Archive for June 27, 2014

This week’s homily

By Thomas M. Boles PhD., DMin, D.D.

Many years ago, Sandy Koufax, a Jewish pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced that he wouldn’t play on the holiest day of his year, Yom Kippur. Koufax’s employer pointed out that it was the first game of the 1965 World Series. Couldn’t he pitch just a little?

“No,” Koufax said. But, he pitched a shutout in games five and seven, and the Dodgers won the series 4-3.

In 1996, Eli Herring, a 340 pound offensive tackle, who sported a 3.5 grade-point average, was expected to be the top senior offensive tackle in the pro draft. However, he turned down a possible multimillion-dollar deal with the Oakland Raiders because he wouldn’t play on his holy day, Sunday.

Unfortunately, most of the Raiders games were scheduled for Sundays. Herring could either sign up with the NFL and enjoy a very prosperous life, or teach math for $20,000 a year, keep the Sabbath, and enjoy a very honorable life. He chose honor and conviction over riches.

An old county-gospel song states the conviction underlying both men’s decisions: “You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine.”

Compromise makes a good umbrella but a poor roof; it is a temporary

expedient.

A good man is guided by his honesty; the evil

man is destroyed by his dishonesty.

Proverbs 11:3

‘New Frontier Players’ take to the stage July 1

The “New Frontier Players,” members of a baseball and soccer club for developmentally challenged children based in La Mirada and Whittier, are turning their sports acumen toward the stage when they perform in a play/talent show at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at the Whittier Community Playhouse, 7630 S. Washington Ave. in Whittier.
Coached by Ray and Jolene Marrero, the New Frontier Players promise to dazzle. Come laugh, cry, cheer and most of all applaud their efforts.

Donations are $5 and help support the baseball and soccer teams.

For more information call 714-253-6312 or 562-567-9470.

 

Something different for Father’s Day

By Carolyn Rosenblatt

AgingParents.com, R.N., attorney, mediator

Hello again:

My son, who is in his 20’s, called recently and asked what ideas I had about what he could do for Dad on Father’s Day. He lives at a distance and can’t come home this time.

He’s a struggling entrepreneur starting an Internet marketing business and, like most folks starting a business, he’s cash strapped. I did’t want to suggest any material thing he has to buy with his already too-high credit card debt.

So, I said this:

“How about taking the time to think about all the ways Dad has been thoughtful, kind, supportive and encouraging in your life and write to him about them, and how you appreciate him. Review some of the countless times he went out of his way for you. Recall how he always put kids first and asked so little for himself.

“Remember all the times he showed up for the awards you got in school, for your soccer games, your play, your DJ performances. He was there for just about everything important you’ve done.

“Think about how he never complained about working hard and putting in those hours year after year as a psychologist, dealing with tough stuff like other people’s anxiety and depression.

“He always made the time to listen patiently to you, no matter what and no matter how long a day of listening he’d already had. How about thanking him for the countless times he’s done that and still does?

“Maybe you can just sit down and write to him about what a fabulous father he is, no matter what faults he may have. Tell him you love him and appreciate him from the bottom of your heart and that you would not be the man you are without all he has taught you.

“That letter would be a wonderful gift to give Dad. It would mean more to him than anything you could buy.”

My son said, “Mom, you always think of such sweet things. That’s a great idea.”

And so, on Father’s Day, I look forward to what our son will say to the man I married. I love my husband for all the reason the kids do, and more. I see what a great Dad he is and has been for 30 years. None of us are perfect parents, but we all try our best. He always tried with good intention to put a lot into fatherhood. He knows a few things some Dads don’t. One of them is that you need to show up for your kids a lot more than you need to get them a lot of material objects.

As for anyone reading this, think about how we don’t acknowledge our Dads or even one another enough. It doesn’t take too much time to write down that we appreciate someone. You can make it a brief note or a longer letter. Tuck it in a Father’s Day card or email it in time. There probably isn’t a Dad out there who wouldn’t like to hear that his kids noticed all he has done, whether quietly or not, and that he is valued for who he is.
And if your Dad is gone, as mine is, I just say all those good things to him in my heart and I imagine him hearing me and smiling.
Until next time …

Together with her husband, psychologist Dr. Mikol Davis, Carolyn Rosenblatt is a founder of AgingParents.com, a resource for families located in San Rafael. Together they provide expert advice and dispute resolution services to individuals, families and institutions. She is the author of “The Boomer’s Guide to Aging Parents,” a help for those who are taking on the caregiver role in their lives. She has a personal mission to protect elders, keep their caregivers in emotional control and to instill confidence in all of us as we face the challenges of aging.

AgingParents.com

 

The facts about transgenderism

By Robert Canales

Chief Executive Officer

Whittier Area Transgender Association

I am writing because I read the article by Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute. I am writing as the Chief Executive Officer of the Whittier Area Transgender Association.

We do not believe that Mr. Dacus has all his facts in order when it comes to transgender Americans. As part of our mission to educate the community about transgender issues, we would like to offer a response.

Scientists have found in study after study that transgenderism is caused by a combination of genetics and the biochemical interactions of mother and child inutero. Generally a child’s biological father has no impact on whether the child will turn out transgender. The trait can only be passed by the maternal line.

We have to be careful when it comes to children, however. For example the Association would never recommend sex reassignment surgery for anyone under the age of 21 because they are still developing, but we do recommend hormone replacement therapy starting no sooner than the onset of puberty. A child who is 4 years of age does not have the mental capacity to know whether he or she is truly the opposite gender. Remember, this is the age that kids tend to have invisible friends and believe themselves to be superheroes. We recommend that parents wait and see before rushing to put their kids on HRT. It is better to be cautious than to make a mistake.

It is the position of the Whittier Area Transgender Association that initiating sex reassignment surgery on children younger than adulthood and HRT on prepubescent children to be a form of child abuse at worse and child endangerment at a minimum.

Any person who seeks to undergo these procedures needs to be capable of rational decisions and needs to know the serious risks in addition to benefits. Children do not have the capacity to understand these things.

Now with regards to the restrooms policy, this issue should be handled on a case-by-case basis to protect the privacy rights of not only cisgender students but transgender students as well. No one, not event a parent, has the right to know if another student at their child’s school is transgender or not. To this end we find that the California restroom law is inadequate and that a better model for these situations is the Title VII 1964 Civil Rights Act. The US Department of Education has ruled Title VII applies to transgender students. Under this ruling transgender students, by federal law, must be permitted to use the restroom of the gender they identify as. Title VII, however, does allow a district to require proof of trangenderism unlike current state law which prohibits schools from requiring such proof.

What the Whittier Area Transgender Association recommends is that schools verify that a student is truly transgender. This can be accomplished with a simple note from a doctor or mental health professional. This note would then go into a private marked file which would be exempt from public records requests to protect the student from harrassment and discriminatory treatment. In this respect only the school nurse, principle, and the district superintendent would have the authorization to access or hold such information because of job requirements.

Once status is verified, the transgender student would then be required to use the restroom of his or her medically assigned gender which could be different from birth gender.

This is not to say that district should be prohibited from sending a transgender student to another health professional to get a second opinion.

As for the law itself, we believe that California’s law is invalid because it is superseded by federal law on the matter. Which is good for everyone because the federal law protects everyone, not just transgenders.

 

Rotary turns to 18th All-Star Baseball Classic on June 11

The Rotary Club of Whittier is hosting its 18th Annual All-Star Baseball Classic and 11th Annual All-Star Softball Classic to be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at York Field in Whittier.

York Field is located at the southeast corner of Santa Fe Springs Road and Slauson Avenue in Whittier. All-Star Coaches for Baseball are Bobby Ramirez, of Pioneer High School and Anthony Gonzalez, Jr., of La Serna High School; and for softball are Jim Maier of St. Paul High School and Mike Reed of La Serna High School.

 

The All-Star Softball game will commence at 3 p.m., and the All-Star Baseball game will follow at 6 p.m. The Home Run Derby will precede the baseball game. Admission for both games and the Home Run Derby will be $5 for adults; $3 for high school students with valid student ID;  and, free for children 12 years and younger.

A luncheon to honor the selected All-Star Baseball and Softball players will be held at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10 at the Radisson Hotel Whittier. The luncheon will feature former Major League Baseball player Al Martin as the guest speaker. Tickets for the luncheon are $15 and include a ticket to the game day events. Luncheon tickets can be purchased at the door. Reservations can be made by emailing WhittierRotary@gmail.com or via the website at: http://whittierrotaryallstarclassic.com/rsvp/

Many community-minded organizations support this event including: Home Run Sponsor, Toyota of Whittier; Triple Play Sponsor, Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary, and All-Star Sponsors: Brookfield Residential, Consolidated Disposal Service, PIH, Popular Community Bank, and San Gabriel Valley Medical Center. The Snack Shack Sponsors are Orchard’s Fresh Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market, and the Banquet Sponsor is Radisson Hotel Whittier. Proceeds from the event will benefit local charities and fund projects in the community.

The thirteen area high schools represented in the Classics include:  California, El Rancho, La Mirada, La Habra, La Serna, Montebello, Pioneer, Saint Paul, Santa Fe, Sonora, Schurr, Whittier and Whittier Christian.

 

The Rotary Club of Whittier supports numerous charitable organizations in the Whittier area including the Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, American Red Cross, The Whole Child and First Day Coalition.  In addition, the Rotary Club recognizes teachers from the Whittier Union High School District, donates books to the Whittier City School District and provides scholarships to students at Whittier College and Rio Hondo. Contact www.WhittierRotary.org for more information or contact Rett Rasmussen, 562-822-0755, or rett@rasmussen.biz or Jeff Nickell, 562-692-2255, or jnickell@davenportpartners.com

 

This week’s homily

By Thomas M.Boles PhD., DMin., D.D.

Stephen is described in the Book of Acts in simple but profound terms:

“Full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” He boldly proclaimed the Gospel to all who would listen.

Skeptics came to argue against him, but none could defeat him.

Finally, in boiling anger the Jews dragged him before the Sanhedrin,

the religious court of the Jewish people.

Throughout the accusations brought against him, Stephen

remained calm, his face shining like that of an angel.

Stephen answered all their charges and confidently showed

how the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures, pointed to

Jesus and declared Him to be the Messiah. It was

more than the religious Jews could stand.

They covered their ears, screamed at him, and eventually stoned him to

death.

Stephen was only following the example of his master.

Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two men

traveling on the road to Damascus. When they expressed confusion

about what had happened to Jesus on the cross, “beginning

at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them

in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

The Lord never expects you to follow Him blindly.

He gives you the light of His Word as evidence for faith.

Faith doesn’t make anything happen,

faith rests on something that has happened!

My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

Psalm 62:1

CBS Sunday Morning to air important story

By Brad Dacus

Dear Friends of Children’s Privacy,

With your help, we at Pacific Justice Institute have been able to defend vulnerable children, and their need for privacy at school. We are currently in the middle of a fight against the Co-ed Bathroom/Locker Room Bill in California. We also recently defended young teenage girls in Colorado who had a biological male student using their school’s girls’ bathroom. (If you haven’t watched the video about it, I’d encourage you to do so by clicking here.)

I’m excited to announce that due to our involvement in this issue of children’s privacy, I was asked to sit down with the national CBS Sunday Morning show for an interview on Sunday, June 8. My interview will air on their show. You can check your local listings to see what time the show will air in your city. I hope you are able to watch it!

During the interview, I made it clear a number of times that there needs to be love and compassion for those who deal with gender identity issues. But I also pointed out the importance of having privacy for all students. In our ever-changing world, it’s important that we each stand for truth and moral principles, but that we do it with love. Our children, and everyone’s children, deserve nothing less.

Running the race,

Brad Dacus is president of Pacific Justice Institute

Whittier responds to Measure W victory

By Nancy Mendez

Whittier Assistant City Manager

The Whittier City Council is pleased that Whittier’s voters were able to choose for themselves their preferred method of electing their council members.

Measure W on the June 3, 2014 ballot amended the city charter to establish a directly elected mayor position and district based council members. The mayoral election will occur every two years, while the council term will be four years. Now that the measure has passed, the council will begin to take steps to form the required districts in conformity with California law.

The council unanimously voted last August to allow residents to vote June 3, 2014, on a proposed city charter amendment that would change how council members are elected to office. The 5-0 vote came after more than 30 residents provided input during the public comment portion of that meeting, many supporting a change to district-based elections.

Those districts should be in place prior to the next council election, in April 2016.

The council will also take steps to have the pending case against Whittier dismissed so that the council and the citizens can focus on moving forward with the new election system.

Get out and vote

By Brad Dacus

President, Pacific Justice Institute

Let me ask you a very important question … have you voted today? It’s primary day in California and many other jurisdictions, and it’s crucial that every one of us participate.

When we stop and think about it, so many of the battles PJI is fighting for constitutional freedoms begin at the ballot box. Without God-fearing leaders and lawmakers, our efforts in the courtroom are often frustrated.

If you’re like me, it is easy to become discouraged by the direction of our country and the decisions of our politicians. But nothing will change if we’re not engaged and doing our God-given duty to cast a vote for freedom. Primary day is especially important – many are predicting a historically low turnout, which means every vote is crucial. And keep in mind that, even when your candidate doesn’t win, our votes together can cause politicians who don’t share our values to sit up and take notice, especially in closely contested races.

Can I ask you one more question? Have you ever considered volunteering with PJI? We are indebted to our faithful volunteers who are such a big part of our ministry. We have opportunities and needs right now in multiple areas, from legal research to media relations to administrative assistance, and at locations across California.

By voting and volunteering, you can take a positive step today toward turning our country around.

Running the Race,

Brad Dacus