Monday, September 15, 2014
Josh Takes On The Man
In the early spring of 1991, Josh was selected to represent his school at Boys State, a Civics learning/acting situation where high school juniors elected their own leaders,held caucuses, enacted laws etc.
Boys State was held at The New Mexico Military Academy in Roswell , where other than the UFO museum (even ET didn't want to hang out there) and the Albarez/Duran family, there isn't much reason to visit. Even so, it was considered something of an honor to be chosen.
When they sent the requisite paperwork, Josh noticed that he had to affirm that he was; not an atheist, a good Christian, and would attend church daily. He wasn't signing that. While any private organization-like the KKK - may impose such rules, Boys State was run in conjunction with the New Mexico Public School System, therefore such a rule was, even to a deaf, dumb and blind man, teetering on extremely shaky Constitutional grounds.
Tim Gallagher, then editor of the then Albuquerque Tribune, ran a front page article spotlighting Josh's situation and the next day The American Civil Liberties Union jumped in, admitting they had been looking a long time for someone to fight this very issue. The judicial hearing was attended by all the newspapers and TV stations.
The real civics lesson we learned from this was how the law and legal system operated. To say the Judge bitch-slapped Boys State would be somewhat of an understatement. On the first day of the hearing he told one of their attorneys-wish I could remember what the lawyer said but it was something really stupid- to "go home and read the State Constitution". I laughed out loud and the Judge shot me serious stink eye. That night Boys State called and settled, agreeing to eliminate the religion oath entirely.
Josh won the case, attended Boys State, his civics lesson learned, and the world did not end.
That year the Albuquerque branch of the ACLU made Josh their poster child for their Bicentennial Birthday Bash program
Side note -the lead attorney for Boys State was Eugene Gilbert, who's life story was shown on one of those "Bad Boys"-like TV shows. In 1966 he was shot to death by his wife and it ended up he wasn't the first husband she killed "mistaking him for an intruder".
Musical Side note -. One of the ACLU attorneys who handled the case, John Boyd, coincidentally my business attorney at the time, is the brother of Joe Boyd who managed, produced and promoted some well known acts in the 70's and 80's including Richard Thompson, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, REM, 10000 Maniacs and Fairport Convention. The other attorney, Charles Daniels, played in the band Lawyers Guns and Money.
In the early spring of 1991, Josh was selected to represent his school at Boys State, a Civics learning/acting situation where high school juniors elected their own leaders,held caucuses, enacted laws etc.
Boys State was held at The New Mexico Military Academy in Roswell , where other than the UFO museum (even ET didn't want to hang out there) and the Albarez/Duran family, there isn't much reason to visit. Even so, it was considered something of an honor to be chosen.
When they sent the requisite paperwork, Josh noticed that he had to affirm that he was; not an atheist, a good Christian, and would attend church daily. He wasn't signing that. While any private organization-like the KKK - may impose such rules, Boys State was run in conjunction with the New Mexico Public School System, therefore such a rule was, even to a deaf, dumb and blind man, teetering on extremely shaky Constitutional grounds.
Tim Gallagher, then editor of the then Albuquerque Tribune, ran a front page article spotlighting Josh's situation and the next day The American Civil Liberties Union jumped in, admitting they had been looking a long time for someone to fight this very issue. The judicial hearing was attended by all the newspapers and TV stations.
The real civics lesson we learned from this was how the law and legal system operated. To say the Judge bitch-slapped Boys State would be somewhat of an understatement. On the first day of the hearing he told one of their attorneys-wish I could remember what the lawyer said but it was something really stupid- to "go home and read the State Constitution". I laughed out loud and the Judge shot me serious stink eye. That night Boys State called and settled, agreeing to eliminate the religion oath entirely.
Josh won the case, attended Boys State, his civics lesson learned, and the world did not end.
That year the Albuquerque branch of the ACLU made Josh their poster child for their Bicentennial Birthday Bash program
Side note -the lead attorney for Boys State was Eugene Gilbert, who's life story was shown on one of those "Bad Boys"-like TV shows. In 1966 he was shot to death by his wife and it ended up he wasn't the first husband she killed "mistaking him for an intruder".
Musical Side note -. One of the ACLU attorneys who handled the case, John Boyd, coincidentally my business attorney at the time, is the brother of Joe Boyd who managed, produced and promoted some well known acts in the 70's and 80's including Richard Thompson, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, REM, 10000 Maniacs and Fairport Convention. The other attorney, Charles Daniels, played in the band Lawyers Guns and Money.
