Read Online Are You Nuts? by Mark Richard Zubro - Free Book Online Page A

who was going to screen the questions.”
    â€œWhy did they need the questions screened?”
    â€œLydia Marquez suggested it. She made them do it the same way at the school board’s candidates’ night six months ago.”
    â€œLydia was there last night?”
    â€œIn her glory.”
    â€œWhat did she say?”
    â€œLet me tell this chronologically.”
    I nodded.
    â€œThey finally roped my secretary into screening the questions. She was very hesitant at first, but it turned out not to make much difference. To begin, each candidate was supposed to make an opening statement. Amelia Gregory, the other candidate for president, spoke first. She began a perfectly sensible speech about assuring cooperation between teachers, administrators, and parents. Before she could finish, Lydia stood up and began asking her a question about prayer in schools.”
    â€œThis is a PTA issue?”
    â€œIt is to Lydia. Amelia looked confused. She tried to catch Louis’s attention, but he ignored her. Mavis wasn’t about to leap up and throttle Lydia. Several people in the audience shouted out demands that Amelia answer the question. Then several others began booing when they made those demands.”
    â€œNobody tried to keep order?”
    Carolyn told me that she’d finally taken control of the meeting. When she threatened to cancel the entire election, people began to get more reasonable. The plan was that when everyone was done speaking and both factions had been heard from, the candidates would still answer questions from the audience.
    Carolyn said, “It was like holding a meeting in a simmering cauldron—waiting for it to boil. You were attacked once by name. Sometimes they used those phrases—‘save the children’ or ‘endorsing a lifestyle’—but you weren’t the real focus of the attacks or defenses. There were proposals for censorship and ending tenure. Prayer, I mentioned. One of the more difficult arguments for me to follow was the one demanding the PTA take a stand on abortion. It seemed like dozens of goofy proposals got made.
    â€œWhat started the next fight was a person from Belutha’s faction who sounded as if he was calling for a member of the Ku Klux Klan to be elected. As he spoke, I felt a prickle creep up my spine. Maybe he was one of those insane militia people. He didn’t have much to say about the PTA election. He was more making a speech about his cause. He did everything but praise Hitler’s Germany and call for the opening of concentration camps. I tried to cut him off, but he got abusive.”
    â€œWho was it?”
    â€œBeorn Quigley. He teaches a few classes part-time in the industrial arts department. He didn’t seem to be intimidated by my presence.”
    â€œHe’s obviously not worried about keeping his job.”
    â€œMeg had already made a statement, but after Quigley spoke, Meg elbowed her way to the speaker’s podium. She barely controlled her fury as she spoke against everything he’d just said. She was nasty and vicious, but witty and clever as well. She was doing fine until she attacked Belutha by name. I don’t think she should have done that. It caused a huge uproar.”
    â€œAgnes told me how Belutha charged Meg.”
    â€œI’m not sure Meg was all that innocent. However, I think even Belutha’s most rabid supporters were appalled by Quigley. Meg dared Belutha or Lydia to refute what he’d said. Meg was practically challenging Belutha to start something.”
    â€œPeople have to take a stand at some point.”
    â€œMeg did that in spades. After I managed to reassert control, Jerome Blenkinsop, who had not said a word all night, stood up and defended Belutha and attacked Meg. I could see Meg was a little startled with an attack from that quarter. I called a halt to that—some employees still worry that a superintendent might get angry. Eventually,