OPINION
JUNE 4, 2015
KANABEC COUNTY TIMES
5
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Social host ordinance closes drinking loophole Under Minnesota law, it is unlawful for a person under the age of 21 years to possess any alcoholic beverage with the intent to consume it at a place other than the household of the person’s parent or guardian. In almost all other cases of underage drinking, someCounty one has broken a Attorney law. For certain, the Barb McFadden underage individual is violating i l Minnesota law when he or she possesses or consumes alcohol. However, usually for that violation to occur, a third party must also have broken a law. Some obvi-
ous offenders are adults who buy alcohol for, or provide alcohol to, an underage person, or who loan their driver’s license or identification card to an underage person for the purpose of purchasing alcohol. Not as readily apparent is the adult who allows an underage person to possess or consume alcohol on his or her property. In 2010, the Kanabec County Board of Commissioners adopted a social host ordinance with the intent of holding those adults responsible when they are aware of underage drinking on their property and allow it to occur. Prior to the adoption of the social host ordinance, state laws contained a loophole, whereby individuals who hosted a party for underage drinkers escaped li-
ability if these social hosts did not actually provide the alcohol. The social host ordinance was intended to close this gap. With graduation approaching and summer weddings and other events imminent, be reminded that the social host ordinance provides for criminal liability for those who provide a place for underage drinking, regardless of where the alcohol comes from. Violation of the social host ordinance is a crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail. It is the shared goal of the Office of the Kanabec County Attorney and the Substance Abuse Coalition of Kanabec County (SACK) to keep our youth and young adults, and all community members safe as we enjoy this summer.
Time with family creates childhood memories Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer. Picnics, parades and a long weekend often at a lake make up that holiday weekend. But how do you explain to children what Memorial Day is about? What kind of experiences can you include them in to enhance the meaning? Well for starters it’s really about what the holiday means to your family, and any way you explain it, is perfect. There is the traditional meaning of Memorial Day which is the honoring of those who have died while their country, or in some Kids Corner serving cases this has been widened to inDawn van Hees clude remembering anyone that has died and possibly visiting their final resting place. Those are big concepts for little people to understand. There is also the meaning that Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer and the nearing of the end of traditional school. These concepts seem easier for little people to understand. One way to perhaps bridge these concepts might be something as simple
as placing small American Flags in the bronze star holders at cemeteries close to home. Recently a friend and her grandson (who is 3) invited my granddaughter (who is 2) and I out to place flags in the local cemetery. The young boy had realized as they were driving by that there weren’t any flags and he needed to put some in those bronze stars. While this was a small gesture, it’s a simple way to bridge the concepts of family time together, and remembering those who have served our nation. However you spend your time, for the little people in your life it’s really about the relationships they have with you. Whether it’s playing or watching ball, fishing together, going on a bike ride or placing flags in some far off cemetery, that is what memories are made of. Dawn van Hees is Manager of Community and Family Partnerships at Lakes and Pines Community Action Council. Lakes and Pines’ Head Start program is a family focused preschool program serving Aitkin, Carlton, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine, Chisago and Isanti counties. For more information about Lakes and Pines call 320-679-1800.
GRADUATES: Hard work brings results FROM PAGE 4
of our plumbing, electrical and automotive needs. For many of these career paths, it’s an 8 to 5 job and not a 24/7. Think about the lifestyle you desire, which will help you in the path you choose. Build your life around relationships with people. Don’t dismiss religious faith as unimportant. Over and over, studies show that people who have a regular active
worship experience are happier and more fulfilled than their non-religious counterparts. I admit I don’t have all the answers even after Kathy and I have raised four children and had our home open to many, many students from around the world. Choose your friends carefully. Learn from those you trust. And then there’s a longstanding phrase called the Golden Rule that goes like this, “Do unto others as
you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12 and Leviticus 19:18 By the way, the Golden Rule is found in the Scripture of nearly every religion from Christianity to Islam, Hindu, Confucianism, as well as others. Remember, hard work brings results. Gene Johnson is Publisher Emeritus of Press Publications, White Bear Lake, and owner of the Kanabec County Times.
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Dialogue needed in gay marriage, religious debate Even LGBT activists were surprised by the margin of victory last week when 62 percent of Irish voters approved a referendum legalizing same-sex marriage — making Ireland the first country in the world to do so by popular vote. The percentage of the Irish vote mirrors public opinion in the United States. A Gallup poll released on May 19 found that 60 percent of the American people now favor same-sex marriage. Just two decades ago, that number was only 27 percent. The rapid shift in public support for First gay marriage and LGBT civil rights Amendment in Europe and the United States has left religious conservatives scramCenter bling to put spokes in the fast-moving Charles Haynes wheel of social change. At the same time the Irish were voting, a magistrate and former magistrate in North Carolina were filing suit to challenge the state’s requirement that all magistrates conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies in the same manner as other marriage ceremonies. The lawsuit seeks religious liberty exemptions for magistrates with religious objections to gay marriage. That same week, religious conservatives in the Louisiana Legislature tried and failed to pass a bill designed to protect religious business owners who don’t want to serve same-sex weddings. Governor Bobby Jindal was reduced to issuing an executive order that is much more limited in scope and, critics charge, may violate the state’s constitution. Worried about backlash against Jindal’s action, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu countered by issuing his own executive order reaffirming the city’s commitment to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Meanwhile in Fairfax County, Va. this week, conservative religious groups are fighting to stop a new sex education curriculum in one of the country’s largest school districts. If, as expected, the curriculum is approved in late June, students will be taught that sexuality is defined as a spectrum of differences — heterosexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality — that may or may not change within an individual’s lifetime. The curriculum also explores non-conforming gender identities. Earlier this month, the school district voted to add gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy, a decision that also sparked protests from some conservative Christian parents and pastors. Evangelist Franklin Graham used Facebook to express outrage over the changes in Fairfax County. “School districts should not allow this poison anywhere near the classroom,” Graham wrote. “Wicked” policies and proposals such as those in Fairfax, he argued, result from school officials not upholding biblical principles. Lawsuits, executive orders and heated Facebook posts may stir the passions of many religious conservatives, but such tactics are unlikely to reverse the tide of public support for gay marriage and LGBT civil rights. Once the 60 percent threshold is crossed, there’s no turning back. As Dublin’s Archbishop put it after the Irish vote, “the church needs to do a reality check.” Religious conservatives would be much better served if they took a page from Utah’s book and actually sat down with the other side. The agreement reached in Utah earlier this spring isn’t perfect, but it goes a long way toward protecting LGBT people from discrimination while simultaneously providing meaningful exemptions for religious individuals and groups. Of course, not all of the particulars of the Utah solution would work in other states — but the Utah spirit of dialogue and willingness to find common ground could be replicated anywhere. As events unfold in North Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia and other states, religious conservatives clinging to a give-nothing-but-expect-everything strategy will get nowhere. Support for religious exemptions and protections will only be won by first acknowledging the need to protect LGBT civil rights. At the same time, proponents of gay marriage and LGBT civil rights would be wise to avoid pushing a geteverything-but-give-nothing strategy. Sixty percent is a solid majority — but 40 percent represents a lot of people. After all, when the culture-war dust settles, we still have to live and work together as citizens of one nation. In other words, our rights are best guarded when we stand up for the rights of others — including those with whom we deeply disagree. Charles C. Haynes is vice president of the Newseum Institute and executive director of the Religious Freedom Center.