29 OCT 09: Mister Dress-Up
The big topic for the day seemed very obvious, and I was all set to jump headlong into it. But then I heard about what President Obama did in Washington, and I had to hit the brakes. If there's one thing I do NOT want to do, it's encourage a hate crime. And I certainly don't have the knowledge to plot the opposite - a love crime.
But anyway: Wednesday brought another example of why some people are upset with public schools. Russell County High School had a "Gender Bender" day - with boys allowed to dress like girls, and girls allowed to dress like boys. The 5:00 p.m. news didn't say if music from the 1960s was played to accompany this.
The mere idea of a Gender Bender Day at high school would scandalize some conservative parents. A few of them might actually quote the Bible verse against women putting on men's garments and vice versa. I wonder how many of them in east Alabama would also dare to quote the verses against eating pork.
But the reason behind Gender Bender Day struck me as even more bizarre. It was part of Red Ribbon Week - the week designed to move young people away from using drugs. Is it really a good idea to drop one weird habit, only to pick up another one?
A Russell County High faculty member explained the point of it all -- that no matter what your gender, it's a healthy idea to be drug-free. Yes, that point makes sense. But do students need to cross-dress for a day to learn that? Is the only alternative hearing another speech from President Obama?
If this is allowed in Russell County for a day, how far will the faculty let it go? You may have heard about the high school girl in Mississippi who posed for her senior yearbook picture in a tuxedo. The school district there will NOT allow the photo to be in the yearbook. If a formal wear shop offered to buy a full-page ad to show her, things might change....
(Before you ask about our link - no, I do NOT think the Mississippi TV station's call letters stand for "We're Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender.")
This topic admittedly took me to my old high school yearbooks. My memory was correct about "Spirit Week" activities leading to the homecoming football game. They included a "powder puff" football game, where girls took the field while boys led cheers in female outfits. I didn't go to that game - and I didn't dress up for "Cowboys and Indians Day," either.
Yes, I know one Columbus charity holds a mock beauty pageant every year with celebrity men dressed as women. If asked to be part of that, I will turn it down. If that makes me an old fuddy-duddy, fine - because I'm starting to reach the age where the "old" label fits.
If Russell County High School had staged an "Ethnic Bender Day" during Red Ribbon Week, the results might have been explosive. I admittedly don't think a day of cross-dressing is any better in 2009. In fact, it might prompt some parents to check the school libraries for hidden copies of "Heather Has Two Mommies."
And I'm VERY doubtful that a day of cross-dressing will steer high school students away from using illegal drugs. Well, unless a Russell County Judge has promised to make cross-dressing in public part of the sentence for first-time drug offenders....
-> Our Wednesday night poker game didn't turn out anything like we planned. Read what happened at our other blog, "On the Flop!" <--
E-MAIL UPDATE: Another reader wants to comment on WRCG radio adding an FM simulcast....
As a fan of baseball on the radio and a UGA alum I've suffered through the weak evening signal of WRCG. I'm glad for the news of the FM re-transmission and have set a button in my car.
My question is why - "Federal rules currently limit WRCG's AM signal to a nighttime power of 79 watts. That's barely enough to dry your laundry, much less broadcast Atlanta baseball games across a city." ??
Why does the FCC limit the signal at night to what I assume is a lower power than during the day? I'd offer a one world government, mason, Trilateral Commission conspiracy but don't have the energy today.
Thanks
The "conspiracy" on AM radio is called federal regulation, and it goes back several decades. The Federal Communications Commission requires many stations to reduce power after sundown, so their signals don't interfere with those in other cities [25 Oct]. The sole exception to this in Columbus is WOKS - and this was true long before Sanford Bishop was elected to Congress.
A check online found Georgia has five different stations at 1420 AM, including WRCG. So most of them turn down the power at sunset. But Atlanta's WSB-AM is on a frequency which allows it to broadcast at full-power around the clock. So Neal Boortz has one of the loudest radio voices in the country, even without a network.
Before I power down for the day, let's check other news headlines....
+ The sun came back out in Columbus, but Tuesday's storm left a sinkhole on 12th Street in Phenix City. Thankfully, no high school student decided to throw fireworks down into it.
+ Columbus Councilor Glenn Davis told WXTX News whenever the game ends at Ten he would change his mind about a city Crime Prevention Director if the pay grade is lowered. If a candidate for mayor promised to do that with his own office, a lot of minds would change -- and more people would decide to vote.
+ Russell County Sheriff Tommy Boswell received an H-1-N-1 flu vaccine, and told WTVM everyone should get one. The sheriff also wanted everyone on his staff to get 20 percent raises a year or two ago - so maybe it's time Boswell put down his gun and run for Congress.
+ Aflac reported its third-quarter earnings were up 23 percent from a year ago, but sales of new policies were down. The sales staff must have mixed emotions about these quarterly reports. Higher insurance revenue could mean potential cancer patients are living longer - but if they're not dying, the chance to scare new customers into sales goes down.
+ Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford was found guilty of all 60 bribery counts against him. He's automatically out of office, faces a possible 805-year prison term - and he may only have one more chance to win money at Victoryland to pay off his attorneys.
+ WTVM showed Carver High School football coach Dell McGee shoving a player, in the middle of the school gym. I didn't catch the reason why he did it. Was he showing how to block somebody - or did the player have a mental block during practice?
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