Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: The Attack on Gay Obama Staffer Kevin Jennings
There is a petition out there in the world of conservative computer users and media outlets (i.e. FOX) that is charging that Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, intends to spread homosexuality and encourage statutory rape in America’s schools.
I’d laugh, but somehow campaigns like this gather followings quite quickly.
Kevin Jennings is a guy who told a story once about how gay youth sometimes turn to unsafe communities when they find no kindred spirits at their school or in their home. It involved a 15-year-old student who picked up an older man in a bus station because he had nowhere else to meet men. The idea behind the speech, no doubt, was that isolation and disapproval don’t teach gay kids to be straight, they just put gay kids at higher risk than they already are.
But now, this noble message has been turned upside down. It represents, now, Jennings encouragement of statutory rape (this charge is not true as it has been revealed that the student was actually 16 at the time of the incident).
But Jennings is not the point, really. These campaigns, aimed at “vulnerable” members of Obama’s staff, have been successful in the past. Van Jones, for one, was forced to step down because of placing his name on one petition years ago. Jennings has done even less to warrant this kind of abuse, but the abuse doesn’t rely on fact.
One wonders how the media will react to this witch hunt. Major newspapers may choose to ignore the smear campaign, but it would be nice to see a myth debunking article somewhere in a major publication. At least then we can start to chronicle all the lies told by the right.
Perhaps this man will have the decency to step down, too.
16 really? Do you think that a grown man should take advantage of a youth?
When is Obama going to learn from history and take a stand like other presidents(i.e.
FDR, Teddy Rosevelt, John Kennedy which alot of people didn’t care for. Basicly he needs to tell the US that to stay ahead of other countries that he is president and we elected him. Now let him do his job and stay out of his running his office. Straight,gay, or what ever it is his choice. Kevin Jennings should not resign unless he has violated the law. Which he has not. My father told me anyone can second guess anyone(and do) but they don’t want to do the job they just want to find fault. Does anybody understand that this country is falling apart because of all the Republican tax cuts over the years.(The infra-structures). It is time to pay babies and you don’t like it but if anyone of your services is cancelled you’d scream you a** off. I’m old enough to have traveled outside of the US and the countries I have been to, think we are far from number one any more. We are not the land of the free when a group can pressure you out of office with down right lies. As far as our idiot Sarah from Alaska there is no comment except she is a reason why everyone should try for a better eduction.
These wingnuts won’t stop. There’s no question that they intend to do whatever it takes to make everybody in this country think as they think and do as they do. They’re every bit as dangerous as anyone running a madrassa in Pakistan, or any of the Basiji in Iran. I’m not saying the ideology is necessarily the same, but it’s not an exaggeration to say they use the same tactics that were used in Germany in the ’20s and ’30s. When any lie, any slander, any ad hominem attack, and eventually any physical violence is self-justifying in enforcing an ideology, there is a clear danger to that society. We’re reaching that point, and it’s not a “liberal” or “conservative” issue. It’s an attack on our country and our Constitution by people who won’t rest until they have no opposition.
Chronicling the lies told by the far right is easy, it’s every time they open their mouths.
Why do we even try to raltionize the idea that conversations with Right Wing Conservations and Christian fantatics will result in anything positive. Where is this negotiation table to clear any misinterpretations before the articles are written and given for the world to see? Where is this perons editor (let alone social conscious)?
Well they can “protect the children” all they want by going after some administrator. They can’t do anything about me being a room mother or on the PTA or volunteering at the book fair.
Please get your facts correct. The “child” was sixteen and of the age of legal consent. Mr. Jenning did what any responsible gay person would do and to ask the student if he protected himself. The far right always get their facts wrong and I hate to see that one of our own advocates is getting it wrong as well.
Trace Eggers Said: October 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Please tell me you are not defending Van Jones. Mr. Jones is simply an example of Obama’s poor vetting process.
This issue and the craziness of Mr. Jones is like Apples and Oranges.
YES MR. JONES SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED.
Hey all he said years before was that the Republicans were ass holes. So what’s new? They prove it every day. By the way he was a professor then and what ever happened to freedom of speech?
These whack nut insane evil doers will stop at nothing to destroy the President. They’re needs to be a petition started DEMANDING Kevin Jennings NOT resign under any circumstances. Where were all the holier than MEATHEADS when Dick (head) Army called Barney Frank (Barney Fag). He should have been forced to resign immediately. These Whack Nut political buzzards need to be stopped in their tracks NOW.
The boy was 16 years old not 15.
This illustrates why it is impossible to have reasonable discussions with the Christian right. These people have no scruples. They will do anything to try to destroy us.
lets scream slander!!! Slander… its not true, SLANDER!
Maybe we need to start suing these groups for slander.
Please tell me you are not defending Van Jones. Mr. Jones is simply an example of Obama’s poor vetting process.
This issue and the craziness of Mr. Jones is like Apples and Oranges.
ok there realy need to conduct iq tests befor any media is permited to interview them like they have a leginament augurement that is worthy of being heard. It would elimanate all the fools & make the news more intelegent!
We are fighting a war In Afganistan against the Islamic Taliban. When will we awaken and fight the Christian Taliban which is trying to control this country?