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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyMarch 19th, 2012
Linda Harvey has well deserved her designation as head of one of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (one-member) hate groups. Harvey hates Teh Ghey in all variations, forms, or iterations and she especially hates when Teh Ghey are allowed to be heard. Or be silent. It doesn’t really matter, she just wants the opposite of whatever Teh Ghey wants.
Which is what makes her annual rant about the Day of Silence so amusing. For just a moment, set aside the purpose of the Day of Silence and what it is intended to do. Take away the gay v. “pro-family” element and just look at what she says. The absurdity is delicious:
A coalition of pro-family groups is urging parents to keep their children home from school on the “Day of Silence,” if your school is allowing students to refuse to speak in class.
At least this year she’s dropped “disrupting the classroom” from her objections to silence.
Parents and Guardians: Call your children’s middle and high schools and ask if students and/or teachers will be permitted to refuse to speak during class on Friday, April 20, 2012.
I just have to laugh at this every time I read it. I can picture the school receptionist, “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but you’re upset that students will not talk in the classroom?”
When administrators refuse to listen to reason and when they allow the classroom to be exploited for political purposes, parents must take action. If they don’t, the politicization of the classroom and curricula will increase.
And she’s not trying to be ironic. Really. And finally we reach the pièce de résistance
It is unconscionable that conservative parents remain silent, acquiescent, fearful non-participants in our public schools while homosexuals and their ideological allies engage continuously in vociferous, vigorous, and bold action.
Ah yes. If students are allowed to be “vociferously” silent then conservative parents must NOT be silent in response.
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Hunter
March 19th, 2012
That’s what happens when you have an exceptionally narrow focus — you have no idea how you sound to anyone who’s not you.
Lindoro Almaviva
March 19th, 2012
and I hope the writers at SNL are reading and paying attention. it is time for a new Tina Fey (or Kristen Wiig) impersonation.
Gene in L.A.
March 19th, 2012
One more reason why Freedom of Speech must never be compromised. This pea-brain doesn’t realize her words are her own worst enemies.
Donny D.
March 19th, 2012
Beautiful takedown, Timothy.
PJB863
March 20th, 2012
I can just envision it: school administrators take the students into some dark back room and menacingly tell them, “you know we have ways to make you talk.”
John
March 20th, 2012
“It is unconscionable that conservative parents remain silent, acquiescent, fearful non-participants in our public schools while homosexuals and their ideological allies engage continuously in vociferous, vigorous, and bold action.”
Unfortunately, too often the case is the exact opposite. One conservative parent has a crying fit about something in the school and the school gives in. Does this woman realize just how ironic she is?
Kate
March 20th, 2012
I’m trying to figure out how she thinks people won’t notice that she clearly implies that the day will involve kids sitting with arms crossed while teachers attempt to conduct a class with students who won’t talk… but then she includes a statement from the ACLU:
“You DO have a right to participate in Day of Silence and other expressions of your opinion at a public school during non-instructional time: the breaks between classes, before and after the school day, lunchtime, and any other free times during your day. You do NOT have a right to remain silent during class time if a teacher asks you to speak.”
So, um, the kids DO have to participate in class, they can CHOOSE to not talk to each other during lunch/breaks/before & after school, the RULES for the observation of the Day of Silence do not include refusal to answer the teacher, and that parents who ALLOW this to go on are supporting the Hoe-Moe-SEKSH-yool Agenda…
Whuh?
Theo
March 20th, 2012
I have never seen a single datum, or even a new story, about an actual student walkout or boycott relating to the Day of Silence. This has been going on for years and I see no evidence that anyone actually pays any attention to the calls for a walkout.
And there is precious little evidence that anyone actually does anything on the anti-gay Day of Dialogue. Last year, the DoD held a video promotional contest, in which students could create and submit DoD promotional videos via Youtube and win free CDs. From the entire United States, only 1 entry was submitted and was awarded 1st prize.
Timothy Kincaid
March 20th, 2012
Theo, it has happened. Though not so much recently.
Snowman
March 21st, 2012
Dumb question but, aren’t teachers usually wanting kids to NOT talk excessively during class?? At least based on how things were when I was in school…Linda Harvey sounds downright ridiculous. I don’t see how kids not speaking unless they are required to could be disruptive of anything.
Theo
March 22nd, 2012
@Tim:
OK. This seems to have really happened.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004373481_websilence25e.html
I’ll concede 1 boycott/walkout in 1 school, 4 years ago.
Timothy Kincaid
March 22nd, 2012
Theo,
A few kids in a few other schools stayed home also. But the only really big walk out was Hutcherson’s. I think he did it for a few years until
God struck him down with cancerhe got cancer.Leave A Comment