Rexburg, Idaho Wishes It Could Go Back to Being Famous for Whatever It Used to Be Famous For
Shawn Larsen, the mayor of Rexburg, Idaho, has released an apology on behalf of his town, where a busload of local schoolchildren were recently witnessed chanting, "assassinate Obama," drawing headlines and overshadowing Rexburg's highest national per-capita Schnauzer population.
"I am extremely sorry that this incident occurred, and I do not believe that it reflects the values which make our community a great place to live and raise a family," Larsen wrote. "Parents must realize that things said in anger or even in jest can have lasting repercussions not only damaging young hearts and minds, but a city's reputation."
That's nice and all, but what has apologizing ever accomplished? Rexburg Schools Superintendent Geoffrey Thomas knows what I'm talking about.
"In our district there was an isolated instance of children making regrettable and unacceptable remarks in regards to harming President-elect Obama," Thomas wrote in a letter to parents Monday. "Word of this behavior leaked out to a hyperactive media and bloggers which in turn distorted way out of proportion the comments that were made, painting the entire community with the same negative brush."
My thoughts exactly! Leave it to the hyperactive media and bloggers to distort "assassinate Obama" into something bad.
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I am a resident of Rexburg, Idaho and have been for the better part of my years on this earth. My thoughts are, is Rexburg the only place on this planet where such sentiments towards president-elect Obama have been expressed? True, what the children said was wrong, and I am too guilty of jest towards president Obama; and Bush; and McCain; and Washington, and Nixon, and J.F. Kennedy, and Taft, and so on and so forth. It's interesting to me that the feelings of resentment and comments made about Rexburg come from people who have never ven been here. I've not lived here my whole life and I have spent time abroad in many countries and I must say Rexburg has a quaity of life that I havn't found anywhere else. I don't believe there is any other place in the world I can leave my car unlocked by acident and still find my wallet sitting on the passanger seat where I left it. There are good people here and the actions of children who have no idea what they are saying do not reflect the entire communities sentiments. I know of several BYU-Idaho professors and students an dcommunity members who heartidly support Obama and believe he will do many good things for this nation.
Rexburg is also close to Napoleon Dynamite territory. Idaho isn't a bad place, as a whole state. In Boise many people were excited and happy to see Obama.
That said, of course, it doesn't excuse the hatred expressed by those parents and kids. Some parts of the state and some people are beyond understanding. My family members in Southern Idaho are watching everyone around them prepare for the end of the world.
How stocking up on preserves and toilet paper will save you in the apocalypse, we haven't quite figured out.
p.s. BYU-Idaho will always be Ricks.
A large portion of this community also felt that Warren Jeffs was painted in a bad light…
Rexburg — "a great place to live and raise a family," according to its mayor? Kids learn their odious, violent hatred in the bosom of those same families, and it does not seem to me that Rexburg is a "great place" for anyone.
Furthermore, one child, one PERSON expressing such a horrific sentiment is one too many, and reporting it is in no way distorting its importance. The entire community SHOULD be painted "with the same negative brush." For shame!
Ahhh, Rexburg Idaho. Famous for rednecks, being the second-to-last stop on your way to Yellowstone, and home of BYU-Idaho. And now we can add: relocation spot for all the Aryan’s kicked out of the Hayden Lake compound.