Required Reading for the Coming Culture Clash

If you're involved in, interested in, or like to stay informed about politics -- and particularly if you are a Christian and politically conservative like I am -- this article linked to below by Stanley Kurtz should be required reading for the culture clash that is to come.

The issue: The institution of Marriage

Words and phrases you will soon need to become familiar with (if you aren't already): polygamy, polyamory, patriarchy, counterpatriarchal, nonsexual group partnerships, LGBT, multipartner unions, antipolygamists, complex marriage.

Important court cases to know: Lawrence v. Texas, Reynolds v. United States

The link to the article: Polygamy Versus Democracy: You can't have both

The clash is coming. Stanley Kurtz has provided us with some excellent reading with which to inform ourselves. Time to suit up!

What's in a name?

(UPDATED TO ADD PHOTO)

Yeah, now that we finally have a verdict, it's about time to consider a name change to the good ol' "Ken Lay" YMCA.

Board to consider if Ken Lay YMCA needs name change

Before the Enron debacle, "Ken Lay" used to be in fairly large letters on the street sign. Then, shortly afterwards, his name was reduced so that it looked like this (that's the Executive Director of the Ken Lay YMCA in the picture):




I don't care what they change it to, but it certainly shouldn't bear the name of one of the most infamous corporate criminals of our time.

"Look for... the Union label..."

Remember those commercials back in the day? Yeah, that was back when unions comprised a much greater percentage of the workforce and people took great pride in union membership.

Well, there are a few union workers who have turned their membership into a welfare program.

Sound kooky? Check this out: Killing the jobs bank is needed for survival

Here's an interesting snippet:

Anyone with a lick of economic common sense knows that paying people not to work is bad for business. So-called jobs banks at the Big Three and their suppliers with United Auto Workers contracts cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year to maintain with zero return for the companies.

(snip)

It is estimated that companies spend between $100,000 and $130,000 a year for wages and benefits on each employee who sits idly in various company jobs banks. U.S. auto companies will spend up to $2 billion this year on jobs bank employees, many of whom have been reporting to the job to read, watch movies and do crossword puzzles for years.

And we wonder why American auto companies are taking it on the chin these days... Man, where do I sign up for that gig?!?

Colleyville, Texas: We Trust in God (but not if it hurts your feelings)

It seems the lunatics have taken over the asylum at one local elementary school in Colleyville, Texas.

The school in question: Liberty Elementary in Keller ISD (near Fort Worth).

As the Houston Chronicle reports: Colleyville parents offended 'God' striken from yearbook cover

COLLEYVILLE — A yearbook cover that omits the words "In God We Trust" from a picture of an enlarged nickel has angered some parents.

Liberty Elementary, a new school in suburban Fort Worth, chose the coin because the nickel's new design prominently features the school's name in cursive.

The coin also has "In God We Trust" along the right edge, but the phrase was removed from the yearbook. Instead, the $16 book came with a sticker that gave students the choice of putting the phrase back on the nickel.

Some parents say the school's decision was political correctness gone too far.

"I think it's really ridiculous," said Debi Ackerman, who has a 10-year-old daughter at the school. "Now it has come to this. ... When is it going to end?"

Keller ISD spokesman Jason Meyer said a parent's group at the school approved the decision before the book was published. Liberty Principal Janet Travis wanted to avoid offending students of different religions, Meyer said.

"It's not always easy to make everybody happy when we are making decisions," Meyer said.

Now, the racial makeup of Colleyville is approximately 93% white. The 2005 median household income in Colleyville was $124,675. Why is this relevant? It's relevant because it means that Colleyville (where over 20% of the families earn $200K or more annually) is a town filled with rich, white kids.

Translation: Not a lot of "non-monotheists" around to get offended, methinks.

I know it's "not always easy to make everybody happy when we are making decisions." But, rather than offend the (oh, let's be charitable here) approximately 10% of people who would take grave offense to finding the words "In God We Trust" on their child's yearbook, these mental giants disguised as educators (and the equally astute parents who 'approved' this buffoonery) instead chose to offend the remaining 90%.

Even if you wouldn't agree that the other 90% would be offended, I'm guessing that a lot more are offended by the omission of the phrase than would have been by its inclusion.

Once again we witness the tyranny of the minority and the capitulation of common sense. Ugh!

Oh, but I imagine it was OK to pay for the yearbook in cash, despite the "offensive" phrase on the currency, right?

I almost feel bad for Alabama Democrats...

...for having to deal with this guy:

Alabama attorney general candidate denies Holocaust

Oh, you mean you didn't hear all about the racist Democrat running for statewide office in Alabama? Hmm....

(I bet if he were running as a Republican, you sure would have!)

Denied!

Not too long ago, when a basketball player would go for a shot and that shot was blocked -- and not just blocked, but smacked into the stands with the intensity of a spike in volleyball -- the expression some would cry out was.... DENIED!

Yeah, the rejection of the Katy ISD bond election was something like that. Read the detailed results from the Katy ISD website here. The bottom line: 3990 (53%) against / 3528 (47%) for.

Don't let the "narrow" margin of victory (or defeat, depending on how you look at it) fool you -- this was a resounding loss for the powers that be in Katy ISD. With the amount of "information" they were churning out via e-mails, letters, information sent home with the students, etc. (with some of those advocacy letters and e-mails being sent without the proper political disclaimers), this should have been a slam dunk.

Instead, the voters of Katy ISD shouted: "DENIED!"

The details are interesting. The schools with the highest "denial" rate were usually the "wealthier" schools while those with the more narrow margins or ones that voted in favor of the bonds were generally the more "financially-challenged" schools. I haven't thought that one through yet to figure out the what or why on that, so it's just an observation at this point.

So what is the district going to do now? Well, prior to the defeat, they had this posted under their bond FAQ:

"What is the district’s contingency plan if this bond election doesn’t pass? Katy ISD will make short-term accommodations for growth and facilities using money from the maintenance and operations budget, a measure that will reduce the amount of revenue available to fund the day-to-day activities of the district. (emphasis mine) For 2006-07 alone, the district will purchase 25 buses and approximately 30 portable buildings at a cost of $4.2 million to handle a projected increase in student enrollment of 7.18%."

For those of you who might be troubled that Katy ISD will pull from the General (M&O) budget to pay for things that the bond was going to pay for, don't worry. That is how they were going to pay for the bond in the first place. Read all about that here.

And newly re-elected Katy ISD Board Member Robert Shaw isn't willing to let the ink dry on this election defeat before giving it the ol' college try once again:

"Position 6 incumbent Robert Shaw, who defeated bond opponent Fred Hink by a vote of 3,415-2,891, wants the district to try for another bond election in November.
"I see us trying to bring it back in November. I think we need to regroup and find out what the problem was," Shaw said."

While it sounds a bit premature, I think if they do get the bond back on the ballot in November, I think it will pass. More on the reasons why in a future post.

But for now, congratulations to Katy Watchdogger Tom Law on his election victory, regrets to Watchdogger Fred Hink on his election loss, and congratulations Katy taxpayers!

...and don't let the door hit you...

It seems Congressman Disgrace -- um, I mean Congressman DeLay -- has finally set a date. Sort of.

DeLay to bow out on June 9

Well, all I can say is goodbye and good riddance. He lost his moral and conservative bearings years ago. The fact that his unconventional departure from public office creates a wake of political flotsam is only salt added to the wound (as opposed to icing on the cake).

The CD-22 GOP is in disarray, the Dem challenger is rightfully decrying the propriety of the whole matter, and now we're faced with the prospect of a potential spoiler candidate who is just chomping at the bit to regain his faded spotlight.

What is it with Fort Bend Republican officials and their ungraceful exits lately? (*sigh*)

Only in America?

The way some people talk, you'd think America was the moral nadir of the world community - where sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll (which should really be replaced with the cacophonous noise known as rap/hip-hop) is not just for celebrities anymore, but a contemporary way of life for our youth.

Well, seems our trip across the pond didn't give us the exclusive on moral depravity... (choosing not to wade into the waters of American Puritanism, etc.) ... let me introduce you to Exhibit "A":

Girl, 11, will be Britain's youngest mother

When I first began to read this, one of the first thoughts that ran through my head was (once it became clear that the baby was not a product of forced rape and that the girl "consented" to intercourse) -- "Oh, her mother must be so proud!" (with dripping sarcasm, of course)

Turns out... she is:

"Her 34-year-old mother, who gave birth to her youngest child eight months ago, said she was 'proud' of her daughter." (snip) "Her mum said: "I'm not ashamed of my daughter at all - in fact, I'm proud of her for keeping the baby."

The other details contained within the article are quite telling:

+ She began smoking at 9 and has continued to smoke throughout her pregnancy - as much as a pack a day! But don't worry, it's OK, because...

"She claimed her cigarette habit was not harming the health of her unborn child. She said: "I can give up smoking at any time, but I don't find it affects my pregnancy.""

+ She started drinking wine & vodka at age 10

+ She conceived at age 11 after having unprotected sex with a 15 year-old boy "on a drunken night out with friends"

You might ask yourself: "Well, she's certainly screwed up and her mother doesn't seem to care. What does her father have to say about all this?!?" It should be no surprise at all:

"The girl, whose parents split up several years ago..." (emphasis mine)

(Let this serve as example #3,259,417 of how divorce negatively affects children...)

But, despite this child's morally-challenged lifestyle, she at least plans to keep the baby.

"The social worker suggested I got rid of it but I'd never do that."

Where there is life, there is hope.

"I'm not as think as you drunk I am..."

UPDATE #2: Um, now he says he can't remember a thing and is checking himself into the Mayo Clinic! Rep Kennedy seeks drug abuse help

UPDATE: Read his explanation (which really doesn't help his cause much) here: Kennedy Blames Accident on Sleep Medicine

Seems these Kennedy boys just don't know how to drive... as Roll Call reports, and as Drudge highlights with his trademark flashing siren: KENNEDY CAR CRASH COVER-UP?

This time, it's Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-Rhode Island).

After nearly crashing into a police cruiser and then smashing into a barricade,

"“The driver exited the vehicle and he was observed to be staggering,” Baird’s letter states. Officers approached the driver, who “declared to them he was a Congressman and was late to a vote. The House had adjourned nearly three hours before this incident. It was Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy from Rhode Island.”"

Baird wrote that Capitol Police Patrol Division units, who are trained in driving under the influence cases, were not allowed to perform basic field sobriety tests on the Congressman. Instead, two sergeants, who also responded to the accident, proceeded to confer with the Capitol Police watch commander on duty and then “ordered all of the Patrol Division Units to leave the scene and that they were taking over.”

Apparently this is nothing new for Rep. Kennedy as the article reports: "This morning's incident comes just over two weeks after Kennedy was involved in a car accident in Rhode Island."

As usual, Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.

With Friends Like These...

Once again, Chris Elam has some great scoop on the CD-22 race from Harris County via Kathy Haigler: CD-22 Update - Harris.

Here's Ms. Haigler's list of "PROBABLY IN":

PROBABLY IN (not all have formally announced):
Tom Campbell
Charlie Howard*
Mike Jackson*
Andy Meyers*
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs*
Robert Talton*
Tim Turner*
David Wallace
Brad Wright*

*BOLD = scheduled for a May 6th interview at the Forum.

Oddly enough, you might note that TWO candidates who have been on the
“probably in” list all along are not participating in the Harris County
forum.

(Hmm... those "TWO" candidates need to step up, methinks, if they want to be seriously considered!)

When reviewing that list, I had a few thoughts run through my head. But one kind of nagged at me when I read "Shelley Sekula-Gibbs".

I thought, "Is she really running? Does anybody really take her seriously?"

Maybe it's just me, but ever since she got elected on the coattails of her late husband, respected Houston reporter/anchorman Sylvan Rodriguez, with little else to justify her victory, I have always regarded her with a bit of casual disdain (however undeserved it might be).

Apparently, others are taking her potential run for Congress quite seriously so I figued I should check her out.

Now, you can usually evaluate someone by the type and quality of their friends. So, when perusing her website, whom did she list as her supporters/friends?

Organizations like: AFL-CIO, Greater Houston Area Tejano Democrats, Houston Black American Democrats, among other local unions and PACs.

I have nothing against those organizations, per se -- although I don't support their ideology or political positions, there's nothing "bad" about them -- I don't exactly think that the type of person that gets support from those types of groups will perform particularly well in a conservative GOP district.

To meet the "givens" one would expect from a Republican from CD-22, Sekula-Gibbs would have to be pro-life, pro-death penalty, pro-"right-to-work", anti-quotas, etc. -- not exactly the policy agenda that the "supporters" listed above would endorse.

So, it's nice for Ms. Sekula-Gibbs to suit up for the game, but The Umpire has called this one: She's out!

CAVEAT: She is the only woman in the "PROBABLY IN" category, though, so she just might squeak through for two reasons: 1. She's a woman, and 2. She has union support which could be vital to this race. But I still predict she will NOT be the GOP nominee in November for the new 2-year term.

It's Actually a Pretty Simple Question

Here in good 'ole Katy ISD, we've got a great group of guys calling themselves the Katy Citizen Watchdog$ whose main aim is to serve as a check on the actions and antics of Katy ISD, its administrators, and its Board. More information on who they are and what they are about can be found at their website. Their persistence is not only needed to keep the Katy ISD board in check, but vital to keeping the taxpayers of Katy ISD informed.

They are pretty busy promoting their cause these days, what with the impending bond election (early voting has already begun - go vote!) and board election and all. Recently, they have gotten a couple of opinion pieces published on the excellent Fort Bend Now website.

One recent piece mentioned Katy ISD's school construction costs and can be found here: Katy Watchdog$ Question School Building Costs In Proposed Bond Issue. The thrust of the article is that Katy ISD's school construction costs are above the average when compared with other similar-sized districts and are, therefore, suspect.

To that editorial, I posted the following comment on April 27th:

"Here’s a question for the Watchdog$:
How do Katy ISD construction costs compare when square footage and student capacity are taken into account? Katy ISD says that their per square foot costs are actually below the average compared to other districts in Region IV.

(And, of course, you realize that if your argument falls short in this regard, it doesn’t bode well for your cause, right?)

So, what say you, Watchdog$? Batter up!"

As of 1:00pm, Wednesday, May 3rd, no response has been posted by the Watchdog$.

The most recent one was more of a catch-all, alleged myth-busters type piece and can be found here: Clearing Up Misinformation About Katy ISD. And here they go again:

"If Katy ISD was so fiscally responsible, why are the projected construction costs under the proposed bond running, on average, $7 million more than some of our neighboring school districts?"

So, again, I posted the following comment:

"Since my question on this matter, in response to a previous “Watchdog$” editorial, was ignored, I guess I’ll have to ask it again.

What is the average per square foot construction cost for schools in Region IV and how does Katy ISD compare to that average?

Also, how many students does the “average” school serve and how many students are the Katy ISD schools designed to serve?

If you can’t answer these questions, your whole argument on this matter re: construction costs is bogus.

Once again, The Umpire calls out to the Watchdog$: “Batter Up!”"

My guess is that they will continue to ignore me. After all, with the election already begun in earnest, they would just as soon keep riding their argument right on through until the election is over. Nothing like being able to trot your arguments out there and ignoring sincere, reasoned, and thoughtful challenges....