Rightwing Press Caught In Conspiracy Re: Supposed Child "Beating" Victim

[ruggerson]

Agape Press, a notorious religious rightwing fount of disinformation, is pushing a distorted story based on a rightwing dad's recounting of his child's playground encounter with fellow students. This is a very powerful example of how the rightwing press intentionally manipulates a simple story to try to raise the status of supposed "Christians" to that of "victim" in a society they see, in their warped worldview, as overpopulated with heathen secular humanists.

What is interesting about this is it highlights the well organized extent to which Agape Press and this father and, in this case, the Massachusetts anti-gay rights movement leadership, will go to try to make a political point: they will twist a simple childhood incident and attempt to turn it into a wedge in the culture wars.

We at DU should be exposing this and getting it out to every mainstream outlet we can. If they want to publicize how the "leftwing" press gets it wrong, they should also loudly publicize how the rightwing press, and their cohorts, the so called "family values" organizations, are right now engaging in a deceitful, coordinated attempt to publicize and distort this story and exploit a small first grader, in an attempt to further their disgraceful agenda of hate.

Agape Press has this blaring headline today online:

Bay State Boy's Beating May Be Linked to Dad's Stand on Homosexuality

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/192006a.asp

(AgapePress) - The young son of a Massachusetts pro-family activist was physically assaulted by fellow elementary school students on the two-year anniversary of same-sex "marriage" in the state.

On May 17, first-grader Jacob Parker was beaten up by a group of eight to ten kids on the playground at Estabrook Elementary School in Lexington. Just weeks before the assault, his father and mother had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school.

Last year, David Parker was arrested and jailed for refusing to leave the school until officials agreed to grant him the right to opt his son out of classroom discussions on homosexuality. The Massachusetts father believes the assault was incited by parents who are upset with his opposition to homosexuality.

"What we're concerned about," Parker says, "is actually the environment being created in the schools, where children, maybe in the normal course of scuffling, will translate the aggression that they may be hearing from parents and administrators to other children."

(more)

What AGAPE conspicuously fails to mention is that this school and the police department have investigated this and come to entirely different conclusions: that the boy was hit in a normal childhood dispute over lunchroom seating and was entirely unhurt.

Press Release: Paul B. Ash, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools:
UPDATE: JUNE 19, 2006
Recently, the media reported on a playground fight at Estabrook School in Lexington, Massachusetts, where one first grade student hit another first grade student. After the media focus on this incident, the Estabrook School principal issued a letter to parents reporting the details of this incident and the school's response, and the Superintendent of the Lexington Public Schools issued a similar report to the community and the press. Because of an allegation that the incident was "fueled and incited by adults (and yes, school officials)," the Superintendent, after having conducted his own investigation, referred the incident to the Lexington Police Department, the Middlesex District Attorney and the Department of Social Service(DSS).

The Lexington Police Department has issued the following statement, "The school department is handling this situation involving two first graders professionally and does not require action from the police." The Child Abuse Prevention office of the District Attorney and the DSS have each declined to initiate investigations, in part because the parents of the first grader who was hit have not filed a complaint, and in part because they found no basis for an investigation in the facts and circumstances reported. The School Committee and the Superintendent have both concluded that the allegation of adult involvement in and/or incitement of this minor playground incident is entirely without merit.

PRESS RELEASE: June 16, 2006
Some of you may be aware that the press has received a news release related to a playground incident at Estabrook. The Estabrook principal has investigated the issue over the past two days, talking to the adults and children involved. The following are the facts as she understands them.

On May 17, several first graders were involved in a disagreement over who would sit where in the cafeteria. As a result, upon going outside one child took another by the hand and brought him to a third student in an area of the playground that is somewhat difficult for the adults to see. (The student who was hit said that he went willingly.) All children who saw agreed that the third student then hit the student who had been brought to him two to four times in the chest/abdomen (children’s accounts vary) and he fell to his knees. The student who was hit says he was hit when down; the other children say he wasn’t. One child reports that one student held the arm of the student who was hit; however, the child who was hit and the other children did not report this. The children involved named five children who were nearby watching but not directly involved. Several other students were close enough to see a cluster of students but not close enough to see what was happening. The student who did the hitting suggested that others also hit, but none of them did so. Based on the children’s accounts, this all may have happened in under a minute. The aide on duty saw a group of children gathering, and as she walked toward them was approached by a child that said someone was being bullied. When the aide inquired what was going on, the child who was hit identified one student who hit him, and the other children agreed. The child who was hit said he was not hurt and did not want to go to the nurse. He reported that his feelings were hurt, because the child who hit him was his friend.

(more)

This is the news story from the town newspaper:

http://www.townonline.com/lexington/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=516786

Parkers allege son assaulted
By Bethan L. Jones/ Staff Writer
Thursday, June 15, 2006 - Updated: 11:02 AM EST

A press release was issued by MassResistance, formerly Article 8 Alliance, on Wednesday alleging Jacob Parker, the first-grade son of David and Tonia Parker, was assaulted on the playground at the Estabrook Elementary School on May 17, the two-year anniversary of gay marriage in Massachusetts.

The Parkers are currently suing the Lexington Public Schools for violating their rights because LPS refused to notify parents when homosexuality will be discussed in the classroom.

David Parker was arrested at the Estabrook Elementary School in April 2005 after refusing to leave a meeting with Estabrook Principal Joni Jay and then-Director of Curriculum Andre Ravenelle. At that meeting, he requested notification when any topic around sexual orientation would be discussed in his son’s classroom.

In the release, Brian Camenker, of MassResistance, alleged Jacob Parker was approached during recess, taken to a corner of the play area and assaulted by eight to 10 students. The release also stated the schools had investigated and deemed the assault a "planned and
(more)

[joefree1]

1. K & R

[Pab Sungenis]

2. KNR

[ruggerson]

3. Here is the link

to the updated press release from the Lexington Public Schools, including the police statement from the Lexington Police Department.

http://lps.lexingtonma.org/

Press Release: Paul B. Ash, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools:
UPDATE: JUNE 19, 2006
Recently, the media reported on a playground fight at Estabrook School in Lexington, Massachusetts, where one first grade student hit another first grade student. After the media focus on this incident, the Estabrook School principal issued a letter to parents reporting the details of this incident and the school's response, and the Superintendent of the Lexington Public Schools issued a similar report to the community and the press. Because of an allegation that the incident was "fueled and incited by adults (and yes, school officials)," the Superintendent, after having conducted his own investigation, referred the incident to the Lexington Police Department, the Middlesex District Attorney and the Department of Social Service(DSS).

The Lexington Police Department has issued the following statement, "The school department is handling this situation involving two first graders professionally and does not require action from the police." The Child Abuse Prevention office of the District Attorney and the DSS have each declined to initiate investigations, in part because the parents of the first grader who was hit have not filed a complaint, and in part because they found no basis for an investigation in the facts and circumstances reported. The School Committee and the Superintendent have both concluded that the allegation of adult involvement in and/or incitement of this minor playground incident is entirely without merit.

PRESS RELEASE: June 16, 2006
Some of you may be aware that the press has received a news release related to a playground incident at Estabrook. The Estabrook principal has investigated the issue over the past two days, talking to the adults and children involved. The following are the facts as she understands them.

On May 17, several first graders were involved in a disagreement over who would sit where in the cafeteria. As a result, upon going outside one child took another by the hand and brought him to a third student in an area of the playground that is somewhat difficult for the adults to see. (The student who was hit said that he went willingly.) All children who saw agreed that the third student then hit the student who had been brought to him two to four times in the chest/abdomen (children’s accounts vary) and he fell to his knees. The student who was hit says he was hit when down; the other children say he wasn’t. One child reports that one student held the arm of the student who was hit; however, the child who was hit and the other children did not report this. The children involved named five children who were nearby watching but not directly involved. Several other students were close enough to see a cluster of students but not close enough to see what was happening. The student who did the hitting suggested that others also hit, but none of them did so. Based on the children’s accounts, this all may have happened in under a minute. The aide on duty saw a group of children gathering, and as she walked toward them was approached by a child that said someone was being bullied. When the aide inquired what was going on, the child who was hit identified one student who hit him, and the other children agreed. The child who was hit said he was not hurt and did not want to go to the nurse. He reported that his feelings were hurt, because the child who hit him was his friend.

(more)

[Clark2008]

4. Why are first-graders beating up on each other?

My son just graduated from first grade and he and his friends are so very sweet and loving. I'm sure they have little disagreements and arguments - I've heard them yell at one another before, but I've never seen him or any of his classmates even attempt to come to blows.

[ruggerson]

6. Another question is

why is a child being exploited in the media by a bunch of far rightwing fundamentalists?

[BR_Parkway]

9. Perhaps they are learning it from their parents:

"What we're concerned about," Parker says, "is actually the environment being created in the schools, where children, maybe in the normal course of scuffling, will translate the aggression that they may be hearing from parents and administrators to other children."

That's the quote from the boy's father - but I gather he doesn't see the irony in projecting it onto everyone else's parents, but not how it's probably affecting his son too?

[tanyev]

5. Reminds me of Phil Parlock bringing his young children to a Kerry

campaign appearance holding Bush signs. Somehow, in the course of the evening, one of the darling little moppets had her sign taken away from her and torn. Parlock accused the evil libruls and the photo of the little girl crying was in all the papers.

[gatorboy]

8. Ole Phil...That was actually his third incident.

It's funny how Parlock found himself in similar situations at two other campaign stops... :eyes:

I predict this year will be his fourth.

[tanyev]

11. Wasn't Phil also present when someone took a few potshots

into his local GOP campaign offices? Uncanny, eh?

[Erika]

7. The religious right is on a first class witchhunt on gays/lesbians

Wasn't Christ's greatest commandment to love one another? Do unto others as you would have do unto you?

These people sicken me. If the Log Cabin Republicans vote GOP, they must be masochistic to the nth degree.

[NMMNG]

10. Conveniently

The idjits over at FR are making the whole thing out to be an incident of "heterobashing" and ignoring the fact that there is an article out reporting that the child was in a fight over lunchroom seating. Typical right-wing distortion of facts.

[ruggerson]

12. This is what they do

They outright lie and/or ignore reality to puruse their sick agenda.