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10/15/2009
53 elected Reps elect to misrep instead
King; Alexander; Aderholt; Akin; Austria; Bachmann; Bachus; Bartlett; Barton; Boozman; Broun; Brown, H.; Carter; Chaffetz; Coffman; Cole; Conaway; Davis, Geoff; Fallin; Fleming; Foxx; Franks; Garret; Gingrey; Gohmert; Hunter; Issa; Jordan; Lamborn; Latta; Luetkemeyer; Marchant; McClintock; McHenry; McKeon; McMorris; Mica; Miller, J.; Myrick; Neugebauer; Olson, P.; Pence; Pitts; Posey; Rogers; Rooney; Ryan, Paul; Shuster; Smith, C.; Smith, L.; Wamp; Westmoreland; and Jones, Walter.
Do any of the above names belong to your congressional district? If that answer is yes, then you should know that they have just signed on to a disgusting, partisan, FRC-generated, fallacious attack on Safe and Drug Free Schools leader Kevin Jennings:
A group of 53 Republican members of the House has sent a letter to the president asking for the removal of Kevin Jennings, the gay activist who now runs the Education Department's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. "It is clear that Mr. Jennings lacks the appropriate qualifications and ethical standards to serve in this capacity," the lawmakers write.
53 House Republicans call on Obama to fire Kevin Jennings [Examiner]
This is unbelievable, folks! When the facts come out about Mr. Jennings, they refuse to listen. When Mr. Jennings gives his impassioned, principled speeches, they refuse to hear what he actually says. And when his record involves protecting countless LGBT kids, they refuse to acknowledge it as noble, or even worthwhile. You ask yourself why that it is.
***
*To put this in perspective: All but five of the 53 Republicans who signed on to this letter recently voted against the hate crimes legislation. Of those five (Austria, Hunter, Luetkemeyer, McKeon, Rooney), only Rooney and Austria have shown any sort of restraint in terms of their gay rights support (or lack thereof). The other three have plenty of mission statements, press releases, etc. which say things like "protect traditional marriage."
**FULL TEXT OF THE FRIGHTENINGLY HOSTILE PARTISAN MISSIVE:
October 15, 2009
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We respectfully request that you remove Kevin Jennings, the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, from your Administration. It is clear that Mr. Jennings lacks the appropriate qualifications and ethical standards to serve in this capacity.
As the founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Mr. Jennings has played an integral role in promoting homosexuality and pushing a pro-homosexual agenda in America's schools-an agenda that runs counter to the values that many parents desire to instill in their children. As evidence of this, Mr. Jennings wrote the foreword for a book titled Queering Elementary Education: Advancing the Dialogue About Sexualities and Schooling. Throughout his career, Mr. Jennings has made it his mission to establish special protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students to the exclusion of all other students. The totality of Mr. Jennings' career has been to advocate for public affirmation of homosexuality. There is more to safe and drug free schools than can be accomplished from the narrow view of Mr. Jennings who has, for more than 20 years, almost exclusively focused on promoting the homosexual agenda.
Equally troubling is Mr. Jennings' self-described history of ignoring the sexual abuse of a child. In his book, One Teacher in Ten, Mr. Jennings recounts a 15-year old student confiding in him that he had a sexual relationship with a much older man. Mr. Jennings' only response was to ask if the underage boy used a condom. As a mandatory reporter, Mr. Jennings was required by law to report child abuse, including sex crimes. Mr. Jennings cannot serve as the "safe schools" czar when his record demonstrates a willingness to overlook the sexual abuse of a child.
As the "safe schools" czar, Mr. Jennings is also charged with ensuring our schools and students are drug free. It is clear that Mr. Jennings is unfit to serve in this capacity, as well. His own history of unrepentant drug and alcohol abuse indicates that he is of the opinion that getting drunk and high as a young person is acceptable. In his memoir, Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son, Mr. Jennings describes his use of illegal drugs, without expressing regret or acknowledging the devastating effects illegal drug use can have on a person's life.
Everyone that deals with the education of the most vulnerable must be a positive role model. Our children are not blessed with the wisdom to discern and reject. Children presume the adults who educate them are approved by the larger society and their parents. Kevin Jennings cannot gain the approval of parents who want their children safe and their schools drug free. You should replace him with someone who has a record of educating children in a safe and moral environment.
Given these very serious issues with Mr. Jennings' record, we urge you to remove him immediately.
Sincerely,
King, 52 House Republicans Call on Obama to Fire Kevin Jennings [Steve King]
Your thoughts
God DAMN it. Austria is mine.
Not that this surprises me. He was on the "it'll protect pedophiles" anti-Matt Shepard bill bandwagon.
Posted by: Matt Algren | Oct 15, 2009 2:37:51 PM
OK, so where is the petition in defense of him? HMMMM. There isn't one up on CHANGE.Org yet. Okay, when I get the chance.
Posted by: LOrion | Oct 15, 2009 2:49:57 PM
UMMM Why hasn't HRC started a petition drive? Oh that's right they aren't activists just smoozers.
Posted by: LOrion | Oct 15, 2009 2:50:31 PM
"promoting homosexuality" These bigots aren't mad its being 'promoted', they're mad gay people aren't treated like shit.
If Obama listens to these bigots I'm gonna fucking lose it. I'll call the goddamn whitehouse, I don't care if I have to harass a hundred receptionists, I'm getting that bastard on the phone and giving him an earful.
Posted by: penguinsaur | Oct 15, 2009 3:08:24 PM
Let's see if Obama lives up to his HRC speech, and refuses to allow the personal attacks against his appointee to sway his resolve that resulted in the appointment in the first place. I suspect that Obama was speaking directly to the attacks against Kevin Jennings when he made his speech, and that he will remain unwavering in his support for Jennings.. but time will tell.
Posted by: Dick Mills | Oct 15, 2009 3:18:48 PM
Calm down guys - these f%cking republican are going to hang themselves - given enough rope - they're off the deep end! I do have to thank God for my Vermont Senators and Representative in Washington, D.C., however! Vermont even has a GREAT Republican State Senator from Rutland (my) County as well as some other Republicans with intelligence! You can tell just how pissed the religious wrong are at Jennings because they are on the asses of the 53 dolts who signed the letter and it's because they know Jennings is the right man for the job. When the republicans were in there were NO right people in the jobs - THAT is the only reason Jennings is considered dangerous. Never let the "bad" guy prove you wrong!
Posted by: tom | Oct 15, 2009 3:44:20 PM
I don't understand, why is this so unbelievable? These people have been gunning for Kevin Jennings almost from day one. These people DON'T like us and they will do and say anything to make sure we're treated like second class citizens at any cost.
Posted by: Alonzo | Oct 15, 2009 5:49:18 PM
It's all unbelievable, Alonzo. Their entire, continued campaign.
Posted by: G-A-Y | Oct 15, 2009 5:55:00 PM
I guess apathy has set in because nothing that they do surprise me anymore.
If Kevin loses his job because of this my anger will not be at these 53 elected Reps because they're doing job representing the people who elected them expect them to do- no my anger will be with The Obama Administration & HRC smoozers for allow a qualified person to be removed from his job because of someone's bias.
Posted by: Alonzo | Oct 15, 2009 6:34:23 PM
I don't think this letter will provide much traction because of its lies and the representatives involved. at least four of them appeared at that awful "how to take back america" conference with brian camenker, head of the anti-gay hate group mass resistance. Heck, they even took pictures with him (yes i have the photos on my blog)
BUT I started a facebook support group last week and urged that people write their representatives. - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=284000615626
Posted by: a. mcewen | Oct 15, 2009 6:43:43 PM
Thanks a. mcewen - I just joined and passed it along!
Posted by: Alonzo | Oct 15, 2009 7:27:43 PM
I just went to citizen link and used their own anti-Jennings petition, changed the verbage to that of support for Jennings and for more funding to his office. In turn using their petition against them.
Posted by: Odell | Oct 15, 2009 9:08:14 PM
"Our children are not blessed with the wisdom to discern and reject. Children presume the adults who educate them are approved by the larger society and their parents. Kevin Jennings cannot gain the approval of parents who want their children safe and their schools drug free."
I would be shocked if more than a few, if any, students know who Jennings is. I know that none of my classmates knew who the secretary of education was, let alone "the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools." This is just a red herring for republicans to lambaste any gay in the government.
Posted by: Tony K | Oct 16, 2009 4:57:17 AM
Unfortunately, I'm represented by Virginia Foxx, who has a record of not fact-checking her data. As soon as I saw this post yesterday, I submitted the following via her web site:
"I just read that you signed onto a letter from Rep. King of Iowa asking President Obama to fire Kevin Jennings. I find it atrocious and incredibly embarrassing that, once again, you choose to perpetuate lies in a public forum. Many of the allegations contained in the letter have been thoroughly debunked (including that the "underage" individual was indeed underage, which the individual has directly refuted himself!). How many more times do we, your constituents, have to bear the brunt of ridicule because you choose to relay lies instead of fact checking your information? Please focus on improving the lives of ALL your constituents, not perpetuating lies from your bully pulpit!"
And be careful using their petitions against them...I've done that in the past with NOM and they've superimposed some standard wording ahead of my own. (I checked the box to have them send me a copy.) If my representative did not read past the first line, they'd never know how I really feel and would think I support these misfits. Not saying don't do it, just be careful...they're sneaky!
Posted by: Ken | Oct 16, 2009 10:37:35 AM
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