JABbering Stooge

I graduated high school in 1998 (heh - that dates me) - a product of Westwood High School. A school that was named a Blue Ribbon school during my sophomore year there. A school where the tune for the alma mater is based on a section in the middle of “Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity” from Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite. (How cool is that?)

It is also a school that is no stranger to controversy. The last time that Westwood was in the news in for something other than its many, many accomplishments (which sadly, does not include a state football title) was back in 1994, when a bunch of Christian Coalition-backed candidates, having been elected to the RRISD school board, decided to engage in their favorite pasttime: book burning banning. That incident in and of itself is worthy of its own blog post at some time in the immediate future.

But the incident that I want to write about was reported on the local NBC affiliate last night. Here’s how KXAN tells the tale:

Seniors at three Round Rock Independent School District high schools voted to have an invocation at graduation ceremonies, but at a meeting attended by 60 of Westwood High School’s 558 seniors, prayer got a thumbs-down.

Forty students voted against prayer, 15 voted for it, and five voted neutral.

The meeting was open to seniors but not required.

Okay, so it doesn’t bode well for my alma mater that the vast majority of its seniors couldn’t be bothered to vote on an issue that affects their graduation ceremony. But nevertheless, those who were there overwhelmingly voted down an invocation at graduation. As we’ve often seen in local elections, turnout is utterly pathetic. But that doesn’t make the elections any less valid. And besides, as current Westwood Principal Rebecca Donald said (at the risk of an Appeal to Tradition):

Traditionally, Westwood has never had the invocation [mandated by the school], just because the community is so diverse in the religions that are represented in our community…An invocation needs to come from students…

This wouldn’t have been a story, except for this little tidbit:

“I’ve had a number of parents e-mail. I know that there was some discussion on talk radio this morning, and I know a number of our parents called in, wanting us to readdress this issue.” [Principal Donald said.]

Talk radio? That wouldn’t be the morning show on KLBJ, would it? THAT’s certainly going to get the local “Theocracy NOW!” crowd riled up. This is a classic right-wing tactic: freeping feedback mechanisms and public opinion polls.

Oy, vey!