From: Sheila A Crawford
To: "Heb.
roots" <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject: State Board of Education member barred from STW meeting
FYI to all
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: LZJOSHUA@aol.com
To: LZJOSHUA@aol.com
Subject: State Board of Education member barred from STW meeting
7/19/98
To all:
Ohio hosted a meeting in Cleveland sponsored by the National
School-to-Work Office, June 14-18, 1998. More than forty states sent
participants, including Ohio. Something very significant occurred on
the third day of this 5 day conference. Diana Fessler, an elected
member of our State Board of Education and a registered participant
to the conference, was told by the interim director of the National
School-to-Work Office that she was not permitted to attend key
strategy sessions. Below is the text of the letter sent by
Mrs. Fessler to the U.S.Secretaries of Education and Labor
summarizing the actions of several non-elected federal officials. Her
letter speaks to the significance of the incident. It is very
important that the issues embodied in this incident be brought to the
attention of the general public. I will be placing two editorials
on follow-up posts, both of which can be found on
Mrs. Fessler's website:
<A HREF="http://www.fessler.com">http://www.fessler.com>
</A>
I would encourage anyone to submit letters to the editor in your
own local community as well.
Respectfully,
Melanie Elsey
>
>
> [LETTERHEAD]
>
> June 22, 1998
>
> Deliver directly to:
> The Honorable Richard Riley
> Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education
> 400 Maryland Avenue, SW R.O.B. 6
> Washington, DC 20202
>
> Deliver directly to:
> The Honorable Alexis Herman
> Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor
> 200 Constitution Ave., NW
> Washington, DC 20210
>
> RE: Elected official barred from School-to-Work meetings
>
> Dear Secretaries Riley and Herman:
>
> I am a duly elected member of the Ohio State Board of Education (SBE)
> with approximately one million people residing in my district.
> Section 3301.07 (C) of the Ohio Revised Code directs the SBE to
> administer and supervise the allocation and distribution of all
> state and federal funds for public education in Ohio. Accordingly,
> I have an obligation to be fully informed regarding education
> matters affecting my constituents.
>
> Seeking to stay abreast of School-to-Work (STW), I made
> arrangements to attend a meeting sponsored by the National
> School-to-Work Office (NSTWO) on June 14-18, 1998, in Cleveland,
> Ohio. Forty-three states and Puerto Rico were represented. I was
> formally introduced and welcomed from the podium by Ohio's
> STW director, and I attended the Sunday through Tuesday morning sessions
> without incident.
>
> On Tuesday afternoon, Ivan Charner of the Academy of Educational
> Development (operator of the NSTWO's Learning Center) told me I
> could not attend his closed "strategy" meeting for the eight
> states that received first-round STW money. I find it incredible
> that those who claim that STW is good for kids, good for the
> economy, good for our nation, and worthy of replication find it
> necessary to conduct the public's business behind closed doors, and I
> told him so. A woman nearby said, "Well, the FBI meets behind closed
doors," and I
> thought to myself, "Good grief, this is worse than I thought; these
> people think a STW meeting is on par with an FBI operation."
>
> Mr. Charner referred me to Ms. Irene Lynn, Interim Director of the NSTWO.
> She confirmed that I was not welcome, saying: "It is just not an open
> meeting; it is a non-public meeting." I asked, "Who is paying for
> this meeting?" and she acknowledged that taxpayers were. I asked
> who decided to keep me out and she said that she had. I asked what
> the NSTWO was trying to hide, and she said it
> was just a "working meeting," and that government workers often get
> together for such meetings, and nothing was being hidden.
>
> These were not routine staff meetings. Participants had flown in from all
> across the country to meet in a swanky hotel, at taxpayer's expense, to
> identify and discuss "obstacles" that they face in moving the STW agenda
> forward and to develop "strategies" to overcome those
"obstacles."
>
> Ms. Lynn also told me that I could not attend the Communications Task
> Force meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. She said that legal
> counsel had already been sought to determine whether I could be
> barred from their meetings, and that the decision was in the
> affirmative. I asked, "What would happen if someone that you
> didn't want to be here simply walked in, took a seat, and
> silently observed the meeting?" She replied: "We would shorten the
> meeting."
>
> Ms. Lynn attributed the "problem" to my "not understanding STW"
and used
> the common, and offensive tactic of characterizing those who do not blindly
> embrace STW as being "misinformed" or "lacking in understanding."
When I
> pointed that out, Ms. Lynn corrected herself and acknowledged that the
> "problem" is philosophical in nature, not informational.
>
> It is no secret that I have serious reservations regarding the STW
> system. I have researched it extensively, and I have made that
> research available to my constituents via my web site -- to the
> chagrin of STW devotees who seek to
> hide the full scope of STW from the American people for as long as
> possible using whatever means necessary. Thus, they attempt to conduct the
> people's business behind closed doors, or only in the presence of the
Enlightened.
> This bureaucratic tyranny undermines rational, open disagreement -- the
> hallmark of civil liberty in the arena of government.
>
> To reaffirm that there was a concerted effort to bar me from the meeting,
> on Wednesday morning I entered the Communications Task Force meeting room
> and stood at the back of the room. Stephanie Powers, Director of
> Communication & Public Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary, U.S.
Department of
> Labor, Employment & Training Administration; and Peter Woolfolk, Special
> Assistant for Communications, Vocational and Adult Education, Office of the
> Assistant Secretary, U. S. Department of Education, insisted that I leave.
>
> One can only wonder what NSTWO was trying to accomplish by barring me
> from the meeting. One might reasonably conclude that the decision to oust me
was
> considered to be the lesser of two evils, i.e., the repercussions of
> doing so being less problematic than risking full disclosure of what took place
> during the meetings. I also found it troubling when Ms. Powers said that I need
> to understand that "Congress has provided for these business
meetings" --
> implying that Congress would approve closed-door STW meetings.
>
> Ms. Powers said that she knew that we did not agree on STW. As I told Ms.
> Powers, STW is not the issue -- it is whether the general public, through
> their elected representatives, have access to critical public information
> regarding the work being done to re-shape our schools, our economy, and
> our system of government. She had no reply. Knowing that the meeting would
> have been "shortened" had I stayed, I left the hotel, but there are
still
> questions that need to be answered:
>
> By what authority did Mr. Charner, Ms. Lynn, Ms. Powers, and Mr. Woolfolk
> bar me from the meetings?
>
> Why was it imperative that the public's business be conducted behind
> closed doors?
>
> And, if STW is indeed good for kids and essential for the good of the
> economy, why must the details be kept hidden from public scrutiny?
>
> NSTWO has yet to provide me with copies of Ohio's Urban/Rural
> Opportunities Grants, claiming that they cannot do so unless the grantees give
the
> NSTWO permission to do so. Any attempt to make the release of public records
> contingent on the one seeking the information first getting permission
> from the recipient of federal funds is absurd, but it does illustrate the
> extent to which your employees will go to restrict the flow of information.
> Therefore, pursuant to the FOI Act, please see that I get a copy of each Ohio
UROG
> grant including the budget narratives and appendices, as well as the following
> documents relevant to the June 14-18 STW meeting in Cleveland: the
> communication from legal counsel regarding closed-door meetings; all
> RFP's, SGA's, and contracts (including facilitation and technical assistance)
> with appendices and the budgets; a list of all disbursements including date,
> amount, vendor, and purpose; all notes taken by staff and "recorders";
> all overheads, handouts, background material, audio tapes, and videos, and
> candidate applications, including rJ sumJ s and appendices, of those
> applying for the position of Director of the NSTWO.
>
> This is not a letter of complaint; it is a declaration: your people are
> out of control. This letter also serves as formal notification that concealment
> of public information, unless required for national security, will not be
> tolerated. Furthermore, I am seeking legal counsel to determine if any
> state or federal laws have been broken regarding this matter.
>
> The purpose of government is to serve the interests of the people - not
> to develop legislative agendas, refine implementation strategies, and create
> marketing plans behind closed doors. Apologies from bureaucratic bullies
> who willfully prevented me from gathering the background information to
> enable me to carry out the duties of my office would be meaningless. Ms. Lynn,
Ms.
> Powers, Mr. Woolfolk, and Mr. Charner, should be fired and their
> positions filled by people who have a firm understanding of, and respect for,
how
> representative government is supposed to work.
>
> Please give this letter your prompt attention. I look forward to
> receiving your personal letter of reply.
>
> On behalf of my constituents,
>
> (signed)
> Diana M. Fessler
> Ohio State Board of Education -- Third District
> 7530 Ross Road
> New Carlisle, OH 45344
> 937-845-8428
> diana@fessler.com
> http://www.fessler.com
> cc:
> U.S. Senator Trent Lott
> U.S. Senator John Ashcroft
> U.S. Senator Michael DeWine
> U.S. Senator John Glenn
> Congressman Newt Gingrich
> Congressman Dick Armey
> Congressman Tom DeLay
> Congressman John Boehner
> Congressman Henry Hyde
> Congressman Peter Hoekstra
> Congressman Lindsey Graham
> Broadly distributed to interested parties
>
>
> Comments herein do not reflect the official policy of the state board
> unless specifically indicated.
>
************************************************************************
From: Rhonda Steiner
To:
heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Subject: JOKE: As the days of Noah ...
AS
THE DAYS OF NOAH ....
In Matthew 24:37 Yeshua/Jesus said:
"But as the days of Noah, were so shall the coming of the Son of man
be"
And the Lord spoke to Noah and said, "In six months I'm going to
make it rain until the whole Earth is covered with water and all the
evil people are destroyed. But I want to save a few good people, and
two of every kind of living thing on the planet. I am commanding you
to build an Ark."
And in a flash of lightning, He delivered the specifications for
an Ark. "Okay, said Noah, Trembling with fear and
fumbling with the blueprints.
"Six months, and it starts to rain," thundered the Lord. "You'd
better have the Ark completed, or learn to swim for a very long time."
Six months passed, the skies clouded up and rain began to fall.
The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard, weeping .. .And
there was no Ark.
"Noah" asked the Lord, "Where is the Ark?"
"Lord, please forgive me! begged Noah. I Did my
best. But there were big problems.
First, I had to get a building permit for the Ark construction
project, and your plans didn't meet codes. So I had to hire an
engineer to re-draw the plans. Then I got into a big fight over
whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system.
Then my neighbor objected, claiming I was
violating zoning by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to
gave a variance from the city planning commission. Then I had
problems getting enough wood for the Ark, because there was a ban
on cutting trees to save the Spotted Owl.
I had to convince the U.S. Fish and Wildlife that I need the wood to
save the Owls. But they wouldn't let me catch any owls. So, no owls.
The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to
negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board
before anyone would pick up a saw or hammer. Now we have sixteen
carpenters going on the boat, and still no owls. then I started
gathering up animals, and got sued by an animal rights group.
They objected to me taking only two of each kind. Just when I got
the suit dismissed, EPA notified me that I couldn't complete the Ark
without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed
flood. They didn't take kindly to the idea that they had no
jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.
Then the Army Corps of Engineers wanted a map of the
proposed new flood plain. I sent them a globe. Right now, I'm still
trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission over how many Croatians I'm supposed to hire.
The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to avoid paying
taxes by leaving the country, and I just got a notice from the state
about owing them some kind of use tax. I really don't think I can finish
the Ark for at least another five years. "
Noah wailed. The sky began to clear. the sun began to shine. A
rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up and smiled.
"You mean you're not going to destroy the
Earth?", Noah asked hopefully.
"No," said the Lord sadly. "The government already has."
************************************************************************
"The blueprints you gave me didn't meet the city's code and I
had to change them. Then the city said I was violating the
zoning ordinance by building an ark in my front yard, so I had
to get a varience..
"The Forest Service required tree-cutting permits, and I was
sued by a state animal rights group when I tried to gather up
the animals.
"The EPA required an environmental impact statement concerning
the flood. the Army Corps of Engineers wanted a map of the
proposed flood plain.
"The IRS seized all my assets, claiming I was trying to avoid
paying taxes by leaving the country, and the Equal Opportunity
Commission said I wasn't hiring enough Croatians.
"I'm sorry, Lord, but I can't finish the ark for at least five
years."
Suddenly the rain stopped, the skies cleared and the sun began
to shine.
Noah looked up and said, "Lord, does this mean you're not
going to devastate the earth?"
"Right," said the Lord. "The government already has."
**************************************************************************