To the Editor:
Wednesday evening at the Cranston East auditorium, we witnessed the most uneducated vote in my career. The infamous, namely Steven Bloom (Ward 1), Stephanie Culhane (Ward 2), Paula McFarland (Ward 3), Janice Ruggieri (Ward 4) and Andrea Iannazzi (Ward 6), are the culprits.
They all claim to be “educators.” What they told all current and future students is that they are oblivious to our history as the United States of America, right up to today! If they had studied the issue for what it was, they might have turned an ear to what was the right vote. As I tried to point out, as did others, their vote was about ignoring the true invasion of our liberties by the ACLU, atheists everywhere and left-leaning liberals to the detriment of what was established, long ago, by our forefathers!
But no, these five purposely turned a blind eye to the whole issue of the national onslaught against our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
As I tried to say Wednesday night, before Chairwoman Iannazzi shut me off, they were products of the ’60s. Apparently they were never educated to what took place and what was the beginning of “anything goes; if it feels good do it.” Most of all, they said we are educated, we know it all. But they forgot to tell the nation that was just for now. In other words, to hell with history. We don’t need it. We have all the answers.
Well, they just proved that they still don’t know history; that we don’t care what we were born to be. My vote was the only thing that was important, even though it was “hollow.”
Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame.
All this was, is a great story about a seventh grader, as an art class endeavor, who made a historical document that would honor the first graduating class for Cranston West in perpetuity.
So what did four of the committee pontificate about? How we are the great stewards of fiscal responsibility. These are the same folks that owe the city $6.1 million and had to reduce the programs to basic education. This meant that certain sports, music and the EPIC honors program had to go into the dustbin.
Now how about that for guardians of dollars and the best education possible for all students that we are responsible for?
Now juxtapose that brilliant exercise of responsibility with deciding that when the time came for a real opportunity for a lasting educational experience, we will punt!
Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame.
Then, they have the nerve to berate the audience by asking where were you when they required private money to help with programs cut! Is that nerve or not? Personally, I ignored their misguided action and donated $750 to sports and $500 to music. And I just donated $500 to the BASICS music program. Unlike most of them, I walk the walk as well as talk the talk. I know that if they exercised a modicum of true leadership, the public would have responded with donations to a legal fund. I talked to at least a dozen prominent citizens who pledge to donate after the committee showed determination for educational reasons and did the responsible thing.
And can you imagine if we set up a website asking for donations on a national and international basis, what we would have collected?
That would take leadership.
I must add that the fifth vote on the council gave an analogy that I’m still trying to figure out, which would require all of us to be able to read the atheist’s head.
I will have a team shortly that will make the effort to make amends for this unworthy and uneducated decision, to first and foremost educate all students now and in the future here and as far as we can reach.
Anyone that would like to join, to walk the walk, is more than welcome.
May God bless this great nation and give us the determination and love of country to carry on the effort to right the ship that is slowly and surely trying to destroy our way of life! For my family, we are determined that a secular and socialist way of life will not be our legacy for our children and grandchildren. Come join us in this most worthy fight.
Richard Tomlins and family
Cranston
I am reprinting the comment I left on Mr. Tomlins letter on Cranston Patch:
Mr. Tomlins is mistaken in many points of his tirade.....Mrs. Culhane, Mr. Bloom, Mrs. McFarland & I were not on the School Committee when they filed the Caruolo suit against the City. We have been cleaning up the mess from that lawsuit since our tenure on the School Committee. And in doing so we have had the unpleasant task of cutting programs from all students in Cranston. We did laugh about being children of the 60's because of the 7 of us some of us were babies, or small children in the 60's and two were not even born then so we found it funny that he said that. Mr. Tomlins has stood before us many times and understood the rules that night about not speaking over 3 minutes...his time was called and he continued to speak ignoring and disrespecting the Chairwoman. Regardless of her age, she is in a position that deserves to be respected by those who stand before her and Mr. Tomlins deliberately chose to ignore her many requests. It was rude and grandstanding to say the least. Many of us on the Committee have chosen to "walk the walk"...we volunteer our time and if we can; our money to the programs that need it so for him to suggest that we are not doing our part just because we do not publicize all we do is far from the truth. This case has been going on for almost two years and in that time we have not had support from our City or our Mayor. We are not a revenue generating body and have no authority to fundraise for any cause.
In addition; not once has anyone stepped forward to start an effort to raise funding toward this issue with the exception of the group who are looking to Preserve the Banner. This issue was argued in court and the 5 who voted to accept the verdict did it so that our students would not lose any more than they have. If Mr. Tomlins does not understand the reasoning or logic behind this decision than I would be glad to discuss it with him in person
Wow, I don't even know where to begin. If you want to talk about fiscal responsibility, why not criticize those who sought to fight against the lawsuit - one that any lawyer would agree that the PRAYER banner was a clear violation of the First Amendment - at the expense of hundreds of thousands of dollars that could have been spent helping students instead of a futile and irresponsible lawsuit that accomplished nothing but making your town appear ignorant and intolerant to the rest of the nation.
I'm not sure why you keep labeling the ruling as an "uneducated decsion" as it was actually quite cut-and-dry. The government, and by its extension, public schools, cannot endorse a particular religion, no matter how historical the document may be. That's why the judge - you know, the guy who has spent most of his life studying the United States Constitution - would probably have a better interpretation of the law than a auditorium full of angry parents. Just saying.
There is no "detriment of what was established long ago by our forefathers," as you say, but instead a direct representation of what they sought to achieve by creating the First Amendment. Religion is to be kept out of government and out of the classroom. If you read the Constitution, you will not find the word "God" printed even once.
You are free to believe whatever you may like, but please remember that there are many others who do not share your same beliefs. Quite frankly, your letter scares me that such ignorance exists in our country today. It seems as though you are the one who is uneducated about the founding of our nation. You are confusing "a true invasion of your our liberties" with simply not getting everything you want. Your own religion is your choice, but you are in no way entitled to thrust that religion unto others.
Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame.
It is not a clear violation of the First Amendment. No law was established by the Government, the only thing mentioned about religion in the First Amendment.
Our country is unique we're are given unalienable rights by our Creator, this was recognized by the Founders in the Declaration of Independence. Please notice they didn't say God, Allah, or any other particular Deity. So it is your choice what you choose to be your Creator if your choice was accident created you that was fine by them, again notice in the Declaration of Independence, Nature's Law and Nature's God are recognized. Power from a Creator goes to the people, Governments derive their power from the consent of the governed aka the the people.
Without a Creator to grant those rights, like most other countries on the planet Government gets to decide what rights the people have. That's scary.