Virginia Senate Blocks Christianist Backed "Tebow Bill"

As prior posts have revealed, I am no fan of Tim Tebow.   Nor am I a fan of the Christofascists at The Family Foundation or their political whores in the Virginia Republican Party who incessantly want special rights for far right Christians.   A case in point is the so-called "Tebow Bill" that would allow home schooled students to play on public school sports teams.  The very public schools that the Christianists seek to hit with budget cuts whenever and wherever possible.   Thankfully, the Virginia Senate killed the Tebow Bill for this year and the Christofascists will have to wait before they can once again try to have their cake and eat it too by holding their children out of public school but then nonetheless wanting special public school perks for their children.  The Roanoke Times has details:

Legislation to let home schooled students join public school sports teams was defeated Thursday in the Senate Education and Health Committee, where similar bills have failed in previous years.  The perennial proposal from Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, would achieve that by prohibiting public schools from joining an interscholastic governing body, such as the Virginia High School League, that bars home schoolers from public school sports.

It was tackled again in a Senate committee, failing on an 8-7 vote when Republican Sen. Harry Blevins of Chesapeake, a retired high school principal, joined with the Democratic minority on the panel in opposition to the bill.

Before the vote, a procession of home school students and advocates urged the panel to approve the bill.

“We pay our taxes, too,” the elder Henderson said. “There’s no difficulty in taking our money.”  “You pay taxes that also go to purchase an F-22 fighter, that doesn’t mean you get to fly it,” fired back Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw.  The Fairfax County Democrat said parents “knew the ground rules when you opted to home school your kids” and made that choice.

Opposing the measure were representatives of education interest groups including the Virginia Parent Teacher Association, the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia High School League and the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.  They said creating special dispensation for home schooled students is unfair to public students who have to meet course load and other standards home schoolers don’t face.

Kudos to Harry Blevins who now will likely face the wrath of a truly pissed off Victoria Cobb and her fellow hate merchants at The Family Foundation who saw this bill as a top priority.  The Family Foundation was a moving force behind the killing in committee of a bill that would have protected gay and lesbian STATE employees from being fired for being gay.  Go here to see some of the lies that are all too typical of the garbage Ms. Cobb and her cohorts disseminate and direct at legislators.