Bedford school district                                            Saturday, October 28, 1995

Attack on musicians is outrageous

Whatever problems right‑wing religious elements may have with the Bedford schools, they should leave Annie and the Natural Wonder Band out of it.

As hundreds of kids and parents in Westchester can attest, Ann and Bob Grilli are a local treasure. To see them in concert is a wonderful experience for families. Their songs are positive, educational about animals and nature, musically stimulating and just plain fun. I can't count the number of times we've found ourselves humming an Annie tune in our house. They are great songs and the Grillis are great entertainers. Their music is a gift to all of us.

There is nothing negative in any way in what Annie and the Natural Wonder Band does. They are wholesome family entertainment of a high caliber. If this misguided attempt at censorship on the part of a few religious zealots results in fewer people having an opportunity to enjoy the group, it will be a sad day for the children of Westchester.

The parents of Westchester should stand up for Annie and the Natural Wonder Band. We dare not take for granted that even absurd charges will not influence our children's chance to enjoy them in the future. Ann and Bob Grilli have done much for our children. Let's stand up for them now.

AMI HAVENS Somers

 

Scare tactics used to stifle opposition

"Fear is the Word."

That's what an editor friend of mine once said, at the time referring to the state of horror fiction in the publishing medium. Yet the more I read about the current state of affairs in Westchester County, the more applicable I find her words.

Fear is quickly becoming this area's cottage industry ‑ fear of the freed female breast down in Port Chester and

invading other neighboring towns; of runaway geese droppings in Mamaroneck; of wandering group home occupants in Somers or "drunken" cultural center visitors running over Briarcliff Manor children. Now we fear Satan has come to the Bedford school district via fantasy games, New Age songs and the study of Eastern religions.

In these new dark ages,terror-invokng rhetoric has become our means of exchange, to the point where truth and constitutionally guaranteed rights are becoming passe. Personally, I distrust anyone who must summon the devil whenever confronted with a new culture of religion, and hold in contempt those who would divide us because of our differences rather than celebrate our diversity. Are our property values and taxes worth spreading this kind of intolerance?

One day we will learn the only thing truly frightening is the real price we will all pay for this trade‑off.

‑ STEVEN A. BONVISSUTO Millwood

Card-game opponents are not fanatics

Historians and religious leaders alike tend to disagree on the exact origins of Halloween. Some say it was started by the Druids. Others believe it is younger than that, having been founded in Europe by devil worshipers praying to Satan to bring down the Catholic Church. Today it hardly matters. The real meaning of Halloween has gone the way of the Christmas tree and the Easter egg. We are not sure what these symbols ever meant, but who cares, it's fun! That is what Halloween means today. A good time for the young and old alike. Not all devout Christians (of whom I am one) believe otherwise.

By the same token, simply because I am opposed to the use of a Satanic card game in our public schools as a way to teach does not make me a wacko Christian fundamentalist.

 

Let's face it, folks, if the name of the game were "Saints and Angels the Resurrection," it never would have made it through the front door of Fox Lane High School!

 

And in regards to the suggestion made by some district parents and teachers that those of us who don't like the curriculum should send our children to private schools: Hell, we would be happy to, just so long as we could send our tax dollars with them.

‑ KELLY S. RUBICAM Purdys

Hysteria the theme of 'forum'

 

MY VIEW By Robert W. Knorr

 

Congratulations on your balanced editorial regarding the "Educational Symposium" in the Bedford Central School District on new age occultism and the influence of the "Magick" game on school-aged children conducted by "Parents for Integrity in Education."

 

I attended the Sept. 28 "Symposium." This was really a misnomer, since the word symposium implies a free exchange of ideas, which was the exact opposite of the evening's format. While we had self-proclaimed "satanic experts" and "new age critics," the organization and sequence of the evening's events were designed to effectively preclude dialogue or any meaningful exchange with the audience.

 

So, as a Christian and a parent of two children in the Bedford school system, I was interested, and I listened, and I listened some more.

 

What I heard was the following:

     The Bedford schools actively encourage and promote the use of the game "Magick" during school hours. This is paid for by taxpayer dollars. Furthermore, this is but one egregious example of the prevalent nationwide abuse of responsibility by the school boards and administrations to which we have entrusted our children, That this use is evil and unconstitutional because there are images and symbols contained in the game that are patently offensive to some Christians.

 

       That there are lots of people who live outside our school district, and even some within the school district, who are willing to swear to these abuses.

 

        That, but for the vigilance and dedication of a select group of concerned parents, our children would be learning about such terrible things is stress management, positive imaging and the shameful lessons of the Salem witch trials.

 

        What I learned was the following:

 

 That "Magick" is played by students on their own free time and is neither endorsed nor promoted by the schools. Taxpayer dollars are not part of the equation except as needed to pay for the professional evaluation ordered as a result of the initial hysteria.

       That hysteria is alive and well, within the school district and is (as ever) based on misinformation and ignorance,

 

 

         That in "Magick" there are images (of women, demons and monsters) that may be offensive to some" but no more so than can be seen in Action Hero comics or garden-variety arcade and video games.

 

 That we should not be cornered into an adversarial posture as a reaction to the extreme position taken by others, no matter how well-orchestrated the presentation. (The sky is not falling.)

 

The superintendent and school board have earned high marks on my scorecard, not only for their even-handed evaluation of the situation, but for maintaining a middle ground while enduring the implied insult that ours is a school system without integrity.

 

I differ strongly with that viewpoint, and I challenge many of the "facts" that were presented that evening. I will further suggest that if the parents of some children do not want them to have any part of the game, that they not seek a public solution to a private issue.

 

The writer is a resident of Mount Kisco.