March 9, 2007 7:21 AM
Loudoun County News and why everyone just might be more than a little interested in what's going on where I live
MommyLife entries are now coming up in the top 10 Google results for Leesburg Today and Mainstream Loudoun.
I am excited about that because it means that we are no longer at the mercy of a biased press in Loudoun County.
I understand that most of my readership comes from all over the place - I have readers from every continent and countries whose names send me to an atlas to learn more about them. That's because we all have something in common: wanting the best for our children. And most of MommyLife is - and will remain devoted to that.
However, begging the understanding from readers who may not be interested in Loudoun County news (you can just bypass them - I almost always write more than once a day :), I intend to use this forum to bring information to the attention of truly mainstream parents who might otherwise remain oblivious to the forces working to undermine what you are working so hard to accomplish with your family and your children.
As some have realized, the conflicts we are going through in Loudoun can be very instructive for concerned parents in any community. What I am seeing happening now in Loudoun is very reminiscent of what began happening 30 years ago in California and which Marin County (where I lived for 22 years after 8 years in San Francisco) was on the cutting edge of when parents began dealing with surprise assemblies by traveling theater troupes which sent third graders home asking what the word "faggot" meant and whether it was true that it didn't matter whether they married a girl or a boy - or if they got married at all.
Those of you who wonder at my passion for dealing with the events surrounding Deltano's abstinence assemblies, Mainstream Loudoun's virulent resistance, and Leesburg Today's refusal to print letters to the editor by anyone other than that small handful of Christophobes (hey, I think I coined a new word!) may begin to understand where I'm coming from as I go back and tell the story of what has unfolded in California while mainstream parents (and when I say mainstream parents, I mean mainstream parents - why let Mainstream Loudoun co-opt the language to misrepresent who they really are?) were too busy raising their children to notice what was going on behind the scenes.
Ah, but that was back before the Internet! And the beauty of the Internet is that everything can be out in the open. John Edwards can sanctimoniously preach to us about greed while going home (which one) to enjoy his own. Al Gore and a host of movie stars can berate us about over-consumption while using twenty times the power of a normal home. (For a funny commentary, see Jim Shea's column in the Sacramento Bee)
So, all you readers in Rockford, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri and Atascadero, California Listen Up!! This news from Loudoun might not be as irrelevant to you as you think. It may be that you have a Mainstream Wherever with 18 members or so trying their darndest to keep pornography on your public library computers and abstinence presentations out of your public schools.
It may be that you have another group like Equality Loudoun that will start showing up at the Fourth of July Parade to advertise the gay lifestyle. I'm not being intolerant or homophobic, but I hardly think the Fourth of July, when we celebrate E Pluribus Unum (From Many, One) - the motto that Mainstream Loudoun somehow thought was the antithesis to In God We Trust - is the time for us to parade our political agendas. What would they think if Pro-Life groups or Catholic groups bearing statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary marched in our little local Fourth of July parade? It's just weird and inappropriate.
But I digress - and I'm supposed to be somewhere in 90 minutes to share my life story and encouragement with a group of moms.
So I'll cut to the chase: If you don't want to read Loudoun news, skip it - I will continue to post mostly on motherhood. But if you think there may be lessons here for you - if you believe that part of your responsibility toward your children is to safeguard their future - then do continue to read the cautionary tale which will be unfolding here.
Those of you who live in Loudoun, please pass the word on to your friends, neighbors and church directories that there is a place with alternative news. You can always click Categories above and then click Loudoun County to find everything I've ever written on Loudoun.
And you can send me any news tips you want. I'm putting my next book on the back burner for a while to make a difference here in my own community.
But don't worry: Motherhood stays front burner, as always :)
Posted in Current Affairs, Loudoun County | Permalink
Comments
This is of interest to those of us who live elsewhere because this sort of attack on our children invades all of our communities. But I have noticed that citizens bravely speaking out can make a difference, especially when we show unflinching convictions.
Posted by: elena maria vidal | March 9, 2007 9:47 AM
Just a small correction from one of your Catholic readers, it is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the IMMACULATE Heart of Mary (not sacred). We believe Mary was conceived without Original Sin, hence the term Immaculate. Not a big deal, just thought you'd like to know. And you are right, it would be just plain strange to see those things in a Fourth of July Parade. Keep up the good work, thank-you.
Posted by: Carolyn | March 9, 2007 10:58 AM
You go girl! Keep on writing about whatever you want to write about, it IS after all YOUR own blog! And plus, I love it, it revs this little mommy up!! :) ~B
Posted by: B | March 9, 2007 12:58 PM
I appreciate your spreading the word of what's going on and it is relevant to those of us in the middle of the country and, if you don't mind, I will be taking and using your word "christophobic" (and of course, giving you the credit).
Posted by: Barb | March 9, 2007 2:24 PM
Hey Barbara - I read your words regarding your own locale with great interest. Thank you for writing about the issues at hand.
I have heard the word Christophobe or Christophobic before. Not sure where - but it is a good word! :)
Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Holly | March 9, 2007 3:14 PM
Barbara - I absolutely hope you keep blogging about this. Mommies are busy and it is hard to be aware and involved in what goes on in our communities, but it is so neccessary. It's just one of those important things that we must make time for. You're being an excellent role model for those of us who have been out of the loop in our own communities for awhile.
Posted by: Shannon Miller | March 9, 2007 3:45 PM
Thanks everyone!
Holly - you are right - I just did a quick Google and saw many references to Christophobia. I say we start using the word everywhere we see evidence of it!! I will write more about it later after researching where it originated - but am home for a quick pit stop between my morning speaking engagement, afternoon kids' doctor appointments, and finally, kids' plays tonight. If anyone else wants to write a piece and research, I'll publish it or link to your blog. Let me know!!
I'm excited about this new freedom to address these issues publicly!!! (can you tell?)
Posted by: barbara | March 9, 2007 5:33 PM
Barbara - I'm glad I found your blog. Thank you for speaking outside the box. You are so right about our lives being more than diapers and dinner. I homeschool my kids for some of the reasons you name about Loudoun's school system. I have been asked why do I homeschool when I live in a county with such a fine school system. Your blog says it better than I can. I love the community here. It is a great place to live.
Keep the fires burning,
Becky
Posted by: Becky | March 10, 2007 7:51 AM
