By Kurt Schlichter | Townhall.com | May 19, 2016
You would think that after the complete repudiation of the mainstream GOP establishment by its own voters that it might do some soul-searching. You would think that it might ask itself what it did wrong to facilitate the rise of Donald Trump. And you might also believe in unicorns.
No, instead of learning the lessons from 2016 that might help it avoid pain in the future, the establishment has chosen to learn different lessons, lessons that – shockingly – reinforce the same pre-existing notions that got us into this mess in the first place.
Who in the Republican establishment has stood up and said, “Hey, you know, the base really doesn't want millions of illegal aliens flooding into this country, so we need to stop trying to make amnesty happen.” Is there anyone who doesn’t think we’d have Marco Rubio as our nominee today if he hadn’t decided to ignore the voters and cozy up to Chuck Schumer?
Who in the Republican establishment has stood up and said, “Gee, maybe all these trade deals are great for the giant corporations who write us checks, but our base is made up largely of people who see themselves getting a raw deal.” Don’t fool yourself – Donald’s Trump’s resonance has less to do with him being a reality TV star than with his addressing the economic issues the Chamber of Commerce groupies hand-waved away. Dismissing him as some idiot box novelty bedazzling the proles with his glittering glamour is super-convenient – you both get to feel superior while avoiding having to consider the possibility that you might have to change.
And who in the Republican establishment has stood up and said, “Gosh, maybe we should actually do what we promised our voters we’d do when they sent us to Washington.” Remember that stuff about defunding Obamacare? You didn’t defund Obamacare. And when you get annoyed at your voters for expecting you to do what you promise to do – “But everyone here in Washington knew we didn’t mean it!” – that annoys your voters even more.
The result? About 80% of Republicans supported an outsider, a Trump or a Cruz or a Carson – anyone but one of the squishes you trotted out. Jeb Bush – are you kidding me? This is a guy who supports amnesty, supports Common Core, and hung a medal around Hillary’s wrinkly wattle. And you establishment types seriously thought, “Well, he sounds like the perfect successor to Presidents McCain and Romney!”
Thursday, June 16, 2016
House votes to restrict Confederate flag in national cemeteries
By Cristina Marcos | TheHill.com \ May 19, 2016
The House approved a Democratic proposal on Thursday to limit the display of the Confederate flag in national cemeteries.
The amendment to a spending bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military construction projects passed 265-159. A total of 158 Republicans opposed the amendment from Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), while 84 Republicans joined all but one Democrat in supporting it.
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), a centrist who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was the only Democrat to vote against the amendment. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) voted "present."
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed support for allowing the vote despite opposition from a majority of his conference.
"Last year it stopped the appropriations process in its tracks," he told reporters at a Capitol news conference after the vote.
"What changed is we have to get through these things, and if we're going to have open rules and appropriations, which we have, which is regular order, people are going to have to take tough votes.
And I think people are acknowledging this — this is the kind of conversation we've had all along with our members, which is tough votes happen in open rules.
"People have to get used to that fact. That's the way regular order works," he added. "People realize the last thing we should do is derail our own appropriations process."
Shortly after midnight on Thursday, Huffman offered his amendment to prohibit the large-scale display of the Confederate flag in cemeteries run by the VA, such as flying the banner over mass graves. It would, however, still allow families to place small Confederate flags on individual graves on Memorial Day and Confederate Memorial Day.
The House approved a Democratic proposal on Thursday to limit the display of the Confederate flag in national cemeteries.
The amendment to a spending bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military construction projects passed 265-159. A total of 158 Republicans opposed the amendment from Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), while 84 Republicans joined all but one Democrat in supporting it.
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), a centrist who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was the only Democrat to vote against the amendment. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) voted "present."
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed support for allowing the vote despite opposition from a majority of his conference.
"Last year it stopped the appropriations process in its tracks," he told reporters at a Capitol news conference after the vote.
"What changed is we have to get through these things, and if we're going to have open rules and appropriations, which we have, which is regular order, people are going to have to take tough votes.
And I think people are acknowledging this — this is the kind of conversation we've had all along with our members, which is tough votes happen in open rules.
"People have to get used to that fact. That's the way regular order works," he added. "People realize the last thing we should do is derail our own appropriations process."
Shortly after midnight on Thursday, Huffman offered his amendment to prohibit the large-scale display of the Confederate flag in cemeteries run by the VA, such as flying the banner over mass graves. It would, however, still allow families to place small Confederate flags on individual graves on Memorial Day and Confederate Memorial Day.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Kerry slams Trump's wall, tells grads to prepare for 'borderless world'
By Pete Kasperowicz | the Washington Examiner | May 6, 2014
Secretary of State John Kerry took a shot at Donald Trump during his Friday commencement speech to Northeastern University graduates, by saying no wall is big enough to keep dangerous terrorists out of the United States.
"Many of you were in elementary school when you learned the toughest lesson of all on 9/11," he said in his speech at Boston Garden. "There are no walls big enough to stop people from anywhere, tens of thousands of miles away, who are determined to take their own lives while they target others."
"So I think that everything that we've lived and learn tells us that we will never come out on top if we accept advice from sound-bite salesmen and carnival barkers who pretend the most powerful country on Earth can remain great by looking inward," Kerry added. "And hiding behind walls at a time that technology has made that impossible to do and unwise to even attempt."
Kerry didn't mention Trump by name, but Trump has repeatedly called for a wall on the southern U.S. border, and many Democrats, and some Republicans, have taken to calling him a carnival barker.
Kerry also seemed to dismiss the importance of national borders, and said technology has reshaped the world into one that the U.S. must engage at the risk of being left behind. He said Trump and others who want to look inward are making a mistake, even in the face of rising tension and violence in the world.
"For some people, that is all they need simply to climb under the sheets, close their eyes and push the world away," Kerry said. "And shockingly, we even see this attitude from some who think they ought to be entrusted with the job of managing international affairs."
"The future demands from us something more than a nostalgia for some rose-tinted version of the past that did not really exist in any case," he said. "You're about to graduate into a complex and borderless world."
Secretary of State John Kerry took a shot at Donald Trump during his Friday commencement speech to Northeastern University graduates, by saying no wall is big enough to keep dangerous terrorists out of the United States.
"Many of you were in elementary school when you learned the toughest lesson of all on 9/11," he said in his speech at Boston Garden. "There are no walls big enough to stop people from anywhere, tens of thousands of miles away, who are determined to take their own lives while they target others."
"So I think that everything that we've lived and learn tells us that we will never come out on top if we accept advice from sound-bite salesmen and carnival barkers who pretend the most powerful country on Earth can remain great by looking inward," Kerry added. "And hiding behind walls at a time that technology has made that impossible to do and unwise to even attempt."
Kerry didn't mention Trump by name, but Trump has repeatedly called for a wall on the southern U.S. border, and many Democrats, and some Republicans, have taken to calling him a carnival barker.
Kerry also seemed to dismiss the importance of national borders, and said technology has reshaped the world into one that the U.S. must engage at the risk of being left behind. He said Trump and others who want to look inward are making a mistake, even in the face of rising tension and violence in the world.
"For some people, that is all they need simply to climb under the sheets, close their eyes and push the world away," Kerry said. "And shockingly, we even see this attitude from some who think they ought to be entrusted with the job of managing international affairs."
"The future demands from us something more than a nostalgia for some rose-tinted version of the past that did not really exist in any case," he said. "You're about to graduate into a complex and borderless world."
Monday, May 9, 2016
Simple Patriotism Trumps Ideology
"Then Mr. Trump comes and in his statements radiate the idea that he’s not at all interested in ideology, only in making America great again—through border security and tough trade policy, etc. He’s saying he’s on America’s side, period."
The wind is at Donald Trump’s back, and it’s the kind that doesn’t lessen but build. Last week he won the New York primary with an astounding 60% of the vote to John Kasich’s 25% and Ted Cruz’s 15%. This week he swept the five-state Northeast regional primaries with numbers that neared or surpassed the New York results—54% in Maryland, 57% in Pennsylvania, 58% in Connecticut, 61% in Delaware and 64% in Rhode Island. He beat Mr. Kasich in Greenwich, Conn., the affluent enclave of the old moderate Republicanism. Amazingly, he carried every county in all five states, and every county in New York except Manhattan. With 10 million votes, Mr. Trump is on track to become the biggest primary vote-getter in GOP history. He did well with varied demographic groups, old and young, college graduates, rich and not.
This is the kind of political momentum that tends to grow. A political saying attributed to Haley Barbour is that in politics this is the dynamic: Good gets better and bad gets worse. Very smart analysts and reporters have been translating all these victories into delegate counts, which of course is the key question. But as I look at where we are I think: Get your mind off 1,237; get your mind on the wind at Donald Trump’s back. After all the missteps and embarrassments of the past few months, his support is building.
“I consider myself the presumptive nominee,” Mr. Trump said in his victory remarks. He is.
ICE releases 19,723 criminal illegals, 208 convicted of murder, 900 of sex crimes
By Paul Bedard | Washington Examiner | April 28, 2016
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in 2015 decided not to deport but release 19,723 criminal illegal immigrants, including 208 convicted of murder, over 900 convicted of sex crimes and 12,307 of drunk driving, according to new government numbers.
Overall, those released into virtually every state and territory of America had a total of 64,197 convictions among them, for an average of 3.25 convictions each, according to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies. ICE also said that the group were convicted of 8,234 violent crimes.
Meanwhile, ICE said that it has also slashed the number of criminals arrested in local communities, according to the Center's Director of Policy Studies, Jessica M. Vaughan. "In 2015, ICE made 119,772 arrests, or just half the number of arrests made in 2013, 232,287," she said in her analysis that also included a map of the releases.
The reason: Under President Obama's immigration policy changes, many criminal immigrants are being ignored even though local police and sheriff have urged ICE to take control of criminals in their jails and deport them.
She said that the slash of arrests is why the number of releases by ICE is down. In 2014, 30,000 criminal illegals were released.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday is holding a hearing on the issue of the releases. In a preview of the issues in the hearing, the committee said, "Each year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement releases tens of thousands of criminal aliens eligible for deportation. After release, many go on to commit additional crimes. With new restrictions on immigration enforcement through the president's executive actions, only narrow classes of removable aliens are priorities for arrest, questioning, detention, or removal. Therefore, millions of removable aliens will be able to remain in the country."
ICE for the first time explained why the illegals were released, with more than half ordered free by courts and in over 2,100 cases because their home countries didn't want them back.
The issue of released criminal illegal immigrants has erupted on the presidential campaign trail and in Congress, especially because several have gone on to commit further crimes, including murder. Republican front runner Donald Trump, for example, refers to the 2015 murder of Kate Steinle by a released criminal undocumented immigrant on a popular San Francisco pier.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in 2015 decided not to deport but release 19,723 criminal illegal immigrants, including 208 convicted of murder, over 900 convicted of sex crimes and 12,307 of drunk driving, according to new government numbers.
Overall, those released into virtually every state and territory of America had a total of 64,197 convictions among them, for an average of 3.25 convictions each, according to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies. ICE also said that the group were convicted of 8,234 violent crimes.
Meanwhile, ICE said that it has also slashed the number of criminals arrested in local communities, according to the Center's Director of Policy Studies, Jessica M. Vaughan. "In 2015, ICE made 119,772 arrests, or just half the number of arrests made in 2013, 232,287," she said in her analysis that also included a map of the releases.
The reason: Under President Obama's immigration policy changes, many criminal immigrants are being ignored even though local police and sheriff have urged ICE to take control of criminals in their jails and deport them.
She said that the slash of arrests is why the number of releases by ICE is down. In 2014, 30,000 criminal illegals were released.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday is holding a hearing on the issue of the releases. In a preview of the issues in the hearing, the committee said, "Each year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement releases tens of thousands of criminal aliens eligible for deportation. After release, many go on to commit additional crimes. With new restrictions on immigration enforcement through the president's executive actions, only narrow classes of removable aliens are priorities for arrest, questioning, detention, or removal. Therefore, millions of removable aliens will be able to remain in the country."
ICE for the first time explained why the illegals were released, with more than half ordered free by courts and in over 2,100 cases because their home countries didn't want them back.
The issue of released criminal illegal immigrants has erupted on the presidential campaign trail and in Congress, especially because several have gone on to commit further crimes, including murder. Republican front runner Donald Trump, for example, refers to the 2015 murder of Kate Steinle by a released criminal undocumented immigrant on a popular San Francisco pier.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Denmark ethics council calls for tax on red meat to fight 'ethical problem' of climate change
With cattle contributing a tenth of global emissions, people are 'ethically obliged' to change their eating habits, an influential government think tank says
Denmark is considering proposals to introduce a tax on red meat, after a government think tank came to the conclusion that “climate change is an ethical problem”.
The Danish Council of Ethics recommended an initial tax on beef, with a view to extending the regulation to all red meats in future. It said that in the long term, the tax should apply to all foods at varying levels depending on climate impact.
The council voted in favour of the measures by an overwhelming majority, and the proposal will now be put forward for consideration by the government.
In a press release, the ethics council said Denmark was under direct threat from climate change, and it was not enough to rely on the “ethical consumer” to ensure the country meets its UN commitments.
“The Danish way of life is far from climate-sustainable, and if we are to live up to the Paris Agreement target of keeping the global temperature rise 'well' below 2°C, it is necessary both to act quickly and involve food,” the council said.
Cattle alone account for some 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while the production of food as a whole makes up between 19 and 29 per cent, the council said.
Danes were “ethically obliged” to change their eating habits, it said, adding that it is “unproblematic” to cut out beef and still enjoy a healthy and nutritious diet.
All you need to know about processed meat and cancer
“For a response to climate-damaging food to be effective, while also contributing to raise awareness of the challenge of climate change, it must be shared,” said council spokesman Mickey Gjerris.
“This requires society to send a clear signal through regulation.”
It has been a tough few months for fans of red meat, with consumption down after the World Health Organisation warned of an associated cancer risk.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Millionaires are leaving Chicago, report says
By Becky Yerak | Chicago Tribune | April 4, 2016
Millionaires are leaving Chicago more than any other city in the United States on a net basis, according to a new report.
About 3,000 individuals with net assets of $1 million or more, not including their primary residence, moved from the city last year, with many citing rising racial tensions and worries about crime as factors in the decision, according to research firm New World Wealth. That represented about 2 percent of the city's high net worth individuals.
Cities in the United States that saw a net inflow of millionaires included Seattle and San Francisco.
Chicago was among four cities worldwide with the biggest flight of millionaires.
Paris saw the largest exodus.
The French city lost 7,000, or 6 percent, of its millionaires, followed by Rome, which lost 5,000, or 7 percent.
Chicago was next, followed by Athens.
Most of the millionaires who left Paris and Rome fled their countries, while Chicagoans moved elsewhere in the United States, said New World Wealth, whose data is used by luxury-goods companies, private banks and real estate professionals, among others.
Findings of the New World Wealth report are consistent with a Nielsen study released late last year that showed Chicago is losing large numbers of affluent African-Americans.
The Nielsen report found that the Chicago area has fallen out of the top echelon of U.S. cities when it comes to the percentage of black households earning more than $100,000. In 2000, Chicago ranked seventh among the cities with the largest percentage of black households with income at that level or higher, but in 2015, Chicago had dropped out of the top 10.
In the New World Wealth report, the country with the biggest net outflow of millionaires was France, with 10,000. It was followed by China, Italy, India and Greece.
The countries with the biggest net inflows of millionaires were Australia, the United States, Canada, Israel, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.
Sources for the millionaire-migration study, the third done by New World Wealth, include: interviews with about 800 millionaires a year; interviews with migration experts, wealth managers and property agents; property sales records; and tracking of millionaire movements in the media.
Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Millionaires are leaving Chicago more than any other city in the United States on a net basis, according to a new report.
About 3,000 individuals with net assets of $1 million or more, not including their primary residence, moved from the city last year, with many citing rising racial tensions and worries about crime as factors in the decision, according to research firm New World Wealth. That represented about 2 percent of the city's high net worth individuals.
Cities in the United States that saw a net inflow of millionaires included Seattle and San Francisco.
Chicago was among four cities worldwide with the biggest flight of millionaires.
Paris saw the largest exodus.
The French city lost 7,000, or 6 percent, of its millionaires, followed by Rome, which lost 5,000, or 7 percent.
Chicago was next, followed by Athens.
Most of the millionaires who left Paris and Rome fled their countries, while Chicagoans moved elsewhere in the United States, said New World Wealth, whose data is used by luxury-goods companies, private banks and real estate professionals, among others.
Findings of the New World Wealth report are consistent with a Nielsen study released late last year that showed Chicago is losing large numbers of affluent African-Americans.
The Nielsen report found that the Chicago area has fallen out of the top echelon of U.S. cities when it comes to the percentage of black households earning more than $100,000. In 2000, Chicago ranked seventh among the cities with the largest percentage of black households with income at that level or higher, but in 2015, Chicago had dropped out of the top 10.
In the New World Wealth report, the country with the biggest net outflow of millionaires was France, with 10,000. It was followed by China, Italy, India and Greece.
The countries with the biggest net inflows of millionaires were Australia, the United States, Canada, Israel, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.
Sources for the millionaire-migration study, the third done by New World Wealth, include: interviews with about 800 millionaires a year; interviews with migration experts, wealth managers and property agents; property sales records; and tracking of millionaire movements in the media.
Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Obama administration to force employers to disclose salaries by gender
By The Wall Street Journal | foxnews.com | January 29, 2016
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration plans to require large employers to peel back the curtain on how much they pay men and women in a push to narrow long-standing earning gaps between the genders.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will roll out details of the plan Friday to begin gathering a summary of pay data from employers with 100 or more workers.
The data will be used to identify employers that may be engaging in pay discrimination so that the agency can target its enforcement resources where problems may be likeliest to exist. The proposal would cover more than 63 million U.S. workers, according to the White House.
The plan, which will be open to public comment but won’t require legislative approval, is part of a broad effort undertaken by President Obama and federal agencies to close a persistent wage gap between men and women.
Soon after taking office, Obama convened a national task force to address the issue, requesting greater coordination among agencies and more aggressive enforcement efforts.
Despite those efforts, across all professions, women earn about 79 cents for every dollar earned by men—only 2 cents greater than when Mr. Obama took office.
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration plans to require large employers to peel back the curtain on how much they pay men and women in a push to narrow long-standing earning gaps between the genders.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will roll out details of the plan Friday to begin gathering a summary of pay data from employers with 100 or more workers.
The data will be used to identify employers that may be engaging in pay discrimination so that the agency can target its enforcement resources where problems may be likeliest to exist. The proposal would cover more than 63 million U.S. workers, according to the White House.
The plan, which will be open to public comment but won’t require legislative approval, is part of a broad effort undertaken by President Obama and federal agencies to close a persistent wage gap between men and women.
Soon after taking office, Obama convened a national task force to address the issue, requesting greater coordination among agencies and more aggressive enforcement efforts.
Despite those efforts, across all professions, women earn about 79 cents for every dollar earned by men—only 2 cents greater than when Mr. Obama took office.
Frank Luntz: Young voters spell doom for GOP
By Frank I. Luntz | usatoday.com | March 13, 2016
Snapchat generation's chasm of disconnection with Republicans is a long-term electoral crisis.
If you want to understand today’s young Americans, consider this: 58% of them think “socialism” is the most compassionate political system, compared with just 33% who pick “capitalism.” Heck, 9% even voted for “communism.”
That’s right: Two-thirds in a poll I did last month say socialism or communism is more compassionate than capitalism.
While Republicans fight a war over how high to build a mythical wall on our Southern border, they ignore the war for the hearts and minds of America’s largest generation in history — even bigger than the Baby Boomers.
The Republican Party doesn’t have a problem with younger voters. Younger voters have a problem with the Republican Party, and it is rapidly becoming a long-term electoral crisis.
In our recent national survey of 1,000 first- and second-time voters ages 18 to 26, Republicans weren’t just off on the wrong track. They were barely on the radar with this Snapchat generation, as it is sometimes called.
Let’s start with the simplest question we asked: “Out of today's major political figures, who do you like and respect the most?”
Nearly one in three (31%) chose Bernie Sanders, followed by 18% for Barack Obama and 11% for Hillary Clinton. The highest ranking Republican was … Donald Trump, at a mere 9%. In fact, Sanders — who won more than 80% of young Democrats in Tuesday’s Michigan primary — scored higher than all the Republicans combined. This isn’t just a slant toward the Democrats; it’s a chasm of disconnection that renders every prominent national Republican irrelevant with the voting bloc that could control campaigns for the next 30 years.
Snapchat generation's chasm of disconnection with Republicans is a long-term electoral crisis.
If you want to understand today’s young Americans, consider this: 58% of them think “socialism” is the most compassionate political system, compared with just 33% who pick “capitalism.” Heck, 9% even voted for “communism.”
That’s right: Two-thirds in a poll I did last month say socialism or communism is more compassionate than capitalism.
While Republicans fight a war over how high to build a mythical wall on our Southern border, they ignore the war for the hearts and minds of America’s largest generation in history — even bigger than the Baby Boomers.
The Republican Party doesn’t have a problem with younger voters. Younger voters have a problem with the Republican Party, and it is rapidly becoming a long-term electoral crisis.
In our recent national survey of 1,000 first- and second-time voters ages 18 to 26, Republicans weren’t just off on the wrong track. They were barely on the radar with this Snapchat generation, as it is sometimes called.
Let’s start with the simplest question we asked: “Out of today's major political figures, who do you like and respect the most?”
Nearly one in three (31%) chose Bernie Sanders, followed by 18% for Barack Obama and 11% for Hillary Clinton. The highest ranking Republican was … Donald Trump, at a mere 9%. In fact, Sanders — who won more than 80% of young Democrats in Tuesday’s Michigan primary — scored higher than all the Republicans combined. This isn’t just a slant toward the Democrats; it’s a chasm of disconnection that renders every prominent national Republican irrelevant with the voting bloc that could control campaigns for the next 30 years.
School flunks privacy test by firing teacher: Mitch Albom
By Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press | usatoday.com | March 9, 2016
A student breaks into his teacher's phone and distributes nude photo of her, and she's forced out.
When we were kids, the teacher’s desk was a fearsome island, a place you didn’t approach unless you absolutely had to.
Clearly, things have changed.
Take what happened when a South Carolina high school teacher left her cell phone on her desk last week to, she says, do her hall monitoring duties for a few minutes.
That phone was swiped by a 16-year-old male student, who then opened her photo library, went through the teacher’s photos, found a picture of her nude that she had taken for her husband (as she would later freely admit) for Valentine’s Day. The student took a snapshot of that photo with his phone, then sent it around to anyone and everyone he chose.
According to the teacher in an interview with a South Carolina CBS affiliate, that student later told her, “Your day of reckoning is coming.”
Now, I would like to state, proudly, how old I am. I am old enough that 1) If I took something from my teacher’s desk 2) If I dared to leaf through it 3) If I ever uttered the words, “Your day of reckoning is coming” to ANY ADULT IN THE WORLD — my day of reckoning would have already arrived.
I would have been thrown out of school, no questions asked, which would not have mattered, since my parents would have grounded me for life.
Instead, last week, the only day of reckoning was for the teacher, a 13-year veteran named Leigh Anne Arthur. Thanks to this kid’s antics, she was pressured to resign, she said.
And, until Friday, after the public outcry had grown loud, the student had not been punished or charged.
Like I said, things have changed.
A student breaks into his teacher's phone and distributes nude photo of her, and she's forced out.
When we were kids, the teacher’s desk was a fearsome island, a place you didn’t approach unless you absolutely had to.
Clearly, things have changed.
Take what happened when a South Carolina high school teacher left her cell phone on her desk last week to, she says, do her hall monitoring duties for a few minutes.
That phone was swiped by a 16-year-old male student, who then opened her photo library, went through the teacher’s photos, found a picture of her nude that she had taken for her husband (as she would later freely admit) for Valentine’s Day. The student took a snapshot of that photo with his phone, then sent it around to anyone and everyone he chose.
According to the teacher in an interview with a South Carolina CBS affiliate, that student later told her, “Your day of reckoning is coming.”
Now, I would like to state, proudly, how old I am. I am old enough that 1) If I took something from my teacher’s desk 2) If I dared to leaf through it 3) If I ever uttered the words, “Your day of reckoning is coming” to ANY ADULT IN THE WORLD — my day of reckoning would have already arrived.
I would have been thrown out of school, no questions asked, which would not have mattered, since my parents would have grounded me for life.
Instead, last week, the only day of reckoning was for the teacher, a 13-year veteran named Leigh Anne Arthur. Thanks to this kid’s antics, she was pressured to resign, she said.
And, until Friday, after the public outcry had grown loud, the student had not been punished or charged.
Like I said, things have changed.
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