Tuesday, June 12, 2007

CRC Protests School Board

The anti-gay Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum held their protest this morning, as scheduled, outside the Montgomery County Public Schools Carver Center, where the school board will meet today to decide whether to implement the new sex-ed classes.

Their mass emailing said:
Please JOIN OUR family friendly PROTEST on the morning of June 12th at 9:30 a.m.! We will meet outside the Carver Educational Building on Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland at http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/boe/meetings/directions.shtm If you have young children, put them in strollers and come hold a sign that says "Health Before Politics" or "No Unisex Bathrooms." The signs are already made. We want the media to have plenty of footage for the TV newscast and plenty of pictures for the newspaper!

(Yes, I know, I already told you that, some people didn't see it the first time...)

Christine and I were there. She came to get a seat for public comments, I stopped by on my way between places, shopping for my wife's birthday.

We were there about 9:15, looking around. Is that one of them? Is that?

There were no TV antennas, no reporters.

About 9:25, the CRC's President John Garza and another man got out of a car and walked into the building. We went up there. They were standing in the air conditioning.

Two ladies with strollers came up the hall where Christine and I were standing. "Are you looking for something?" we asked them, thinking they might be part of the protest, since they had the strollers and all.

"Yes. Do you know where the ... get-together is supposed to be, at nine thirty?"

"The CRC, you mean?"

They looked at each other. "I guess."

We pointed to John Garza and the other guy, who had just walked outside. "That's John Garza," we said, "Follow him."

"Oh, OK, we didn't know what he looked like."

We stayed in the cool and gave them time to group. Around 9:30, we went outside.

We stopped by where the group was standing, Garza and the other guy and the two women, and we all small-talked for a minute. Garza would have to leave to play golf with a client. Some cracks about it being perfect golf weather. He ended up saying, "Somebody's got to do it."

A young guy walked up to us and said, "Excuse me, do you know where the protest is?"

"This is it," we said. Then we figured we'd better move on, so we didn't accidentally inflate their numbers.

Christine and I stood in the parking lot and talked for five or ten minutes. I took a picture of the protest:


There they are.

Since no reporters or TV crews showed up, I guess we'll give them the publicity they were looking for. They get to be featured right at the top of the Teach the Facts blog, at least until this afternoon, after the school board votes.

In all fairness, after a while somebody else did show up.


No Michelle.
No Retta.
Neither Steina.
No Ben.
No Theresa.
No Steve.
No Ruth.
No Peter.

I didn't even see the yellow signs, which would have made my photographs even better. (Somebody did have a piece of orange cardboard that may have had some writing on it.)

Oh, we ran into Reverend Grace inside the building. She wanted to get where it's cool. We talked with her for a while. I like her, I think she's probably good people. Well, I don't really know her, but she goes out of her way to be nice. We pointed to where the CRC was having a protest. She told us she had ridden two buses to get here, and she was hot. Maybe she went out later, it did not seem that she planned to.

It's possible the crowd swelled even bigger than this, I don't know. It was hot, I had to go.

14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

So Jim. I was in a tent at Yosemite National park.
Sorry I missed it, I would have been there otherwise.

Theresa

June 12, 2007 2:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hooray for the Board of Education! Thank you especially to Ms. O'Neill and Ms. Brandman. Today is a great day for education in Montgomery County.


Oh, and Mr. Abrams? You might want to try and be a little less annoying during Board meetings.

June 12, 2007 3:14 PM  
Blogger JimK said...

Hey Theresa, I went to graduate school in Fresno for a few years -- we used to camp in the Sierra Nevadas all the time. When I was there they didn't have Internet access, though -- guess things have changed.

Andrew, I'm with you -- hooray!

JimK

June 12, 2007 6:03 PM  
Blogger Robert said...

What was Yosemite like? I've always wanted to go.

rrjr

June 12, 2007 6:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Andrea-not anon

Let me just repeat for the record- I have 4 unisex bathrooms in my house. However, If Johnny comes by, I'm calling the police- not the news crews.

Steve Abrams- when does he come up for election? Now that he is nobody's candidate- he will be replaced-and the sooner the better.

June 12, 2007 9:02 PM  
Blogger Orin Ryssman said...

Robert writes,

What was Yosemite like? I've always wanted to go.

Well then, go! But before you go you will need a guide. Might I recommend this book, Yosemite National Park: A Complete Hiker's Guide, by Jeffrey P. Schaffer and published by Wilderness Press (Berkeley, CA). I used it religiously to guide me on my numerous hikes throughout Yosemite, back in the 90's when I lived in Southern California and did day-hiking in the Sierras. There is also a water-proof map that you can purchase at an additional charge (back when I bought mine, the map came with the book). BTW, the book is in its 5th edition, which should tell you something about just how good it is.

Of all of the hikes, the most thrilling is Half Dome. Yes, it can be hiked, though it takes all day (and you MUST start by 7 am, just in case of afternoon thunderstorms). The last 30 to 45 minutes of the hike are the thrill as you elevate to, and go up the cabling (here are some good pics,
http://kilby.stanford.edu
/~rvg/fotos/HalfDome/) to reach the summit. Just as amazing as the view is the top surface area which show the signs of too many to number lightning strikes.

The other hike is much less known, but for a modest half-day hike is remarkable all the same. Mount Hoffman, a 10,850 summit is a great hike that paces nicely, with two parts to the hike that level off, allowing one to catch their breath. Here is a good summary of the hike,
http://kevingong.com
/Hiking/MountHoffman.html

And if you have time, over on the Eastern Slope is Mammoth Lakes, and the Ansel Adams Wilderness Area...stunning.

June 13, 2007 4:31 AM  
Blogger Robert said...

Thanks for the recommendation, Orin. I'm hoping to do some hiking out west (Road trip!) next summer.

rrjr

June 13, 2007 8:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Did anybody catch the Moonie paper's article about the "protest?" That rag's reporter, Natasha Altamirano, did not bother to come over to Carver yesterday but did call Michelle Turner, who also did not bother to come to Carver yesterday, to find out about the protest at Carver yesterday. Needless to say, the Moonie rag got the facts about the protest wrong, but of course the spin is hard right.

http://washtimes.com/metro/20070612-104035-2415r.htm

June 13, 2007 8:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"the Moonie rag got the facts about the protest wrong, but of course the spin is hard right" -- hey "MCPS Mom", this is so typical of all of you left wingers -- you just can't comment on anything without disparaging the other side. You are all so tiresome. BTW, Pat O'Neill showed her true colors once again by labeling everyone who had a problem with the new socialist curriculum as 'bigots' in yesterdays hearing. She doesn't even try to be tolerant.
--bianca m

June 13, 2007 9:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pointing out rules taught in Journalism 101 is disparaging the other side in your opinion? How telling and typical. If a journalist is going to report on a protest, the journalist should witness it. If unable to witness it, the journalist should seek a source who did, not one who didn't. There were not 50 protesters at the BOE yesterday but the Moonie rag reported that lie anyway after failing to bother to obtain the facts.

June 13, 2007 9:45 AM  
Blogger Robert said...

Bianca said:

"Anonymous said...
"the Moonie rag got the facts about the protest wrong, but of course the spin is hard right" -- hey "MCPS Mom", this is so typical of all of you left wingers -- you just can't comment on anything without disparaging the other side. You are all so tiresome. BTW, Pat O'Neill showed her true colors once again by labeling everyone who had a problem with the new socialist curriculum as 'bigots' in yesterdays hearing. She doesn't even try to be tolerant.
--bianca m"

This just has to be intentional irony. No kettle can be that self-unobservant.

rrjr

June 13, 2007 10:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yosemite was beautiful.
It still has no internet coverage (and no cell really either).

I would definitely recommend the trip, and the mist trail (I am not quite up to half dome, Orin).

We did, however, make it to the top of the Nevada falls.
Theresa

June 13, 2007 1:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yosemite is indeed incomparable. A couple of years ago, we planned a trip, flying in to Sacramento, toured Gold Country, on to Yosemite, SF, Monterrey, Big Sur, Solvang, Hollywood, Laguna Beach, La Jolla. The kids griped about the Yosemite until we got there and were blown away.

If you don't have the energy to hike up Half Dome, ride a bus to Glacier Point, directly across from Half Dome and hike back down to the village. The view is spectacular. Also, if you're there several days, drive the through the pass to the Eastern side of the park and check out the Bodie ghost town.

June 13, 2007 6:07 PM  
Blogger Robert said...

I'm sure they don't compare to Yosemite, but I've enjoyed such places as Kathadin, Mt. Adams, Franconia Notch, the Mahoosucs, and even our own Blue Ridge (one summer I planned out my own "waterfalls of the Blue Ridge" program. I saw many waterfalls, and lots of bears).

I think hiking should be included in all school curriculums. The world is filled with so many places other than cities, suburbs, malls and amusement parks.

rrjr

June 14, 2007 3:34 PM  

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