(NAME-MCE) Idaho Mayor Apologizes for Hateful Student Chant

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Idaho Mayor Apologizes for Hateful Student Chant

Shawn Larsen wrote a public apology after 2nd and 3rd graders chanted
"assassinate Obama" on their school bus.

http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2008/11/19/idahomayor_ap.html?tmp=1142646992

November 19, 2008

Idaho Mayor Apologizes for Hateful Student Chant

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  The mayor of an eastern Idaho town where second- and
third-grade students on a school bus chanted "assassinate Obama!" after the
Nov. 4 election has publicly apologized, saying there's no excuse for such
behavior.

Rexburg Mayor Shawn Larsen wrote in a guest editorial sent Tuesday to local
newspapers that he was saddened by the notoriety his community had received
over the incident, both across the United States and abroad.

Larsen told The Associated Press that a formal response to the incident in
his city was sorely needed.

"When people don't stand up and say, 'That's not appropriate, that's wrong,
and those are hateful remarks,' it's almost like they are saying that it's
an OK thing to do. And it's not," he said. "The mayor doesn't have any
authority over the school system, but I do think it reflects upon the
community."

In his editorial, Larsen recounted seeing Barack Obama speak in Washington,
D.C., in early 2006 about his faith and how his upbringing had influenced
his policies and his priorities. Larsen said he left the event inspired.

Idaho voters overwhelmingly favored Republican John McCain in the
presidential election. In Madison County, where Rexburg is located, 85
percent of voters chose McCain over the Democratic candidate, and some claim
it's the "reddest county" in America.

But Larsen wrote that is no explanation for "hateful and vile comments"
about a man about to lead the nation.

"I am extremely sorry that this incident occurred, and I do not believe that
it reflects the values which make our community a great place to live and
raise a family," Larsen wrote. "Parents must realize that things said in
anger or even in jest can have lasting repercussions not only damaging young
hearts and minds, but a city's reputation."

Since the incident, Madison County school administrators have reminded
teachers to tell children that words such as "kill" or "assassinate" —
especially used in connection with the U.S. president — are taken seriously
by law enforcement and can carry severe sanctions.

Still, Superintendent Geoffrey Thomas blamed the media for spreading news of
the chants.

"In our district there was an isolated instance of children making
regrettable and unacceptable remarks in regards to harming President-elect
Obama," Thomas wrote in a letter to parents Monday. "Word of this behavior
leaked out to a hyperactive media and bloggers which in turn distorted way
out of proportion the comments that were made, painting the entire community
with the same negative brush."

Elsewhere in Idaho, however, some said they fear incidents like these could
further stain the image of a state already associated with white supremacist
groups.

The Aryan Nations had a compound in northern Idaho's Hayden Lake until 2000,
when the group lost a $6.3 million civil judgment in favor of two people who
sued after being attacked by Aryan Nations' members.

After Obama's election, a northern Idaho man erected a sign advertising a
"free public hanging" of the president-elect and several other political
figures, prompting the U.S. Secret Service to investigate.

Leslie Goddard, director of the Idaho Commission on Human Rights, said she
first learned of the Madison County incident from her daughter in New York
City. She was particularly disturbed when she read that school officials
contended the students were young and that most of them didn't understand
what the word "assassinate" meant.

"They were just kids, but they heard it some place," said Goddard, whose
agency administers state and federal anti-discrimination laws in Idaho.
"It's really good that the mayor has stepped up and spoken out against it."

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http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9374360

*Rexburg Mayor Apologizes for Bus Chant*

Posted: Nov 18, 2008 04:18 PM

Updated: Nov 19, 2008 09:44 AM
          *Also on Our Site*
<http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9367199> *Madison School
District Responds to 'Assassinate Obama'
Chants*<http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9367199>


  The mayor of Rexburg apologized for comments made on a school bus two
weeks ago.

Three students chanted "Assassinate Obama" while riding a Madison County
School District bus. Rexburg Mayor Shawn Larsen said there's no excuse for
the comments and asked parents to be careful with the things they say in
front of their children.

Larsen says he's received emails from all over the country and even from
Canada in reaction to the story.

In a letter to the media, Larsen responded, "I am extremely sorry that this
incident occurred, and I do not believe that it reflects the values which
make our community a great place to live and raise a family."

Larsen went on to say parents have a responsibility to their children when
it comes to comments in the home: "Parents must realize that things said in
anger or even in jest can have lasting repercussions not only damaging young
hearts and minds, but a city's reputation."

Below is a copy of the letter Mayor Larsen sent to the media Tuesday:

Rexburg, ID - I am saddened by the notoriety that has recently come to our
community because of a reported school bus incident which has received
national press coverage, where children repeated hateful remarks concerning
President-Elect Barack Obama. Since this incident occurred, I have received
numerous e-mails from individuals around the country associating our
community with hate and intolerance. I am extremely sorry that this incident
occurred, and I do not believe that it reflects the values which make our
community a great place to live and raise a family. Having said this, I also
recognize that Madison County has had a reputation as Idaho's and even
America's "reddest" county. This reputation and the conservative nature of
our community should in no unequivocal terms be an excuse for hate and vile
comments. Parents must realize that things said in anger or even in jest can
have lasting repercussions not only damaging young hearts and minds, but a
city's reputation.

One letter that I received from a gentleman in British Columbia had a quote
by Jacqueline Kennedy which states, "If you bungle raising your children, I
don't think whatever else you do well matters very much." This reminds me
also of a quote from the ninth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints David O. McKay which states "No other success can
compensate for failure in the home." If we have in our community one home,
one school, or one school bus where hate and intolerance is allowed to be
spewed without a responsible adult correcting the behavior we are failing in
our responsibilities.

About three years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting where the
keynote speaker was Senator Barack Obama. I was inspired as I sat and
listened to Senator Obama. He talked about his faith and how his upbringing
had influenced his policies and his priorities. I left the meeting with a
conviction to do what I could at a local level to make government work for
the people that I serve and to strive to be a better public servant. He will
now be sworn in as the President of the United States of America and though
we face tremendous challenges as a nation, I feel hope and optimism for
America and in particular, the masses of individuals that participated in
the election for the first time in their lives. It may sound trite, but I
share President-Elect Obama's view that we are not made up of red states and
blue states, or for that matter red and blue counties or cities, we are the
United States of America.