My last “let it rip” column elicited some pretty strong response.

My e-mail line was burning.

I think I was not as clear as I should have been. I was not trying to equate the educational leadership in Auburn with Bull Connor. On the contrary, I have enormous respect for Barbara Eretzian, who is clearly one of the most successful superintendents in the state. Nor was I trying to suggest that Edward Little had no programs in place to address racial concerns that may have been behind the attack on the young white student that lead to suspensions.

My point was really quite simple. That was an occasion where the administration could have talked about its approach to dealing with racial issues. They could have engaged the community in the dialog around effective ways to deal with issues of race as they inevitably emerge in schools. It was an opportunity to reach out to the larger community to help them become part of the solutions that are needed.

After talking with Barbara Eretzian, I am aware that there are programs in place at Edward Little. Let’s make them public. Let’s engage the rest of the community so that they can become part of the solution. That is the educable moment.

Gov. Baldacci signed an anti-discrimination bill recently. It is not a special rights piece of legislation. When will the opponents give up on that lame excuse for their opposition?

The law is a much-needed fix to a problem with Maine law. It simply guarantees that gay, lesbians and transgender individuals have the same rights as all other residents of Maine with regard to education, employment, housing and credit. These are basic issues which most of us take for granted.

Make no mistake about it, until this law takes effect, it is legal to discriminate against gays in these areas, and it happens with regularity in Maine.

Congratulations to the governor and the Legislature for having the courage to pass this legislation. Maine is the last New England state to do so.

Sadly, there were groups who should have supported the legislation but instead chose to either oppose or stand on the sideline.

The Bishop of Portland is one such case. The rationale, as I understand it for staying out of the debate, was that the extension of basic rights might lead to gay marriage. So, if you believe that, then you deny basic rights. Where is the sense and logic in that? This is a church that is called upon to “put on the face of Christ” and bring the world closer to justice and mercy. Bishop Malone’s position is a long way from that in my mind.

Scripture, at least the way I read it, clearly portrays Christ as the advocate for those put on the margins of his world by the dominant laws and norms of His time. And the Good Shepherd cared for all of his sheep.

That does not appear to be the case for Maine’s shepherd. It pains me to have the bishop of my church caste as closer to Michael Heath and Paul Madore on this important issue of justice. I trust he will take pains to distance himself from that ilk.

In another important measure, the governor signed the budget into law. It is not a pretty budget, but in these times of limited resources it must be noted that it remains a budget that Maine people can be proud of.

It remained true to its responsibility to attend to the needs of the most vulnerable. There were cuts in those areas of support for the poor, the elderly and the mentally challenged, but they were minimized significantly by the good work of the Legislature and the governor. Also, the budget kept in tact the Essential Programs and Services approach to funding education. It is not perfect, but it makes a public policy commitment to equity in our schools – every child will have the resources judged necessary to meet the Maine Learning Results.

So, all in all, it is not a bad budget. I expect that the Senate co-chair of the Appropriations Committee had a lot to do with that outcome. Kudos to Sen. Peggy Rotundo for her hard work on this budget.

Keep willing Spring into being. It is needed more this year than ever.

Jim Carignan is a retired educator who lives in Harpswell. His e-mail address is [email protected].