[Vision2020] the difference (ws personal invitation to Mr. Schwaller)
keely emerinemix
kjajmix1 at msn.com
Wed May 30 10:49:56 PDT 2007
I appreciate the tone of your reply, Gary, and your willingness to believe that I am concerned about the welfare of Moscow's children. Please understand, though, that while that is my primary concern regarding Sitler, it isn't my only one.When a group exhibits behavior that I believe Christ Church has and you believe they haven't, I tend to view their actions in crisis and in triumph through the lens of how they've acted before. And I freely admit that I expect a higher degree of integrity from a church than I do from, say, a gun club, a moms' parenting group, or a group that attracts people based on their common interest in philately. This is not because riflemen, moms, or philatelists are people of inherently lower moral standards, but because a church exists to worship and glorify One higher than themselves; their standard, then, is an ascending one, not a static or, God forbid, a descending one. What the Bible says on this is perhaps of little interest to most people, but it is germane to the issue at hand for the preacher, teacher, elder and all other believers: to whom much (responsibility, respect) is given, much is expected (Matthew 25:14-30). Further, teachers (we sometimes call them elders or pastors as well) will be judged more strictly in their conduct and the content of their counsel than, say, Mary Sue and Billy Bob Pewwarmer (James 3:1). This of course applies to any of the pastors of the men you've mentioned, regardless of who they are or what they've done, and it certainly applies to the pastors (elders, etc.) of those men. But here's the rub. There are a lot of churches in town whose doctrines I disagree with. This is rightly of little importance to anyone. But there is not another church in town that has conducted itself as carelessly and dismissively of its community in the way Christ Church has. I see it that way, which is why I write what I write. You don't, so you write what you write. But let's be fair, Gary -- can you think of any organization, especially a church, that has behaved as arrogantly as the leadership of the Kirk? Too subjective? All right. Can you think of any organization, especially a church, that has been embroiled in the controversy -- zoning, taxation, accreditation, plagiarism -- that Christ Church has? Could it be that the subjective behaviors -- the dumb teachings, the ill-informed defense of things that cause and have caused harm to real people, the insistence on control and hierarchy -- coupled with these objective issues have caused people to doubt that Doug Wilson has the wellbeing of anyone other than Doug Wilson at heart? That he's maybe just a bit disingenuous at times? Can you truly believe that a pastor with no formal theological training and no background in psychiatry or psychology, ordained by his own hand-picked group and published by his own hand-cranked press, is truly an expert not only on Latin, the Classics, poetry, architecture, Biblical history, world history, Confederate history, epistemology, hermeneutics, child development, Scripture, and business -- as well as in counseling serial child rapists? Does he ever seek counsel from anyone not holding a mirror, a pipe, and a pair of slippers?I can readily accept that any of the men you listed before, Gary, might attend churches in the area. If 77 percent of the men in the Texas State Prison system consider themselves devout Baptists, as some studies suggest, then it's not hard to believe that a guy who attends Sunday worship might still be a guy who hurts women and children on Saturdays. But Steven Sitler was in many ways a product of Christ Church and certainly an academic protege of his pastor, Doug Wilson. I would spend a great deal of time in humble reflection if a student of mine somehow got through my Christian college, attended my church regularly, spent time with my family and my congregants' families -- in fact, lived with one because of the policy I'd set forth for my students -- and yet somehow didn't grasp that forcing a child to kiss his penis was evil. I might even begin to wonder if perhaps I had emphasized male control and power just a wee tiny bit too much, and I'd re-explore if it really ought to be taught as well. Sitler didn't begin hurting children when he came to Christ Church, but evidently not even a come-to-Jesus night of crisis with his pastor didn't compel him to take down the "trophy website." Do you think that maybe -- just maybe -- Sitler is more than even the estimable Doug Wilson could handle? Nope. Doug Wilson can handle anything. He handles everything. The carnage might not have been from his hands, but his hands sure as hell would contain it. And not to protect anything or anyone other than . . . Doug Wilson. All you young Kirk moms -- hope you found out. All you moms and dads at the park -- remember, the covenant doesn't extend to you. All you doctors who might have put two and two together when your youngest patients were presented to you with oddities and behaviors you couldn't quite figure out -- well, there's a lot of creeps out there. Hope you find 'em all.No, Doug Wilson didn't hide a pedophile while he was offending. But he hid from all of us that a wolf HAD been harming the sheep in his care, and he bleated louder than any of them when one of them escaped to tell the world.keelyFrom: jampot at adelphia.netTo: kjajmix1 at msn.com; vpschwaller at gmail.com; bherodotus at yahoo.com; vision2020 at moscow.comSubject: Re: [Vision2020] the difference (ws personal invitation to Mr. Schwaller)Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 07:37:08 -0700
Ms. Mix,
It is my understanding that the instant that Mr. Sitler's
pastor became aware of the crimes that he had committed he made
immediate arrangements for the authorities to be notified, Sitler removed
as a threat to children, and the people that he thought
affected informed. Could he have done more? I suppose that a full page
ad could have been taken out or he could have gone door to door to be sure that
every mother in Moscow was completely aware of the sordid situation. I'm
guessing that had he done either of these things there would have been
complaints that he didn't appear on national TV to spread the word.
Of the men that I listed in the post you are referring to
why did I not hear the same out cry? Why was Mr. Burkgart's Pastor not vilified
for not alerting Latah Co. to the dangers of his congregant? Why no hue and cry
when Mr. Buckinghams priest didn't see to it that a note reached every local in
box? Mr. Brazington's guidance councilor excoriated for not sending out a
community wide memo? Perhaps every clergy person, counselor, and health
professional should be taken to task for "not immediately and
publicly sounding the alarm" on their charges crimes rather than simply
referring them to the proper authorities to be dealt with as the law
requires.
When it comes to Sitler's release and the terms of his
parole it seems to me that we very much have an apples to apples comparison with
the men I have previously listed. To somehow blame his pastor for this condition
is definitely barking up the wrong tree. It would seem that your complaints
would be better directed to the judge, the prosecutor, the probation and parole
department, heck maybe even his parents. To imply that this one offender is
somehow more of a threat then the other men I have mentioned because of his
affiliation with a "particular community" is a contention that I do not think
that you can effectively support.
I appreciate that you feel a concern for the youth of our
community. The point I am attempting to make is that I do not believe that it is
your sole concern. Were Sitler to have renounced his former church and perhaps
even disingenuously made the assertion that it had somehow contributed
to his deviance (as "certain elements" on this list have) discussions of
him and this topic would have taken on a very different tone. I don't think
this position is "stubborn and truculent" I believe it's obvious to any
fair minded observer. To deny it would seem foolish.
g
----- Original Message -----
From:
keely emerinemix
To: g. crabtree ; Glenn
Schwaller ; Bob Herodotus ; vision2020 at moscow.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 8:00 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] the difference (ws
personal invitation to Mr. Schwaller)
Tom Hansen has ably explained why a recently-convicted,
just-released pedophile, one who faced only one count but admitted to many,
many others, is of greater concern than the majority of other sex
offenders. I will now try to explain why there is so much indignation
expressed by "certain elements" on this list. I'll try to do so without
self-righteously pointing out that while Schwaller appears to be blithe and
disingenuous, Crabtree appears to be merely stubborn and truculent.No
critique of anything having to do with anyone at Christ Church, it seems, can
be judged on its own merit or lack thereof in Gary's world -- while professing
to be a fair-minded guy, he has apparently decided that origin of critique and
substance of critique are the same thing. And since Christ Church staff
and defenders rarely stick around Vision 2020 when the going gets tough, it
becomes easy to blast any Vision 2020 questions regarding Kirk practice,
doctrine, or engagement with the community as the cynical whisperings of a
"certain element" dedicated to trashing a quirky but entirely innocent group
of God-worshippers. Kirkers hide behind pseudonyms or leave the forum in
a huff, sniffling and snorting while Gary bravely points out that those who
are concerned about Sitler's conviction, sentence, release and supervision
haven't properly memorized the adjudication of every sex offender now living
in Latah County. The truth is that while Christ Church did not
hide a pedophile among them during the time Sitler offended, they did hide
from the community that a serial pedophile had been among them -- an important
distinction and one that Crabtree, much less the merry men of the Kirk, refuse
to acknowledge. Sitler's parents' church immediately warned the
community -- with name and picture published throughout the community -- that
Sitler was a pedophile and that Sitler had been active in the Colville
area. Wilson and company waited for several months to tell predominately
male heads of households that "a sex offender" -- there's some question
whether or not Sitler or the nature of his deeds was named -- had been among
them and would likely be returning. The only women worthy of official
notice were those unmarried HOHs who bothered to attend meetings; the mothers
of young children had to find out from their "covenant heads," even though --
God, I'm tired of saying this -- mothers of young children are generally in a
better position than anyone to correlate certain symptoms with possible acts
of depravity. And as for the non-Kirk community -- well, a brave blogger
in the know broke the news. He was smacked down and hung out to dry;
Wilson and the elders blathered on and on about "the victims;" and I am not
aware of even one time when Wilson has acknowledged that MAYBE his neighbors,
and the mothers who call him "pastor," might be deserving of a heads-up.
Not once.Sin is sin, crime is crime, and sex crimes of all nature are
inherently stomach-churning. But most thinking people can make a moral
determination that there is a quantitative if not qualitative difference
between a guy in his 20s who has sex with his underage girlfriend. That
guy, while deserving of all the law has to hand out and a swift kick in the
ass as well, isn't generally a threat to others. The adult, Christian
college-educated man who repeatedly uses toddlers for sex and does so in the
most brazen, arrogant, and reckless fashion is different. Sitler and
only Sitler is accountable for his actions; Wilson and the elders, and only
Wilson and the elders, are accountable for the disdain with which they treated
the community in not immediately and publicly sounding the alarm. We all
know that there is not a class of pedophilia that limits its victims to "those
also in the offenders church," and we know serial pedophiles are virtually
certain to reoffend. It's tragic if they do so within or outside of
their particular community.I know that Gary Crabtree is a smart guy
who sees this. I just wonder when Gary will be the honest guy that I
believe him to be and finally acknowledge that all is not well at the Kirk and
certainly wasn't during the time Sitler confessed. Or is it more fun to
simply blast away at the straw men erected to strengthen his contention that
the Kirk is being persecuted? Because if so, that's not curmudgeonly and
libertarian, Gary -- it's foolish.keely
From: jampot at adelphia.netTo: kjajmix1 at msn.com; vpschwaller at gmail.com;
bherodotus at yahoo.com; vision2020 at moscow.comSubject: Re: [Vision2020] A
personal invitation to Mr. SchwallerDate: Tue, 29 May 2007 14:31:34
-0700
It's rather difficult to take all the indignation and
self righteousness expressed by a certain element on this list as seriously
as one might otherwise. Why is Sitler singled out for all the
condemnation (not that he doesn't deserve every ounce of it) when
there has there been nary a peep when it comes to others who have
committed the very same (or worse) crime in this county and also still
reside here. Where is your "legitimate fears" when it comes to Michael
Ashcraft, Christopher Busting, and Mike Brazington? Why are you not so
vocally "concerned" about Robert Buckingham, Frank Burkgart, and Harvey
Hamilton? What about the likelihood of reoffense for Michael Hardway, Dennis
Hendrix, Wayne Jacobs, Knute Klingler, and Kevin Osterberg? Could it be that
they get no Vision 2020 scrutiny and castigation because to do so would
not further an agenda? I'm afraid that the pious blather that comes
from History Daddy and his little band of likeminded
friends would be far easier to stomach were it not so blatantly just
another cynical means to an end.
g
-----
Original Message -----
From:
keely
emerinemix
To:
Glenn
Schwaller ; Bob Herodotus ; vision2020 at moscow.com
Sent:
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 7:52 AM
Subject:
Re: [Vision2020] A personal invitation to Mr. Schwaller
Somewhere between five and 98 percent of all Visionaires
who read the post below detect an undercurrent of snarling, manly
arrogance. I'm guessing that the two percent were raising their
Sabbath glasses to him.Either way, his attempts to mask his
disdain for his questioner by quoting the gamut of statistics that might
address the Sitler situation fell flat. I'm afraid indifference to
the genuine concern expressed by other Visionaires and disdain for them
for expressing it leaked out like a robust Syrah in cloudy, cracked
stemware.I'll try it the simple, albeit shrill and insistent,
manner Schwaller by now knows me for:Can you possibly grasp the
anger this community has toward Sitler and those who dealt with him, and
can you understand the legitimate fears of those concerned that he's out
of jail? keely
Date: Mon, 28 May 2007 14:18:47 -0700From:
vpschwaller at gmail.comTo: bherodotus at yahoo.com;
vision2020 at moscow.comSubject: Re: [Vision2020] A personal invitation
to Mr. SchwallerVisionaries and Mr Herodotus,Thank you
for the invitation to "return" but I never really left. I was
simply a bit busy over the past few days taking advantage of the weather
break to plant the begonias, nasturtiums, and geraniums.I'll
attempt to answer your questions, but I do so assuming you are being
genuine and not disingenuous in your query. I mention this only
because another visionary has questioned "the truth about (your)
opinions", that this individual "Doesn't believe I'll do that" (accept
the truth of my opinions), "thank you very much.", then proceeds to
demand the answer to 3 additional questions.So, on to your
questions. These are important, timely questions that deserve
answers. However, I don't believe I can give you full nor adequate
answers to any of them. I don't know that definitive answers
exist, however one can find just about any answer one wants to fit one's
position. That being said:"1. Can you please tell us the
recidivism rate for serial pedophiles?"I don't believe a
thorough statistical study has been done for over 10 years. So
keeping that in mind, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau
of Justice Statistics, within 3 years of release from incarceration, a
little more than 5 percent of sex offenders were rearrested for another
sex crime. If one looks at ALL crimes committed, about 40 percent
of sex offenders were rearrested for other offenses.Within this
three year period, 3.5 percent of convicted sex offenders were convicted
again for a sex crime, 24 percent convicted for new crimes, and about 40
percent are imprisoned again because of a parole or probation
violation.However, if you're Joan Opyr, in an article she
published not quite a year ago, she quotes a 75% recidivism
rate.The USDJ study also looked at the relationship between
offenders and victims and reported that overall, 46 percent of the
victims were a family member. A 2005 study by the National Crime
Victimization Survey reports that 73 percent of sexual assaults were
known by the victim: 38 percent were a friend or acquaintance, 28
percent were involved in an "intimate" relationship, and 7 percent were
another relative. An NPR story in 2005 offered
a 98 percent recidivism rate over a 25 year period, with a 60 percent
likelihood of offending again within 5 years under the best treatment
available., there is a 60% occurrence of re-offence within five years.
The story also mentions that the offender in most sexual abuse cases is
a family member or friend of the family (97 percent for victims
under the age of 6, and 95 percent of those between the ages 6 and
12).So, somewhere between 5 and 95 percent?"2. Can you
please share with us the average number of children that repeat
offenders violate before their discovery?"Again, I have no
concrete statistics. There is apparently some information on Mr
Sitler's repeated violations before he was discovered (I'm sure Mr
Hansen can give you that number off the top of his head). The
numbers seem to run from one to dozens over decades for catholic
priests. And in Portugal, a driver and gardener was accused of
molesting children at the school where he was worked. After
questioning and examining more than 600 children, over 125 were reported
to have been victimized by this individual.So, somewhere between
1 and more than 125? "3, Can you please describe for us a
worst-case scenario for the children of Moscow (number of victims, age
of victims, types of abuse, etc.), if Mr. Sitler resumes his pattern of
serial predation?"Quite frankly, I sense an undercurrent of
sarcasm in this last question, but hey . . .Maybe you can ask me
how many polar bears, perched on their ever-diminishing slab of ice, are
going to starve tonight?Well, obviously I can't give you the
answers you would like to hear. I doubt even Mr Sitler himself
would know, given the worst possible case, what would be the answers to
those questions. However, if you refer back to the replies to
Question 1, you may find some answers of sorts in there.I'd like
to think I have the community's, but perhaps not that of starving polar
bear's, interests at heart.Schwaller"You can always see
it commin', but you can never stop it." --Michael
Timmins
On 5/28/07, Bob Herodotus <bherodotus at yahoo.com >
wrote:
Visionaries and Mr. Schwaller,I
personally invite Mr. Schwaller to return to this forum because I for
one found his posts both provocative and enlightening. Hard facts
about serial pedophiles are difficult to ascertain and I commend him
for sharing his knowledge of this unseemly subject with us so that we
as a community can be better prepared to address a predator in our
midst.With this in mind, I have a couple of questions for Mr.
Schwaller.1. Can you please tell us the recidivism rate for
serial pedophiles?2. Can you please share with us the average
number of children that repeat offenders violate before their
discovery?3. Finally, given your familiarity with Steven
Sitler's case file, can you please describe for us a worst-case
scenario for the children of Moscow (number of victims, age of
victims, types of abuse, etc.), if Mr. Sitler resumes his pattern of
serial predation?I believe that these are reasonable questions
for a community to ask and I believe that you have our community's
best interests at heart.Thank
you,Herodotus____________________________________________________________________________________Looking
for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at
Yahoo! Autos' Green Center.http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/
=======================================================
List services made available by First Step Internet,serving
the communities of the Palouse since
1994.
http://www.fsr.net mailto:
Vision2020 at moscow.com=======================================================
Change is good. See what's different about Windows Live Hotmail. Check it out!
======================================================= List
services made available by First Step Internet, serving the
communities of the Palouse since 1994.
http://www.fsr.net
mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com=======================================================
Download Messenger. Start an i’m conversation. Support a cause. Join Now!
_________________________________________________________________
Change is good. See what’s different about Windows Live Hotmail.
www.windowslive-hotmail.com/learnmore/default.html?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGLM_HMWL_reten_changegood_0507
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20070530/3024ef14/attachment-0001.html
More information about the Vision2020
mailing list