I would think theres alot more to this kids ( I call him kid because of his level of maturity) questionable past that needs looking into.He's not the poster boy they are trying to portray.

If he is THEIR perfect example... then Kudos to them for showing everyone the type of people they choose to champion their cause.

This thread is going to be golden!!. Will have to check back in tomorrow evening though. RandomFactor, GopherBro, JaredKChapman and HusbandMaterial....pl-pl-pl-please don't disappoint!

All of which, according to local media, was somehow irrelevant to recent events. Now, if the 21-year-old Badewitz had been convicted of, say, felonious assault on a campaign sign, well, then you might have some relevant reading.

zing!

For the people whose equal rights are now being threatened by this punitive and unnecessary proposition I can understand why they have become defensive over the bullying by religious extremists bent on imposing  their own views of morality on the nation.

Ken Mettler has extreme views regarding this issue, as do you. Equal rights for a minority in no way changes your rights, or the rights of your chosen church. Allowing gays to enter into a life partnership contract under the civil law in no way abrogates your life partnership contract.

What is wrong with you, and Ken Mettler? There are plenty of legal behaviors that many of us do not agree with, but most of us recognize that under our laws people have rights to practice those behaviors. There are also many scientists who now believe genetics plays a huge role in determining sexual partner preference. Maybe, most of this minority group had no real choice in how their bodies interact with certain pheromones.

This entire episode of placing an initiative on a ballot to remove rights under the law has been all about continuing to victimize a subgroup in our society. In your attempt to defend Ken Mettler you have once again demonstrated your loyalty to a clannish and small minded sect of extremists whose agenda is not that far removed from former autocratic fear mongerers like Cotton Mather.    

Actually Zapped I find Random, Jared, and HM too predictible.  They get their plays from the same play book.  Gopher on the other hand does show some ability to think for himself. 

For the people whose equal rights are now being threatened 

In terms of equality, defining marriage does not take away equal rights. It does however set up a definition which maybe out of the parameters of a segment of the populations' preferences. (between 2-10 percent depending on whose statistics you believe) 

 over the bullying by religious extremists bent on imposing  their own views of morality on the nation.

As opposed the secular extremists replacing them with their own views of morality? Believe it or not there are plenty of supporters of Prop 8 that are not religious, much less extremists. They aren't bigots either. Rather they recognize that society has a right to define civil institutions so long as they don't infringe on inalienable rights. The expansion of the common understanding of marriage is a right created out of thin air by a panel of judges. We have a process for reigning in expansive judicial rulings. It is now being practiced with Prop 8.

There are plenty of legal behaviors that many of us do not agree with, but most of us recognize that under our laws people have rights to practice those behaviors.

Very true, a civil marriage license is not a behavior though,

Ken Mettler has extreme views regarding this issue

Extreme implies to the fringes of political thought. What percentage of voters last time around viewed marriage as between man and woman?

you have once again demonstrated your loyalty to a clannish and small minded sect of extremists whose agenda is not that far removed from former autocratic fear mongerers like Cotton Mather.    

Much like I'm not far removed from my girlfriend's sister-in-law's dogs former owner's husband. The Salem Witch Trials? Really...pull a muscle with that stretch?

What has been glossed over in all the coverage of this scuffle is why Mr. Mettler would walk over to the other side in the first place.  If the signs were stolen, why not alert the Authorities instead of taking matters into your own hands?  I understand that Mr. Mettler's reasoning for crossing the street was to merely retrieve some signs--I personally do not believe him. 

Let's put this in context.  You have an obviously heated issue with two sides already verbally sparring and posturing from opposite sides of a street.  So, why cross the street for any reason?  I feel that this action is inherently a provocative maneuver, and Mr. Mettler knew or should have known this being an intelligent man.  Additionally, his understanding of his profile in the community should have given him pause to work through the possible ramifications of placing himself amongst the opposite side of an impassioned demonstration.  It's a simple fact that Mr. Mettler, a public figure, is held to a higher standard than the pathetic nobody he fought (or thwarted, depending on your interpretation).  And, in my mind, he is held to even higher standard because he is a figure head for our local educational system.  His choice to place himself in a compromised position by crossing that street fails that standard in my opinion.

And what is Mettler's pathos with signs?  First he alters them, and now he gets in to a scrape over them?

Just my centrist 2 cents.

FINALLY(!), someone who makes sense.  Thank you, rightthinking.

Marylee, once again, you're right on the mark.  It's what they call "Gotcha! Politics"  I must admit, I was a bit sensitive to it at first, but now, I don't really care anymore if they call me a bigot and a hater.  God knows my heart, and he knows that I harbor no hatred whatsoever in it.  God knows Ken's heart, so it doesn't matter what others may say to impugn his character. 

The theft of Yes On 8 signs has been much more widespread than reported.  Every sign in my daughters neighborhood (and there were many) disappeared Tuesday Night.   Another friend got so tired of his signs being torn down and vandalized, he wrote Yes On 8 in red spray paint on his front lawn. 

Ken Mettler has been crucified by the no on 8 side because he's widely known and he's a Christian.  They've chosen as their "poster boy" a&nbs p;criminal with more than questionable character. 

I've yet to see bigotry, hatred or ugliness from the Yes On 8 side on these blogs, yet it comes through daily from the other side. 

Marylee, thank you for being the voice of reason in an otherwise unfair media.

Listen, I'm not ready to hang Mettler for this incident, and the headline of 'criminal history' was absolutely wrong.

However, on one side of your mouth you are condemning your workmates and telling them to wait for the investigation to conclude, then out of the other side of your mouth you have a headline that proclaims his innocence.

So, obviously you were either there to personally witness the incident, or you believe your observance of the video is cut and dry and the police need investigate no further.

Insinutating he is a criminal without proof is wrong, especially by alleged journalists, but  jumping to the conclusion that he is innocent is also bad journalism.

The vote should be about civil rights, not the emotional state of a School Board member and a group of young protesters.

"In terms of equality, defining marriage does not take away equal rights. It does however set up a definition which maybe out of the parameters of a segment of the populations' preferences. (between 2-10 percent depending on whose statistics you believe)"

I have no idea what you are trying to say with that response, or what you imply by parsing segments of a sentence within a paragraph above to offer your point of view regarding your perceptions of secular extremes exhibited on this battle front.

I would view Ken Mettler's viewpoints, and his actions, as extreme in this case. I viewed his proposal to the Kern High School District regarding a resolution in support of Proposition 8 to be extreme, and having nothing to do with high school education. The Bakersfield Californian reported on September 3, 2008:

The first part of the resolution states: “the People of California affirm that it is in a child’s best interest to be raised by a father and mother in the bond of marriage.”

Mettler, who proposed the resolution, said this impacts schools because for thousands of years, traditional marriage has been the best way for children to be raised.

Donel Crow, who is a clinical psychologist for children and teenagers, said she spoke at the meeting because she felt like the resolution would not benefit students.

“This today did not seem relevant for education,” she said.

 Maybe you don't find his views extreme and on the fringe about abridging civil rights. You might find his continual push to have drug sniffing dogs on every public  high school campus meets with your approval. I find it extreme and counter productive to education. 

To each his own.

I posted this in another blog, but I think it bears repeating here. In an earlier post I had written that Kern County was the Wild West. This is my explanation of my use of that term

      History tells us that as the West was settled,folks did not respect the law and took the law into their own hands. People felt they were responsible for settling injustices themselved by any methods they chose, including violence.This was part of the culture around 140 years ago and it was the norm for society at that time. Citizens saw nothing wrong with taking the law into their own hands and if that included violence, so what. In those days this was the accepted thing to do.

   Fast forward to the present.We are a nation of laws now and taking the law into your own hands is no longer the norm.In fact you can get in serious trouble for dispensing your own form of rough justice.If you feel that something illegal is going on, you call the cops.That is what the police are for. To enforce the law.

   If Mr. Mettler felt somone was breaking the law in some way he should have brought this to the attention of the police and let them handle it.That is their job , to enforce the law. We are not allowed to take the law into our own hands.But Mr Mettler did not call the police.He took it upon himself to dispense justice and wound up kicking and punching someone in the process.This was captured on video.Evidently it never occured to him to refer the matter to the police. Mr. Mettler seems to be stuck in the past, when it was normal to take the law into your own hands.Ladies and gentlemen, you can't do that in 2008.So that is what I mean when I say that Kern County is stuck in the culture of the Wild West. A lot of people here see absolutely nothing wrong with going in with fists flying to be your own policeman.Read the various posts about this matter and you will see what I mean.

   Now Mr Mettler holds a postion of public trust as an elected trustee of the BHSD. He has been chosen by the electorate for a very important office and part of his duty is to set a good example to the students,the youth of Bakersfield. This means not taking the law into his own hands. But of course that is exactly what he did. And he sees nothing wrong with that.And neither do a lot of other people.This is the sensibility of the Wild West.

Thanks for the credit everyone. Glad you are interested in my comments.

First off, it doesn't matter which side your on: democrat, republican, yes on 8, no on 8; when you are a public figure, an elected official and you resort to violence, even in self-defense, you better be ready for some 'splaining. No one else in that situation was in a position as "role model" to high school students.

Second, he had no reason to cross sides. Truxton Avenue reported from Mettler's side that moments earlier he had seen the signs and said he was going over there. He had been to the CSUB debate; he knew his mere proximity would be provoking, just as Whitney Weddell going into the Yes side would probably be a bad idea, however, not a mistake she would probably make. As soon as he went into the side of the opposition, he started the whole thing; a metaphorical slap in the face to their cause.

Third, as soon as he saw the signs were tampered, he should have dropped them realizing they were not his and walked away (if that's what he actually went over to do). However, it is more likely that he was pissed that his sides signs were defaced and wanted to take them away, though he did the same thing years prior (hypocrite much).

Fourth, he is a KHSD trustee elected official. In that school district, we have a zero tolerance for fighting, even in self-defense. What kind of precedent will this set if he is not at least suspended? I thought Yes on 8 was about the kids. Are we telling our kids that it is ok to hit someone if they threaten you or your beliefs, because that's not the school rule? Show the kids that what was done was not right; encourage Mettler to apologize for his behavior and take some form of punishment for his actions.

Fifth, as I said before. I don't care what party or policy support an elected official is a part of, when it comes to fisticuffs, they better be ready for the consequences of their actions. If Metter goes unpunished, the repercussions of that decision will probably be unfavorable. Can you imagine an overturning of the zero tolerance for fighting in schools? Think Smart, don't make this a partisan issue!

Look, the bottom line is Little Robbi Badewitz, convicted druggie got worked by the 55 year-old senior citizen. You libs can't handle it. Little Robbi, the masked boy in the video, picked a battle he didn't win. And now its time to call foul.

Marylee you are right on the money. Too TBC isn't.

Mettler's lying about it being self-defense.  He's been lying about the incident since it happened.

A opinion piece is worth what it is: one  persons view.

Not surprised to see the tap dance of the moral police.

Ah yes, the infamous "Liar Liar Pants on Fire" defense.

OJ thought he was just retrieving his stolen property too...but that's another conversation.

I'm struck my Marylee's statement that Mettler has been a dedicated public servant who has served our kids and schools for 14 years.  Everybody I know from the RUSD district says he was the least seen board member on RUSD campuses and made enemies with the teachers by his inflammatory anti-union rhetoric.  I've heard also that his wife is the one with more knowledge of the day to day goings on at the schools because she spent alot of time at their sons' schools while he only showed up for board meetings.  I wonder if the same is true now that his is on the KUHSD board?  I wonder how many conferences and events at his sons' schools he's actually attended?  The Californian should investigate this since Marylee is putting it forth as if it is a fact that he is "a dedicated public servant".  Seems to me, Mettler, like many other politicians,  is dedicated to his own political aspirations and is simply using school board positions as a springboard to possible higher political offices.

And here we have the "everybody I know" defense, the implication being that "everybody I know" consitutes the majority opinion.

You really think The Californian should investigate whether or not Mettler is a dedicated public servant? Since that's subjective, meaning one person's definition of "dedication" may differ from another's, it would be difficult for a reporter to investigate, don't you think? 

Mettler was on the RUSD board for 12 years, the KHSD board for two. The current KHSD board of trustees is one of the most dynamic in memory and Mettler is a big part of that. But, since it's such a concern, you are, of course, free to attend the board meetings and find out for yourself how often Mettler shows up and what he does when he's there. Or, you can simply trust the word of everybody you know.

Marylee, great job as usual in exposing the hyperventilating hypocrisy typical of the lunatic-fringe leftists. They are the ones who twice yanked my Yes on 8 signs from my yard, not to mention committing additional criminal offenses involving my neighbor's signs. The thieves' and vandals' actions prompted me to put up a huge sign saying: "To those who stole my Yes on 8 signs: Is this the kind of tolerance you want from us?"

I was all too happy to show my support for Mettler and the pro-Prop. 8 crowd at the Stine and Stockdale intersection last night. I was content to be one of five guys who were the early birds. Lo and behold, the clueless folks across the street did not grow beyond the dozen or so they had while our side had folks just pouring in that we easily numbered a hundred or two. It was great to see folks from infants to senior citizens of all races and ethnicities joining the rally. Capping it off was a big old bus bedecked with Yes on 8 signs barreling and blaring into the intersection. I'll bet the bigots who hate traditional marriage like Badewitz got an idea of what Gen. Custer and his gang went through during the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Victory will be ours on Nov. 4!

Having lived in the RUSD for more than thirty years, I have never heard one negative word about Ken Mettler, except for one election when some disgruntled individuals put up signs against three incumbent RUSD board members.  But I'm sure we run in different circles.

My concern isn't about board meetings.  Board members often make appearances at school events outside of the boardroom.  Mettler doesn't seem to be one of them.  

Since the people I know are parents and staff members in the RUSD district, I do trust them more than people who only read about Mettler or worship him as a crusader.  It's very telling to me that people rave about Mettler's wife (who I assume shares his leanings politically), but have nothing positive to say about him.  I've heard many negative things about him over the years; this isn't just about prop. 8 to me.

I will continue to speak as an Independent and a voice of reason - both sides of this issue are to blame.  It is sad that people on all sides of the political spectrum cannot act like adults.  I'm sick of signs being stolen and defaced from all sides.  I'm sick of the vulgarity, hatred and violence that is being perpetrated from both sides. 

That being said, regardless of who started or instigated the scuffle, Mettler is a leader in our community.  Not only is he in the public eye 24/7, he is supposed to be a role model for all citizens.  That's part of what it means to be an elected official.  Therefore, Mettler should have known better, and as mentioned above, should not have even gone over to the opposing side.  He seems like an intelligent man - you would think he would have known that he was playing with fire.

I'm not asking for Mettler to resign or be kicked out of office - I would just hope that he learns a valuable lesson and next time acts like an adult.

I have no idea what you are trying to say with that response, or what you imply by parsing segments of a sentence within a paragraph above to offer your point of view regarding your perceptions of secular extremes exhibited on this battle front.

(borrowing one of my favorite movie quotes) "In the word's of the Virgin Mary...Come again?"... I won't even pretend to be intelligent enough to dissect that one down, my head hurts too much from Halloween fun. ;)

Maybe you don't find his views extreme and on the fringe about abridging civil rights

If he ever pushes for limiting the benefits to same sex couples (insurance/tax/legal etc) than I probably would. But I just don't consider homosexual marriage a civil right. Check back with me in 20 years on that.

You might find his continual push to have drug sniffing dogs on every public  high school campus meets with your approval. I find it extreme and counter productive to education. 

Seems like a different tangent, but now that you threw it out there, as a student who occasionally had a drug sniffing dog come through high school and the classrooms I found it neither disruptive nor counter productive to my education nor most of my classmates, save for the ones stupid enough to deal out of their lockers. We have a different standard of certain rights afforded to minors.

"I will continue to speak as an Independent and voice of reason - both sides of this issue are to blame. It is sad that people on all sides of the political spectrum cannot act like adults. I'm sick of signs being stolen and defaced from all sides. I'm sick of the vulgarity, hatred and violence that is being perpetrated from both sides."

BUT!

It started out sounding good it lost something in your reasoning after that. What about Druggie Little Bobbi Badewitz?

Badewitz doesn't matter. He's not the public official. IF this was a scuffle between No on 8ers and Yes on 8ers that would be one thing, but it wasn't. It was a scuffle between a KHSD Trustee and a No on 8er. A KHSD trustee who should enforcing zero tolerance for fighting, including self-defense in our schools. If this had been a fight in a bar over a girl, it would have been just as wrong, even if the guy he was fighting with had a record. If Badewitz punched first rather than try to just take the signs back, then he should be apologizing too. But, again Badewtiz is not a public role model, so he doesn't really matter in all of this.

 Little Robbi Badewitz does matter. He is a punk druggie want to be thug that wears an bandanna over his face. Only when he has a opportunity  to get a little face time on TV he remove the bandanna and play the victim role. There was no fight Little Robbi slapped at Mettler and Mettler popped little Robbi in the jaw. Little Robbi new then he was out of his league and backed down. Mettler prevented a fight.

 People like you let the Little Bobbi Badewitz in this world get away with the crap they get away with. "He threw a punch but missed. He was only in possession of two pills. She hit him first"  Little Robbi will go his entire life as a victim. 

It is not up to the trustee to enforce the rules. It is up to the administration to enforce the rules.

"It is not up to the trustee to enforce the rules. It is up to the administration to enforce the rules."

Yeah, Sniff..Sniff...

Trustees are the politics (it's disingenuous, or ignorance, to argue otherwise). That crowd sets the agenda..the rules follow from that.

What did Mettler study in school, anyway? Was it education..., maybe something in the humanities?

A High school Trustee...., right?

--virgil

" Mettler prevented a fight."

The great "leap of faith".

I suggest you watch the video one more time.

--virgil

"The video shows Mettler calmly wading through a mob of vulgar, profanity spewing protesters to pick up a pile of “Yes on Prop. 8” signs — signs the protesters are heard to say they paid for, which is weird since the signs are free to anyone who supports the cause. Mettler says it wasn’t until he heard aggressors approaching from behind and spotted Badewitz at his side, that he reacted."

Mettler provoked the crowd's response to him by coming from across the street to "calmly"  take signs out of people's hands. A public official, his contempt for those he disagrees with is irritating enough.

Remember! That "crowd" did not walk across the street to him.  nor did they follow beyond their corner after his "defensive actions" among their midst.

--virgil

AdamPayne-You might find his continual push to have drug sniffing dogs on every public  high school campus meets with your approval. I find it extreme and counter productive to education. 

Zapped-as a student who occasionally had a drug sniffing dog come through high school... I found it neither disruptive nor counter productive to my education nor most of my classmates, save for the ones stupid enough to deal out of their lockers.  

I gotta tell you, I always wanted to call BS on the "drug sniffing dog in HS is BAD" crowd with this argument, but never wanted to get in the argument that would ensue. But the situation has been thrown out there and I'm awake and online...

Why would a deterrent to a counter-productive activity be considered a bad thing? Drugs are not harmless. Can we all agree that if you're taking drugs, you are not giving 100% to your education? What is the purpose of school? How can you even think that eliminating them from the school environment would be counter productive to education??

Sorry to continue that tangent, just had to get that off my chest...

As to the bigger picture and subject of the blog...both Mr. Mettler and Mr. Badewitz were in the wrong to some degree. If the signs were ken's and he was there to reclaim them, his lapse in good judgment was in crossing the street alone.  If, as Mr. Badewitz contends, the signs were bought by the no on 8 crowd,(wanted to call BS on this as well) he should have let Mettler take them, and then call the police.

In the grand scheme of things, it's a mole hill. Media coverage and a hot button issue was sure to create some hot-blooded confrontations. This is a MINOR incident, let's take it to the extreme!

 spam code XSCRM beyond extreme..the newest high level is Exscream

" Why would a deterrent to a counter-productive activity be considered a bad thing? Drugs are not harmless. Can we all agree that if you're taking drugs, you are not giving 100% to your education? What is the purpose of school? How can you even think that eliminating them from the school environment would be counter productive to education??"

Is that a call for drug sniffing dogs? Actually, can anyone show that sort of activity is academically productive?

Ironic, Mettler's argument for having the dogs was about decreasing the amount of absenteeism resulting from kids being sent home for violating school's  drug zero tolerance policies - not about kids using drugs.

--virgil

I was 100% positive that virgil would be the first to jump in. I almost added an aside, just for him, but edited it out.

virgil-can anyone show that sort of activity is academically productive?

Nope, but it ain't counter productive either...

"Nope, but it ain't counter productive either..."

How do you (we) know...?

As far working with kids and chemical dependency issues, there are methods that are tried and true. Why not introduce those into a drug problem on campus?

Why dogs..? Why police officers..? We already know those methods do not work.

--virgil

 I'll bet the bigots who hate traditional marriage like Badewitz got an idea of what Gen. Custer and his gang went through during the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Who hates traditional marriage??? I am married, and I feel if two adults are in love and want to marry should have the right to!  I fail to see how two men or two women getting married makes my marriage any less valid or special.  One of the old arguments against homosexuals was they were too promiscuous....so stands to reason if they want to be in a committed relationship, why stop them?  Civil unions DO NOT give the same rights as marriage.  All they want is to be equal.

But Marilee, you have already proclaimed him innocent. Why is your opinion on heresay better than anyone elses?

Whoever was there knows what happened. My guess is nobody on this blog was. I'm not siding with either side in this, but your proclamation of his innocence is no different than someone else's proclamation that he is guilty.

I would side with your opinion, if you had stuck to the "lets let the law sort it out".

You wrote.

Maybe what Weddell should really worry about are fellow gay-rights activists who believe the law and rules of civility don’t apply to them.

Civility?  I have been cussed at and flipped off more times in the past week because of the No on 8 sign I am holding then ever before in my entire life.  Maybe the Yes on 8 folks should also get a lesson on civility.

 You wrote...

Mettler, a dedicated public servant who has served our kids and schools for 14 years, says he fought back in self defense.

Badewitz, an out-of-towner with a colorful rap sheet, says otherwise. Why is it that Mettler must bear the full burden of blame?

Maybe because the dedicated public servant was not the one with the bruised cheek from being struck by the dedicated public bully.  Opps, I mean servant.

Seriously... so it is okay for you to bring up the young mans past, but not okay to bring up the priors of Ken Mettler?  One more rediculous act from a fearful person who just can't or wont understand love.  Basic, day in and day out love between two people.  No matter what sex they happen to be.

Marylee says:

You really think The Californian should investigate whether or not Mettler is a dedicated public servant?

Honestly, Marylee, when and where did you lose your journalism degree? Yes, yes, yes, The Californian could and should investigate how our elected public officials conduct themselves with respect to their elected office and whether or not they fully understand the issues of the population they represent - in Mettler's case, the Kern High School District, its students, parents, and basically anyone who lives within its boundaries.

Since that's subjective, meaning one person's definition of "dedication" may differ from another's, it would be difficult for a reporter to investigate, don't you think? 

Not difficult at all. Time-consuming, perhaps, but not difficult. It's called legwork. The reporter talks to various KHSD staff, students and parents and finds out what types of KHSD events Mettler attends and the nature of any campus visits he may make. The reporter attends board meetings to find out what issues Mettler finds important. The reporter reports the facts and leaves it to the readership to draw their own conclusions. I'm using Mettler as an example since he's the subject of your column, but it could be done with any KHSD board member or other local elected official.

You know all this, Marylee. I don't know why you'd even question it, unless your tenure as a contributing columnist has made you forget all about your days as a reporter.

 I've got a crotch sniffing dog. Maybe let him sniff around a the high schools in the KHSD? All you Druggies just stay away from the high school and you won't loss your weed. Or take your kids weed away from them when he or she goes to school. Just don't smoke all your kid's weed. Save some for them when they get home. Your kid doesn't get arrested and you get to smoke someone else's weed. And the KHSD gets is drug sniffing dogs. I see it as a win, win, win situation. That seem to be your biggest beef you have with Ken Mettler.

" I've got a crotch sniffing dog.."

Who trained your dog?

--virgil

Just a puppy.

That's great. How old...?

What kiind?

--virgil

It used to be the Provence of the Republican party to stay out of people's private lives.  Remember when it was for small government and concise common sense laws.

That was, of course, before the Republican party began letting the Christian right dictate to them.

The Christian right will be the end of the traditional Republican party.  Too bad.  It was a good party once.