Comments on: The saga of Kevin Jennings and Brewster: Enter Robertson

By: Obama Safe School Czar is a supporter of NAMBLA(North American Man-Boy Love Association) - toni100’s Diary - RedState

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:11:12 +0000

[...] Administration must be pro-NAMBLA. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama himself thinks statuatory rape of a 15 year old boy is acceptable behavior. Must be true since we all know that the Obama Administration has this thorough 62 page vetting [...]

By: Eddy

Eddy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:40:47 +0000

Warren–
As I read the updates you’ve been adding, I appreciate your eye for detail and noting the discrepancies in the stories. I’m hunching that Jennings has a leaning towards ‘revising’ his story to fit, for lack of a better word, the ‘agenda’ du jour. It seems that the emphasis or tone of an article may be causing him to adjust the facts to fit the emphasis.
At one point it seems that ‘safe sex’ may have been the theme so he highlighted the condom advice; at another, his emphasis seems to be the tortured emotional state…taking Fleming/Brewster/Thompson’s comment of “I might as well be dead anyway” and ramping it up to ‘a suicidal youth’. This may also explain why, in some of his retellings he goes for further emphasis by attempting to allude to his own sense of oppression…not being ‘out’ to the students at large, etc. Another discrepancy is the ongoing one on one sessions he claims to have had speaking to the boy as opposed to that affirming smile they’d exchange as he saw the boy on campus. I’m growing more concerned about Jennings ‘adapting the truth’ to make a point than anything else.
I had missed the part about school policy forbidding the trips out of town…and the suggestion of likely substance abuse. These situations add more gravity to the original situation.
Since you’ve posted a number of threads on this topic I’m not sure where I read that ‘Brewster’ has come forward and claimed that he didn’t have sex with the guy. My first reaction is that he’s pulling a Clinton…that oral sex likely took place but that he hadn’t ‘gone all the way’ to intercourse.

At this point, I’m not sure if we’ll ever get to the simple truth of the situation. In one of the quotes, he mentions that he brought the matter up in the faculty lounge…and he does mention that fellow teacher who brought Brewster to him…it would be a good thing if one of these ‘witnesses’ would come forward and help flesh out the real story.

Finally, it’s just a hunch but Jennings seems to have a flair for the dramatic as is evidenced by the names he comes up with for the youth. Rather than a generic name like Tom, Dick, Harry, or Jim, he invents these soap-opera type handles: Brewster, Fleming, Thompson.

By: Lynn David

Lynn David — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:37:35 +0000

Eh… Warren’s little white box seeks to disqualify me!

By: Lynn David

Lynn David — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:35:19 +0000

Did not the kid come forward and say he was 16 and did not have sex at the time? Obviously, Jennings might have stretched the story a bit, aka told a yarn at times, to make a point about gay youth. I would have been happy to have a Jennings to talk to at that age; but then Jennings and I are about the same age.

And many of us who are Jennings age more or less grew up with a lot of baggage, doubt and some fear. That we should attempt to lighten that load on the next generations of gay youth, but not at first be fully prepared to do so, is I believe understandable. To acknowledge those shortcomings as Jennings has done is commendable but does not disqualify him. If one cannot learn from our mistakes, then what human would ever be qualified?

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:45:31 +0000

Timothy,

Actually since this post is about Jennings – that’s kind of where I stayed. However, I highly doubt that this child’s parents or parents of one of his friends or another teacher or adult didn’t notice and try to step in. That is Brewster’s story. And so far I have not read much about him save what Jennings has told.

I am shocked that NO ONE was notified of his condition. NO ONE? Another secret the youth is carrying.

By: David Blakeslee

David Blakeslee — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:22:22 +0000

@ Timothy,

I think only Brewster and others who knew him at the time can comment on who tried to help him.

A close family friend’s daughter ran away from home. She looked very young for her age; no one asked her orientation; but plenty of people intervened to try to help. She often refused. When she finally asked for help, it was to someone she knew.

We have no idea how many people tried to intervene with Brewster, prior to him seeking out Kevin. It is naive to think that no one did.

That is the power and the responsibility of being chosen by someone in trouble, especially when the chosen person is in authority…they think you know the right thing to do…

And legally, by taking the position, you are promising when the time arises, you will do it.

By: David Blakeslee

David Blakeslee — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:17:20 +0000

@ Timothy,

But NO ONE HERE is willing to address that to the best of our knowledge he’s the only one who tried in any way whatsoever to help Brewster. And while there is much criticism of what Jennings didn’t do, there is no criticism of what his heterosexual counterparts didn’t do.

“to the best of our knowledge” no other adult in this situation is using the way they handled this situation as an example of why they should lead. Only Kevin is….

What a difficult time that was for Brewster; Kevin had his obligations, which in light of his attractions were daunting. Perhaps he had the wisdom of Solomon…but to not point out for 20 years that his thinking had matured further; to deny sex was ever involved (only to be caught on tape); to deny that the boy had been sexually exploited ; to threaten to sue someone who criticized him in this matter….

These are not qualities we look for in a leader.

By: Diane Cipa

Diane Cipa — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:21:45 +0000

Humans make mistakes. Mr. Jennings made a mistake with this youth. He could have acknowledged it and learned from it and used it as a tool to help others understand both the plight of any child coming of age who does not conform to the norm and also the difference in choosing to act as a a teacher or not.

Mr. Jennings was a teacher. That limited his choices. He chose to act outside of those limitations and so as done a disservice to the gay community by demonstrating that he allowed used his personal perspective to override the expectations of his employer.

Go back in time and remember how people were afraid of JFK being Catholic. People actually feared whether or not he could perform his duties and still be a Catholic.

Prejudice breaks down as people learn that they can trust. Learning to have respect for each other includes the ability to step up to the plate and earn trust. In this case, as a teacher, the parents and the school gave Mr. Jennings their trust which he violated. His excuse seems to be his gayness as crazy as that seems.

We need to move beyond this gay prejudice getting rid of silly rules like “don’t ask, don’t tell” but that will not happen unless leaders help those like Mr. Jennings understand that placing his personal preference for action over that of his employer was wrong. Nobody forced Mr. Jennings to become a teacher but once he accepted the role, he had an obligation to perform within trust.

By: Debbie Thurman

Debbie Thurman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:37:31 +0000

And while there is much criticism of what Jennings didn’t do, there is no criticism of what his heterosexual counterparts didn’t do.

We wouldn’t be having this discussion if one of those counterparts had not brought Brewster to Jennings to seek his help, would we?

By: Dirty Democrats » Obama’s “Safe Schools Czar” Expresses Regret for Not Reporting Statutory Rape

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:09:53 +0000

[...] spoke to an audience about the incident in a speech he gave in Iowa in 2000. He did not express any remorse for not reporting the incident to authorities:Audio via [...]