GIL HESS -- Community Commentary

It is disappointment and utter disgust that motivates this letter to

you.

Disappointment for what could have been and used to be, and disgust

for what was and is likely to continue.

After attending the Costa Mesa High School Homecoming, I walked away

extremely disappointed. But not because they lost their homecoming game.

These players have every reason to be proud, even in defeat. You could

see the heart, the desire and the attitude of the players in the way they

worked as a team and refused to give up.

The disappointment was because the meaning of “homecoming” seems to be

lost. This once-a-year festivity to renew old friendships, see each

other’s kids and share the memories of the “glory days” was trampled

upon.

The feeling of community and showing our young children a part of our

past was spit upon by a halftime show that featured and promoted

transvestite behavior, sexual images and blatant shock value -- all in

the name of entertainment.

It is a sad, dark and disgusting time to think that these children

will have the real meaning of their homecoming lost.

That the parents sat and will continue to sit in complete silence,

afraid to say that a halftime program’s content was wrong, totally

irresponsible, and age inappropriate given the spectrum of those in

attendance, is a sad commentary on our community. The act should have

been booed off the field. Or better yet, never approved in the first

place.

If this is the future that is in store for my child, I am not going to

sit in silence. I will not be afraid to speak out for what is right.

Maybe there is something to be said for a parent’s choice to select a

school that isn’t afraid to keep its students from being demoralized.

Maybe now there is a reason to consider school vouchers.

* GIL HESS is a resident of Newport Beach.