An Illinois-based education, media, policy etc. etc....Watchdog Group (i.e. we are are a group of dogs watching)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Duke of Puke
Hahahahahahahhahahahaha.
Not.
In the Duke's continued resemblance of some Greek tragedy, it appears that the title should not be Oedipus Rex or Oedipus at Colonus, but more aptly named Pediphilius Text or Pediphilus at the Colon.
As the Chronicle reports, Frank Lombard, a Duke official and associate director for the Duke Center for Health policy was arrested for prostituting children for sex. Specifically, his own adopted son.
Congratulations to Duke University which has finally broken a long held monopoly on statutory rape by groups such as the AFT and NEA.
Online chatting sessions have been cited that Lombard was interested in incestuous relationships with children.
What is the major story behind this? Answer: Lombard is gay and his adopted son is black. Black rape at Duke? Surely Houston Baker and Karla F(ulla)C(rap) Halloway are protesting this one. Surely Lombard is "a farm animal" and Halloway has written another "Coda," Lubiano has called Lombard "a perfect offender."
A good example of the Duke University outrage over Lombard's actions can be heard here.
Just as Katie Rousse got shafted by Duke officials (well, in a different sense than Lombard's son got shafted), the silence behind Lombard's actions has been quite telling. The two events-the Jermaine Burch rape of Rousse and now Lombard have shown no similarities between the response from them and the rush to judgement and vitriolic hate speech and actions that came out of the media, faculty, administration, and other academic bastions of lunacy across the country during the Lacrosse Hoax.
Renegade professor Mike Adams over at Townhall.com has Lombard's wish list off of amazon, which as he very effectively demonstrates, is quite telling. The Free Republic and World Net Daily both are frothing at the mouth that the media, which went hog-wild over the lacrosse allegations has been silent up to now. We Hounds have checked and even the Foxes have been mum.
The most important question to ask at this point is how long Brodhead et al. have known about this? Could be a Heidi Hurd moment for Duke...
Posted by Hound No. 2
School daze
We support the courage the families have in appealing the ruling.
Jones' said, as the N-G reports, that the lawsuits suggested that Normal officials passed off pedophiles to save face. Why? IFT backed-monies perhaps? This is ILL after all...
In fairness to Jones, at least he cannot be accused as a judicial activist. It would seem that he interpreted the letter of the law. However it begs the question: was this letter of the law equally invoked when/if Jones or any other county judge in ILL over saw a lawsuit that resulted from the Catholic priest scandals?
Further troubling is what business a Champaign County Judge has business doing ruling over events occurred in McClean County. The obvious answer: the lawsuits were filed in Champaign County. However, to use jurisdiction as a justification for dismissal in this case comes off as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Jones writes in his ruling, "The public duty rule applies to schools. It essentially says municipalities don't owe a duty to protect individual citizens."
This is rather silly, since Jones' role of the municipality seems to directly contradict the definition of it's existence. As public education is coercive and mandatory, why in the world would it not be liable to protect individual citizens? On a larger scale, would not the municipality by its very nature be required to? If not the role of the municipality, then what is the role?
It seems the answer is to molest its citizens.
Posted by Hound No. 4
*In an act of cowardice and/or tacit guilt, the UI College of Education faculty directory no longer lists Gene Amberg. Does this mean that he is no longer teaching at the university? Or is it because it wants to hide the fact that they continued to employ an enabler to child molestation?
And Now
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
You Dunnit
In an article for the UC Davis, White comes to the defense of Katehi, at the expense of... Richard Herman?
But first this selection:
"I do not believe that Provost's (my, aren't we possessive, White?) Katehi (it goes here, you know) bane has appeared in the press for the simple reason that she had no involvement in admissions cases that are fueling the controversy," White wrote in an email to [president] Yudof.
That is quite a declaration from a man who originally claimed that there was
no controversy, nor where there any admissions classified as Category I. Either
White has finally come to find out what happens on his own campus, or his pithy
attempt at denial has ceased to be effective even to himself.The most curious part of White's testimony, however, comes next:
"The reason [she had no involvement] is that the chancellor [emphasis added] handled these matters directly with the admissions director and, in some cases, the deans."
Sorry Herman, BANG!
Posted by Hound No. 6
What's the Matter with Kansas?
The teacher at Lawrence High School in Kansas has been vindicated and reinstated by the superintendent after being wrongfully dismissed by the principal of LHS for his political views.
In response to the actions by the high school administration, students (led by a self-described liberal) launched efforts to reinstate him, including an ever-growing group on the popular juvenile web community, Facebook.
Mr. Latham's attorney wrote a response that could possibly make even FIRE blush:
Mr. Lantham's victory demonstrates that where this government abuse, ordinary citizens still have recourse to civic engagement and the mechanism of self-government to correct those abuses. Today is a day the Lawrence community ought to take great pride in, and the bulk of the credit goes to Mr. Latham's students who-contrary to the common characterizations of today's youth as cynical and apathetic-took it upon themselves to engage the process and fight for what they valued."
Superintendent Randy Weseman states that a number of procedures for teacher evaluations were not conducted properly or at all.
The matter seems to point to Jan Gentry, the so-called principal of the KENNEL. Gentry apparently had issues with Latham for criticizing Obama and supporting Sarah Palin.
"I would start asking why we are paying a school administrator this salary if she [Gentry] is not going to be doing her job." Thus said by Latham, after Wessment said that "injustices" surrounding Latham's reappointment had been "confirmed."
The question now is will Gentry go though "evaluations" for her role of
- Making ad-hominem critiques about Latham's political beliefs in an official (though now revealed unsupported) inquiry?
- For denying due process to Mr. Latham?
- For relying on hearsay reports of one student, whom fellow classmates (some from the opposite side of the aisle as Latham) have rebuked and ridiculed?
We are currently trying to find the contact information for Superintendent Weseman to inquire if indeed any inquiry to Gentry's actions have been made. We will also demand that they are initiated if none are currently underway.
Posted by Hound No. 4
Summary of UofI Admissions Scandal
Here is the rundown of the Scandal thus far:
- The Chicago Tribune breaks the story that the University of Illinois has seated unqualified (or less-than qualified) applicants based upon relations to ILL political connections, in particular to those connected to Rod Blagojevich. The case points to intervention including that of Joe White and Richard Herman.
- White denies that the list even exits. (First Lie)
- White later concedes that the list exists. He sends a statement where he makes audacious claims that include: this is common and acceptable (!!!) practice at other intuitions (namely the ones that he has previously administered-convenient). He also claims that the program is justified that because the list is small it is insignificant. Finally, despite being a belligerent opponent of removing favoritism and discrimination in admissions at UM and universally, he bizarre claims that he himself [emphasis added] believes applicants should be admitted solely on the basis of merit. (Second Lie)
- The Tribune posts emails of Richard Herman (who had denied being any part of the scheme) shown to be smoking gun evidence of blatant activism on behalf of under-qualified applicants by no less than the person occupying the office of the chancellor.
- he scandal sparks outrage by alumni, students and community members. Several state representatives call for investigation by legislatures into the roles that BOT members, White, Herman, and other had in the admissions of connections. The Tribune reports that White was involved with admitting relations of convicted Blago fundraiser crony, Tony Rezko.
- ILL representative Boland calls for White, et al. to resign.
- White calls for internal investigation. Quinn announces his own investigation. Quinn's council to investigate turns out to be a sham when it is revealed that his appointments include a former Clinton Administration counsel, members of race groups with tie to pro-affirmative action lobbying. Hardly a sounding repertoire for objective viewing of admission processes.
- White issues a statement calling for cooperation in the investigation and promises to offer whatever the panel requires. (Third Lie)
- The Tribune sues the White administration for the transcripts and supplementary data on the applicants concerned.
- The panel requests the same material for its investigation. White breaks his promise of cooperation and hides behind abuse of the FERPA act (something that occurs in other campuses).
As the observer can note, the admissions scandal is in itself despicable and telling of the way White has tyrannized the state through the UI. Yet, the scandal, whether it leads to criminal proceedings or not is only the larger aspect of far more visible and straight-forward wrong. The ethics of admissions aside, the mere fact that White (let us not forget Herman nor the BOT Blago toadies) has been dishonest to the public on at least three occasions since the scandal was publicized demonstrates res ipsa loquitur that he cannot be trusted to continue in his current title and public office (an office, which he has no democratic claim to, we might add).
We think that in ILL territory, that even the most bitter Cubs, Cardinals, and White Sox rivals can agree on "three strikes and you're out!"
Posted by Hound No. 6
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tribune Attacks
The University will no doubt try to circumvent the procedure by bizarrely hiding behind FERPA, which has nothing to do with the issue. The students have been caught in the middle of White scandals constantly, and yet White, in a Reinhardt-esque fashion, merely warps them to do his dirty work.
FERPA abuse is not novel to ILL. Other cases abound of institutions abusing FERPA to hide from public scrutiny and culpability. There is more info at FIRE here.
Posted by Hound No. 6