Archive for August 27th, 2008
August 27th, 2008
I went tonight to Flinn Middle School for what was the most inspiring event to take place in a school in which a basketball trophy was not held high in the air by a victorious team.
Upwards of 2,000 people , mostly parents and students, turned out for a celebratory dinner and program thrown by the Sharefest volunteers led by Heartland Community Church. Some 3,500 volunteers from Heartland, three other churches, 43 corporate sponsors, unions, swarmed over Flinn, Ellen Stiles and East High School earlier this summer to paint, clean and improve those schools way beyond anything the school district could afford to do.
New Flinn Principal Todd France said he was overwhelmed by the turnout — he’d thought that maybe 50 or 60 people would show up. But the place was totally packed. Most of the people were students and parents from Flinn!
Volunteers from Heartland’s Men’s Fraternity cooked dinner for everyone, and every family received a gift bag of gift certificates, including one for $10 worth of gas from Road Ranger.
Superintendent Linda Hernandez, who reminded students to respect the 53=year old school’s new luster, and Mayor Larry Morrissey told the children that adults volunteered to fix up their school because they want students to have the best possible learning environment.
The celebration was an affirming statement as Rockford begins to reintroduce itself to its long-isolated school sytem. It wasn’t an anti-school system event, it wasn’t a take over, it was a mass realization that our children are the only future we’ve got, and we’d better take their learning environment seriously. We are all stakeholders in our children’s future.
Too often, that isolation has been pushed by some leaders in the evangelical and fundamentalist movements who demonize the public schools and urge parents to pull their children out of them in favor of home schooling.
Heartland seems to get it. They realize that these public schools belong to all of us, and that most children go to them, Christians and pagans alike. Sharefest speaks louder than any sermon could.
Christianity gained favor in the Roman world — even under Roman persecution –because people knew that the Christians would help them when nobody else would. People are tired of being lectured to and scolded by ministers. But as for the quiet labor of Sharefest? Now, folks were impressed by that. That kind of work does a lot more to spread the Gospel than all the fire and brimstone sermons you could fit in a shipping container.
August 27th, 2008
If anyone thought Bill Clinton might try to sabotage Obama — and I admit to thinking he might, I even wrote that in my column for Thursday — we were mistaken. Clinton delivered a much more powerful endorsement Wednesday than his wife Hillary did on Tuesday. And Bill, unlike Hill, said emphatically that Obama is ready to lead America and be commander in chief.
The convention’s momentum was a little sluggish on Monday and Tuesday, but it broke through the restrainment barrier Wednesday, just in time for people to get fired up for Thursday’s acceptance speech by Obama at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Joe Biden showed just how compelling a guy he really is, and his family story is truly inspiring, bouncing back from the double tragedy of losing both his wife and daughter in a car wreck, then helping his two sons recover, then almost not taking his newly-won Senate seat to care for them, and then, five years later, marrying Jill , the woman he’s still in love with 31 years later.
Biden was introduced by Beau Biden, one of his sons, who is the attorney general of Delaware and an Army captain who’s about to be shipped off to Iraq. I think Beau Biden has a bright career in politics ahead of him.
August 27th, 2008
The battle cry of the Democratic National Convention may be “Unity,” but the Illinois delegation is anyting but unified. Oh, they’re backing presidnetial candidate Barack Obama, but at the state level, the Rodney King question, “Can’t we all get along,” is usually answered with a resounding “NO.”
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. of Chicago told delegates a Wednesday’s breakfast caucus of Illinois delegates that if the state’s Democrats want to sell the unity theme about Obama, first they’ll have to get together on local and state issues, said Mary Tuite, an Obama delegate from Rockford, by phone from Denver.
To that end, Jackson invoked a series of hugs. Indeed, “There was hugging going on,” Tuite confirmed.
“ I don’t know all the challenges they have in the Chicago political scene. But (U.S. Rep.) Bobby Rush brought up some issues about being and eagle and trying to soar above the storm. He’s been sick with cancer.”
Also, Jackson, Jr., and Mayor Richard Daley hugged. The two have been at odds from time to time, and Jackson is a possible candidate for Chicago mayor in the future.
Jackson, Jr., also said he wouldn’t be satisfied until Governor Rod Blagojevich and (Illinois House Speaker) Mike Madigan hugged, Tuite said.
“Madigan walked over and hugged Blagojevich. They smiled and shook hands,” she said. Blagojevich and Madigan have been at odds over state budget and spending prioirities for years. Neither has had much good to say about the other.
“And then Jesse Jr. said we want a united party, and we’ve got solve our problems here in Illinois before we can ask other Democrats to unify behind Obama.”
Tuite didn’t say whether the group ended with a group hug and the singing of “Kum Bay Yah.” Probably not, though.
