Date: Tue, 22 Oct 1996 01:03:23 -0400 From: Maggie Heineman Subject: Pennsylvania Expose Oct 22, 1996 Pennsylvania Expose #13 October 22, 1996 CONTENTS * Elizabethtown "Pro-Family" Resolution * Spector's Abortion Vote * Hate Groups on the Rise in PA * Allegations of Sexual Harassment by Senator John Peterson * Molly Ivens in Pittsburgh, Nov. 12 * [PAX Masthead] ================================================ Elizabethtown "Pro-Family" Resolution By Tom Wilson, Chairman COMMON SENSE Concerned citizens in the Elizabethtown School District have formed Common Sense, a non-partisan grass-roots organization committed to providing students in the Elizabethtown Area School District with a quality public education. The organization will monitor school board activity so that it will develop policies that reflect the values of the community, address concerns relating to fiscal matters and school renovations, and support teaching students to think critically and to understand and respect views different from their own. Common Sense is prepared to work to elect school board members who will act responsibly. The "pro-family resolution" is only a part of the story, but since that is the issue which has attracted attention to our community, I'll start with that. In future issues of Pennsylvania Expose, I will write about our school board, how it has violated its own rules, and about the work of our local organization, COMMON SENSE. The pro-family resolution was originally sent to board member Carol Miller with hand-written comments from Beverly LaHaye, president of Concerned Women of America (CWA), a national conservative group dedicated to "traditional family values" and maintaining a "proper place for women." CWA wrote the resolution, with a BLANK SPACE FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S NAME. It passed in less than 20 minutes at the September 17 meeting, with no public input and no research by the board. The resolution reads: WHEREAS the traditional family, of one man married to one woman and their children through birth or adoption, has been the norm in all civilized societies throughout history; WHEREAS the traditional family bears the primary responsibility for the moral instruction of children; and WHEREAS the traditional family is under relentless attack by those who want to redefine family to include homosexual and lesbian couples and by those who want to indoctrinate children in pro-homosexual propaganda against their parents' wishes; therefore BE IT RESOLVED that Elizabethtown Area School District hereby endorses this Pro-Family Resolution and affirms that pro-homosexual concepts on sex and family as promoted by the National Education Association will never be tolerated or accepted in this school. At a recent school board meeting, dozens of residents of the Elizabethtown Area School District spoke for more than an hour and forty minutes about the new pro- family resolution. All speakers but three were against the resolution. Board president A. John Larue began by reading from a prepared statement, apologizing for any misunderstanding the resolution may have caused. His comments did not appease the crowd. The board sat stony-faced as the speakers expressed dissatisfaction with the discriminatory content of the resolution and the negative media attention the incident has brought to this rural community. An early speaker said he is a lifelong Republican and "no friend of the NEA," but condemned the board's unrealistic definition of family as a husband, wife and their children, excluding him because he has stepchildren. The mother of a speech- and hearing-impaired child compared the resolution to public attitudes of not too long ago when her child would be considered "deaf and dumb," incapable of making a meaningful contribution to society. She told of the many people's lives enriched by her bright, intelligent daughter. An eighth-grader welcomed the opportunity to focus awareness on the need for equal rights for all people, thanking outside groups (mostly representing regional gay and lesbian organizations) who held rallies before and during the meeting. One speaker, recounting policy after policy the board had violated, placed on the stage completed letters of resignation for the two board members to sign--Larue because he has failed to follow rules and control the board, and Miller because she stated publicly "I am too busy to read all this information, I do not get paid for this job." The offering of the resignations brought a standing ovation from supporters. Three thanked the board for the resolution, but the evening clearly belonged to those who denounced the board and its actions as intolerant, discriminatory, and unconstitutional. Many spoke with regret at the attention that has been taken away from education. Time and again the board was asked to rescind the resolution. Larue resisted responding to questions by saying that the session was for public comment only. You may write to the school board president: Mr. A. John Larue 21 Teakwood Circle Elizabethtown, Pa 17022 * * * COMMON SENSE Contact Information Tom N. Wilson, Chairman 1535 Campus Road Elizabethtown, PA 17022 717-361-8254 tom.wilson@paonline.com Laurie Thompson, Public Relations Director 20 Greenleaf La. Elizabethtown, PA 17022 717-367-9427 ================================================ Spector's Abortion Vote By Julie Helm, Associate Director for Government Relations, Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates (pppaadv@aol.com) ACTION ALERT: On September 26, anti-choice forces in the US Senate were unable to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to override President Clinton's veto of the so-called "Partial-Birth Abortion" Ban. But Senator Arlen Specter did change and voted IN FAVOR of this harmful legislation. Send this letter IMMEDIATELY to your local newspaper (use personal stationary or urge a Republican friend or relative to copy the letter). Dear Editor: The senators who voted to sustain the President's veto of the "Partial-Birth Abortion" Ban should be congratulated for protecting women’s health, something the legislation completely neglected. Sadly, Senator Arlen Specter caved in to the pressure of far right religious extremists, and changed his vote to support this dangerous legislation. Specter ignored the facts about this rarely-used procedure. Women who have had these abortions told him that it was done after WANTED pregnancies had gone horribly wrong, and that continuing the pregnancies threatened their health and would not produce babies able to survive. Despite these tragic stories, Specter CHANGED his vote. His about-face on this issue is clearly politically-motivated and insincere. As a Republican I am very dismayed that Pennsylvania's senior senator would sacrifice women's health for political advantage. ================================================ Hate Groups on the Rise in PA By Floyd Cochran, Founder and Director of Education & Vigilance Network The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission recently released statistics on hate group activity in Pennsylvania, reporting a 12-percent state-wide increase during the fiscal year 1995-1996. "Our commission has seen a rise in tension and hate activity, with 203 reported racial tension situations this fiscal year over last year's 181 total, as well as an increase in hate activity by organized hate groups such as Aryan Nation and the Ku Klux Klan," said executive director Homer C. Floyd. African-Americans were targeted in 29 percent of the incidents, and Jews in 15 percent. Schools are the single most likely place for hate activity; 33 separate school incidents represented 16 percent of the total. Non-criminal offenses, such as the distribution of literature, represented the majority of incidents at 54 percent, but 46 percent involved criminal activity that included serious threats to personal safety: assault, terrorist threats, reckless endangerment, arson, kidnapping and attempted homicide. "What we often see is adults saying the negative words and speeches, with young people acting out based on those words," Floyd said. On OCT. 22, 1996 - The Pennsylvania State House of Representatives will hold hearings into hate groups and hate activity in PA. The education and Vigilance Network is a group of friends, neighbors and community organizations which conducts community workshops and seminars on organizing strategies to counter the message and tactics of the racist right. 814-274-1791. ================================================ Allegations of Sexual Harassment by Senator John Peterson By Joanne Tosti-Vasey, Treasurer, Pennsylvania NOW, Inc. In a Harrisburg Sunday Patriot-News article, three women said that Sen. John Peterson tried to kiss them at work, and three others complained of an uncomfortable work environment and asked for transfers. Charges were not filed because the women believed that their stories were "not strong enough to pursue legal action." Peterson is running against a woman, Ruth Rudy, for his senate seat. Peterson denied the allegations, suggesting that Rudy or her supporters had hired investigators to "not only look for dirt, but spread dirt." Rudy denied this, and her campaign manager, Amy Gillen, said that Peterson was trying to involve their campaign instead of dealing with "a very serious issue." Patriot-News Editor John Kirkpatrick said that the "fair, accurate, and balanced" story was not campaign- related. Emily Gruss Gillis, the only woman who agreed to be named, said, "I've never met Ruth Rudy...[or] been...involved in her campaign...these things go on too often and if no one talks about them they will never stop." Pennsylvania NOW, Inc. issued a statement on October 14, calling for a full investigation of the allegations against Peterson by the Human Relations Commission, saying that due process would protect both the women (from possible retaliation) and Peterson. ================================================ Columnist Molly Ivins Appearing at ACLU Foundation Benefit November 12. Syndicated political columnist Molly Ivins will speak at a benefit for the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter o fthe ACLU foundation on Tuesday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Byham Theater. Tickets are available for a $25 donation, $15 for current ACLU members. Ivins is syndicated in nearly two hundred newspapers nationwide and active in such organizations as Amnesty International's Journalism Network and the Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press. ============================================= [Masthead] Pennsylvania Expose Copyright (C) 1996 Pennsylvania Alliance for Democracy PO Box 366 Harrisburg, PA 17108 President, Clark Moeller * * * Permission to reproduce, unaltered, in whole or in part, with copyright notice. * * * Editors Maggie Heineman, maggie@critpath.org Barbara Purdom, purdom@critpath.org Design, Layout & Editing Joseph Bordo starwalker@earthlink.net