THIS Is The Way It Was Meant To Be Done!

Here is a special message (with emphasis added) from Superintendent Joseph N. Meloche of the Cherry Hill (NJ) public school system:

Dear Cherry Hill Community,

Words matter.

The Cherry Hill School District has come under close scrutiny during the past few weeks with regard to Cherry Hill High School East’s chosen spring musical production, Ragtime. When concerns were raised earlier this month regarding the use of the N-word in the production, we as a district carefully considered the impact of the production on both our student community and the community at large. On January 20, 2017, we released a statement that we would remove the Nword and other derogatory racial and ethnic slurs from the script. This decision spurred passionate debate in the Cherry Hill community that quickly garnered media coverage and national attention. The need for continued conversation became clear. Several in-person meetings were held following the January 24, 2017 Board of Education Action meeting. These meetings included stakeholders with diverse life experience, professional backgrounds and opinions. Several telephone discussions with Music Theatre International, the distributor of the script, made it clear that according to the contract between the district and MTI, the play must be performed as written or not performed at all. This fact was brought into our stakeholder conversations. I am grateful to Cherry Hill African American Civic Association, a perennial partner and foundational stakeholder in our school district, to the Camden County East NAACP, to the Jewish Community Relations Council, and to the AntiDefamation League for their commitment to work with our district and our children as we move forward.

In coming to a decision, our focus remains on our students, on their safety and their development – which has always been and will always remain our top priority. Education must take place in a safe way, in a safe environment. The final decision regarding Ragtime was not made based on a vote. We do not deem any individual or group who voiced an opinion in this process as wrong. Nor is any person or group more valuable than another. We are greatly appreciative of all who have joined the hours of discussion, and for the respectful manner in which most conducted themselves.

These are tumultuous, difficult times. We believe that while these difficult times provide challenges in our educational community, they also provide an opportunity and an obligation to educate. We believe we can educate using difficult subject matter presented in a safe, sensitive way. To that end, Cherry Hill High School East will present Ragtime as written. The school community will be supported by curriculum and conversation leading up to and continuing through the show’s performance dates and beyond. The curriculum additions will allow all of our students to learn from the production without feeling threatened or disenfranchised. We will present resources and conversation regarding the production at each performance. We will make it abundantly clear that we loathe the N-word, that we despise this most vile of words in our language. We have been offered professional support in this endeavor from within the Cherry Hill Schools community and from professionals outside the community. We will be availing ourselves of these resources from now through the performance schedule of Ragtime at Cherry Hill High School East – opening on March 10, 2017 and closing March 19, 2017 – and into the future.

We look forward to continued conversations with the stakeholders who have generously and respectfully offered their time and perspective to this process. We also look forward to our community treating each other with kindness and respect moving forward.

Words matter.

There is much work to be done. Please, join us in supporting our children – all of our children – in moving forward. Be a positive voice, be part of a positive change.

Sincerely,
Joseph N. Meloche, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Editor's note: We saw the Broadway musical Ragtime in its original production on Broadway in 1998 with its multi-racial cast and stars Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald.  We felt  this story was so important that we took our children along to experience the production with us. It was a thrilling, landmark production that we will never forget.Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in the United States in the early 20th century: African Americans, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; upper-class suburbanites, represented by Mother, the matriarch of a white upper-class family in New Rochelle, New York; and Eastern European immigrants, represented by Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia.

When the school district acquired the rights (through Musical Theatre International) to perform this show it presumably acquired grand rights, meaning the rights to the whole show performed in its entirety and without changes, alterations, additions or omissions of any kind. This is not just a matter of artistic integrity. It's a matter of intellectual property and copyright law.

The school district made the correct decision -- both to present this important show in the first place and also to present it "as is". This is the right way to do it, along with proper curriculum, education and dialogue -- of course! 

We commend Dr. Meloche, the school district and everyone involved on reaching this decision.

We also commend the students and wish them every success on this important production. Bravo! 

You Better Believe It: He's Keeping His Word!

“True to his word, President Trump did not waste any time tackling the task of repealing and replacing Obamacare. Soon after he was inaugurated last Friday he signed an executive order that could dismantle the Affordable Care Act in one fell swoop,” according to Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.

The executive order gives agencies of the federal government sweeping powers to undo elements of the ACA that might cause hardships on users – including the individual mandate, an Obamacare cornerstone. Without the mandate, the law will more than likely collapse under its own weight.

“Mr. Trump’s action caused widespread criticism on the left. But at least one liberal media outlet, CNBC, praised the move in an opinion article headlined, ‘Trump gets rid of the stupidest part of Obamacare’,” says Weber.

The article, by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist, notes that “the core problem with the mandate was that it was a classic case of ‘demand side’ economics. Obamacare architects and advocates believed they could create adequate demand for health insurance, but even with subsidies, an eventually functional website, and legal penalties, it still couldn’t create enough demand. They literally made it illegal not to buy health insurance, and that still didn’t create a big enough market for the product.”

That particular provision of the law was supposed to make Obamacare work. It, in effect, required young and healthy individuals to pay high premiums and deductibles as a way to help pay for the insurance of those who are not so healthy. They’d either be paying those high premiums or risk tax penalties to ensure there was enough money on hand to subsidize individuals who were not as young and healthy. It turned out that it was cheaper and easier to pay the tax penalties than to buy into Obamacare.

“The left, in an effort to protect President Obama’s so-called legacy, continues to poke the GOP for thinking Republican resolve to replace the ACA is undoable. Is it possible they are hoping that President Trump will fall on his face in dealing with the issue of healthcare insurance? But, as Novak points out in his article, even the individual mandate is replaceable by simply relying on something Mr. Trump is good at—the use of supply side economics,” Weber points out.

He quotes from Novak’s article: “The Trump White House has certainly made no secret that it’s eager to put direct pressure and offer incentives to many different kinds of businesses. That includes health care businesses with President Trump’s repeated promises to do something about high drug prices… Move from drug companies to the insurers, hospitals, clinics, and even private practice doctors. They too face unique regulations and taxes that inflate prices. Whatever deal the drug companies get, the insurers will likely demand as well. None of these businesses and business people operates without costs that can’t be significantly reduced by the government.”

Weber says he is confident that the new administration will deal “effectively” with the health insurance needs of the country. “Look how fast he moved to begin tackling the principle problems with Obamacare. Look at the man he picked to head up the Health and Human Services Department, Dr. Tom Price, an outstanding and innovative expert on how to address the Nation’s health care crisis caused by Obamacare. He has been a real leader in the Congress on both projecting the disastrous impacts of Obamacare and fashioning positive and constructive solutions for improved access to health care for all Americans, including seniors. One thing is sure: this administration is determined to get government out of the healthcare business.”

ABOUT AMAC

The Association of Mature American Citizens [http://www.amac.us] is a vibrant, vital senior advocacy organization that takes its marching orders from its members. We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests and offering a practical insight on how to best solve the problems they face today. Live long and make a difference by joining us today at http://amac.us/join-amac.

The Man And The Media: What You Need To Know

A facebook friend writes: "The March for Life basically ignored by the media today, but the media couldn't get enough of the 'Pussyhats' last week.. When will this bias stop? The media are out of touch with everyday Americans."
My answer is simple: The media bias isn't going to end.
Members of the dominant media (especially in media centers on the two coasts) delight in their long-standing bias.
They're proud of it. And they've never been more open about it and more defiant than they are right now.
Along with most of academia and the bulk of the entertainment industry, they hold themselves apart from ordinary Americans. Indeed, they are pretty much disdainful of those who inhabit vast stretches of the nation from middle and rural Pennsylvania all the way across through the midwest and south and into the most western reaches of our nation save for the west coast itself.
They are dismissive of hard-working, God-fearing, family-centered everyday Americans.
And they are now prepared to do everything they can to discredit and defeat President Trump and all of those who helped put him where he is today. Know that this is true: They will not stop until they have accomplished this singular mission. 

They are focused on the undoing of the president and his cause with a laser-like intensity. The die is cast.

How did this happen? The answer is simple.
Our president has directly challenged the media, unmasked the media, exposed them and shown them to be what they are. He has upended the narrative they sought to put in place. He has dared to pierce their power bubble. He has broken all the rules -- their rules.

And it's driving them crazy!

A VERY Special Relationship Restored, Hear! Hear!

Thank you, President Trump and Prime Minister May. Winston Churchill is back where he belongs and our special relationship is in very good hands, indeed!

'Depravity And Horror Inflicted On Innocent People'

“It is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.

“Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest.‎ As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent.

“In the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good. Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world.”

President Donald J. Trump

'Life Is Winning Because Of All Of You!'

Below find the remarks of Vice President Mike Pence delivered today at the March for Life in Washington, DC:

On behalf of President Donald Trump, my wife Karen, and our daughter Charlotte, I’d like to welcome you all to Washington, D.C. for the 44th annual March for Life.

And I am deeply humbled to be the first Vice President of the United States to ever have the privilege to attend this historic gathering.

More than two-hundred and forty years ago, our Founders wrote words that have echoed through the ages.

They declared “these truths to be self-evident.” That we are, all of us, “endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” and “that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Forty-four years ago, our Supreme Court turned away from the first of these timeless ideals.

But today, three generations hence, because of all of you, and the many more who stand with us in marches just like this across this nation, life is winning in America again.

That is evident in the election of pro-life majorities in the Congress of the United States.

But it is no more evident than in the historic election of a president who stands for a stronger America, a more prosperous America, and a president who I proudly say stands for the right to life – President Donald Trump.

President Trump actually asked me to be here today to thank all of you for your support and for your stand for life and for your compassion for the women and children of this nation.

One week ago today, on the steps of the Capitol, we saw the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States. Our President is a man with broad shoulders and a big heart. His vision, his energy, and his optimism are boundless, and I know he will Make America Great Again.

From his first day in office, he has been keeping his promises to the American people.

And at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we’re in the promise-keeping business.

That’s why, on Monday President Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy to prevent foreign aid from funding organizations that promote or perform abortions.

That’s why this administration will work with Congress to end taxpayer funding for abortion and abortion providers, and we will devote those resources to health-care services for women across America.

And that’s why, next week, President Donald Trump will announce a Supreme Court nominee who will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution in the tradition of the late and great Justice Antonin Scalia.

Life is winning in America. And today is a celebration of the progress that we have made in the cause.

You know, I have long believed that a society can be judged by how we care for our most vulnerable – the aged, the infirm, the disabled, and the unborn.

We’ve come to a historic moment in the cause of life, and we must meet this moment with respect and compassion for every American.

Life is winning in America for many reasons.

Life is winning through the steady advance of science that illuminates when life begins.

Life is winning through the generosity of millions of adoptive families, who open their hearts and homes to children in need.

Life is winning through the compassion of caregivers and volunteers at crisis pregnancy centers and faith-based organizations who minister to women, in cities and towns across this country.

And life is winning through the quiet counsels between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters, between friends across kitchen tables, and over coffee on college campuses the truth is being told and compassion is overcoming convenience, hope is defeating despair.

In a word, life is winning in America because of all of you.

So I urge you to press on.

But as it is written, “let your gentleness be evident to all.” Let this movement be known for love, not anger – for compassion, not confrontation. When it comes to matters of the heart, there’s nothing stronger than gentleness.

I believe we will continue to win the hearts and the minds of the rising generation if our hearts first break for young mothers and their unborn children and we do all we can to meet them where they are, with generosity, not judgment.

To heal our land and restore a culture of life we must continue to be a movement that embraces all and cares for all out of respect for the dignity and worth of every person.

Enshrined on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial are the words of our third president, who admonished us to remember that “God who gave us life gave us liberty.”

On behalf of the President of the United States, and my little family, we thank you for your stand for life, for your compassion, for your love for the women and children of this nation.

Be assured, we will not grow weary. We will not rest until we restore a culture of life for ourselves and our posterity.

God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.

'It Still Burns In The Spirit Of Too Many To Ignore'

Today's column from Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput:

Since Inauguration Day critics of Donald Trump have marched, rioted, verbally abused and in some cases viciously assaulted their opponents on a scale previously unseen.

Some of the anger is understandable. As I said repeatedly last fall, Mr. Trump’s words and behavior during the presidential campaign, on immigration and other issues, were deeply troubling. But in one of our history’s darker ironies, Mr. Trump benefited from an opposing candidate who had her own equally, through different, ugly and disqualifying baggage.

Mr. Trump is now President Trump, and curiously, some of the harshest, on-going fury directed at him has nothing to do with his personal character. Rather, it’s a very special brand of “progressive” intolerance for the approach his administration may take toward a range of difficult social issues, including abortion. It involves a visceral media and leadership-class contempt for people like the hundreds of thousands of stubbornly good persons who continue to march each January -- peacefully, respectfully and joyfully -- in defense of the unborn child. The contrast with their critics is a lesson in what does, and does not, constitute responsible public witness.

When the Supreme Court’s Roe V. Wade decision legalized permissive abortion 44 years ago this month, abortion supporters argued that abortion was a sad necessity. As such, it needed to be made safe, legal and rare. Now it’s celebrated as a sacred right that demands veneration from the whole culture, including the millions of ordinary people who see this kind of officially blessed homicide as a gravely evil act. One of the more promising signs from the new administration is its apparent sympathy for some key prolife concerns, from the appointment of Supreme Justices to the defunding of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.

Of course, being “prolife” involves a great deal more than a defense of the unborn child, though it certainly needs to start there. Maybe the best way to amplify and elevate President Trump’s understanding of that word “prolife” would be for a premier Catholic university – say, for example, the University of Notre Dame – to invite him to campus to offer its commencement address, to explain his personal evolution on the abortion issue, and to share, listen and learn with a cross-section of students and faculty in a respectful dialogue on the meaning of human dignity.

Notre Dame takes pride in its tradition of welcoming to campus U.S. presidents from both parties and with very different views. In that light, the invitation would certainly make sense and might be fruitful in unforeseen ways. God writes straight with crooked lines.

In the meantime, abortion is still with us. As thousands of Catholics and other prolife persons gather in Washington on January 27 and walk together in the annual March for Life, the time has never been better, nor the need more urgent, to pray for our country, to pray for the end of abortion, and to pray for a conversion in the hearts our leaders. Forty-four years after Roe, a reverence for the sanctity of human life still burns in the spirit of far too many people to ignore.

Today's The Day: Together We Step Out For THEM!

This Guy's Been Suspended - And With Good Reason!

Kellyanne Conway is a very well respected and skilled tactician and the first women in American history to successfully lead a campaign into the White House.

Have YOU Run Into Any Of THESE People Lately?

Here's a good one from our friend Matt Rooney at Save Jersey:

The holiday season is long over, Save Jerseyans. So are the inauguration/reorganization festivities.

That means it’s almost rubber chicken season. A dizzying array of local fundraisers, county conventions, Lincoln/Reagan Day dinners and other assorted political events are about to overload politicos’ calendars at each and every New Jersey Turnpike exit.

Events mean people. Lots of them.

And the characters you meet at this political events are unlike anything else on the planet.

Never been?

Here are the 10 types of people you’re likely to meet at a political event…

(1) The Perennial Candidate
Yup… he’s running for something this cycle. Again. In fact, if running campaigns equated to actual governing experience, this guy would trump George H. W. Bush in the “resume to lead” department. But of course he’s never won a darn thing, God bless his heart; the local chairman keeps him around because there’s always that town/district/seat that’s a throwaway and yeah, someone needs to fill the ballot hole, so the perennial candidate rides again… and probably next year, too…

(2) The Event Hopper
No one can figure out what the hell this guy or gal does. Maybe she bundles money? Or he used to be on a school board somewhere in that distant county you’ve never driven through? What we do know: they’ve got like 10 billion Facebook friends, have Kim Guadagno’s cell phone number, and show up at EVERY freakin’ GOP event in or outside of the state. The day after? Your Facebook news feed is littered with photos of them with EVERYONE. They’re political groupies more or less; the less annoying ones actually pay for admission.

(3) The Future Governor
He or she is hovering somewhere between age 14 and 24, living at home or on campus, and often still don’t “get the joke” (see the other 9 categories). It’s about #thecause! And that’s generally a good thing because every operation needs foot soldiers and no other normal human being has the time, patience, or motivation to make 500 phone calls in a single sitting fueled only by shitty pizza and the promise of a candidate selfie on the road to future greatness. His or her most likely career path? Getting a B.A. from Rutgers followed by a local council campaign or extended government externship… or maybe law school and sweet surrender.

(4) The Future Architect
The cousin of The Future Governor (#3 above) but a little different because his or her life goal isn’t to be the front man but the behind-the-scenes reincarnation of Lee Atwater. New Jersey’s Karl Rove! Their passion is volunteering for campaigns, reading Politico and perfecting palm card designs. Most likely future jobs? Political operative (in season) and bureaucrat (off season) or… law school.

(5) The Disinterested Donor
She’s a well-heeled friend of the candidate. He’s a special interest figure or local professional. They’re there to a write a check and have a few free drinks to wash down the handfuls of shrimp. Their attendance is obligatory, or borne out of a business interest, and are second only to the candidate in their desire to get the hell out of the room as soon as it’s politely possible.

(6) The Narrow Expert
Run for your life! This individual is a lobbyist, or a professional, or maybe even an “activist” who knows EVERYTHING about Random Issue #23. Their passion isn’t one of your leading interests? Too bad. Be prepared to discuss it with them for 30-45 minutes unless you’re adept at slipping away behind a large fern (something all politicos need to learn at some point).

(7) The (Political) Giver
Remember the book (later a movie) titled The Giver? In this case, he’s late middle aged and has been watching local/county politics for decades. Sometimes as a part-time operative of sorts, typically as a local official/school board or zoning board member for a period of time, and as a result of this life experience knows where ALL of the bodies are buried. Or at least he thinks so, but you’re a glutton for old war stories so you don’t really care if half of the anecdotes are manufactured.

(8) The Autopilot Politician
The man of the hour! And he desperately wants to go home (or wherever it is he goes after hours), but this is part of the job. He’s endorsing or collecting checks or offering a few words or whatever, so while the causal observer won’t pick up on it because he’s well-practiced at appearing on-task and simultaneously interested in your soliloquy about Agenda 21 or property taxes, veterans of these events know better. Shake, smile, and move….

(9) The Ancient Republican
GOP Yoda. She voted for Eisenhower and, despite her blue hair, she and her husband bleed red. They’ve been on county committee since Watergate, and both have some knowledge kicking around in there that’s worth sharing with the younger guns, but their #1 issue at the moment is the menu for the upcoming Lincoln Day Dinner. Last year’s chicken… waaaay too salty! And why does the music in the hall need to be so darn loud?

(10) The Crusty Operative
He’s been involved in every local race since before you were born, and he knows more about voter lists and even less about fashion. Or she is younger than you, but knows far more curse words than you, and has been involved in campaigns since birth and sincerely doesn’t remember a time before a political life. The Crusty Operative knows everything — and knows that you know nothing — but it’ll never come up because they’re not interested in talking to you. Ask them for a yard sign? Buzz off! Or expect a brief lecture on how useless they are. The Crusty Operative is far too busy strategizing, watching, planning, playing with a smart phone and running the event you’re attending… all at once. So it’s not all baseless pomposity.