Latasha,
It was never my intent to upset you. Regarding the state's ability to educate I guess we will just have to agree to agree.

I am sorry it's been difficult for you. I sure don't blame the teachers. We have wonderful teachers in Janesville and if you could hear them in private you would find that they agree with you when you say 'your school sucks'. Your teachers have been hobbled by political correctness and by having the schools used by social engineers and activists to tell young people what to think, instead of teaching them how to think.

I applaud you Latasha for taking your education into your own hands. I applaud you for raising your voice in this forum and I encourage you to continue to do so.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'learn acceptance'. I respect all people regardless of their skin shade (I believe in one race), creed or their choices. I do not believe that every opinion expressed is of equal importance and value. To 'accept' means to receive something with approval and favor. We both agree that your school is not delivering an 'acceptable' education; how can I accept something that you say 'sucks'. I believe the cause of the problem lies in the supplanting of education with the very social and activist agendas that we are discussing here. As you get older and gain more experience you may find you agree with me, if not, I will appreciate your thoughts on the subject anyway.

Thank you again Latasha, please believe me when I say that I am on YOUR side and I will be praying for you that your hard work will bring you great success.

what the public school has done for me?
i would just lie to say that all those subjects are no really talked about in school.
i have to ASK about them. all the backgroun info i have on them, i had to get myself.
i had to go online, i had to FIGHT to know and stand up for what i do. my school SUCKS ok? i hate it there. i learn all this from myself. i ha to gather this info ALONE and mae up my mind ALONE. dont tell me its my schooling. ad then while your at it, learn acceptance.

Thank you for your encouragement SimonDavid. I am very accepting of people for who they are. I look for that dignity that every person has as a result of their being created with the image of God.

What I can't accept is when a group of individuals decide that who they will be defined by their sexuality, their sexual obsession. These poor souls reduce themselves to a minority of sex obsessed militants and then demand that we recognize cliques based on 'name your behavior' obsession. I haven't mentioned my sexuality or preference. I wouldn't - why would I put myself in such a narrow and irrelevant category.

I don't want to be classed by my behavior, I want to be accepted for 'who I am' not 'what I do'.

If homosexuals want peace then they should let us see who they are as people and stop making us listen to what they do. My issue is not what's done in private, my issue is that the militants are storming the schools, the media and politics and labeling me 'phobic' because I don't like their storm trooper tactics.

dear maxdetail,
i dont believe that you should remove all protection from your children because you still have the right to display your opinions in public places such as this. also, it is very nice to actually have people state their thoughts about the controversies in this city and for that i have to applaud you.

and puddssweetie,
im not saying that we should let older men and younger boys date or make it legal for farmer brown to fornicate with his best cow. but all that im trying to say is that the more people can accept the people around them the more we could all get along and actually live with the very very diverse decisions other people make. so for you and maxdetail i think everyone should be willing to help out with the community and accept people for who they are. not what they do in their free time.

Latasha,
I do apology for getting your name wrong, I'm deeply sorry. It's a pretty name and I'm sure you are a lovely young lady. As far as bashing your education I will leave the text of your post to castigate or exonerate what public school has done for you. There is still much to learn and you have the time to learn it. Blessings dear.

first off,
my name is LATASHA.
and second,
what gave you the right to bash my education?
and why dont you guys sithere and think toyourselfs,
well. at least the kids are taking a stand n something that matters to them.
or do you want us all to grow up being mindless people who dont do anything and thing the world is perfect?
AND im not a libral!
im an indepentant.
im for gay right.s
im ant- abortion
and im anti-war.
and i have every bit of background on EVERY single one of my belifes, cuz iknow if im gonna be for or against something, i have to havebackgound info.
and im 16 years old.
and im straight.
SO TAKE THAT FOR SAYING I NEED A MORE "CLASSICAL EDUCATION"

Deltafox5674, I'll take your personal attack as a clue you may be long on passion and short on argument. I do hope I didn't give you a reason to attack me. Civil rights are not civil rights. First we need to determine if homosexuals have the 'natural right' to replace a liberal arts education with a liberal social bias. Then we can go to our representatives and try and get that natural right encoded into civil law - it then becomes a civil right. We don't decide civil rights here or in the school superintendent's office. It's not decided by who yells or remains silent or is passionate.

I say there is no civil right that gives license to the Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual Transgender Alliance to interrupt the activity of education.

Latisha, I'm sure is a nice person who is doing the best she can but from her post it's clear she could benefit more from a classical education and not another militant liberal scree! Latisha dear, you're a fine person and I'm not putting you down. I just want to see more emphasis on learning and less on indoctrinating.

max, civil rights are civil rights. If you are too blind to see the parallels, that is your problem.

Rocky, I'd like to buy you a virtual beer.. or sweet tea, whichever you prefer. Well said friend.

You sound like a fair person deltafox5674 but if all you have is hyperbole (separate fountains? back of the bus?) then this discussion can't progress. Are you really comparing a group that wants the freedom to be vocal in public about the way they have sex, to the unjust treatment of African Americans? Comparing a lifestyle of choice to denying a persons rights because of skin shade? I'm just not seeing the comparison. If ya'll want to have sexual relations with a man, woman, farm animal, inanimate object then do it in private and keep it between you and your significant object of interest.

Maxdetail - good call. Need more porn? How about the "Hannah Montana" pictures that were all over this weekend? We sexualize children and call it "cute". How many strip clubs are in the Janesville area? How about the "adult" stores that now advertise on TV? Fact is we are a sexually obsessed society and what was taboo 20 years ago is mainstream today.

_____

So we must ask: If this is allowed to continue, what is taboo today that will be "acceptable" in 20 years? Pedophilia? Group marriage? Insterspecies relationships? You say "impossible", but look at the history. We are on a serious moral decline, and endorsement of homosexual activity (and sexual activity ouside marriage in general) is a clear symptom.

"If we allow gay marriage then we have to allow bigamy, polygamy, allow members of NAMBLA(North American Man/Boy Love Association) to marry their boy lovers..."
By what logic do you come to this conclusion? According to your logic, if we allow a concealed/carry law to pass, then we have to allow people to shoot anyone they want. This is a flawed argument for too many reasons to mention...

all i know is this.
i was involved in the day of silence, and the most "inntuption" most people had was brought on by those people, because they were sitting there trying to make me talk. after they realized i wasnt gonna say anything, they just went back to thier school day. so ir doesnt really intrupt ANYONES day. people are just stupid and narrow minded, and dont like change. so get over it. people are people and if you dont like it, well that sucks for you.

No, I haven't noticed it because I don't watch Television for the most part. Even so, don't tune in if you don't want to see it. I wouldn't know if a porn star was on TV or not. I don't watch porn, so I don't know who the stars are. Also, I don't mind if homosexuality is openly talked about , I don't find it offensive. I don't see homosexuality as a threat, and I am saddened by the fact that homosexuals don't have the access to the same liberties as heterosexuals. Some day I hope we stop making them sit in the back of the bus and using special drinking fountains.

Let's extend the day of silence to a vow of silence.

Sure deltafox5674, thanx for the opportunity.

Surely you've noticed how the porn industry has become much closer to mainstream. MTV and hip hop music use pornographic actors in videos. Some television shows are now centered around people in the sex industry for example, The Girls Next Door. As much as television is a reflexion of culture than I feel justified in saying it is all around us. If you are not seeing it right now then apparently it is because your work place holds to some quidelines regarding what's appropriate in public.

Chances are you are not surrounded by homosexuals either but it wouldn't take you long to find it openly portrayed and spoke of.

Keep sexual activity in the bedroom, be discrete about it, I'll do the same. It's the decent thing to do.

Simondavid, I would not be so sure about gay's and lesbians thrusting their beliefs down others throats. The problem is most people cannot see outside the box and look at the bigger picture. How long now has the homosexual community been trying to get themselves looked at as an minority? How long have they been trying to change the law so they can get married or have domestic partner benefits? They have not been too successful because of not having enough support outside the homosexual community. What better way to get support for their cause through straight high school students who will be turning 18 and can vote. The more straight students they can get the better off they will be to get the votes needed to change the laws in the furture.
I personally have no problems with anyone who is gay, in fact 2 of my best friends were gay. I don't care how they want to live their lives and hope they find happiness, what I do care about is changing laws to fit their needs. If we allow gay marriage then we have to allow bigamy, polygamy, allow members of NAMBLA(North American Man/Boy Love Association) to marry their boy lovers and farmer brown who wants to marry his prize cow Bessie. I don't know about anyone else, but I for one do not want to see this happen.

"pornography is all around us"
Please explain what you mean by this? I am surveying my surroundings right now, and I don't see any pornography.

"What a shame for the intolerant people like quintin66. Please take your bigoted attitude elsewhere, like San Francisco. People like you have no place living in a nice place like Janesville."
I would suggest you also pack your bags under your own logic...

Dear SimonDavid,

Homosexuality is certainly more evident and broadcast more widely that at earlier times in American history. In that respect, pornography is all around us, murder, bank robbery, men who like boys, predators of all sorts. Because I am surrounded by folks who demand I accept their lifestyle, would you have me remove all protection from my children? What you call 'filtering', others call 'parenting' and parenting is still of great value in the culture.

My skull isn't thick friend but I still hold to the principles that make a society strong. There is right and there is wrong and there is a law that transcends you, me and other shrill voices and opinion polls.

first off
congrats. to all of those who participated in this event
and ryanthehut
there is still education but
the day of silence was just for that day
its like this every year
parents get mad because they think that they are teaching their kids bout a homosexual lifestyle. when are you parents going to get it through your thick skulls?
homosexuality is everywhere
you cannot filter out what your children see in the real world. where are you going to be when they arent around you 24/7
just get used to it.
its not like the gays or lesbians are thrusting their beliefs down your throats.
jeeze

Can we go back to giving the kids an education yet?

I for one wish to thank the public school system for taking this bold step. I can't think of a stronger or more direct promotion of the need to HOME SCHOOL.

Parents teaching their children is not as radical as it sounds as an alternative to the state programming our children.

There are wonderful resources available to home schoolers today and the results have been tested and found amazing.

So, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Liberals, Conservatives and Independents, if you think state controlled public education has run it's course and is now becoming an experiment in indoctrination, there is a healthy and proven alternative - home school.

Thank you Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Alliance - keep pushing, your message is having an effect - the home school base is growing stronger.

WOW...........If anyone understood one word of IMO's babbling, please comment. I think it may not be a good idea to mix Gazette commentary with alcohol or other mind altering substances.

I wish people would stop seeing this as us vurses them. the simple fact is Day of Silence was not about promoting the gay lifestyle, simply about the violence that surronds those in school who are gay, which is alot. if i were to even hint I could be bi or gay, i would most likly need a new car, cause mine would be totaled after one day at school.

Go GSA at both Criag and Parker, you have made so much progress in creating a safe enviroment, which is supposed to be the school's job, way to go.

Why is science hateful. The Food and Drug Aminisitration, scientific studies if NVGrf does not like it, it must be hate. It must be "Nazi like". That's dialog? In the new PC NVGrf version of the world. If she doesn't like it, it must be hate. Maybe it is love? Maybe it is a warning, maybe it is awareness? Maybe encoraging bad unhealty behavior and using children to do it is hate? Maybe not giving all the facts is hate? Here NvGRV let me put it in terms you relate to: Imagine we got the whole truth, imagine people didn't get disease, let's just pretend they don't. Let's use school kids to do it. That my dear friend is something very NAZI like.

Right message for students

"Be happy, not gay." School officials in Naperville thought they had a right to tell a student he couldn't wear a T-shirt with that anti-gay message on it, and a lower court judge agreed. But this week a federal appeals court ordered the district to drop the ban while a civil rights lawsuit proceeds.
Before slamming the judges for overruling school officials, know that the school has allowed other students to wear pro-gay shirts. If one side gets to be heard, the court reasoned, it's only fair that the other does, also.
The real question is, why are students wearing shirts with messages about being gay, pro or con? Why allow T-shirts with any messages at all?
If the school had a dress code, it wouldn't be caught up in this divisive and costly legal fight. No telling how many tens of thousands of dollars taxpayers will have to spend fighting students over free expression. Also, teachers and administrators wouldn't have to waste time deciding whether a T-shirt message is appropriate or not.
It would be better for everyone if students expressed themselves through writing projects, artwork or other class assignments, rather than messages on T-shirts.
http://www.bnd.com/editorial/story/32193...

Nazi-like can be defined as any opinion that the user of that term dislikes. It and its derivatives are favorites of many who claim to promote tolerance and diversity. Those who use such terms act as if they are appropriately descriptive terms but are well aware that their use are meant to mute comments that oppose their positions.

Let's get back to your response to my initial comment, gary. If you can honestly support any single aspect of the hateful propaganda espoused by Peter LaBarbera, and the postings of IMO, as you seem to allude to in your early comments, then we have absolutely nothing more to discuss. OK, now you can have the last word, which I am sure you relish. I am done.

The problem is that you can't without contradicting yourself. That is what I thought.

thats exactly right "mytake4u" if the school system allows pro-gay they should also allow anti-gay. but if i were to put up any anti-gay propaganda i would be called a bigot, just another example of special people wanting special treatment.

No..........the problem is that you didn't.

That's what I thought.

Figure it out, gary.

Please define "Nazi-like".

sorry, nothing more to honor than if your favorite color is red or blue or whatever. nothing wrong with gayness. just live your life like everyone else; work, study, and contribute something positive to your community and country. the only difference is you prefer those of your own sex. using the school system for this opens up the need for each and every minority of thought and behavoir to be singled out and honored. so if pro-gay is honored so should anti-gay. you would not want that now would you? no, you would not, and neither would i. so keep these type things out of the school system. from my point of view gay folks should have every right that is accorded to ALL citizens and HUMANS.

I was merely clarifying your inaccurate description of my statement as "Nazi propaganda." If you reread what I wrote, you will understand that. And I don't think the experiences you described are anomalies at all. I am quite sure that many, many people have had those experiences. Because of those experiences, however, I hope that people do not buy into the hateful ideas of LaBarbera expressed throughout the overall body of his writing throughout the years.

Yes, I think that you already made that clear. I was expressing my opinion. I do not find it necessary to repeat it. Perhaps my experience has been anomalous. I don't know. Do you?

The term was "Nazi-like". And I would.

Having watched a family member suffer for years with numerous illnesses which included hepatitis C, HIV, and finally AIDS, I would not dismiss all of Peter LaBarbera's views as Nazi propaganda.

Hitler would have certainly loved LaBarbera's attitudes! I also urge people to view his website in order to understand the kind of Nazi-like trash that this buffoon and his ilk are spewing.

STOP THE REAL SILENCE

Americans For Truth (AFTAH) President Peter LaBarbera today called on schools, the media and opinion-makers to “break the silence” regarding the serious health risks of homosexual behavior, and said Americans deserve an official government investigation into the matter.
“Today, thousands of schools across the country are encouraging the homosexual activist ‘Day of Silence,’ and doing it in the name of protecting students’ safety,” LaBarbera said. “While schools can and must protect every child from harassment and abuse, it is contradictory to promote homosexuality in the name of ‘safety’ because the evidence is so overwhelming that same-sex behavior is a serious health risk –– especially for males.”
AFTAH has joined a coalition of pro-family organizations encouraging parents to pull their children out of schools that endorse the “Day of Silence” or allow students not to participate in classroom activities. [For a list of DOS-participating schools, see www.missionamerica.com.]
“How many government-funded studies have there been on the dangers of smoking?” LaBarbera said. “Yet homosexual men similarly are dying prematurely due to risky, unnatural same-sex practices –– but taxpayer-funded public schools are promoting this lifestyle to students through propagandistic exercises like the ‘Day of Silence.’”
LaBarbera pointed to the Food and Drug Administration’s explanation of why homosexual men are banned from donating blood as evidence of the dangers of homosexual sex. The FDA reports:
Men who have had sex with men since 1977 have an HIV prevalence … 60 times higher than the general population, 800 times higher than first time blood donors and 8,000 times higher than repeat blood donors …. Men who have sex with men also have an increased risk of having other infections that can be transmitted to others by blood transfusion. For example, infection with the Hepatitis B virus is about 5-6 times more common and Hepatitis C virus infections are about 2 times more common in men who have sex with other men than in the general population. Additionally, men who have sex with men have an increased incidence and prevalence of Human Herpes Virus-8 [which] causes a cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma in immunocompromised individuals.
“Educators profess to be concerned with guiding young people into making healthy choices,” LaBarbera said. “By celebrating homosexual, bisexual and ‘transgendered’ lifestyles in the guise of ‘safety,’ they are putting innocent children at risk instead.”

http://americansfortruth.com/news/labarb...

nyconserv1

you are absolutely right It was insensitive and wrong for me to imply that all christians are hateful bigots. I should have never made those statements if I could edit my former posts I would.

thanks for pointing out the error of my post, and I hope it does not diminish anyone's support for GSA - what a great bunch of young adults!

quintin66, I expect nothing less from an anti-Christian, such as yourself. The funny thing you do not even see the irony of your position. Stamp out hate with hate. You must be a democrat to think like that. I hope you receive wisdom.

THIS IS JUST TO SAY

I have offended
the fundies
that were in
the forum

and which
you are probably
defending
with your comment

Forgive me
they are
so narrow minded
and so homophobic

adapted from poem by William Carlos Williams

What a shame for the intolerant people like quintin66. Please take your bigoted attitude elsewhere, like San Francisco. People like you have no place living in a nice place like Janesville.

Yes Congratulations to the Students and their advisors for a good day. It is time this city and the Country realize that Gay/Lesbian/Transgender people do exist, and all they want is to feel safe and respected for what they can and will provide to this city and country. They will be workers/leaders for tomorrow. Great job! Keep up the good work!

First of all, congratulations to the student body for getting through the day with no problems or disruptions.
Second, the feelings obviously ran deep on this event, so rather than waiting until this time next year to get spun up again, let’s look ahead and see if we can some up with ideas to prevent problems in the future.
1. Allow posters for school groups, but designate areas where they are allowed. Regardless what you have on your posters, when they are hanging every few feet it develops an oppressive feel, and definitely suggests the school sanctions the club and advocates their viewpoint.
2. Remember that the school is there to provide an education, not a forum for advocating social positions of any stripe. This needs to get reined in before it gets out of control. Do we have a day of (pick your form of protest) for Hmong hunters, for victims of the Armenian massacre, Tibetan monks, etc, etc, etc. No – let’s stick with days of education, and let the clubs express themselves after school hours.

It is nice to see these young people triumph over the fundamentalist christians! I for one am going to see if the group is accepting donations to continue their good work. With the leadership and intelligence demonstrated by this group it makes me hopeful that our long dark nightmare of christians oppressing minority groups may someday (soon) come to an end.

Good job students!

Congratulations to the Parker GSA and Ms Wahlert. Doing the right thing is a good thing!