I was over at Joy's place, Babble On, this morning, and was shocked to discover that in Tennessee lawmakers introduced a bill to allow people to take guns into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
Indeed. Guns'n'booze.
Now, the governor, smart man, vetoed the bill, but lawmakers are trying to override the veto.
And, as I said to Joy, I thought South Carolina was backwards!
Then I find out that, after being confronted with a law suit from the ACLU, a Tennessee school district has unblocked LGBT websites that students were not allowed to visit.
The ACLU, and the ACLU of Tennessee, sued Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and Knox County Schools back in May, accusing the schools of unconstitutionally blocking students from accessing online information pertaining to LGBT news and issues.
Some of the sites that were blocked from viewing included PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays), GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) and HRC (Human Rights Campaign).
However, students were able to view sites that support reparative therapy or sites that support ex-gay ministries and those that make claims they can “cure” homosexuals.
So, in Tennessee, if you're gay and a student, you cannot access certain websites that might help you understand, might help you come out, might help you survive adolescence without being bullied or committing suicide, but you can look all you want at sites that attempt to "cure" you.
Open minds.
Of course, officials at the Knox County Schools called the blocking of LGBT sites a “glitch” and reported on Wednesday that it had been corrected.
Glitch. Must be straight talk for Oops, busted!
Kentucky - they are having a bring your gun to church service. Honest!
ReplyDeleteA couple blogs back on my site.
We English teachers complained to the person at the central office in charge of internet access that blocking so many websites made it extremely difficult for students when we taught research papers. He asked us to send him a list of the websites we needed unblocked. Do you realize what an undertaking that would be? It's hard to tell how valid and useful a source is until it's checked out.
ReplyDeleteI had to google James Fenimore Cooper in order to get information on Moby Dick at school. Yet these students knew how to see the videos of Americans being beheaded by the Taliban or whichever terrorists did that. They told me about that and other gory, horrendous websites they could get to. Crazy!
I told you TN wouldn't pass legislation for marriage equality. Now do you believe me? If Nashville could vote for the entire state, it might possibly happen. I live in hell. There are many of us sensible people here, but we're outvoted.
Ya know, for as long as they have been talking about this gun thing, I just KNEW it wouldn't pass. I mean, there are already so many freaking shootings in TN, why give people one more reason? We know what drunks with guns do, right?
ReplyDeleteAnd how amazing is it that a kid in school can go on their face book or myspace but not an educational website??? Freaking amazing. (My daughter doesn't go to a Nashville school though).
That's madness
ReplyDeleteBlieve it or not in Texas the legislature is trying to pass a law to allow guns in schools! I'm not kidding! I may have to move!
ReplyDeleteWe can only hope that as the older, bigotted generation dies off, the younger, less concerned with homosexuality generation will be more reasonable.
ReplyDeleteWonder what the Boy Scouts are doing about Marksmanship merit badge- think they have an agenda with it? guess i would have to be a member to find out...since gays are officially banned. ( and me, an Eagle Scout,imagine that) I was good enough for all those years serving them in all kinds of capacities, but if they had known....
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can form our own state.
ReplyDelete