Esbee posted a nice poem from Lewisville-based poet Terri Kirby Erickson. Funny coincidence: her blog has the same design as my aunt's, Debbie Erickson, whose prose I think you might enjoy.
Lewisville Poet
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Category Archives: Lewisville
Lewisville Native at Center of Washington Controversy
53 Republican members of the US House of Representatives are calling for President Obama to remove Kevin Jennings from the position of 'safe schools czar'. From an article in The Hill:
The lawmakers accused Jennings of "pushing a pro-homosexual agenda" and said that Jennings's past writings exhibit a record that makes him unfit for the position.
"We respectfully request that you remove Kevin Jennings, the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, from your Administration," the Republicans wrote. "It is clear that Mr. Jennings lacks the appropriate qualifications and ethical standards to serve in this capacity."
Apparently Mr. Jennings is a native of Lewisville. I'm not really up on this issue, but it sounds like they're trying to get rid of him based on problems they have with his background, not anything he's actually done in his position. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out.
Below's the full text of the letter that the 53 House Republicans sent to the President. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about their logic:
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
Alexander
Aderholt
Akin
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Bartlett
Barton
Boozman
Broun
Brown, H.
Carter
Chaffetz
Coffman
Cole
Conaway
Davis, Geoff
Fallin
Fleming
Foxx
Franks
Garrett
Gingrey
Gohmert
Hunter
Issa
Jordan
Lamborn
Latta
LuetkemeyerMarchant
McClintock
McHenry
McKeon
McMorris
Mica
Miller, J.
Myrick
Neugebauer
Olson, P.
Pence
Pitts
Posey
Rogers (AL)
Rooney
Ryan, Paul
Shuster
Smith, C
Smith, L.
Wamp
Westmoreland
Jones, Walter
Apparently Something Nasty Went Through Our Neighborhood
My wife just called me to tell me that something like a small tornado just went by our house. Tops of trees down the street have been twisted off, the siding of one of our neighbors' house has been torn off and a couple of trees are down in the street. Don't know if it was a tornado or a sever wind burst or what, but it did some damage. She's taking some pics and I'll post them later.
Related: Last Thursday we had 11 trees removed from the woods by our house. I'm thinking we were just in time.
Mostly Local Market, Lewisville
According to this article from the Winston-Salem Journal a fellow named Tom Raif has opened a market focused on selling locally grown food has opened behind the Brush Strokes art studio on Shallowford Road. From the article:
He's still in the process of filling the shelves. But he had local tomatoes and squash last week. Pears and apples came from Virginia. Eggs came right from Lewisville. He bought beef off the hoof from Pfafftown and had it processed locally to sell ground beef, steaks, roasts and soup bones. He also has chickens, whole and in various cuts, and plans to add sausage this week.
Right now, he's dealing with wholesalers who can get local produce, but he hopes to work more directly with farmers. He said he has contacted two organic farms about supplying him with pumpkins and other fall produce.
He also plans to add fresh breads, handmade soaps and other items soon.
2011 US Figure Skating Championships Good News for Some Local Firms
The 2011 US Figure Skating Championships are going to be held at the Greensboro Coliseum and that's already led to work for some local agencies:
- MediaFit, based in my town of Lewisville, is serving as the advertising and marketing agency for the championships.
- BEM Interactive is handling the website, e-newsletter, online marketing and Facebook and Twitter presences for the championships.
-
Annese Public Relations of Winston-Salem is handling the PR for the championships.
West Forsyth Gym the Backdrop for a Make-a-Wish Piece on ESPN
ESPN has been running a series of sports related Make-a-Wish pieces and last night's piece featured Lewisville native Chris Paul hanging out with a kid who had a fight with cancer (luckily it's now in remission) and the two of them shot hoops at Paul's alma mater, West Forsyth HS, which also happens to be my kids' school. It's a nice piece (see video below) and helps boost the respect that Paul continues to earn:
Coach Cavanaugh Rocks Lewisville on the Fourth
I was catching up on some items in Google Reader when I came across this post on Lewisville Photos and recognized the guy playing the bass in the top photo. That would be Steve Cavanaugh, a teammate on our over-40 soccer team and a co-coach in the TCYSA girls challenge program for the past couple of years, playing in the band at the Lewisville Fourth of July celebration. I had no idea Steve plays in a band and I'm sorry I didn't get to see them perform on the fourth, but I'll try and make sure to make it to one of their gigs in the future.
Lewisville in the News
You never like to hear stories about people being shot because someone shot into their home for seemingly no reason, but it's even worse when it happens close to home:
A Lewisville man was hit by a bullet Saturday night when someone shot into his home on Shallowford Road, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said.
George Bargoil, 55, and his wife were in bed when they heard gunshots about 11:50 p.m., said Maj. Brad Stanley, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.
Bargoil got up, and that's when a bullet hit him in the arm, Stanley said.
Bargoil was taken by ambulance to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
Lewisville also made the news in a roundabout way when Kevin Jennings, who grew up in Lewisville, became the focus of a Family Research Council effort to block his nomination for Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education:
The Family Research Council (FRC) aims to keep Winston-Salem, N.C.-native Kevin Jennings — founder and former executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) — from taking his post as assistant deputy secretary of education for the department’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
The FRC has set up StopJennings.org, which lists quotes from past Jennings speeches and writings, including from his memoir “Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son,” recounts his life growing up in conservative North Carolina.
In a press release, FRC said the statements on their campaign website are “Kevin Jennings’ most outrageous quotes.” The website allows the public to send an email to the president and Congress opposing Jennings’ appointment…
Jennings takes his post on July 6. The appointment was originally decided on May 19 and publicly announced June 1. Jennings grew up right outside of Winston-Salem, in small town Lewisville, N.C. He is the son of a Baptist preacher. Jennings attended Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude, began a career as a school teacher and later founded GLSEN.
First and Life To Go at the West Forsyth 50
Ah, love. It causes people to do the wildest things, like getting hitched on the 50 yard line of your alma mater. I loved this article in the Journal.
Leigh Ellen Joyce and Derek Spencer are getting married at their second home — the football field at West Forsyth High School.
As students at West, both spent a lot of time on the field. Spencer, who graduated in 1996, wore No. 6 playing cornerback and receiver for the football team…
"It's kind of like home out here," Joyce said the other day as she and Spencer sat in the bleachers talking about their plan to stand in the middle of the 50-yard line when they get married later this month. About 300 guests will be seated on the field behind them.
(If it rains, the plan is to move the ceremony to the Joyces' church — Fairview Moravian.)
Lewisville Access Management Ordinance Update
As I've written before I'm on the Lewisville Planning Board and we've been working on a new access management ordinance for the last couple of months. We're getting close to being done with it and the proposed ordinance (L-132) has been posted on Lewisville's website. Actually there's two PDFs you can look at:
If you want to get an idea of what the ordinance is about I recommend reading number one. If you're really into planning or if you're having trouble sleeping I recommend reading number two, otherwise known as "paper Ambien."
Befuddled 