Category: Politics

Speak, for your lips are free;
Speak, your tongue is still yours,
Your upright body is yours–
Speak, your life is still yours.
See how in the blacksmith’s shop
The flames are hot, the iron is red,
Mouths of locks have begun to open,
Each chain’s embrace has spread wide.
Speak, this little time is plenty
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, for truth is still alive–
Speak, say whatever is to be said.
–Faiz Ahmed Faiz, translated by V.G. Kiernan (Poem was recited by the Indian actress & activist Shabana Azmi at the UN in 2009, regarding the treatment of women in Afghanistan.)

The legal system moves slowly, much more slowly than the news cycle. There are several things to watch: the results of the Mueller investigation; what the new Democratic majority in the House decides to do starting in January; and the results of several lawsuits by state attorneys general against administration actions. Mueller has so far charged a number of people with crimes (bit.ly/bc-mueller), and the attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland have apparently started to issue subpoenas in the early stages of a lawsuit about payments to the President’s businesses. bit.ly/bc-subpoenas. This is the process of proving wrongdoing under our law.

Students over the years have commented on this topic on online sites and in The Heights. Some think BC is conservative and some think it’s liberal. So it seems if you look at a continuum with radical liberal on one end and ultra-conservative on the other, BC would fall right in the middle, straddling both viewpoints but without a lot of examples of conspicuous expression. While it may sometimes be frustrating to those who are passionate about such things, this kind of open-minded environment can also afford an opportunity to more easily communicate with and understand those with differing opinions.

Can’t tell if you’re angry or horny, but either way, please keep your tone civil and your language safe for work. Was there a question there?

On Tuesday, President Trump said “it’s a very scary time for young men in America.” On the same day, he reiterated at a rally, “Think of your son. Think of your husband,” referring to false rape accusations, and also mocked Christine Blasey-Ford: bit.ly/cnn-trump-10-2-18. According to several studies, a range of 2-10% of rape accusations are false (bit.ly/BC-false-reporting, BC login required). The Bureau of Justice Statistics (bit.ly/BJS-crime-victim) estimates a total of 323,450 rapes or sexual assaults in 2016, 23% of which (or 74,393) were reported to police. At 2-10%, a range of 1487 to 7439 might have been false accusations. It’s significant, but also a considerably lower number than rape or sexual assault. Men account for about 10% of rape victims, or about 32,000 in 2016. IOW, statistically, young men should be more worried about being raped than being falsely accused of rape.

Certainly. As I narrowly addressed the above person’s concerns about protest and connecting with like-minded people, I failed to mention that a significant number of people stand with Kavanaugh. Here are this weekend’s poll results about Kavanaugh from Quinnipiac University: http://bit.ly/quinn-poll-kav. The Wall always welcomes different points of view, and whenever you need resources or information, I’m happy to help.

There has not been much happening on BC’s campus that I’ve heard of, but BC is also relatively removed from the issue. Judge Kavanaugh was never a member of the faculty here (like at Harvard or Yale) nor is there much question on which way Massachusetts senators will vote on his nomination. If you’d like to get involved with activism, perhaps try attending a protest at Harvard (you don’t need to be a student to make your voice heard).

If you’re talking about the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990, the Supreme Court did indeed rule it unconstitutional as an overreach of the interstate commerce clause. However, it was quickly amended to be limited to firearms involved in interstate commerce. The SC has not ruled on the amended law, but several lower courts have upheld it, so it is current law. There is also a Gun Free Schools Act of 1994, which stipulates that states receiving federal aid for schools are required to suspend students found on school grounds with firearms for no less than one year. The constitutionality of that law has not been challenged.

It is very likely that almost every news channel in the country will cover the hearing. The usual choices would be CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and PBS. If you’d prefer less commentary, CSPAN will cover it without talking heads. NPR and CSPAN are likely to have radio coverage as well. You should be in good shape in the lounges based on BC’s channel lineup, or you can use Xfinity to stream to your devices. Directions here: bit.ly/bc-tv.

That is tough to answer within Post-It length. There is a social science literature on the subject (bit.ly/bc-abuse-prevention), Many books have been written on clergy sexual abuse in the last decade, and most attempt to make suggestions for how to make things better (bit.ly/bc-clergy-sexual-abuse). A BC faculty member, Thomas Groome from the School of Theology and Ministry, was recently part of a conversation about the Pennsylvania grand jury report and responses to it (bit.ly/bc-on-point). For thoughtful Jesuit-informed discussion of this and other issues, America Magazine is a useful place to go: bit.ly/bc-america