Compilation of really good Prop 8 docs

Last night, I received a PDF with a compilation of documents about the dangers of legalizing same-gender marriage, and while I've seen some of the stuff in that document, some of it was a real eye-opener. I was especially astounded at the documentation of all the junk that has happened in Massachusetts after they legalized same-sex marriage - I didn't know the half of what's happened there as a result of that decision, and the lack of action by politicians about it.

Download the PDF, read it, and then share it with those that you know. For all of you with blogs, if you want to link to it as well, feel free to do so.

The more I see, the more grateful I am for a prophet who had the vision to get us on board with this before we even knew how serious the matter is.

Prop 8 debate on Fox 11 news

A debate about Prop 8 was aired by Fox 11 news this morning - the responses to the questions were very good. In particular, I liked how the judge who was speaking for Prop 8 responded to the claim that children will not be taught homosexual ideals in school. He said that schools are not required by CA law to teach a comprehensive sex education course, but that if they choose to do so, they are required to teach about marriage. Since 96% of CA schools choose to teach sex education, it follows that 96% of schools are thus required to teach about marriage including, if Prop 8 doesn't pass, homosexual marriage.

In response to the assertion that even if schools choose to teach about gay marriage, schools will be required to notify parents beforehand and give them the option of removing their children from that education, the judge only had time to say that the assertion isn't true before he was interrupted. He's right, though: according to CA education code 51932(b), "instruction or materials that discuss gender, sexual orientation, or family life and do not discuss human reproductive organs and their functions" is not subject to the parental notice and opt-out laws. In other words, if schools are going to teach about marriage and family life, including homosexual marriage, they're not required to notify parents or give them an opt-out option if they're not also going to be teaching about the human reproductive system.

I've long believed that even though those who oppose Prop 8 say that it has nothing to do with children, some of them* are, in fact, targeting our children, just as they have in Massachusetts. This just lends a great amount of validity to that belief.

Edit: see the post directly above this one for more background, but pages 2-5 of this document give the legal background substantiating these claims.

*(This originally said "they". That's probably not true, and is probably more inflammatory than anything else. While I think that some of the biggest & most vocal opponents of Prop 8 have our children in their sights, I also agree that many, many other people just want to look out for their homosexual partners and/or friends. I apologize if the original text was offensive to anyone - that was not my intent.)

more large companies oppose Prop 8...

I recently read the following article documenting Apple's $100,000 contribution to the No on Prop 8 campaign, and simultaneously mentioning that Google has also come out in opposition to Prop 8. Lots of other big companies have made contributions to the opposing campaign...these are just the latest to do so.

They don't look at Prop 8 as a political issue. Neither do I (it's a moral issue) - but it makes me sorry that I'm enabling these companies to make contributions to a campaign I'm morally opposed to by doing business with them. While it's true that their contributions are probably a small percentage of their income stream, it's also true that my vote on Prop 8 will be a tiny percentage of the total number of votes cast on November 4th. The point is that I'm making my voice heard, just as these companies also are (regardless of whether their employees agree or not).

I'm tempted to stop doing business with them. I was thinking about asking for an iPhone for Christmas...don't think that's going to happen. Maybe I should also cancel my gmail account and stop using Google's search engine. It would be my way of telling these companies that I will not continue helping them come out in opposition to such important moral issues (I'm sure there will be others in the lifetime of these companies).

I don't know - am I being extreme in this thought? What do you think I should do?

CA elementary school teaching homosexuality

I got an email pointing me to the following article, which is reporting on the fact that a CA elementary school has been actively promoting homosexual ideals to its students from Kindergarten and up.

To opponents of Proposition 8 who strongly believe and argue that Prop 8 has nothing to do with schools and that children won't be taught this in school without the right of parents to opt out, consider that it's already happening - the school specifically chose not to inform parents that this was going to happen. Makes it kind of difficult to opt their children out of teaching if they don't know it's occurring.

To those who support Prop 8 or still don't know how to vote, I hope that you'll join me in protecting our kids from being taught those things that should be taught in the home. Please spread the word about this!

Farmers' Market Update

After the Ericksons' rough experience manning the Farmers' Market "Yes on Prop 8" booth last week, Phillip and I expected to be tarred and feathered as soon as we set up the table today. Apparently everyone with an axe to grind got it out of their system last week, though, because our experience was almost entirely positive. The Clarks, who spelled us off around 6:00pm, reported a similar experience when we talked to them later.

One woman did call us liars and another yelled some things at us from a few yards away, but we didn't pay attention so she ran out of steam pretty quickly. The only other "No on 8" person who spoke to us was very courteous in his disagreement. All our other interactions were pretty positive.

Lots of people asked for bumper stickers, fact sheets, and even a few yard signs and posters. A few people had sincere questions we were able to answer. I found it helpful to explain that homosexual domestic partnerships have exactly the same rights as heterosexual marriages, and then to list some of the court cases that show the challenges we can expect over free speech, what gets taught in schools, etc., if Prop 8 doesn't pass.

Incidentally, the balloons we handed out to kids were a really big hit. We actually ran out of helium toward the end, and the folks at the Methodist Church table kindly allowed us to fill up our last balloons from their tank. The main Methodist balloon guy explained that he had already sent in his ballot and he voted yes on Prop 8, so we're on the same team. Amen, brother.

Into the Fire

Over the past several months, Phillip and I have done a variety of things to support the Yes on Prop 8 effort. Some of the things we've done have been a little outside our comfort zone, like knocking doors or calling local voters to talk with them about the proposition. All of that can be a little intimidating, but we feel that preserving traditional marriage and defending our rights of free speech, of religious freedom, and not having a homosexual agenda imposed on our kids at school through lessons and field trips are very good reasons to get involved.

Well, tomorrow afternoon "involved" will take on a whole new meaning for us. We've volunteered to man the "Yes on Prop 8" booth at our local farmer's market, in a town where protesters regularly hold anti-war, "Impeach Bush" rallies. Yeah, it's gonna be wild. If you want to know how wild, try reading the Ericksons' post about their experience last week. They said that some people were supportive or at least respectful, but in most cases they encountered incredible hostility from anti-Prop 8 folks whose motto is "Love Thy Neighbor."

Incidentally, the Ericksons mentioned that it really helped when friends and neighbors stopped by to shed a ray of sunshine through the storm clouds. So if you live near us and have a spare minute between 4:30-6:00pm tomorrow, please come by the booth and give us a smile. Pretty please.

P.S. The Clarks will take over from 6:00pm until the market closes, and they'd probably appreciate a visit, too. :)

For our Tuesday night activity...

...we bought pumpkins for Halloween. Joy picked her very own pumpkin, though she had a hard time deciding between two very similar ones.

Here are our pumpkins, just waiting for a few days until we carve them.

Once we got home from picking out pumpkins (and kicking them like a soccer ball to the front door), Joy decided that she wanted to build something with her blocks...


...so, with Mama's and D's help, she built a tower at least twice as tall as she is. Isn't that an engineering marvel?

Lost and Found

This morning Joy and I visited a pumpkin patch with some friends, and being the snap-happy mom that I am, I brought our camera along to catch a few memories (cuz that's what memory cards are for, right?). We then took the kids for a walk, and on the way home Joy and I stopped at a store to get something we needed. As I was paying for our purchase, I suddenly realized my camera wasn't in its usual spot - or any other spot that I could see.

I searched the store, then retraced all of our steps that morning. Twice. No luck. I couldn't even imagine how the camera had been separated from the stroller, but even if someone hadn't intentionally removed it, they had obviously picked it up from wherever I dropped it. Either way, it was long gone.

When we reached home, I called the police station to report the loss just in case some good citizen decided to bring it in, but I honestly wasn't very hopeful. I had said plenty of prayers, and I believe that God answers them, but sometimes the answer is, "Sorry, sweetie."

An hour or so later we got a call from one of the police officers. He said someone had brought a camera by the station, and he asked where I had been that morning. When I mentioned the pumpkin patch, he replied, "And the little girl pushing the stroller - what was she wearing?"

"Purple pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a little hat . . ."

"Yeah - this is your camera," he said. "I'm looking at that picture right now. You can come get it anytime." Joy and I hopped right in the car to retrieve our camera, and when we arrived the officer told us that a woman had found it down the street from the pumpkin patch and brought it by the station. I still don't know how we could have dropped it, but I'm very grateful that there are still good, honest people in this old world. Thanks, ma'am, whoever you are.

P.S. Joy was really impressed by the pumpkin patch's pop-up vampire. "Mom, did you SEE that?"

Joy and the Tricky Dismount

At the park recently, I noticed Joy spending a lot of time on a springy firetruck toy. Sometimes other kids would climb on the back of it to play with her, but most of the time she just sat there on her own, calmly watching the world go by. I hadn't realized that she liked the toy enough to spend half an hour on it.

After a while, I noticed she was staring in my direction a lot and stretching her hands toward me. I walked over to see what she wanted. As soon as I was within reach, she grabbed hold of me and used me for support as she climbed down from the firetruck. I guess she wasn't necessarily a huge fan of it - she just couldn't figure out how to get off.

Now that she knows how, maybe she can explain the process to Daddy.

Our young musician

We enjoyed watching General Conference from our home via internet this past weekend. Although I was not raised in a home where we stayed at home to watch conference (we always went to the Stake Center), with a young, energetic girl with a short attention span (as all kids her age have), we thought it would be better for everyone in the family if we stayed here to watch. That way, we'd be able to focus on the conference, and Joy would be free to roam about the apartment playing with her toys and books.

Which she was perfectly happy to do. She'd come and sit quietly for a minute or so when President Monson was speaking (we'd call her to point out the prophet), but invariably she'd soon return to whatever play-time activity she had most recently been involved with.

There is one exception to this pattern. Whenever the choir started singing, she would drop everything she was doing and come running to watch and listen. Almost without exception, she'd watch attentively until the choir was finished singing, and then return to her previously-scheduled activities. It was quiet sweet to watch, especially since I'm also frequently touched by the choir's singing.

Whether she was sitting on Mama's or D's lap...

...or standing in front of the computer screen, Joy was captivated by the choir's singing.

However, Joy doesn't just appreciate listening to uplifting music. She also loves to make it. Several times in the past week or so, I've caught her singing, in excellent pitch, portions of "Twinkle Twinkle." I don't know if that's common in 21-month-old kids, but it caught me by surprise the first time I heard it. There's a friendly debate going on in my family - some think that Joy will play the violin when she gets older, while others, seeing her long fingers, predict that she'll play the cello. Who knows, maybe she'll decide that she wants to sing.

A Lesson Learned at Class

Joy and I have started attending a free "class" offered by a local community college. Their catalog calls it a parenting class, but it's a actually a glorified playgroup with a brief discussion for the grown-ups toward the end.

The kids can paint and do crafts . . .

. . . play with the toys and the other kids . . .

. . . and enjoy a tasty snack after song time.

The adult discussion is offered two weeks in a row, so the parents who hear it the first week can watch everybody else's kids the second week (or vice versa).

The class has been good for both Joy and me. I enjoy the adult interaction, and it's nice to have fun, social activities for my daughter that I don't have to think up or pay for. As for Joy, she is starting to find the songs more engaging, and I think it is good for her to interact with other kids more.

Perhaps the most important thing we've both learned so far is that Joy can be more self-reliant than either of us suspected. Ever since she began walking, I've been next to her like a shadow to help her out and make sure she didn't fall off of anything. For her part, Joy had become very clingy, always wanting me with her wherever she went.

During discussion time, though, I started telling Joy that I needed to sit there a while and that she was free to stay with me or go play. Of course she eventually left to play (with me keeping an eye on her from a distance), and we both discovered that she would be just fine. What's more, some things I had always helped her with and assumed she couldn't do on her own (like going down a slide unassisted) she has quickly mastered now that I'm not doing everything for her.

Of course, I still make sure to spend time playing with her and we have lots of fun together, but I think it's good for both of us that she is starting to play and try new things on her own, too.

Joy's New Sibling Will Be . . .

Phillip and Joy joined me for the big ultrasound today, and we learned that Joy will be getting a little brother in February. It actually wasn't much of a surprise--Phillip and I both had a feeling beforehand that this baby was going to be a boy. And no, we haven't picked out a name yet, though "Hezekiah" would provide nice alliteration with his surname. :)

Here's a picture of our little man smiling at the camera. We're really looking forward to getting to know him better in a few months.