I Will Not Be Left Out

I grew up on a dairy farm near a small Iowa town during the 70s and 80s. Life was good at the public school. There was a third grade teacher who prayed before lunch every day, my brother had a basketball coach who prayed before each game, and there was a prayer given before most school events, and that included prom. The baccalaureate and commencement services were held together at graduation time with a local pastor giving the prayer and invocation. And most importantly, we sang traditional Jesus centered Christmas songs (along with the classic Jingle Bells and Winter Wonderland) and the concert was even called a Christmas concert with a “Merry Christmas” shout to the audience at the end. I think if “Happy Holidays” would’ve been shouted instead, the audience would’ve fallen off their chairs.

Why do I bring this up on a blog site dedicated to Iowa politics? It is because I want to elect people to the Iowa legislature who will bring these values from my childhood back into our society today. I don’t mean to push my beliefs on people, but to let them be expressed by people who do believe like I do. I am sick and tired of having my values trampled on because one person disagrees. What about what I disagree with or believe in? Why is what that complaining person believes more important than what I believe? Okay, let them have a voice but don’t let them be heard by taking my voice away! Hey, and wait a minute–haven’t these values and beliefs been around for a very long time? Since when don’t my values count? For example, my daughter is in Kindergarten and, of course, she has “Winter” vacation and not Christmas vacation. But there was something more disturbing to me. She brought home a packet of handouts she colored for the month of December. There were pictures of snow, stars, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Santa, presents, trees, etc….BUT NO NATIVITY SCENE???!!!! What happened to not prohibiting religion? There was no handout for the Christian celebration called Christmas. What happened in the past twenty years that changed the public school so much that there is not even one Christian symbol in a Kindergartner’s December packet but there are pictures of other religious celebrations? Come on, either take them all out or put them all in. I will fight long and hard for candidates who will put my values on the front burner. We need to have God in our society again, not to force others to believe but to respect those who do.