WHAT ARE THEY FIGHTING FOR ANYWAY....IF THIS IS TRUE:

A little info I found in the San Diego news......thought it was quite insightful. It was in response to a news post on prop 8....but was submitted anonymously---Darn, I'd like to thank him/her for their thoughts and insight......I'd really like to know if what is said is 100% true.......it makes no sense to me, if the follow info below is correct, that they are upset about prop 8 being passed.

"Here's a little tidbit for all of you who are against proposition 8. In the state of California, homosexuals already HAVE the same rights as heterosexual couples except that it is called a domestic partnership. They can have ceremonies, exchange vows, get gifts and have all the rights and responsibilities that come with a man/woman marriage. What they DON'T get is the federal tax exemption for a married couple (although in the past that has been considered a penalty because it was lower than if you filed separately). Here's the catch; Even IF same sex partners were allowed to call their unions "marriage," they would STILL not get that joint filing status with the federal government! Thanks to the Marriage Protection Act of 1996, the federal government only recognizes heterosexual marriages. So, why, you may ask, do they insist on having it called "marriage" instead of a domestic partnership or a civil union? Well, in Massachusetts and Canada, same sex couples are going churches and insisting that they be married there or allowed to adopt children through them. If they refuse, the ministers or churches lose the right to perform ceremonies or adoption agencies are shut down. They are tearing down people's rights to religion which is a protected right under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution! Marriage is NOT a right but a privilege and therefore should not fall under the "equal rights" that homosexuals keep screaming about. The only thing they want to do is mess with our religious beliefs! PERIOD!"

Bishop Wester expresses solidarity with LDS Church over Prop. 8

I am so saddened at the lack of respect being shown towards the democratic process lately! I didn't vote for Obama, but that is what the results are, and therefore it is now my responsibility to accept the democratic process and live with the results. The mentality of "if we can't get our ideas accepted and passed legally, we will use illegal actions to try and force it upon the majority!" This to me is disheartening and flat out scary. These kind of hate crimes and bigotry, being seen in California and on the Internet, should not be acceptable anywhere in this world, let alone here in the US!
May acceptance and respect return quickly!


I found this on KSL....and thought....good for Bishop Wester! Way to stand up and acknowledge the truth, that there are MANY people of MANY different religions (and nonbelievers) that voted to support Prop 8.


November 8th, 2008 @ 7:45pm

The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is expressing solidarity with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in response to recent events relating to the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

The Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, released a statement today saying:

"In light of recent events, I wish to express the support and solidarity of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City with our brothers and sisters in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"Recently, both of our churches took a strong stand in California to support Proposition 8 which sought to maintain the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. Like our friends in the Mormon faith, the Catholic Church has long championed and promoted the sacredness of traditional marriage and the importance of the family in our society.

"While acknowledging that this position is not universally held in our society today, our churches are committed to proclaiming the truth and we cherish our ability to participate in the democratic process.

"It is worth noting that our two churches joined with a wide alliance of people from different faiths and ethnicities including Orthodox, Jews, Evangelicals, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and Anglos. Our defense of traditional marriage should in no way be interpreted as an attack on any person. To the contrary, we honor the dignity and sacredness of each individual.

"I acknowledge that this is a very controversial topic in society today and that many people have strong feelings regarding the definition of marriage. It is my hope that in the ongoing conversation, both sides would engage the democratic process in mutual respect and acknowledge the right of the other to speak in the public square. One of the hallmarks of our country is that people of different opinions can debate neuralgic issues and at the same time demonstrate respect, civility and courtesy for the other. I pray that this will be the case going forward."

Today's response comes on the heels of a statement last night from Bishop William Weigand, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and former Bishop of Salt Lake City. It reads in part: "Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8."

Last night a crowd of 2,000 to 5,000 people marched in downtown Salt Lake to protest the LDS Church's support of California's Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage. That rally and march followed a similar protest a day earlier at the LDS Temple in Los Angeles.

LDS Church leaders responded to the backlash, saying in a statement that it's wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.

SALT LAKE CITY 7 November 2008

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints issued the following statement today:

It is disturbing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election.

Members of the Church in California and millions of others from every faith, ethnicity and political affiliation who voted for Proposition 8 exercised the most sacrosanct and individual rights in the United States — that of free expression and voting.

While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process.

Once again, we call on those involved in the debate over same-sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information.

Favorite Halloween Costumes

Every year at school, we have a Halloween parade. Unlike the Halloween parades I participated in when I was a little girl, our Halloween parade consists of every child marching through every classroom, down every hall and through a gym bursting with parents (the gym part is my favorite....it is set up in such a way that I have to walk my class through a literal "run way" as parents stare at you--UGH!).
Anyway, as my class and I watched the other classes march through our classroom, I found myself laughing out loud. Some kids were so cute, some extremely scary and some out right creative in their choice of costume.

My top three choices were....

#3 -Blind ref. At first I saw this little kid walking through and thought, "Oh, a ref...." but then the cane came into view, then his acting as if he truly were blind.....the irony made me bust out laughing!



#2 Costume.....The outhouse. This not only was one of my top choices in costume, it also was the largest costume I have ever seen! The message on the door reads "Dangerous gases, KEEP OUT!" Unfortunately, I was not able to capture the toilet paper coming out the sides and the detail on this sucker.
When trying to enter the classrooms, this poor kid had to literally ram himself through the door. He was unable to go into my classroom since I had a string attached to my door that raised and lowered a scary mask.....it was hilarious watching him try to enter and exit each classroom.


#1 costume......diver being eating by a shark. This one had me in stitches. Since I had to overcome my fear of being eaten by a shark when certifying in scuba diving, this one grabbed at my heart. It was so cute! The bottom was all shark.....I thought this was so creative!!!

Runner up, "Hoop Head." This poor kindergarten student had to walk around the entire school with this heavy thing on her head. It was clever though!




Of course, the cutest costumes go to my students, of course! Many witches this year and Hanna Montanas.
Check out the Luigi.....His mom sewed the hat and shirt....the overalls are ski bibs. I thought it was so cleaver!
Most creative award, for my classroom, went to the Wii controller! His face is the A button. The kids thought it was the coolest costume ever....now there is a costume to remember. Only problem was he couldn't sit down without having to take it off!

It was definitely a very fun Halloween!!!!