Thank Goodness It's Over

There will be an election in November and Jeff Grisamore will no longer be our Representative.  Thank goodness his rein is over. Perhaps the next representative will care more about their constituents than their political career.  I pray they will be honest, faithful, and worthy of the job.  We've suffered too long.

Republic Rep. Speaks Out About Unlimited Campaign Money - OzarksFirst.com

Republic Rep. Speaks Out About Unlimited Campaign Money - OzarksFirst.com



SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A state representative from Republic told KOLR10 Monday he is calling for changes to the state’s campaign finance laws after a St. Louis-based interest group poured thousands of dollars into his opponents campaign. 

Rep. Jeff Messenger, R-Republic, survived a primary challenge from Loren Hunt, who received $125,000 from Missouri The Club for Growth Political Action Committee. The group has received $2.4 million from mega-donor Rex Sinquefield from 2012-2014. Sinquefield has given $32 million to political candidates and causes in the Show-Me-State since 2006. 

Missouri does not have campaign finance limits in place, so donors like Sinquefield can donate as much as they want. 

Messenger said all the attack ads remove the focus of the campaign from real issues. 

"The unfortunate part about this election, at least in my district, was that our focus was on that [money],” Messenger said. “It wasn't on the candidates and wasn't on the candidates ideas and what they wanted to do for their district. It became a focus on do we want big money and special interest groups controlling our Legislature?” 

Messenger supported the income tax cut bill the Republican controlled General Assembly passed in the last session, but he did not vote to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of House Bill 253, a controversial income tax cut bill that failed in Sept. 2013. 

"He [Sinquefield] wanted to control the Legislature,” Messenger said. “He had spent a lot of money trying to push 253. He was trying to influence legislators votes, I think. And because he didn't get that, he was trying to put those people [primary challengers] into those positions so he could get what he wanted." 

In addition to Messenger, the Club for Growth PAC supported three other Republican primary challengers, including a candidate challenging Rep. Lyle Rowland, R-Cedarcreek, of Taney County. 

"We strongly encourage primary voters to support these and other Missouri Club for Growth PAC endorsed candidates so that we can truly move this
state toward smaller, more efficient government, and a free and flourishing private sector," the group wrote before the election. 

All four targeted candidates won their primaries despite facing attack advertisements. 

Messenger said his victory proves Missourians want real candidates, not campaign cash, to hold influence in Jefferson City. 

Gov. Jay Nixon and several members of the Legislature have repeatedly pushed for changes to the state’s campaign finance laws in recent years, but those efforts have failed. 

Michigan State House Candidate is Hard-Line Anti-Gay Activist | Hatewatch

Michigan State House Candidate is Hard-Line Anti-Gay Activist | Hatewatch

Gary Glenn, who announced earlier this week that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the 98^th district of the Michigan House of Representatives, says nothing whatsoever about LGBT people on his campaign website. But the reality is that he is the state leader of one of the nation’s most vicious anti-gay hate groups.

Glenn’s platform, as described on his campaign site, is conservative but not radical. He wants to defend Michigan’s right-to-work law, prevent the implementation of “Obamacare,” and reform the educational system. Glenn neglects to mention his decade-plus history of hardline anti-gay work, and he makes no reference at all to his position as president of the American Family Association of Michigan.

The American Family Association (AFA), headquartered in Tupelo, Miss., is not some ordinary conservative Christian group that is critical of homosexuality or same-sex marriage. After it was started in 1977, it was widely criticized after its founder suggested that obscene media content is largely due to Jewish control of the press and Hollywood. In recent years, it has become even more openly vicious. The AFA’s spokesmen have argued that “homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler … the Nazi war machine and six million dead Jews”; that gay men molest children at vastly higher rates that others; that President Obama “nurtures a hatred for the white man”; that welfare incentivizes black people who “rut like rabbits”; and that Muslims in America “have no First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.”

Each of these claims is entirely false, which is why the Southern Poverty Law Center has listed AFA as an anti-gay hate group since 2010.

For his part, Glenn seems perfectly at home as a state AFA leader. In 2001, he compared homosexuality to smoking, saying, “As with smoking, homosexual behavior’s ‘second hand’ effects threat public health. … Thus, individuals who choose to engage in homosexual behavior threaten not only their own lives, but the lives of the general population.” He made a similar claim in a 2013 film released by Janet Folger-Porter, an anti-gay activist with Faith 2 Action, where he said gay sex will “make them [gay people] die earlier.” And he has supported the criminalization of homosexuality, saying in 2010 that states should be able to ban behavior “that’s a violation of community standards and a proven threat to public health and safety.”

In a 2011 interview with Linda Harvey of Mission:America (SPLC also lists Mission:America as an anti-gay hate group), Glenn seemed to suggest that employers shouldn't hire LGBT people: “What ridiculous folly to suggest that only those individuals who engage in homosexual behavior given all of its severe medical consequences constitute the best and the brightest.” He later backpedaled, claiming he wasn't saying gay people shouldn't be hired, just that they aren't the “best and brightest” employees because they engage in homosexual behavior.

Glenn also was an instrumental leader in the fight for Michigan’s Marriage Protection Amendment, which was approved by voters in 2004. The initiative defined marriage as “the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.” In 2010, Glenn was among the plaintiffs in the Thomas More Law Center’s lawsuit against the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, suggesting against all the evidence that including protections for LGBT people would “criminalize the Bible.” And he fought against school anti-bullying programs last year, saying that they were really only meant to further the “homosexual agenda.”

The 98^th district statehouse seat in Michigan is currently held by Rep. Jim Stamas (R-Midland), who cannot run again due to term limits. A victory in the Republican primary would give Glenn a strong chance at going on to win the general election in 2014, given the district’s heavy Republican tilt. But Glenn may now be downplaying his anti-gay activism because of his experience last year, when he unsuccessfully campaigned for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. He lost in the primary to Pete Hoekstra, who was in turn defeated by Democrat Debbie Stabenow.

Even as his new political campaign gets rolling, Glenn has been fighting an anti-discrimination ordinance in Greenville, Mich., that protects LGBT people from employment and housing discrimination. But this and any reference to the rest of Glenn’s anti-gay advocacy is entirely absent from his campaign website. There is, however, a clue. Featured prominently on the site is an endorsement from Dave Agema, a Republican National Committeeman who made headlines this April after calling homosexuality a “filthy lifestyle” akin to alcoholism.

Lee's Summit R-7 School District: Erosion Of Our Rights

Lee's Summit R-7 School District: Erosion Of Our Rights



The District wants the Missouri Human Rights Act to be realigned with Federal Standards in their self-serving way as Legislative Priority 8 states but when it comes to everything else basically, they want the Feds to butt out.

I think we need to work together to get Legislative Priority Item 8 removed from the Legislative Platforms of the 30 school district members of the CSDGKC. 



I would like to see that patrons understand that LSR7 Legislative Platform PRIORITY POSITION #8 HAS NO EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE.  I do not want my tax dollars used to erode civil and human rights of the citizens of Missouri.  I believe the CSDGKC and LSR7 are getting too involved in politics considering the purpose of both is supposed to be EDUCATION.   

The Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City (CSDGKC Inc.) operates as a Missouri EDUCATIONAL Service Agency (ESA).  A CSDGKC sister  organization, the CSDGKC Foundation holds 501(c)(3) status.  In order to provide consistency and continuity, the board of directors for the CSDGKC Foundation is the same as the CSDGKC board.

CSDGKC Inc. is a  diverse, accomplished educational cooperative association.  CSDGKC represents 29 school districts and provides cutting-edge, state-of-the-art collaborative professional development services to another 19 school districts or schools.  CSDGKC serves rural, suburban, and urban communities from 13 Missouri Counties.  We represent over 188,000 students and 30,000 employees.  CSDGKC Inc. is governed by public  school districts in Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Platte, and  Ray Counties.

Adrian R-III School
Archie R-V School District
Belton School District #124
Blue Springs School District
Center School District 
Excelsior Springs School District 
Fort Osage R-1 School District
Grain Valley School District
Grandview C-4 Schools
Harrisonville Schools
Hickman Mills C-1 School District 
Independence School District
Kansas City Public Schools
Kearney R-1 School District 
Lathrop R-II Schools
Lee’s Summit R-7 School District 
Liberty Public Schools
Lone Jack C6 Public Schools
North Kansas City Schools
Oak Grove R-VI School District
Park Hill School District
Platte County School District
Pleasant Hill R-III School District
Raymore-Peculiar School District 
Raytown School District 
Richmond R-XVI School District
St. Joseph School District 
Smithville R-II School District 
West Platte School District

Missouri Human Rights Act to federal standards.  It isn't to benefit education and students, it is to shield administrators from financial accountability for their acts of discrimination.  It is also to please the school district's business donors and please the local Chamber of Commerce.  This will make it hard to prove discrimination even when that is what has happened.  The erosion of the Missouri Human Rights Act is a big step back in civil rights progress made in this country.  This is why it is critical to spread the word in our communities that we as Patrons/Stakeholders want this removed from the Legislative Platform of our school district.  This impacts school populations and all people who experience discrimination in their jobs, housing and public accommodations in the state of Missouri.  This change in the MHRA will impact all who experience discrimination in Missouri.

The Missouri Commission on Human Rights will take your charge and investigate the alleged discrimination, harassment ... If they find discrimination, then they will either help the parties settle or if the MCHR feels they should have a hearing about the case, they do that.  The parents of the child or the school employee who experienced discrimination, does not have to file a lawsuit, they don't have to hire an attorney.  The MCHR helps with all of this, holding the person and entity involved responsible for the discrimination if they find that in the case.  The school district's officials will be shielded from financial liability if the MHRA is eroded.  Governor Nixon has vetoed Bills two times.  Schools are using their Legislative websites to promote their agenda, which includes #8. 

California teachers to attest to reporting abuse - AP State News - The Sacramento Bee

California teachers to attest to reporting abuse - AP State News - The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California teachers applying for or renewing their credentials will be required to acknowledge that they understand their responsibility to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement or county welfare officials, and not just school administrators, under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday.

The legislation, AB2560, by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, was drafted in response to troubling cases involving child abuse in California schools.

According to Bonilla's office, teachers reported several cases of suspected abuse to a principal in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District last year. But the principal never contacted law enforcement authorities, and the abuse wasn't discovered until later.

"Student safety is an important priority in our schools," Bonilla said in a statement. "It is imperative that all school employees clearly understand that once abuse is suspected, the appropriate intervention occurs immediately."

AB2560 requires all teachers applying for or renewing their credentials to read and sign a statement saying they will report suspected child abuse to Child Protective Services or police, and not just to a principal or school administrator.

The bill also requires that a written report of the suspected child abuse be submitted within 36 hours of learning about the incident. It was supported by teachers unions, school administrators and law enforcement groups.

Bonilla said she hopes the bill will prevent delays that allowed for abuse to continue.

The bill will take effect in 2015.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/09/6545341/california-teachers-to-attest.html#storylink=cpy

No spanking in schools across Missouri under lawmaker's proposal : News

No spanking in schools across Missouri under lawmaker's proposal : News

JEFFERSON CITY • Through 13 years of teaching, Jennifer Kavanaugh never dreamed of hitting a child — not even once.

Kavanaugh, now a fifth-grade teacher at St. Margaret of Scotland School in St. Louis, previously taught in a school where children were physically punished for bad behavior, but she never participated.

She knows there are teachers across the state who do, however, and she wants it stopped.

“All studies point to the fact that corporal punishment does not make for a more peaceful, happier child,” she said at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Kavanaugh and about 30 of her fifth-grade students attended a hearing Wednesday on a bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Keaveny, D-St. Louis, that would ban corporal punishment, or spanking, in both public and private schools in the state. The Senate Committee on Progress and Development unanimously passed the bill Wednesday afternoon.

“We need to stop assaulting our kids,” Keaveny said.

Missouri is one of 19 states that still allows corporal punishment in schools. The most recent states to ban it were New Mexico, in 2011, and Ohio, in 2009. Illinois also has a ban on this form of discipline, according to the Center for Effective Discipline, a National Child Protection Training Center program.

The country’s patchwork laws can largely be attributed to a 1977 Supreme Court ruling that left the issue up to the states. In Ingraham v. Wright, Florida students argued that the state’s corporal punishment policy violated both their Eighth and 14th Amendment rights. The court upheld Florida’s policy.

In Missouri, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires each school district’s written discipline policy to include a policy on corporal punishment. Should it be used, the local school board must determine how it will be used and whether a parent will be notified or can opt for a different form of discipline.

The department does not keep track of which districts in the state use corporal punishment. However, in 2009 the Missouri School Boards’ Association estimated that at least 70 of the more than 500 districts in the state had policies allowing the use of corporal punishment.

A Post-Dispatch inquiry found that many districts in the St. Louis area — including St. Louis, Clayton, Lindbergh and Riverview Gardens — do not allow this type of discipline.

Ferguson-Florissant’s disciplinary policy also does not include spanking. District officials believe there are better ways — ranging from parent-teacher conferences to suspension or expulsion — to discipline a child, district spokeswoman Jana Shortt said.

But some districts do allow the practice. About 4,200 students across the state were physically punished in the 2009-2010 school year, the most recent numbers available, according to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

The Fox School District in Jefferson County used to allow spanking in its schools, but it changed its policy in the early 2000s, said Lorenzo Rizzi, the district’s assistant superintendent of secondary education.

“I think the Board of Education no longer sees it as a proper way to punish kids,” Rizzi said. “The use of physical response doesn’t change behavior — oftentimes it escalates.”

The trend away from corporal punishment mirrors a national trend. For the 2009-2010 school year, about 184,500 students were physically punished, compared with about 223,000 in the 2005-2006 school year, according to the department.

A decrease, however, is not enough for Kavanaugh. She wants to see teachers use positive behavior supports.

“We need to require more of teachers,” she said.

No one spoke against the bill at Wednesday’s hearing. However, Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, voiced concern about including private schools in the bill.

“I do not support corporal punishment, but my parents sent me to a faith-based school ... I’m opposed to government interfering in the curriculum.”

Senate Minority Leader and committee Chairwoman Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, said she wanted to move the bill forward but believed there could be a hang-up on the private school portion.

“I suspect we’ll hear from people who don’t want state intervention in private schools,” Justus said.“At some point, we may need some compromise when some folks come and talk to us. Right now, I haven’t heard any opposition.”

Alex Stuckey covers Missouri politics and state government for the Post-Dispatch. Follow her on Twitter at @alexdstuckey.

Can Schools in Your State Pin Kids Down? Probably.

Can Schools in Your State Pin Kids Down? Probably.



Public schoolchildren across the country were physically restrained or isolated in rooms they couldn’t leave at least 267,000 times in the 2011-2012 school year, despite a near-consensus that such practices are dangerous and have no therapeutic benefit. Many states have little regulation or oversight of such practices. This map shows where your state stands. Data compiled as of January 2014. Related: Violent and Legal: The Shocking Ways School Kids are Being Pinned Down, Isolated Against Their Will