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Opening Arguments

A royal mess

Some county fairs in Indiana have stopped having competitions that result in a fair queen and/or king being crowned. Go ahead, guess why:

Any fair activity involving competition between 4-H members must be open to both boys and girls, said Renee McKee, assistance director of the Purdue Extension office.

If a fair conducts a competition in which being a 4-H member is required in order to compete, the competition must be gender-neutral, she said. That's because federal law prohibits discrimination based on gender, and 4-H is a youth-serving organization that is federally authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That's right. You get anywhere within a hundred miles of federal money, and you have to play by federal rules. That means every little kid in the remotest rural village has to accept the same "any whiff of evil sexism will send us all straight to hell" nonsense pushed by the drooling New Age a-holes in Washington.

Oh, this is cute: At the St. Joseph County Fair, they've replaced the king and queen contests with one open to both boys and girls called the "4-H Achievement Ambassador competition." Sounds just like something the federal government would approve of wholeheartedly, doesn't it?

Comments

Tim Zank
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 10:20am

Sad thing is, this doesn't surprise or outrage any of us anymore . All we do now is just shake our heads and chuckle and accept it. We pretty much gave up trying to stop the politically correct machine a long time ago.

It's actually a perfect example of your 10% post earlier today.

littlejohn
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 11:30am

I thought the reason given seemed a little vague, but then I haven't had any coffee yet. I recall a few years back when a few high schools and colleges elected male "queens" and female "kings," obviously just to point out silly the whole king-and-queen thing is. Also, when you're young, that sort of thing is extremely funny. I suspect a certain green herb had something to do with that. But really, how humorless would you have to be to worry that your king or queen is the "wrong" gender? I'm sure you've heard the old definition of a conservative as someone who worries that somebody, somewhere, may be having a good time.

Tim Zank
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 12:37pm

LittleJohn, It's not about high school or college pranks, rather it's more about the issue of control freaks, busy bodies, nannies and overbearing liberals pushing through laws completely stripping away the gender identity of everyone.

Call me old fashioned, but I don't want to live in a world where boys and girls are the same. Over the last 30 years or so, under the guise of anti-discrimination, groups like the ACLU and others have managed to pretty much destroy any chance of kids growing up normally.

Our country is being slowly eaten away from within by a small but vocal and incessant group, namely "progressives".

Andrew J.
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 1:46pm

And here I thought it was the conservatives trying to strip away the gender identity of gays and lesbians.
AJ

littlejohn
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 3:47pm

Tim, look up "irony." You go on about "control freaks," yet you insist that society not let boys and girls, who may feel so inclined, grow up "the same." Who is trying to control other people here? Hint: Buy a mirror.

Tim Zank
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 3:48pm

All snark aside AJ, do you really think it's necessary "for the greater good" to abolish the King & Queen of a kids' fricking 4H fair?

When do you acknowledge (if ever I guess) the ridiculousness of some of this crap?

littlejohn
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 3:51pm

Andrew, I assume from your cryptic remark that you believe it is liberals who are "trying to strip away the gender identity of gays and lesbians."
I probably just misunderstood your point, which you apparently meant to keep short, but I really would like to know what your point is.
I enjoy Leo's blog, but it's frustrating when I can't figure out whose side you're on.

Andrew J.
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 4:07pm

No, I was saying that I thought this issue was ridiculous because of the conservatives' stands on gays and lesbians.
As Tim says, yes, we need to "acknowledge the ridiculousness of some of this crap." So if John wants to marry Peter, and Mary wants to be inseminated so she can have a child with Susie, we should recognize and honor their differences as well. Tim says he doesn't want to live in a world where boys and girls are the same. I say we shouldn't also live in a world where all boys and all girls are the same.
AJ

Tim Zank
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 4:20pm

Littlejohn, the key word in your rebuttal is "let"....

You say "yet you insist that society not let boys and girls, who may feel so inclined, grow up

Andrew J.
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 4:45pm

Yes, let the boys grow up to be gay, and the girls lesbians, and don't scare them into the closet because conservatives won't let them marry and get benefits like everybody else when they become adults.
AJ

gadfly
Fri, 07/29/2011 - 6:41pm

I sure wish that the old, fat and ugly minority could get the same attention and special laws and privileges being granted to the 3% minority that is the LGBT community.

Andrew J
Fri, 07/29/2011 - 8:18pm

do u think old, fat, ugly minority is more than 3% of the country?

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