Purposeful living

Often there is confusion or controversy about what is right and wrong when it comes to teaching youth about sex, and about promoting abstinence until marriage as the expected standard for youth.
However, when you think about it from a God-centered perspective, it is clear. Genesis 1:28 says that one should "Be fruitful, and multiply, and ...have dominion". Many equate being "fruitful" and "multiplying" as being the same, but that is not the case. Being fruitful means fulfilling your God-given potential and purpose. This is the stage where youth and young adults should develop their heart and spiritual self, learning to love and serve others. It is good for youth to focus on causes greater than their own self-interest. Relationships between boys and girls should be brotherly and sisterly, and should not involve romantic relationships.
During the second phase, which is "multiply", each person should resemble God, who has both male and female attributes, by forming a family. Since this will enable that couple to resemble God's complete image, the sexual union within marriage is a sacred union. It is not an exaggeration to say that God wants to bless that union, and that under His blessing, He wants to dwell in that very relationship, where the couples' love will bear fruit and where life and lineage can be created.
Since a man and a woman are resembling God through the sexual relationship (or should be!), it is a sacred union, one that should not be consummated outside the confines of marriage.
With this understanding, we can realize that anything that keeps youth from moving toward the purpose for which God created us (to grow as individuals in our relationship with God, resemble Him in families, and take care of the Creation) is wrong.
So should we be giving HPV vaccine to 11 year old girls. Of course not!. Should we be promoting same sex relationships to the same age group. Of course not! Should we be telling youth that sexual relationships are normal, just use a condom! Of course not!
From the above spiritual perspective, it is no surprise that sex outsie of marriage carries serious physical, emotional and social, as well as spiritual consequences.

Advertising nude models in Civic Newsletter

In the September issue of The Buzz, it is advertised that jewelry in an exhibit at Evolve Galleries will be displayed on nude models during the opening reception. While Evolve galleries is certainly free to hold this event, it is wrong to advertise it for free in "North Lincoln Park's Neighborhood Newsletter", which is distributed each month to over 1000 homes in the North Lincoln Park area.

This is another example of an "anything goes" attitude toward moral and family issues. It is interesting to note that Elizabeth Nelson of The Buzz editorial team is one of the persons who was on an Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC)6A committee that recommended that ULTRA Teen Choice, an organization that promotes sexual abstinence and preparation for marriage, not receive any funding from the ANC, except for xerox copies (that, too, was ultimately denied).

Loose Numbers

According to a USA Today article , more than half of all high school girls have been exposed to the HPV virus before they graduate. This is supposed to justify giving 11 and 12 year old girls HPV vaccine shots manufactured by Merck. However, according tot he youth risk behavior surveillance system, 54% of high school females have never had sexual intercourse. So that means that more than 100% of all sexually active high school females have HPV. But the actual figure is 25 percent among 14 to 19 year old females. So much for medical accuracy.

More than half of girls have been exposed to HPV by the time they finish high
school, says Carol Baker, professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine
and a member of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

How did she come up with that figure? Could she have some connection to the Merck company?

Wouldn't it make more sense to strongly promote sexual abstinence for teenagers, especially 11 and 12 year olds. How about spending $375 per student (or most likely a lot less) to educate youth on the benefits of staying sexually abstinent? In Washington, DC, each child born to a mother 17 years old and younger costs tax payers $5791 per year, not including the costs associated with care for the mother, and that is a conservative estimate.

Michelle Rhee pushes agendas instead of helping youth

The attempt to influence teachers to give up tenure by hiring some teachers to lobby is another example of how The Fenty/Rhee administration puts agendas before student, parent, teacher and citizen well being. In my role as the director of a nonprofit that was operating at Eastern Senior High School and several other DC Public Schools, I can attest to the pressure and manipulation that was put on teachers who have served the school system for many years. I personally know of four teachers who retired just this past year. One did not bother to finish the school year. After 25 years of teaching, he was fed up with unruly classrooms and lack of support from the school administration. Another teacher worked heroically to help 10th grade students who were reading at fifth grade level. She was subjected to repeated "evaluations", and has also retired. Another teacher had a stoke and recovered. She too had served students for over 25 years, and has also retired.
Why does Ms Rhee want to fire, retire or otherwise push out so many teachers. Could she be pushing other agendas than the welfare of the youth.
Yes, definitely. One such agenda is getting rid of older, tenured teachers to make way for younger teachers (read New Teacher Project, Ms. Rhee's former organization) who are more comfortable promoting "diversity" (read promotion of normalization of same sex relationships for youth starting in 6th grade). Could there also be a bias toward teachers who may display more inclination to partner with faith based organizations in the community? That is a possibility, too.
Ms. Rhee lied repeatedly in kicking the ULTRA Teen Choice program out of DC Public Schools, while her staff had stated back in December that the real reason was that they do not agree with programs that promote abstinence and waiting to have sex until marriage, but do not specifically include discussion of same sex relationships.