Sibby Online

More sex education in elementary school

This time it comes out of Florida:

WEST PALM BEACH — Former teacher Carol Flannigan sat straight up on the edge of the chair, listening with her head cocked at times, blond curls bouncing as she nodded when quizzed on whether she understood what was going on.

The defense table before her was bare, except for a single sheet of paper: a plea agreement allowing her to dodge a possible life sentence for allegedly having sex with an 11-year-old student.

Instead, Flannigan will serve only five years.

The former Rolling Green Elementary teacher was charged with capital sexual battery for an alleged 19-month relationship with the boy, including sexual acts at the school and intercourse during sleepovers at her home, on field trips and at activities.

On Monday, the prosecutor, Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Millien, boiled the crimes down to acts committed during a six-month period in 2003. Millien matter-of-factly recited how Flannigan, 51, touched the boy's private parts and how he touched hers. The elements of lewd and lascivious molestation. Nothing more.

Millien, bound by ethics rules, declined to comment on the dramatic turns the case against the teacher has taken. Earlier plea offers had ranged from 12 to 25 years.

Defense attorneys prepared an attack on the boy's family, pointing to a $1.5 million settlement an insurance company already paid to them as an example of greed. The boy's father revealed in a deposition that he also had a sexual relationship with Flannigan. The waters got cloudier and cloudier.

Defense attorney Ken Ronan said Flannigan could not risk going to trial, though. He cited her teenage autistic son, unable to care for himself, as the biggest motivator for Flannigan to be free to care for him.

"She does have a story to tell that may never get told," Ronan said.

Flannigan's alleged victim has said in statements that the relationship began with them slow-dancing to Boyz II Men in the classroom and escalated to sex acts in her Boca Raton home, where his father left him and his brothers to spend the night.

Bush the impostor

Here is a new book about a Bush screw up:

George W. Bush is widely considered -- by liberals -- to be one of the most politically conservative presidents in history. But many on the right have a different perspective. Among the latter are Bruce Bartlett, a highly respected Republican economist and an alumnus of the Reagan White House, who in 2000 was an eager supporter of George W. Bush (and even helped to craft the President's early tax cuts) but has since become disillusioned by his big-spending, government-expanding ways. Now, in Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy, Bartlett attacks the Bush administration's economic performance root and branch -- showing how Bush has made no effort to restraint the growth of government, greatly increased domestic spending, created a new entitlement program for prescription drugs, failed to veto a single bill, and expanded both the size and scope of government in many ways quite apart from national defense and homeland security. Bartlett also explains why the Bush policies will have serious economic consequences for the country - and possibly fatal political consequences for the GOP.

Other governors support abortion ban

From the AP:

Gov. Mike Rounds, in Washington for a National Governors Association meeting, says colleagues from several other states have told him they also are considering anti-abortion legislation.

Many governors have expressed support for South Dakota's abortion ban, according to Rounds.

On Friday, the South Dakota Legislature gave final approval to a ban on almost all abortions. Rounds has not yet signed the bill but has said he's inclined to sign it if it answers technical problems he raised when he vetoed a similar measure two years ago.

"There is a lot of interest in it here," Rounds said Sunday. "And there are a number of states that have similar legislation. A lot of governors expressing support and wishing us good luck and suggesting that they will have similar types of proposals that may very well be favorably looked upon across the United States."

People at the conference have asked how they can contribute money to a fund to defend the ban in court, Rounds said.

"We've had individuals here at this conference stepping up saying, 'Where do I send my check, because if you sign that bill, I want to help pay for defense costs.' That struck me as surprising, so it is catching some national attention here," Rounds said.

President Bush is not on our side

Here is another Bush screw up:

At a news conference Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan suggested that President Bush does not support a South Dakota bill that would ban nearly all abortions in the state.

McClellan did not say that Bush opposes the state bill, but reiterated the president's long-standing position on abortion. Bush is "pro-life with three exceptions," McClellan said.

Those exceptions are rape, incest or when a woman's life is endangered. The South Dakota bill only allows abortion in the last case.

If President Bush wants to make an exception to the Constitution’s equal protection rights in regard to children of rapists, then he should propose an amendment to the Constitution. The President should understand that we can only over turn Roe v Wade by arguing the equoal protection position. By including an exception for rape and incest, we would undermine that argument.

ANd is also seems the MSM was not paying enough attention to the debate.

Hildebrand misleads again

Today’s David Kranz column is promoting another Steve Hildebrand propaganda program:

A recent avalanche of social legislation in the state Legislature is resulting in the formation of a new political action committee.

Steve Hildebrand, active in state Democratic Party politics, formed Common Sense South Dakota in response to the legislation, hoping to change the Republican domination of the Legislature and other state offices.

In a written communication, he asks, "Where's the outrage? Now, sadly, the Legislature is dominated by a bunch of conservative men who want to legislate what they think is morality. They infringe upon women's privacy. Put women's health at risk. They tell women who are raped, you're on your own. And they want to put women and their doctors in jail for exercising their Constitutional rights."

Money will go to progressive candidates who want to help families get ahead and to oppose those who legislate morality, Hildebrand said.

So Hildebrand is raising money by blaming conservative Republicans for passing the abortion ban. Perhaps Hildebrand needs to take a closer look at the vote in the Senate. The 10 Democrats voted 6 to 4 in favor of the ban. If all ten had voted against the ban, the voted would have failed 17 to 18. Of the 12 that voted against the plan, 8 were Republicans.

Now we understand why the Democrats have been losing. The have far-left activists like Hildebrand fail to understand that conservatives are the mainstream. Based on Hildebrand’s definition of conservative, even most Democrat South Dakota Senators are conservative, by a 6 to 4 ratio.

And you can tell just how radical Hildeband’s agenda is by looking at what his bloggers post. We have witnessed the anti-family and anti-parent rants of Chad Schuldt. That agenda could hardly become progressive for America. Why don’t they be honest and call themselves secular socialists? Because that would be an honest representation of just how radical they are. So they have to resort to this smoke and mirrors propaganda program that David Kranz is all too happy to promote.

Schuldt calls Kranz a liar?

Yesterday David Kranz made this observation in his column:

It didn’t take some Democrats in the state Capitol long to come up with a strategy for their party after Ron Volesky withdrew from the governor’s race.

Even though it is virtually unprecedented to leave a candidate uncontested, they say it would be Rounds’ worst nightmare to have no one run against him. They offer that he would not be able to get people to contribute to his war chest. He would not be able to point to another huge victory as evidence of his popularity. There would be no victory speeches. The governor simply would declare victory early and go back to governing for another four years.

South Dakota War College makes this observation:

Okay, the only problem with this argument is that someone was using recreational drugs when they came up with it. #1, Governors have never, ever, had difficulty in finding people willing to donate to their causes. And it isn't going to happen anytime soon.

And #2, Sorry, but the Gov. would be able to point to another huge victory as evidence of his popularity. Unpopular governors have strong opponents. Popular ones have weak opponents. And in SD, really popular Governors apparently have no opponents.

Like it or not, it's safe to consider 100% as a mandate.

Chad at Clear Cut Kid leaves this comment at the post:

I don't know who's saying this, but it isn't any Democrat that I know of.

So is Schuldt calling Kranz a liar? Well is calling making a lot of unsubstantiated accusations at SDP for making this observation of another issue brought up by Kranz. Kranz tries to link Tom Daschle’s appointment to Mayo as an anti-Thune move regarding the DM&E railroad issue. SDP asked, "Is Tom Daschle Against the DM&E Project?" Excerpt:

The Daschle-paid Hildebrand bloggers are always bashing the project, so it's a fair question.

So Schuldt performs his normal spin by denying he was against the DM&E project, he was only bashing Thune. When it is dashing dishing out the pork, Schuldt and his minions praise, when it is Thune, they bash. South Dakota Straight Talk makes this observation:

Criticism has been generated about Senator Thune’s ties to the DM&E railroad caused by the fact that he worked for them when he was out of office. It’s a legitimate criticism but I don’t hear the same criticism from the partisan complainers about Tom and Linda Daschle, when Senator Daschle was in office. Anyway how did Ms. Daschle’s work benefit South Dakota?

Handing over money to the airlines after 911 did not benefit South Dakota. In fact the Daschle’s used South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore to entertain airline executives shortly after Linda left the FAA and became a lobbyist. Then Tom and Linda run off to Hawaii to celebrate with airline executives the post 911 funds they got for them. What the Argus Leader never printed was the role Linda Daschle could have played while heading the FAA in implementing safety procedures that perhaps could of prevented terrorists from breaking into cockpits. Here is what I wrote in the Bird during 2004:

As the 9-11 Commission investigated whether or not the terrorist attack could have been prevented, one possible issue seemed to be ignored. What could the airline industry have done to prevent the attack? Why did the commission not call on Linda Daschle to testify?

On December 5, 2001, Carl Limbacher authored a NewsMax report titled, "Linda Daschle's FAA Failed to Heed Pre-9/11 Warnings". The report started out with this, "Former senior Federal Aviation Administration official Linda Hall Daschle, wife of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, was cited in a report on Wednesday for failing to enforce a "zero tolerance" policy she announced in 1996 against violent airline passengers - a pledge that some say could have prevented the 9/11 terrorist hijackings that killed 4,000 Americans had it not been ignored."

The Limbacher report detailed a very troubling incident. In the spring of 2001, there was an incident on an Alaska Airlines plane that included a passenger with a knife breaking into the cockpit. Ginny Cavins, a flight attendant, pleaded with the FAA to ban knives and to fortify cockpit doors. The report provided the response she received, "Just two months before the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, FAA Security Director Michael Canavan told Cavins that decision was up to the airlines."

Also in 1996 was the crash of TWA Fight 800. President Clinton appointed Al Gore as chairman of the Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. On September 9, 1996 the Commission made 20 recommendations to the president and Gore expressed his strong support at a press conference.

In a September 20, 2001 Boston Globe report, commission member Victoria Cummock noticed the pressure from the airline industry, "Within 10 days, the whole [airline] industry jumped all over Al Gore." So on September 19 Gore issued a statement to Carol Hallett, president of the Air Transport Association, ''I want to make it very clear that it is not the intent of this administration or of the commission to create a hardship for the air transportation industry or to cause inconvenience to the traveling public." The Globe report also stated Gore would have the FAA (Linda Daschle was acting Administrator) develop, ''a draft test concept in full partnership with representatives of the airline industry.'' The airline industry then showered the Democrats with campaign contributions.

With this huge responsibility on Linda’s shoulders, she left the FAA in 1997 to lobby on behalf of the airline industry. A October 10, 1997 Washington Post report covered the Daschles’ $5,000 per person fund raiser to the top of Mount Rushmore. The report stated, "The morning climb up the majestic carving known as the ‘shrine of democracy’ was the highlight of a $5,000 per person fund-raiser Daschle held last month. The event included nearly 100 Daschle friends, family members, political supporters and about 20 financial contributors, mostly Washington lobbyists."

Despite claims that Linda Daschle does not lobby her husband, the "Black Hills Weekend With Tom & Linda Daschle" included very important airline interests. The Post stated, "With a major battle taking place over air routes to Japan, Northwest Airlines Corp. and its competitor, Federal Express Corp., were represented – Northwest by one of its principal investors, Richard Blum, whose wife, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) also attended, and Federal Express lobbyist Rick Rodgers and outside lobbyist Bill Oldaker. Deputy Labor Secretary Kitty Higgins, a friend of Linda Daschle's, also joined the group."

In his 1998 Senate campaign, Northwest Airlines was Tom’s second largest contributor at $44,150.

Just after the 9-11 attacks, it was Linda’s turn to host the party to prime the taxpayers pump for Tom Daschle. In January 2002, the airline industry hosted lawmakers at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in Hawaii. It was reported that Tom Daschle was there as a guest of his wife, but his office said he paid his own way. Earlier Congress passed a $15 billion bailout bill for the airlines.

Of course this wasn’t the first time there have been allegations that the Daschles teamed up to put the financial interests of their airline friends above the safety of Americans. In 1994 three doctors were killed in a plane crash. The plane was operated by B&L Aviation, who was owned by Tom Daschle’s friend Murl Bellow.

More truth the Hildebrand boys can’t handle.

More comprehensive sex ed

Here is just another case of sexuality in public education:

LAURENS, S.C. (AP) -- An elementary school teacher was arrested Friday on charges she had sex with one of her 11-year-old students, authorities said.

Wendie A. Schweikert, 36, was booked on two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor after a parent of the boy accused the teacher of having sex with the pupil at school at least twice, Laurens Police Chief Robin Morse said.

Authorities said Schweikert remained jailed Friday and a bond hearing was set for Saturday. Messages left at Schweikert's home and for the prosecutor were not returned Friday. It was not immediately clear whether she had been assigned a lawyer.

Police said Schweikert, who resigned from her job at E.B. Morse Elementary School on Friday, had been an employee of the school district for nine years and had no criminal history or prior complaints against her.

"This is an unfortunate situation that is being taken seriously," district Superintendent Edgar Taylor said in a news release.

"This type of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in the district."

Laurens is in northwestern South Carolina.

Here is more:

A judge set a former fifth-grade teacher's bond at $100,000 today on charges she had sex with her eleven-year-old student.

Prosecutor Jerry Peace wanted 36-year-old Wendie A. Schweikert held without bond because he said she was a danger to the community and a flight risk.

At one point during the hearing, the boy's mother tried to tell the judge how shaken up her son was, but she was choked back by tears.

Peace says the boy wanted his mother to tell the judge that he was scared the defendant will get out on bond.

Schweikert resigned from her job at E.B. Morse Elementary School yesterday. She did not speak during the hearing, but shook her head no when the judge asked if she had an attorney.

Schweikert was arrested yesterday on two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor after the mother accused the teacher of having sex with him at school at least twice.

Perhaps the left should understand that ignoring the legally of their lifestyles is not a good thing.

MSM bias on intellectual diversity

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni responds to the far-left protecting the far-left by defeating HB1222 thanks to propaganda promoted by the AP:

Yesterday, the South Dakota senate voted down a bill that would have required state universities to publish annual reports documenting their commitment to intellectual diversity. Opponents of the bill argued that it would have damaged the national reputation of South Dakota's schools, signalling a "closed system of thought" that would repel prospective students and faculty. The notion that the bill, which was designed to protect academic freedom, was in fact hostile to it, seems to have taken root in South Dakota, where opposition to the bill hinges on the interlocking convictions that it would have crippled the free exchange of ideas on campus, and that this is the hidden goal of a bill that is the brainchild of an "out-of-state group that seeks to promote conservative ideas on college campuses." That last phrase is the brainchild of the Associated Press, which appears in this moment to be more interested in reporting the mischaracterizations of the bill's opponents than in properly characterizing the bill itself. ACTA would be the "out-of-state group" referred to in the piece--but it is a mistake to argue that the bill ACTA helped conceptualize is intended to limit academic freedom while advancing conservative views. The bill is a non-partisan one, designed to protect the viewpoints of everyone on campus--liberals and conservatives alike. It arises from ACTA's December report on intellectual diversity, which in turn arises from ACTA's careful study of how campuses across the country are failing to fulfill their fundamental obligation to encourage the robust exchange of ideas and to prevent viewpoint discrimination. Read the report here.

Here is what AP said:

"You're insinuating there's a problem that simply doesn't exist," said Sen. Ben Nesselhuf, D-Vermillion.

Nesselhuf said the bill is backed by an out-of-state group that seeks to promote conservative ideas on college campuses.

Certainly Ben Nesselhuff is not one who could be intellectually honest about intellectual diversity.

HB1215 in Governor’s hands

Yesterday the South Dakota House concurred with a minor Senate amendment to HB1215, the bill that bans almost all abortions in South Dakota. Below is a photo of Representative Roger Hunt asking the House to concur with AP reporter Joe Kafka getting a photo.

Here is more:

PIERRE, SD, Feb. 24 /Christian Wire Service/ -- The State Legislature today put its final stamp of approval on HB1215, the Women's Health and Human Life Protection Act that will virtually ban all abortions in South Dakota. The legislation has been sent it to Gov. Mike Rounds and currently awaits his signature.

Gov. Rounds, who campaigned on a strong pro-life platform, is expected to sign the abortion ban into law. Gov. Rounds was quoted earlier today in an Associated Press article, "I've indicated I'm pro-life and I do believe abortion is wrong, and that we should do everything we can to save lives. If this bill accomplishes that, then I am inclined to sign the bill into law."

"Operation Rescue applauds the hard and courageous work of the South Dakota legislators, particularly Rep. Roger Hunt, sponsor of HB1215," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Now we encourage Gov. Rounds to complete his moral obligation and fulfill his pledge to protect innocent children by signing HB1215 into law."

The pro-life community is invited to contact Gov. Rounds and tell him that the pro-family, pro-life community stands shoulder to shoulder with him in support of his heroic stand against abortion.

Governor Mike Rounds

Office of the Governor

500 E. Capitol Ave.

Pierre, SD 57501

605.773.3212

Email: Click Here

Listen to Governor Mike Rounds Feb. 24, Press Conference online at: http://www.sdpb.org/statehouse/press.asp

HB1222 dumped by Senate

SDP reports that the so-called Mainstream Coalition joined in with the Senate Democrats to defeat the Intellectual Diversity bill:

Just wanted to let SDP's readers know that very late today the intellectual diversity bill died in the Senate 15-18. It was the last day to consider bills and many legislators wanted to get done and were worn out by battles over issues such as abortion so the bill didn't get much time. But I observed several of the proceedings about the bill and wanted to pass along what I heard. Not surprisingly, the bill became partisan, with the Democrats almost unanimously opposing it, mostly at the behest of the teachers' unions, but some also listend to the ACLU, which also opposed it. The Democrats also know that the universities are their political allies, so it was no surprise they wanted to protect them from even the most minimal legislative oversight. The executive director of the Board of Regents, Tad Perry, was also hysterical in his attacks on the bill, even though he said he was happy to provide reports to the legislature (which he clearly is not). Several Republican legislators were furious with Perry for his grandstanding and he burned a lot of bridges. The universities also put a huge amount of pressure on the legislators who had universities in their districts to vote against the bill. The universities also hired all-star lobbyist Bob Riter, who is president of the state bar association, to lobby against the bill. Despite the tenacious opposition, as your readers know, the bill passed with strong majorities, almost all Republicans, in the House Education Committee, the House, and the Senate State Affairs Committee. On the Senate floor, with time running out, it failed by a few votes. All the conservative Republicans voted for it, but all the Democrats voted no, along with the "moderate" Republicans in the "Mainstream Coalition," so the bill didn't have quite enough votes. What was amazing was all the buzz which started in Republican circles about what the universities are hiding. Some legislators made it very clear that in the future they will really dig into what goes on at the Board of Regents and at the universities. Some Republicans said Perry should have just let the bill pass and handed in a report and it all would have been forgotten, but now he has created some permanent enemies and some legislators have vowed to doggedly pursue intellectual diversity on South Dakota campuses. In other words, Perry may have lucked out by a few votes in the Senate, but he has created an organized network of critics who will be analyzing his every move for years. Without question, at least in the power circles in Pierre, the biggest loser in this whole deal was Perry and the regents, who look like they are hiding the absence of intellectual diversity on campus. Some legislators have vowed to seek all the information that the legislation was asking for anyway, so Perry burned several bridges for very little gain. Other legislators apparently have copies of several racial and gender diversity reports that the universities have done and they are planning to demand the same kind of report on the intellectual diversity front and they want to know how much the universities spend on racial and gender diversity programs. Anyway, that's the news from Pierre. You guys did a good job of tracking the issue. As you've said before, what's most revealing is who opposed this bill: the ACLU, the unions, the Argus Leader, the universities, and the Democrats. You guys should stay tuned because there seems to be more brewing on the intellectual diversity front and this is just the opening bid on this issue.