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| Wow.......so it's actually been more than a year... O_O
I eventually want to have a regular blog, but that doesn't seem to be possible whilst I'm in college. So, until next year,
~Hathael 
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| Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
"Mom and Dad" as well as "husband and wife" effectively have been
banned from California schools under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, who with his signature also ordered public schools to
allow boys to use girls restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, if
they choose.
"We are shocked and appalled that the governor has blatantly attacked
traditional family values in California," said Karen England,
executive director of Capitol Resource Institute.
"With this decision, Gov. Schwarzenegger has told parents that their
values are irrelevant. Many parents will have no choice but to pull
their children out of the public schools that have now become
sexualized indoctrination centers."
"Arnold Schwarzenegger has delivered young children into the hands of
those who will introduce them to alternative sexual lifestyles," said
Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families,
which worked to defeat the plans. "This means children as young as
five years old will be mentally molested in school classrooms.
"Shame on Schwarzenegger and the Democrat politicians for ensuring
that every California school becomes a homosexual-bisexual-transsexual
indoctrination center," he said.
(Story continues below)
Analysts have warned that schools across the nation will be impacted
by the decision, since textbook publishers must cater to their largest
purchaser, which often is California, and they will be unlikely to go
to the expense of having a separate edition for other states.
The bills signed by Schwarzenegger include SB777, which bans anything
in public schools that could be interpreted as negative toward
homosexuality, bisexuality and other alternative lifestyle choices.
There are no similar protections for students with traditional or
conservative lifestyles and beliefs, however.
"SB 777 will result in reverse discrimination against students with
religious and traditional family values," said Meredith Turney,
legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Institute. "These students
have lost their voice as the direct result of Gov. Schwarzenegger's
unbelievable decision. The terms 'mom and dad' or 'husband and wife'
could promote discrimination against homosexuals if a same-sex couple
is not also featured.
"Parents want the assurance that when their children go to school they
will learn the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic – not
social indoctrination regarding alternative sexual lifestyles. Now
that SB777 is law, schools will in fact become indoctrination centers
for sexual experimentation," she said.
England told WND that the law is not a list of banned words, including
"mom" and "dad." But she said the requirement is that the law bans
discriminatory bias.
"Having 'mom' and 'dad' promotes a discriminatory bias. You have to
either get rid of 'mom' and 'dad' or include everything when talking
about [parental issues]," she said. "They [promoters of sexual
alternative lifestyles] do consider that discriminatory."
Also signed was AB394, which targets parents and teachers for such
indoctrination through "anti-harassment" training, CCF said.
Schwarzenegger had vetoed almost identical provisions a year ago,
saying existing state law already provided for penalties for
discrimination.
"We had hoped that the governor would once again veto this outrageous
legislation but he obviously decided to side with the out-of-touch
extremists that control the legislature. This law does not reflect the
true values of the average Californian," said England. "True
leadership means standing up for what is true and right."
Thomasson said SB777 prohibits any "instruction" or school-sponsored
"activity" that "promotes a discriminatory bias" against "gender" –
the bill's definition includes cross-dressing and sex changes – as
well as "sexual orientation."
"Because no textbook or instruction in California public schools
currently disparages transsexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality,
the practical effect of SB777 will be to require positive portrayals
of these sexual lifestyles at every government-operated school," CCF
noted.
Offenders will face the wrath of the state Department of Education, up
to and including lawsuits.
CCF noted that now on a banned list will be any text, reference or
teaching aid that portrays marriage as only between a man and woman,
materials that say people are born male or female (and not in
between), sources that fail to include a variety of transsexual,
bisexual and homosexual historical figures, and sex education
materials that fail to offer the option of sex changes.
Further, homecoming kings now can be either male or female – as can
homecoming queens, and students, whether male or female, must be
allowed to use the restroom and locker room corresponding to the sex
with which they choose to identify.
AB394 promotes the same issues through state-funded publications,
postings, curricula and handouts to students, parents and teachers.
It also creates the circumstances where a parent who says marriage is
only for a man and a woman in the presence of a lesbian teacher could
be convicted of "harassment," and a student who believes people are
born either male or female could be reported as a "harasser" by a male
teacher who wears women's clothes, CCF said.
Thomasson said Schwarzenegger also signed AB14, which prohibits state
funding for any program that does not support a range of alternative
sexual practices, including state-funded social services run by
churches.
Affected will be day cares, preschool or after-school programs, food
and housing programs, senior services, anti-gang efforts, jobs
programs and others.
Thomasson said it also forces every hospital in California – even
private, religious hospitals – to adopt policies in support of
transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality and opens up nonprofit
organizations to lawsuits if they exclude members that engage in
homosexual, bisexual, or transsexual conduct.
"It's the height of intolerance to punish individuals, organizations,
businesses, and churches that have moral standards on sexual conduct
and sexual lifestyles," said Thomasson, in response to the signing of
AB14. "This is another insensitive law that violates people's moral
boundaries."
The vitriol over the issue rose to new levels in its latest campaign.
As WND reported, a board member for the homosexual advocacy group
Equality California verbally attacked and threatened CRI for its
opposition to the bill earlier.
The board member sent an e-mail and video to CRI threatening the group
would be buried if it continued efforts opposing the homosexual
advocacy.
"The shocking hate mail we received shows that those behind this
legislation do not promote true tolerance," said England. "Only
politically correct speech will be tolerated. Those with religious or
traditional moral beliefs will not be allowed to express their
opinions in public schools."
She also cited an informational document published by the Gay-Straight
Alliance Network and the Transgender Law Center that already is
lobbying for special treatment in the school system.
"If you want to use a restroom that matches your gender identity … you
should be allowed to do so," it advises. "Whenever students are
divided up into boys and girls, you should be allowed to join the
group or participate in the program that matches your gender identity
as much as possible."
Further, the groups advise, "If you change your name to one that
better matches your gender identity, a school needs to use that name
to refer to you." The advocacy group also warns schools against
bringing parents into any such discussion with students.
WND has documented a number of earlier cases in which educators,
including leaders in California, have taken it upon themselves to
promote a homosexual lifestyle to children under their charge.
WND reported California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack
O'Connell, under whose supervision hundreds of thousands of children
are being educated, has used his state position and taxpayer-funded
stationery to praise a "gay" pride event used in the past to expose
children to sexually explicit activities.
That drew vehement objections from several educators, including
Priscilla Schreiber, the president of the Grossmont Unified High
School District governing board.
"I am outraged that a person in this high-ranking elected position
would advocate an event where diversity is not just being celebrated
but where pornography and indecent exposure is being perpetrated on
the young and innocent children of our communities," she said--
Can this seriously be true??!
If so, I want to move.  And, I will not be a teacher here. Ever. Agh. I'm mad. 
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| Yesterday, I went to class dressed as emo. And as I was heading out, the girl across the
hall asked me, “Are you going to dress up for Halloween?” 
Mrs. Conte, you were totally right. It’s freaky but I looked “normal” dressed like
that. So many people didn’t get that I
was dressing up. Which really scares
me.  First of all, I want to say that I
never look like that! So don’t think
that they were saying that because I look close to that on normal days. My roommates say it’s because people don’t
know me well enough. I hope so….
Emily, my other roommate, and I got out of class early so we
could come back to our dorm and hand out candy to the little kids. They were so cute!
Emo earrings, courtesy of Jacque. My ears aren't pierced so she hooked them onto some snowflake clip earrings I had. 
Emo shoes and skirt, my own...I just never wear them together...
Mismatched jewelry
The second place door, two doors down from us.
Erin and Amanda's creative door. They took pictures of themselves with pudding on their faces and glued them onto the gloppy monsters they drew.
Emily and Lindsey, obviously a pirate...
 Hanging out in the halls with the little kids.
 Emily, as a very happy hippy, and me emo (Or Avril Lavigne as everyone thought I was )
 Today I slept in because I only had one class at 12:30. After class I did homework and engaged in a
political/economic debate with Emily and our friend Kelly. Kelly and I were
trying to convert liberal Emily from socialism.
Haha. Not really. She’s actually pretty conservative, she just
feels really bad for poor people and wants to help them. Which is a good thing, of course; it’s just
that I don’t agree that the government should be the one to help them with my money!
I think I should be the one to choose to give my money to the poor, so I
could put it into trustworthy organizations. Anyway, I am digressing…
After our “heated” debate, Kelly and I tried to teach Emily
to blow a bubble with gum, since for some freakish reason she cannot. Haha.
I didn’t know there were people who couldn’t do that. So, I want to take a poll, how many of you
can blow bubbles? Maybe I just have been
naive about this whole thing…
I went to dinner with Emily and we planned a prank to pull
on one of our friends from the hall who has lately been pranking us….or at
least Emily. So far there haven’t been
nearly as many pranks going on as I thought there would be. I’ve only done one…and that was to put a real
(but dead, of course) octopus in the bathroom.
I got it from a Chinese restaurant. Haha. Then Jacque saw us and we invited her to sit
down. However we needed an extra
chair. I looked all around the cafeteria
which was extremely crowded and saw only one empty chair….at the table of the “cool”
and rowdy boys. *hits forehead* Jacque looked at me and I looked at her…I
didn’t want to do it, but I wasn’t going to be a sissy.
“Should I do it, or you?” I asked
“You should totally do it”
So I walked over and asked them if they were using the
chair.
“Why?” Cool guy #1
asked
Before I could answer, cool guy #2 put his feet up on it,
and Cool guy #1 said, “Whoops, I guess we are using it, sorry.” And then he
shrugged and gave me some pathetic face.
I felt my blood pressure rising.
All of the guys at the table were laughing.
“Can I have it or not?”
I tried to say that in the nicest voice I could muster…And then they
stopped laughing.
“Yeah, I guess you can.”
Said Cool guy#2. I took it,
turned my back and walked away. I could
hear laughter behind me, and I fumed, “Guys are so ridiculous!” Why do they
have to make such a simple process into something complicated! AGh… I'll leave you with this picture of me normal, since I know this has disturbed some of you to see me dressed like this (Sorry Toga):
(It's okay for you to call this cute, Rach  )
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| Emo
For Halloween
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As I do every Tuesday and Thursday, I slept in. It was nice having only two classes.
I got to psych discussion group at 9:51, nine minutes before it
starts and found the room empty, which is understandable. However, at 10:05, it was still empty. I began to think I was losing it. I checked the time, the date—everything was
right. Then I remembered that our
discussion leader had said he would be twenty minutes late. Ugh. Twenty minutes I could have slept more.
So I went out to a couch in the hall and read ahead in the
book. A blond kid came and sat down next
to me almost immediately, which made me wish I had just stayed in the
classroom. He kept starring at me and I
knew he was going to say something. And
I was right.
“Do you ever get nervous before tests?” He asked.
I answered yes, and then he said he had a government test
that he was about to take. I asked him
if he was prepared and I thought he said, “No, I’m a comedian and I find it
really hard”—I was thinking he was a bit odd….. 
Then I realized he’d said Canadian. Haha.
Makes more sense. So he kept
talking to me for a while about my major and asking if I liked to read…at this
point I had switched to reading a book on video games that I was going to take
back to the library later. I’ve been
doing a research paper on video games, so that’s why I had it. I saw him looking at it, probably wondering
why a girl in a skirt (who really looked like a homeschooler) was reading about
video games. Haha. 
By the way, I want to digress for a moment about something I
read in that book as I was sitting there.
Some researchers did a study on guys who were addicted to playing “Space
Invaders” (it’s a very old book) so much so that the guys were postponing their
wedding—one guy even asked to postpone his honeymoon for a couple hours so he
could finish!  Now that is weird…
(Even weirder is the fact that they could have relationships being so addicted...)
Anyway, my discussion group started and I left the blond
kid. I felt sorry for him…it must be
hard coming to another country and having to learn their system. Psych discussion was as usual one of the
most boring things a person could experience in life. No one wants to talk. It’s so uncomfortable….I feel the blood
draining out of me as I sit there.
When I was finally free, I ran some errands: returned the
video game book, made an appointment with one of my teachers, and found out
about academic advising. Then I had
lunch all by myself. As I was sitting
down, I noticed the Canadian blond kid. So I
quickly averted my eyes and hoped he didn’t see me through my hair. See, I try to not eat alone with boys…may
seem weird, but it’s just my preference. And I was successful! Haha.
I had choir afterwards and then met with Dr. Talley, my OT
professor, and got my grade back for my exam.
Guess what it was…94%! What is it
with 94%? That number just loves
me....... I’m thankful to have it though. I could’ve been much worse, since his tests are so hard.
Ever since I have been doing homework and hanging out with
Jacque. We’re going to watch a movie
tonight to cheer us up. Homework can be
depressing.
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