A handful of you may remember my
previous diary from a few weeks back, wherein I railed against the pinheaded pants-wetters populating our local school board. For those that don't, the gist was that the Lee County (Florida) school board was prohibiting the Ft. Myers High School marching band from accepting an invitation to march in the London (UK) New Year's Day Parade, citing fears of terrorism in the wake of the July, 2005, Underground bombings.
Today brings a followup:
Locals reject London offer
Publicist plans to blast Lee school district
flip for more...
The link to the complete story from the Ft. Myers
News-Press.
The gist: the school board superintendent and extracurricular activities coordinator refused an all-expenses paid trip to London to meet with the parade organizers and review the security procedures. The parade's publicist plans to issue a "harsh statement" critical of the board's intransigence.
The snippets (with snide asides™):
The school was one of about 20 U.S. bands invited to march in the Jan. 1 parade. But district administration rejected the invite based on lingering concerns from last summer's London subway and bus bombings, which killed 52 people. High-ranking government officials there have joined the charge to squash any fears about terrorism, and are pushing to keep Fort Myers High in the parade.
"We're fighting for the integrity of London," said Robert Bone, the parade's executive director."We will not let this slide."
Good for them.
Bone offered to fly Lee County School District Superintendent James Browder and high school consultant Herb Wiseman to London, showing them around the city while reviewing safety precautions. Wiseman said he didn't have time to visit; Browder did not return telephone calls from The News-Press.
No time, eh? This from a board whose members and administrative staff, according to a story earlier this week, managed to rack up half a million dollars in hotel bills alone for "district related travel" (heh heh) last year. Bein' on a school board must be hawwwrd work!
"People in London are going to say 'If America isn't going to support us, why should we support them?' " said Brian Horton, who lives in England and owns a timeshare condominium on Fort Myers Beach.
You old-Euro weenies and your facts. Don't you know America will never give you pinkos veto power over our national security?
Last year, Lee County welcomed 199,332 European visitors, of which 87,857 hailed from the United Kingdom. The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau, which has an office in London, still is wholeheartedly encouraging Southwest Floridians to travel in Europe, and London in particular.
Uh oh, looks like the pot and kettle just got together, and they're calling one another black! Expect all manner of collateral stories about the rash of European tourists getting killed in Florida, circa 1995.
"Wherever you go, there can be certain dangers; you just have to take precautions," Lee VCB communications director Nancy Hamilton said. "We hope this does not bring a negative reaction, but it could. We'll certainly monitor it."
In other words, Dr. Browder, those marked by the Sign of the Dollar are watching you, and if your grandstanding touches their wallets in the least, you will be disappeared with breathtaking speed.
The BGK blather:
I have nothing profound to add, other than it really does sadden me that yet again the power-mad pipsqueaks perpetually populating our elected offices are poised yet again to bring a shower of scorn and ridicule down on our heads, this time from a worldwide audience. (Note to Repubs who suddenly realize they've elected a bunch of meatheads: this is what "getting the government you deserve" means) This could've been kept a local story, one that long-timers like yrs. trly. laugh about drunkenly when the subject turns to local politics. Instead, it we yet another sad instance that makes truthful the charicature of Americans in the age of Dubya. This is everything that's wrong with the theo-con paternalists in a nutshell: you have to be afraid, we're the only ones that can protect you, and, dammit, don't you question our judgement!
If there is anything heartening in this story, it's that the reports from the first story of parents and students meekly going along with this decision are proving to be wholly false. The students are mad, the parents are mad, and if the public commentary by News-Press readers is any indication (and from what I know, it is) public backlash has a real potential to move the board on this issue.