Assault claimed at Naval Academy

Colleges & Universities United States Naval Academy (USNA)
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<p>Let’s see how Uncle Jeff handles his latest Academy scandal.</p>

<p>Navy investigates report of sexual incident in dorm</p>

<p>*The Navy is investigating an allegation of sexual assault involving two midshipmen last weekend in the campus dormitory, a school spokeswoman said yesterday.</p>

<p>No charges have been filed in the incident, the latest of several sexual misconduct reports at the military college that have surfaced in the past year.</p>

<p>The spokeswoman would not release the names of the midshipmen or their status at the academy but said “measures [have been] taken to prevent both parties in this case from coming into contact” while the academy and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service conduct their probe.</p>

<p>“Only after the investigation is complete and the facts known, will the Academy decide how to proceed with the allegations,” the school said in a statement regarding the incident in the early morning of Oct. 14 in Bancroft Hall…*</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.academy20oct20,0,6799934.story[/url]”>http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.academy20oct20,0,6799934.story&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>^^^^^
Have you ever noticed how Brad Olsen always brings out the dirty laundry list as filler when he writes articles about the academy? I’m surprised that he left out the cheating scandals and car theft ring.</p>

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<p>To answer your question, VADM Fowler will probably order the food services officer to add saltpeter to the ice cream like they did in the ol’ days. :D</p>

<p>Actually, the Supe will probably let the process that is in place to handle this situation takes its course. If any charges are filed, and if the perp is found guilty of the allegations, I am confident that the punishment will be fair, swift and harsh.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/navy_academy_assault_071023w/[/url]”>http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/navy_academy_assault_071023w/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Par for the course with our “free press” , it’s the same with their interest in connecting people who get in trouble to others, famous or political; “the son of Senator Z” was bagged for possession etc. “the second cousin, twice removed of John Wayne was arrested for jay walking” and then people wonder out loud why we have the kind and quality of representation in politics</p>

<p>One item of interest on this mornings talk radio was the number of callers complaining about the lack of coverage by major networks given to the MOH award, when they allocated all kinds of time to other garbage.</p>

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<p>One of many reasons why I refused to even reply to the scumbag when he contacted me for a comment regarding the situations in King Hall.</p>

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<p>I am not a Senator, nor do I have a son. ;)</p>

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<p>Maybe you should be. It would be a great improvement on the current status.</p>

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<p>I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at your kind statement… :(</p>

<p>Thanks, though. :o</p>

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<p>The other aspect of this that is really pathetic comes from their failure to frame this kind of “incident” in comparative terms; how many incidents occur at colleges of similar sizes around the nation…assuming you could even get those colleges to release the data on the number of rapes and sexual assaults…I don’t have a daughter, but if I did, I really doubt I could find a safer place for her to spend four years. </p>

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<p>Can we like not go there? I know we are all free to express our opinions and characterize people as we see fit, but IMO calling the present OR past Supts Uncle anything simply isn’t appropriate. I don’t have to like or agree with either of their approaches to academy administration; given who they are and the responsibilities they shared, we should at least call them by their names or titles.</p>

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<p>There are no comparisons, except the other SAs. Why would we want to compare our “best and brightest” to average college kids. The SAs are national institutions owned by the citizens. They expect high standards and when the midshipmen/cadets don’t live up to them, the public is curious. The newspapers are just giving their readers what they want.</p>

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<p>Throw in a generous amount of “OOH, OOH, OOH! We get to give the military another black eye! WOO-HOO! LET’S ROLL!”, and you’ve got the model complete.</p>

<p>Sad, but true.</p>

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<p>In dealing with reporters for the better part of six years while in office, I think you are giving news organizations far too much credit for a thoughtful and conscientious approach to “what people want to hear”. Much is made of the importance and value of news and accuracy in reporting, but if you take a look at the compensation earned by reporters at most levels outside national news and tv news casts, there is a significant disconnect. If you said they tend to write stories that are more sensational in nature, because they feel people need to be drawn in, I would certainly agree with that. </p>

<p>I think for the most part people want to hear the truth, or something that at least resembles it; assuming it doesn’t conflict or challenge their interpretation or expectations of reality. As far as comparisons go; SA’s vs. private institutions, Ivies etc. they are made all the time, here as often as anywhere else.</p>

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<p>Federal law requires all colleges and universities that receive federal dollars to disclose their crime rates - including sexual assault.
This information is available to the public - some schools do a better job than others of making it readily available and easy to find on their websites.</p>

<p>What you have here is a reporter assigned to a beat - the Annapolis/USNA beat. Since the other incidents happened realtively recently and got quite a bit of press of course he is going to continue to report further incidents. Especially since the Academy has made a point of publicly announcing they are going to do all they can to prevent further incidents from happening in the future. Unfortunately, the future came rather quickly.</p>

<p>Of course, there is the business of selling papers, as well.</p>

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<p>This discussion about the media catering to the public’s (perceived) desires brings up an idea that I’ve contemplated reagarding violent movies, suggestive t.v. shows, etc.:<br>
Does an attempt to meet the (supposed) demand for this type of material create MORE demand for it? For example, if the media gives people salacius material because they THINK (or hope) that’s what the people want to hear, see or read, and then people consume it (perhaps because they THINK that’s what is popular) , does that, in turn, inspire the media to produce even more salacious material, and people to then consume even more? </p>

<p>What I’m trying to say is: Do the suppliers CREATE the demand?</p>

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<p>Absolutely, suppliers create demand, whether it’s in the media, or in any other business. Media suppliers just don’t openly call it marketing. Years ago, none of us knew that we “needed” CNN or MSNBC, any more than we knew we “needed” plasma screen TVs, or any of the hundreds of other electronic gizmos we now find essential.</p>

<p>Imagine (I’d rather not) if World War II had been prosecuted in the age of CNN. Do you think the American public would be as supportive of the cause for as long a time today, with constant, graphic, reporting, as they were then? IMO, media outlets today not only create demand, but they no longer have much distinction between “news” reporting and editorial/commentary.</p>

<p>BTW, I’m not anti-CNN. Feel free to substitute any other media name of choice.</p>

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<p>I think you all are shooting the messenger.</p>

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<p>He deserves it. :mad:</p>

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<p>Midway Island Demolished. Yorktown, Destroyer Sunk</p>

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<p>Many US Planes Lost…</p>

<p>The United States Navy suffered yet another blow in its attempt to stem the Japanese juggernaut ravaging the Pacific Ocean. Midway Island, perhaps the most vital U.S. outpost, was pummeled by Japanese Naval aviators. The defending U.S. forces, consisting primarily of antique Buffalo fighters, were completely wiped out while the Japanese attackers suffered few, if any, losses.</p>

<p>In a nearby naval confrontation, the Japanese successfully attacked the carrier Yorktown, which was later sunk by a Japanese submarine. A destroyer lashed to the Yorktown was also sunk.</p>

<p>American forces claim to have sunk four Japanese carriers, destroyed all their aircraft, and sunk the cruiser Mogami, but these claims were vehemently denied by the Emperor’s spokesman.</p>

<p>The American carriers lost an entire squadron of torpedo planes when they failed to link up with fighter escorts. The dive bombers had fighter escort even though they weren’t engaged by enemy fighters. The War Department refused to answer when asked why the fighters were assigned to the wrong attack groups. The carrier Hornet lost a large number of planes when they couldn’t locate the enemy task force. Despite this cavalcade of errors, Admirals Fletcher and Spruance have not been removed.</p>

<p>The failure at Midway is even more disheartening because the U.S. Navy knew the Japanese were coming. Secret documents provided to the New York Times show that “Magic” intercepts had determined that the Japanese had planned to attack Midway, which they called objective “AF”.</p>

<p>Some critics blamed the failure at Midway on the use of obsolete aircraft. The inappropriately named Devastator torpedo planes proved no match for the Japanese fighters. Even the Avengers, its schedule replacements, were riddled with bullets and rendered unflyable. Secretary of War Stimson dodged the question saying simply: “You go to war with the Navy you have, not the Navy you want or would like to have”. Critics immediately called for his resignation.</p>

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<p>Upon further reflection, a scary thought. Then again, up here, our choices are severely limited.</p>

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<p>you can’t be serious.<br>
If he made up the whole story - he deserves it.</p>

<p>If he is reporting a story that is credible - he is doing his job. Stop thinking that USNA is the only institution of higher education that is singled out. When sexual assaults occur on other campus’ - or are reported - then they are reported in the student newspapers and local papers. So far from what I have seen his reporting has been fairly credible.</p>

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<p>I’m dead serious.</p>

<p>Sadly, he and the rest of the media are famous for not only finding every scrap of dirt that exists at USNA and the military, but blowing it out of proportion as well as dwelling on it to the point of nausea. </p>

<p>It’s one thing to report the news, it’s quite another to take the opportunity of the news to push an agenda. I simply wish they’d do more reporting and less preaching.</p>

<p>It’s not just him, either.</p>

<p>ETA: Great article, BearPit. One of my favorites. It’s frightening just how on the nose it is.</p>