Date: Thu, 30 May 1996 06:40:54 -0700 (PDT) From: jessea@uclink4.berkeley.edu (Jessea NR Greenman) Subject: PA HB2105 - TIME FOR ACTION || CELEBRATE DIVERSITY! in Merrimack NH || LGB History Month and CWA (again!) Action Alert posted by Laura Montgomery Rutt based on conversation with Rep. Mike Sturla On June 5th, The PA House Education Committee will vote on HB2105, The Local Control ( "Parental Rights") Restoration Act. This is an attempt by the Religious Right to institute their Contract on the American Family at the state level, in essence destroying the public school system as we know it. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THIS BILL IS KILLED IN COMMITTEE, WE CANT LET IT GET TO THE FLOOR. VOTE NO!! [According to alerts by the Pennsylvania State Education Association's Committee for the Preservations of Public Education and The Fight the Right Network's Research Working Group, HB 2105 is a contradictory piece of legislation which voids existing decisions and usurps local control. The title, "Local Control Restoration Act" misrepresents its intent. HB 2105 is sponsored by Rohrer, Gamble, Pitts and others and contains the Parental Rights Amendment favored by the hard right. Control is shifted not to the local community but to individual parents.] =46ollowing is a list of Committee Members and their anticipated vote. Plea= se call your rep, even if s/he is voting no to make sure s/he is at the committ= ee meeting on June 5. We can't defeat this unless all the "no" votes show up t= o vote, and the undecided and likely nos VOTE NO!!!! This is the result of a meeting with Rep Mike Sturla of the Education Committee. PLEASE CALL!!!!! [or write. sample letter from PFAW, below] Battisto, Joseph W. (D) Undecided-we need a no! District 189, Monroe County Phone - 717-787-0861 =46ax 787-0861 District Phone 717-629-5322 District Fax 717-620-9091 Carone, Patricia (R) Likely no District 12, Butler County Phone 717-783-1707 =46ax 722-2279 District Phone 412-772-3110 District Fax 412-772-2922 Cowell, Ronald R. (D) no District 31, Allegheny County Phone 717-783-1905 =46ax 783-1579 District Phone 412-731-2333 Curry,Lawrence H. (D) likely no District 154, Montgomery County Phone 717-783-1079 =46ax 772-2284 District Phone 215-572-5210 District Fax 215-560-3322 Egolf, Allan (R) yes District 86, Perry County Phone 717-783-1593 =46ax 787-0860 District Phone 717-582-8119 District Fax ? =46lick, Robert J. (R) yes District 167, Chester County Phone 717-783-5713 =46ax 787-5713 District Phone 610-688-8002 District Fax 610-688-6266 Herman, Lynn B. (R) likely yes District 77, Centre County Phone 717-787-8594 =46ax 787-0860 District Phone 814-238-5477 District Fax 814-863-3898 Kirkland, Thaddeus (D) no District 159, Delaware County Phone 717-787-5881 =46ax 783-8724 District Phone 610-876-6420 District Fax 610-876-5196 Krebs, Edward H. (R) undecided! District 101, Lebanon County Phone 717-783-1815 =46ax 772-2279 District Phone 717-270-1950 District Fax 717-270-1854 McGill, Eugene F. (R) no District 151, Montgomery County Phone 717-783-71719 =46ax 783-3899 District Phone 610-654-1186 District Fax 215-654-1187 Mundy, Phyllis (D) no District 120, Luzerne County Phone 717-783-1614 =46ax 787-0861 District Phone 717-283-9622 District Fax ? Nyce, Robert (R) likely yes District 138, Northampton County Phone 717-783-8573 =46ax 772-2468 District Phone 610-837-8310 District Fax 610-250-1896 Platts, Todd R. (R) undecided District 196, York County Phone 717-787-1298 =46ax 783-2867 District Phone 717-767-4334 District Fax 717-767-4438 Robinson, William Russell (D) no District 19, Allegheny County Phone 717-787-9469 =46ax 787-2005 District Phone 412-471-7760 District Fax 412-471-8056 Roebuck, James R., Jr (D) no District 188, Philadelphia County Phone 717-783-1000 =46ax 787-2960 District Phone 215-724-2227 District Fax 215-724-2230 Rohrer, Samuel E. (R) yes - he is sponsor District 128, Berks County Phone 717-783-8550 =46ax 783-3899 District Phone 610-775-5130 District Fax 610-775-3736 Rudy, Ruth C. (D) no District 171, Centre County Phone 717-787-9879 =46ax 787-7170 District Phone 814-364-9724 District Fax 814-863-6529 Schuler, Jere W. (R) likely no District 43, Lancaster County Phone 717-783-6422 =46ax 772-6952 District Phone 717-464-5285 District Fax 717-295-7817 Sheehan, Colleen (R) undecided District 149, Montgomery County Phone 717-783-3038 =46ax ? District Phone 610-963-9950 District Fax ? Stairs, Jess M. (R) yes, committee chair District 59, Westmoreland County Phone 717-783-9311 =46ax 787-0859 District Phone 412-423-5141 District Fax 412-832-5383 Steelman, Sara G. (D) no District 62, Indiana County Phone 717-772-2046 =46ax 772-2284 District Phone 412-465-0220 District Fax 412-357-2875 Stish, Thomas B. (R) yes District 116, Luzerne County Phone 717-783-1918 =46ax 787-6404 District Phone 717-455-4700 District Fax 717-459-3936 Sturla, P. Michael (D) no District 96, Lancaster County Phone 717-787-3555 =46ax 787-0861 District Phone 717-295-3157 District Fax 717-295-7816 Tulli, Frank, Jr. (R) undecided, likely no District 106, Dauphin County Phone 717-787-2684 =46ax 787-3412 District Phone 717-534-1323 District Fax 717-534-1457 Alert from Laura Montgomery Rutt Lancaster People's Alliance for Tolerance and Freedom Background added by Maggie Heineman Pennsylvania Expose Project, Fight the Right Network BELOW are a sample letter and questions from People for the American Way: Originally posted to the pa-expose@critpath.org email list Brian Gocial, bgocial@pfaw.org, People for the American Way The following are sample questions you might want to ask your Legislators when talking about the Parental Rights Amendment, at the Federal level. Also below is a sample letter that can be used to voice opposition in newspapers or to your legislators. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Suggested questions include: =95 Would this bill prevent protective services from protecting children fro= m abusive parents? If so, wouldn*t this bill protect child abusers and child molesters if they are parents of the children they molest and abuse? =95 This bill claims that it is the parent*s right to administer reasonable corporal punishment. What is the standard for judging what is reasonable from what is abuse? =95 Would an entire school be restricted from teaching evolutionary theory because of one parent*s views? =95 If one set of parents out of 30 thinks a book, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple, is obscene, why should the other 29 kids be prevented from reading it? =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Dear , Our members of Congress are considering legislation called the "Parental Rights and Responsibilities" Act, which is supported by some right-wing political organizations. I would urge my fellow citizens to oppose this misleading and dangerous legislation. This bill is not a parental rights act, but is instead a parental veto act. It gives one parent the ability to dictate what everyone's children can be taught. Further, the act could enable parents to challenge, in federal court, virtually every decision of public schools, libraries and health and welfare programs. It could also be used to prevent minor's access to comprehensive health care and sex education and thwart child abuse laws. This law is unnecessary to protect a parent's right to determine the upbringing of his or her children. I would urge my fellow citizens to ask their members of Congress to oppose this legislation. Sincerely, ____________ -------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- Mime-Version: 1.0 Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 16:59:34 -0700 To: jessea@uclink4.berkeley.edu =46rom: RLKottwitz@aol.com Subject: CELEBRATE DIVERSITY! in Merrimack Dear friend of the fight against Policy 6540: At the Merrimack School Board meeting on Monday, June 3rd, the hateful anti-gay policy 6540 will be repealed and relegated to the history books. N= o longer will discrimination be official public policy in the Merrimack Public Schools! On Friday, June 7th, we will gather at the home of Chuck and Beth Mower to celebrate the diversity of our community and our state. Please consider thi= s your invitation to join us in that celebration! The festivities will begin at 7:00 pm. It is BYOB and donations of hors d'oeurves, munchies, desserts, etc. will be gratefully accepted. Please plan on joining us for the celebration we've been awaiting since last July! A number of "celebrities" from Merrimack and around the state have promised to join us, so don't miss this opportunity to hob-nob with the infamous and progressive! DIRECTIONS FROM THE NORTH: =46rom the Edward Everett Turnpike, take the Bedford exit at Macys (formerly Jordan Marsh). Get on old Route 3 south and travel 5.7 miles. Turn left at the Getty gas station. The Mower's home is the first one on the left. The address is 4 Depot Street. DIRECTIONS FROM THE SOUTH: Take the Edward Everett Turnpike to Exit 12. Turn right at the end of the exit ramp and right again at the next traffic light (7-11 across the street)= . Go 300 feet south and turn left at the Getty gas station. The Mower's home is the first one on the left. The address is 4 Depot Street. PLEASE NOTE: We are not mailing invitations. We are only sending out email notices and handing out invitations at the School Board meeting on June 3rd. If you know people who might be interested in attending the celebration, bu= t don't have email, please call them and let them know they are welcome. R.S.V.P. is not required, but if you think you may attend, please drop me a note so we can get a rough idea of how many people to expect. THANKS! Randy Kottwitz, . -------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 16:59:04 -0700 To: jessea@uclink4.berkeley.edu =46rom: RWilsonx@aol.com Subject: History Month and CWA =46riends, I received this today. Rodney Wilson ************************************* =46YI -- One of Beverly LaHaye's May fundraising mailings calls for a renewed Resolution B-9 attack on the National Education Association and intimates a floor fight over the proposed B-7. She begins by saying "We have reached a decisive moment in a critical battle with the National Education Association (NEA)." She then asks for help to put pressure on NEA "in the next few weeks" to "cancel Lesbian and Gay History Month in our public schools." Her three-point plan is as follows: 1." [L]aunch an advertising blitz in Washington, D.C.-area newspapers during the NEA convention." 2. "[F]lood the office of NEA President Keith Geiger with thousands of postcards that ask him to do all he can to cancel Lesbian and Gay History Month." (LaHaye enclosed a postcard for this purpose--and a tear-off CWA fundraising card.) [CWA=3D Concerned Women of America] 3. Put "Personal Action Fact Sheets in the hands of all CWA members." (This green action sheet is enclosed in the mailing. It contains the text of the original B-9; excerpts from the proposed new B-7, "Racism, Sexism, and Sexual Orientation Discrimination;" and five action steps for pressuring NEA to "cancel Lesbian and Gay History Month." These action steps are (1) Contact your local public school officials, (2) Contact your state teachers union, (3) Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, (4) Talk to public school teachers you know, and (5) Talk to other parents. The green sheet ends with Keith's address. NOTE: 1. In her introduction to the new B-7, LaHaye writes: "Although it is believed that NEA leaders will strike down the Lesbian and Gay History Month resolution, it will be replaced by a new resolution that reveals the NEA's extreme prohomosexual stance." Following the B-7 excerpts, she states that "CWA will continue to oppose all of the NEA's attempts to force 'tolerance' of homosexuality on public schoolchildren." 2. At the end of her cover letter, LaHaye reminds readers that "CWA is at work behind the scenes in Washington to convince our elected leaders to stop funding the NEA with your tax dollars. I'm sure you agree that it is wrong for a union to receive federal money to corrupt our children with prohomosexual propaganda." *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ OK TO RE-POST. Jessea Greenman The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK THIS OUT FOR TONS OF INFO - - http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/ Please cc us (for our files) on correspondence you send or receive re our action alerts. "As a straight, caucasian adoptive mother of two daughters of African ancestry, I'd much prefer to have RuPaul teaching my children in a classroom than any one of your hate-mongering ilk." said by one of our new subscribers to the religious political extremists in her area.