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It’s kind of hard to believe that with everything else she must have had going being a married woman and a teacher Christine McCallum managed to find time to have sex every other day with the student she’s being accused of raping. In case you’re not familiar with the story, Christine A. McCallum, a 29-year old married teacher from Massachusetts has been accused of statutory rape. She allegedly had a sexual relationship with one of her students starting from when the boy was thirteen. The boy is now sixteen and McCallum is facing multiple charges of statutory rape for carrying on with him for a period of 21 months. The boy has told police that he and McCallum had sex at least 300 times during the time they had a relationship.

Somehow it seems incredible that this woman could have had sex with this boy every other day for almost two years. It’s tempting to think the boy must have grossly exaggerated the number. It might have seemed like 300 to him but it was probably considerably fewer; and if the number of charges and the number of counts of statutory rape being filed against her is in part being based on this number it seems like police should do everything possible to find prove that this woman did have sex with this boy 300 times.

Christine McCallum has pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against her.

Any voodoo priestesses around? There’s a weeny I’d like to magically castrate….

Radio host Dennis Prager thinks women shouldn’t refuse to have sex with their husbands under any circumstance because the refusal will be interpreted as lack of love among other things.  He thinks it’s a woman’s duty to see to it that her husband has a warm and welcoming entry point accessible whenever he is in need of intercourse.

Seriously, ‘duty’ is a bad choice of word. Any husband who thinks he has a “right” to sex from his wife needs to think again. No one has the right of access to someone else’s body; however, there are certain expectations that come with marriage, and many women really do need to consider the expectations that are had of them as readily as they like to point out to their husband what’s expected of a husband in a marriage.

If Prager wants to argue that a wife should not expect her husband to go without sex just because she has no interest in sex that’s a different story; but a duty to provide sex whenever he wants it regardless how she feels? Everyone knows that on average a man needs way more sex than a woman can tolerate. Shouldn’t a husband be as thoughtful about his wife’s sexual needs as she of his? If a wife needs some time off from sex a husband should respect that just the same way a wife should respect that her husband shouldn’t have to wait three months for her to be wrap her head around the idea of having sex with him, unless there are extenuating circumstances, like an illness of some kind. It’s not about rights or duty but care and consideration.

And what’s that load of BS about her willingness to give him her body being the way a man knows that his wife loves him? What the hell is this 1763? Seriously….

Dennis Prager - First, women need to recognize how a man understands a wife’s refusal to have sex with him: A husband knows that his wife loves him first and foremost by her willingness to give her body to him.

When a Woman Isn’t in the Mood: Part I

On October 30th 2007 Linda Stein, a wealthy celebrity real estate broker, was murdered in her multimillion dollar Manhattan apartment. Her personal assistant Natavia Lowery was arrested and charged with beating Stein to death with a yoga bar. During a pretrial hearing on Thursday January 9th, a taped confession was played in the courtroom. Lowery admitted on tape to hitting Linda Stein about six times with a yoga stick. However, when first arrested and charged Lowery pleaded not guilty.

Lowery’s original lawyer Ron Kuby had previously suggested that Lowery was coerced into confessing to a crime she did not commit. Lowery’s parents were also convinced that their daughter was innocent and police had used psychological abuse tactics to get her to confess to the crime.

Is it possible for police to force people to confess to something they did not do?

Psychologist say people can be made to confess to committing a crime they did not commit. This list of tactics often used by police shows some of the ways in which an innocent person might cave into pressure and confess to a crime they did not commit. The list is excerpted from an article found on the Cengage Learning website titled “Why Do People Confess to Crimes They Did Not Commit?“
Law Enforcement Tactics that Can Lead to False Confessions

1. lengthy interrogations (in this case 14 to 30 hours)
2. denying subjects food, water, and bathroom breaks
3. putting suspects in a small room under bright lights
4. offering the suspect several theories of why he might have committed the crime and acting sympathetic to the defendant
5. suggesting that the person will have an easier time if he talks
6. telling a subject that he has failed a lie detector test (even if he did not)
7. telling a subject that others charged have already confessed and/or implicated the subject (even if they have not)
8. telling subjects they will be charged with a more serious offense if they don’t confess

It does not appear police have anything other than Natavia Lowery’s confession to prove she committed the crime she has been accused of committing. They found no blood on Lowery’s clothing even though Linda Stein’s blood had been splattered all over her apartment according to some reports; and they did not find the yoga bar that Lowery claims she used to kill Linda Stein.

Lowery claimed in the confession that she killed the 62 year old woman because the woman was always yelling at her and because, on the day of the murder, the woman was blowing marijuana smoke in her face and making racist remarks. However, Lowery’s family claimed there was no bad blood between Natavia Lowery and Linda Stein. They say Lowery is a sweet girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly; but Lowery had been in trouble with the law before her arrest for Linda Stein’s murder. She had apparently stolen someone’s identity and used the stolen identity to obtain two credit cards. Charges had been dropped in that case; but it is unclear if the charges were dropped because Lowery was deemed innocent or for other reasons.

Natavia Lowery’s family probably believe in their hearts that she is innocent. The picture they paint of the girl is probably an accurate portrayal of the girl they knew; however, the picture that police have painted of the woman who murdered Linda Stein could be an accurate portrayal of a side of Natavia that her family knew nothing about. It is easier for her family to believe Natavia admitted to a crime she didn’t commit because of the pressure placed on her by police. They say she was threatened, told her mother would be filing a missing person’s report if she didn’t confess, refused her requests to have an attorney present and questioned her for hours, subjecting her to various forms of tactical interrogation with a goal to make a suspect confess one way or another.

The fact that Lowery’s original lawyer Ron Kuby is no longer representing her after being insistent that she was innocent and that she was forced to confess, seems to reduce the forced confession angle to wishful thinking.

Robert Kolker’s Death of a Broker written for NYMag.com in November 2007 is worth a read if you’re interested trying to find information on what might have been Natavia Lowery’s motivation for killing her boss Linda Stein.

Stumbled across a discussion centered around the question “Will obama run our country into the ground?” I was surprised to find very few responses indicating people think Obama will indeed run the country into the ground, whatever that means. Most of the people who replied seem to be of the opinion that the country was already run into the ground by George Bush.

What constitutes running the country into the ground anyway? And who should be blamed in such a situation, the president of the destroyed country or the nation’s people? It’s foolish and unreasonable for anyone to expect Barack Obama and his administration should be able to fix the problems that plague the country and the world. What’s wrong with America and with the world cannot be fixed without tearing up backwards thinking and arbitrary rules, laws and ways of life at their root; but who’s going to permit that? We don’t want our rules, our laws, our ways of life, or belief systems messed with. Obama was elected because people say they want change but the truth is people are afraid of change; and no matter how dramatically he delivers his speeches, the power of that fear will prove impossible for Barack Obama to overcome with his message of hope.

On New Year’s Day 17-year old Jesika Kelsey was found stabbed to death in her bed. Police arrested her 19-year old brother Steven Kelsey and charged him with her murder after they found a bloody knife in a backpack he abandoned at a Wendy’s restaurant.

The latest reports on the case allege that Steven Kelsey has confessed to killing his sister, telling police “I got a knife and I killed her”. Steven Kelsey also allegedly told police he had sex his sister as she lay dying.

Friends of the family express shock over the crime. They describe Jesika Kelsey as a beautiful, caring girl. They say the family celebrated the New Year together and everything was normal. So why did Steven Kelsey kill his sister Jesika?

Perhaps Steven Kelsey is schizophrenic or bi-polar. Perhaps he found himself feeling attracted to his beautiful sister and in his confused state, under the influence of his schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder he attacked her. Then again he had sex with her while she was dying. That doesn’t seem to be an action that schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder would explain. That seems like the purely depraved, sinister action of a truly evil sociopath. But if you’re that depraved, sinister and sociopathic are you able to hide the fact for 19 years?

Maybe there was some history of abuse there. Steven Kelsey could have been sexually abusing his sister. He might have gone to her room to resume the abuse and she might have found the courage for the first time to threaten to scream or go tell their parents. Who knows? Unless Steven Kelsey shares the reason for his choice to kill his sister, all anyone can do is speculate at this point.

Steven Kelsey is facing two charges of first degree and felony murder. It’s possible even he will not be able to explain why he killed his sister.

No one will dispute that what happened to Laura Garza was a tragedy; and everyone wants her to be found so her family can start the healing process. We’d probably all pick up a rock and hurl it at Michael Mele’s head if there was to be a public stoning held; but it’s been a month since Laura Garza disappeared and while it’s heartening to think that the NYPD goes to any and every length to find missing people, it’s hard to believe no one else has gone missing since Laura Garza disappeared. So if other people have gone missing since Laura Garza disappeared, why haven’t we heard their stories at all? What made Laura Garza’s story so special and her case so important that police are more invested in finding her one month following her disappearance that they appear to be invested in finding the other people who have disappeared since?

One of the most interesting aspects of the reporting of Laura Garza’s story by the mainstream media has been the focus on the fact that she was beautiful. Read through any New York Daily News report about the case and you’ll be bombarded with adjectives about how attractive the victim was. Examples: “gorgeous young Brooklyn woman“, “The family of a Brooklyn beauty who disappeared this month said“, “Brooklyn beauty Laura Garza remains missing“. Pretty much every report the Daily News has done about the Laura Garza case has included some kind of reference to her looks.

What I’m wondering is, was it because she was young and beautiful that there was so much interest in Laura Garza; and also was it because the suspect in the crime was a convicted sex offender? Are there factors that make one missing person’s case more relevant and more urgent to solve than another? If Laura Garza was fat and ugly would the media have cared the same or less? If Mele was just a regular citizen and not a sex offender would the outrage about what he’s alleged to have done be the same or less?

You might have heard of Dean Durrant and Alison Spooner before. 7 years ago they became proud parents of twin girls who gained some noteriety because one twin was “white” and the other “black”. This was not like the case of the world’s least alike twins Koen and Tuen Stuart where there was a mix up at the fertility lab that resulted in a White woman married to a White man being fertilized with her husband’s sperm and the sperm of a Black stranger. Dean Durrant and Alison Spooner are an interracial couple.

In 2001 Alison gave birth to twin girls Hayleigh and Lauren and was surprised to discover a startling difference in their complexions. One twin came out looking completely White and the other twin came out looking bi-racial. This was deemed quite astonishing by one and all. Now, 7 years later, Dean and Alison have become parents again and history has repeated itself. The couple have become parents to a new set of twins, Miya and Leah, with one twin looking “White” and the other looking bi-racial just as it was with Hayleigh and Lauren.

With headlines like “Twincredibles” and comments like “We mix so well”, the British couple and the British tabloids appear to consider this quite amazing. Admittedly twins are always amazing and when you have a situation where there are two sets of twins in a family that’s pretty interesting, but the one black one white thing isn’t interesting once you know it happens. Who cares that they have a different complexion? It would be remarkable if both their parents were Black or both their parents were White, but with one parent Black and 1 parent White it’s really not that interesting. Just my opinion. What’s yours?

After reading comments being left on various websites in response to the case of Melissa Sekulski, the Staten Island mother who beat her obese 10-year old son to death, I feel compelled to write this plea to parents of overweight children: It’s not your child’s fault he’s obese. Don’t blame him. Don’t hate him. Don’t abuse him out of frustration and shame. Help him. A 10-year old weighing 250 pounds is far from normal and it’s not okay. You need to get over yourself. Get over your shame. Stop concerning yourself with your neighbors and strangers who make rude comments. Concern yourself with the welfare of your child. Get help for your child.

Melissa Sekulski thought she was helping her son by taking him out of school and homeschooling him to spare him from being teased. Who can fault a mother for trying to spare her son from having to endure daily taunting because of his obesity? But Melissa Sekulski was clearly not equipped to handle the situation she was faced with. She was clearly frustrated and disgusted with her son for being obese; and let’s be honest with ourselves before we start condemning her. I’ve heard parents of perfectly healthy children complaining that their child is too fat. Imagine having a 250-pound 10 year old. Few of us would have the ability to love such a child unconditionally. We’d be ashamed and we’d let the child know how ashamed we were at every opportunity, especially if we ourselves are not obese.

Melissa Sekulski was obviously ashamed of her son. She tried to hide him, and behind closed doors she punished him for being fat. She probably hated him for being fat. More of us would hate our child for being fat that will be willing to admit it. No one wants an overweight child; and Jaquan Porter was beyond overweight. He was 10 years old and weighed 250 pounds. His mother probably received as much ridicule herself and she took it out on him, unfortunately; but it wasn’t Jaquan’s fault he weighed 250 pounds, even if he might have had the eating habits of a glutton; and it wasn’t Melissa’s fault Jaquan was obese even if she might have habitually allowed him to eat five whoppers for breakfast every day (just throwing out an example).

What Melissa really needed to do was get professional help for her son, not try to handle the situation on her own. This was a tragedy that could have been avoided by Melissa first deciding that what really mattered was Jaquan’s health and well-being. She took him out of school to spare herself and to spare him from having to deal with the stares and jeers. That wasn’t a case of her putting his health and well-being first and foremost. That decision was made under the influence of the intense shame she was feeling about his weight. Had she been thinking about him, concerning herself with his health, she might have gone to seek help for him instead of hiding him away and absuing him for years as punishment for burdening her with 250 pounds of shame.

Yvette Starzyk was an athletic trainer and part-time substitute teacher at Hinkley High School in Aurora Colorado. She was inapproriately intimate with at least one of her students. She was arrested back in March and accepted a plea deal in October. On Monday the Adams County court sentenced her to a suspended three year prison sentence. She will undergo 3 years of sex-offender-intensified probation. She is also required her to register as a sex offender; but she will not face any jail time.

Question: When you hear reports about teachers having affairs with students, do you react differently when the incident involves a female teacher being inappropriate with a male student than when a male teacher is inappropriate with a female student? Does it seem more outrageous and intolerable when an adult female becomes involved with an underage boy than when an adult male becomes involved with an underage girl?

I suggest that adult males becoming involved with underage girls doesn’t shock and outrage nearly as much as when an adult female becomes involved with an underage boy. Share your thoughts on the subject.

I don’t get why police will approach a suicidal person with their guns ready to shoot the person. I guess if the person is in a public place then it makes sense they might be concerned with the safety of other people who might be around. After all the suicidal person might decide to take out a few other people before taking their own life, but if the suicidal person is in their own home, why bother to go with the intention of managing the situation if you’re only going to shoot them anyway? Just let them go ahead and blow their brains out. At least give them that satisfaction.

An elderly woman in Orange County California was shot dead by police. Police received a call about 70-year old Jerry Nadine Lunceford toting a gun and threatening to kill herself. When they arrived, presumably to talk the woman down so they could disarm her and get her into a loony bin so she could get some help, she apparently greeted them with her gun aimed in their direction. It doesn’t really clearly state that she had the gun pointed at them, but considering four of them shot her with bullets and a fifth shot her with “non-lethal beanbag rounds”, one can assume she must have used her gun in a threatening manner against the officers.

No harm no foul I guess. Jerry Nadine Lunceford wanted to die. She’s dead.