The viral video sensation showing a bullying incident at an Australian school has brought the issue of bullying back into the spotlight.
Here in the United States, the Obama administration has made school bullying a federal issue. Last week, President Barack Obama addressed an anti-bullying conference with First Lady Michelle Obama at his side. The administration's anti-bullying campaign has been ongoing since the beginning of Mr. Obama's term. The Department of Justice announced in December 2010 its intention to hold liable school districts that fail to protect students that are bullied.
DOJ’s website states:
The Civil Rights Division and the entire Justice Department are committed to ending bullying and harassment in schools, and the video highlights the Department’s authority to enforce federal laws that protect students from discrimination and harassment at school because of their race, national origin, disability, religion, and sex, including harassment based on nonconformity with gender stereotypes.
The statement later says:
The enforcement of the Equal Protection Clause, Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in school districts is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information is available at the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section website at www.justice.gov/crt/edo/.
Here is the catch. DOJ will only investigate bullying cases if the victim is considered protected under the 1964 Civil Rights legislation. In essence, only discrimination of the victim’s race, color, religion, or sex will be considered by DOJ. The overweight straight white male who is verbally and/or physically harassed because of his size can consider himself invisible to the Justice Department.
More here
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
So much for equal protection under the law. Even if they don't WANT to do it, they should at least PRETEND that they do, just to keep up the appearance that they, as elected "leaders" of the American people, want to apply the laws they've sworn (pretend, too, that their word means something other than a photo op) to uphold equally and fairly. But what else can one expect from an administration that said black males with billy clubs threatening white voters and espousing racist rants in front of a polling place were NOT violating any law. The President of ALL the people? I don't think so.....
ReplyDeleteThe blatant racism of this administration, and especially the 'Justice' dept. is stunning.
ReplyDeleteIf this were a republican administration, the press would be absolutely apoplectic.