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Articles by Ken Williams
LegalEase: The boxer - Sequim Gazette
It is one of those memories that is as clear as it was on the day it happened. In 1969 I was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia. It was late spring. A little more than a month later I would be in Viet Nam. A group of us had a three-day leave so we headed for the beaches of South Carolina. We camped on the beach that night. In the morning, we sat around an early morning campfire listening to our transistor radio. (Some of you may remember those.) The DJ announced a brand-new song by Simon and Garfunkel.
LegalEase: The rule of law - Sequim Gazette
By Ken Williams We hear the phrase “the rule of law” much lately. What exactly is it? At its most basic it means that individuals, other entities, and the government must obey those laws which have been enacted or otherwise established. In a democracy the rule of law has as its foundational principles that arbitrary governance is prohibited and individual rights are protected. The rule of law is established by consent of those governed.
LegalEase: Clallam-Jefferson County Pro Bono Lawyers helps ensure due process in civil matters
When someone would ask my dad how he was, he often would reply, “Can’t complain” and then after a pause, and with a grin, would say, “No one listens anyway.” Our forefathers took listening to complaints seriously.
Ken Williams: Parents in Orange County have had enough of woke indoctrination in our schools
With the reelection of pro-parental rights and pro-charter members of the Orange County Board of Education, the voters of Orange County have established their desire to halt the significant mission drift of education and schools. Voters made clear they want schools to get back to the core aims of education to inculcate facts and knowledge and critical thinking abilities.
Ken Williams: ‘Community Schools’ are a Trojan horse in our education system
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Ken Williams: ‘Community Schools’ are a Trojan horse in our education system
The Greeks left a wooden horse as a trophy or symbol to the people of Troy, a city located in the northwest corner of modern day Turkey, after a failed and desperate ten-year blockade of the city. First mentioned in the Homer’s Odyssey, this wooden horse was later brought within the city walls as an offering to the goddess, Athena.
Dave Min’s purely partisan proposal to meddle with OC Board of Education elections
State Sen. Dave Min of Irvine self-importantly advances an “election reform” bill (Senate Bill 286) under a ruse of greater election participation by Orange County voters. What Min declares, however, is actually Orwellian double-speak coming from Sacramento, especially when he says this bill “would bring Orange County in line with the rest of state.” Let’s consider the unwritten and underlying motives of SB 286 that Min is advancing.
Mediocrity, politics and the primary purpose of education
I first wrote in a guest editorial outlining the primary purpose of education that appeared in the OC Register Opinion section in 1998. At a time when phonemic awareness and basic reading, writing and math skills were being discarded for unproven education fads, I iterated with many examples that education had drifted from its original foundations, intentions and purpose. At one time period in academia the pedagogies of classical education was the primary method of instruction.
The judge got it right: Ken Williams and Mari Barke
The Orange County Register omitted key facts of the Orange County Board of Education’s (OCBE) legal dispute with the superintendent in the story “OC Board of Education lawsuit over hiring lawyer costs taxpayers $3.2 million” on March 21. The fact is the Board of Education reluctantly sued Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares after he left us with no choice.
Washington State Courts - Appellate Court Briefs
Supreme Court - Briefs Briefs Displayed in Case Number Order (Reverse Order) Note - If a docket is available, the Hearing Date for each case will be an active link to the docket. 98317-8 - Shyanne Colvin et al. v. Jay Inslee et al.
What’s really happening at the OC Department of Education
If you’re getting sucked into the whirlwind of national and international dramas, there’s now “The Al Mijares Show,” a reality-TV blockbuster based in the very real County of Orange. Al Mijares, the main character, is the county superintendent of education. In his seven years in this elected position, he’s grown increasingly imperial. He’s decided he’s above everyone — state laws, judges, elected school board trustees and citizens. That’s where the drama and comedy — the dramedy! — originate.
Tree Pollution
After witnessing another Christmas Tree Burn festival and the miles and hours-long plume of toxins created in Solvang, I’m thoroughly convinced this city doesn’t care about its citizens, future generations, or the planet. Festival after festival they seem to only prove that they will do anything to create profit opportunity for the vendors downtown.
Bringing fiscal discipline to the Orange County schools
Last Thursday, the Orange County Board of Education (OCBE) passed a budget for 2019-2020 with reductions in the spending that was requested by Orange County Department of Education Superintendent Al Mijares. Some might be concerned that a reduction in education department spending could hurt our kids. In fact, the opposite is true. We cut the budget to help our students by scaling back the department’s excessive political and conference travel spending.
BREAKING NEWS: Maryland governor signs marriage-equality bill into law
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Gov. Martin O’Malley on Thursday afternoon signed into law a historic bill that extends marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, speaking on a theme of providing "human dignity for all." Hundreds of supporters cheered as the Democratic governor signed the bill. It passed the Maryland Senate 25-22 and the House of Delegates 72-67.
TAG SALE - Everything Must Go
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Hallo-Wine fall festival returns - Gay San Diego
North Park businessman and LGBT philanthropist Anthony Bollotta has become a passionate advocate for the health and welfare of children, because as a boy he witnessed child abuse against some of his young relatives. For the past decade, he has been involved in various roles with Home Start, a local nonprofit agency focused on child abuse prevention and treatment.
Protect yourself from hepatitis A outbreak - San Diego Downtown News
With 16 local people dead this year from hepatitis A and more than 400 infected by the virus, San Diego city and county officials are warning the public that those numbers are expected to rise before the crisis comes under control. In addition, health officials on Sept. 19 launched a “Vaccination, Sanitation & Education” campaign to urge residents to take up the challenge of helping to stop the spread of the virus.
Confessions of a ‘plantaholic’ - Gay San Diego
Mission Hills resident and his life partner build a garden of beauty Jim Bishop calls himself a “plantaholic.” His friends will toast him — maybe even teasingly roast him — for that. Over the past six years, Bishop has served as president of the San Diego Horticultural Society. He stepped down from that leadership position last month, following his talk about “My Life with Plants: Confessions of a Plantaholic” at the August meeting of the society.
Popping his cherry - Gay San Diego
Born and raised in the Middle East, Assaad Yacoub didn’t have any exposure to the bedazzled world of drag queens. It wasn’t until he moved to the United States seven years ago that the young filmmaker learned about the courageous men who strap it up, tuck it under, and don glamorous gowns and tall wigs to create the outlandish female characters that entertain us in clubs, on television and at the movies. It was love at first sight. Yacoub decided his first film had to be about drag queens.
Community mourns death of Meldon ‘Mel’ Merrill - Gay San Diego
San Diegans are mourning the loss of Meldon “Mel” Merrill, one of the pillars of the local LGBT community, who died Aug. 10. He was 80 years old. Mr. Merrill is survived by his husband, David Ramos. They were celebrating their one-year anniversary on Aug. 5 when Mr. Merrill fell ill and was hospitalized, Ramos told Gay San Diego.
FilmOut announces awards for 2017 - Gay San Diego
“The Lavender Scare” — a powerful documentary about a largely forgotten chapter of American history when President Eisenhower unleashed a witch-hunt in the 1950s to rid the U.S. government agencies of homosexuals as “security risks” — has been honored with the Freedom Award at FilmOut’s 19th annual San Diego LGBT Film Festival.
More with Michael Kimmel - Gay San Diego
GSD columnist discusses contents of his first book In the first of a two-part series, Gay San Diego “Life Beyond Therapy” columnist Michael Kimmel talked about how the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015 has impacted married gay couples. Rowman & Littlefield released Kimmel’s first book, “The Gay Man’s Guide to Open and Monogamous Marriage,” on June 8. Kimmel will have a book signing from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, June 24, in the lobby of Diversionary Theatre, located at 4545 Park Blvd.
Gay marriage: Monogamous or open? - Gay San Diego
As a psychotherapist focusing on LGBT issues, Michael Kimmel has heard it all. His clients have run the gamut from newly married gay couples to porn stars, go-go boys, male escorts and even a male “madam.” But since June 26, 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, Kimmel has been flooded with questions about how gay men should embrace same-sex marriage.
Face of FilmOut - Gay San Diego
After battling lymphoma, Program Director Michael McQuiggan looks forward to the upcoming film festival Chances are, if you have attended a movie or a festival presented by FilmOut San Diego, you have been cheerfully greeted by longtime Program Director Michael McQuiggan.
Subdivision of Truax House property is approved - Gay San Diego
San Diego’s Planning Commission voted 6-0 on Thursday, June 1, to approve the subdivision of the historical Truax House property in Bankers Hill into three parcels. The decision allows the tentative map of the property to be subdivided into three parcels: The Truax House is perched on a hillside and offers a desirable view of San Diego Bay and Downtown.
A ‘Sordid’ Opening Night - Gay San Diego
FilmOut festival to kick off with hilarious sequel to Del Shore’s cult classic Brother Boy, Latrelle, Sissy, LaVonda, Noleta and the other wacky “Sordid Lives” characters are back for one final romp through homophobia and bigotry in Winters, Texas.
Community Profile: Micaela P. Banach - San Diego Downtown News
Micaela P. Banach, a founding partner at the Noonan Lance Boyer & Banach law firm in East Village, has been selected as the new president of the San Diego County Bar Foundation. Banach will lead the Downtown-based Foundation, the charitable arm of the San Diego County Bar Association, along with Neal Rockwood, vice president; Dave Kempton, chief financial officer; Laurie Largent, secretary; and Brent Douglas, immediate past president.
Plenary Luncheon: Convergence, Forging the Path (Sponsored by Gilead Sciences)
We’ve arrived at an important moment in our efforts to tackle HIV – the dissolution of the silos of prevention and treatment. Before us now is great potential to reach our goal of getting to zero – zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths, zero discrimination. Not only are HIV science, policy, and social factors evolving, they are combining into new forms that compel us to think differently about how to support engagement along the continuum of care.
Duncan's legacy: nationalizing education standards
As Arne Duncan leaves as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, progressive educrats praise his efforts to reform public schools, viewing his tenure through an idealistic, revisionist lens. Parents, school board members, principals and teachers, however, remember Duncan for his unrelenting determination to nationalize education standards, curriculum and testing under the guise of Common Core State Standards, or, simply, Common Core.
Common Core changes the meaning of education
Huxley’s “Brave New World” constructs an environment where individual identity is stripped by a government that controls nearly all aspects of life through classical social conditioning. Not far from that fictionalized dystopia is an emerging education paradigm in America similar in philosophy and structure. This paradigm is a reappearance of the progressive education theories found in the California Learning Assessment System and School-to-Work that dominated politics two decades ago.
OC lawyer wants to "kill the gays" in California, according to initiative goal
HUNTINGTON BEACH, California – An Orange County lawyer has filed a notice with the State of California that he intends to circulate an initiative measure that would call for the death of anyone who engages in sodomy in the Golden State. Matt McLaughlin, 45 -- who listed his business address as 19744 Beach Blvd., No. 219, a Mail Boxes Express site in the Newland Shopping Center in Huntington Beach, CA 92648 -- filed his notice in late February and it was marked as received on Feb.
Five same-sex couples denied marriage certificates in Tijuana
TIJUANA, Baja California, Mexico -- The same-sex marriage dance has now begun in Tijuana, San Diego's sister city south of the border. Five same-sex couples this week have applied for marriage licenses and have been denied, according to local media. This action was fully expected, since Baja California's Article 143 of the Civil Code prohibits gay marriage.
Mexicali finally allows gay couple to marry, and Tijuana may be next
MEXICALI, Baja California, Mexico -- Victor Fernando Urias Amparo, 37, and Victor Manuel Aguirre Espinoza, 43, came to Mexicali City Hall on Saturday to join hundreds of protesters against ongoing city efforts to prevent them from marrying. But in an unexpected twist, they ended up in the middle of a hastily planned wedding ceremony in front of jubilant supporters and a crush of media from Mexico and the United States.
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