Lions vs. Christians:  Lions Win
May 26, 2006
By Sandy Rios

So how would YOU go about rebutting five hours of debate in the District 214 controversy? If one tried to counter every argument, it would be exhausting, so I will confine myself to a few observations instead.

Leslie Pinney should be highly commended for her courage. She sat in her chair, front and center, receiving a barrage of criticism from about 7 PM until almost 2 AM straight. She was accused of being a religious fanatic, of using the media to get attention...threatened over her next election, called ignorant, uninformed, and a troublemaker. The speakers fancied themselves brave to say such bold things to her face...yet what they failed to realize was that it took the courage of a lion to sit in silence, facing a hostile crowd, and be repeatedly berated. Leslie has nothing to gain out of seeking such humiliation. To infer that this was some sort of glory ride for her was to use the same warped logic that followed in further discussion.

When did we get to a place where children have the power to tell educators, board members, parents AND taxpayers what reading materials should or should not be purchased for them? It struck me as ironic that great lengths were gone to, to assure students had the bulk of the comments... first, of course; that their opinions weren't just important, they were preeminent. What kind of an indulgent society looks to its kids to set their own boundaries of behavior? Doesn't this just speak volumes about the parenting of this generation? It's my generation so I can say it. Lazy parenting... "I want to be liked by my kids...please don't make Johnny mad" parenting....Easier to proclaim the noble assertion that you trust educators than to actually monitor what they are teaching and take the GREAT risk of opposing them. The path of least resistance...and the one that will win you applause. "I trust my children's teachers...and I trust my kids."

Trust. Same claim made by the Superintendent of Schools, David Schuller as he painstakingly explained why District 214's staff is superior while assuring us they were absolutely NOT promoting bestiality or pornography. Since the books he was fiercely defending contain stories of a boy having sex with a dog, a girl masturbating with a hotdog, along with depictions of forcible rape, I find his high-mindedness, well....pretty under-handed.

He's a good-looking man...well-dressed. The whole board were well dressed, distinguished. They looked like people I know...neighbors...colleagues...sitting straight in their chairs with straight faces defending.....graphic narratives describing a girl being sodomized by a boy...crying all the while...two boys having anal sex...one of the boys crying afterwards "really hard." Descriptions of supposed torture and dismemberment...desecration by kicking and severing dead body parts in Vietnam...just to name a few. "These books have been mischaracterized," said Dr. Schuller. Really?

One challenger asked to have each board member enter into the record if THEY had actually read the books themselves. Leslie Pinney, you see, was hammered all night for admitting she had not read them in their entirety. The argument was that somehow context would make this lewd vulgarity take on value. But that challenge was never taken. It's okay, you see, that you defend books you've never read in their entirety, but not that you challenge them based on some very bad passages. The first is noble, the second ignorance.

Thomas Jefferson was invoked a few times...He supposedly made a statement in favor of this kind of "freedom of expression." The fine teachers of District 214 have declared it so and it is now fact. The truth is, the Founding Fathers, had nothing related to this in mind when they crafted the First Amendment. It was freedom to criticize government they were championing, not a 16-year-old student's right to read about bestiality.

Most of our founding fathers, including Jefferson, felt strongly our democracy could not be sustained if people were left to their own devices, devoid of the restraint that comes from the knowledge of God and in addition felt strongly the Bible should be taught in public schools. George Washington said, "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." Religion and morality were the "twin pillars" of democracy so said Franklin and Adams and Webster and Patrick Henry and countless others who gave their lives and fortunes to set us on this path to freedom.

My assessment of Thursday night's marathon board meeting? Great looking education professionals...articulate, smart kids...concerned parents...exemplary former students...awash in a system of propaganda, lost in a vortex of misinformation and powerful distortions, who at their heart promote lawlessness and a freefall into moral degradation. How does one person stand against this tide? Ask Board Member Leslie Pinney, bloodied emotions, but integrity intact.

Lions vs. Christians: Lions Win. Trouble is...as a result of Thursday night's vote, EVERYONE in District 214 has lost.