Outrageous Conduct

As always, the news is full of examples of outrageous conduct.  Lately, though, it seems like the world of sports has provided lots of them.  The allegations at Penn State are a case in point. A retired assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky, is accused of molesting eight boys, using a charity he founded to meet his victims and Penn State athletic facilities to carry out his despicable intent.  Others witness his acts in person and report it only to their superiors.  As it goes up the chain of command, a cover up ensues.  The results?  While still developing, Sandusky has been arrested and charged, despite his denials.  His victims have their wrecked lives.  This is the most tragic result of all.  We have all known abuse victims, and we know what carnage abuse produces.  The President, Vice President, and Athletic Director have all been fired, along with legendary Head Coach Joe Paterno.  The reputation of a great university has been destroyed and will take years to recover.  An Assistant Coach, McQuery, witnessed an act in person and told his superiors a day later and did nothing to stop the act in progress.  A fine example of outrageous conduct from beginning to the still-to-be determined end.  Take your pick of villains in this story.  Easily Sandusky is the most despicable of the lot, but what about about McQuery?  How is he still working.  What about Paterno?  Did it not matter that when he was told, he did nothing to follow up on his report up the chain?  What about the administrators, why did they do nothing to stop the abuse?  Every single on of these people are mandatory reporters by law and each one broke that law.  Would the two who witnessed sex acts not be guilty of depraved indifference for not having stopped the activity in progress?  Having been a mandatory reporter myself, I cannot comprehend how so many in positions of responsibility and authority could be so callous about the suffering of children.

Later in the week, we learned of allegations that Bernie Fine, assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University molested ball boys for the team over a period of years.  Fine has since been fired. If true, his acts are outrageous.  He was in a position of authority with these boys and he used basketball trips to carry out his nefarious business.   His boss, Jim Boeheim issued a statement calling the accusers liars and defending his friend and colleague.  I learned a while ago that defending your friend under such circumstances is bad business.  If you are in a position of influence or authority, never say flatly that allegations are not true.  You don't know everything, even about close friends and colleagues.  They may be.  Today he was wiser, saying that we all need to let the investigation and legal system run its course.  He toned down his rhetoric in the face of new allegations and the "discovery" of an audiotape of a telephone conversation in 2002 (important detail) between one of alleged victims and the wife of the accused.  In the audiotape, she states that she knows all about her husbands behavior and that he has issues.  Clueless.  Was he thinking that these actions were some sort of benign, victimless crime?  Now for the really interesting part.  The victim, Bobby Davis, gave this audiotape to ESPN (yes that one) in 2002.  They felt that it wasn't enough to run a story.  OK.   But they also did not pass the information along to law enforcement at the time.  They sat on the information in this audiotape for 10 years.  Ten Years!  When asked why, their spokesman said that they did not see it as their job to turn over evidence they uncovered.  Really?  This isn't a sports story we are talking about here.  It's a story about a coach using his influence and authority to get sex from young boys associated with the team.  Talk about depraved indifference!  Casually dismissing the possible suffering and exploitation of children because it's not their job?  ESPN's conduct is outrageous and worthy of scorn, just like the abusers.  Hey ESPN, it is all of our jobs to protect our children from abuse.  Got it?

As these stories develop and new ones emerge, as they surely will, I want to see how all these characters pay for their apathy towards the victims of these alleged crimes. 

Man on the Moon

Yesterday, Casey Anthony was released from jail and promptly vanished into thin air.  Can't really blame her for that, I suppose.  Despite being found not guilty by a jury of her peers, she is widely believed to have killed her daughter, Caylee, and gotten away with it.  I have no doubt that some would like to take matters into their own hands.  I am not conflicted on that point.  The jury spoke and we all have to live with it.  On one hand, she stood trial and was found not guilty.  I tend to respect jury's findings just because that is how the system works.  The prosecution was based on circumstantial evidence and they failed to establish the facts beyond reasonable doubt.  We have all seen people convicted with less compelling circumstantial evidence, and her behavior, whether guilty or not, was appalling.  I thought she did it and still do.  Why else would you not report your missing daughter for thirty days, party during that time, or lie to police?  With so much about the case we don't know, this I know for certain.  Even if she killed Caylee, she will not get away with it.  First, she is a pariah and will have to keep a low public profile, before the book and movie come out, course.  She will be reviled for the rest of her life.  Secondly, she will not be able to fool God on Judgement Day.  That is when  she will pay for killing Caylee, if in fact she did.  Then, justice will be served, no matter who killed the child or behaved with such depraved indifference as Casey Anthony behaved. 

I Finally Feel Like Writing Again

March 31 was the day I last blogged, mourning the death of Wanda Warner.  Yours truly has been in a blue funk since then, but I feel myself coming out of it now.  Obviously, losing a friend to cancer is hard, but her death, while difficult to bear, was not the only reason for my state of mind.  Don't want to take time to enumerate the reasons, but suffice to say that I feel like writing again.  Writing has long been an outlet of mine since the Clemson Writing Project back in 1983.  Dr. Virginia Stanley (V) and Dr. Ron Lunsford got me to think seriously about writing then and I have done that since.  One of the greatest things I ever did was to join CWP ad get to know Virginia.  She is a smart, funny, wonderful person.  Composing, evaluating, or assessing - it makes no difference to me.  I love to talk writing instruction, but I love reading good writing more.  This causes me to read books like a maniac, then slack off for a while.  Some books challenge my beliefs, some my intellect, and some my sense of humor.  I want to write like that and I try.  Composing, organizing my thoughts, and word-crafting give me a clear mind and a happy heart.  Success in the effort is rare, but I have to keep writing.  It is a big part of my sanity strategy - to stay sane enough to stay out of assisted living as long as possible.  So expect to hear from me more often.  As always I invite and want your comments - even if they say, "you suck - turn off the computer."

When Great Souls Die

My friend Elizabeth Bost turned me on to the following poem when another great soul died. I thought of it when I learned of the death today of my good friend and wonderful colleague, Wanda Warner, following a two year battle with pancreatic cancer. Like everything else she did, she fought cancer with a positive attitude, great courage, and grace. Wanda was a rare breed, possessing rare intellect, rare compassion, rare leadership skill, and rare fortitude. Having known her for ten years now, I can tell you that she was exceptional human being. We grieve because our families have become good friends. We hurt for her husband Dick and son Andrew, and we hurt for ourselves. I am glad that she suffers no longer and is in the arms of her Saviour. I miss her already and will for some time to come, but I am grateful to have worked with her, known her, and been her friend. So I share this wonderful poem but they exceptional Maya Angelou.

When Great Souls Die

When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.

When great trees fall
in forests
small things recoil into silence
their senses
eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe briefly,
see with a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.

Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls
dependent on their
nurture
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed and informed by their
radiance
fall away. We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable
ignorance of cold dark caves.

And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
--Maya Angelou

Is This What They Meant?

During the last election candidates all over SC, sspecially Nikki Haley, beat the drum for transparency in government.  In the March 19-20 Edition of the Seneca Journal, one page in particular caught my eye, because all of the stories were about Gov. Haley and Lt. Gov. Ken Ard.  The first story was about Gov. Haley removing Darla Moore from a state board, I forget which one, and replacing her with a campaign donor of hers.  Now, she is entitled to do that, but you gotta wonder if the appointment was more about campaign donations than qualifications.  Mrs. Moore is a noted philanthropist, having given significant money to both USC and Clemson.  Now you may say, "That's not so bad."  You would be right about that.  By all accounts Mrs. Moore was a good member, but she is a mite independent.  We certainly would not want that standing in the way of the new governor, now would we?  The next story involved her replacing the entire SC Arts Commission Board with her own appointees.  A different approach to the Arts for South Carolina?  I should say so.  Their task is to de-fund the Arts Commission of state money.  In other words, get your own people in office to do your bidding.  That cleans up the old way - having to lead people to see the wisdom of your ideas.

The final story about Governor Haley was most troubling.  Her application for a Lexington County hospital job claimed she had made 125 K as accountant for her parents' business, when, in fact, tax records show that she made 22.5 K.  When asked about it she simply said she didn't do it - that somebody else, at the hospital, must have completed the application for her.  The hospital released a statement saying that was not true, and that she might consider involving the authorities regarding her stolen identity, since someone else completed the application.  As a retired principal, I must say that a 3rd grade student often uses the "I just didn't do it" defense.  Quite often, it isn't the truth.
Coupled with the use of the same defense when accused three times of infidelity, it makes me wonder if our new governor plays fast and loose with the truth.  Those three men did not confess to their wives if it were not true, just to protect a political candidate.  At first I thought, Mark Sanford in a skirt, but I think that gives the former governor too little credit.  What will she not do to get her way?

Ken Ard is accused by the Ethics Commission of 92 violations of the state Ethics law.  According to the report, he bought clothes for his wife, vacations, including flights, for his family, and other violations involving the use of campaign money for personal expenses.  I feel particularly aggrieved because I voted for the guy.  If true, these accusations represent an egregious disregard for ethical behavior.  If I read the news right, his response was that he had done nothing illegal.  Well, Bless Your Heart!  Once elected, all officials OWE US their most honest efforts at good, ethical government.  Come to think of it, this is about as transparent as it gets.  Do anything to get elected, then do anything to get your way.  Finally, do anything to get re-elected.

Fat Boy Blues

OK.  Many of you know that I have been trying to eat healthy and lose weight since my heart scare last year.  So far, everything is great, weight, cholesterol, and bp all coming down.  So far I have lost 45 lbs. from a high of 338.  Several months ago I tried to use Wii Fitness with my grand kids, but it gave me a message saying that I was over the 300 lb. limit and to come back when I got below 300.  That was bad enough, but I set that as an interim goal, sort of like not needing an extender for an airplane seat belt, or being able to see your feet when you weigh.  This week, doing the math, I figured that I was under 300 enough to give it a try.  I would get started and surprise my granddaughters by playing with them.  Alas, it was not to be so.

This afternoon became the afternoon to try, so I took it out, connected everything, and fired that baby up.  While I waited for it to warm up,  it gave me a nice lecture about balance and posture.  Then it told me to get on so it could analyse me.  Now this next part may seem unbelievable, but I swear its true.  When I stepped up on the platform, there was an audible grunt or sigh from the machine.  I kid you not!  I hurt the Wii Fitness machine, and I know because it said, "Ohh!"  In a minute it came back with a message asking if I was "fidgeting", then asked me to get off so it could reboot.  It did and asked me to get back on - same result.  This happened nine times before I gave up.  Always the same messages and sounds, always the same result.   I know I'm under 300, so my balance must have been shaky, as it often is.  Don't misunderstand - I like fat humor more than most people.  Ralphie May is one of my favorite comedians.  But seriously, Nintendo, is it really necessary for the game to grunt when a big person steps on the platform?  We could have skipped that part and had the same results.  What's next - a chair that exhales deeply when I sit in it?   Come on, man!  A little encouragement would be nice.  Oh well, the pool will open in a few weeks and the Wii won't matter.  Maybe by Fall I'll be able to stand without fidgeting so much.

Ask Not For Whom the Bell Tolls...

Watching the events unfold in Wisconsin and Ohio, education professionals have to feel a little kinship with our brethren in these two states.  The Governors say this as about balancing their respective budgets, but I have my doubts.  If you read carefully, it becomes obvious that this talk is a smokescreen.  The real purpose of these laws is union busting, thus rendering political  opposition penniless and powerless.  Without unions, labor has no voice in affairs that directly affect them, and the current political leaders will still have their current financial and political support.  Just look at what they are doing now and imagine what they might do if unfettered with collective bargaining.  It is an assault on free speech and association that they are conducting.  If the First Amendment protects Westboro Baptist Church and their despicable speech and actions, surely it can do the same for public employees.  Listening to the rhetoric, you would think teachers and other public employee greed is to blame for their admittedly dire financial situations.

"What does this have to do with me?" you may say.  South Carolina is a not a collective bargaining state and that suits me fine.  Look, I know that reasonable people may disagree on collective bargaining for public employees.  But don't doubt for a second that success here will embolden Republicans all over the country to go after employee pensions, health insurance, and fair employment and dismissal in other states, especially in non-collective bargaining states like ours.  Here, as you know if you've paid attention at all, we are at the whim of the General Assembly, and that no member of an absolute majority ever has a bad idea.  My friends, we had better get ready to defend ourselves, because the assault is coming to your state in one form or another.  The bell tolls for thee.