Educating Our Children in California

[eisely]

The following piece was lifted from sfgate.com. It has nothing to do with scouting, but speaks volumes about political trends and what we are up against. That our "moderate democrat" governor would even consider such an appointment is an outrage.

 

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Davis' education appointee has sideline in racy videos

 

Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross Wednesday, August 29, 2001

 

 

Gov. Gray Davis' opponents have been dig, dig, digging around on the background of some of his appointees -- and they've turned up one of those "gotchas" on Reed Hastings, the governor's handpicked president of the state Board of Education.

 

It turns out that the Silicon Valley tycoon's latest venture -- an online movie rental site called Netflix -- offers some rather racy titles on its racks . . . such as the soft-core gay porn releases "Barely Legal," "Mad About the Boy" and "Boy 2: Boys at Play."

 

(The last one is billed as "eight of Slovakia's most desirable males in an erotic fantasy spectacular.")

 

Now, while there is no evidence that any of the "boys" shown in these films actually are minors, Davis foes wonder just how the president of the state Board of Education profiting from the sale of soft-core porn -- particularly when it hints at young love -- would play around the state.

 

"You're from San Francisco, so it may not seem like a big deal to you," a GOP operative says, "but you have to question what kind of example it sets for the head of the school board to be making money off a video called 'Barely Legal.' "

 

Hastings' reaction? "As everyone knows, I have been very active in fighting the good fight on behalf of California schoolchildren to ensure they get the quality education they're entitled to. And if that makes me the target of this kind of partisan attack, then that's the price I'm willing to pay."

 

Hastings says he has no intention of pulling any of the titles -- saying that what he offers is no different from what customers can get from, say, Amazon.

 

Besides, to be fair, one of the other titles was "College Boys," so at least somebody's thinking about higher education.

 

 

 

[Rooster7]

It is a sad commentary. Sadder still is the number of folks who are willing to defend it and the appointee.