A friend in Needville sent it to me. I found the “could possibly be a misquote” part to be ironically funny. 

Kenney was on CNN today for a short live interview. He was nervous but I think he did pretty well. We were stuck in traffic and almost didn't make it to the studio on time. The second he walked in they threw a microphone and earpiece onto him and started the interview. I guess that means our little problem is national news now.

 After some discussion, we've decided to limit how much more Adriel will appear in the news. The last few weeks have been very disruptive for him and we feel its time for him to get back to being a regular little boy. I assume that the news interest will die down for a bit while we get ready for the next step anyway. We picked up the keys to our new house today but there is still no power or water hooked up yet.

 We walked through the house today with our home salesman for an inspection. Its so much nicer than we expected and Adriel had a wonderful time deciding which bedroom to pick for his own. He chose one that had a better view of the horse pasture so he can keep an eye on Nipper (his pony) from his window.

 We're going mailbox shopping in the morning and probably picking out paint and a new clothes dryer. Our old one is gas and the new house is all electric. I hope to do some grid-tied solar panels in the near future to help cut down on our electricity bills.  I guess those folks calling us "hippies" had no idea how right they are.

Since no matter what we do or say, somehow the facts get scrambled I decided to point out a few things that have been said that are not true.

Kenney is not now nor has he ever been a Baptist. Nothing against Baptists but for some reason Mr. Rhodes stated that he was to the press and it keeps getting repeated. Once again, Kenney is not Baptist.

Kenney is Native American  and we do have DNA test results to back that up. No, he does not have any government issued cards saying he is Native. He prefers not to be registered since that is what is done to animals. The other surviving group of  minorities to be issued numbers don’t like to be asked about that either. Got it? Good.

Once more, repeat it with me now anyone can adopt any religion they want to without being born into it. Its called the land of the free for a fucking reason.

Put on your foil hats kids, this is gonna be a good one.

We have requested that it be open.

http://www.boardbook.org/apps/bbv2/public/index.cfm?memberkey=0079906

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. Ours was filled with a meeting,  fireworks fun, interesting mail correspondance and a photo shoot collaboration. Next weekend will be busy too with a birthday party/concert on Friday, hubby’s birthday party on Saturday and another photoshoot on Sunday. If everything goes well, somewhere in there our house should be ready for move-in.

I have 4 corsets, 2 dresses and various costume components to work on for stuff coming up in the next several days. I am very tired and need a nap.

Graphic courtesy of Karen’s Whimsy  http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images 

 Anyway, here is the link to the interview and a short article to go with it.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6239670

This time Mr. Rhodes appeared in the story. It was interesting to see how his story has changed a bit since our conversations. Now according to him and the Channel 13 interview “exceptions are made for religion, but Adriel’s parents have yet to provide proof of their beliefs”.

Yup, he’s still searching for a holy book but now he is saying that they do make exceptions for other religions when twice before he stated that they did not. Just in case you missed it he said that once during our meeting on June 9th and again on June 16th during a phone conversation.

According to Mr. Rhodes he wants to find out “what recognized religion they are that discusses they cannot cut their hair…”

So now I suppose I have to figure out what recognized religion  means in order to jump through whatever made up hoops the superintendent has in mind. So off to google I go and type in “recognized religion”. The first thing that popped up was an article titled Jedi Knights achieve official recognition as a religion. Folks, I can’t make this shit up.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/10/09/jedi_knights_achieve_official_recognition/

Yeah, I know its in the UK not the US but its still pretty *dam funny in that ironic kind of way. The next entry was another article on Jedi Knights and then google got to the good stuff.

A wiki article on Scientology and the fact that it is a recognized religion.

A website on religious tolerance where it asked “is Wicca a religion?” (It is by the way, no witch burning please.)

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_rel.htm

This particular website is really pretty interesting. I have seen it before and found it to be a pretty good source for general information on many religions. The very first paragragh has a link to this:

Native American Spirituality

http://www.religioustolerance.org/nataspir.htm

There is some good information there, especially if you are curious about Native American religious beliefs. It certainly won’t tell you everything but it will give you a general idea of some of the more common beliefs.

I like this particular website a lot. It attempts to educate about many religions without being obviously biased towards one or another. I realize that it doesn’t mean squat to Mr. Rhodes of teh Needville iNdependent School District but its a good place to start for anyone interested in learning about belief systems other than their own. Check out this page if you like where it lists many religions to be explored:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm

Native american beliefs are listed here under this heading:

Other organized Religions

These are smaller religions, with a well defined belief in deity, humanity and the rest of the universe. Of the many hundreds of faith groups in the world, we have chosen these because of their historical significance, or because of the massive amount of misinformation that has been spread about them in North America:

Hopefully the school board will be a bit more educated and show more tolerance than Mr. Rhodes has. After all, isn’t that what we all want?

Tolerance.

Freedom.

Rights.

Or maybe those things are unimportant. I guess we’ll find out on July 16th.

See you in the papers.

* I know the difference between “dam” as in built by a beaver and “damn” as in eternal damnation, do you?

http://fortbendnow.com/pages/full_story?_session_id=ea4bdd071a694d9fa22fb52905cad513&hash=cb_post_comment_101464&page_label=full_story&id=101464&content_instance=101464&need_to_add=true&secure_comments=true&widget=push&open=&_session_id=ea4bdd071a694d9fa22fb52905cad513

Our story is on the Fort Bend Now website. Judging from what Mr.Rhodes is quoted as saying, it would seem that he did not pay much attention at our meeting on June 9th. Taken directly from article:

Rhodes countered that Arocha “graduated from Rosenberg, and kept his hair cut all through high school. He told me he cuts his hair for special occasions” such as on his wedding day. “And they gave the boy a choice and he said he didn’t want to cut it.”

Had Mr. Rhodes been paying attention, he would have also heard the part about how my husband had to cut his hair in kindergarten when the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was only a few years old. That act was difficult to enforce so in 1993 the Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act came to be. In 1999 the Texas Religious Freedom Act was passed further protecting the rights of all people’s religious beliefs.

So yeah, at the time when my husband was in school he didn’t get to make that choice. It was made for him by others and he was unable to grow his hair out unil he left the school system. Back then it was even more  difficult to fight for one’s religious preferences without facing discrimation and hardship. Now it is 2008 and things are different, at least……. they should be.

 Mr. Rhodes also seems to have gotten rather confused since he stated that “He told me he cuts his hair for special occasions” such as on his wedding day”. This is incorrect. He does not cut his hair for “special occassions” nor did he do so when we got married. I should know, I was there. It was braided by me.

He also seems to still be stuck on that whole “prove your religion” thing he is so adamant about. I’ll say it again; tribal affiliation and the amount of Native American DNA have nothing to do with the sincerity of our beliefs. I am so white I’m tranlucent and I still believe. You don’t have to be born into a religion in order to chose to practice the religion.

 I could quote more laws and case studies but I’m sure you get the point by now.

Oh and surprise! Cannel 13 showed up on our doorstep today unnanounced for an interview. I had to leave work early which sucked but I guess that is one of the prices one has to pay to get the word out. Still, it would have been nice if they had given us some warning. Our house looks like a tornadoe hit the inside since we are still in the middle of packing and getting it ready to sell. Thats life I guess.

One more thing, I don’t know if he’ll say it this time when he speaks with Channel 13 but on two other occassions Mr. Rhodes has stated that my husband is Baptist. I’m not sure where he gets that idea from since he was told at the meeting that he was raised Catholic and I was Presbyterian but whatever.

Comment: You’re just doing this for attention. “Cut the civil rights crap”.

Answer: Well yes, I am. I am trying to bring attention to the fact that the NISD thinks it is ok to deny the right of religious freedom to their students. I think it is important that people know about it. If I wanted “attention” just for myself I’d pick something a bit easier and less stressful like naked chainsaw juggling.

Question: I saw the news interview and his dad’s hair is not all that long…

Answer: No, his hair is not as long as it might be if he had never had it cut. Adriel’s father had to cut his hair when he started school and keep it short. He went to school in Rosenberg (near Needville) so he is familiar with this type of thing. He has been growing it out for the last ten years.

Question: Why don’t you put him in a private school/homeschool him/move to a school district that will allow him to keep his hair without a fight?

Answer: Private schooling, home schooling or moving away does not solve the problem. It only tells our son that his rights are not worth fighting for and it tells the school district that its OK for them to keep infringing on the civil rights of their students. I suppose it would be easier but sometimes the right way is not the easy way.

Question: Aren’t you worried that teachers and other students will be hostile to your child?

Answer: Yes I am worried. Not everyone will agree with us and their opinions will be fed to their children who may in turn make things difficult for my son.  Unfortunatly that is life.  Parents teach their children their own values and if bigotry is one of them, it gets gets passed down too. Luckily, some children grow up and realize that intolerance is wrong and adjust their own values accordingly.

Plenty of children have had to deal with unpleasant school experiences. When school segregation was ended it was not easy for those children either.

Question: Is his hair religious or cultural?

Answer: It is both. Native Americans have many spiritual beliefs. So many that their spirituality and their customs are many times one and the same. There are beliefs associated with hair, the most commonly known is that your hair is a measure of how long you have been here and what you have experienced. It is a record of your life.

Internet searches and books on Native American religious practices will not give you much in the way of a thorough education on the subject. So much of Native American culture has been bastardized that very few people are willing to share all of their beliefs and traditions. They have been reduced to team mascots and the bad guys in old westerns so it is understandable that they do not wish to share their religious customs with everyone.

Question: Are’nt you worried about what your neighbors/other area citizens will think?

Answer: No. I’m not interested in popularity. Its fine if not everyone agrees with us and I understand that many people will not.

Question: What tribe and are you a registered member?

Answer: Lipan Apache and no, not at this time.

Proof of tribal affiliation or even DNA percentage of Indian blood is not the issue in this case even though we offered DNA proof to the superintendent. The law does not require that we prove any of this, only that our belief is “sincere”.

I am just your average run of the mill white woman of german and scotch-irish descent yet I sincerely believe that my son’s hair is very important to my family’s belief system. Other than trimming split ends, I have not cut my own hair in many years.

 I think that about covers everything but I will add to this if there are more questions or comments that need to be addressed.

The appeal forms have been sent in and the date for our appeal meeting is July 16th at the regular monthly school board meeting.

My husband was interviewd this morning on the KPFT radio station in Houston. If you missed it but want a chance to hear what was said, go here:

http://archive.kpft.org/

Look for the People of Earth segment for Friday June 27th at 11 am. We have another interview scheduled tomorrow for a local paper.

 My book came in the mail yesterday and I’ve already filled it with highlighter marks and paperclips. The Educator’s Guide to Texas School Law  (6th edition) by Jim Walsh, Frank Kemerer and Laurie Maniotis is a really good resource. There is a 2007 update that I need to get that goes with it but I am reading this one right now.

 I think this is a great book for anyone with school age children in Texas as well as teachers and school administrators. It explains the laws in plain english instead of “legalese” and gives several examples of cases that have been important in establishing certain things. My favorite part so far is in chapter seven where they discuss the Texas Religious Freedom Act or TRFA that was passed in 1999.

 On page 288 it says:

Codified as Civil Practices and Remedies Code 110.001-110.012, TRFA provides that a governmental agency may not “substantially burden a person’s free exercise of religion” unless it can establish a “compelling governmental interest” that is the “least restrictive means of furthering that interest”. The term “free exercise of religion” is defined to mean an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by sincere religious belief. The law does not require that the act or refusal to act must be linked to a central part or requirement of the person’s faith, only that it be “sincere”. This has the effect of conveying broad support for religiously motivated behavior. At the same time, the burden is heavy on government to justify its actions that substantially burden such behaviors.

 I think it should be pretty obvious by now that Adriel’s father and I are pretty damn sincere when it comes to our beliefs. Hopefully the school board will see that when we speak with them at the appeal. With the laws that we have in place to protect religious freedoms, I surprised that it has been this much trouble to have my son allowed to go to school.

www.kpft.org at 11 am this morning.

Word is spreading. Thank you for those of you who have reposted the story, blogged or otherwise helped get the word out.

If you have other links where our story is being talked about, please send them to me. I'll even post any negative ones if they are out there.  getsinched@yahoo.com

Dailykos.com

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/22/21357/4494/969/540085

Livejournal posts:

http://community.livejournal.com/anthropologist/1234025.html

http://community.livejournal.com/longhair/2368896.html

http://community.livejournal.com/longhair/2370921.html

Bilerco.com:

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/06/get_a_damn_haircut.php

Myspace:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=940406&blogID=407081063

My other blogs on the interwebs:

http://thestitchwitch.wordpress.com/

http://stitchwitch13.livejournal.com/

www.myspace.com/thestitchwitch

Added on 6/30/08

http://www.plime.com/religion/l/67000/1/

http://magickcitypagans.org/forums/index.php?topic=2788.0;topicseen

I know I’ve already posted about the similarities  between today’s school dress codes prohibiting long hair on boys and the Indian schools of the past. While I cannot prove that the Indian boarding school dress codes begat the modern school dress codes, one cannot help but compare the two and wonder about their relation to each other. I doubt the similarity is simply a matter of chance though.

 I found something today that I though would be good to post here. Its a copy of a letter sent by the Office of Indian Affairs to one of the Indian boarding schools in 1902. I found it here:

http://www.bluecloud.org/misunder.html

Department of the Interior
Office of Indian Affairs
Washington, January 13, 1902

The Superintendent,
Greenville School,
California.

Sir;

This Office desires to call your attention to a few customs among the Indians which, it is believed, should be modified or discontinued.

The wearing of long hair by the male population of your agency is not in keeping with the advancement they are making, or will soon be expected to make, in civilization. The wearing of short hair by the males will be a great step in advance and will certainly hasten their progress towards civilization. The returned male student far too frequently goes back to the reservation and falls into the old custom of letting his hair grow long. He also paints profusely and adopts all the old habits and customs which his education in our industrial schools has tried to eradicate. The fault does not lie so much with the schools as with the conditions found on the reservations. These conditions are very often due to the policy of the Government toward the Indian and are often perpetuated by the superintendent’s not caring to take the initiative in fastening any new policy on his administration of the affairs of the agency.

On many of the reservations the Indians of both sexes paint claiming that it keeps the skin warm in winter and cool in summer; but instead, this paint melts when the Indian perspires and runs down into the eyes. The use of this paint leads to many diseases of the eyes among those Indians who paint. Persons who have given considerable thought and investigation to the subject are satisfied that this custom causes the majority of the cases of blindness among the Indians of the Unites States.

You are therefore directed to induce your male Indians to cut their hair, and both sexes to stop painting. With some of the Indians this will be an easy matter; with others it will require considerable tact and perseverance on the part of yourself and your employes (sic) to successfully carry out these instructions. With your Indian employes (sic) and those Indians who draw rations and supplies it should be an easy matter as a non-compliance with this order may be made a reason for discharge or for withholding rations and supplies. Many may be induced to comply with the order voluntarily, especially the returned student. The returned students who do not comply voluntarily should be dealt with summarily. Employment, supplies, etc., should be withdrawn until they do comply and if they become obstreperous about the matter a short confinement in the guard-house at hard labor, with shorn locks, should furnish a cure. Certainly all the younger men should wear short hear, and it is believed that by tact, perseverance firmness, and withdrawal of supplies the superintendent can induce all to comply with this order.

The wearing of citizen’s clothing, instead of the Indian costume and blanket, should be encouraged.

Indian dances and so-called Indian feasts should be prohibited. In many cases these dances and feasts are simply subterfuges to ever degrading acts and to disguise immoral purposes. You are directed to use your best efforts in the suppression of these evils.

Very respectfully,

W.S.Jones
Commissioner

 If you have not already watched this video, you should. I posted it before and I feel pretty strongly about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDshQTBh5d4

So yeah…..

Lets all give a round of applause for tradition. ‘Cause you know, erasing someone’s cultural identity is something to be proud of.