旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� � 켠� � � 爐� 靈� 靈� 켠� 靈� � � 爐� 靈� 爐� � 靈� � 爐� � � � 픔� 픔 � 픔� � � 픔� 픈� � � � � � � � 픔 � � � � � 懃� 聃� � � � 聃� � � � � 聃� � � � 聃� 聃� 懃� � 突袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� THE CAT CHRONICLE ----------------- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * * August 25, 1995 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Children's Animated Television (CAT) is a 501-C-3 non-profit organization that produces educational videos for children and teens on contemporary social issues such as AIDS, diversity, violence and GLB teen self esteem. CAT also provides as a public service a BBS, a weekly full color newsletter and a Web site for the family of the future: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/ * Please note a full color printed version of this newsletter is available upon request ($2 per week), as well as on the Web. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CAT People: ~~~~~~~~~~ The CAT person of the week is Randy Kottwitz, human rights activist and organizer in Merrimack of the "Vigil for the Victims of Gay Teen Suicide & Gay Teen Violence." Recently, Claude DiDomenica and Bessie Hadley, the founders of CAT visited Merrimack, New Hampshire and met with Randy and Ken Coleman. Ken is one of the 2 out of 5 Merrimack School Board members opposed to the anti-GLB policy. Randy has shown great courage and has given up everything to fight the intolerance and protect the rights of GLB children. A proverbial hat's off to Randy for his dedication to human rights and freedom of information! Parent's Corner... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Parent's tip of the week: Back to school means back to sports: Do's and Don'ts DO'S: ---- School sports include football, soccer, bowling, swimming, and others as well. Here's some tips to help children participate in sports as a healthy, positive learning experience. Please keep in mind that some of the reasons kids play sports is to have fun, feel worthy, competent and successful. * Teach your child that success in sports is more than just winning. Help them feel successful when they are improving or mastering a skill, giving maximum effort, and striving to win. As a parent, you can help your athlete learn to accept disappointment. Help them understand that a loss is not a personal failure or blow to self worth. * Help your athletes set realistic, achievable, yet challenging goals. Offer to work with them to achieve these goals. A child will feel a sense of accomplishment when their level of skill improves. * Reward and encourage skill improvement, good plays, and good behavior in your child. Remember to praise effort, not just performance, to motivate a child. Reward kids verbally or with a physical response like a smile or thumbs up sign. Try to avoid money or other material rewards for good performance. * Remember that mistakes are part of learning a sport, and young athletes will make plenty of them. When your child makes a mistake, remember to encourage them. Suggest ways to correct the error in a positive way. Avoid criticizing and punishing for mistakes. Criticism teaches athletes to be afraid to fail. This can make them worry that they will not perform well. They will learn to dread the possible disapproval of their parents, their coach, and teammates. Being negative can HURT rather than improve performance. * Show your children that you love and accept them, regardless of the outcome of the game or how they performed. DON'TS: ------ * Be careful not to live out your own dreams through your children. It is perfectly natural to identify with your children, and to want them to be successful. If you see your child's performance in sports as a reflection of your own self-worth, you might be setting unrealistically high goals for the child. This will only put pressure on them to perform, which can place undue stress on your child. * Watch your own behavior at games and practices. Remember, parents are role models for their children. If you want your son or daughter to show good sportsmanship and self-control, you need to show it yourself. When you see a poor call or bad play, remember to control your temper, anger and emotions. * Leave the coaching to the coach. It will only confuse the kids when they get instructions from more than one person. The positive attributes developed through sports can be strengthened by a parent's wise management and support of their child. Years from now, it won't matter whether an athlete could field a line drive or make a left handed lay-up at age twelve. Self-esteem, attitudes toward achievement, and understanding the success of maximum effort are really what's most important. Parents can help instill these positive attributes in their children through sports, to make them winners today... and tomorrow... Jeff Sam Volunteer Child Safety & Parents Coordinator, Co-Sysop of Dr Furball's BBS and CAT's Co-Webmeister Internet Address: jsam@usa1.com Please visit Jeff's Sam's Parenting and Child Safety Web page: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/jeffsam/jeffsam.html/ CRISIS IN MERRIMACK: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The human rights advocates and freedom fighters in New Hampshire needed a little break. Stay tuned for weekly updates... "The Outrage Page" on the World Wide Web has been updated, including a separate page on ways to combat the ignorance, shortsightedness and prejudice towards gay, lesbian and bisexual children voted into policy by Merrimack's School Board. Point your Web browser to: "The Outrage Page" http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/outrage.html "Here's what you can do to help..." http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/action.html Last week, we published in the CAT Chronicle "The Outrage Page" for those of you without Web access. This week: "Here's what you can do to help..." Fight Back!!! ------------- As people, we should all be concerned when the human rights and freedom of expression of any group is threatened... "The Outrage Page" is dedicated to the decent people of Merrimack who have been made into pawns by certain unscrupulous individuals... All over our country, fanatical groups threaten everyone's freedom. Many have singled out gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) people as "easy targets." They can hide their hatred and intolerance behind _their_ interpretation of the Bible. Good religious and non-religious people have seen right through this shallow cover story of "preventing schools from usurping parents' right to raise their children as they see fit." GLB children have rights as well. Most school boards have attempted compromise by not "promoting" any particular sexual preference. When compromise is no longer good enough for a particular group, cause or ideology, we should all immediately become alarmed. Look at how the abortion debate has polarized our nation. Teaching sex education, birth control and personal responsibility should be the way to go... But to many people it's an "all or nothing" or "black and white world." The word compromise doesn't seem to be in the vocabulary for many of us... To begin, let us first help our friends in Merrimack. We should also help with the other struggles going on in our nations schools. Send letters to the editor of your local and regional newspapers if your school board is being pressured in the name of "family values" to limit the rights of GLB people. If your school board wanted to ban books or instruction on African or Native Americans, of course there would be an immediate uproar. They would NEVER try that... There is NO difference between that and banning a book by a GLB author. GLB people are a minority group like any other. We must no longer accept that GLB people are "second class" citizens, subject to the horrible treatment of being scapegoats for the agenda of fanatics. They would probably counter that the GLB rights folks have their own agenda. Yep... They are correct! Most decent people only want a level playing field. They only want a decent and factual education regardless whether or not an author, teacher or student is GLB. Let's end this nonsense!!! Ways to help our brothers and sisters in Merrimack: * Spread the word about this outrage!!! * If you have a Web page, PLEASE put a link direct to "The Outrage Page" http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/outrage.html/ * Call/fax/write the people involved in this struggle * Write letters to the editor of the major New Hampshire and New England newspapers * Help organize or participate in a peaceful demonstration * If you are a lawyer, offer your pro-bono services to assist in any forthcoming legal challenges * Carefully scrutinize ALL political candidates to ensure they are for the rights of all citizens You can also help by supporting CAT with a donation. It costs CAT money to maintain and update our Web site, etc. Merrimack contact information: "Good guys" ----------- Ken Coleman, Merrimack School Board (603) 883-3254 fax (603) 881-4877 Randy Kottwitz, Human Rights Activist Organizer in Merrimack: Vigil for the Victims of Gay Teen Suicide & Gay Teen Violence (603) 883 8786 fax (603) 880 6153 "Bad guys" ---------- Chris Ager, School Board Chair Merrimack School Department 36 McElwain St. Merrimack NH 03054 (603) 424-6200 fax (603) 424-6229 Send letters to the editor of newspapers who have covered the story BOSTON GLOBE Box 2378 Boston, MA 02107 fax 617-929-2098 letter@globe.com THE UNION LEADER Box 9555 Manchester, NH 03108 THE TELEGRAPH Box 1008 Nashua, NH 03061 THE VILLAGE CRIER 579 D.W. Highway Merrimack, NH 03054 We will be shortly adding more people and organizations to express your concerns to... CAT will also expand "The Outrage Page" to national coverage if we receive support and interest to do so... Remember to fight back!!! (peacefully, of course...) Please remember, if you are a GLB child: * Most American's are against the hatred and bigotry in Merrimack and elsewhere. All people have to be educated and informed of this threat to EVERYONE'S FREEDOM... * Even if your parents or school do not understand you as a GLB person, many people support you. It is proving very difficult to undo thousands of years of human prejudice... * Take care of yourself. You do not have to take drugs or drink alcohol to hide from your feelings. Please do not feel "It's hopeless anyway, so why should I bother caring about myself???" You can have a happy, long, healthy and productive life like anybody else. * Learn all you can about HIV/AIDS. GLB teen suicide and HIV infection are major problems. You do not have to become another statistic. Many of us want to help... Besides that, we need your help!!! GLB Youth Advisor: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT's current video project is on GLB teen self esteem. Our goal is to help put a stop to the unacceptably high rate of GLB teen depression and suicide. We also believe there is a direct correlation between low self esteem and unsafe sex practices. To this aim, as a public service we present to you the GLB Youth Advisor... Back to school in Merrimack. First lesson: Intolerance and hate... A new wave of attacks on the rights of gay youth sweeps the nation this summer. I question any school board or regency using its power to make a negative impact on any group of individuals. We continue to monitor the situation in Merrimack, New Hampshire as the school year looms ahead. The chairman of the school board in Merrimack took it upon himself to declare homosexuality "wrong" and forced a vote to ban all mention of the word within the school system. While some people feel that topics involving sexuality is best handled by parents and not the school system, this measure instituted by a 3/5 majority of the Merrimack school board takes it one step further. Any type of counseling, including suicide prevention and AIDS awareness, is considered taboo if it relates to homosexuality. Imagine a teacher or administrator losing their job because they prevented a GLB youth from committing suicide... I understand the concept of shifting the burden of responsibility to the parents when it comes to sexual issues. However, what happens when parents fail at this task, especially if the child is gay or lesbian? In most cases we are speaking about teenagers. The ones who need the greatest support will be denied any help on the sole basis of their sexual identity. If this does not represent a gross violation of civil rights, then certainly nothing else does... Let's look at the issue within a different light. What kind of lessons are we teaching the rest of the youth in this country when a school board declares an entire group of its own students as non-existent and unimportant? The Chairman of the Merrimack School Board and the Christian Coalition responsible for engineering this "breakthrough" for the family clearly demonstrates the lack of understanding of what it means to grow up GLB in America. The message sent to the student population of Merrimack and other school systems is a message of hate that supports violence and intolerance to GLB youth. How can our society progress intellectually when school administrators are mandating intolerance within the classroom? A cynic might conclude that most schools are unable to teach literacy in the classroom, let alone intellectual growth. Unfortunately, Merrimack is not alone in this latest wave of anti-gay sentiment across the country. In fact, I suspect that Merrimack merely represents a testing ground for future assaults on GLB youth nationwide by various "family values" groups. I hope any parents reading this will question their own thoughts on the subject and ask themselves if these are the values they wish to teach their children... Mike Reddin Volunteer GLB Youth Advisor for Children's Animated Television Internet Address: wxman@pcix.com Mike has an area on our Web site dedicated to GLB youth: http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/glb.html/ Encouraging Words... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Date: Thu, 24 Aug 95 18:37:34 0500 From: Al Organization: U of Minnesota To: Claude DiDomenica Subject: Merrimack School Board Thanks for keeping us all up to date on the underhanded, unchristian actions of the Christian Coalition in NH. They have set an agenda to either get people to their way of thinking or ignore or exterminate them. I have not read where they have done one Christian act but all of their acts revolve around control, power and domination. They misquote from the Scriptures and totally leave out the ever recurring theme of both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures of showing love and hospitality to all of humanity. In fact other books of the Old Testament and early church fathers all say that the sin of Sodom is the sin of inhospitality. Even the New Testament "quotes" Jesus as saying the sin of Sodom is inhospitality (Luke 10:10-12). Isn't it ironic that today's sodomites are the religious right and the Christian Coalition? As a clergyman I had to restudy the Hebrew and Greek after our son told us he is gay. We never did study the references used to condemn homosexuality in class when I was in seminary. The reason the Hebrew and Greek aren't used today is that they DO NOT condemn homosexuality. So the religious bigots think they have a corner on the market. As more and more people hear about the devilish dealings of the religious wrong in NH they will be forced to face reality because of the Christian Coalition. When Minnesota became the 8th state to include sexual orientation, some of the state legislators said it was the hatred expressed by the religious right that showed them the discrimination against the gay community. Keep up the great work. Al Bertke Retired Minister Minneapolis, MN bertk001@maroon.tc.umn.edu ***Thanks Al for the courage to step forward and be heard!!!*** Date: Fri, 25 Aug 95 15:13:03 0500 From: Al Organization: U of Minnesota To: Claude DiDomenica Subject: publish comments Claude, I've been writing James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Chuck Colson, prison ministries, since 1990. Dobson has New Testament "experts", Old Testament "experts" and others write back telling me I'm wrong. I told Chuck Colson unless he became Christian in his prison ministry and included gays I couldn't support an unchristian program he operated. Haven't heard from him since. I started writing the Christian Coalition. In fact when they asked me to join I asked them what version of the Bible they used because the King James Version didn't condemn homosexuality and that James I was gay. Their political agenda won't stand up to honest scholarship. (Neither will Newt's and the new Republicans.) Yes, you may publish my comments both on the Web and in your newsletter. I was forced out of the ministry of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1985 over truth and honesty. They didn't want any part of it. So in '90 when I turned 55 I started collecting early retirement. So I am a retired clergyman. Currently I work as a secretary at the University of Minnesota, Radiation Oncology. My 25 years doing secretarial work in the church prepared me for it. When our son told us in March 1990 that he is gay, it really shook my wife and I. I thought homosexuality was a choice and a poor one. My wife, showing our son her college notes from a religion class, thought it was the worst sin. She called a former clergyman whom we heard was gay and she had dated-way back when. He sent us 7 books and a position paper he wrote. We went to PFLAG and talked to every gay and lesbian who would talk to me. When our son told us he is gay I knew it wasn't a choice, but I didn't know the answer. Two weeks later I told him I think I owe him an apology. His response was "Good, now you can march in the Gay Pride Parade." I've marched every year since then. You can give my email address if you want. I tell people that Jesus condemned the "religious" people of his day and today's religious right are yesterdays Pharisees. Good to see that we're on the same wavelength. Be talking to you soon. Al Bertke Retired Minister Minneapolis, MN bertk001@maroon.tc.umn.edu NOTE: The opinions expressed above are not necessarily those of Children's Animated Television, Inc. The CAT Credo... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Children's Animated Television (CAT) believes in a positive future for all children... CAT's philosophy is to help solve today's complex social problems through honest and open dialogue, education, information and compromise... CAT will produce video programs for pre-teens and teens to stimulate their minds, harness their creativity and imaginations to cultivate long-lasting answers to problems in their world... As a public service, CAT will also provide educational information using all available technology including a computer bulletin board, World Wide Web site and other electronic media. CAT will supply this knowledge for children, parents and educators to enable our society to develop ideas and solutions for a better tomorrow... Claude DiDomenica & Bessie Hadley Founders of Children's Animated Television July 15, 1995 -------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to "The CAT Chronicle" via E-Mail: E-Mail to didom@usa1.com Subject: Subscribe CAT Chronicle CAT is a 501-C-3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Contact Information: Bessie Hadley Executive Director Children's Animated Television, Inc. 1492 Highland Ave, Suite 3 Needham, MA 02192 USA Voice: 617-449-9699 FAX: 617-449-2238 Dr Furball's BBS: 617-455-8415 node 1 617-433-0026 node 2 Internet: hadley@usa1.com Claude DiDomenica President of CAT and Sysop of Dr Furball's BBS Internet: didom@usa1.com CAT's WEB Home Page!!! http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Get CAT's latest info releases from Software Creations BBS * * "Home of the Authors" * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * Internet Access: Telnet BBS.SWCBBS.COM * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * WEB Access: http://www.swcbbs.com * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * 2400/9600/14.4 USR HST/Dual Standard Public Access (508) 368-7036 * * 2400/9600/14.4/28.8 USR V.Everything Public Access (508) 368-6604 * * 2400/9600/14.4 USR HST/Dual Standard Member Access (508) 368-7139 * * 9600/14.4/16.8/28.8 USR V.Everything Member Access (508) 368-3424 * * <<*-*-*-*->> * * At Main Menu, type: J 178 * * for "Dr Furball's Educational & Philanthropical Conference" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1995 Children's Animated Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved This newsletter may be freely distributed as long as it remains intact and this notice is not removed. Please do not post on USENET, FIDONET, WILDNET etc. without permission of the conference moderator. # # #