Afterthoughts on Pocatello’s ordinance decision #gay #LGBT #lesbian #homosexual

By H. Wayne Schow

At the outset of Thursday’s Pocatello City Council meeting, everyone stood and repeated the “Pledge of Allegiance.” At meeting’s end, the Pledge’s concluding words, “with liberty and justice for all,” seemed to hang hollowly, hauntingly, in the air.

The dramatic 4-3 outcome makes a statement about our city to outsiders. It says we will not be in the vanguard with progressive cities like Sandpoint, Boise, Moscow, Ketchum, Salt Lake City and numerous others in fighting for equal justice. It says that, for the time being at least, the majority of our elected representatives would rather continue with the status quo.

Council members Nye (who moved to accept the motion), Bray, and Moore made abundantly clear that they recognize the existence of too much unfair treatment in our community directed against LGBT persons. Revealing, heartfelt testimony from the previous hearing had powerfully established that. They argued that the proposed ordinance could help to address that bias in the areas of housing and employment and ought to be adopted. Moore said his yes vote was an easy decision for him. Bray said that the proposed ordinance, if not perfect, was nonetheless a carefully considered first step, and subsequent adjustments could be made if needed.

READ THE FULL STORY FROM THE IDAHO STATE JOURNAL

From the comments:

ike says:

April 23, 2013 at 7:09 am

Larry,

“It’s time for a new mayor.”

Replaced by who? I disagree with his decision (as you do), but as I’ve met with him on a couple of different occasions and know a number of people who interact with him rather intimately, I’m convinced that you Pocatellans have one hell of a mayor – this latest decision notwithstanding.

LFerro says:

April 23, 2013 at 9:43 am

Ike, Blad will have to “prove” that he’s a good mayor to me because all I’ve seen to date, is the opposite, a lot of talk, no action.

Disgusted Reader says:

April 23, 2013 at 12:58 pm

LFerro,

He has to prove it to the electorate and not you. One man one vote, not on PC things and the religious can’t vote on it type of thing. Idaho went through that back in 1884 and it appears didn’t learn much since.

When action is counter productive then the only thing you can do is talk. DUH! Making things worse is not helpful, ever. But the perps in Boston were so innocent, just ask their mother and aunt.

I suspect your lack of backing him up will result in him being elected by a bigger majority next time around. Thanks for the compliment.

He could replace the mayor of Austin in a heartbeat and a huge bunch would be pleased down here.

We’re in the process of getting rid of a drunk D.A. and a bad judge here at present. One bad one at a time.

She tested .239 but says she wasn’t drunk but pleaded guilty anyway, the D.A. is now in jail serving a 45 day sentence for DUI. Dashcam videos were rather damning against her.

We’ve had a number of people yell, discrimination and when the videos came out they ended up being the perps. Get ready for Poky to be covered by thousands of cameras, which aren’t cheap to prove just who is the one with the problem. Isn’t technology expensive but helpful in showing things are just like most people thought they were and not what a few allege but can’t prove so they do the “bad law” route?

Never learn, do we?

Should Our Children Belong to the “Collective?”

By Richard Larsen

Just when we think the secular assaults against the nuclear family unit can’t get any worse, we disturbingly learn that they can. Now a host on a minor cable news network claims that we have to get over the idea that our children are ours, and accept the fact that they belong “collectively” to all of us.

Read the full story from the Idaho State Journal

From the comments:

c. R. Stucki says:
April 13, 2013 at 7:59 am

The current effort on the part of the Obama administration to expand universal pre-K education to 3 and 4 yr-olds, in spite of the well-documented overwhelming failure of ‘Headstart’, is certainly an obvious step in the direction Rick’s post deals with.

Disgusted Reader says:

April 13, 2013 at 9:01 am

Good point, Mr. c.R. Stucki, well taken.

Mr. Reagan was right when he stated “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

He also said: “Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.” I’m waiting for another president to lose his job and soon so things can start back to the “old normal”.

jayhook says:

April 13, 2013 at 10:44 pm

I just happen to listen to Glen Beck and his comparison between education in the United states and professional basketball. What do the professional basketball players make, and how much are the coaches paid? Boise’s football coach earns one and a half million a year, how does that compare to a teacher. I expect that winning a game is more important than teaching children so they can win in the game of life. Let’s not pay one damn more cent for education, but lets pay millions to sports; we don’t care if you can read, but the ability to play basketball is more important.

Maybe our priorities are just a little screwed up!

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/msnbc-host-children-belong-to-whole-communities-not-their-parents

Pocatello Grapples with Gay Clergy Issue

Small towns can be remarkably resistant to change. New ideas that rock the foundation of long established cues, values, morays, and perceptions are not easily tolerated.

Pocatello is no exception.

Some have said that the gate City has never progressed past the 1950s, which is the reason for the area’s lack of economic growth when compared to cities of similar size.

Others hail Pocatello’s warm and friendly social climate (after all it is the smile capital of Idaho). They say that its Normal Rockwell traditional American flavor, low crime, beautiful countryside, and lack of urban sprawl and crass-commercialism are what makes the town great.

But change is inevitable, even in a land seemingly suitable for a Leave it to Beaver episode.

In August, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America announced it would open the ministry to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships, the Idaho State Journal reports.

The topic has been a hot-button issue during the past decade. Among Pocatello’s faith-based communities, opinions also vary. While the ELCA represents 4.9 million Lutherans in the U.S., it does not reflect the sentiments of all Lutherans in the Gate City, said Jonathan Dinger, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church on Baldy Avenue .

According to Journal reporter Debbie Bryce, Grace Lutheran, part of the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, maintains that homosexuality is still a sin. “In this area, I think it’s fair to say most of us are opposed to this,” he told the Journal. “For us the question is what is sin and what isn’t.”

“Anyone with a repentive spirit is welcome,” Dinger said. “We don’t claim that we are without sin, but the Bible is pretty clear on this issue. Homosexuality activity is outside of the word of God.”

Dinger clarified the church’s position during a recent sermon that was well received by the congregation. “You need to strike a balance between being faithful to the Bible and gracious to the community,” Dinger said. “Christ’s message was I forgive you, now stop sinning.”

Pocatello has strong numbers of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A quote from late President Gordon B. Hinckley says the church’s opposition to same sex unions should not be interpreted as hatred or intolerance of homosexuals:

“As I said from this pulpit one year ago, our hearts reach out to those who refer to themselves as gays and lesbians,” Hinckley said. “We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God. They are welcome in the Church. It is expected, however, that they follow the same God-given rules of conduct that apply to everyone else, whether single or married.”

On the flip side, the story also quotes Pastor Janie Gebhardt at the First United Congregational Church of Christ as saying their church is an “open and affirming” denomination, which has been welcoming gay and lesbians to the ministry for the past 25 years.

“To me, you receive the whole person,” Gebhardt said, adding that the church has also been ordaining women since the late 1800s. In response, on the Idaho State Journal website, “Biblical Lutheran” wrote: