MoCo School Out for Inaugural?
Interesting political moment here in Montgomery County. They're thinking there could be as many as four million people coming to the Presidential inauguration, singing "Ding dong, the witch is dead." Four million people. You can't get a hotel room within 150 miles of the capital.
Do you remember the 2005 Bush inauguration? Let's just say, there wasn't a problem with gigantic crowds. You could get a room. Eggs, rotten tomatoes, all sold out; rooms, no problem.
The Obama inaugural will be an historic one. For one thing, the guy actually won the election -- when was the last time that happened? For another thing, people like him, the United States is going to pull out of our suicide dive, it is a time of hope and a feeling of renewal across the land. Never mind that it is mind-boggling to think that America has elected an African-American President, only a few decades after the civil rights movement hit its stride.
Ah, but he's a Democrat. It might be "partisan" to take joy in the downfall of a tyrannic, torturing, warmongering, environment-wrecking, abstinence-only-education-promoting, economy-crashing, freedom-depriving President who is being replaced with a leader with vision, a guy who can actually put a sentence together, with subject and verb, agreement between them, and a thought behind it.
I can't imagine anybody in Washington is going to be able to get to work that day, and I hope they are planning to give federal workers the day off. The Metro can't handle it, you won't be able to drive or park, it's not worth it. People want to be there when this new era in American history begins and the city is going to be crowded.
The plan so far is that Montgomery County Public School students do not --- repeat, do not -- get Inauguration Day off. While history is being made in their backyards, they will be in class. The first black President, the end of the inept Bush administration, it is a big day but it is not a planned holiday.
The Post had something about it yesterday:
MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast wrote a memo to address the question.
And then he goes into details.
So Weast doesn't want to let the kids out that day. He's got a lot of reasons.
The school board will be meeting December 9th, and they will consider this topic. Here is board member Christopher Barclay's memo on the topic:
I don't know if there will be a unanimous vote on this, but I think most of the school board members will see that our nation is riding a wave right now, and it is in our common interest to stay on it, to teach our children about the sense of pride and patriotism that can attend the inauguration of a new President and a hundred-eighty-degree bounce out of the gutter of history. It can be another school day, they will learn some formulas and read some great literature, maybe even learn how to use a condom, or they can line the streets of Washington, alongside students from the other local school districts, wave a flag and cheer our new leader, or even watch it on TV with their families.
By the way, did you see how the world's leaders greeted our current President at the G20 conference? Watch this. Amazing. This is the kind of thing that will be changing after the January inaugural. I say let the kids out to go see it.
Do you remember the 2005 Bush inauguration? Let's just say, there wasn't a problem with gigantic crowds. You could get a room. Eggs, rotten tomatoes, all sold out; rooms, no problem.The Obama inaugural will be an historic one. For one thing, the guy actually won the election -- when was the last time that happened? For another thing, people like him, the United States is going to pull out of our suicide dive, it is a time of hope and a feeling of renewal across the land. Never mind that it is mind-boggling to think that America has elected an African-American President, only a few decades after the civil rights movement hit its stride.
Ah, but he's a Democrat. It might be "partisan" to take joy in the downfall of a tyrannic, torturing, warmongering, environment-wrecking, abstinence-only-education-promoting, economy-crashing, freedom-depriving President who is being replaced with a leader with vision, a guy who can actually put a sentence together, with subject and verb, agreement between them, and a thought behind it.
I can't imagine anybody in Washington is going to be able to get to work that day, and I hope they are planning to give federal workers the day off. The Metro can't handle it, you won't be able to drive or park, it's not worth it. People want to be there when this new era in American history begins and the city is going to be crowded.
The plan so far is that Montgomery County Public School students do not --- repeat, do not -- get Inauguration Day off. While history is being made in their backyards, they will be in class. The first black President, the end of the inept Bush administration, it is a big day but it is not a planned holiday.
The Post had something about it yesterday:
A Montgomery County school board member is offering a resolution to declare Inauguration Day a holiday in Maryland's largest school system, against the recommendation of Superintendent Jerry D. Weast.
More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition asking Weast to give students and teachers the day off, and the topic has burned up parent-teacher e-mail lists. Montgomery is one of a few large school systems in the Washington area that plan to hold classes when Barack Obama is sworn in as president Jan. 20.
Students in the District and in Fairfax, Prince George's, Loudoun and Arlington counties, among others, will be off, as will employees in most of those systems. School boards in Loudoun and Prince George's altered their calendars last week to allow the holiday. Charles County's school board voted Tuesday to give students the day off. Official Seeks to Make Inauguration Day a Holiday
MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast wrote a memo to address the question.
MEMORANDUM
To: Members of the Board of Education
From: Jerry D. Weast, Superintendent of Schools
Subject: Implications of Closing Schools for the Presidential Inauguration
As you are aware, we have received numerous inquiries requesting that we close Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) for the historic Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. While I appreciate the magnitude of this occasion and the excitement it is generating, I do not recommend that we close schools for the day for several reasons. As we have only four contingency days built into the calendar, relinquishing one for the Inauguration will leave us with only three which could result in having to extend the calendar in the summer by one day. In addition, I am greatly concerned that many parents will not have the day off from work and thus will be presented with child care dilemmas that will cause families significant hardships. We have heard from families expressing this concern. Another important reason is that we have about 36,000 students who receive free and reduced-price meals from MCPS and thus could be forced to go without breakfast or lunch that day if we do not open schools.
It is unrealistic to believe that vast numbers of our students or staff will be able to physically attend the Inauguration because of the difficulty of obtaining tickets or to attend the parade because of the magnitude of the crowds. We also do not know what the weather will be on that day and what impact that may have on a family's decision to attend
the events downtown. Thus, I believe that the classroom provides an excellent venue from which to watch this historical event unfold. Principals and teachers will be prepared to celebrate and hold class discussions and make certain this is a special day for all students. The Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs is developing
appropriate grade-level lesson plans for teachers.
Below I have provided additional information about the significant financial and instructional implications that I have considered, especially given the difficult economic environment.
And then he goes into details.
So Weast doesn't want to let the kids out that day. He's got a lot of reasons.
The school board will be meeting December 9th, and they will consider this topic. Here is board member Christopher Barclay's memo on the topic:
I appreciated reading the superintendent's November 15, 2008, memorandum outlining his concerns about the possibility of closing Montgomery County Public Schools for the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on January 20, 2009 (attached). I do not minimize the cost of losing one instructional day in the event of an unseasonal winter; neither am I unaware of the costs that we will likely bear from the spike in employee absences on that day. One fact that is not in dispute is that this inauguration will be one of historic proportions, unlike any event that we are likely to witness again in our lifetimes. It is one that calls for individuals and families to celebrate and savor the moment and reflect upon the journey that has made Mr. Obama the first African-American president of our great nation. I think that as leaders of our school system, we have an opportunity and an obligation to have a discussion about the desirability of closing schools not only on this Inauguration Day, but on future inauguration days. I believe that regardless of the unique historical significance of January 20, 2009, the Montgomery County Public Schools calendar should honor the significance of each presidential inauguration by designating it a holiday, I am requesting that Board officers include this item for discussion and action at our all-day Board meeting on December 9, 2008. I intend to offer the following resolution to declare Inauguration Day a Montgomery County Public Schools holiday beginning with January 20, 2009:
WHEREAS, On January 20, 2009, Senator Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, and Senator Joseph Biden will be sworn in as Vice President of the United States; and -
WHEREAS, The Board of Education extends best wishes for success to our President-elect in his historic election as the first African-American president of our great nation; and
WHEREAS, The Montgomery County Public Schools should instill upon our students a keen awareness of the Presidential Inaugural as a key aspect of our democracy and encourage active participation of schools in emphasizing the importance and historical significance of the inauguration; and
WHEREAS, Several jurisdictions in the Washington metropolitan area have declared Inauguration Day a school holiday so that students and staff could fully participate in the Inauguration activities;
now therefore be it
Resolved, That January 20, 2009, be designated as a Montgomery County Public School system holiday for Inauguration Day, with three contingency days remaining (instead of four) in the 2008-2009 school calendar, and be it further
Resolved, That all future school calendars designate Inauguration Day a school system holiday, with appropriate adjustments made to account for emergencies and legally-mandated instructional days.
I don't know if there will be a unanimous vote on this, but I think most of the school board members will see that our nation is riding a wave right now, and it is in our common interest to stay on it, to teach our children about the sense of pride and patriotism that can attend the inauguration of a new President and a hundred-eighty-degree bounce out of the gutter of history. It can be another school day, they will learn some formulas and read some great literature, maybe even learn how to use a condom, or they can line the streets of Washington, alongside students from the other local school districts, wave a flag and cheer our new leader, or even watch it on TV with their families.
By the way, did you see how the world's leaders greeted our current President at the G20 conference? Watch this. Amazing. This is the kind of thing that will be changing after the January inaugural. I say let the kids out to go see it.
posted by JimK at 9:14 AM
27 Comments:
"For one thing, the guy actually won the election -- when was the last time that happened?"
happens every four years
just happened in 2004
you know, everyone wants to see Obama succeed but you guys are cursing the guy with expectations
let him actually accomplish something before you start debating which side of Mt Rushmore he belongs on
so far, he's made some articulate speeches, but not really great rhetoric from a historical perspective, by any means
and he's made some dubious decisions- the surge, Biden, et al
let's give the guy a chance to show what he can do and not set him up for failure
I think taking a holiday because of a specific president and not another is unfair to the people who didn't vote for him. MCPS can not take political stands on national politics, and be inclusive to all its students.
FCPS' policy is to take holidays on those days when history has shown that a certain percentage of parents will pull their students out of school anyway. For this reason, FCPS takes Thanksgiving and the day after, New Year's, Labor Day, Columbus Day, MLK Day, the week before Easter, Memorial Day, and all Inaugural Days. The decision is not based on any political or religious grounds, but solely on the grounds of attendence.
I would think, since federal workers in Fairfax have the day off, that those in MoCo would also. For this reason, I think MoCo schools should take the day off.
For most of us, Obama's inauguration is a reason to celebrate. But for many people it is not, and we should respect that.
rrjr
I think it is a great idea--I am all for an extra day off.
Warm wishes from very hot southern Mexico.
The federal government in the Washington area does close that day. Even my husband who works in Bethesda is off. I am not sure exactly how far out you have to work to be closed. As for MCPS, as a parent of a high schooler and a middle schooler who will be in exams that week, the schools should be open. I know this is not popular but that is how I feel and others I know feel. There was even a vote taken at a PTA meeting I attended and the parents wanted school open. I even asked my middle schooler if he would watch if there was no school and he showed no interest. I know a lot of people will disagree with me and that is fine. Oh, and my husband andI voted for Obama.
I also think the schools should remain open. I looked at the on-line petition last night and saw the comments from the high school students who signed. Based on their writing samples I think they need more time in school - not less.
I want MCPS to create age-appropriate curricula to use with the inauguration and have students watch it in class. If the goal is to make sure that the students get the educational benefit of this historic day, that is the best way to gather in all students. Even if hundreds of parents take their children downtown for the inauguration, that is only a small percentage of the school population. Also, the federal government is not closed for the day (the day off applies only to federal employees in the DC area). It is not actually a federal holiday and non-government employees will not be getting the day off. Those parents will be stuck if the schools close.
I do not have any patience with anyone's desire to get "another day off." What I hear is "I want an extra day to sleep late, hang out in my pajamas and play on the PS3. I don't care if cash-strapped MCPS has to foot the bill." Do you want to go to the inauguration? Then go. Weast has already said it would be an excused absence. Do you want to impress upon school children the importance of inaugurating our first Africa-American president? Then use all of the school's resources to give the students an educational experience. But don't blather about Making History and then ask for "another day off."
I agree with Robert the most. I think all inaugurals should be a holiday.
I do disagree about the celebrating, however. Every President elected is, in some inmportant ways, a celebration for us all. The will of the people triumphs without any violence or use of force. We celebrate our system, a model for the world.
This election also has a special significance as it establishes that African Americans are undeniably full partners in our democracy. No one can deny that now.
"It might be "partisan" to take joy in the downfall of a tyrannic, torturing, warmongering, environment-wrecking, abstinence-only-education-promoting, economy-crashing, freedom-depriving President who is being replaced with a leader with vision,"
Let's go LIFO.
How has George Bush deprived you of freedom, Jim?
Robert said I think taking a holiday because of a specific president and not another is unfair to the people who didn't vote for him. MCPS can not take political stands on national politics, and be inclusive to all its students.
Robert, Obama is not just President for those who voted for him, he's the President of the United States of America. That's really the whole point here, it isn't a political gesture, the election is over, the Presidency is not a political office now, it is an executive one. We need to remember how to think like Americans, and not just like Republicans, who treated the Presidency like a partisan political office.
Also, note that last Resolved -- That all future school calendars designate Inauguration Day a school system holiday ... It isn't just this one, it's all of them, from now on.
JimK
I didn't see that last resolved, so I see that its fair.
I basically agree with Tish, though. Students need more time in school. We've effectively lost about 4-5 weeks of instruction per year to the testing mandated under the No Child Left Behind act, which has been an abysmal failure.
My vote is for year-round schools, with 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off. Keeps teachers and students fresh, without that two months in the summer to let our minds rot, and gives families more flexibility in terms of vacations.
When do high schools start in MoCo? Our first bell is at 7:20. There are reasons, but teenagers can be pretty sleepy (except for my Latin 2 class, which apparently pounds coffee before my class) that early in the morning.
rrjr
Robert, the year-round school idea is just part of an agenda by NEA to control the indoctrination of America's children. Who knows what ideas they might get during those two months not under the influence of the liberal agenda.
Read the writings of William Ayers.
You're right, however, that kids go to school abnormally early. It probably is detrimental to performance.
"No Child Left Behind act, which has been an abysmal failure"
Wrong. The narrowing of the education gap for minorities is one of the key accomplishments of the Bush administration. Stop listening to NEA propaganda.
How has George Bush deprived you of freedom
George Bush deprived all of us of freedom when he suspended habeas corpus, which the Supreme Court had to reinstate. He deprived us all of the freedom to have our elected representatives enact legislation when he disregarded hundreds of laws written by Congress with signing statements.
Stop listening to FOX News proganda.
OMG, "Anonymous" TROLL - you have really gone off the deep end with this one: "Robert, the year-round school idea is just part of an agenda by NEA to control the indoctrination of America's children." Please cite the source of this "information" or else you will have, once again, proved yourself the be the fool we all know you are. If I didn't know better I would say the language you use has been overly influenced by your being steeped in fascist thinking.
RT
"If I didn't know better I would say the language you use has been overly influenced by your being steeped in fascist thinking."
Talk about a deep end, RT. You think favoring letting kids have two months off a year from daily governmental control is fascist?
You ever hear the term "Orwellian"?
Meditate amongst yourselves.
"George Bush deprived all of us of freedom when he suspended habeas corpus, which the Supreme Court had to reinstate."
I didn't know you and Jim were enemy combatants, CBTS.
Yes, Bush has deprived enemy combatants of their freedom, along with many terrorists and criminals. Barack Obama has vowed to do the same and, indeed, has bragged he'll do a better job of it.
We'll see.
I guess what I meant was: when has George Bush deprived any innocent U.S. citizen of their freedom?
Remember Jim was contrasting George Bush with our newest American Idol and saying Bush has deprived us of freedom in some way that the next Elvis won't.
Please explain.
Take as many lines as you'd like.
Yes, Bush has deprived enemy combatants of their freedom, along with many terrorists and criminals. Barack Obama has vowed to do the same and, indeed, has bragged he'll do a better job of it.
Lying is apparently a complusion for you, Anon. Try learning the facts for once, they might set you free from your OCD. Barack Obama has vowed to close Guantanamo and to hold criminal trials in the US for terrorism suspects. Bush is happy to leave them there to rot, with no charge and no chance to prove their innocence.
Of course Obama will do a better job of it than Bush did. Hell, any B-student could do a better job of it than your hero, the Worst President Ever.
when has George Bush deprived any innocent U.S. citizen of their freedom?
Where do you hallucinate that anyone on this thread said anything about Bush depriving "any innocent U.S. citizen of their freedom"?
"Try learning the facts for once, they might set you free from your OCD. Barack Obama has vowed to close Guantanamo and to hold criminal trials in the US for terrorism suspects."
He's vowed to give them a trial, not free them.
"Where do you hallucinate that anyone on this thread said anything about Bush depriving "any innocent U.S. citizen of their freedom"?"
I assumed, charitably, that this is what Jim meant when he derogatorily referred to Bush as "freedom-depriving". I assumed, charitably, that even Jim agrees that enemy combatants should lose their freedom.
"Of course Obama will do a better job of it than Bush did."
Really? A minute ago you said wouldn't do it, now you say he'll do a better job.
Get your story straight, buddy.
"Hell, any B-student could do a better job of it than your hero, the Worst President Ever."
With the reading comprehension skills you've displayed here, I assume that leaves you out.
The current President-inept is no hero of mine. I've often defended him here because of the hyperbole lobbed his way by the lunatic fringe represented by TTF.
Call him stupid if you will but he has often seen clearly when others were confused. Obama favored a path in Iraq two years ago that everyone agrees would be a disaster, for Iraqis and Americans. Bush had the right alternative.
Bush, for all his faults, has often had a spine when the world was against him. That's more than our President-elect has so far displayed.
We'll watch his career with interest. Maybe someday he'll achieve something. Bush, shortcomings that he has, has achieved quite alot.
when has George Bush deprived any innocent U.S. citizen of their freedom?
So, according to you, in order to qualify for habeas corpus protections, one has to be "an innocent U.S. citizen"?
Talk about Orwellian -- that's a frightening notion. "If you didn't commit a crime, you have no need to worry about rights." Not to mention that fundamental constitutional rights have never, ever depended on citizenship for enforcement.
Fascist doesn't begin to describe the depths of your insanity.
"Anonymous" TROLL...you not-so-adroitly managed to side-step the request: "Please cite the source of this "information" or else you will have, once again, proved yourself the be the fool we all know you are." That's because you cannot supply a source for this very stupid observation ("the year-round school idea is just part of an agenda by NEA to control the indoctrination of America's children") - other than as a product of your own distorted imagination.
Andrea- not anon
Hey, I had a problem at the 2005 inaug- Could it have been the fake coffin I helped to carry? I never even got close to the parade- too many drunk texans and security lines. We left the coffin with the sponsoring group and went to eat lunch at COSI. We were lucky at that- not gonna be easy getting lunch at this party!
Inauguration Day should be seen as a celebration of American democracy, the routine (but in world history extraordinary) transfer of power based on the will of the voters. As such, I believe it should always be a holiday.
Take a look at Jefferson's First Inaugural Address: www.bartleby.com/124/pres16.html
I would prefer election day as a holiday to inauguration day.
rrjr
Jim writes,
Ah, but he's a Democrat. It might be "partisan" to take joy in the downfall of a tyrannic, torturing, warmongering, environment-wrecking, abstinence-only-education-promoting, economy-crashing, freedom-depriving President who is being replaced with a leader with vision, a guy who can actually put a sentence together, with subject and verb, agreement between them, and a thought behind it.
"Freedom depriving"??? Oh, goodness, can you not recognize the freedom you have? Is that too difficult? Time to move on Jim...remember, with the measure you judge, so shall you be judged.
By the way, did you see how the world's leaders greeted our current President at the G20 conference? Watch this. Amazing.
Wow Jim, why don't you share this gem with everyone as well?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6MEr8-S8Oc
It would appear you should watch something other than Jon Stewart on The Daily Show before reporting your political prejudices.
This is the kind of thing that will be changing after the January inaugural. I say let the kids out to go see it.
LOL...Jim, your naivete is well...breath taking. Yeah, you are a parent...ok, but comments such as these could reasonably make one wonder if you actually did have children, and if you did, did you learn anything?
If parents decide to take their kids out of school for the day then that is their right to do so (and I hope many do take advantage of the fact that they live so close to such a momentous event). Growing up my father took me out of school to fly with him (he worked for TWA as a Flight Engineer); I walked the Freedom Trail in Boston, went to Independence Hall and Valley Forge in PA. And I did learn a thing or two...that there is alot to love and be proud about with regards to this country, no matter what Michelle Obama might say.
However, to just give the kiddies the day off from school does not guarantee they will learn anything at all as they are just as likely to use the time up chatting on the phone, texting, emailing, MySpace'ing, or any of the other myriad of ways they find to waste time.
And for the record, I wish to congratulate Barack Obama well, because if he does well then I will as well...and I would like that very much. I have my doubts that he will be able to accomplish all that he would like to because many problems his supporters identify as political problems are really moral/ethical problems, and these problems can only be resolved with a change of the heart.
Hey Orin. Welcome to life in a a blue state!
Tell us, did Marilyn Musgrave concede yet after her 12 point drubbing by Betsy Markey? And how'd you like the nearly 3-1 vote against Amendment 48, the "personhood" amendment? Were you as surprised as I was when El Paso County, home of Focus on the Family, failed to approve the measure by a margin of almost 2 -1? Speaking of FOTF, what's up with this?
More layoffs at Focus on the Family
Ministry spent more than $500,000 to pass California's Prop. 8 gay marriage ban
By Cara Degette 11/17/08 11:50 AM
UPDATE: Focus on the Family announced this afternoon that 202 jobs will be cut companywide — an estimated 20 percent of its workforce. Initial reports bring the total number of remaining employees to around 950.
Focus on the Family is poised to announce major layoffs to its Colorado Springs-based ministry and media empire today. The cutbacks come just weeks after the group pumped more than half a million dollars into the successful effort to pass a gay-marriage ban in California.
Critics are holding up the layoffs, which come just two months after the organization’s last round of dismissals, as a sad commentary on the true priorities of the ministry.
“If I were their membership I would be appalled,” said Mark Lewis, a longtime Colorado Springs activist who helped organize a Proposition 8 protest in Colorado Springs on Saturday. “That [Focus on the Family] would spend any money on anything that’s obviously going to get blocked in the courts is just sad. [Prop. 8] is guaranteed to lose, in the long run it doesn’t have a chance — it’s just a waste of money.”
In all, Focus pumped $539,000 in cash and another $83,000 worth of non-monetary support into the measure to overturn a California Supreme Court ruling that allowed gays and lesbians to marry in that state. The group was the seventh-largest donor to the effort in the country. The cash contributions are equal to the salaries of 19 Coloradans earning the 2008 per capita income of $29,133.
In addition Elsa Prince, the auto parts heiress and longtime funder of conservative social causes who sits on the Focus on the Family board, contributed another $450,000 to Prop. 8.
“They should do more with their half-million dollars than spending it to collect signatures to take the rights away from a class of people,” said Fred Karger, the founder of the anti-Prop 8 group Californians Against Hate. “I think it’s wrong and it’s hurtful to so many Americans.”
In addition to promoting socially conservative issues such opposition to abortion and gay rights, and supporting abstinence-only education, the evangelical Christian ministry is a purveyor of Christian books, CDs and DVDs. Two months ago, citing Wal-Mart and online retailers as having cut into its product market, Focus announced that 46 employees would be laid off from its distribution department. Late Friday, Focus spokesman Gary Schneeberger confirmed that more layoffs are in store, but said the ministry will not release details until Monday afternoon. Schneeberger hinted that some programs may be eliminated entirely, but declined to elaborate.
“We’re going to need to talk to our own family first,” he said. “We need to respect the people who are affected.”
Schneeberger also refused to discuss the funding priorities that Focus made this fall, including pumping money and in-kind contributions into Proposition 8.
This is the third year that Focus has laid off employees due to budget cuts. In its heyday, the ministry, which relocated to Colorado Springs from Arcadia, Calif., in 1991, employed more than 1,500 people. Many of those employees worked in mailroom and line assembly jobs, processing so much incoming and outgoing correspondences that the U.S. Postal Service gave Focus its own ZIP code.
In September 2005, nearly 80 employees were reassigned or laid off in an effort to trim millions of dollars from its 2006 budget. In addition, 83 open positions were not filled in the layoff, which included eliminating some of the ministry’s programs. At the time, Focus employed 1,342 full-time employees.
“To the extent that we can place them within the ministry, we will try to do that,” said then-spokesman Paul Hetrick. “Most of them will not be able to be placed.”
In September 2007, amid a reported $8 million in budget shortfalls, Focus on the Family laid off another 30 employees; 15 more were reassigned within the company. Most of the layoffs were from Focus’ constituent response services department (i.e. the mailroom).
At the time, Schneeberger, who had replaced Hetrick, said that giving was actually up by $1 million during the fiscal year. However, a very “aggressive” budget goal of $150 million did not materialize.
In a statement issued this September, marking the end of the ministry’s fiscal year, Chief Operating Officer Glenn Williams weighed in on the additional layoffs of 46 people.
“It is certainly heartbreaking that in this case fulfilling that duty means having to say goodbye to some members of our Focus family, but industry realities really leave us no alternative,” he note in his statement. “We are accountable to our donors to spend their money in the most cost-effective and productive manner possible.”
But Lewis, the Colorado Springs activist, wonders whether the families who donate to the nonprofit ministry, realize where their funds really end up.
“Seriously, I would imagine their supporters have got to be asking the question about whether their church is really practicing their theology.”
For Lewis, who is straight, the issue boils down to the significance of targeting a class of citizens for exclusion, at the expense of the families that the ministry could be helping — in this case their own employees.
Lewis likened Proposition 8 to Colorado’s Amendment 2, the 1992 anti-gay measure that was designed to prohibit gays and lesbians from seeking legal protections. Colorado voters approved the measure, which was marketed by proponents, including Focus on the Family, as an effort to prohibit gays and lesbians from seeking “special rights.” The U.S. Supreme Court stuck down the measure as unconstitutional four years later.
“You can’t make homosexuals second class citizens — we’ve learned that already,” Lewis said. “People will look back on this and see how absurd it is.”
Days before this year’s election, Focus founder James Dobson appeared at a closing rally at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to rally the anti-gay troops.
Karger of Californians Against Hate, termed the rally a “big bust.” Organizers promised that more than 70,000 supporters would show up; the final tally was close to 10,000, he said.
Yet three days later, California voters approved the measure with 52 percent of the vote. While the measure will certainly head back to court, California has become the 31st state in the country to pass measures that define marriage as being between a man and woman only. In all, Proposition 8 has proven to be the most expensive social issue in the country, with more than $73 million pumped into the cause from both sides. One of the larger contributors to the anti-Prop. 8 efforts was Colorado gay philanthropist Tim Gill, who contributed $720,000 to oppose the measure.
“I’m very disturbed by organizations from out of state like Focus on the Family,” Karger said. “They came in early to make sure the measure got on ballot; they’ve got muscle and they are out to hurt a lot of people and destroy a lot of lives.”
Was Dobson was so intent on helping the Mormons defeat Prop 8 and strip marriage rights from same-sex families -- even though it's a pretty sure bet that it will be ruled unconstitutional by the courts -- that he was willing to add a couple hundred Colorado families to the unemployment rolls? That's homophobia for you.
I hope in your heart, you will come to know that your gay neighbors are Americans who are entitled to all the unalienable rights that you are entitled to.
Aunt Bea said...
Hey Orin. Welcome to life in a blue state!
How is life here? Well, not much has changed yet, but not bad, thank you.
BTW, my most sincere and warm wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving.
Tell us, did Marilyn Musgrave concede yet after her 12 point drubbing by Betsy Markey?
No, she has not, and I think it was and remains most ungracious of her not to simply step forward concede the results and congratulate her opponent. It shows a lack of manners and…dare I say it? Ok, I will…patriotism on her part. I don’t know, understand or want to understand why she has made this choice, but it will be long remembered by everyone with the Democrats making sure everyone remembers. Then again this is further evidence of a decline in party politics and manners…sigh.
And how'd you like the nearly 3-1 vote against Amendment 48, the "personhood" amendment?
Well, I did not give it much thought other than to vote in favor of it…it did not help that the Republican candidate (Bob Schaffer) opposed it…as the conservative Republican candidate.
Were you as surprised as I was when El Paso County, home of Focus on the Family, failed to approve the measure by a margin of almost 2 -1? Speaking of FOTF, what's up with this?
Changing demographics…happens all the time.
So…you are not going to ask me about Prop. 8 in the State of California? Huh, what’s up with that?
Ok, I went to bed election satisfied that for all the disappointments of the present political campaign season, the single candidate/issue that needed to win did so. I had predicted that *if* it did win it would be in the low 50’s (and the final vote came in at 52.8% I think). To use the power of the State to so radically redefine an essential social institution for the sake of 2 to 5% (at best) and into something it has never been is a corruption that is fortunately still recognized by a majority of Americans.
Was Dobson was so intent on helping the Mormons defeat Prop 8 and strip marriage rights from same-sex families -- even though it's a pretty sure bet that it will be ruled unconstitutional by the courts -- that he was willing to add a couple hundred Colorado families to the unemployment rolls? That's homophobia for you.
Permit me to introduce you to a principle: if you take something that is not yours to begin with, and then you are asked to return what you wrongly took, it is a matter of justice that you return what is not yours. That is exactly what took place in California, a State that voted by 61% to elect the first African-American President of the United States of America, while at the same time witnessing 70% of black voters voting to affirm natural marriage as the social standard. That there were ugly protests by the losing side of this issue only demonstrated to me (and I hope many other citizens) the undemocratic character of those in this crowd.
I hope in your heart, you will come to know that your gay neighbors are Americans who are entitled to all the unalienable rights that you are entitled to.
I do, and my hand of friendship and support are extended to them…whether to support them in nondiscrimination in housing, employment, a military fully integrated, or just as dear family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. If there are any of those in any of these groups that cannot understand the purpose of marriage I will try my best to be understanding of them, but that does not include abandoning marriage to whoever wishes to redefine it for their own purposes.
Permit me to introduce you to a principle: if you take something that is not yours to begin with, and then you are asked to return what you wrongly took, it is a matter of justice that you return what is not yours.
Golly gee, thanks Orin. Whatever would us poor unwise TTFers do without your input?
In the same spirit, permit me to introduce you to a principle of our founding fathers:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
It doesn't say all men are created the same, it says all men are created equal, with certain unalienable rights. This means even gay people have a right to the pursuit of Happiness!
Could you please explain to us what same-sex couples who married in California "took" exactly, and tell us where they put it? Did same-sex marriages in California annul straight peoples' marriages there or tear them asunder? What exactly do you imagine these same-sex couples took?
"It doesn't say all men are created the same, it says all men are created equal, with certain unalienable rights. This means even gay people have a right to the pursuit of Happiness!"
It says they have a right to pursue it. It doesn't say we have an obligation to enable and encourage deviancy.
Do polygamists, necrophiliacs, bestialists and sadists have a right to pursue happiness? Does the government have an obligation to formally endorse their activities?
Of course not.
Then why do you think the government has an obligation to do that for other types of deviancy, like homosexuality?
"polygamists, necrophiliacs, bestialists and sadists"
Anon's insane friends
Those LDS Prop 8 supporters figure "if I can't have 6 wives (and on the seventh day, He rested), gays can't have each other."
Those LDS Prop 8 supporters figure "if I can't have 6 wives (and on the seventh day, He rested), gays can't have each other."
And voila! They are now a force to be reckoned with, within the “legitimate” religious community.
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