Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Easter Bunny Versus Peter Rabbit






If you missed all the details of the brouhaha of the Tiverton Easter Bunny, this Projo article did a good summary job. The Easter holiday always was a bit confusing to me. There was the whole happy bit with bunnies, chicks, & candy. Good stuff. Then there was the religious holiday which was a mixture of tragedy & joy. The two seemed to have little in common, but they somehow belonged together. I never gave it a whole lot of thought because it did involve CANDY.
In later years I have realized that it is actually the clever combo of two holidays -one pagan (let's hear it for the bunny & candy) and the other of religious significance. So that's life.
One of the Tiverton elementary schools planned a Spring Fair which had family/kid activities & raises money for the PTG's. This idea was run by Supt. Rearick who okayed it. A school committee member took issue with the Easter Bunny picture taking & brought it to Rearick's attention. So Rearick, being a conservative guy (they ALL are - it's called covering your ass) nixed the Easter Bunny & suggested Peter Rabbit.
Now I thought that Peter Rabbit was a good idea. Ties in with reading, libraries, & education & all that stuff that schools do. A great character from the Beatrix Potter books.
But, surprise, surprise, the news services picked this up & Rearick was inundated. Seem a lot of people didn't appreciate this idea. As if this wasn't enough, a Cumberland legislator (Rep. Singeleton) was really outraged (over this, no less) and intro'd legislation to end this calamity. He introd it while dressed like a rabbit, of course. He made it to the Sun. national shows (no, this was PURE CHANCE).
All of this is going on while Newport Rec. Dept. is advertising various Easter activities & schools are closed on Good Friday. Ah, brouhaha at it's best. Distract, distract, distract. The State has a rising deficit, we're in a mess of a war, and the Bunny takes center stage.

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