Romney classmate: It wasn't a prank. It was assault and battery.

[RandySF]

The Post story led with a vivid description of Romney repeatedly clipping the hair of a young man - presumed by other students to be gay - while other classmates pinned him to the floor, as the victim screamed for help and his eyes filled with tears. "I don't remember that incident," Romney told Kilmeade. "I tell you I certainly don't believe that I ... thought the fella was homosexual. That was the furthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s. So that was not the case. But as to pranks that were played back then, I don't remember them all but again, high school days - if I did stupid things I'm afraid I gotta say sorry for it."

Phillip Maxwell, an attorney in Michigan, confirmed to CBS News that the incident with John Lauber is accurately described in The Washington Post piece. Maxwell was one of the Post's four on-the-record sources. A fifth asked not to be named. Maxwell says the only thing not accurate is that the Post reporter said the incident occurred in a dorm room, but it happened in a common room.

"Mitt was a prankster, there's no doubt about it. This thing with Lauber wasn't a prank. This was, well, as a lawyer, it was an assault. It was an assault and a battery. And I'm sure that John Lauber carried it with him for the rest of his life," Maxwell told CBS News.



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57431851-503544/romney-apologizes-for-hurtful-high-school-pranks/?tag=stack

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. I hope Maxwell gets interviewed on TV

[seabeyond]

8. i hope Lauber decide that it would be healing and good for him to speak out. nt

[Chan790]

9. I think someone said earlier that he's dead.

No other information that I saw.

[seabeyond]

11. thanks chan. i was wondering. i had heard a comment that made me wonder

if he was. appreciate the info.

[KurtNYC]

12. Lauber passed away in 2004.

[seabeyond]

13. thank you. nt

[Maine-ah]

25. what was his cause of death?

n/t

[XemaSab]

34. Liver cancer, I think

[maddezmom]

2. I don't think his non apology apology worked out that well for the Mittster

I have a feeling more and more people are going to come forward, possible others that were attacked by him either physically or verbally.

[cali]

20. No it was not a form of rape.

not even remotely. It was assault. It was a horrible thing to do. It was NOT rape.

[tru]

23. Thank you, cali.

It was horrible, and it was d*mned dangerous with scissors near the victim's eyes. But rape is something totally different, and the crime of rape is minimized by calling an assault rape.

[RitchieRich]

24. words and accusations should be chosen wisely

The event was clearly terrible. Spreading such an exaggeration would give many cause to doubt the whole event as similarly puffed up, thereby lessening the impact of what actually happened. I had my hair forcibly cut once, It wasn't freaking rape. It was bullying and stupid with lasting impression, but not rape.

[tru]

31. freshwest

I've been the victim of an assault and if you don't think rape would have been 100,000 times worse, you have no clue.

[monmouth]

4. And romney's stupid wife was bragging about what a jokester and fun guy he is. They both

make me ill.

[Politicalboi]

5. Tick! Tick! Tick!

They didn't know of "The Gay" back then. You know the time where Anita Bryant protested against them. If only she were famous and could use and avenue like TV to get her message out.
"Orange Juice" Never drink the stuff says Rmoney.

[caseymoz]

19. At least at Catholic schools, they were vigilant for gays.

Kids watched each other for "signs" of homosexuality, in a vigilance that often got straight kids entangled instead. The signs of homosexuality, BTW, were things promulgated into them by their parents and the church. These "signs" could be anything from having hair a little too long, or having less than good taste in clothes. What are now called nerds were often called "fags," and not just for insult. At least some kids really believed it.

BTW, the fact that as a straight kid, I was the butt of that bullying accounts for a lot of my sympathy toward gay rights.

I'm certain among Mormons there was a similar bully enforcement of gender conformity in children and adolescents. Any religion that takes a strict anti-homosexual stance has to have it. It's an inevitable effect, and a way of keeping an oppressive moral framework in place for successive generations.

[GCP]

7. And the 'puke base will love him for it

In fact it may win some neanderthals over.

[tblue37]

10. It might even make Jim Robinson come to Romney's side. nt

[freshwest]

15. Good point. This will rally the Freepers. Rush is on the case again, too.

This will show people's real priorities. No more hiding behind catch words.

[southernyankeebelle]

14. It sure was an assault and he knows it. I wonder if the young man family ever confronted him?

They should have. This is different than Obama having been fed dog meat as a child.

[daaron]

16. ... and worse and worse... (for Mittens).

[starroute]

17. Romney was apparently the only person involved who doesn't recall the incident

These other people appear to have had it seared into their memories -- as did the victim.

But Mittens? Not even a blip on his radar.

[Horse with no Name]

18. Which NOT REMEMBERING it is worse for him than remembering it

Only a sociopath would not remember the incident.

Lose-Lose situation for Romney.

[FlaGranny]

21. You might think

that he did so much of that kind of thing that this incident was inconsequential and thus forgotten.

I was a good kid and a good teenager by most any measure, but I did a couple of things (by omission) that I still remember and feel ashamed of and I'm almost certain that the slighted person or persons have long ago forgotten or forgiven because they were very minor. I'm sure that almost every normal person has similar memories of things they should have done but didn't. It is painful when you don't live up to your own standards. If Mitt doesn't even remember this school incident it really shows that his standards are pretty low. But, that said, I don't for an instant believe he doesn't remember something like that.

[lunatica]

22. Bullies always deny, deny, deny.

It's part and parcel of the bully pathology.

[sarcasmo]

35. +1

[radhika]

26. Interesting how his fellow elite preppies are not supporting him at this time ....

Romney is mega rich and in hailing distance of the US Presidency. A free market conservative, which is quite likely the politics of many of his Cranbrook alums. And Romney under seige is a person who might he able to repay favors quite generously in the future.

But they aren't stepping up and supporting him by swearing what a great guy he was. This tells me that Romney was indeed the class bully and an imperial asshole.

[lunatica]

36. And he asked for people to stand up for him

Result? Crickets.

Because no one thinks he'll win this one, and standing up for him will only hurt them.

[Scurrilous]

28. K & R

[Uncle Joe]

29. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Randy.

[Smilo]

30. You can't blame Romney for not

remembering.................... he must have had a lobotomy along the way - at least that is the only excuse I can come up with for his lies and flip-flops.

[Kyad06]

32. Its Clinton-Dole '96

The Repukes are writing this one off,hence the tepid endorsements. Gas prices dropping killed thier only issue they could use to rally the base. Roomney is a pathetic loser.

[alphafemale]

37. Interesting that a squirrley, little pipe-cleaner bones like Romeny was a bully.

That could only happen because he was an elite privileged prick in an elite privileged prick school. In the real world that self important prick would have been instilled with a healthy dose of humility and still smell faintly of Tidy Bowl behind the ears.

[Skittles]

38. amazing

"I've carried this story with me a long time. It was very disturbing. I think that view is shared by everyone involved in it," Maxwell says. "It just was a black mark on my character that I didn't stop it."


Mr. Maxwell feels more shame and humility (because he failed to intervene) about the incident that Romeny - well Mr. Maxwell, you evolved into a better person but it is obvious Romney did NOT

[ibegurpard]

39. that is EXACTLY the point

that the dimwits trying to use the excuse about "high school hijincks" don't get.