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June 4, 2009 Opinions |
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—Editorial—
The Gay-Straight Alliance Club Controversy
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding a new Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club that was formed at the Baker High School shortly before the end of the school year. The student organizers indicated that they started the club to provide a safe haven for students. GSA clubs are popping up all over the country as a venue for students to meet, support each other and talk about issues related to their sexual orientation.
Negative comments about the local club have included everything from GSA’s are “anti-Christian,” “confusing our young minds,” to “there is no place for them in our schools.” Some have even indicated that there should be a ban on them in public schools and have chastised the school district for allowing it.
All personal opinions on the gay/lesbian lifestyle aside, the students and the school are well within their legal rights to start and hold such a club. In fact, it would be illegal for the school district not to allow the club. Many have tried and failed.
A U.S. district court in Florida ruled that a high school GSA is entitled to official recognition as a noncurricular student group under the federal Equal Access Act (EAA). The court held that the denial of such recognition by the Okeechobee County School Board (OCSB) also violated the students’ free speech rights.
In Salt Lake City when a group of students attempted to form a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at East High School in the Salt Lake City School District, the school refused to allow it. A district court judge ruled that the school district had been in violation of the law.
Osseo schools in Minnesota got hit with a king-size legal bill — $460,143 — in its fight to keep a Maple Grove High School student-run gay-rights group from having the same privileges as other, officially approved school clubs. U.S. Court of Appeals ruled twice against the school district, which has abandoned its legal fight.
The Houston-area Klein High School has reached a settlement allowing a student-run GSA club after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a student at the school.
There are numerous court cases upholding student’s rights to have GSAs and other clubs.
There’s not much use in debating the whole “gay issue.” It’s like debating abortion and the death penalty — either you are for it or against it — there’s not much middle ground. Most people’s opinions on the gay and lesbian lifestyle are firmly entrenched due to their upbringing, religious beliefs and personal experiences. But a school district can’t restrict the formation of a GSA any more than they can ban a religious or African American Club. It’s the law. And the law supercedes personal opinions.
The sad part of this whole situation is that students feel the need to start a club in the first place in order to find a “safe haven.” The sad part is that there is more hate than tolerence in these situations.
It all gets back to what we learned in kindergarten - how to share and have tolerance for others. Chances are you didn’t get away with intolerence toward others then, and you shouldn’t now. (DS)
—Letters To The Editor—
Cars Coming From China
To The Record-Courier:
General Motors (GM) received $20 billion in U.S. government loans and might need another $50 billion to survive.
GM plans to close a number of U.S. plants and lay off thousands of workers. The UAW has agreed to eliminate or reduce employee benefits to drop the average wage, including benefits, from around $75 per hour to near $45 per hour, which is the average wage of U.S. auto workers at foreign plants in the U.S. Hopefully, GM will cut management staff and reduce executive salaries. These actions should make GM costs competitive and save thousands of American jobs.
However, to my astonishment, GM plans to increase imports from Mexico, South Korea, Japan and China from 15% in 2009 to 23% by 2014. Approximately 50,000 cars will be imported from Communist China by 2014.
Evidently the U.S. taxpayers are loaning GM $15-$25 billion to stay alive so it can close U.S. plants, lay off U.S. workers, transfer some production to foreign countries like Communist China and import inferior cars to the U.S. so more U.S. workers can be laid off. And our insurance rates and health care costs will increase from accidents as the wheels falls off the Chinese made vehicles.
We don’t need imported cars. We need fuel efficient, reasonably priced cars manufactured in the U.S.
Donald A. Moskowitz
Londonderry, NH
Cemeteries Looked Good
To The Record-Courier:
Memorial Day my sister from Lewiston, Idaho, and I visited Mt. Hope Cemetery remembering my parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle. To the ones keeping the grounds, we want to say thank you. They looked really good.
Visiting my husband’s niece’s grave in the baby cemetery, it was heartwarming to see that not one baby was forgotten. Tiny nosegays of baby breath tied with blue ribbons adorned each. I don’t know who did this, but I want to say thank you.
We also visited the Rock Creek and Haines Cemeteries at Haines. To Connie and Betty Brown — we say thank you. The grounds always look so good. It’s a lot of work.
The avenues of flags at both the Haines and the Baker cemeteries make us remember those whose lives have been cut short for our freedom. May we never forget. May God Bless us all.
Evelyne Fisher
Haines
Wolves And Property Rights
To The Record-Courier:
Some three decades ago we had a popular governor with roots in Massachusetts convince us that in order to save our open spaces and farm land from the ravages of development, we should hand over private property rights to the state.
Rural people bought into it for a few years, but by 1976 all of the rural counties outside the I-5 corridor voted to repeal statewide land use planning. There are simply not enough votes outside of the Valley to change what they think is right, so we will have Salem in control of all land use decisions. What started off as a seemingly innocuous attempt to save farm land in 40 acre blocks turned into what we have today—large, unaffordable land blocks saved for the rich. There were many attempts to change things in the legislature under John Kitzhaber, but he vetoed all of these. After leaving the governorship, he worked hard at selling the Oregon way to other states. Now he wants to come back with Democrats in control.
A lot of people worked hard to get Measure 7 passed in 2000 and Measure 37 after that. Both would have restored property rights to long-term residents. It took some hard lobbying, but fees for filing were kept to $20 here in Baker County. Multnomah County fees were around $3,500. The democratic legislature cut funding for the Big Look and the only thing that came from it was that there was a lot of support for returning power to the counties. Important facts like who owns Oregon were not addressed. Has communist China bought up the land we saved? How many absentee land owners from out of state or even foreign countries own those open spaces the lower classes were prohibited from buying because of large land block zoning? Even more important, how many brand new U.S. residents do we have since imposing state control because of sprawl from increasing population? How much higher are your housing costs because 97-percent of the land outside of the urban growth boundary is exclusive farm use?
Do you realize that the wolf issue is really a private property issue? It could be that the wolf will recruit more people to the property rights issue. You can’t protect yourself from the state or the wolf. And with the urban left in control of the state and federal governments, get ready for a new wave of Utopia building at the expense of your personal freedoms.
Years ago, Tom McCall convinced us that there really wasn’t such a thing as private property rights, but there were opportunities to fight back. Did you file a claim when Measures 7 and 37 gave you an opportunity to send the state a message that you would like your rights back? It’s too late now for all of that and if John Kitzhaber comes back into your life you had better think really hard about how to get Eastern Oregon separated from the west side. Elect people who will actually introduce legislation or lead an initiative drive to do that instead of blowing into town and making political hay talking about it.
Steve Culley
Baker City
Do We Need A Tea Party?
To The Record-Courier:
We are rather sorry we need the American Disability Act, because as an American the First thing you would think is who would disrespect the Disabled, the Civil Rights of the aged, the U.S. Constitution, the culture, the Rule of Law, the rights of persons and their property? Who could possibly disregard all these rights bestowed on us by our forefathers in the U.S. Constitution?
These acts of total disregard of these basic rights, by none other then our own government executives bring disgust and lack of faith in the government, by the people in the greatest country on earth.
Some even claim “final authority.” We should remind them that this is a Democracy, acts must be done legally or they have no authority.
The Americans with Disabilities Act promises the full force of the U.S. Government, also it requires the same from Government Agency’s as well as State, Local. Penalties are promised to those who disobey the laws of this great nation. Every elected official Federal, State, Local, and Government Agency must take an Oath of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
Both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act come from the promises made to us the people in the Constitution they both come from the 14th. Amendment which includes equal protection. In “Blacks Law Dictionary” 8th edition the definition for civil right is:
Civil Right. 1. The individual rights of personal liberty guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and by the 13th, 14th 15th and 19th Amendments, as well as by legislation such as the Voting Rights Act Civil Rights, esp the right to vote, the right of due process, and the right of equal protection under the law. (pg.263)
In Title 18 U.S.C. section 242 Deprivation of Rights under Color of Law hold our elected officials and government agency’s accountable and liable personally. Even if they use the color of law to avoid compliance, these are punishable. The penalties are both civil and criminal.
To throw the disabled, the aged, veterans out of our forest by intentionally excluding them is not the American way; these rights are given to us in the Constitution as equal protection and due process.
President Obama in his Memorial Day speech said our veteran’s are our most honored citizens. Yet the disabled Veterans who return home will have less rights then when they left home, if we do not stand up and fight for them now.
We expect our Civil Rights and Equal Protection under the Law to be the first things considered, and must be addressed in any negotiations. Please show us some respect for the best government system on earth! To do otherwise is disrespect for our citizens and our government. The government is respectful and we respect it. The problem is some people who misuse their presumed authority, and are the root of the problem. Be a problem solver, not the problem.
Other rights are being disregarded and disrespected as well, like the miners rights granted to them in 1878 mining law, private property owners, the County of Baker on “Right of Ways,” the superior right to ingress and egress on land of another.
Please respect this Constitution, and The Rule of Law. All the citizens have these rights everyday. To avoid our rights and government is being disrespectful.
Please respect my Country and our system of Government.
Please respect the 2477 Right-of-way Laws and the Self Executing Authority of The County.
Please obey and respect your Oath of Office.
Please don’t ever submit to Final Authority by the Forest Service on matters of the Constitution and Civil Rights.
Please recognize the people of Baker County are dependable, respectable people who are good citizens, and a valuable asset to the forest.
Please recognize that true Leaders solve problems, not create more problems.
Please recognize that we the people understand our rights, and that we will hold the people accountable who have been put in place to protect these rights.
On June 19, 2009 when the Draft Environmental Impact Study is released it will be the final test for all concerned. We will see who has listened to our pleas for justice for all and who has not.
Please recognize the Veterans who have gave life and limb to preserve our Government, it is our duty to protect and respect their sacrifice.
Please don’t force another tea party on the people of this County.
In parting I would leave you a couple of quotes to ponder.
“Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.” — James Bovard (1994)
“You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am.” —Clarence Darrow (1857-1938)
Thank you.
Roy H. Barnes
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