by 8 is 160 million. 1 billion divided by 12 is 80 million. You doubled the amount of funding. That's quite a "mispoke".
No matter. The real lie is that ab only is sex ed as it is popularly taught. Eventually, that will be true but it isn't now. Things will only change after it becomes clear how many kids are suffering from the morally insidious instructions of "comp sex ed".
"Theresa claiming there are pedophiles lying in wait for the trans law to go into effect is a lie, and an extremely pernicious one."
Another lie. Theresa has never said this.
Hahaha...Theresa ALWAYS lies. Judgment Day will take care of that.
:o)
From the article Aunt Bea posted:
...despite 11 years of federally funded abstinence programs, at a cost of more than $1.3 billion, teens are still having sex and becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases.
From the Article Derrick posted:
Long a darling of the Bush administration and its conservative allies, abstinence-only
programming has received more than $1 billion in federal funding since 1996.
--
Dana: "If I misspoke about the $1.3 billion, and it included monies spent by the extremist Republican Congress during the last four years of the Clinton administration, then I stand corrected. That is not a lie,"
Stunning: "1.3 billion divided by 8 is 160 million. 1 billion divided by 12 is 80 million. You doubled the amount of funding. That's quite a "mispoke"."
--
Dana attributed the 1.3 billion to the Bush administration when Aunt Bea’s article (which I’m assuming she was quoting from) says that figure included the last half of the Clinton administration - ergo, misspoke.
In addition, Derrick's article could theoretically mean anywhere between 1 and 2 billion, so your math on that one doesn't even apply.
Both articles said "more than" in regard to the funding figures, If you have a problem with the ambiguity of the figures, take it up with the authors of the articles.
Or you could just do your own research like the rest of us.
Or you could just pay attention.
Snap, Emproph! We really were not surprised that AnonFreak made a mistake, though, were we?
I mean, this is a person who thinks women should be stoned.
Dana would be correct to use "$1.3 billion" allocated from FY2000 to FY2007 ie under the Bush administration. (It's actually $1323 million.) But...
While the Bush period (to date) has certainly seen that $1323m spent, it's not correct to attribute all those dollars to Federal funds.
The total is $1023m direct Federal funding (of which only $400m is Title V.510), and $300m matching funding from the States (required for them to get Title V.510 funds).
Current annual funding is running at $176m direct Federal together with $37.5m matching State funding = $213.5m
Allowing for a typical 2 year lag between program allocation and actual expenditure, FY2002-09 will amount to slighly over $1.5 billion. That's what may be directly attributed to decisions under the current administration.
Here's a clear summary for specifically allocated abstinence-only funding, you can do your own adding up:
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/factsheet/fshistoryabonly.pdf
I'm not even going to try guess how much else has been snuck in during the period but which may not be so easily nailed to the abstinence-only philosophy eg some of the oddly reworded "information" via CDC, the gradual skewing of now-in-name-only 'comprehensive' sex ed courses etc etc.
And on that... someone please identify where this comprehensively comprehensive sex ed. is supposed to be in place. Anyone?
(For all the many positive changes in Montgomery, it still isn't fully comprehensive; as example. Even so, the changes toward that direction was enough to send some people ballistic.)
Anon said 1.3 billion divided by 8 is 160 million. 1 billion divided by 12 is 80 million.
Federal funding for ab-only education has not been static for 12 years like Anon's stunningly simpleton math implies. In fact, federal funding for ab-only education began in 1982, more than doubled in 1997, and has continued to increase exponentially since then.
Anon's fuzzy math is simply wrong. This graph shows the history of ever increasing federal funding of abstinence-only education.
I didn't do any "fuzzy math", I simply took the contradictory numbers you guys were tossing around and accepted them. I must concede, however, that trusting anything a TTFer says is pretty fuzzy thinkin'.
Same bottom line: saying that ab-only sex ed is sex ed "as popularly taught" is a lie.
Of course you didn't lie by saying that comp sex ed is effective. Even DANA and the gang wouldn't tell as bold a lie as that!
Here's your typical teen talking to his buddies: Oh yeah, I'm going to start wearing condoms, like, all the time. That's supercool because my PE teacher said so.
AnonFreak Said,
"Here's your typical teen talking to his buddies: Oh yeah, I'm going to start wearing condoms, like, all the time. That's supercool because my PE teacher said so."
So, basically, what you are saying AnonFreak/Theresa Rickman (the continued freak), is that you want all students to have sex without condoms, ergo, heightening teen pregnancy and STD infections.
What a shameful human being you are.
As a teacher in MCPS, I care about my students and their well-being. It's sad that you want our female students to become pregnant and submissive to their husbands.
Is that what you do/want, Theresa?
Dana writes,
Orin,
I haven't heard from you in a long time, and I'm disappointed this is how you return to this blog.
Well I hope you won't be too surprised when I state that it really does not matter to me...sorry, my orientation derives from an inner compass - I am not a wind vane.
It has been said many times here that parents are free to raise their children as they see fit. Theresa can teach her children whatever she pleases. She just cannot dictate her opinions to the public school system, which her children don't even attend.
And as many times as this has been stated it has also been stated that what one child learns is often taught by that child to another. So children that come from homes with permissive sexual attitudes all too often pass those attitudes to their peers, and all of this is done in a pop culture that has become sexually coarse and really quite licentious. And the,
She just cannot dictate her opinions to the public school system, which her children don't even attend.
sort of attitude is an expression I would expect from a teenager, not a grown adult that should understand that we ALL pay for public and hence have an interest in what it teaches.
So what is this VIRTUE to which you allude? Homophobia?
Context, context, context...
Here is what I wrote,
One of those effects can be sexually debased children corrupting the children whose parents have worked hard and made sacrifices to maintain a virtue that is regularly and openly mocked and ridiculed on this forum, as you have done here now.
Remember that a virtue is simply a good habit, something as mundane as brushing one's teeth after every meal to telling the truth. The virtue I am referring to in the above context is the virtue of sexual continence, that is, the ability to control one's sexual urges. We say we want our children to develop "character" (good grief, our local paper runs an insipid columnist that prattles on and on about developing "character"), but are they taught the virtue of self mastery? The lesson that is taught by showing a teenage child how to use a condom is that it is ok, so long as they use a condom. You can drone on and on and on about how you don't think it is a good idea, how they should really wait, and on and on, but the lesson they take in is, "ok, they really don't expect me to remain sexually abstinent and besides everyone is doing it, so it cannot be so bad."
This is what these Christianist parents are working to inculcate? It's their leaders who are often outed and arrested these days for adultery, soliciting prostitues (same sex and opposite sex), etc.
While that is true, I fail to see how it is relevant to the maintenance of a normative standard for human sexuality that expresses respect for oneself and others.
I take it as a given that various leaders will fail to live up to the standards they claim to care about, whether they are US Sen. Craig Smith, or now disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (though to Spitzer's credit he did resign, and in so doing did the honorable thing, quite unlike Sen. Smith).
What am I trying to teach my children? That they have a responsibility to learn and develop habits of self control so that they can be of use to themselves and to others. Part of developing that self control is the virtue (good habit) of sexual continence.
"Sex education as it is popularly taught" is abstinence-only education, which has been shown to be a monumental failure.
Dana, you have been reading too many of Rep. Waxman's press releases...himself every bit the pawn of Planned Parenthood.
There have been a few modest successes, as well as too many disappointments, but given the gale force cultural winds that are blowing in the direction of sexual licentiousness, I am surprised that it is holding up at all.
You show your true colors when you state that those kids were "sexually debased." How do you know? By whose standards?
I know...how dare I! Shame on me...right...err, I mean correct?
How do I KNOW??? A close friend of mine is separated from her husband and her husband, and her son's girlfriend and her parents are doing all they can to facilitate whatever his raging hormones desire, and all my friend can do is stand back and watch the damage.
"By whose standards?"
Good question...I guess the TTF worldview means that everyone gets to decide that for themselves, huh?
Underlying all of this is the constrained view of human sexuality that your fundamentalist crowd espouses, but which has never been the reality.
Well, and you would have a good reason to advocate on behalf of an UNconstrained view of human sexuality, now wouldn't you? As long as humankind has walked on solid ground we have understood that we could feel shame for doing those things that disrespect ourselves and others. Us "uptight" religious folks understand it to be a matter of personal sinfulness.
This crowd is so uptight that they feel within reason to ignore all the variations that are present. Anything that is not the default they were taught in Sunday school is wrong, sinful, debased. . .
Sigh...I understand, it is the same rant that I suspect anyone expresses when not allowed to do anything they want because of the harm to the common good it would do.
Once again -- Theresa can teach her children whatever she wants, but her sin is trying to impose it on others and using her bully pulpit to foment hatred against the LGBT community. As the recipient of hate mail I can personally attest to that, and I hold her responsible.
"Sin" is a religious term which would seem to imply that you are invoking God on your side...does God tell us what we want to hear, or what we don't want to hear? Why?
Dana, you have come across here and now with a tone that is both shrill and angry...why should you be surprised that such anger is returned back to you?
Jim,
Thank you for your thoughtful posts regarding the Day of Silence. I spent a fair amount of time last week thinking about how best to observe and perhaps post on the topic. On Thursday I received news of another voice that has fallen silent. She was a friend of the web mistress for one of my support groups. After years of struggling with GID and severe depression, she took her own life. I don’t know the details of how or exactly why she ended her life this past Wednesday, or even if it was directly related to GID issues.
Her name was Julia Case. You can find out a little bit about her life starting here: http://web.archive.org/web/20000819003830/www.genderweb.org/julie/
My friend (the web mistress) is currently feeling like the “ferryman on the river Styx,” and is quite numb with the death of yet another one of her friends. She has spent the last couple of decades helping trans teens who have been kicked out of their homes by their parents. Sometimes this help is a matter of giving them a couch to sleep on for a while, other times it’s getting them medical help; sometimes it’s driving them back and forth to medical appointments, other times it’s finding them jobs at a trans-friendly workplace. She’s a real life-saver, but she can’t always fight all the demons that society has surrounded these kids with.
Thinking about the Day of Silence, I had to wonder what I would have done if they were held back in the ‘70s. Would I have come to accept myself for what I was far sooner, and spared myself 25 years of denial, depression, and intermittent suicide attempts? If I had transitioned 20 years ago rather than 5, would I have spent all the time alone that I have? Would I now have my own family instead of a mostly empty house?
Well, I’d love to write more, as there are topics yet unanswered, but I promised some folks at a local church I’d volunteer for some stream clean up.
Peace,
Cynthia
I'm only surprised, Orin, when it comes from you. No, I understand your opinions, but I found your latest post very much out of character with all your earlier blogging, and it was for that reason I was disappointed. Not angry,nor shrill, but sorely disappointed.
You should know better, because you've actually been paying attention and have a rational mind. No one in ttf or on our school board believes children should not be encouraged to be "sexually continent." (You might want to change that phrase). You'll find even the most permissive parents will tell you they wish their kids don't have sex until 30. But they are sane enough to recognize that it rarely works out that way, and that has been the case throughout human history, regardless of the value systems, religious beliefs, degrees of social order, etc.
Your side seems to believe that adolescents listening to adults demand total abstinence will buy into the program. The data shows otherwise. My side recognizes that human sexuality is beautiful and enjoyable and must be practiced with thoughtfulness and maturity, and that helping kids do that takes effort and is a very difficult undertaking. Your response to that would be "Just say no," and you could consider your job done. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.
For better or worse, this country works on the principle of "live and let live," and while my social and political values don't mirror yours, I respect your freedom to live as you see fit and to raise your children likewise, short of abuse (and defining that can become very problematic).
The gist of your argument is that I really shouldn't have that right, because my "permissiveness" spills over into your neighborhood and conflicts with your values. I can see how you might view that as a problem, but what do you want to do about it? Shut me up? Put us women into burkhas? Or how about concentration camps? It's happened before.
We live in a globally connected world,and we must find ways to coexist. You would do better, imo, to focus on your folks' efforts in the Republican party to promote a completely free market economy which does far more to debase sexuality and women in this culture than anything else. But from where would the profit for Fox derive if they couldn't debase the culture on the one hand and then reap profits from right-wing extremists on Fox News criticizing that debasement on the other? Take care of your own, first.
I used the word "sin' because it's important to you and Theresa; it doesn't resonate with me. I do recognize the usefulness of shame and guilt when individuals harm others; we just disagree on what that harm may be. I don't believe loving another human being is causing anyone harm, nor do I believe accessing medical care to correct a birth defect is doing anyone harm, either. Theresa and her friends seem to think it's the most important thing in the world, more important than the loss of life in Iraq, the threat of terrorism, etc. Those then become fighting words.
This issue of peaceful coexistence has been, and continues to be, highly problematic in Israel, for instance. Roughly 20% of the population is ultra-orthodox, and for the 100 years there has been a significant Jewish population there this community has isolated itself in its own towns and neighborhoods. The majority generally respect those boundaries, and vice versa. There is no general advertising in those neighborhoods, and they are free to turn off the television and internet, or not be connected in the first place. Oftentimes the only contact they have with those who are not their kind is in the military, where some accommodations are made.
Growing up I was raised with the philosophy "Be a Jew at home and a man in the world." The sexism of that aside (it was the 50's after all), it was the way the Jewish community generally chose to assimilate and become part of American culture. There were plenty of conflicts, but I think it turned out very successfully. Of course, those who believe only the strictest of Old World lifestyles are valid would disagree, but you can't please everyone. Still, people have a right to live as they choose in this country. The problem the last thirty years has been the creation of a Christianist community that has decided it is not happy living its own life, but wants to convert everyone else as well. We call that "Talibanist," and it explains the backlash to 30 years of Republican hegemony. That party is today reaping the results and imploding.
So getting back to Montgomery County -- if Theresa doesn't like the way sex-ed is taught in MCPS, she can not opt-in her children. Oh, wait, she does not have children in public school (which has always been an alternative in this country).
If she doesn't want to share a locker room with a trans woman at the Bethesda Sport and Health Club, she can find another club or shower at home. I do my best to be respectful of my neighbors; she might want to try that herself.
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