August 2002
SCHOOL START DATES DEBATED
Some school administrators and the author of a bill setting a uniform school start date in Texas are frustrated with the new law, which has been in place less than a year. State Senator Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville), says the intent of the law, which sets a school start date during the week of August 21, is being circumvented by the loose manner in which waivers are being approved. Out of the 1,040 school districts in Texas, 78 have received waivers from the Texas Education Agency allowing them to begin school prior to August 19. Keller is the earliest starting district—August 5. The most popular early school start date is August 12, with August 15 coming in a close second. In fact, according to Texans for A Traditional School Year, 19% of school children in Texas will begin academic instruction before August 19, 2002. “The law is completely useless if they are going to grant everybody’s waiver,” Sen. Lucio said. “The waivers have weakened the bill.”
Source: Fort Worth Star Telegram, 5/18/02 & Texans for A Traditional School Year, 7/31/02

TEACHER BACKGROUND CHECKS PROPOSED
Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) has called upon the next Legislature to protect Texas school children from sexual predators by performing background checks on new teachers as part of the certification process. A check of social security numbers in the State Board of Educator Certification’s teacher database recently turned up about 300 matches with numbers in the Department of Public Safety’s sex offender database. “It is horrifying to think that known sexual predators can work their way into our classrooms under the radar,” said Sen. Nelson. “We have already declared our school’s drug-free and weapon-free zones. We need to make them off limits to violent offenders too.”
Source: From the office of Senator Jane Nelson, 7/31/02

HIGHLAND PARK SCHOOL’S POLICY ON E-MAIL SPURS SUIT
A receptionist has sued the Highland Park school district over a policy that bars employees from sending personal e-mails with “religious purposes” from their work accounts. In late April, LaDonna DeVore, a receptionist in the administration building, sent the full text of a White House proclamation declaring May 2 as a National Day of Prayer to “certain acquaintances in the district and to personal friends outside the district.” She also sent a short note with it. Her supervisor told her that the e-mail violated the district’s policy. Ms. DeVore is represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, who asked the district to change their policy, claiming it was unconstitutional. When HP school officials refused, the suit was filed.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, 8/2/02

GREENVILLE OFFICIALS TRADE PORN FOR FAMILY NETWORK
A fabulous victory was won for families in Greenville, Texas when pay-per-view pornography channels were replaced with the Christian Family Network. The city of Greenville owns Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS), which is the local utility and cable service provider for the city. GEUS officials had decided to offer porn pay-per-view channels, which made GEUS the first city-owned cable service in Texas to sell porn. Concerned citizens challenged the city’s decision to provide pornography in homes, which resulted in the GEUS Board unanimously deciding not only to remove the pornography channels, but replace it with the Christian Family Network! The Center for Decency aided in mobilizing the citizens to rid the city’s cable service of pornography.
Source: Free Market Foundation Weekly Issues Alert, 7/11/02

LAWSUIT SEEKS TO REMOVE TEN COMMANDMENTS
An Austin man filed a federal lawsuit seeking to remove the 41-year old monument of the Ten Commandments on the Capitol grounds. In his lawsuit, Thomas Van Orden said that it violates the constitutional separation of church and state and is an endorsement by the state of Judeo-Christian beliefs. The state counters that the stone slab is more historical than religious, with key segments of law founded on the moral and cultural ethics of the commandments. The case “represents the right of our government to honor things that have been significant in our history as a country and a state,” said Jeff Boyd, deputy attorney general. A judge is expected to rule on the case next month.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, 7/30/02

THE HOMELAND SECURITY NON-DEBATE
In his July 29th column, U.S. Representative Ron Paul reports that the new Department of Homeland Security was passed on July 27 with only a few short hours of debate. Paul says that a special House committee began writing the bill only one week before the vote. In that short time, they managed to transform the President’s 50-page proposal for consolidation of certain agencies into a 250-page spending spree bill. Most members did not see the final bill until July 24, nor did they see the 100+ amendments to the bill until July 26, the day of the vote. Worse yet, the House debated the bill for only two hours! The department represents the biggest government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in the 1940s, and potentially the single biggest expansion of the federal government in our history. Over 175,000 federal employees will be part of the new DHS. Paul says that this legislation will have a profound impact on the freedom, prosperity and safety of every American for decades to come.

BIG BROTHERS-BIG SISTERS FORCED TO ACCEPT GAY MENTORS
As of last month, the Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) are requiring all 500 of its affiliates to allow homosexual as volunteers and mentors to children. Local chapters must comply or lose affiliation with the organization. Most children involved in BBBSA programs are primarily from single-parent homes and are seeking the affection of a role model of the same sex. These children need a healthy mentorship with a positive role model. The majority of boy child molesters (86%) are homosexual or bisexual. American Family Association president Don Wildman says, “There is no doubt that BBBSA will become a magnet for homosexuals who exploit opportunities to engage young, impressionable children with their unhealthy life style. It’s a matter of time before someone’s child becomes a sexual assault victim because of BBBSA’s political correctness.”
Source: Free Market Foundation Weekly Issues Alert, 7/30/02
WHAT YOU CAN DO:Urge the BBBSA to reverse this dangerous decision (email:national@bbbsa.org.) Corporate sponsors should be made aware they are endorsing programs that place children at risk. Find local chapter information by going to http://www.bbbsa.org and clicking on “How To Volunteer.”

“BIG FAT ATTACK”
As in the attack on tobacco companies, trial lawyers are pursuing a strategy to demonize companies that sell snacks, fast foods and soft drinks they contend are contributing to obesity in America. They are both legislating and litigating—presumably to be followed by winning and collecting. Senators have scheduled to introduce legislation allowing federal agencies to appropriate public funds to “educate” Americans about the danger of weight gain. In the states, between 15-20 legislatures levy taxes on industries specializing in fatty foods, and at least three—Texas is one—tried to levy additional taxes this year to raise revenue for obesity programs. Lawyers are expected to sue a particular company like McDonald’s for not issuing a warning that a Big Mac contains more calories and fat grams than the FDA recommends per day. Missing are references to personal choice and personal responsibility.
Source: “Big Fat Attack,” Washington Times, 7/31/02

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