May 25 and 26, 2016


News and Views


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/will-democratic-unity-be-threatened-by-bernie-sanders-platform-committee-picks/

Will Democratic unity be threatened by Bernie Sanders' platform committee picks?
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
May 26, 2016, 1:48 PM

At least two people Bernie Sanders appointed to the Democratic Party's Platform Drafting Committee are critics of Israel, and their positions could be an obstacle to the party unifying at its July convention.

The Vermont senator, who's Jewish and who lived on an Israeli Kibbutz in the 1960s, appointed James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute, and Cornel West, who teaches philosophy at Union Theological Seminary. Both of them have advocated the rights of Palestinians and have condemned Israel's actions in the past.

"Justice for Palestinians cannot be attained without the lifting of the occupation," West told The New York Times in an interview in which he added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has committed "war crimes" and that "the role of money and lobbies makes it difficult for there to be a candid dialogue" on Israel.

"Any honest assessment would say that the debate on this issue has shifted over the last 30 years and the platform has reflected that but lagged slightly behind, and it's now time to catch up," Zogby also told the Times in an interview. "Clearly most Democrats agree. But we will see what happens."

West and Zogby are among five people Sanders appointed to the 15-person committee. Hillary Clinton appointed six people and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

While Sanders has described himself as "100 percent pro-Israel," he has also criticized the Israeli government's decision to attack Gaza in the summer of 2014 even though Hamas was launching rockets at Israel from Gaza. He said that position doesn't make him "anti-Israel."

"Of course Israel has a right not only to defend themselves, but to live in peace and security without fear of terrorist attack. That is not a debate," Sanders said at the New York debate with Clinton ahead of the state's primary in April. "Now, if you're asking not just me, but countries all over the world, was that a disproportionate attack, the answer is that I believe it was," he added, referring to the 2014 conflict.

Clinton was asked if Israel committed a disproportionate attack two years ago, but she evaded the question and instead touted her role as secretary of State in negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in 2012.

She also said that "you have a right to defend yourself" when you are under constant threat of a terrorist attack or rockets raining down on your country.

Even if West and Zogby move to change the party's platform on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, it's unclear whether they'd have much influence since the appointees from Clinton and Wasserman Schultz would outnumber Sanders' appointees and Wasserman Schultz is staunchly pro-Israel.

A request for comment from a convention official was not immediately returned.

The Times noted that at the 2012 Democratic convention, delegates booed officials who reinstated the party platform that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel--a position that even the U.S. government doesn't hold because it believes its status must be negotiated between the Israelis and Palestinians.



“At least two people Bernie Sanders appointed to the Democratic Party's Platform Drafting Committee are critics of Israel, and their positions could be an obstacle to the party unifying at its July convention. The Vermont senator, who's Jewish and who lived on an Israeli Kibbutz in the 1960s, appointed James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute, and Cornel West, who teaches philosophy at Union Theological Seminary. Both of them have advocated the rights of Palestinians and have condemned Israel's actions in the past. …. "Any honest assessment would say that the debate on this issue has shifted over the last 30 years and the platform has reflected that but lagged slightly behind, and it's now time to catch up," Zogby also told the Times in an interview. "Clearly most Democrats agree. But we will see what happens." …. "Of course Israel has a right not only to defend themselves, but to live in peace and security without fear of terrorist attack. That is not a debate," Sanders said at the New York debate with Clinton ahead of the state's primary in April. "Now, if you're asking not just me, but countries all over the world, was that a disproportionate attack, the answer is that I believe it was," he added, referring to the 2014 conflict.”


“The Times noted that at the 2012 Democratic convention, delegates booed officials who reinstated the party platform that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel--a position that even the U.S. government doesn't hold because it believes its status must be negotiated between the Israelis and Palestinians.” As I have been avidly watching politics and the world for many years now, I am growing weary of hoping for what seems like any great amount of fairness and decency anymore. People are too corrupt, insane and unintelligent for that, and the more that poverty and ignorance prevail the worse it gets.

At least three of our presidents worked tirelessly to bring the Palestinians and Israelis together in a viable peace structure, but it was no go. The title of this piece asks, “Will the Democratic Party unity survive this?” Well, I don’t know, but I do know there are many Dems who agree with me and Bernie on the matter of Israel. We mustn’t forget that even Sanders is Jewish. He is not, however, madly approving of them no matter what they do. He is much more intelligent and fair-minded than that.

On the other hand, of course, it isn’t just the Israelis who won’t give an inch so the world can gain a mile. Palestinian leaders have also been totally disingenuous and dishonest. There is only one sensible reason, to me, for the US to continue in it’s blind protection of Israel no matter what they do, and that is that they will almost certainly always be an ally in case of a global war like WWI and WWII. Half of their relatives live in the USA, after all.

There is also the deep-seated American guilt over the lateness of our entering the war against Hitler due to the anti-Jewish sentiment in the US at the time that makes us unable to “speak truth to power” with the Israeli government. In 1939, the American people had no idea of the truth of how many concentration camps there were and what they were doing to the Jews, and a Right-leaning populace here wanted us to stay out of the war at all costs. When the Allies opened them up and the photographs of starving and naked Jews were published in the news, we as a people were for the most part truly horrified. Even Christians who didn’t “like Jews,” were appalled. We have, thankfully, reached a point in our society that we can’t simply accept such things. I pray we do not regress to the Prehistoric mental condition that allowed that to occur all over Europe at the time. Finally, thank Goodness, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt did declare war. Our besmirched honor was cleansed of cowardice and a disregard for life.

Having said that, however, the world situation would be improved 1,000% these days if both parties would simply cooperate and stop the insane war that persists despite the efforts of logical people. Like many Christians I have always respected and liked the Jews whom I have known personally and as a group, and who some 2000 years ago started the Christian religion through their peace and love teacher Jesus; but I do not think they as a nation are making anywhere nearly the amount of effort that they should toward healing the rift with Palestinians.

They really need to get rid of Netanyahu who is, to me, very much like a fascist in his thinking and policies. The world is back around to the kind of discouragement and chaos that brought Hitler into power. Citizens feel worried and they’re looking for scapegoats. The Islamic people are catching the brunt of it now, but last year there was an article about a rise in hatred against Jewish people across Europe as well. I pray we won’t have any more pogroms, against any racial or cultural group of any kind. Continue to think on this subject when you get to the bizarre article below of a cop beating a 62 year old Korean woman for entering a parking garage!!!




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-woman-sues-los-angeles-police-department-officers-church/

Woman, 62, accuses cops of roughing her up outside church
CBS NEWS
May 26, 2016, 9:31 AM

Photograph -- Ok Jin Jun, 62, is seen in a photo taken after an altercation with police officers in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles on April 14, 2016. COURTESY OK JIN JUN


LOS ANGELES -- A 62-year-old woman who says the Los Angeles Police Department roughed her up in a Koreatown church parking lot has filed a lawsuit, CBS Los Angeles reports.

Ok Jin Jun is suing the LAPD, the city of Los Angeles and two police officers.

The woman's arrest was captured on surveillance video. Her attorney told the station the video is hard to watch.

"Seeing this occur, especially to a person so vulnerable like her, is very disturbing," said lawyer Antonio K. Kizzie.

Jun's car is shown pulling into church early on the morning of April 14. Behind her was an LAPD SUV. Jun said the officers followed her into the church parking lot after she honked her horn at them about a half-dozen times as they blocked the church driveway.

When Jun gets out of the car, she's confronted by the officers. She said they asked for her registration. A discussion ensues. Jun does not speak much English. Her son explains what happens next.

"From that point my mom was confused. She didn't feel like she did anything wrong," said Jun's son, David.

He said his mom tried calling 911 to get an interpreter and also tried calling her husband.

She hunches down to make a call. The argument appears to intensify. The two officers pull Jun up and push her against her car. It looks like a struggle ensues. Jun is forced to the ground, where she's handcuffed.

"They grabbed her by the wrists, twisted her into a submission position," said David.

Pictures of Jun showed how she looked after being taken to the hospital.

Before it was all over, four more LAPD cruisers had arrived on the scene.

Jun's son said his mom is deeply traumatized and questions who she can trust.

"I'm even fearful of people because police officers are the ones I'm supposed to be able to trust," she said through her son as an interpreter.

CBS Los Angeles reached out to the LAPD for a response. A source said unofficially the officers are being reviewed for a routine use-of-force report. Also, unofficially, they told him that "mental health" might have been a factor in their response.



This article shows police again failing to exercise their best judgment. If a woman can’t speak English easily, for goodness sake get a translator. The comment that “mental health” might have been a factor is fascinating. Police should not be heartlessly rough even if a suspect may be having a mental problem at the time. That is one of the recurrent themes in these cop v citizen stories. Police need to call rescue to handle a person who is having a breakdown, not treat them despitefully. And why was she prevented from entering a church parking lot, even if it was in the early morning. Did they think she was a drunken teenager or something? Another thing, don’t treat a small 62-year-old woman like a frightening male suspect who might actually be able to put up a real fight. That’s more cop bullying pure and simple. And finally, is it just possible that her Asian face angered them purely because she looked like an “other?” She had no weapon. I am delighted to see that Ok Jin Jun is going to sue their pants off!



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kay-jewelers-accused-of-swapping-diamonds-with-fakes/

Kay Jewelers accused of swapping diamonds with fakes
By AIMEE PICCHI MONEYWATCH
May 26, 2016, 1:18 PM

Diamonds are supposed to be forever, unless, as some consumers are alleging, you shop at Kay Jewelers.

Some customers are claiming that after they took their diamond jewelry to Kay Jewelers, the rare stones were mysteriously replaced with cheap imitations. Kay said that it is "actively reviewing this issue." Shares of Signet Jewelers (SIG), Kay's parent company, fell as much as 11 percent on Thursday, although the share plunge came after the company's earnings fell short of analysts' estimates.

Chrissy Clarius told BuzzFeed that she would bring her $4,300 engagement ring, which was bought at Kay Jewelers, to Kay every six months to get it inspected, as this was part of the company's gemstone guarantee that insures the stone will "last forever." After taking the ring in February for its six-month checkup, she said the Kay employee couldn't find the diamond's certification number. Suspicious, she took the ring to another jeweler, who tested the stone and declared that it was moissanite, a cheaper stone.

"I felt sick to my stomach," Clarius told the publication. She said she believed the original diamond was replaced during an earlier repair at Kay, and that she had never taken the ring to another store for repairs.

Clarius said when she took the ring to Kay for testing, they said the stone was a diamond. Another jeweler also said it was moissanite, however.

A Facebook page called Boycott Kay Jewelers has become a clearing house for complaints, with consumers alleging issues including poor jewelry construction, shoddy repairs, and rings that were swapped out for other bands.

Clarius, for her part, wrote on Facebook that she's filed a police report, a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and the attorney general's office.

In a statement, Kay said that the chain has "rigorous processes in place to help ensure this won't happen. When a guest brings their jewelry in for repair or service, it is diamond tested before it is sent out and when it is returned." It added, "With that being said, we are actively reviewing this issue, as we do all customer concerns brought to our attention, as part of our commitment to customer care and continuous improvement."

Several more women claim they've had similar problems with Kay, according to BuzzFeed. One woman said she was suspicious after her ring was resized at Kay's because it lacked the sparkle that it had had before she left the ring there. An employee told her it was because she hadn't seen the ring for a while, but when she asked another jeweler to check the certification number on the diamond, she learned that it didn't match the stone in her ring.

She said when she returned to Kay to complain, they located her diamond and returned it to her, but she said the experience was stressful.

She noted, "It is a ring, it is a material possession, but it's so much more than that."



“Several more women claim they've had similar problems with Kay, according to BuzzFeed. One woman said she was suspicious after her ring was resized at Kay's because it lacked the sparkle that it had had before she left the ring there. An employee told her it was because she hadn't seen the ring for a while, but when she asked another jeweler to check the certification number on the diamond, she learned that it didn't match the stone in her ring.” This is shameful, because when two people decide to marry they, hopefully, enter into to pledge with faith and hope for a happy life. The ring is a symbol of their love. When businesses (more than one store, apparently), follow corrupt business practices I have no sympathy with them. I do hope Kay Jewelers will lose all their business and go under.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-foul-truth-behind-the-down-in-pillows-and-comforters/

A foul truth behind the down in pillows and comforters
By KATE GIBSON MONEYWATCH
May 26, 2016, 5:00 AM

Photograph -- geese2.jpg, Geese huddle together after their feathers are ripped out. PETA
Play VIDEO -- Video shows horrific treatment of alligators slaughtered for luxury bags
Play VIDEO -- New law affects chicken farms in California


A good night's sleep can come with a hidden cost that consumers are likely unaware of.

The highest grade of down, used to make the most comfy and costly bedding, involves a practice called live-plucking. That's when feathers and the undercoating of geese and ducks are pulled off their skin while the waterfowl are still alive.

Most retailers and their suppliers follow voluntary standards meant to ensure that live-plucking isn't part of their supply chain. But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has released disturbing video taken by undercover PETA workers who visited nearly a dozen farms over a month-long period last fall in China, which produces roughly 80 percent of the world's down.

"It's horrific to see and hard to describe," said the PETA worker who shot much of the video and spoke to CBS MoneyWatch on condition of anonymity due to the nature of her work.

The PETA employee said the activist group traveled to China hoping to learn that live-plucking was being phased out, but instead it found the practice is "still something openly done."

"Eye witnesses found live geese are being plucked on farms linked to responsible down suppliers. These down products are exported throughout the world and sold to consumers who don't understand the complexity of the supply chain," said Anne Kellogg, PETA's manager of corporate affairs. "This investigation shows there is no way to tell whether down is live-plucked just by looking at it."

Some readers might prefer not to watch the graphic video, which shows geese, their feet restrained or held down by their necks, with farm workers pulling their feathers and undercoating off their skin, leaving open and often bloody wounds in the process.

"We visited 11 farms, and many we went back to multiple times to make sure it wasn't a one-time thing," said the PETA worker. "One producer we spent eight hours with, and it was not difficult to get live-plucking discussed, and to see and learn about it. Their attitude in general is animals are insignificant."

PETA said its investigation offers evidence that retailers including Lands' End, Eddie Bauer and Hollander Home Fashions inadvertently had live-plucked down in their supply chains, despite a certification process involved in the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) that mandates the feathers are "non live-plucked."

Lands' End declined to address PETA's specific concerns, while Eddie Bauer and Hollander both expressed concern about PETA's findings and said they were taking additional steps to address the issue.

"Lands' End works with vetted suppliers who have certified, responsibly sourced down," the retailer said in an emailed response. "The down we use is also a byproduct of the food industry, making it more environmentally friendly."

Eddie Bauer had conducted its own probe, a spokeswoman for the retailer said. The company also released a letter from CEO Michael Egeck, in which he expressed confidence that Eddie Bauer has not had live-plucked down in its supply chain for many years and that he has confidence in the RDS process.

Mark Eichhorn, CEO of Hollander Home Fashions, said a recent audit of its down suppliers and their sources found no evidence of live-plucked material in its chain. Still, due to PETA's concerns, the company has commissioned another independent audit, using a different firm.

"We will not tolerate this practice and will do what we can to ensure it is not being utilized by any supplier of ours," Eichhorn wrote in an emailed response.

The vast majority of the pillows, comforters and mattress pads sold by Hollander are made with synthetic fibers, Eichhorn added.

PETA said it recorded phone conversations in February, March and April that illustrated links between the farms in its exposé and intermediaries that supply down to Hollander Sleep Products, Down Decor and a third company that previously sold to Allied Feather & Down, or AFD.

"The companies have a responsibility to know what is in their supply chain," said Ben Williamson, a PETA spokesperson. At the very least, they are "indirectly supporting the cruelty of live-plucking," he asserted.

Hollander, Down Decor and AFD dismissed PETA's claims as either incorrect or linked to farms that are no longer part of their supply chain or had been rejected before becoming a partner.

"We applaud PETA's work. It was audacious and addresses a practice that we -- and every brand in the USA that we work with -- abhor," said a spokesperson for Down Decor.

The animal rights group should be praised for "raising awareness of what is a terrible practice," said AFD President Daniel Uretsky. "No one is claiming these practices don't exist."

But he rejected the PETA's contention that because live-plucking "is happening here, it must be happening everywhere."

Uretsky believes the industry and the standards meant to rid supply chains of live-plucked down have lessened the problem, especially when compared to the state of affairs only a few years ago.

Down, the undercoating of waterfowl including geese, ducks and swans, is the light, fluffy filaments that grow from a central quill point, making a structure that captures air and gives it insulating ability.

Live-plucked geese are typically kept alive longer so they can be plucked several times, which allows their down clusters to get larger and thus have a higher fill power, meaning better insulation and less weight.

Live-plucked down is "higher value and very, very fine, with an 800-to-900 fill power. It's very high end, and sought after for bedding, and some [manufacturers] specifically ask for live pluck," said Anne Gillespie, director of industry integrity at Textile Exchange, a nonprofit group focused on industry sustainability issues.

Live-plucked down is less ideal for use in outdoor wear because it compresses too much, said Gillespie, who noted that down obtained from already slaughtered geese works well as insulation in jackets, which is among the reasons why the outdoor industry is ahead of household goods suppliers in adopting humane standards. "Hopefully, the message is drifting over into the bedding industry," she said.

"Most of the outdoor brands are using RDS," Gillespie said. "We have less of an impact at the home and bedding level."

While PETA views the lack of transparency in a supply chain that has multiple components to be a means of offering cover to farms and other entities willing to hide objectionable practices, Gillespie believes the problem often involves less nefarious factors.

"They [PETA] want to know the names of everybody in everybody's supply chains. The industry is starting to move that way, but remains very cautious," she said, noting that trade and competitive issues stop people from naming suppliers because companies worry their customers might bypass them and go straight to their source. "I used to be a buyer in the outdoor industry, and that definitely happens. It's a very price-competitive industry."

And while live-plucking is a practice that PETA would like to eliminate, it also opposes using geese or other animals for any purpose related to food and products that people make.

"PETA appreciates that companies attempt to reduce harms to animals, but there's no way to eliminate suffering when animals are used as a commodity," said PETA's Kellogg. She added that the group would prefer businesses instead offer clothing and bedding that use synthetic alternatives to down.

Uretsky points out that such synthetics are petroleum-based and therefore present environmental issues. He also said the reason most of the world's down is produced in China is because Chinese have a preference for eating geese and ducks, and if the animals are to be slaughtered, then it would make sense to use their feathers afterward.

"Down, when sourced properly, is the byproduct of the food industry," he said. "I've never seen any synthetic able to replicate the properties of down," said Uretsky. "There are nice synthetic versions, but on a warmth-to-weight basis for insulation, there is nothing else that provides that same level."



This story is so painful to me that I could hardly read it, but it was like watching a tarantula. It was so horrifying that I couldn’t stop. Thank Heaven for PETA. Like Greenpeace International, they’re truly heroic. In both cases “conservatives” hate them. They do, after all, have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to corrupt powers wherever they exist. See Below: Rainbow Warriors. Despite this vicious sounding debunking of a lovely story, I still like it. Whether it’s modern poetic vision or a true Native American story, it’s still beautiful, and the need to protect our world and the creatures in it is a high form of virtue rather than simple-minded “liberal” clap trap. So, there!


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Rainbow_Warriors

Legend of the Rainbow Warriors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Since the early 1970s, a legend of Rainbow Warriors has inspired some environmentalists in the United States with a belief that their movement is the fulfillment of a Native American prophecy. Usually the story is claimed to be Hopi or Cree. However, the origin of the "prophecy" is not Native American at all, but rather from a 1962 book titled Warriors of the Rainbow by William Willoya and Vinson Brown from Naturegraph Publishers. Brown, who is attributed with research into Hopi prophecies, is the founder and owner of Naturegraph Publishers.[1][2][3]

The roots of that myth go back to a book called Warriors of the Rainbow. It was basically an evangelical Christian tract which was published in 1962. If anything, it was an attack on Native culture. It was an attempt to evangelize within the Native American community.[2]

The modern story, misrepresented as ancient prophecy, is an example of "fakelore."[2] While there are variations on the theme, especially as it has become popularized in Internet memes, the common thread in all versions of the story is that a time of crisis will come to the Earth, that people of many races will come together to save the planet, and it is always falsely credited as being a Native American or First Nations prophecy: "It is said there will be a time when the trees are dying, blah, blah, blah. There will be a tribe of people who come and save the Earth and they will be called the Rainbows."[2] Some versions of the story specifically state that this new tribe will inherit the ways of the Native Americans, or that Native ways will die out to be replaced by the new ways of the "Rainbow" people.[4]



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/six-year-old-akash-vukoti-hoping-to-spell-his-way-to-victory-national-spelling-bee/

6-year-old spelling himself a bright future
By CHIP REID
CBS NEWS
May 25, 2016, 7:14 PM

Photograph -- akash-vukoti.jpg, Six-year-old spelling whiz Akash Vukoti. CBS NEWS
Play Video -- Akash in National Spelling Bee


NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Just 6 years old, Akash Vukoti is by far the youngest contestant at this year's National Spelling Bee. And he's not even a little intimidated by all those seasoned veterans.

He was 2 years old when his family discovered his almost-scary talent. He's not much on chitchat. Does he love spelling?

"Yeah," he responds.

But he loves to show off. His favorite word: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

Yes, the longest word in the dictionary and for Akash it is, literally, child's play.

So how does he do it? He told CBS News the words appear to him.

"So when I say a letter, the letter in that word will disappear," he explained.

His father was thrilled to tell us that's the first time Akash revealed the whole secret.

But we had one more question: Can he spell the word adorable?

And Akash is adorable, even in defeat. Late Wednesday, he misspelled bacteriolytic and is out of the tournament.

He got a standing ovation -- and you can bet he'll be back next year.


Look at the video. This boy is not only adorably cute, he’s probably a genius. He’s only six years old, after all.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-leader-adolf-hitler-joseph-stalin-quotes-pennsylvania-high-school-yearbook/

Hitler, Stalin, ISIS leader quotes published in yearbook
AP May 26, 2016, 11:52 AM

Photograph -- A picture from 1939 shows German Nazi Chancellor and dictator Adolf Hitler, center, consulting a geographical survey map with his general staff, including Heinrich Himmler, left, and Martin Bormann, right, during World War II. AFP/GETTY IMAGES


LEETSDALE, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania school district has apologized after quotes from Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, were printed in the graduating class section of this year's high school yearbook.

"Though the content of the quotes was reviewed thoroughly, the attributions clearly were not," Quaker Valley School District officials said in a statement Wednesday. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review first reported the situation.

The Hitler quote is "Words build bridges into unexplored regions." Stalin's statement is more menacing: "Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, so why would we let them have ideas?"

The third quote is from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: "Be just: the unjust never prosper. Be valiant. Keep your word, even to your enemies."

Students can get a refund on the books, or stickers to cover up the quotes.

The yearbooks cost at least $69, but can go for more than $100 if students have their names engraved, district spokeswoman Angela Yingling said.

Students submit quotes from famous people for inclusion in the yearbook, but Yingling said, "publishing the quotes is a shared responsibility of the yearbook staff, sponsor and administration."

The district won't say if students or anyone else faces punishment for the quotes.

Senior Dominique Cagliuso said she plans to cover the quotes in her book with the school-issued stickers.

"It makes the entire senior class look badly," she said. "It's also confusing how nobody caught it before it went out. It's one thing to have a silly quote from your favorite TV show, but to have a quote from dictators is disrespectful."

Quaker Valley High School has more than 630 students in grades 9-12, and Yingling said more than 360 of the yearbooks were distributed.

School board president Sarah Heres said she's "confident steps will be taken to ensure this lack of oversight does not happen again."

"This is a regrettable mistake, as the school district would never knowingly condone this messaging in a school-sponsored publication," the district said in a statement. "We are well aware of the emotions this has conjured in many of our students and their families, and for that we are sorry."



This appears to be mainly a lack of oversight by adults. Kids don’t mean to quote the villains of the world, and generally they aren’t even well educated enough to do it at will. Where in heaven’s name did these quotations come from? Something bizarre happened here. How did they find those quotations, and didn’t they have any supervision? I can’t imagine a school publishing that without having at least one faculty member check it out before it went to the publisher.



KARMA AT WORK?


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/baylor-president-demoted-football-coach-fired-amid-sexual-assaults-scandal/

Baylor president Ken Starr demoted, coach fired amid sexual assaults scandal
CBS/AP
May 26, 2016, 2:47 PM

Photograph -- In the Sept. 12, 2015 file photo, Baylor President Ken Starr waits to run onto the field before an NCAA college football game in Waco, Texas. LM OTERO, AP
Photograph -- ap848967161936.jpg, In this Sept. 12, 2015, file photo, Baylor coach Art Briles yells from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Lamar in Waco, Texas. AP
Play VIDEO -- Sexual assault allegations cast shadow on Baylor's football program


AUSTIN, Texas -- Baylor University demoted school President Ken Starr and fired football coach Art Briles on Thursday, issuing a scathing report over the university's handling of sexual assault complaints against players.

Over the last seven years, the nation's largest baptist university has been plagued by allegations of rape and sexual assault. At least six women have accused eight Baylor football players of violence, CBS News' Don Dahler previously reported.

The board of regents at the university said in a statement that Starr, a former prosecutor who investigated the Monica Lewinsky scandal, will vacate the presidency on May 31 and will become the school chancellor. It said it suspended Briles "with intent to terminate" and placed athletic director Ian McCaw on probation.

Starr asked a law firm last year to review Baylor's handling of sexual assault cases following allegations that the school mishandled several cases in which football players were accused of attacking women.

Among the firm's findings was that football coaches and athletics administrators had run their own improper investigations into rape claims and that in some cases, they chose not to report such allegations to an administrator outside of athletics.

By running their own "untrained" investigations and meeting directly with a complainant, football staff "improperly discredited" complainants claims and "denied them a right to a fair, impartial and informed investigation."

"The choices made by football staff and athletics leadership, in some instances, posed a risk to campus safety and the integrity of the University," the report said.

The report's "findings of facts" did not name specific coaches or athletics staff.

The university's statement said the review revealed "a fundamental failure."

The report also found that's Baylor was too slow to enact federally-required student conduct processes, and that administrators failed to identify and eliminate a "potential hostile environment" for victims.

Baylor has faced increasing criticism in recent months for its handling of reports of rape and other violent incidents involving football players and students. One victim has sued the university, saying it was deliberately indifferent to her allegations against a former player who was eventually convicted of sexually assaulting her.

Starr ordered an investigation last year but has been mostly silent amid the criticism. The former prosecutor took over as the university's president in 2010, about a decade after he investigated former President Clinton's sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewisnky.

The football team enjoyed unprecedented success under Briles' tenure, including two Big 12 championships in the last three years. That success brought a financial windfall, and in 2014, Baylor opened a new, $250-million on-campus football stadium. But Briles' program has also been criticized for recruiting or accepting transfer players without regard to the harm they might cause fellow students.

Starr rode the waves of the program's success, and often ran on the football field with Baylor students in pregame ceremonies. But as investigations began into the school's handling of sexual assault allegations against players, Starr provided only brief comments, even as criticism of the school mounted.

In a February statement issued by university, Starr said "our hearts break for those whose lives are impacted by execrable acts of sexual violence." And at a prayer breakfast last month, Starr told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "I am in favor of transparency. Stand up, take your medicine if you made a mistake."

Starr initiated the law firm's review last year, after former football player Sam Ukwuachu was convicted of sexually assaulting a female soccer player.

Ukwuachu, who was convicted last year, transferred to Baylor after he was dismissed from Boise State. His former girlfriend testified during his rape trial in Texas that he had struck and choked her when he attended Boise State.

Ukwuachu's former coach, Chris Petersen, now the coach at Washington, said he "thoroughly apprised" Briles about the circumstances of Ukuwachu's dismissal. Briles disputed that account, saying he talked with Petersen and there was no mention of the incident.

The school is also facing a federal lawsuit from a former student claiming the school was "deliberately indifferent" to rape allegations levied at a former football player Tevin Elliott, who was convicted in 2014 of sexually assaulting the woman.

In March, Jasmin Hernandez filed a lawsuit, claiming after she was raped, the school ignored her pleas for counseling and justice.

"The school completely neglected my needs and I didn't realize they were federally required to sort of address these issues," she told CBS News.

The uproar following Ukwuachu's conviction caused Baylor to initiate the review by the Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton, and to announce a $5 million effort to improve efforts on how it responds to sexual assault, including adding another investigator and more staff.

But the Ukwuachu case was just the start of months of revelations of football players being involved in violent incidents with little or no repercussions. At least seven other woman have publicly come forward to say the school ignored their sexual assault allegations.



It looks to me as though Ken Starr has just gotten his comeuppance! The fact that colleges are not controlling and disciplining their wayward testosterone injected football players is not, however, uncommon. I’ve seen several very similar stories in the last two years.