Italy: Parcel Bomb Sent to Equitalia Revenue Service
Not to blame for economic woes, says collection agency
(ANSA) — Rome, May 11 — A parcel bomb was sent to the head offices of Equitalia revenue service in Rome on Friday, police said.
The police bomb squad called in to examine the package said that it contained explosive powder, but no fuse.
The agency has been criticized by many amid Italy’s ecomomic crisis, including one man in the southern town of Pompei who left a letter chiding the collection agency for bills before shooting himself in a parking lot.
The agency was also named in a letter on Friday from the terrorist group Informal Anarchists Federation (FAI), who claim responsibility for the kneecapping of Ansaldo nuclear company CEO Roberto Adinolfi. Protesters and police were injured outside of Equitalia offices in Naples on Friday in clashes during demonstrations.
An Equitalia spokesperson said on Friday that blaming the agency for dramatic situations unfolding throughout the country was “unacceptable” and that linking Equitalia to suicides was “superficial”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Man Self-Immolates From ‘Joblessness, Taxes’
Latest crisis suicide
(ANSA) — Caltanissetta, May 11 — An unemployed man in Sicily set himself on fire and died Friday after reported dismay over paying bills and taxes. Giovanni Vancheri, a 54-year-old plumber, self-immolated inside his car in the town of San Cataldo. The man, married with a daughter, was found dead by family members who said he had been suffering from depression due to unemployment. Italians who have killed themselves out of despair from the widespread economic crisis are on the rise, averaging one a day, according to the Eures think tank.
A gathering of widows marched in Bologna last Friday to honor the numerous Italians who have recently killed themselves, notably 58-year-old craftsman Giuseppe Campaniello who set himself on fire in front of a tax agency amid a fiscal dispute in March.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
JPMorgan Banker Who Led Unit That Had $2 Billion Trading Loss Expected to Resign
The $2 billion trading loss at JPMorgan Chase will claim its first casualty among top officials at the bank as early as Monday, with chief executive Jamie Dimon set to accept the resignation of the executive who oversaw the trade, Ina R. Drew.
Ms. Drew, a 55-year-old banker who has worked at the company for three decades and serves as chief investment officer, had repeatedly offered to resign since the scale of the loss became apparent in late April, but Mr. Dimon had held off until now on accepting it, several JPMorgan Chase executives said.
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Spain: Authorities Clear Madrid Square of ‘Indignants’
Spanish police cleared out Madrid’s central square in the early hours after some of the thousands protesting the economic situation decided to stay beyond the authorized hours. Further demonstrations are planned.
Police dispersed some 200 protesters from Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square early on Sunday, following a massive Saturday rally protesting against Spain’s economic problems and perceived injustices in solving them. The protesters, part of the ‘indignants’ movement, had been asked to vacate the square after 10 p.m. local time Saturday evening (2000 GMT), with police moving in roughly seven hours later. Local media reported relatively little unrest, mentioning four people injured — including two police officers — and 17 detained.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Fed Clears China’s First US Bank Takeover
The United States opened its banking market to China’s biggest bank ICBC, for the first time clearing a takeover of a US bank by a Chinese state-controlled company.
Just days after high-level US-China economic talks in Beijing, the Federal Reserve approved an application from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to buy a majority stake in the US subsidiary of Bank of East Asia.
The transaction will make ICBC the first Chinese state-controlled bank to acquire retail bank branches in the United States.
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GAO: Recoverable Oil in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming ‘About Equal to Entire World’s Proven Oil Reserves’
The Green River Formation, a largely vacant area of mostly federal land that covers the territory where Colorado, Utah and Wyoming come together, contains about as much recoverable oil as all the rest the world’s proven reserves combined, an auditor from the Government Accountability Office told Congress on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Kansas Lawmakers Pass Effective Ban on Shariah
(Reuters) Kansas lawmakers have passed legislation intended to prevent the state courts or agencies from using Islamic or other non-U.S. laws in making decisions, a measure critics have blasted as an embarrassment to the state.
The legislation, which passed 33-3 in the state Senate on Friday and 120-0 previously in the House, is widely known in Kansas as the “Sharia bill,” because the perceived goal of supporters is to keep Islamic code from being recognized in Kansas.
The bill was sent to Republican Governor Sam Brownback, who has not indicated whether he will sign it.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ron Paul? Brokered Convention Taking Shape
New developments are dashing any hopes Romney would escape the RNC unscathed and emerge on the other side as the easy Republican nominee.
Surfacing Thursday was a damaging and revealing run-down of the circumstances revolving around who is and isn’t a “bound” delegate and what may end up being a game changer for Paul.
With 11 states now in the books for Paul, to Romney’s 18 and only 11 states left to start their primary or caucus process, Ron Paul has seemingly stolen enough delegates in the undecided states and will likely gain enough in states to come, virtually assuring a brokered convention at the RNC in August.
In addition to developments stating there may not actually be such thing as a “bound” delegate at the national level after all, Ron Paul may actually be truly nipping at Romney’s heels, despite recent establishment media reports that state otherwise.
[…]
Attorneys for the RNC have clearly stated the Republican and Democratic parties are, in essence, non-binding, non-governmental private clubs and do not hold any weight with regard to actual GOP election laws and the ‘official’ caucus that takes place at the RNC, every 4 years.
According to FairVote.org, Jenneifer Sheehan, Legal Counsel for the RNC, plainly stated in a 2008 letter to Nancy Lord, Utah National Committeewoman, several weeks before the convention,
“The RNC does not recognize a state’s binding of national delegates, but considers each delegate a ‘free agent’ who can vote for whoever they choose.
The national convention allows delegates to vote for the individual of their choice, regardless of whether the person’s name is officially placed into the nomination or not.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Greek President Fails to Move Parties Toward Coalition
A week after elections in Greece restructured the political pecking order in the country, President Papoulias was unable to make any progress on Sunday in steering the top three elected parties toward a coalition.
Papoulias is now meeting individually with the leaders of the remaining four parties in Athens that gained representation in last week’s election. That includes the neo-nazi Golden Dawn party, as well as the Independent Greeks, the Democratic Left, and the Communist party.
Earlier in the week, the top three parties in the election were each given a chance to form a coalition on their own. The New Democracy party, which won the polls and is led by Antonis Samaras, could not complete the task, nor could the next two parties in line: the radical left Syriza party led by Alexis Tsipras, and the socialist PASOK led by Evangelos Venizelos.
Syriza was catapulted into second position in last Sunday’s election, after decades of dominance from New Democracy and PASOK — both of whom sustained heavy losses. The two traditional parties are in favor of largely sticking to the terms of the Greek loans from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund, or seeking to renegotiate them in Brussels. Syriza, meanwhile, rejects them outright, saying that last Sunday’s ballot showed the Greek people do too.
Even with Papoulias acting as a mediator in midday meetings on Sunday, the three parties did not reach a consensus. A second meeting between the leaders of the top three parties and Papoulias is scheduled for Monday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Army on Call to Deal With Escalating Violence
Italy’s prime minister has not ruled out bringing in the army to deal with the increasing levels of violence across the country. Prime Minister Mario Monti raised alert levels Sunday at sensitive sites across the country after a rebel group shot and wounded the head of the state-controlled nuclear energy company, Ansaldo Nucleare.
Commenting on the plan, Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri told local journalists “the risk of an escalation of anarchist terrorism is real.” “The army could be used to guard buildings which could be the target of violent protest,” she added.
That would include offices of the tax collection agency Equita and industrial corporation Finmeccanica, owner of Ansaldo Nucleare. “The danger of an escalation exists,” she said. “It’s a situation which demands drastic action.”
The Federazione Anarchica Informale (Informed Anarchist Federation), with links to Greek extremist groups, claimed responsibility for the attack on the nuclear company’s head in Genoa on Friday.
Prosecutor Michele Di Lecce said the FAI, which has threatened eight further reprisals to demand the release of anarchists jailed in Greece, “appeared reliable.”
Two Molotov cocktails, which failed to detonate, were thrown at the offices of Equitalia in Tuscany on Saturday, while a letter bomb arrived at the company’s offices in Rome on Friday.
Attacks on Equilalia are thought to be in response to the government’s austerity measures. The group claiming responsibility for the attack on Ansaldo Nucleare chief, Roberto Adinolfi, said it was deserved because he claimed nuclear energy was safe, news agency dpa reported.
Speaking to a youth audience in Tuscany, Prime Minister Monti’s comments came as social tensions in Italy continue to rise in the country with the eurozone’s highest national debt.
“Italy is currently gripped by strong social tensions. It’s normal that this precarious situation increases malaise, but we have to act together against the crisis,” Monti said. “Don’t give up now, we must make a common effort to share the burden.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Russian Couple Charged 400 Euros for Gondola Trip
Vow never to return to lagoon city
(ANSA) — Venice, May 9 — A Russian couple were charged 400 euros for a 50-minute gondola trip around Venice when the standard fare is 80 euros for 40 minutes, local media reported Wednesday.
The 35-year-old couple, Dimitry and Olga Kurdyukov from a town near Moscow, were reportedly so angry they vowed never to return to the lagoon city, a Russian friend and tourist guide said on her Facebook page.
“We’re leaving with bitterness and we won’t be back in Venice,” Elena Barinova quoted them as saying.
The head of the Venice gondoliers’ association, Aldo Reato, told local daily Il Gazzettino he was sorry about the incident.
“Things like that should never happen. The association is ready to compensate these clients, or to give them a free trip if they come back,” Reato said.
The gondolier who overcharged the couple has not been identified but Reato said he “won’t get away with it if we find him. “We are intransigent about fares,” he said.
“I urge Mrs Barinova to go to the Gondola Agency and give us all the details,” Reato added.
The Kurdyukovs’ misadventure is not the first time the overcharging of foreign tourists has gained headlines.
In 2009 a Japanese couple was charged 700 euros for a meal in a Rome restaurant.
After refusing an all-expenses-paid return trip to the Italian capital courtesy of the Italian tourism ministry, the man eventually accepted a reparatory pizza in Japan.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Minetti’s College Pal Testifies to Night at Berlusconi Party
‘He touched their breasts, between their legs’
(ANSA) — Milan, May 11 — Another woman who attended one of the alleged sex parties hosted by former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi testified on Friday to being offered money and to being shocked by displays of erotic dancing and groping. “Almost everyone was dancing, some behaving like lesbians,” said Melania Tumini, adding that 25-30 young women were dressed as policewomen, nurses and other characters. “They were touching each other and being touched by the premier on the breasts, the bottom and between the legs”. Tumini testified to being brought to the ex-premier’s mansion on September 9, 2010 by her old college friend Nicole Minetti, Berlusconi’s former dental hygienist who is now a Lombardy regional councillor for his People of Freedom (PdL) party and is one of three people on trial for allegedly supplying the premier with prostitutes. Tumini, like other witnesses before her, testified to receiving an envelope with 2,000 euros from Berlusconi, along with two CDs by Mariano Apicella, the Neapolitan singer made famous for performing songs written by the ex-premier and former cruise-ship crooner. Tumini said she felt “uncomfortable and embarassed” that evening, and did not confirm Berlusconi’s assertion that the notorious parties were “burlesgue shows” as he told reporters during a recess last month. In a leaked wiretap, Tumini was recorded calling the premier’s mansion “a whorehouse”. Minetti, whom Tulmini said wore only a shirt, necktie and knickers at the party, made her first courtroom appearance at the trial Friday, telling reporters she felt “absolutely no embarrassment” from the accusations. “C’est la vie,” she said. The other two suspected of procuring sex for Berlusconi are bankrupt talent scout Lele Mora and retired long-time Berlusconi news anchor Emilio Fede, a close friend of the media magnate’s, neither of whom have appeared at the trial. In a separate trial, Berlusconi is suspected of paying for sex with Karima ‘Ruby’ El Mahroug, an underage Moroccan-born runaway, after several of the parties at his villa at Arcore outside Milan and allegedly coercing police into releasing her after an unrelated theft claim to hush up the fact.
Prosecutors say Berlusconi had sex with 33 prostitutes at his villa over the course of several evenings.
Berlusconi, who says his parties were innocent and “elegant” affairs, has stressed that both he and Ruby deny having sex, and has quipped “33 women in two months is too many even for someone who likes pretty girls, like me”.
The ex-premier claims to be the victim of biased prosecutors who have allegedly been conducting a witch-hunt against him since he entered politics in 1994.
The charge of having sex with an underage prostitute carries a jail term of up to three years, and abuse of office 12 years.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Olympic Symbols Originated From Hitler’s Nazi Propaganda
The most beloved emblems of the modern Olympics have a decidedly dark past.
The torch relay that culminates in the ceremonial lighting of the flame at Olympic stadium was ordered by Adolf Hitler, who tried to turn the 1936 Berlin Games into a celebration of the Third Reich.
And it was Hitler’s Nazi propaganda machine that popularized the five interlocking rings as the symbol of the Games.
Today, both are universally recognized icons of the Olympics. But historians say neither had much, if anything, to do with the Games born centuries ago in Ancient Olympia.
“The torch relay is so ingrained in the modern choreography that most people today assume it was a revival of a pagan tradition — unaware that it was actually concocted for Hitler’s Games in Berlin,” author Tony Perrottet writes in a new book, The Naked Olympics.
A sacred flame did burn 24 hours a day at Olympia. And relay racers passed a torch to light a sacrificial cauldron at some other ancient festivals. But the ancient Greeks opened their Olympics by word of mouth, sending heralds — not torchbearers — running through the streets.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Banker Gunned Down in London by ‘Hired Assassin’ Seeks Asylum in Britain
The Russian banker shot by a ‘hired assassin’ in London is to apply for political asylum in Britain.
German Gorbuntsov, recovering in hospital after being shot six times outside his Canary Wharf flat, claimed his life would be in grave danger if he returned to Russia.
Mr Gorbuntsov, 46, said he will seek asylum and it is understood his son Vladislav, 25, will do the same.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Agony Aunts for Criminals — and Scorn for the Rest of US
Pasted up in an Oxfordshire byway, I found extraordinary proof of what most of us have long suspected and what politicians always try to deny. We are now so soft on wrong-doing that the wicked must be laughing at us.
It is a recruiting poster for prison officers. Beneath a picture of two smiling, kindly types in uniform sharing a jolly moment are the words: ‘Father figures. Agony Aunts. When you’re the closest to family anyone’s experienced in a long while, it becomes less of a job and more of a calling. Prison officers. People officers by nature.’
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Warning Over Paedophiles ‘Grooming’ Primary School Children on Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters Websites
Police are warning primary school pupils about chatting online amid fears that paedophiles are targeting children on websites such as Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin.
Bedfordshire Police is sending officers into more than 300 schools to raise awareness about online imposters after parents highlighted possible ‘grooming’ incidents.
One mother told police that her son was directed away from Club Penguin into a private chatroom by another user and was asked questions about ‘colours of underwear’.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Algeria: Green Wave Breaks on Secular Block
Islamic parties routed by old majority, the Fln and the Rnd
(ANSAmed) — TUNIS — The ever onward stampede of political Islam across North Africa appears to have stumbled in Algeria, with a clear rout for the Islamic Parties at the hands of the Fronte di Liberazione Nazionale (the FLN, close to President Bouteflika) and the Rassemblement National Democratique (RND), led by Premier Ahmed Ouyahia. Of course, the parties of the Green Alliance have been quick to contest the outcome, speaking of massive-scale electoral fraud and attacking Bouteflika in person -even before the official results were made known. But defeat it remains: it is highly unlikely that a court would overturn the results of this election, which was monitored by over 500 foreign observers. As far as is known, there were no reports of excessive irregularities. And so the parties of the old majority can pick up from today where they left off ahead of the elections, strengthened by a popular mandate. The vote enables them to bring 220 FLN and 68 RND MPs into the National Assembly, or 288 out of a total of 462 seats. Such a majority will leave the other parties, especially the Islamists, grubbing around for influence.
Up until yesterday, the Green Alliance was confident of a resounding vindication, but they now find themselves in the ‘top ten’ of parties who have lost the most seats, in third place with just 48 MPs. This will enable them to form a parliamentary opposition, but not much more. It would appear that this unexpected debacle will lead to a phase of internal challenge within the Green Alliance, maybe a showdown given how the hyperactivity of MSP leader Bouguerra Soltani did not go down too well with the other two allied parties, as the forced smiles in group photos reveal. Be that as it may, from today on, a page has been turned in Algeria. The FLN and RND had truly feared an overturn of the political scene and this is a factor they will bear in mind in the near and long-term future. It is not easy to analyse why their victory was such a sweeping one: the role played by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika should be noted. In his more recent speeches he undoubtedly won back some of the discontented — of whom there were many — given the rate of abstention (57.64 per cent).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: Man Wakes Up After Being Prepared for Burial
Doctor sent to sign death certificate found it strange his body was warm
(Associated Press) The funeral of a 28 year-old waiter in southern Egypt turned into a celebration when he woke up after being declared dead.
Hospital officials had pronounced dead Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi, who came from the village of Naga al-Simman in the southern province of Luxor, after he suffered a heart attack while working.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Shadowy Islamist Group Al-Nusra Claims Twin Suicide Blasts That Killed 55 in Syria
Video released saying strikes in response to attacks by President Assad Little-known group could be front for Al Qaeda, say intelligence experts Adds worrying new dimension to conflict which has killed thousands Syria accuses Western nations of colluding with Al Qaeda-linked militants
A shadowy militant group has claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings which killed 55 and injured 370 in the Syrian capital.
In a video, the group, calling itself the Al-Nusra Front, says the atrocities were in response to attacks on residential areas by President Bashar Assad’s regime.
‘We fulfilled our promise to respond with strikes and explosions,’ a distorted voice says, reading black text that rolls across a white screen while Islamic chanting plays in the background.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Writers Lead Russians on Peaceful Protest in Moscow
Thousands of demonstrators led by prominent Russian writers marched through the streets of Moscow on Sunday, protesting the recent inauguration of President Vladimir Putin. Novelist Boris Akunin led the call to the “stroll,” as he put it, and he was joined by other prominent cultural figures, such as writer Dmitry Bykov, musician Andrei Makarevich, and novelist Lyudmila Ulitskaya.
The crowd unexpectedly swelled to around 10,000, and despite not receiving official authorization to carry out the march, police escorting the procession on the 2-kilometer (1.25-mile) route made no arrests. This was in contrast to other rallies that had taken place in recent weeks, where violence broke out and many arrests were made. Leading opposition figures are among those who were detained.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
China, Japan, S.Korea Agree to Start Free-Trade Talks
The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea agreed Sunday to start negotiations towards creating a free-trade area this year, saying it would boost the economies of the region in a time of crisis.
A free-trade area among Northeast Asia’s three major economies has been on the trilateral agenda for the past decade, beginning with an agreement among the three in late 2002 to launch a feasibility study on the issue.
“The three countries agreed to launch negotiations on a China-South Korea-Japan free-trade area within the year,” said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao after meeting South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
Wen told reporters in Beijing that closer regional economic integration in response to a slow global recovery and an overall rise in trade protectionism would help unlock new growth potential.
“Northeast Asia is the most economically vibrant region in the world. So there is huge potential for our three countries to have closer trade and investment cooperation,” he said.
“The establishment of a free-trade area will unleash the economic vitality of our region and give a strong boost to economic integration in East Asia.”
China, Japan and South Korea combined have the world’s largest economy — ahead of the European Union — when measured by purchasing power parity, which takes into account differences in the costs of living across nations.
Progress on a free-trade pact had widely expected to be on the agenda of the China-South Korea-Japan leaders’ meeting on Sunday — the fifth such summit to take place.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
China, Japan and South Korea to Start Free-Trade Talks
China, Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to start negotiations on a trilateral trade pact. The issue has long been on the three countries’ agenda. The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to launch talks on a free-trade area.
Speaking after a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiko Noda in the Chinese capital, Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said closer regional cooperation would boost the economies of the entire region.
“The establishment of a free-trade area will unleash the economic vitality of our region and give a strong boost to economic integration in East Asia,” Wen told reporters. A free-trade area among northeast Asia’s three major economies has been on the table for the past decade. In late 2002, they agreed to launch a feasibility study on the issue.
The study, issued last year, states that the three nations together accounted for 19.6 percent of the world economy and 18.5 percent of its exports in 2010. Combined, they have the world’s largest economy ahead of the European Union, when measured by purchasing power parity.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Kenyan Imams Blast Obama on ‘Gay’ Marriage
‘He is nothing in the eyes of God and his plans will not succeed’
(The Nation) Kenyan Muslim leaders from the coast region have condemned President Barack Obama’s support of same sex marriages.
Speaking to the Nation in Mombasa, Council of Imams and Preachers Organising Secretary Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa accused President Obama of playing god by legalizing what “God Himself objects”.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: How Did He Slip Through Net? Violent Asylum Seeker, 18, Who Claimed to be 15, Almost Killed Foster Mother in Savage Knife Attack While She Slept After Social Services Blunder
A foster mother nearly stabbed to death by a foreign teenager placed in her care has launched a scathing attack on social services — and accused them of gambling with her safety.
Christine Mackay — who had been told the youth was well-behaved — lost four pints of blood after being savagely attacked with a kitchen knife as she slept.
The teenager, housed with her just three days after arriving in the UK illegally and with no identification papers, was last month sentenced to 14 years for attempted murder.
Although he claimed to be 15 at the time of the attack, police sources now believe he may have been at least 18.
Mrs Mackay, 58, who fosters other children, is demanding that social services carry out more rigorous checks on immigrants.
‘The truth was that none of the authorities knew anything about this boy at all,’ she said. ‘But they were prepared to gamble and put him into my home where I had three other vulnerable children.
‘He could have been 15 but he could have been 23. He could have been a paedophile or a rapist.
‘Social services go to such lengths to check those who foster and adopt. They check your friends, your family members, even your pets, but when it suits them they will ask you to take a huge risk with someone about whom they know nothing.’
[…]
Mrs Mackay’s ordeal began in July last year when the boy was brought to her home near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
He had been picked up in the town by police and claimed to be a 15-year-old Palestinian called Aziz Achaheb-Cedar.
His apparent nationality suggested he had a strong case for asylum.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Catholic School Forfeits Baseball Game Because Opposition Have a Girl on Second Base
Arizona school refuse to play with girl out of respect for women
A fundamentalist Arizona Catholic high school is refusing to play in a baseball final as their opponent’s team includes a girl on second base.
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic school, in Phoenix, will forfeit the final rather than play against Mesa Preparatory Academy because 15-year-old Paige Sultzbach is on their team.
The fundamentalist Catholic school is run by the U.S. branch of the Society of Saint Pius X. The group represents conservative, traditional priests who broke from the Catholic Church in the 1980s.
The school’s statement read, “Our school aims to instil in our boys a profound respect for women and girls. Teaching our boys to treat ladies with deference, we choose not to place them in an athletic competition where proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty.”
Paige’s mother Pamela responded by saying, “This is not a contact sport, it shouldn’t be an issue. It wasn’t that they were afraid they were going to hurt or injure her, it’s that they believe that a girl’s place is not on a field.”
The athletic director at Mesa Preparatory Academy said, “I respect their views, but it’s a bit out of the 18th century.”
The Mesa team coach said she was angry. She said “What true athlete would want to win or lose a championship game by forfeit?”
Lisa Maatz, director of public policy at the American Association of University Women, told AP that this was an example of why laws which enforce gender equality in education programs, including sports, are necessary.
She said, “The very idea that such stereotypes are so strong, they’d actually forfeit a game simply because a girl was on the field. That’s ridiculous…Does she have cooties?”
Senior director of advocacy for the Women’s Sports Foundation, Nancy Hogshead-Makar, commented that the school’s decision doesn’t aid its students.
Hogshead-Makar said “In real life, these boys are going to be competing against the girls for jobs, for positions in graduate programs or in trade schools…In every other area of their life, they are going to be competing side by side.”
| — Hat tip: McR | [Return to headlines] |
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