i've got the menus right here
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/28/2019 I've Got the Menus Right Here
1/1
Thirty-eight years ago
next month I was blessed
enough to have Kathy
Jessup agree to marry me. I
made the best decision I
ever could have made that
day. I wont force her to
take the 5th by asking HERthat question though! Back
then there was only one
combination of folks who
could walk up to that alter,
or into town hall to get
hitched; i t was a man and a
woman. And to me, thats
always been what marriage
is about.
Im not preaching but
simply stating, in the Book
of Exodus the word mar-
r iage is used 19 t imesas I
recall. Im by no stretch of
the imagination a Biblical
scholar, and certainly no
theologian, but in my mind
marriage has always beena religious sacrament, term,
ceremony and life commit-
ment. If you were going to
an Elvis impersonator in
Vegas to perform the cere-
mony at the Chapel of the
Blue Suede Shoes, that was-
nt (in my mind) a marriage.
The Supreme Courts
(partial) decision allowing
same-sex marriage in
California should never
have been in the court sys-
tem or city hall to begin
with. The very reason our
great nation exists is reli-
gious freedom and avoiding
governmental pronounce-
ment of
how our religion should, or
should not be practiced. In
my eyes the debate over this
issue is a shining example
of lawmakers and the courts
treading where they have no
business.
When two individuals
form a union, or a life con-
tract, thats what the license
should have always been
called; a contract. It should
not be a marriage license. A
marriage, or religious union,
is something handled withthe two folks involved, their
religious leader and their
deity. If two men, two
women, a man and a woman
choose to get married that
has to be worked out spiri-
tually and not with the state.
Theycan then call i t any-
thing they want. From a
legal standpoint they have
their contract, but the term
marriage is separate from
that.
Ive already stated that
the God Kathy and I wor-
ship tells us that unique reli-
gious bond called marriage
is between one man and one
woman. I know others
believe its between two
men or two women in their
cases. And since Im not the
Creator of the Universe I
cant, and wont judge what
those individuals do or call
their relationship. I have ahard enough time keeping
my own walk on the straight
and narrow.
So the bottom line is,
from a state (legal) position
I dont believe any union
should be called a marriage.
From a religious perspec-
tive, that isnt up to me; or
any other human being to
decide. Its really all so sim-
ple. Why didnt they just
ask me in the firs t place?
Mike Scinto is a 37 year
veteran talk show host serv-
ing locally, statewide and
nationally behind the micro-
phone. For the past dozenyears he has authored this
award-winning column. You
may have also seen him
offering his unique insights
of Fox News Channel.
Friend Mike at
http://www.facebook.com/mi
kescintoshow or visit
http://mikescintocolumns.bl
ogspot.com
Does marriage even belong in government?
Mike
Scinto
Times
columnist
4 Thursday, July 11, 2013
Springboro Sun
OPINIONCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
- The First Amendment to the United States Constitution
1836 West Park Square, Xenia, OH 45385 - 937-294-7000
www.SpringboroSun.com
. .ong
To contact the Springboro Suncall the extensions or
numbers listed below.
TREVOR COLLINS
Group Publisher, Ext. 101
DOUG SKINNER
Editor, Ext. 155
BILL DUFFIELD
Managing Editor, Ext. 135
LINDA SKINNER
Business Manager,Ext. 157
ADVERTISING POLICYNo responsibility is assumed by the publisher for
omission or errors occurring in advertisements, but
correction will be made in the next issue following
when attention is directed to them. We reserve the right
to edit, cancel or decline any advertisement without
notice.JOYCE KIRBY
Advertising, Ext. 173
TAMMY TOOTLE
Classified Advertising Director
866-212-7355 or 937-372-4444 press 2
CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICECirculation department hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday.Call 937-294-7000.
Home delivery
Year - $40, 26 Weeks - $2413 Weeks EZ Pay - $10
*EZ Pay is automatic withdraw from
credit or debit card. Minimum of 3 months.
Yearly mail out of county - $50Yearly online only - $20Monthly online - $3
Community News Group of Dayton,a division of Civitas Media, LLC
Copyright 2013, all rights reserved
Published every Thursday 52 weeks a year.
Periodicals postage paid at Dayton, Ohio. Postmaster:
Send address changes to Xenia Gazette, 1836 W. Park
Square, Xenia, Ohio 45385.
The publisher shall not be liable for damages out of
errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for
space actually occupied by that portion of the advertise-
ment in which the error occurs, and there shall be no lia-
bility for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the
amount paid in advance for such advertisement.
This newspaper is environmentally
friendly. It is printed in recycled fibers
and soy-based inks, with the excep-
tion of some supplements.
Im looking at the Menu, really hun-
gry for some great entertainment. Lets
see, this looks good under Main
C ou rs es Ti m G ol dr ai ner o n l ea d
vocals, Brandon Ryan on drums, Jimi
Orwig on keyboards, Steve Chodi lead
gui tar and Adam Scovanner on base
guitar. Sounds like one awesome enter-
tainment value.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the
incomparable, unbelievable and never
down to earth Menus arrive at North
Park next Tuesday for a concert youll
being telling your grand children about.
Whats Tim wearing this year? Does his
skate board need new trucks? Will he
toss you a puppy, a stuffed all igator or
one of his famed skirts?Youll find the
answer to these questionsand more next
Tuesday night at North Park in
Springboro when The Menus return
for an encore performance of last years
o ut st an di ng v is it . H avi ng j us t p er -
formed at Put-In-Bay, where the crowd
is sti ll trying to recover and their per-
formance a t the Hol lywood Cas ino,
where they put the Holly back in wood,
or was that Tims skateboard they were
talking about? Th is band is abso lu te
FUN. Tim Goldrainer, the maestro of
the Menus,, started entertaining when
he was a youngster at his local swim
club. Garbed in a green Speedo , he d
grab the microphone in the snack shop
and ser enade the s unba thers wit h a
medley of his favorite songs. At 13, he
a tt en de d t he C in ci nn at i S cho ol f or Creative and PerformingArts, and thats
when he made the decision that being a
doctor/attorney/engineer were com-
pletely out of the question. Bottom line,
Tims been a wild and crazy entertainer
since birth.
Therell be a 15-minute intermission
at 8 p.m., allowing everyone to stretchtheir legs, hit the Rotary Clubs refresh-
ment stand, do some serious texting,
answer emails and make return phone
calls . This is a free concert sponsored
by the city of Springboro. Get the word
out now, next Tuesday, The Menus .at
North Park. Its gonna be HUGE!
This coming Saturday, July 13, its an
amazing sidewalk sale on south Main
Street in Springboro, where merchants
will be offering close outs, 50 percent
off deals and a lot more. And this is
real ly cool: If youre not l ocat ed on
South Main Street or are a non-profit
and would like a table along South
Main Street for the day to sell your
products /servi ces, contact Janet Bawa
a t S imple Heart s 937-550-4913 and shell get you set up. And theres more.
In the f ield next to the Chamber of
Commerce, off ice it will be a South
Main garage sale, where you can rent a
table for the day. Call Janet and shell
get you the details and set up. The event
starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.
Dont bea secretagent, get the wordout
on Facebook. This Saturday is the day
to be in downtown (Historic Distr ic t)
Springboro.
Next Wednesd ay nigh t at
H ea the rwo od e G ol f C lu b, i ts yo ur
favorite music from the 60s thru today
while you enjoy their summer
Wednesday nights Party on the Patio.
Great food, refreshments and the ambi-
ence is spectacular. Come meet your
friends grab a tabl e and chill . Your
emcee? Its me again. And remember,
Heatherwoode is owned by the city of
Springboro and is open to everyone.
If you have an event coming up
where you need a mus ic host , emcee,
master of ceremonies please drop me a
note at: don-
[email protected]. I still have
several openings available this year and
would love to emcee your event. Ill be
at Lowes in Springf ield on Aug. 20,
doing a promotion for the ir sale and
installation of Trane heating and cool-
ing systems installed by Extreme One
Hours Heating and Cooling, giving
away gas cards and other great goodies
when you answer my difficult questions
like: I need the last name of the Wright
Brothers. (People get this wrong all the
time). Its too easy, I guess. I give them
easier questions and three chances to
win before I say Breathe in and out.Yes, youre a winner. Questions can be
confusing to some people.
C on ta ct m e a ny ti me h ere a t:
Ive got the Menus right hereMERGE WRIGHT
B
y Don Wr
ight
Times
Columnist
Editors Note: Following is an open letter written to the
Springboro Board of Education by Lainie Chrisman and
Alexander Menrisky, both 2008 Springboro High School
graduates. It was signed by almost 100 SHS alumni and is
being run as a guest column.
We are respectfully addressing you today as alumni of the
Springboro Community Schools. As members of the educational
community ourselves, we are frankly, incredibly concerned. More
importantly, as young adults entering the age at which we might
welcome children of our own or, indeed, are already beginning
families we must say that we would not feel comfortable plac-
ing our children in your district.
We first formally request, for the Springboro taxpayers (many
of us among them), the formation of a citizen advisory commit-
tee (as per Springboro Community Schools Bylaws and Policies
9140) and/or special town hall board meeting to specifically
address community concerns regarding proposed additions to or
changes in curriculum involving the influence of special interest
organizations such as the Institute for the Constitution, and the
districts relationship with its teachers and staff.
We thought originally that we might address the glaring legal
and political issues implicit in your decisions, but many fantastic
legal and critical arguments have already been made by indi-
viduals and organizations such as the ACLU and largely
ignored. Additionally, this is more than a political issue. While it
is our opinion that recent board decisions, policies and publicity
regarding our teachers and our curriculum are inexcusable in
themselves, we feel that these problems are symptomatic of a
much deeper representational concern. We are concerned that you
have subordinated the needs of your students and community to
the partisan desires of individual board members.
Your actions have had the startling effect of creating a united
community Springboro has perhaps never seen before. Listen to
that unity. Remember that you work for the community not the
other way around. It is the teachers job to educate and select
material through your partnership. Your job is to facilitate that
education and the bond among school, population and state, not
to serve your special interests. You are not elected to force yourown opinions. Your offices exist as do all public positions
to represent the needs of your constituents. That is the meaning of
democracy. The needs of our students are not served by your
choices. Neither are the wishes of our parents. And your decisions
and the way in which you have made and defended several of
them reflect poorly on all of us, from the youngest preschool-
er to the oldest citizen.
There have been issues with our school board in the past, but
our contemporary disputes are especially important for two rea-
sons: the unprecedented community response, and the media
attention. The district has been in the national spotlight for years.
We have long been recognized for our successes not just aca-
demic and athletic renown, but phenomenal faculty and the val-
ues of hard work, intellectual curiosity and community strength
our schools have historically engendered. As a few examples, we
have consistently carried an abnormally high number of National
Merit finalists, earned millions of dollars in scholarship with each
graduating class and led the nation in public education in a vari-ety of surveys and studies.
We have moved from national to international recognition (we
assume you, as well, are familiar with The Huffington Post). Our
renown has skyrocketed, but not for the reasons listed above.
While you may not find this recent celebrity embarrassing, we do,
as much of the community does. Springboro is no longer a nation-
al paragon. We are an international laughingstock. Your decisions
eclipse the things for which Springboro, only a few short years
ago, was revered and proud. The board has moved beyond betray-
ing our teachers, forgetting our children and disrespecting our
parents. You have offended and, worse, implicated the entire com-
munity.
Teachers and administrators we grew to respect and love not
only phenomenal instructors, but moral compasses, models of
behavior have been disrespected and forced out. Educators are
leaving in droves, which raises a scarlet warning flag for other tal-
ented teachers on the job market. Certain members of the commu-
nity have already moved away because they fear what we all do:
that as more teachers leave, and as our reputation tarnishes, fewer
people will move here, less business will follow, more people will
move. A slippery slope it might be, but an uncomfortably present
one.
Despite the protests of your constituents, you continue to
ignore constructive and legal criticism of proposed policies and
agendas at board meetings and through electronic communica-
tion. These protests come from people who are not only neighbors
and friends, but people who pay you, who expect you to make
decisions that reflect contemporary educational standards and the
communitys values and cares. The individuals who attend your
board meetings have felt themselves consistently disrespected and
ignored. The point of allowing the community to speak is so that
you might hear it and represent it, not dictate illegal policies to it.
The intention of this letter is to demonstrate that a significant
portion of the alumni population does not support recent deci-
sions by the school board. Constructive legal arguments have
already been made by others and subsequently ignored. We are
not making policy recommendations. We are not demanding res-ignations. What we demand is that the board please respect and
integrate the wishes of its constituency and act within the law.
What we request is the greater inclusion of the community in
school policy and curriculum through the formation of a citizen
advisory committee or organization of a special board meeting in
which these topics may explicitly be addressed. We aim to illus-
trate, above all, the dissatisfaction of many of Springboros grad-
uates.
We believe that you do what you legitimately think is right
but from neither an educational nor a community perspective. We
understand also that you are not required to grant our requests
but remember that election season quickly approaches, and one
way or another these issues will be solved democratically. We
encourage you to hear your community, change your policy and
prove us wrong.
The publicity of several recent and illegal decisions has
obscured our districts achievements, our teachers talents and our
students accomplishments everything that makes SpringboroSpringboro. We would like to be able to list our alma mater at the
head of our resumes, like many alumni before us, without being
read as fanatical or flippant toward community, citizenship and,
most importantly, education and the future of our children. We
urge you to listen to your neighbors and your friends. We encour-
age you to heed the words not only of alumni, but of fellow edu-
cators and Springboro citizens. And remember, above all, that we
came from this school, and we will do what we can to protect it.
Signed in support by nearly 100 Springboro alumni, over 13
years. Some remain in the community, some have moved away;
some were National Merit finalists, others class presidents; some
are Republican, some Democrat; some do not necessarily agree
with this letter in its totality, some believe it too conservative. But
all believe the board has not remained true to its promise to rec-
ognize the value to school governance of resident and employee
comment on educational issues and the importance of encourag-
ing members to express themselves on school matters of com-
munity interest. (0169.1):
SHS alumniexpress opinions