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TexPx

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  1. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/watchdog/2022/12/29/keller-isd-invites-a-messianic-rabbi-indicted-for-sex-assault-to-say-a-prayer/
  2. DMN: Keller ISD invites a messianic clergyperson accused of sexual assault to say a prayer Watchdog Dave Lieber: Trustees who invited him are aligned with a $1 million PAC funding Christian candidates Here’s a big mistake that reminds The Watchdog of the old Texas expression that some people don’t have the good sense to spit downwind. The deeply religious, proudly Christian, book-banning newly elected members of the Keller ISD school board invited an area religious leader to deliver the opening prayer at the December board meeting. The man they brought in to lead the prayer is Mark Aaron Griffin, 48, who is under indictment on four counts of sexual assault involving a woman who is a member of his house of worship. The elected officials who say they want to restore God in the schools put Griffin within 10 feet of elementary school children who were set to perform a dance after the opening prayer. (Note: Griffin’s bond conditions do not prohibit him from being around children.) The other problem here is that Griffin was introduced as a rabbi and part of his prayer was in Hebrew. But Griffin is a self-proclaimed Messianic Jew, which is a Christian sect, separate from Judaism, that believes Jesus is the great messiah. Whether that makes him a true rabbi is a topic open for debate. Student figures it out Credit goes to Allison Perilman, a 17-year-old Keller High senior who figured this out before any adults did. Perilman was sitting in the audience preparing to speak to the board as founder and president of her school’s anti-racism coalition. After Griffin finished praying, she looked him up on her phone, and was surprised when news of his 2020 indictment popped up. She showed it to Laney Hawes, parent of four children in the district, who has filed open records requests to learn how the district picks religious leaders to speak. After the new board members were elected in May, they added prayer to public meetings. So far, all pastors brought in have been evangelical Christians. So when a “rabbi” was announced, Hawes considered it a victory for diversity. That feeling didn’t last when they realized that the Messianic Jew believed in Jesus, and he is under criminal indictment. As the meeting ended, the student and parent walked up to board members and showed them the story about Griffin on their phones. Both say trustees acted surprised by the news of criminal charges. Hawes said board member Chris Roof told her that Griffin hadn’t been convicted. She said Roof also told her that the opening prayer is not for the community. It’s for the board, and since all seven members believe in Jesus, this isn’t a problem. I sent her comments to Roof who wrote back, “That is not accurate.” But when I asked for clarification of what he did say, he didn’t answer. Invited to be his concubine The Saginaw police’s probable cause affidavit states that police believe “Griffin used his influence as a clergyman to coerce [the woman] to have “nonconsensual and consensual sex” with him. Griffin asked the woman to be his concubine, or second wife, the police document states. Griffin said it was OK because Abraham and Jacob had such an arrangement. After obtaining a search warrant, police took a saliva sample from Griffin. They also cut out portions of the carpet to check for DNA and found semen traces that were a match in both the rabbi’s office and in the “welcome room,” court records show. Griffin, who leads Sar Shalom in Saginaw, did not return phone messages. His lawyer, Colin McLaughlin, told me, “We can’t talk about the facts of the case right now, but we have given the state a lot of information and evidence. We strongly believe in his innocence, and we’re hoping that the district attorney’s office sees this for what it is.” School district statement This story was first reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The school district and board president Charles Randklev released a statement, saying that “after the Dec. 12 board meeting, we were made aware of criminal allegations against the individual that a local congregation sent to offer a prayer. “That same individual previously served as a local Tarrant County’s sheriff’s chaplain, and the prayer was offered without incident.” (Griffin lost the volunteer chaplain job in the county jail after his indictment.) It concludes, “While we respect the judicial process and an individual’s presumption of innocence, we will also continue our efforts to ensure that the values of the Keller ISD community are well represented by scheduled speakers at board meetings.” Patriot Mobile spent $1 million this year The Keller board is on the front lines in what some are calling an attempted Christian takeover of public schools. Most of the public attention in KISD has been devoted to removal of books from school libraries, and lately, whether school staff can carry guns. A new group called Patriot Mobile Action has succeeded in electing candidates in Keller, Mansfield, Grapevine-Colleyville and Carroll districts. More districts are expected to be targeted in the May election. Candidates the group supports receive huge amounts of campaign donations for local races. Campaign finance reports show the committee spent $1.1 million from January through October. On its website, the group brags that all 11 of its candidates were elected. Under the current system, newly elected school board members in Texas are trained on the fly and thrown into the whirlwind of nasty Texas education politics. They receive no salary. With strong financial support, it’s not that hard for religion-comes-first candidates to win in low voter turnout school elections that offer little objective information about the candidates’ true agenda. If you’re going to make it all about religion, ban books and decide to arm teachers in schools, (as the Keller board voted 4-3 to approve at the December meeting), you can’t afford to make embarrassing and harmful mistakes. You can’t be dumb enough to spit upwind. Research assistants Jennifer Brancato and Misha Vaid contributed to this report. Become a citizen of Watchdog Nation. Join Dave Lieber and learn to be a super-consumer.
  3. Yeah. I have them put the beans as a side. Not much a fan of BBQ beans but these are pretty good.
  4. El Jefe from Tender Smokehouse is pretty good. Pulled pork, brisket, sausage, bbq beans on Texas Toast with a rib on the side. $15
  5. Please think of the Children. If you have any gently used ones left over kindly donate them to Tots for Tots.
  6. There were plenty of Chris Chris bros in the back amongst the Whataburger paraphernalia, along with smartly dressed Infinity salesmen. All apparently trying to keep up with their Cross Fit regiments during the Holidays.
  7. Not “proud” of a sandwich. Said it did not disappoint. It was very good. Moist, smoky and flavorful. No sauce.
  8. Stopped by Normathon on the way to the Liquor Store. Had a brisket Sammie from Earnest B’s BBQ. Did not disappoint.
  9. We spent Xmas night with a close relative who is a SW pilot. They live out in the boonies. He’s been off since last Tue. and was scheduled for a flight today. He hadn’t checked his emails in four days. He checked Mon. AM while we were having coffee. The ensuing eruption of profanities was amusing and impressive. One of them basically said they weren’t able to book accommodations for any layovers so good luck. Of course, by Mon. eve his flight was cancelled. He’s been bitching about their archaic routing/scheduling system for years.
  10. What got me was the cops thinking they had a slam dunk case. Why didn’t they put him under surveillance and catch him in the act?
  11. Ran for President in ‘36. Founder of The Silver Legion.
  12. Yeah we thought we would get the dogs walked before it hit. Made it 8 minutes out and it came in like a wrecking ball. Hauled ass back home. Can’t remember it getting so cold so fast before.
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