As President of STAND [Staying True to America’s National Destiny] I represent thousands of supporters and millions of Americans – no doubt a majority – who share our concern about your appointment of Kevin Jennings as head of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. As American citizens we demand that he be dismissed from our government forthwith because he is unfit to serve in any public office, and certainly unfit to serve in an office dedicated to educating children.
At this very moment the world is debating the fate of Roman Polanski who 32 years ago allegedly sexually abused a minor. Most agree that this is an offense which should be punished no matter how long the perpetrator escapes justice. It cannot be erased by subsequent good behavior. Kevin Jennings may not have raped a child, but he facilitated the rape of a child. According to Grove City College Professor Warren Throckmorton’s audio recording of a speech Jennings gave in 2000 at a Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network (”GLSEN”) rally in Iowa, Kevin Jennings admitted to instructing the student as follows:
“I said, ‘What were you doing in Boston on a school night, Brewster?’ He got very quiet, and he finally looked at me and said, ‘Well I met someone in the bus station bathroom and I went home with him.’ I looked at Brewster and said, ‘You know, I hope you knew to use a condom.’”
Later in writing about the incident in his 1994 book, “One Teacher in Ten,” he boasted that the 15 year old “left my office with a smile on his face that I would see every time I saw him on campus for the next two years, until he graduated.”
He did not warn the youngster against the dangers of sexual encounters with strangers. He did not warn him of the danger of a sexual relationship with an adult. He did not notify the police or school authorities. He rather encouraged him in the relationship with a wink, a nod and the suggestion of a condom. Surely you find this disturbing and unacceptable. Protecting our children is a task so sensitive and sacred that only those who meet the highest standard should be charged with it. Kevin Jennings does not meet that standard and should not be in charge of the safety of school children.
You as an Attorney must know that this raises serious issues of legal culpability for Mr. Jennings. The applicable statute, Massachusetts Laws, Chapter 272, Section 4 provides, “Whoever induces any person under 18 years of age of chaste life to have unlawful sexual intercourse shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than three years or in a jail or house of correction for not more than two and one-half years or by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.” Had the matter been adjudicated, Jennings may well have been fined or imprisoned.
Given the above facts, it is impossible to justify placing Mr. Jennings in charge of the safety of children. The situation can only be corrected by discharging Kevin Jennings from your Administration. If it had been necessary to obtain Advice and Consent from the United States Senate, the public exposure of these facts would have prevented his confirmation.
In addition, Mr. Jennings has made numerous statements of anti-Christian bigotry. We find it incredulous that a bigot would be welcome in your Administration.
We mean no disrespect to you or the Office of President by demanding his removal. However, his appointment is so egregious that it is appropriate to state our position in the strongest possible terms. We trust you will treat this as a demand from the American people that our government reflect our Judeo-Christian values and morality. Since you invoked those very values in the healthcare debate, we trust that you will give them deference in this instance and dismiss Kevin Jennings. Thank you.
Letter To President Obama on Kevin Jennings
September 30th, 2009S.T.A.N.D.
P.O. Box 15111
Chesapeake, Virginia 23328
Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr. Telephone: 1-866-573-0772
President email:stand@standamerica.us
www.standamerica.us
September 30, 2009
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As President of STAND [Staying True to America’s National Destiny] I represent thousands of supporters and millions of Americans – no doubt a majority – who share our concern about your appointment of Kevin Jennings as head of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. As American citizens we demand that he be dismissed from our government forthwith because he is unfit to serve in any public office, and certainly unfit to serve in an office dedicated to educating children.
At this very moment the world is debating the fate of Roman Polanski who 32 years ago allegedly sexually abused a minor. Most agree that this is an offense which should be punished no matter how long the perpetrator escapes justice. It cannot be erased by subsequent good behavior. Kevin Jennings may not have raped a child, but he facilitated the rape of a child. According to Grove City College Professor Warren Throckmorton’s audio recording of a speech Jennings gave in 2000 at a Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network (”GLSEN”) rally in Iowa, Kevin Jennings admitted to instructing the student as follows:
“I said, ‘What were you doing in Boston on a school night, Brewster?’ He got very quiet, and he finally looked at me and said, ‘Well I met someone in the bus station bathroom and I went home with him.’ I looked at Brewster and said, ‘You know, I hope you knew to use a condom.’”
Later in writing about the incident in his 1994 book, “One Teacher in Ten,” he boasted that the 15 year old “left my office with a smile on his face that I would see every time I saw him on campus for the next two years, until he graduated.”
He did not warn the youngster against the dangers of sexual encounters with strangers. He did not warn him of the danger of a sexual relationship with an adult. He did not notify the police or school authorities. He rather encouraged him in the relationship with a wink, a nod and the suggestion of a condom. Surely you find this disturbing and unacceptable. Protecting our children is a task so sensitive and sacred that only those who meet the highest standard should be charged with it. Kevin Jennings does not meet that standard and should not be in charge of the safety of school children.
You as an Attorney must know that this raises serious issues of legal culpability for Mr. Jennings. The applicable statute, Massachusetts Laws, Chapter 272, Section 4 provides, “Whoever induces any person under 18 years of age of chaste life to have unlawful sexual intercourse shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than three years or in a jail or house of correction for not more than two and one-half years or by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.” Had the matter been adjudicated, Jennings may well have been fined or imprisoned.
Given the above facts, it is impossible to justify placing Mr. Jennings in charge of the safety of children. The situation can only be corrected by discharging Kevin Jennings from your Administration. If it had been necessary to obtain Advice and Consent from the United States Senate, the public exposure of these facts would have prevented his confirmation.
In addition, Mr. Jennings has made numerous statements of anti-Christian bigotry. We find it incredulous that a bigot would be welcome in your Administration.
We mean no disrespect to you or the Office of President by demanding his removal. However, his appointment is so egregious that it is appropriate to state our position in the strongest possible terms. We trust you will treat this as a demand from the American people that our government reflect our Judeo-Christian values and morality. Since you invoked those very values in the healthcare debate, we trust that you will give them deference in this instance and dismiss Kevin Jennings. Thank you.
Respectfully yours,
Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr.
Cc: The Honorable Arne Duncan
U.S. Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
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