DEOMI News Highlights
DEOMI News Highlights is a weekly compilation of published items and commentary with a focus on equal
opportunity, equal employment opportunity, diversity, culture, and human relations issues. DEOMI News
Highlights is also a management tool intended to serve the informational needs of equity professionals and senior
DOD officials in the continuing assessment of defense policies, programs, and actions. Further reproduction or
redistribution for private use or gain is subject to original copyright restrictions.
Global Restrictions on Religion Rise Modestly in 2015, Reversing Downward Trend
[Pew Research Center, 11 April 2017]
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Government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion increased in 2015 for the first
time in three years, according to Pew Research Center’s latest annual study on global restrictions on religion.
The share of countries with high or very high levels of government restrictions—i.e., laws, policies, and
actions that restrict religious beliefs and practices—ticked up from 24% in 2014 to 25% in 2015. Meanwhile,
the percentage of countries with high or very high levels of social hostilities—i.e., acts of religious hostility
by private individuals, organizations, or groups in society—increased in 2015, from 23% to 27%. Both of
these increases follow two years of declines in the percentage of countries with high levels of restrictions on
religion by these measures.
When looking at overall levels of restrictions in 2015—whether resulting from government policies and
actions or from hostile acts by private individuals, organizations, or social groups—the new study finds that
40% of countries had high or very high levels of restrictions, up from 34% in 2014.
Global Restrictions on Religion Rise Modestly in 2015, Reversing Downward Trend
The Marines have their first female armor officer [Corey Dickstein, Stars and Stripes,
13 April 2017]
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The Marine Corps’ first female armor officer will soon report to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where she
will become the first woman to lead a Marine tank platoon.
On Wednesday, 2nd Lt. Lillian R. Polatchek graduated from the Army-led Basic Armor Officer Leaders
Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, said Marine Capt. Joshua Pena, a spokesman for Marine Training and
Education Command. Polatchek was the top graduate in the class of 67 soldiers and Marines.
She is the third female Marine officer to complete training to serve in a traditionally all-male, front-line
combat position. The Pentagon opened all military jobs previously closed to women in April 2016.
The Marines have their first female armor officer
No Drug Epidemic Among SEALs, Command Says [Hope Hodge Seck, Military.com, 13
April 2017]
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In the wake of a CBS News investigative report describing a “staggering” illegal drug use problem among the
Navy’s elite special warfare operators, officials with Naval Special Warfare Command are pushing back,
saying the data simply don’t support that account.
Data provided to Military.com by Naval Special Warfare Command show that seven members of the
command did test positive for drug use in November and December 2016, out of 6,364 tests administered
during that period. That positive rate, 0.1 percent, is slightly higher than the command’s average over the last
three years, but well below the Navy’s fiscal 2016 average of .67 percent, according to the data.
That period represented a forcewide sweep for Naval Special Warfare, said Capt. Jason Salata, a spokesman
for the command. Labs determined that 10 of the samples were positive for one or more drugs. Three of the
individuals with positive tests were granted waivers, one for innocent ingestion and two for valid medical
prescriptions, he said. All seven of the remaining troops who tested positive were processed for discipline
and administrative separation.
No Drug Epidemic Among SEALs, Command Says
14 April 2017
Page 1
DEOMI News Highlights
Culture
Native American Treasures Head to the Met, This Time as American Art
Rarely Depicted, the Ugly Truths of Hazing Play Out Onscreen
State Department Teams With Smithsonian to Rescue ISIS-Harmed Antiquities
Discrimination
New York City settles with U.S. over denying job to HIV-positive man
U.S. judge finds Texas voter ID law was intended to discriminate
Diversity
Breaking barriers through opportunities
The Marines have their first female armor officer
NC National Guard engineers battle for title of best in the state, welcome first female combat engineer to
annual competition
Miscellaneous
LGBT advocates call on Senate to drop Army secretary nominee
Navy Civilian Engineer Wins NAVSEA Women Moving Forward Award
No charges in drowning of Navy SEAL candidate
She wanted to criticize Black Lives Matter in a college speech. A protest shut her down.
A teacher asked kids ‘how comfortable’ they are around black men, Muslims. She was fired.
The VA Is Using Advanced Technology To Predict Which Veterans Are At Risk Of Suicide
Misconduct
Cadet ousted from West Point after guilty plea to drug charges
Major Gets 90 Days in the Brig for Lying About Sexual Misconduct
Navy SEALs accused of profiteering, putting lives “in danger”
No Drug Epidemic Among SEALs, Command Says
Philippine appellate court affirms conviction of US Marine
Probe faults Yosemite’s ex-superintendent for style, but absolves him of gender bias
Racism
Court hearing for suspect in arson at immigrant-owned store
Religion
Global Restrictions on Religion Rise Modestly in 2015, Reversing Downward Trend
Grief and desperation in Egypt’s Coptic community after Palm Sunday attacks
This Map Of The State Of Religious Freedom Around The World Is Chilling
Sexism
First Marines punished for online conduct following nude-photo scandal
Frustrated with misogyny, hundreds of female Marines have joined a group pressuring male colleagues to
change
Sexual Assault/Harassment
Air Force Canine Comforts Sexual Assault Victims
D.C. mayor to propose bill expanding rights of sexual assault victims
It’s Not Just Fox: Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Harassment
Keying in on the front against sexual assault
NCIS: 15 active-duty troops may have broken the law in ‘Marines United’ case
14 April 2017
Page 2
Culture
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/arts/design/native-american-treasures-head-to-the-met-this-time-asamerican-art.html
Native American Treasures Head to the Met, This Time as
American Art
By Randy Kennedy
The New York Times, April 6, 2017
A Pomo basket from Northern California, from around 1890, is
paired with “Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake,
California,” by Jules Tavernier, in the American Wing at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. The basket is among works donated to
the Met by Charles and Valerie Diker. (Credit: Joshua Bright for
The New York Times)
When they visit the majestic American Wing of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, some international art lovers — especially ones
from Canada, Australia and Asia — leave a bit perplexed, as if they’ve somehow missed an important
gallery.
“They go through and expect to see Native American work here,” Sylvia Yount, the curator in charge of the
wing, said the other day. “Because often where they come from, indigenous art is part of the narrative of a
nation’s art, in a way that it’s not in the United States. We’re really behind the curve.”
But now the museum, with the help of a promised gift from one of the most comprehensive collections of
Native American art in private hands, is poised to catapult itself well ahead of that curve. And the pieces
that will soon arrive — among them a masterpiece jar by the Hopi-Tewa potter Nampeyo; an 18th-century
Tlingit dagger with a haunting face-shaped hilt; a painted shield by the Hunkpapa Lakota master Joseph No
Two Horns, from the Standing Rock reservation in the Dakotas — will not go where historical Native
American art is often found, in the galleries for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.
They will go instead in the American Wing, among paintings and sculpture by Gilbert Stuart, John Singer
Sargent, Frederic Remington and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, “to display art from the first Americans within
its appropriate geographical context,” as the museum says.
For the donors of the gift, Charles and Valerie Diker, who live in an apartment brimful of Native American
pieces and American modernist painting just a few blocks from the museum, the Met’s curatorial decision
is nothing less than a groundbreaking affirmation of the way they have thought about their collection for
more than 40 years.
A rare water jar from the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico,
foreground, in the apartment of Charles and Valerie Diker. Among
the couple’s overall collection are pieces by (clockwise from left)
Isamu Noguchi, Joan Miró, Jean Arp, Alexander Calder (two
works), Mark Rothko and Deborah Butterfield. (Credit: Joshua
Bright for The New York Times)
“We always felt that what we were collecting was American art,”
Mr. Diker said in a recent interview with the couple in their
apartment. “And we always felt very strongly that it should be shown in that context.”
Behind them was a rare 19th-century clay water jar from the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, sitting catercorner from a radiant Minimalist painting by Agnes Martin made in the next century and the same state, in
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/arts/design/native-american-treasures-head-to-the-met-this-time-asamerican-art.html
Galisteo, N.M., less than 150 miles from the pueblo. And the spot where the Agnes Martin work now hangs
was, not long ago, they said, occupied by a prized Navajo chief’s blanket, whose slightly quavery
horizontal stripes, punctuated by insect-dye red, look like something Martin might have painted.
“More than 40 years ago,” Mrs. Diker said, “we made a very important decision — to remove all the
fireplaces from this apartment so that we could make room for more art. Even the doors here are in funny
places, to accommodate pieces.”
The couple started out in the early 1960s, as soon as they could afford it, collecting mostly American
contemporary painting and sculpture — Mark Rothko, Isamu Noguchi, Louise Nevelson — and then, in an
unusual but passionate adjunct, pre-Columbian work.
“But at some point we began to think, ‘Why collect pre-Columbian, from Mexico and Guatemala, when
there’s so much wonderful work that was made here, in the place where we live, and is part of that
history?” said Mr. Diker, an investor who became successful early on as president of the Aurora model and
toy company.
(In addition to their relationship with the Met, the Dikers are founding chairman and chairwoman of
the National Museum of the American Indian’s George Gustav Heye Center, in New York.)
A 19th-century Iroquois/Haudenosaunee pouch donated by the Dikers and
displayed in the Met’s American Wing. The pouch depicts sacred conjoined
twins — central figures in the legends of New York’s Iroquois, or
Haudenosaunee. (Credit: Joshua Bright for The New York Times)
Their Native American collection began with mostly Southwestern art
bought during frequent trips to Santa Fe, N.M., where they eventually bought
a house. “But then we began to encroach, I guess you might say, on the rest
of the country,” Mr. Diker said. “We wanted quality, not quantity, and we
wanted the collection to represent the breadth of the country. We wanted it to
be a collection you could teach from.”
A few of its pieces are already performing that function in the American
Wing, in a preview of what the entire gift, 91 works in all, joining 20 already
given by the couple, might look like when it arrives at the museum next year. The gift will be unveiled in a
major exhibition scheduled for fall 2018.
During a recent walk through the galleries, Ms. Yount pointed out a work previously donated by the
Dikers, a black-on-black olla vessel, by the renowned New Mexican Tewa potters Maria and Julian
Martinez, newly on display between Ernest Blumenschein’s 1933 painting “Taos Valley, New Mexico” and
Remington’s 1907 painting “On the Southern Plains.” Nearby, a zigzag-patterned Pomo basket from
Northern California, made around 1890, rests next to a recently acquired 1878 painting by Jules Tavernier
(1844-1889), “Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, California,” a depiction of a Pomo
coming-of-age ceremony, showing one of the baskets featured in the foreground.
“These are things we’re starting to experiment with,” Ms. Yount said. “We don’t want Native work to just
seem to be an illustration of what you might be seeing in a painting. But at the same time, we want pieces
to be integrated, to be a regular part of what we do in these galleries, and not ever made to seem like an
add-on.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/arts/design/native-american-treasures-head-to-the-met-this-time-asamerican-art.html
A new pairing of an Iroquois pouch and a John Trumbull painting of George Washington with Billy Lee,
Washington’s slave servant, brings up relationships between Native and enslaved people. It’s one of many
ways “to complicate the narrative” told by so many works in the wing, Ms. Yount said, the products of
artists on the conquering side of Manifest Destiny.
While some American art museums — among them the Denver Art Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum
of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey
— have notable collections of Native American work, many large encyclopedic institutions continue to
have spotty holdings. And the sometimes-troubled history of sizable collections of Native art in natural
history museums, where the work is usually presented ethnographically, underscores those gaps. The
National Museum of the American Indian in New York and Washington, considered one of the world’s
best collections, has bridged some of the gaps. But curators describe an immense distance yet to be traveled
before Native American art is given its due in public collections.
An olla by the New Mexican Tewa potters Maria and Julian
Martinez, donated by the Dikers, is paired with Ernest
Blumenschein’s 1933 painting “Taos Valley, New Mexico” at the
Met. (Credit: Joshua Bright for The New York Times)
“There’s a huge opportunity,” said Gaylord Torrence, senior curator
of American Indian art at the Nelson-Atkins, in Kansas City, Mo.,
and curator of the exhibition “The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth
and Sky,” which traveled to the Met in 2015. “The field is still very
much in play, and so many things are still emerging from closets and attics and basements, some of them
real masterworks.”
The Met’s decision not only to begin pursuing Native American collections — a priority of Thomas P.
Campbell, the museum’s director, who is leaving in June — but also to rethink “old curatorial constraints,”
is “a massive leap, really a transformative event,” said Mr. Torrence, a guest curator for the 2018 show.
“And the Dikers help make that possible. Partly because, as collectors of modern and contemporary art,
they approached Native American art with a sense of connoisseurship and aesthetic appreciation that is
rare, which is not to say they weren’t also interested in the cultural and historical significance of it — and
that’s a difficult balance.”
The Dikers, leading a winding apartment tour through guest bedrooms and hallways showing work bound
for the Met, said that their interest was fueled, and continues to be, by a sense of discovery rare in most
collecting fields. “We felt like we were uncovering something the world really didn’t know much about,”
Mr. Diker said. “So few people were collecting this work seriously.”
Mrs. Diker added: “We never bought these things so that they would go into storage. We wanted art only to
be able to live with it.”
The thought of much of it soon leaving their home for one of the world’s largest, busiest museums, they
said, isn’t something they like to dwell on. But then again, it won’t be going far.
“It’s a great museum, it has a huge hole in its collection that needs to be filled — and we can walk there,”
Mr. Diker said. “I’d say that’s a good fit.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/arts/television/burning-sands-the-quad-the-ugly-truths-of-hazingonscreen.html
Rarely Depicted, the Ugly Truths of Hazing Play Out
Onscreen
By Tamara Best
The New York Times, April 7, 2017
Mitchell Edwards, left, and Trevor Jackson in Gerard McMurray’s
“Burning Sands.” (Credit: Netflix)
Toward the end of the new Netflix movie “Burning Sands,” five
young pledges of a fictional fraternity make their way through a
wooded area before older fraternity brothers stop them at the
entrance to a barn. As the doors are opened, one fraternity brother
welcomes them to “hell night.” They are then relentlessly shoved, hit and paddled until one pledge
collapses and begins foaming at the mouth.
It’s a relatively rare depiction of hazing onscreen, though it’s not unusual for television and film to use
collegiate life to dissect thorny subjects. As hazing injuries and deaths periodically make headlines,
“Burning Sands” and “The Quad,” which just wrapped its first season on BET, are timely explorations of
the real repercussions of the violent ritual. Set on the campuses of historically black colleges and
universities, these two projects have also prompted discussions over their representation of storied black
organizations and life at these schools. A forthcoming documentary, “Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story
of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” by Stanley Nelson, will explore the place and importance
of the institutions within the context of American history.
“Burning Sands” follows a group of young men during the final week of pledging as they bond while doing
community service and other tasks. Hazing also plays a prominent role as pledges are repeatedly struck —
the bruises both temporary physical marks and badges of honor of earning their membership.
“You have people who will try to do anything in order to become validated, and so there’s a value in them
pledging,” Lawrence C. Ross Jr., author of “The Divine Nine: The History of African American
Fraternities and Sororities,” said in a telephone interview. “On the other side is the feeling and allure of
power on the person who is the big brother or sister with this idea that hazing is transmitting some sort of
values.”
Gerard McMurray, director of “Burning Sands” and a member of Omega Psi Phi, said showing the violence
was essential to convey the movie’s message. “The truth is the truth,” he said in a telephone interview. “I
wasn’t going to sugarcoat it or water it down. It was important to show those things so people could know
this is reality.” In some of the more violent scenes, sound design plays a critical role in depicting the
brutality without showing its full extent.
“The Quad,” focused on a new dean navigating old traditions and financial troubles, has explored murder,
sexual assault and hazing. In most cases, the violence takes place offscreen, which was the case for the
hazing of freshmen band members.
“It’s so much more frightening to wonder what happens behind closed doors, and to let your imagination as
a viewer decide,” said Felicia D. Henderson, executive producer of “The Quad.” “I wanted to make sure
that the story wasn’t about seeing the violence but how do we effect change.”
The projects show how these types of events have the potential to be a vehicle for change or a missed
opportunity for dialogue and action.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/arts/television/burning-sands-the-quad-the-ugly-truths-of-hazingonscreen.html
On “The Quad,” the university president (Anika Noni Rose), is relentless in her pursuit of truth and
accountability. Upon receiving confirmation of the band hazing, she works to have the code of conduct
amended to include stiffer penalties for violent behavior. In “Burning Sands,” Dean Richardson, portrayed
by Steve Harris, takes a less active stance. When asked by Zurich, a pledge played by Trevor Jackson, to
help end the hazing before the start of hell night, he retorts, “humiliation builds humility, and one more
night won’t kill you.” Alfre Woodard plays a professor who offers emotional support to Zurich,
encouraging him to help foster change after becoming a brother. (The movie ends in a cliffhanger of sorts,
leaving the audience to wonder whether the pledges become members.)
Anika Noni Rose as a university president in “The Quad.” (Credit:
Annette Brown/BET)
Highlighting the challenges for college students seeking validation
and belonging at a time of newfound self-discovery and freedom,
both projects have found support on social media — “The Quad”
for addressing sexual assault, and “Burning Sands” for continuing
the discussion over initiation processes in Greek organizations.
Still, there have been concerns. In a letter to Debra Lee, the president of BET, William R. Harvey,
Hampton University’s president, said the show “feeds a false narrative about the irrelevance” of historically
black colleges and universities. At Virginia State University, Mr. McMurray was “booed and jeered” at one
point in a discussion after a screening of his film, according to The Chesterfield Observer, with some
students asserting that it reinforced stereotypes. In a joint statement in response to the movie, the National
Pan-Hellenic Council, an organizing body for historically African-American fraternities and sororities, said
it did not “condone, support, or encourage the production of movies, books, or any type of social media that
promote hazing.”
Mr. McMurray said that he briefly considered the various responses to his work but moved forward without
reservation. “Sometimes you have to take a stand on some things, and I knew I would have to deal with the
repercussions. I was at peace with that.”
Mel Jones, a producer on “Burning Sands,” said that greater self-reflection is critical to changing the
culture around hazing. “A lot of it is, ‘I’m going to turn a blind eye to it because if I don’t then I have to
indict myself for what I’ve done.’ If now people are saying this is wrong, how do you rectify that with
yourself?” she said in a telephone interview. “It’s more on an individual level of being able to say, ‘I was
young and dumb, and we didn’t actually have to do these things’ — that takes a lot of maturity.”
She added: “At the end of day, being part of any organization isn’t worth anyone’s life. I think we can all
agree on that.”
SEE ALSO:
College student charged with hazing after allegedly smearing peanut butter on peanut-allergic freshman
[The Washington Post, 2017-04-11]
http://www.govexec.com/management/2017/04/state-department-teams-smithsonian-rescue-isis-harmedantiquities/136960/
State Department Teams With Smithsonian to Rescue ISISHarmed Antiquities
By Charles S. Clark
Government Executive, April 12, 2017
Nimrud, Northwest Palace (Photo by Col. Mary Prophit/U.S. Army
Reserve)
The progress Iraqi and U.S. forces have made in combating ISIS is
uneven but tangible.
And one of the benefits to newly liberated territory in the Near East
is renewed access to the antiquities sites the Islamic extremists had
pillaged.
On March 31, the State Department announced a new $400,000 project managed jointly with the
Smithsonian Institution to provide emergency protection and preservation of artifacts at one site familiar to
readers of the Bible.
Nimrud, on the Tigris River in northern Iraq, about 30 kilometers southeast of Mosul, dates to the sixth
millennium B.C. and later became the capital of the neo-Assyrian empire.
ISIS combatants invaded the area in June 2014, and reports of damage to the antiquities came as early as
January 2015, according to a May 2015 report from the American Schools of Oriental Research based on
30 months preparation. The risks include theft, vandalism and exposure to the elements.
“What ISIS has sought to destroy, we are determined to set right,” said Assistant Secretary for Educational
and Cultural Affairs Mark Taplin. “It is in America’s interest to contribute to a better future for Iraq. Time
and time again, we have seen how collaboration in cultural heritage protection and preservation fosters
dialogue and understanding within societies under stress.”
In interviews with Government Executive, State Department and Smithsonian staff working on the project
discussed their travels to the region to help locals assess damage, provide security and safety equipment,
shelter damaged objects and stabilize stone reliefs.
The previous documentation of the damage was obtained through satellite imagery and contacts, noted
Andrew Cohen, the State Department’s senior cultural property analyst. “Now, as new territory is retaken,
it’s an opportunity to put some reality into that picture.”
All the U.S. agency work is done under supervision of the Iraq government’s antiquities and heritage
agency, he said. The State-Smithsonian partnership goes back to 2009, when the U.S. embassy established
the Iraq Institute for the Preservation of Culture and Heritage. The American government employees work
out of the Iraqi city of Erbil, which has been safe from ISIS attacks, while the onsite work at Nimrud is
performed by Iraqis, Cohen said.
The project chose Nimrud “not just because the site is available, but because it was the first capital of an
empire that stretched from Iran to the Mediterranean and Egypt and figures prominently in the Bible,”
Cohen said. The 900-acre area, now a protected archaeological preserve, once contained a citadel with 40foot walls and four imperial palaces.
The alabaster reliefs on walls and glazed tiles portray significant historical events. The Iraqis had listed
them as part of their cultural heritage following excavations in the 19th century, Cohen explained. “That’s
http://www.govexec.com/management/2017/04/state-department-teams-smithsonian-rescue-isis-harmedantiquities/136960/
why ISIS tried to destroy the most picaresque part in a dramatic way that was recorded, filmed and
photographed—one of their signature events.”
One of the U.S. goals is to equip Iraqis to take on new preservation challenges as other territory is
reclaimed to free up classic antiquities in Mosul, Palmyra and Nineveh, he said, many of them “of
significance to Jews and Christians.”
The Smithsonian contributors all have years of experience working with the State Department in Iraq, said
Jessie Johnson, a conversation specialist who worked on post-war repairs to the National Museum of Iraq
in Baghdad. The new project is “a continuation of a very amicable relationship.” She trains locals in how
artifacts deteriorate and how they can be reassembled, as well as training employees of the Homeland
Security Department in countering international trafficking of antiquities.
The Iraqis are impressive in their commitment, Johnson said, noting that many venture to unsafe parts of
the country to “work together on something they love and that is important to them and their communities.”
The Smithsonian staff do not personally travel to dangerous sites, though “we are concerned for our
colleagues,” said Cori Wegener, an art historian who specializes in how museums handle disasters. Her
team doesn’t worry about enemy troops returning because they maintain good communication with the
State and Defense departments. “But there are safety issues about whether people should be walking
around on the site because of dangerous unexploded ordnance,” she added.
The Iraqis are not the only beneficiaries of the project, said Katharyn Henson, an archaeologist now
working to remap the Nimrud site to improve the accuracy of damage descriptions based on satellite
imagery. “The things we’re talking about you would classify as universal human history. They’re not
specific to one part of the world, but part of our collective heritage.”
Discrimination
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-police-idUSKBN17D21P
New York City settles with U.S. over denying job to HIVpositive man
By Joseph Ax
Reuters, April 11, 2017
New York City's police department will pay an HIV-positive man $85,000 and offer to hire him as a
dispatcher to settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice claiming the city illegally revoked a
job offer because of his condition.
The agreement, filed on Monday in federal court in Manhattan, also calls for the NYPD to train its medical
assessment staff to ensure they do not discriminate against job applicants in violation of the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act.
Raymond Parker applied in July 2013 to be an emergency dispatcher and received a conditional offer of
employment, according to the lawsuit. He was given a notice of medical disqualification in December
2013, however, after disclosing he had human immunodeficiency virus, known as HIV, which causes
AIDS.
The Justice Department sued after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigated a
complaint filed by Parker and failed to reach an agreement with the city. The decision to revoke Parker's
offer, the Justice Department said, was illegal because having HIV constitutes a disability, even if it causes
no symptoms.
The city's law department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.
"As a result of this lawsuit, the City of New York has acknowledged that HIV status is not a basis to deny
an individual employment," Acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Joon Kim said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-texas-idUSKBN17D059
U.S. judge finds Texas voter ID law was intended to
discriminate
By Ian Simpson
Reuters, April 11, 2017
A Texas law that requires voters to show identification before casting ballots was enacted with the intent to
discriminate against black and Hispanic voters, a U.S. federal judge ruled on Monday.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos came after an appeals court last year said the
2011 law had an outsized impact on minority voters. The court sent the case back to Ramos to determine if
lawmakers intentionally wrote the legislation to be discriminatory.
Ramos said in a 10-page decision that evidence "establishes that a discriminatory purpose was at least one
of the substantial or motivating factors behind passage" of the measure.
"The terms of the bill were unduly strict," she added.
Spokesmen for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Jr. and Governor Greg Abbott, both Republicans,
could not be reached for comment.
In January, after the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, Paxton said it was a common sense law to
prevent voter fraud.
The ruling on voter ID comes about a month after two federal judges ruled that Texas lawmakers drew up
three U.S. congressional districts to undermine the influence of Hispanic voters.
The measure requires voters to present photo identification such as a driver's license, passport or military
ID card.
Plaintiffs have argued the law hits elderly and poorer voters, including minorities, hardest because they are
less likely to have identification. They contend the measure is used by Republicans to suppress voters who
typically align with Democrats.
The legislation has been in effect since 2011 despite the legal challenges.
Ramos said the law had met criteria set by the U.S. Supreme Court to show intent that included its
discriminatory impact, a pattern not explainable on other than racial grounds, Texas' history of
discriminatory practices and the law's unusually swift passage.
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the plaintiffs, said
the ruling showed other states that discriminatory laws would not stand up to legal scrutiny.
"This is a good ruling that confirms what we have long known, that Texas' voter ID law stands as one of the
most discriminatory voting restrictions of its kind," she said.
In a shift from its stance under former President Barack Obama, the U.S. Justice Department dropped a
discrimination claim against the law in February. The department said that the state legislature was
considering changing the law in ways that might correct shortcomings.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Diversity
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/229983/breaking-barriers-through-opportunities
Breaking barriers through opportunities
By Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum
Defense Video Imagery Distribution System, April 11, 2017
Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing commander, Nellis Air Force
Base, Nev., speaks at a change of command for 57th Adversary
Tactics Group, August 5, 2016. General Leavitt entered the Air
Force in 1992 after earning her bachelor’s degree in aerospace
engineering from the University of Texas and her master’s degree
in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. (U.S. Air
Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.—With over 3,000 flying hours
she has broken more than the sound barrier, graduating from and becoming an instructor at the U.S. Air
Force Weapons School and attaining operational experience in operations Southern Watch, Northern
Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, according to U.S. Air Force records.
Her résumé speaks for itself.
It’s a résumé full of incredible accomplishments, not including breaking the barrier of being the first female
fighter pilot.
For Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing commander, every accomplishment of her 25-year career flying
the F-15E Strike Eagle stems from seizing her opportunities, by seeing them as challenges and overcoming
them every step of the way.
“All of these were opportunities, even flying fighters when it was new for women, I didn't think of them as
breaking barriers,” said Leavitt. “Effectively, since I was the first female to do those things I did break
them, but it was all based on opportunities that the Air Force gave me.”
When Leavitt graduated pilot training at the top of her class, she selected the F-15E Strike Eagle to be her
primary aircraft. But because of a Department of Defense policy restricting women from flying fighters,
she was denied by the Air Force Personnel Center.
“After that I really wanted to be a T-38 instructor pilot, but the Air Force wasn’t having anyone come
straight from pilot training to be an instructor pilot,” said Leavitt. “So, I actually got an assignment for KC10s at March Air Force Base initially, but I never started the training because the policy change happened
right after that.”
Once the policy was altered and women were allowed in the cockpit of fighter jets, Leavitt was hesitant to
become the first female, but the opportunity and challenge of being an F-15E pilot was too much to turn
away.
“Quite honestly, I didn’t want to be the first,” said Leavitt. “I actually asked if I could be the twelfth,
thirteenth or fourteenth. I didn't want the attention or the added pressure of being the first. When someone
asked, I said, ‘If those are the terms of the deal, I’ll take it because I really want to fly fighters.’”
This want and drive to fly was one of the main reasons Leavitt joined the Air Force, but the reasons she has
stayed are what are most significant to her.
“When I joined the Air Force, I wanted to fly,” said Leavitt. “I was an aerospace engineering major at the
University of Texas, and I was learning to design airplanes. I thought it would be amazing to fly.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/229983/breaking-barriers-through-opportunities
“I also wanted to serve my country, and the reason I stayed was the people I worked with and the mission.
The sense of purpose, being a part of something bigger than yourself, being a part of a team, making a
difference, defending the nation for my children is so important to me.”
Once DOD policy changed and women were allowed into combat fighter roles, Leavitt faced a new set of
challenges, including when she participated in one of the Air Forces largest joint training exercises: Red
Flag.
“When I was a brand new Strike Eagle wingman and I came out to Red Flag, I was very much a target,”
said Leavitt. “Everyone knew who I was and knew that I was the first female fighter pilot, and quite
honestly there were a lot of adversaries that wanted to take down my aircraft.
“My flight lead got a lot of kills during that Red Flag. Every time someone tried to roll in and kill me he
would kill them. So, it was an entertaining deployment, and you have to take that challenge and turn it into
an opportunity, and that’s what we did.”
Leavitt has excelled through training to the USAFWS to combat deployments and now as a leader of
Airmen, learning to surpass challenges along the way.
“My favorite part of the day is spending time with Airmen.” said Leavitt. “I am so truly honored and
humbled to lead the Airmen of the 57th Wing, and spending time with Airmen energizes me. It's incredible
because every Airman truly has a story, and to hear their stories and to see how motivated they are to be a
part of this organization is truly refreshing for me.”
This opportunity to connect with and lead Airmen, just like her leadership in the past did with her, is just
one of the things Leavitt cherishes most.
“I have been fortunate enough to have incredible opportunities that the Air Force has given me,” said
Leavitt. “I have had leaders who believed in me, and empowered me to do wonderful things and, in turn,
had the opportunity to lead Airmen. I'm very thankful for that.”
From being empowered by her leadership to leading the 57th WG, the wisdom that she passes down to
Airmen is from learned experiences and her own challenges she has faced.
“My advice to Airmen is to do the absolute best in whatever assignment they're placed in,” said Leavitt. “I
have all kinds of assignments and interesting jobs, some not being the most desirable. I would just say to
excel in any opportunity you're given. If you're presented with a challenge, turn it into an opportunity and
make the most of it.”
https://www.stripes.com/news/the-marines-have-their-first-female-armor-officer-1.463441
The Marines have their first female armor officer
By Corey Dickstein
Stars and Stripes, April 13, 2017
Standing in front of an M1A1 Abrams tank, 2nd Lt. Lillian
Polatchek is the first female Marine Tank Officer after graduating
as the distinguished honor graduate of her Army's Armor Basic
Officer Leaders Course on April 12, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps)
WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps’ first female armor officer
will soon report to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where she will
become the first woman to lead a Marine tank platoon.
On Wednesday, 2nd Lt. Lillian R. Polatchek graduated from the Army-led Basic Armor Officer Leaders
Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, said Marine Capt. Joshua Pena, a spokesman for Marine Training and
Education Command. Polatchek was the top graduate in the class of 67 soldiers and Marines.
Polatchek downplayed her history-making graduation in a video released Wednesday by the Marine Corps.
“Ultimately, I am sort of just looking at it as another Marine graduating from this course,” she said.
Soldiers and Marines must complete the 19-week course to become armor officers. Polatchek’s graduating
class had only five Marines, but each graduated in the top 20 percent of the class, including the top three
students, according to a Marine Corps statement.
Polatchek credited her previous training in Marine Officer Candidate School and the Basic School, where
newly commissioned Marine officers are taught leadership skills, for preparing her to do well in armor
school.
“We as a group [of Marines] did a really great job and that reflects on the class rankings,” she said. “So it
shows the success of all of our training up to this point and then how we worked well together as a group
thanks to our instructors here.”
Polatchek is a native of New York and a 2012 graduate of Connecticut College, according to the Marines’
statement. She joined the Marines in 2015 and attended officer candidate school. After completing the
Basic School she elected to attempt armor school.
She is the third female Marine officer to complete training to serve in a traditionally all-male, front-line
combat position. The Pentagon opened all military jobs previously closed to women in April 2016.
Two female Marines completed artillery officer training in May of last year and are both serving with the
11th Marines at Camp Pendleton in California, Pena said.
Two female Marine officers this month will begin the Marine’s Infantry Officer Course in an attempt to
become the first women to serve as infantry officers, Pena said. More than 30 female Marine officers had
washed out from the course previously.
There are no other women, either officers or enlisted, awaiting Marines’ armor training, Pena said. No
enlisted women are serving in an armor position, he said.
Four enlisted female Marines have completed infantry training and are serving in infantry units at Camp
Lejeune and Camp Pendleton. Pena said additional enlisted female Marines are expected to complete
infantry training and join combat units in the near future.
https://www.stripes.com/news/the-marines-have-their-first-female-armor-officer-1.463441
It was not immediately clear Thursday when Polatchek would check-in to her new unit, the Marine’s 2nd
Tank Battalion, or when she would take command of a tank platoon, spokesmen for Marine headquarters
and the II Marine Expeditionary Force said.
In the Marine statement, Polatchek said she was looking forward to leading Marines.
“A tank platoon has 16 Marines, and that small leadership-size really gives you, as a platoon commander,
the ability to directly work with the Marines you’re leading,” she said. “I’m excited to take everything
we’ve learned [in armor training] and get a chance to go out to the fleet and apply it.”
[email protected], Twitter: @CDicksteinDC
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20170408/nc-national-guard-engineers-battle-for-title-of-best-in-statewelcome-first-female-combat-engineer-to-annual-competition
NC National Guard engineers battle for title of best in the
state, welcome first female combat engineer to annual
competition
By Drew Brooks
The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, April 8, 2017
CAMP BUTNER – Amid a day in which the soldiers rappelled down a tower, capsized an inflatable boat,
assembled weapons and built obstacles using razor wire, some of the best combat engineers in the North
Carolina National Guard laid atop a gravel road and rested.
In a few minutes, the team of five soldiers would be asked to use handheld mine detectors to find potential
explosives. But until then, they caught their breath as they neared the end of a long, hard day that marked
the mid-point of the NCNG’s Sapper Stakes.
“Some of the tasks are pretty hard,” Spc. Shelly Hyson said of the three-day competition between combat
engineers from across the state. “But they’re fun, too.”
Hyson and Staff Sgt. Bryan Cannon, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 105th Engineer
Battalion, said their team had trained together for nearly six weeks leading up to the event, which is hosted
by the 105th but involves combat engineers from across the North Carolina National Guard and one Army
Reserve unit.
“Everybody has their part,” Cannon said. “They know what to do.”
The annual competition brings the state’s best combat engineers together at Camp Butner. But this year,
Hyson’s participation signaled larger changes afoot in the Army.
Hyson, of Hope Mills, is the first female combat engineer to compete as part of a team in Sapper Stakes,
according to the North Carolina National Guard. She’s part of a small but growing female population in
military jobs previously unavailable to them.
The Army opened the combat engineer job to female soldiers in 2015 and welcomed the first trained female
combat engineers to the force that same year.
Hyson, who previously served as a horizontal construction engineer, said she reclassified last April.
Capt. Mike Thomas, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, said the competition was an
important one for the state’s engineer community.
“Everyone’s looking to elevate their game,” he said. “We’re putting our best soldiers against the best
soldiers.”
Thomas said that in the days leading up to the event, Hyson feared her presence could be a distraction to
her teammates.
“I didn’t pick you because you’re a woman,” Thomas assured her. “I picked you because you’re one of the
best.”
Maj. Cale Moody, commander of the Raeford-based 105th Engineer Battalion, said Hyson was one of the
most prepared soldiers, having trained on her own and alongside engineers in the 82nd Airborne Division at
Fort Bragg.
“She’s not just showing up and checking the block,” he said. “She’s here to win.”
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20170408/nc-national-guard-engineers-battle-for-title-of-best-in-statewelcome-first-female-combat-engineer-to-annual-competition
Hyson, Cannon, Staff Sgt. Timothy Stanhope, Sgt. Nathan Heggen and Spc. Marvin Adams are one of the
stronger teams in the competition, Moody said.
But they would have stiff competition from other teams, including one seeking redemption for last year.
The team from the 171st Sapper Company was hoping to have learned from mistakes that cost them the
competition last year, when an under-weighted ruck sack – off by 1.6 points – earned them a penalty that
pushed them out of first place in the final event.
Spc. Justin Nix, representing the St. Pauls-based company, said it was his bag that earned the team their
penalty.
He promised not to make the same mistake this year, pledging to carry extra weight to ensure he meets the
requirements for Sunday’s ruck march.
Nix said most of his team, which also included 2nd Lt. Stephen Dunn, Spc. Casey First, Spc. Bryson Greer
and Staff Sgt. Ash Daughtry, had competed in the event previously.
“It’s a big motivator,” he said.
Daughtry said the team wouldn’t dwell too much on past years. Instead, they would try to remember to
slow down, take their time and ace the tasks asked of them.
“That’s our job,” he said. “Just focus on the next event.”
Thomas said Sapper Stakes wasn’t easy. And pure physical prowess would likely not be enough to win.
“It’s a very physical competition, but you’ve got to be smart,” Thomas said. “Smart and motivated.”
Capt. Thomas Grabos, who helps organize Sapper Stakes each year, said the competition often comes down
to the final event.
This year, nine teams are competing, he said. They began Friday when they checked in and completed a
nonstandard physical fitness test. On Saturday, the teams took turns completing one of 10 required events.
And the competition will end Sunday with an obstacle course and ruck march.
Grabos said all of the events are based on realistic standards, rooted in skill sets required of them as
soldiers and combat engineers.
The competition was meant to promote comradery among the state’s combat engineers and help prepare
them for future training and possible deployments, he said.
“It’s not only a team-building exercise,” he said, “it’s a stepping stone to the Army’s Sapper School. A lot
of the events are built toward that.”
That’s regardless of gender. With Hyson opening the door, NCNG officials said they expect more female
combat engineers will compete in future events.
For now, the population of female combat engineers is still relatively small, Moody said. “But it’s
definitely growing.”
Military editor Drew Brooks can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3567.
Miscellaneous
https://www.armytimes.com/articles/lgbt-advocates-call-on-senate-to-drop-army-secretary-nominee
LGBT advocates call on Senate to drop Army secretary
nominee
By Meghann Myers
Army Times, April 11, 2017
(Photo Credit: Erik Schelzig/AP)
Two advocacy groups are speaking out against President Donald Trump's
nominee for Army secretary, citing his anti-LGBT record.
The White House on Friday announced the nomination of Tennessee State Sen.
Mark Green, a former Army special operations flight surgeon, but opponents
say his record of working against LGBT rights is a threat to soldiers.
"Mark Green’s radical and extreme views about LGBT people, including those in uniform, would send an
incredibly dangerous message down the chain of command," said Stephen Peters, Human Rights Campaign
spokesman and a former Marine discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, in a press conference
Monday.
Green, a West Point graduate, spent 20 years on active duty, including participating in the 2003 raid that
captured Saddam Hussein. Today he represents the area of Tennessee near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Reached for comment, a representative said Green's past politics will not inform his decision-making as
Army secretary.
"I was nominated by President Trump to do one job: serve as his secretary of the Army," Green said
Tuesday in a statement to Army Times. "If confirmed, I will solely focus on making recommendations to
him on how to keep our country safe and secure. Politics will have nothing to do with it."
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, in a statement issued Friday, voiced support for Green.
"He had my full support during the selection process, and he will have my full support during the Senate
confirmation process," Mattis said. "I am confident of Mark's ability to effectively lead the Army."
But Peters said that Green's legislative track record and public comments have included moves to
discriminate against LBGT people.
Currently, Green is a co-sponsor of a Tennessee bill that would prevent public agencies from denying a
contract to a private company based on their personnel policies — for example, not providing benefits to
same-sex couples.
The senator argued on the state senate floor that the bill was intended to level the playing field regardless of
a company's personnel policies, as Tennessee law does not prohibit employer discrimination based on
sexual orientation or gender identity, The Tennessean reported in February.
Green also encouraged cities and counties to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the U.S.
Supreme Court's decision to legalize those marriages, HRC said in a release.
The state senator has also gone on record saying that he believes being transgender is a disease.
"If you poll the psychiatrists, they’re going to tell you that transgender is a disease," he said at a meeting of
the Chattanooga Tea Party in September that was posted to YouTube. "It is a part of the DSM-6, I think it
is, the book of diagnostic psychological procedures or diagnoses. It’s very interesting to see what’s
happening in government, or in our nation.
https://www.armytimes.com/articles/lgbt-advocates-call-on-senate-to-drop-army-secretary-nominee
In fact, the American Psychiatric Association updated its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders in 2011, removing "gender identity disorder" and replacing it with "gender dysphoria," a
condition of distress that some transgender people experience, according to the association's website.
"But you ask about how we fix it ― how we get the toothpaste back in the tube — I gotta tell you, it’s
going to start with me being the salt and the light to the people around me," Green continued. "I mean, if
you really want to bring this back to who’s at fault, we got to look a little bit inwardly. We’ve tolerated
immorality. And we’re reflecting light."
In this April 17, 2013, file photo, state Sen. Mark Green, RClarksville, sits at his desk in the Senate chamber in Nashville,
Tenn. President Donald Trump has nominated Green to be Army
secretary after his first choice withdrew his name from
consideration. The West Point graduate is a physician and the CEO
of an emergency department staffing company. (Photo Credit: Erik
Schelzig/AP)
Those comments are deeply concerning, LGBT advocates said
Monday.
In terms of rolling back progressive policies that opened up service to LGBT troops during the Obama
administration, Green would not be the final decision-maker.
That would fall to Mattis, who said during his January confirmation hearing that he would not reverse those
policies unless a service secretary could demonstrate that they had created a problem.
"As someone who proudly served our nation in the Army with men and women of all backgrounds and
beliefs, my concern is nothing more than building the best Army with the best soldiers who are willing to
prepare, fight and, if necessary, die for our country regardless of their political beliefs, ethnic background,
religious beliefs or sexual orientation," Green said in his statement. "Every American has the right to
defend their country."
The issue, advocates say, has more to do with perception.
The concern is that even if LGBT members continue to be allowed to serve openly, having an anti-LGBT
service secretary could create a negative command climate, said David Stacy, the government affairs
director for the Human Rights Campaign.
If confirmed, Green would replace Obama-era Army Secretary Eric Fanning, the first openly gay service
secretary.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/229812/navy-civilian-engineer-wins-navsea-women-moving-forwardaward
Navy Civilian Engineer Wins NAVSEA Women Moving
Forward Award
By John Joyce
Defense Video Imagery Distribution System, April 10, 2017
Navy engineer Karen Wingeart is the 2016 Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)
Women Moving Forward Award winner. (Photo by Stacia Courtney)
DAHLGREN, Va. – Karen Wingeart – the 2016 Naval Sea Systems Command
(NAVSEA) Women Moving Forward Award winner – does it all.
“She's the subject matter expert when it comes to Cooperative Engagement
Capability (CEC) systems for Ship Self-Defense Systems,” said NAVSEA
Commander Vice Adm. Thomas Moore while announcing the award via his All
Hands communiqué to NAVSEA employees based at Navy warfare centers and
shipyards across the country, April 2.
“She teaches at her church,” the admiral wrote, adding that Wingeart, “takes part in Swim Across America
which brings together swimming groups to help raise money to fight cancer, volunteers at a food bank, is a
triathlete, a Navy Reservist, a mother and a mentor.”
The Women Moving Forward award recognizes the contributions of individuals who promote equal
opportunity in the workforce and continually make significant positive impacts to the command's mission
and readiness.
Moreover, the award encourages women to advocate for growth and development opportunities in
employment; and recognizes individuals who demonstrate the professional, community and leadership
values that inspire others to strive for excellence in pursuit of their goals and help others.
Currently, Wingeart serves as a systems engineer and technical program lead for CEC integration on Ship
Self Defense System platforms and DDG-1000 at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.
She was involved in the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) integration efforts, representing CEC as the lead
system engineer on the Track Management Focus Area Team. “It was a team collaboration effort,” said
Wingeart. “I am especially fortunate to have worked with a talented and supportive engineering team
within my branch and across Dahlgren. This has allowed us to identify issues and address them to meet
integration and test events.”
In her 20-year Navy career – 11 years on active duty and nine years in the reserves – Wingeart served as a
surface warfare officer as well as a meteorology and oceanography officer. Career highlights include
instructor duty at the U.S. Naval Academy, a deployment to Kuwait, sea duty aboard USS Barry (DDG 52),
and various operational meteorology and oceanography shore assignments in Hawaii.
Wingeart - secretary for a booster club supporting high school sports teams - and her husband believe in
giving back to the community, even on vacation. For the last three years, the whole family has been part of
the sandwich making crew for the Charlotte, N.C., food bank over the Thanksgiving holiday. In addition to
teaching catechism on Sundays, Wingeart leads the music portion of Vacation Bible School in the summer.
The Women Moving Forward Award supports NAVSEA initiatives to increase the representation of
women in the workforce and in leadership positions.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/military/sd-me-lovelace-findings-20170410-story.html
No charges in drowning of Navy SEAL candidate
By Carl Prine
The San Diego (Calif.) Union-Tribune, April 10, 2017
U.S. Navy Seaman James Derek Lovelace died during his first week
of basic SEAL training in Coronado. The San Diego medical
examiner said Lovelace was repeatedly dunked by an instructor and
ruled the death as a homicide. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy)
The Navy said Monday it won’t file criminal charges in the
drowning of Seaman James Derek Lovelace during SEAL training
in Coronado.
The San Diego County medical examiner had ruled the 21-year-old sailor’s death on May 6, 2016, in a
swim tank as a homicide, saying in an autopsy report that the “actions, or inactions, of the instructors and
other individuals involved were excessive and directly contributed to the death.”
But Navy Cmdr. Liam Hulin, director of the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, reviewed
the findings of a Naval Criminal Investigative Service probe and determined that Lovelace’s drowning
“was not the result of a crime and will not pursue criminal charges against any personnel in connection
with the death,” according to a statement issued to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Lovelace family,” Hulin said in the statement. “No loss of life
in training is an acceptable loss.”
A safety review of the incident that had been put on pause by the criminal investigation will now begin,
according to the Navy.
Lovelace died during Combat Swimmer Orientation, a test that takes place in the first week of BUD/S
training to assess a SEAL candidate’s swimming abilities. Students tread water and perform what the Navy
describes as survival skills, including the removal of a swim mask, uniform and boots.
The county medical examiner’s autopsy report revealed that a SEAL instructor repeatedly dunked Lovelace
and that the student’s drowning was exacerbated by an anomalous coronary artery, a heart condition that
might have contributed to sudden cardiac death during the intensive exercise. Although Lovelace appeared
conscious when pulled out of the pool, witnesses said his face had turned purple, his lips blue.
Navy officials have long contended that the medical examiner’s homicide ruling meant only that Lovelace
died “at the hands of another” and did not necessarily suggest a crime had been committed.
On Monday, they didn’t address the autopsy findings. They instead expressed a commitment to improving
SEAL training.
“To honor those who have fallen in combat, we must provide the most realistic and operationally relevant
training possible. To honor those who have fallen in training, we must effectively mitigate the risks of that
training,” Capt. Jay Hennessey, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Training Center, said in the same
statement that contained Hulin’s remarks.
"(Naval Special Warfare) training has been refined over more than 50 years, informed throughout by
lessons learned in combat overseas as well as in training at home,” he added. “We learn not only from our
successes, but also from operational and training failures, mistakes and accidents. While these tragic
occasions are infrequent, they greatly impact our small close-knit force and magnify the responsibility we
feel to our teammates who have paid the ultimate price.”
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/military/sd-me-lovelace-findings-20170410-story.html
Lovelace was from Crestview, Florida. Navy officials said they briefed his father in Florida on Saturday
about Hulin’s conclusions.
“We have maintained contact with the Lovelace family,” said Naval Special Warfare spokesman Capt.
Jason Salata. “Our primary point of contact is Seaman Lovelace’s father. He is designated as his official
next of kin. As a courtesy, the Navy has also reached out to Seaman Lovelace’s siblings and offered
counseling and other services. As part of the prosecutorial review of this case, the father’s input was
carefully considered."
Lovelace’s father and his sister couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
Salata said the criminal probe followed Pentagon protocols standard to any death that occurs during
training. Led by the Navy Region Southwest’s chief trial counsel, a team of prosecutors with no ties to the
SEALs reviewed the probe’s findings before they were forwarded to Naval Special Warfare’s commanders.
When asked by the Union-Tribune if any SEAL instructors would receive letters of reprimand or so-called
counseling statements for their role in the incident, Salata wrote that no other action “is being taken on
anyone in connection with the case.”
Salata also said the Navy intends to make the probe's findings public once criminal investigators close their
case.
Lovelace was embarking on a six-month odyssey to become a SEAL. The tryout process is notoriously
difficult; only about a quarter of the candidates make it through without dropping out.
In the wake of his drowning, the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command halted the program to
review and reinforce protocols for pre-training briefs, emergency action and in-water instruction
procedures, Navy officials said. The Navy added instruction about the signs and symptoms of water
training injuries and lifesaving procedures.
Today, two additional safety observers are in the water during the class, plus two safety swimmers at the
water’s edge to quickly remove struggling students. The instructor-student ratio now is one to seven; it was
one to 10 before Lovelace’s death.
Last year, 75 students could be in the water at one time. Now, no more than 49 can be in the pool
simultaneously.
In the past three decades, Lovelace was at least the fifth SEAL candidate to die during training.
In 1988, John Joseph Tomlinson, 22, from Altoona, Pa., died of hypothermia near the end of a 5½-mile
ocean swim off Coronado in the 17th week of the 25-week course.
Ten years later, Gordon Racine Jr., 25, of Houston died during a pool exercise in his first month of training.
In 2001, Lt. John Anthony Skop Jr., 29, of Buffalo, N.Y., died during a “Hell Week” swim.
Three years later, Boatswain Mate 1st Class Rob Vetter, 30, died at a Coronado hospital days after he
collapsed during a conditioning run in the second week of the program.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/04/10/she-wanted-to-criticize-black-livesmatter-in-a-college-speech-a-protest-shut-her-down/
She wanted to criticize Black Lives Matter in a college
speech. A protest shut her down.
By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
The Washington Post, April 10, 2017
The Facebook event invitation left little doubt about the protesters’ feelings toward pro-police speaker
Heather Mac Donald.
They accused her of “neglecting the state sponsored genocide committed against black people” and said she
represented “white supremacist and fascist ideologies.”
And just in case people didn’t get the point, organizers photo-shopped devil horns onto her picture.
The last words on the invite, which has since been deleted, offered instructions to like-minded Claremont
McKenna College students and others: Show up wearing black and “bring your comrades, because we’re
shutting this down.”
They were true to their word. On Thursday evening, about 250 protesters chanted “black lives matter” and
other, more choice phrases at the entrance to the Athenaeum, a campus building where Mac Donald was
slated to speak, according to a YouTube video of the demonstration. (Warning, it contains strong
language.)
Blocking buildings on the California campus is an arrest-able offense, but seeing the sizable crowd, campus
officials decided not to force the issue and instead live-streamed Mac Donald’s event.
“We jointly concluded that any forced interventions or arrests would have created unsafe conditions for
students, faculty, staff, and guests,” Claremont McKenna College President Hiram E. Chodosh said Friday
in a statement. “I take full responsibility for the decision to err on the side of these overriding safety
considerations.”
The demonstration was the second time this year that a large-scale protest has targeted a conservative
speaker on a college campus.
In February, a planned speech by conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos was canceled at University of
California at Berkeley because of virulent protests.
The protests at the two colleges illustrate a potent challenge for college administrators, who want to expose
their students to a wide variety of opinions, but take heat when those efforts backfire.
“The breach of our freedoms to listen to views that challenge us and to engage in dialogue about matters of
controversy is a serious, ongoing concern we must address effectively,” Chodosh said in the statement to
students.
In an extensive interview with the campus newspaper, the Forum, Dean Peter Uvin said the university
thought that a group of students might protest or even try to disrupt the speech, but campus police weren’t
prepared for the hundreds that showed up. Video from the scene showed a heated but peaceful protest, and
there were no reports of arrests.
As the nation has been entrenched in a heated conversation about whether officers are too quick to use fatal
force on blacks and other minorities, Mac Donald has emerged as a strong conservative voice speaking
against what she called “phantom police racism.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/04/10/she-wanted-to-criticize-black-livesmatter-in-a-college-speech-a-protest-shut-her-down/
In her book “The War on Cops” and in her live-streamed speech Thursday, she said black-on-black crime is
a bigger threat to African Americans than police violence. A disproportionate amount of crime happens in
black communities, she told students at Claremont McKenna, and modern policing is driven by data, not
racism.
She also argues that an outsize focus on police brutality has caused police to back off on proactive policing
measures that brought huge crime drops across the nation. “Criminals,” a synopsis of the book says, “are
being emboldened.”
“There is no government agency more dedicated to the proposition that black lives matter than the police,”
she said in a speech last year at Hillsdale College that has been viewed on YouTube nearly 25,000 times.
“We have been talking obsessively about alleged police racism over the last 20 years in order to not talk
about a far larger problem: black on black crime.”
Mac Donald didn’t respond to requests for comment made by The Washington Post.
In February, after Yiannopoulos’s speech was canceled, a recently sworn in President Trump denounced
Berkeley’s actions, and raised the specter of denying federal funding for the public university.
Claremont McKenna officials said they were most troubled that the demonstration blocked access to the
building entirely.
“It’s deeply disturbing, what happened tonight,” Uvin said in his interview with the college newspaper. ”
… I understand [students’] anger and pain in many ways, but as I wrote in my email, this is not the way to
go about it. Not in general, and even less so at a college.”
College officials said it’s against campus policy to block access to a building, and students who did so on
Thursday could be disciplined.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/04/11/a-teacher-asked-students-howcomfortable-they-are-around-black-men-muslims-she-was-fired/
A teacher asked kids ‘how comfortable’ they are around
black men, Muslims. She was fired.
By Kristine Phillips
The Washington Post, April 11, 2017
A Florida middle school teacher was fired after giving her students an assignment that asked them how
comfortable they are being around people from different ethnic groups and backgrounds.
The assignment begins with the title, “How Comfortable Am I?” Then follows a list of 41 scenarios that
students at Fox Chapel Middle School in Spring Hill, Fla., are asked to rate based on how comfortable or
uncomfortable those situations make them feel. One means “not comfortable at all” and 4 is “completely
comfortable.”
A few items on the list focused on specific ethnic and religious groups:

“Your new roommate is a Palestinian and Muslim.”

“A group of young Black men are walking toward you on the street.”

“The young man sitting next to you on the airplane is an Arab.”

“You new suite mates are Mexican.”

“You assigned lab partner is a fundamentalist Christian.”
A portion of the assignment that a Florida middle school teacher
gave to her students. (Hernando County School District)
The others involved people of different genders and socioeconomic backgrounds:
“Your two next door neighbors in your hall are
lesbian/gay.”

“You discover that the cute young man/woman that you are
attracted to is actually a woman/man.”

“Your brother’s new girlfriend is a single mother on
welfare.”


“Your mother ‘comes out’ to you.”
A spokesman for the Hernando County School District said the survey was a supplemental assignment that
the teacher gave the students. The teacher was fired last week, a few days after she gave the assignment to
students. School officials did not release the teacher’s name, but said she was hired in January and was still
on her probationary period.
“In no way does this assignment meet the standards of appropriate instructional material,” Patrick Keough,
district spokesman, said in a statement.
Tori Drews, a 12-year-old who was one of the students given the assignment, told ABC affiliate WFTS that
the teacher told them that the purpose of the survey was to learn about accepting people from different
backgrounds. But the sixth grader didn’t think the assignment would achieve that purpose.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2017/04/11/a-teacher-asked-students-howcomfortable-they-are-around-black-men-muslims-she-was-fired/
“I thought some of them were racist. I thought some of them were sexist. I thought it was completely
intolerable,” Tori said.
Her mother also was outraged.
“How comfy are you if you see a group of black men walking to you on the street? That’s completely
inappropriate,” Jennifer Block told WFTS. “In no world, whatsoever, is that okay to question a child on.”
Another parent, Rick Hunter, told NBC affiliate WFLA that teachers are better positioned to discuss issues
about race with students.
“I think the school could do it a lot better than we could. It’d be a lot more comfortable. It’s weird talking
to your kids about this,” Hunter said.
Many of the questions appear to have been lifted from a book titled “Exploring White Privilege” by Robert
P. Amico, a philosophy professor at a private and Catholic University in New York. An examination of the
previewed pages of the book on Amazon.com revealed that an almost similar survey, with the same rating
scale that the teacher gave her students, was included in its Appendix portion.
A few scenarios appear to have been slightly changed.
For example, the survey in the book asks readers how comfortable they are if their assigned lab partner is a
62-year-old woman. In the assignment, students are asked of their comfort level if their math tutor is a 62year-old woman.
A scenario in the book about a Muslim woman reads: “Your women studies instructor is a covered Muslim
woman.” In the student’s assignment, it’s: “Your women’s studies instructor is a Muslim woman who wears
a headscarf and a full length robe.”
Amico said that the questions he wrote in his book are clearly meant for adults, “or at least, at best college
students.”
“They’re designed to help readers think about where they might have discomfort and where they might
have some prejudice that might want to explore,” Amico told The Washington Post.
In defense of the teacher’s method, Amico said there are ways to devise a questionnaire to help children
explore what their biases might be. In this instance, however, the questions could have been reworked to
better suit the children’s level of understanding, Amico said.
The book, according to a news release last year from St. Bonaventure University, is Amico’s personal
account of his own white privilege and “how he fought to transcend it” and hopes to address the difficulty
that many Americans face in trying to understand it.
“‘Exploring White Privilege’ gives people the opportunity to learn more about themselves and how they are
situated in American culture,” Amico said in the news release. “Beginning to understand privilege can help
one to navigate that system differently.”
“Exploring White Privilege” is the second of two books that Amico wrote about race. The first, published
in 2015, is called “Antiracist Teaching” and explores the difficulties of teaching racism to students,
according to the university.
http://taskandpurpose.com/the-va-is-using-advanced-technology-to-predict-which-veterans-are-at-risk-ofsuicide/
The VA Is Using Advanced Technology To Predict Which
Veterans Are At Risk Of Suicide
By Adam Linehan
Task & Purpose, April 12, 2017
The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new system to identify veterans who are at risk of
committing suicide, and VA Secretary David J. Shulkin says it’s already having an impact.
“This cutting-edge program is saving lives by identifying at-risk veterans and connecting them with the
specialized care and support they need,” Shulkin said in a statement on Wednesday.
The system, dubbed Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health —Veterans Enhanced Treatment
Program, or REACH VET, was designed to aid VA clinicians in providing preemptive care and support for
vulnerable veterans, even if they’re not actively seeking treatment from the VA.
REACH VET employs an advanced predictive analytics tool that analyzes data from health records to
identify veterans who, according to the VA, are “at a statistically elevated risk for suicide, hospitalization,
illness, or other adverse outcomes.”
Predictive analytics tools are widely used in both the public and private sectors, and “help organizations
discover patterns and trends in structured and unstructured data so they can go beyond knowing what has
happened to anticipating what is likely to happen next,” according to IBM.
Some of those veterans identified by REACH VET may not even realize they’re at risk of becoming
suicidal, or if they’re prone to developing any of the other potential health problems the software detects.
Once identified, at-risk veterans will be contacted by their VA mental health or primary care provider. The
clinicians will check in to see how the veterans are doing and develop a plan for further care if it’s required.
“Early intervention can lead to better recovery outcomes, lessen the likelihood of challenges becoming
crises and reduce the stress that veterans and their loved ones face,” said Dr. Caitlin Thompson, national
director of the VA’s Office for Suicide Prevention.
The REACH VET pilot program launched in October 2016 and was implemented nationwide this week.
Since 2001, veterans’ suicides have increased by a staggering 32%. Last year, the VA released a study that
found that, an average of 20 veterans took their lives every day in 2014. The REACH VET program is part
of a broader effort to reduce that number dramatically.
“One veteran suicide is one too many,” Shulkin said.
Misconduct
http://www.recordonline.com/news/20170410/cadet-ousted-from-west-point-after-guilty-plea-to-drugcharges
Cadet ousted from West Point after guilty plea to drug
charges
By Michael Randall
Times Herald-Record (Middletown, N.Y.), April 10, 2017
WEST POINT – Cadet Tevin Long was sentenced to 30 days confinement and booted from West Point
after pleading guilty to drug charges during a court-martial proceeding Monday.
Long, a member of the class of 2017 and a former football player for Army, also must forfeit all pay and
allowances.
Military judge Lt. Col Steven Neill pronounced the sentence following a day-long proceeding at West
Point.
Long was among six cadets charged in November with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and
wrongful possession and distribution of controlled substances, both violations of the Uniform Code of
Military Justice.
Long was scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Monday.
But after he agreed to plead guilty to certain specifications under both charges, they proceeded with a
sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors asked for a year of confinement, while his defense team argued that he has begun the process
of rehabilitation and can better use his experience to help others avoid the same pitfalls.
Long made an impassioned plea to the judge to let him go forward with his life.
“I do not know how I will ever forgive myself for squandering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Long
said before the judge considered his sentence.
Long, a Texas native, came to West Point as a quarterback but was switched to defense, playing safety and
cornerback. He started five games in 2015, his last season with the team.
He blamed injuries suffered playing football for turning him to drugs.
He pleaded guilty to conspiring with other cadets to bring controlled substances, including oxycodone and
alprazolam, onto the West Point campus.
One other cadet charged the same time as Long is awaiting a court-martial, too, while four others are
awaiting a decision by West Point brass as to how to proceed with their cases.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/04/14/major-gets-90-days-brig-lying-sexual-misconduct.html
Major Gets 90 Days in the Brig for Lying About Sexual
Misconduct
By Matthew Cox
Military.com, April 14, 2017
QUANTICO MARINE BASE, Virginia -- A military judge on Thursday sentenced a Marine Corps major
to 90 days in the brig for lying under oath about his sexual relationship with two female midshipmen while
serving as an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Maj. Mark Thompson was led out of Lejeune Hall in handcuffs and leg shackles around 8:30 p.m.
after pleading guilty to making false official statements and conduct unbecoming an officer and a
gentleman.
Thompson's sexual misconduct began in 2011, when he drank, played strip poker and had a threesome with
one of the midshipmen and a fellow Marine officer.
He admitted to lying to officers at a 2014 board of inquiry in which he claimed his innocence and was
allowed to stay in the Marine Corps. He also admitted to lying to a Washington Post reporter John
Woodrow Cox about his involvement with the women.
Yet the case resurfaced only after an explosive Washington Post investigative story published last year, in
which Thompson -- who sought the publicity -- claimed he was unjustly punished in a previous courtmartial for the alleged sexual misconduct. That coverage led to the discovery of evidence that showed he
lied to the board.
On Thursday, Thompson said he behaved "recklessly."
"I acted recklessly and thoughtlessly for how this could affect the Marine Corps' image," Thompson told
the Marine Lt. Col. Christopher Greer, who served as the convening authority for the courts-martial.
Thompson became emotional at times during his statement to the court but admitted that he regretted the
decisions he had made.
"I made the choice, and I knew it was wrong," he said.
During the sentencing portion of the trial, the prosecution painted Thompson as a convincing liar who spent
years planning the lies he would tell.
"This is not someone who made one or two bad choices," Marine Capt. Connor Lamb argued. "This was
someone who had years to plan and then proceed to make false statement after false statement."
A key witness who emerged early in the case was Maj. Mike Pretus, another former Naval Academy
instructor who confessed to investigators that he participated in the threesome with Thompson and the
midshipman while at the school as a visiting lecturer in 2011.
Pretus was removed from his post as an instructor in April 2016 when an investigation into his own
misconduct came to light.
Granted a waiver of immunity, Pretus confessed to lying in Thompson's defense in previous testimony and
provided a detailed description of his own illicit encounter. His testimony was played in full at a May 2016
pretrial hearing attended by Military.com.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/04/14/major-gets-90-days-brig-lying-sexual-misconduct.html
Pretus also testified that Thompson had been obsessive about trying to clear his name after the 2013 courtmartial, in which he received a short brig sentence and a $60,000 fine. It was Thompson who reached out to
Cox, the Washington Post reporter, asking that the newspaper publish a story setting the record straight.
The prosecution argued his outreach to the newspaper was part of a well-orchestrated campaign to
influence officials to appeal his case -- and possibly secure a book for himself to write about the ordeal,
according to emails presented during the trial.
Lt. Col. Kate Germano, a member of the 2014 board of inquiry, testified by phone that Thompson's
demeanor during the board "made him look extremely believable and credible."
"He looked us in the eye," Germano said, adding that she "felt very strongly that he was not responsible for
what he was being accused of."
After the Post story came out, Germano said she felt that Thompson had betrayed hear and the other
officers on the board.
"I feel like my trust was violated," she said. "The board really stuck its neck out for Maj. Thompson."
The defense presented seven character witnesses that portrayed as a good father, a dedicated instructor and
as strong leader. As testimony went on, an image emerged of Thompson as a troubled man who had been
dealt many hard blows in life.
His first wife, and the mother of his two children, was sent to prison for embezzling thousands of dollars
from a relative's business, Thompson said. The couple later divorced. His daughter Morgan was diagnosed
with cancer in 2006 at age 11. His fiancé was killed in a car accident. His father committed suicide after a
long bout with cancer as well.
Marine Reserve Lt. Col. Charles Burks testified that he first got to know then-Sgt. Thomson when he was
one is his squad leaders in a Reserve anti-tank unit in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Burks described
Thompson as "very resourceful" and a "great leader."
Donald Wallace, a Naval Academy professor, said he became friends with Thompson because of their
shared love of books and exercise. "He was a very strong teacher," Wallace said, describing Thompson as
"dedicated."
Wallace said he had tried to advise Thomson not to get caught up in relationships with students, to create
"distance" from flirtations in the classroom.
"I wish he had made different choices," Wallace said.
During closing remarks, the defense argued that Thomson had endured "events that would have absolutely
broke most people," said Navy Lt. Clay Bridges, who recommended 90 days confinement for Thompson.
The prosecution argued that Thompson broke his oath as a Marine officer.
"No one has the right to lie under oath, no matter what the circumstances," Lamb said, recommending that
Thompson serve 18 months in confinement and be dismissed from the Marine Corps.
In addition to 90 days confinement, Greer sentenced Thompson to be dismissed from the Marine Corps, but
then suspended the dismissal. Under Thompson's plea agreement, the court agreed to endorse his "request
to retire," a decision which will have to be reviewed by the secretary of the Navy, Greer said.
While it's unclear what grade he could retired at, Greer said it could be O-2, "which I believe was the last
grade served honorably."
Matthew Cox can be reached at [email protected].
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-seals-accused-of-profiteering-putting-lives-in-danger/
Navy SEALs accused of profiteering, putting lives “in
danger”
CBS News, April 12, 2017
As Navy SEALs talk publicly to CBS News about drug abuse in the ranks for the first time, some members
of the elite force say drugs aren’t the only problem.
According to interviews, e-mails and text messages from nine current and former SEALs, “...there’s been a
corruption within the teams,” one of them wrote. “The death of our quiet professionalism continues to
erode at our ethos, and endangers our teammates overseas, not to mention our families at home.”
Three Navy SEALs -- one active duty, two retired -- agreed to talk to CBS News on camera if we disguised
their faces and change their voices to protect them from retribution.
One SEAL told CBS News correspondent David Martin that “the community has got to stop seeking the
limelight and exposing what they do or it continues to put people in danger.”
They accused fellow SEALs of profiteering -- or as they called it -- “selling the Trident,” a reference to the
insignia they earn after making it through basic training. Fitness routines based on SEAL training have
become a cottage industry as have books by former SEALs.
“They are just guys that are going in to try and sell the brand, to sell that trident on their chest, to make a
buck from it,” said one SEAL. “And frankly if that’s all they were doing, so what? But the thing they’re
selling is information.”
These men say movies like “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Captain Phillips” are all too accurate in showing the
way SEALs operate. One movie, “Act of Valor,” included active duty SEALs in the cast. “They get all of
these, you know, sometimes ex-SEALs or active-duty SEALs to help make sure it looks as realistic as
possible in that process, you know,” on SEAL told us. “Unknowingly or knowingly they’re giving away,
you know, our tactics and procedures.”
As long ago as 2012, seven Navy SEALs were disciplined for having worked as paid consultants on the
video game “Medal of Honor: Warfighter.”
Do video games really give away real tactics? “How we move, and, you know, they were pretty accurate
for a lot of different things, you know,” one SEAL said. “So yeah, I would say some of them do.”
One SEAL told Martin that he has had to change the way he operates because something has been made
public.
It all adds up to a betrayal of the SEALs’ own code of conduct.
“When I joined the Navy, the brochure said ‘quiet professionals,’ and that’s what I signed up for, but that’s
not what it is today,” one SEAL said.
“Is fame ruining the SEALs?” Martin asked
“I believe that has a lot to do with it,” one SEAL responded.
SEE ALSO
The Navy SEALs Have A Major Drug-Use Problem, News Report Claims [Task & Purpose, 2017-04-11]
CBS News investigation exposes drug abuse among Navy SEALs [CBS News, 2017-04-11]
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/04/13/no-drug-epidemic-among-seals-command-says.html
No Drug Epidemic Among SEALs, Command Says
By Hope Hodge Seck
Military.com, April 13, 2017
Navy SEALs conduct training in a remote area. (U.S. Navy
Photo/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Martin L. Carey)
In the wake of a CBS News investigative report describing a
"staggering" illegal drug use problem among the Navy's elite
special warfare operators, officials with Naval Special Warfare
Command are pushing back, saying the data simply don't support
that account.
CBS interviewed three anonymous SEALs, two retired and one active duty, who alleged that drug use is
growing among the SEAL teams and that leadership is turning a blind eye to the problem.
The report, which aired Tuesday, also revealed that Capt. Jamie Sands, commander of SEAL teams on the
East Coast, had ordered a "safety stand-down" in December, after five troops were kicked off the teams for
drug use. Sands video-taped a lecture that all 900 operators under his command were required to watch in
which he said he felt "betrayed" by the SEALs' behavior and was watching their elite culture erode before
his eyes.
Data provided to Military.com by Naval Special Warfare Command show that seven members of the
command did test positive for drug use in November and December 2016, out of 6,364 tests administered
during that period. That positive rate, 0.1 percent, is slightly higher than the command's average over the
last three years, but well below the Navy's fiscal 2016 average of .67 percent, according to the data.
That period represented a forcewide sweep for Naval Special Warfare, said Capt. Jason Salata, a
spokesman for the command. Labs determined that 10 of the samples were positive for one or more drugs.
Three of the individuals with positive tests were granted waivers, one for innocent ingestion and two for
valid medical prescriptions, he said.
All seven of the remaining troops who tested positive were processed for discipline and administrative
separation.
This data were also provided to CBS, but did not feature in the report, officials said.
Since August 2014, Naval Special Warfare Command has performed 71,436 urinalysis drug tests and seen
52 illicit drug use positives, for a positive rate of .07 percent, according to the provided data. In that span of
years, drug positives for the Navy as a whole were nearly 10 times that rate, at .58 percent in 2014, .6
percent in 2015, and .67 percent in 2016.
The 52 positives in NSW confirmed to be linked to illicit drugs belonged to 28 people, some of whom had
multiple positives. Nine additional positives involved steroid use.
Discipline for these sailors was varied, data reveal. Of the nine who tested positive for steroids, three were
granted waivers for valid medical prescriptions, two received non-judicial punishment, and one separated
as a result, one is pending action, and three received no punishment, according to officials.
Of the 28 who tested positive for illegal drugs, all were processed for administrative separation, some
multiple times, according to the data. This means that the individuals in question were sent to an
administrative separation board to determine whether they should be allowed to stay in the service. In 27
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/04/13/no-drug-epidemic-among-seals-command-says.html
cases, the drug positive resulted in non-judicial punishment or court-martial. In some cases, disciplinary
actions are still pending.
"Discipline is within the authority of a commanding officer, and we respect a commanding officer's
discretion as to whether or not discipline separate and apart from the required administrative separation
process is pursued," Salata said in a statement.
Data that show some troops were able to test positive multiple times may be cause for concern, and actions
including the safety stand-down indicate that drug use trends were troubling enough to send a clear
message to the community about the command's position. But officials told Military.com the message sent
was that even one illegal drug positive is too many.
"Drug use is incompatible with NSW values. It endangers the health and safety of the abuser and his
teammates and harms the effectiveness of the Naval Special Warfare team," Rear Adm. Timothy
Szymanski, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement. "Our policy on drug
abuse is 'zero tolerance,' plain and simple. Anything above zero represents a disturbing trend for this elite
force."
Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @HopeSeck.
SEE ALSO:
Navy SEALs accused of profiteering, putting lives "in danger" [CBS, 2017-04-12]
"Selling the Trident": Navy SEALs describe a culture in crisis, in their own words [CBS, 2017-04-11]
Navy SEAL drug use "staggering," investigation finds [CBS, 2017-04-11]
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/21819ca1fca54351810ad6cffdec27db/philippine-appellate-court-affirmsconviction-us-marine
Philippine appellate court affirms conviction of US Marine
The Associated Press, April 10, 2017
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippines appeals court on Monday affirmed a regional trial court's
conviction of a U.S. Marine and his sentence of up to 10 years in jail for killing a transgender Filipino,
whose heirs he was also ordered to compensate.
The Court of Appeals decision seen Monday did not accept Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton's claim of
self-defense in killing Jennifer Laude inside a motel room in northwestern Olongapo city after they met in a
disco bar in October 2014.
The killing sparked anger in the Philippines and reignited calls by left-wing groups and nationalists for an
end to U.S. military presence in the country.
Pemberton had claimed Laude molested him in the motel room by pretending to be a woman and he had to
defend his dignity, but that he had no intention to kill her. He said Laude slapped him when he confronted
her for pretending to be a woman.
But the decision penned by Associate Justice Marlene Gonzales-Sison said physical evidence contradicts
Pemberton's claim.
"As proven by the prosecution, Pemberton did not leave Laude merely unconscious, but ensured his death
by submerging his head inside the toilet bowl," it said. "Clearly, Pemberton intended the natural
consequence of his wrongful act."
The court also upheld, with slight modification, the order for Pemberton to pay Laude's heirs more than
$90,000 for loss of Laude's income, civil indemnity, moral damages and actual damages.
Rep. Harry Roque, who served as the Laude family's private lawyer, welcomed the court's decision, saying
that "the fact that a member of the U.S. Marines was found guilty for breach of our criminal laws for the
very first time is an affirmation of Philippine sovereignty."
Pemberton, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Massachusetts, was one of thousands of
American and Philippine military personnel who participated in joint exercises in the country in 2014. He
and a group of other Marines were on leave after the exercises and met Laude and her friends at a bar in
Olongapo, a city known for its nightlife outside Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base. At least two witnesses
testified that Laude was a sex worker.
Pemberton has been detained at a compound guarded by Philippine and American security personnel, at the
main military camp in metropolitan Manila.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article143762279.html
Probe faults Yosemite’s ex-superintendent for style, but
absolves him of gender bias
By Michael Doyle
McClatchy Washington Bureau, April 10, 2017
Former Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don
Neubacher. (Tim Sheehan, The Fresno Bee)
WASHINGTON—Federal investigators on Monday found fault
with former Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don
Neubacher’s management “style and behavior,” but concluded there
was “no evidence” he had acted out of bias or favoritism.
In a long-awaited report, the Interior Department’s Office of
Inspector General gave Neubacher what amounted to a mixed grade
for his leadership of one of the country’s most popular parks. Of the
71 employees interviewed, investigators noted, 42 “spoke highly” of Neubacher as a manager.
“The remaining either had no opinion, vacillated in their opinion or said that he sometimes communicated
poorly; that he could be dismissive, abrupt or overly critical; and that he would often publicly criticize and
undermine employees after he lost confidence in them,” investigators noted in the 24-page report.
Titled an investigation into “allegations of a hostile work environment at Yosemite National Park,” the
inquiry was initiated last summer. It mirrored, in part, an investigation by the House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee, which first put Neubacher’s management under the spotlight in a
September 2016 hearing.
Neubacher retired shortly after that hearing as the investigation was picking up steam. He had served as
Yosemite superintendent since 2010; his permanent replacement has not been selected by the Trump
administration.
A spokesman for the National Park Service, Andrew Munoz, called the new report a “valuable catalyst for
organizational self-reflection.”
“We recognize we can and must do better to cultivate a workplace environment where everyone can
thrive,” Munoz said.
Munoz noted that over the past year, the park service has “introduced new, service-wide anti-harassment
training; increased employee awareness of their rights in the workplace; conducted a comprehensive
workforce survey and created a new confidential resource for employees to seek assistance on sensitive
workplace issues.
The report made public Monday did not include any formal response from Neubacher, and it identified him
only as a “senior official” rather than by name. But in an email sent to Yosemite employees prior to his
retirement last September, Neubacher said he was sorry for any shortcomings.
“It was never my intention, in any way, to offend any employee over the course of the six and a half years I
have been superintendent,” Neubacher wrote. “If I did offend any of you at any time, I want to sincerely
apologize.”
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article143762279.html
Neubacher, according to investigators, “acknowledged that he tended to micromanage certain issues at
Yosemite and was critical of employees, but said that he did not consider his behavior to be hostile or
harassing.”
“He said that his job was very demanding and that he had not intended to appear dismissive,” the report
said.
While many Yosemite staffers told Office of Inspector General investigators said they had witnessed
Neubacher “undermining another team member’s competence and performance,” they voiced uncertainty
about whether it constituted harassment.
“The official’s management style and behavior may have contributed to what some Yosemite employees
perceived as inappropriate behavior,” the investigators wrote, adding that co-workers “expressed varying
degrees of concern about the senior official’s demeanor, management and communication styles, tone of
voice and behavior.”
Yosemite staffers recounted, for instance, Neubacher “walking out of someone’s office abruptly, publicly
criticizing employees’ work and being unsupportive or uncongenial,” according to investigators.
Nine Yosemite employees told investigators they believed Neubacher “had a bias against women,” and
they described “an environment in which he targeted certain female management team members who were
smart and outspoken by frequently bypassing them to speak with their male subordinates” or
micromanaged them.
One employee, Kelly Martin, chief of the park’s fire and aviation branch, went public with her complaints
in the House hearing last September.
Other Yosemite workers, though, countered that while Neubacher “did not always treat female employees
well, some male employees did not necessarily fare any better.”
Female employees make up approximately 39 percent of Yosemite’s workforce and accounted for 36
percent of the park’s supervisors. Investigators found no apparent discrepancy between the monetary or
time-off awards given to male and female employees.
“A former Yosemite supervisor said that he did not believe the senior official had a gender bias because he
had seen him treat both male and female employees in what he would consider a hostile fashion,”
investigators recounted.
Neubacher himself denied creating a hostile work environment, while noting the quick management
requirements and constant demands imposed at a park visited by more than 4 million people annually.
“At Yosemite, you work at a fast pace,” Neubacher told investigators, “and I do think some people want to
ponder things for a long time, which we don’t have time for.”
Michael Doyle: [email protected], @MichaelDoyle10
Racism
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b6a99a4cf20749c2909b05274d374e94/court-hearing-scheduled-arsonimmigrant-owned-store
Court hearing for suspect in arson at immigrant-owned
store
The Associated Press, April 10, 2017
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man charged in what police described as a racially tinged
arson attack on an immigrant-owned store is facing an initial court appearance this week.
Mecklenburg County court officials said the hearing is scheduled Tuesday afternoon for 32-year-old Curtis
Flournoy, a black man who faces several charges, including ethnic intimidation and burning a commercial
building.
The fire set Thursday at Central Market, which sells goods from the Indian subcontinent, burned itself out,
and a window was broken with a rock. No one was injured, and authorities said a threatening note was left
on the scene attributed to "White America."
The note complained about refugee business owners, the note said. The note "stated the suspect did not
want any refugee business owners and that they would torture the owner if they did not leave and go back
to where they came from," police said in a news release Sunday.
Flournoy has a court record that includes misdemeanor child abuse, for which he was sentenced to
probation. Last year, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of damage to real property from a case
dating back to 2014, online court records show.
Online records indicate Flournoy remained behind bars Monday, a day after his arrest. It wasn't clear if he
has an attorney.
The store's owner, Kamal Dhimal, is from Bhutan and also has lived in Nepal. Dhimel came to the U.S. in
2010 and opened Central Market four years later, saying he became a U.S. citizen last year. The store sells
goods from Nepal, India and Pakistan, among other countries.
Dhimel didn't respond to an email Monday from The Associated Press. However, last week he told WSOCTV that his heart sank when he got to the store and saw the note. "There is no word to express how I am
feeling," Dhimal said.
In video obtained by WSOC-TV, a man is seen setting a fire in two places along the building, including the
door.
SEE ALSO:
Internet conspiracies roil after hate crime by ‘White America’ leads to black suspect [The Charlotte
Observer, 2017-04-10]
Man arrested in connection with hate crime, arson at Charlotte’s Central Market [The Charlotte Observer,
2017-04-09]
Arsonist’s threat to ‘torture’ immigrants a hate crime, say Charlotte police [The Charlotte Observer, 201704-07]
Religion
http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/11/global-restrictions-on-religion-rise-modestly-in-2015-reversingdownward-trend/
Global Restrictions on Religion Rise Modestly in 2015,
Reversing Downward Trend
Government harassment and use of force against religious groups surge as record
number of refugees enter Europe
Pew Research Center, April 11, 2017
Government restrictions on religion and social hostilities
involving religion increased in 2015 for the first time in
three years, according to Pew Research Center’s latest
annual study on global restrictions on religion.
The share of countries with “high” or “very high” levels
of government restrictions – i.e., laws, policies and
actions that restrict religious beliefs and practices –
ticked up from 24% in 2014 to 25% in 2015. Meanwhile,
the percentage of countries with high or very high levels
of social hostilities – i.e., acts of religious hostility by
private individuals, organizations or groups in society –
increased in 2015, from 23% to 27%. Both of these
increases follow two years of declines in the percentage
of countries with high levels of restrictions on religion
by these measures.
When looking at overall levels of restrictions in 2015 –
whether resulting from government policies and actions
or from hostile acts by private individuals, organizations
or social groups – the new study finds that 40% of
countries had high or very high levels of restrictions, up
from 34% in 2014.
In addition to a rise in the percentage of countries with
high or very high levels of government restrictions and
social hostilities involving religion, religious restrictions
also rose in 2015 by other measures. For example, more
countries saw their scores on the Government
Restrictions Index (based on 20 indicators of
government restrictions on religion) increase rather than
decrease (see Chapter 1). And the global median score
on the Social Hostilities Index, based on 13 measures of
social hostilities involving religion, ticked up in 2015
(see Chapter 3).
The global rise in social hostilities reflected a number of factors, including increases in mob violence
related to religion, individuals being assaulted or displaced due to their faith, and incidents where violence
was used to enforce religious norms. In Europe, for instance, there were 17 countries where incidents of
religion-related mob violence were reported in 2015, up from nine the previous year. And sub-Saharan
Africa saw a spread in violence used to enforce religious norms, such as the targeting of people with
http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/11/global-restrictions-on-religion-rise-modestly-in-2015-reversingdownward-trend/
albinism for rituals by witch doctors. This type of hostility was reported
in 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015, up from nine countries in
2014. (For more on rising religious restrictions in sub-Saharan Africa,
see sidebar in Chapter 3.)
The increase in government restrictions was linked to a surge in
government harassment and use of force against religious groups, two of
the specific indicators used to measure government restrictions on
religion in the analysis.1 Four of the five geographic regions analyzed in
this report – the Middle East and North Africa, Asia and the Pacific, subSaharan Africa and Europe – saw increases in these two areas.
Of the 198 countries in the study, 105 (53%) experienced widespread
government harassment of religious groups, up from 85 (43%) in 2014
and 96 (48%) in 2013. Limited harassment – cases that were isolated or
affected a small number of groups – also rose, taking place in 52
countries (26%) in 2015 (up from 44, or 22% of countries, in 2014).
Government use of force against religious groups increased as well, with
23 countries (12%) experiencing more than 200 cases of government
force in 2015, up from 21 (11%) in 2014. There was an even bigger
increase in the number of countries with at least one, but no more than
200 incidents of government use of force against religious groups: 83
nations (42%) fell into this category in 2015, an increase from 60
countries (30%) in 2014.
Government harassment and use of force rising in Europe, along
with social hostilities against Muslims
While the Middle East-North Africa region continued to have the largest
proportion of governments that engaged in harassment and use of force
against religious groups (95%), Europe had the largest increase in these
measures in 2015. More than half of the 45 countries in the region (53%)
experienced an increase in government harassment or use of force from 2014 to 2015. Twenty-seven
European countries (60%) saw widespread government harassment or intimidation of religious groups in
2015, up from 17 countries in 2014. And the governments of 24 countries in Europe (53%) used some type
of force against religious groups, an increase from 15 (33%) in 2014.
Two countries in Europe, France and Russia, each had more than 200 cases of government force against
religious groups – mostly cases of individuals being punished for violating the ban on face coverings in
public spaces and government buildings in France, and groups being prosecuted in Russia for publicly
exercising their religion.2 France and Russia also were the only two European countries with more than
200 cases of government force against religious groups in 2014, but there was a significant rise in 2015 in
the number of countries in Europe where lower numbers of incidents – between one and nine – occurred
(eight in 2014 vs. 17 in 2015).
http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/11/global-restrictions-on-religion-rise-modestly-in-2015-reversingdownward-trend/
Some incidents of government harassment measured by
this study – which are not always physical, but may
include derogatory statements by public officials or
discrimination against certain religious groups – were
related to Europe’s incoming refugee population. In
2015, 1.3 million migrants applied for asylum in Europe,
nearly doubling the previous annual high of about
700,000 in 1992, following the collapse of the Soviet
Union. More than half (54%) came from three Muslimmajority countries – Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
One such example involved Hungary’s prime minister,
Viktor Orban, who complained about the religious
makeup of refugees coming into the country. In
September 2015, he wrote in a German newspaper,
“Those arriving have been raised in another religion, and
represent a radically different culture. Most of them are
not Christians, but Muslims.” He later told journalists, “I
think we have a right to decide that we do not want a
large number of Muslim people in our country,” and in
another interview said “the Islamic religion and culture
do not blend with Christian religion and culture; it is a
different way of life.”3
Similarly, neighboring Slovakia rejected European
Union mandatory refugee quotas, but said it would
accept 200 Christian refugees from Syria. In August
2015, the Ministry of Interior explained the decision,
saying Christian refugees would be better able to
assimilate into Slovakian society than Muslim refugees
given the lack of officially recognized mosques in the
country. Earlier in the year, the leader of the Slovak
National Party, Andrej Danko, had proposed a new law
that would make it impossible to build Islamic religious buildings in the country.4
In addition to harassment by government officials, many European governments employed force against
religious groups. For example, in February of 2015, German police raided the mosque of the Islamic
Cultural Center in Bremen; the police said they suspected that the mosque supported Salafist groups and
that a person associated with the mosque was distributing automatic weapons for a terror attack. Police
broke down the front door of the mosque, handcuffed worshippers and forced some to lie on the floor for
hours. No weapons were found in the mosque. In July, a Bremen regional court ruled that the search was
unlawful.5
These incidents took place in a climate influenced by threats and attacks from religiously inspired terrorist
groups. France experienced several religion-related terror attacks in 2015, including the Jan. 7 shooting at
the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Nov. 13 attacks claimed by the Islamic State in
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at the Bataclan concert hall and various other locations throughout Paris.6 In the days
http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/11/global-restrictions-on-religion-rise-modestly-in-2015-reversingdownward-trend/
following the Paris attacks, Germany
cancelled an international soccer match
because of security threats, and Belgian
authorities arrested 16 people suspected
of planning similar acts.7
Altogether, European law enforcement
officials reported record numbers of
terrorist attacks either carried out or
prevented by authorities in 2015,
although not all of these events were
directly related to religion.8
Attacks that were influenced by religion,
such as those in Paris, are counted in the
study as social hostilities involving
religion – i.e., hostile actions motivated
by religion and carried out by
individuals or social groups, separate
from government actions. In Europe,
hostilities toward Muslims in particular
increased considerably. In 2015, 32
countries in Europe (71%) experienced social hostilities toward Muslims, up from 26 countries (58%) in
2014. By comparison, social hostilities toward Christians spread from 17 (38%) countries in 2014 to 21
(47%) in 2015. Hostilities against Jews in Europe remained common and increased slightly, from 32 (71%)
countries in 2014 to 33 (73%) countries in 2015. Many of the incidents targeting these religious groups
occurred in the form of mob violence.
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan concert hall shootings, some Muslims in France faced
violent attacks by social groups or individuals. For example, two Muslim places of worship in the cities of
Le Mans and Narbonne were attacked by grenades and gunshots the day after the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
France’s Interior Ministry reported that anti-Muslim incidents more than tripled in 2015, including cases of
hate speech, vandalism and violence against individuals.9
Vandals in Spain also targeted mosques after the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January of
2015.10 Perpetrators drew swastikas and threats on Spanish mosques and Islamic centers on four separate
occasions that month.
In Slovakia, far-right political groups organized protests against the “Islamization of Europe and Slovakia,”
drawing an estimated 3,000-5,000 people in Bratislava in June. The protest was called “STOP to the
Islamization of Europe! Together against the Brussels dictate, for a Europe for Europeans.” Groups held
two more protests in September and October along a similar theme.11
About this report
This is the eighth in a series of reports by Pew Research Center analyzing the extent to which governments
and societies around the world impinge on religious beliefs and practices. The studies are part of the PewTempleton Global Religious Futures project, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies
http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/11/global-restrictions-on-religion-rise-modestly-in-2015-reversingdownward-trend/
around the world. The project is jointly funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton
Foundation.
To measure global restrictions on religion in 2015 – the most recent year for which data are available – the
study ranks 198 countries and territories by their levels of government restrictions on religion and social
hostilities involving religion. The new study is based on the same 10-point indexes used in the previous
studies.

The Government Restrictions Index measures
government laws, policies and actions that restrict
religious beliefs and practices. The GRI is comprised of
20 measures of restrictions, including efforts by
government to ban particular faiths, prohibit conversion,
limit preaching or give preferential treatment to one or
more religious groups.

The Social Hostilities Index measures acts of
religious hostility by private individuals, organizations or
groups in society. This includes religion-related armed
conflict or terrorism, mob or sectarian violence,
harassment over attire for religious reasons or other
religion-related intimidation or abuse. The SHI includes
13 measures of social hostilities.
To track these indicators of government restrictions and
social hostilities, researchers combed through more than
a dozen publicly available, widely cited sources of
information, including the U.S. State Department’s
annual reports on international religious freedom and
annual reports from the U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom, as well as reports from
a variety of European and U.N. bodies and several
independent, nongovernmental organizations.
(See Methodology for more details on sources used in
the study.)
The new study also examines religious restrictions by
region. The sharpest increase in median Government
Restrictions Index score in 2015 occurred in sub-Saharan
Africa, rising to 2.2 from 1.5 in 2014 (see sidebar in Chapter 3 for more information on changes in subSaharan Africa).12 But when looking at long-term trends, it is clear that a few other regions, including the
Asia-Pacific region and Europe, have seen greater increases in median levels of government restrictions on
religion since 2007. Indeed, the Middle East-North Africa region has seen the largest increase in
government restrictions since 2007 and continued to have the highest level of these restrictions in 2015,
with the region’s median score increasing to 5.9 from 5.4 in 2014.
http://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/11/global-restrictions-on-religion-rise-modestly-in-2015-reversingdownward-trend/
Europe was one of the two regions where social hostilities toward religion rose in 2015, but sub-Saharan
Africa experienced the largest increase in its median
score during the year. The Middle East-North Africa
region continued to have the highest levels of hostilities,
despite a decline in 2015.
Combining government restrictions and social
hostilities, four-in-ten of the countries included in the
study are in the most restrictive categories (high or very
high). But some of these countries are among the
world’s most populous (such as Indonesia and Pakistan).
As a result, 79% of the world’s population lived in
countries with high or very high levels of restrictions
and/or hostilities in 2015 (up from 74% in 2014). It is
important to note, however, that these restrictions and
hostilities do not necessarily affect the religious groups
and citizens of these countries equally, as certain groups
or individuals may be targeted more frequently by these
policies and actions than others.
Among the world’s 25 most populous countries, Russia,
Egypt, India, Pakistan and Nigeria had the highest
overall levels of government restrictions and social
hostilities involving religion. Egypt had the highest
levels of government restrictions in 2015, while Nigeria
had the highest levels of social hostilities.
Muslims and Christians – who together make up more
than half of the global population – continued to be
harassed in the highest number of countries. The study also finds that the number of countries where Jews
were harassed fell slightly in 2015, after years of steady increases.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/10/middleeast/egypt-coptic-community-grief-anger/
Grief and desperation in Egypt's Coptic community after
Palm Sunday attacks
By Tamara Qiblawi and Bryony Jones
CNN, April 10, 2017
A member of the security forces carries a palm leaf at the scene of a
bomb explosion inside Mar Girgis church in Tanta, Egypt.
Egypt's Coptic Christians have spoken of their sadness -- and their
fears for the future -- a day after terrorists targeted two churches
packed with parishioners celebrating Palm Sunday.
At least 49 people were killed in bombings at two churches in Tanta
and Alexandria, the latest sectarian attacks one of the country's most imperiled religious minorities.
"We feel more angry today than we ever did before, and we feel desperate," says Coptic Egyptian rights
activist Mina Thabet. "Nothing is changing. The Copts feel very vulnerable and that no one cares about
them."
Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's 91 million residents, but have little representation in the
country's government -- the current parliament is made up of 596 members, just 36 of whom are Christian.
Copts in Egypt have faced persecution and discrimination that has spiked since the toppling of Hosni
Mubarak's regime in 2011. Dozens have been killed in sectarian violence that has seen homes and churches
set alight and bombed.
David Saeed was in the church in Tanta when the bomb detonated, killing at least 27 people, including
several friends. He says the Coptic community has grown familiar with such attacks, but that witnessing
one firsthand nonetheless left him stunned.
"We were just singing and suddenly -- in a blink of an eye -- smoke, fire everywhere. I didn't realize what's
happening," he told CNN. "I saw blood, organs of friends scattered over the ground."
"I'm shocked, I'm angry because we're used to this (violence) here in Egypt," he added. "Every church in
Egypt is prepared, everyone knows sometimes you will get bombed, so we are prepared."
Pleas for unity
Thabet says little has changed since previous attacks, despite previous pledges from politicians and
religious leaders.
A bomb at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, attached to the St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, in
Cairo in December 2016 left at least 25 people dead.
Thabet says despite the condemnation that greeted that attack, Sunday's bombings show terrorists are still
able to operate in the same way; he says they are "still strong and becoming more experienced in
conducting these attacks. This is very dangerous."
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has called for the country to come together in the wake of the latest
bombings, but Thabet disputes whether that will make any real difference to the daily lives of Copts.
"Terror cannot be faced by calls for unity," he said. "It is only something that looks like a good thing but
eventually it is just talk. We need to realize that we have a problem and that problem isn't going to be
solved by kind words."
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/10/middleeast/egypt-coptic-community-grief-anger/
Andrew Abdel Shaheed, an Egyptian Copt who lives in Brussels, says he's too afraid to go home to Egypt
after the attacks: "The calls for national unity are great, [but] how does it really help? How does it help me
feel protected going into church?"
'Constitutional discrimination'
Ishak Ibrahim, a researcher on Coptic issues in Egypt says more needs to be done to combat the
discrimination the country's Copts face on a daily basis.
"We can't understand what happened yesterday without understanding the atmosphere that has encouraged
militancy in Egypt. There is constitutional discrimination against civilians," he says, explaining that the
country's Christians "are treated as second-class citizens."
"The state lacks democracy and freedom, [and] that affects people because it allows them to target
minorities -- this frustrated atmosphere helped create radical Islam in the country," Ibrahim explains.
The Egyptian cabinet Monday approved Sisi's declaration of a three-month state of emergency in the
country, allowing police and the security forces "to execute those procedures necessary to combat the
threats of terrorism ... maintain security around the country and protect public and private property, as well
as preserving the lives of citizens."
Women mourn for the victims of the blast at the Coptic Christian Saint
Mark's church in Alexandria during a funeral on April 10, 2017.
But some are skeptical of whether such a move will make them any
safer -- and there are suggestions it could in fact create more
problems.
"It may actually be used to stop freedom of expression and allow
the authorities to abuse citizens' rights," says Ibrahim. "The normal law allows the government to deal with
the situation, you just need to change some policies."
"The state of emergency means absolutely nothing to me," says Abdel Shaheed. "It means that people will
get trailed for no reason and arrested with no warrants, but what does it do for the future of Egyptians? I
personally do not feel safe to return to Egypt."
CNN's Ian Lee, Muhammad Darwish and Sarah Sirgany contributed to this report.
SEE ALSO:
Suicide bombers kill 44 at Palm Sunday services in Egypt [The Associated Press, 2017-04-09]
AP Explains: Who are Egypt's Coptic Christians? [The Associated Press, 2017-04-10]
Who Are Egypt’s Coptic Christians And What Do They Believe? [The Huffington Post, 2017-04-10]
Churches in southern Egypt will not celebrate Easter [The Associated Press, 2017-04-11]
Attacks test Egypt's president who orders state of emergency [The Associated Press, 2017-04-10]
Egypt Declares State of Emergency, as Attacks Undercut Promise of Security [The New York Times, 2017-0409]
The Latest: US official condemns 'barbaric attacks' in Egypt [The Associated Press, 2017-04-09]
Attacks Show ISIS’ New Plan: Divide Egypt by Killing Christians [The New York Times, 2017-04-10]
Egypt Has Figured Out How to Defeat ISIS: Defend Christians [Observer, 2017-03-31]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pew-global-religious-restrictions_us_58ed070be4b0ca64d919ab12
This Map Of The State Of Religious Freedom Around The
World Is Chilling
The number of countries with high levels of religious restrictions has inched upward.
By Carol Kuruvilla
Huffington Post, April 11, 2017
In many countries
around the world, it
remains difficult for
people of all
religions to practice
their faith freely.
And in others, it’s
getting harder.
A Pew Research
Center
report released
Tuesday shows that
the number of
countries with high
levels of religious
restrictions ― either
from the
government or from
hostile individuals
or groups ― grew
overall from 34
percent in 2014 to 40 percent in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.
The uptick in 2015 followed two years of declines in the percentage of countries with high levels of
religious restrictions. This is the eighth time the Pew Research Center has measured global religious
restrictions.
The survey analyzed 198 countries using reports from various United Nations and European bodies,
nongovernmental organizations, and U.S. government agencies.
The researchers looked for two types of restrictions ― those that came from the government and those that
came from society. They defined government restrictions as “laws, policies, and actions that restrict
religious beliefs and practices.”
The analysts searched for a variety of indicators, such as whether the constitution specifically provides for
freedom of religion, whether any level of government restricts religious groups from proselytizing, and
whether the government limits people’s freedom to convert from one religion to another. Incidents of
government harassment measured in the study were not always physical. They also included derogatory
statements made by public officials, such as when Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote that it
was important to secure his country from Muslim migrants to “keep Europe Christian.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pew-global-religious-restrictions_us_58ed070be4b0ca64d919ab12
Social hostilities were defined as “acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organizations or groups
in society.” In these cases, the researchers would search for whether the country experienced violence
motivated by religious hatred, whether religious groups tried to prevent other religious groups from being
able to operate, and other factors.
The findings showed that the number of countries with high or very high levels of government restrictions
increased slightly from 24 percent in 2014 to 25 percent in 2015. The percentage of countries with high or
very high levels of social hostilities increased from 23 percent to 27 percent over that same period.
This rise in government restrictions was linked to two indicators in particular ― government harassment
and use of force against religious groups. The researchers found that widespread government harassment of
religious groups occurred in 105 countries in 2015 (53 percent), compared to 85 (43 percent) in 2014 and
96 (48 percent) in 2013.
Consistent with previous years, the Middle East-North Africa region had the largest percentage of
governments that harassed and used force against religious groups (95 percent). European countries came
in second, at 89 percent. Europe also experienced the largest increase in government harassment (rising
from 17 countries in 2014 to 27 countries in 2015) and use of force against religious groups (going from 15
countries in 2014 to 24 countries in 2015). In particular, Pew pointed to France for cases where individuals
were punished for wearing face coverings in public spaces and Russia for prosecuting groups for publicly
exercising their religion.
Katayoun Kishi, the primary researcher on the study, suggested that some of the harassment in Europe can
be linked to how European countries are reacting to migrants arriving on their shores. A record 1.3 million
migrants applied for asylum in the European Union, Norway and Switzerland in 2015.
Sub-Saharan Africa experienced the biggest rise in both government restrictions and social hostilities. The
uptick resulted from a combination of the actions of extremist groups, like Boko Haram, and governments’
reaction to terror attacks. Officials in countries like Cameroon, Niger, Chad and the Republic of Congo
imposed began banning or punishing women wearing Islamic veils and burqas.
Kishi told The Huffington Post that the primary sources used to compile this annual report are usually
available in the fall of the year following the reference year. It takes her team about 12 weeks to comb
through about 18 sources for each of the 198 countries.
Even though the stats in Tuesday’s reports are from 2015, she said those who reading these figures may
recognize some policies or relationships that still carry weight in 2017.
“While major world events can certainly contribute to country score changes from year to year, a portion of
a country’s annual score is also comprised of laws or regulations that typically do not drastically change
annually, or long-standing tensions between governments or social groups and certain religious groups that
persist from year to year,” Kishi told The Huffington Post in an email. “So, a country’s score in 2015 may
reflect some of the major world events that occurred that year, but it is also shaped by factors that are not as
volatile on an annual basis.”
“That being said, readers should not assume that religious restrictions in these countries in 2017 are
necessarily the same as they were in 2015,” she added.
Sexism
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/07/first-marines-punished-for-onlineconduct-following-nude-photo-scandal/
First Marines punished for online conduct following nudephoto scandal
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff
The Washington Post, April 7, 2017
In this May 5, 2014, file photo, a U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard
sands under a Marine Corps emblem in Jupiter, Fla. (AP
Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Two Marines have been disciplined for posting derogatory
comments on social media, marking the first time the Marine Corps
has officially punished members for online misconduct following
last month’s revelations that hundreds of service members shared
illicit photos of their female counterparts on a Facebook group,
Marine officials said Friday.
The two active-duty Marines, one a noncommissioned officer and the other a junior enlisted Marine, had
made demeaning comments about one of their enlisted leaders, said a Marine official, who requested
anonymity to speak about punishments that had not been made public. The Marines were reduced in rank
and lost pay, the official said. The Marines belonged to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, an infantry
unit stationed in California.
“The Marines and Sailors of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines do not tolerate personal attacks on their Marines,
online or elsewhere,” said the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Warren Cook, in a statement. “This kind of
behavior flies in the face of our service’s core values and this organization refuses to condone it.”
The comments were part of a longer thread that disparaged a female Marine who had completed infantry
training, the official said.
“This is a good a start,” said Erin Kirk-Cuomo, a former Marine sergeant who co-founded the group Not in
My Marine Corps. The organization is composed of active-duty and veteran service members committed to
ending sexual assault and sexual harassment in the armed services.
“These guys weren’t advocating for the assault of women and they’re being punished,” she said. “The
Marine Corps is taking swift action, and that’s exactly what we need.”
The punishments come as the Marine Corps scrambles to combat a subculture of sexism and misogyny
that has flourished on numerous social media pages in recent years. News reports in 2013 and 2014 brought
the issues to light, but it wasn’t until last month that the branch’s leadership decided to take action — after
a Marine-turned-journalist exposed a Facebook page where Marines were sharing illicit photos of women
without their permission.
In the weeks since, the top-ranking officer in the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert B. Neller, has testified in front
of the Senate Armed Services Committee. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers tore into Neller for what they
considered a long-standing record of inaction on the issue.
“Have you actually investigated and found guilty anybody?” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) asked. “If
we can’t crack Facebook, how are we supposed to be able to confront Russian aggression and cyberhacking
throughout our military?”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/07/first-marines-punished-for-onlineconduct-following-nude-photo-scandal/
On Wednesday, two female Marines spoke about the photo scandal to lawmakers in the Democratic
Women’s Working Group. Erika Butner, a Marine who left active duty recently, told the group that female
recruits are taught from the beginning to accept an overtly sexist culture and that those involved in the
photo-sharing scandal need to be publicly punished.
“I’m not blaming the drill instructors,” she said. “They were preparing us to have thick skin because it is so
ingrained in this culture that they don’t know how to change it, so they go with the grain.”
No Marine officials attended Wednesday’s meeting, drawing ire from some of the lawmakers present,
including Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif). Last month Speier, as well as others in the House, introduced a bill
that would amend the military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice to allow for harsher punishments for
service members caught distributing private sexual images.
Since news of the scandal broke, Marine officials have created a task force to understand and combat the
service’s cultural issues. They also have implemented a new social media policy that Marines have to read
and sign. In recent weeks, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has identified hundreds of names
potentially associated with sharing the illicit photos and has set up a tip line for those affected to come
forward. In March, Neller said that more than 20 people had reported some sort of online harassment
associated with photo sharing.
SEE ALSO:
First Two Marines Punished in Facebook Probe; Dozens More Investigated [Military.com, 2017-04-07]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/11/frustrated-with-misogyny-hundreds-offemale-marines-have-joined-a-group-pressuring-male-colleagues-to-change/
Frustrated with misogyny, hundreds of female Marines have
joined a group pressuring male colleagues to change
By Dan Lamothe
The Washington Post, April 11, 2017
Female recruits practice for final drill aboard Marine Corps
Recruit Depot, Parris Island S.C. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pvt.
Crystal N. Curtis/Released)
Hundreds of female Marines and Marine veterans have launched a
new group to press for an end to misogyny in the Marine Corps,
saying the recent scandal in which nude photographs of some
women in the service were distributed by their male colleagues is
unacceptable.
The group Actionable Change began as a Facebook group, and now has more than 400 members, said Lt.
Col. Ann Bernard, a Marine reservist who established the group. In a new letter shared with the service, the
group says it will “lead from the front” when it comes to ending misogyny, and says the service has
allowed “a culture where women are devalued, demeaned, and their contributions diminished,” and in some
cases allowed it to thrive.
The letter, obtained by The Washington Post, has nearly 100 co-signers, some with ranks as high as
colonel. The women signed it as the service grapples with revelations that hundreds of Marines and
Marines veterans shared nude photographs of female Marines and other female acquaintances without their
permission through a Facebook group called Marines United.
“In a culture that prizes masculinity, it is easy to mistake barbarism for strength. Brutality for power.
Savagery for ferocity,” the letter said. “Yet we respectfully disagree with the notion that to fight and win
our nation’s battles, we must preserve an institution where men are permitted or even expected to behave
like animals, and women trespass at their peril.”
Among the group’s stated goals is to increase the percentage of women in the Marine Corps from about 7
percent to 20 percent, improve gender integration in the military, make revenge porn illegal in the military
and address existing problems with new training that includes firsthand stories from female Marines. Men
are not allowed in the group right now, but will be once it moves beyond its formative stages, Bernard said.
Bernard said some co-signers on the letter wrestled with doing so due to concerns that it would hurt their
careers. Those who did felt compelled to do so in an effort to change the service’s culture, she said.
“We love the Marine Corps, and this is about making it better,” Bernard said. “We fought the fight and
thought we got the job done, and now we’re realizing we’re not quite there yet. We’re not going to allow
another generation of junior Marines that has this mentality that does not serve the Marine Corps at all.”
Other groups with similar missions also have been launched in recent weeks, including one called Not in
My Marine Corps and another called the Female Marines United campaign. The service itself also has
launched a task force to better understand the problem.
A Marine spokesman, Maj. Clark Carpenter, said that the service shares Actionable Change’s concerns and
will “continue to stand by all our female Marines” on the issue.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/11/frustrated-with-misogyny-hundreds-offemale-marines-have-joined-a-group-pressuring-male-colleagues-to-change/
“Esprit de Corps must be blind to gender, sexual orientation, religion, or race in order ensure our future
success at home and on the battlefield,” he said. “We remain committed to addressing this issue
strategically, on an institutional level that will eradicate attitudes and behaviors that run counter to our core
values.”
A spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Gunnery Sgt. Justin Kronenberg, said in a statement
that the service is committed to attracting, mentoring and retaining talented men and women alike. Gen.
Robert B. Neller, the service’s top officer, has called for increasing the percentage of women in the Marine
Corps, and it has established a five-year plan to do so.
SEE ALSO:
Female Marines Join Fight Against Culture Of Sexism [NPR, 2017-04-13]
Female Marines create a Facebook group to say 'Enough is enough' [Marine Corps Times, 2017-04-11]
Sexual Assault /
Harassment
https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1149099/air-force-canine-comforts-sexual-assault-victims
Air Force Canine Comforts Sexual Assault Victims
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Ashley Nicole Taylor
Defense.gov, April 12, 2017
Tessa, the Air Force’s first sexual assault prevention and response
K-9, poses for an official photo at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska,
April 6, 2017. Tessa’s main purpose is to comfort victims of sexual
assault, and she is joining the 354th Fighter Wing’s SAPR office,
which has a team of 16 certified victim advocates. (Air Force photo
by Staff Sgt. Ashley Nicole Taylor)
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska—Tessa, the Air Force’s
first sexual assault prevention and response K-9, is the most recent
asset to the SAPR program here.
Tessa provides an alternative comfort solution when victims come
forward, said Shellie Severa, the 354th Fighter Wing’s SAPR head
victim advocate.
“Tessa brings a stability to reconnect with victims who have
emotionally disconnected because of the traumatic event they have
gone through,” Severa said. “Each individual is different on how
they are going to handle their trauma, but one of the biggest things
we see with almost all trauma victims is lack of trust, and trust can
be re-established through the assistance of a dog.”
Severa, a nine-year victim advocate and certified K-9 trainer, serves as Tessa’s primary handler. She works
daily with Tessa to ensure the dog remains mentally prepared to work with a victim. To gain exposure and
familiarity for Tessa, Severa takes her around the installation to interact with many different people so she
can learn her role as a service dog.
Tessa ‘Must Remain in a Work Mindset’
“The most difficult part for people is realizing Tessa isn't a puppy to be played with and roughhouse; she
must remain in a work mindset and stay readily available to assist a victim if needed,” Severa said. “I
distinguish work from playtime by placing her work vest on and telling Tessa, ‘It’s time to go to work,’ and
she understands we have a job to do.”
Beginning in the winter of 2016, the now 5-month-old golden retriever has already assisted seven victims,
allowing the SAPR program to enhance its role around the 354th Fighter Wing.
“We are having victims come out of the shadows who were afraid for numerous reasons to report; having a
dog in the program is important for them to realize this is a place where they are safe and can rebuild trust,”
Severa said. “Tessa has brought many smiles to people engaging with her, and encouraged people to tell
their story, which helps them to have a voice again and take back the power they lost.”
To initiate a new program such as the SAPR K-9, the support of many individuals was required, along with
many people working behind the scenes to ensure Tessa could gain her credentials as a service dog.
“As the base public health officer and a veterinarian, I facilitated the use of Tessa as a service dog,” said
Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Kelly Franklin, the 354th Medical Operations Squadron public health flight
commander. “I reviewed Tessa’s vaccination records [and] her service dog certification and verified Mrs.
Severa's credentials as a handler.”
https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1149099/air-force-canine-comforts-sexual-assault-victims
Air Force civilian employee Shellie Severa, the 354th Fighter
Wing’s sexual assault prevention and response head victim
advocate, poses with Tessa, the first SAPR K-9, at Eielson Air
Force Base, Alaska, April 6, 2017. Severa is a certified K-9 trainer.
She serves as Tessa’s primary handler and has been working as a
victim advocate for nine years. (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt.
Ashley Nicole Taylor)
Aside from focusing on the dog’s formal certifications and medical
aspects, Franklin had to look at how well Tessa connected with
others.
“I also observed Tessa's behavior and evaluated her temperament to
see how she interacts with people to ensure she was a good fit for
the Air Force,” Franklin said. “I look forward to watching Tessa
with her handlers and seeing the progression and impact they will
have at Eielson Air Force Base and throughout the Air Force.”
Inspiring Other SAPR Programs
The SAPR team hopes that Tessa’s success will encourage other bases to follow suit, allowing the primary
focus of victim care to increase across the Defense Department.
"It’s been phenomenal having a tiny member of our team accomplish so much positivity in the short
amount of time she’s been here," said Air Force Capt. Heather Novus, the 354th Fighter Wing’s sexual
assault response coordinator. “I hope we can smooth the transition for other bases to adopt a SAPR K-9,
and we would love to assist supporting this idea across other installations and can ease the process for
others to adopt what has been a successful program so far.”
More than six years in the SAPR program, Novus said, she appreciates Tessa and says an increase in
reporting means she is doing her job and improving the reputation of the SAPR office in an inspiring way.
“We know sexual assaults are happening, and Tessa has brought people forward that otherwise might not
be comfortable with the SAPR office,” Novus said. “We want victims to come forward without hesitation
and with the understanding they can talk to us without being required to make a report, and so we can direct
them to the agencies they need assistance from.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-mayor-to-propose-bill-expanding-rights-of-sexualassault-victims/2017/04/12/21a0f3a6-1f6e-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html
D.C. mayor to propose bill expanding rights of sexual
assault victims
By Peter Hermann
The Washington Post, April 12, 2017
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addresses the crowd at the More For
Housing Now rally at the Foundry United Methodist Church in
Washington, D.C. on March 18. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington
Post)
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) is set to announce on Thursday
legislation that would enhance the rights of victims of sexual
assaults, particularly juveniles, and expand what can be considered
a crime during an attack.
Measures being proposed reflect year-long deliberations of an independent task force formed to address
concerns that rape cases from several years ago had been mishandled and that younger victims lacked the
same resources offered to adults.
The bill was submitted last week, and Bowser plans to discuss details during a Thursday news conference.
It adds provisions to a sexual assault victim’s rights act passed in 2014. It would allow victims a greater
choice of advocates to be present during interviews with police and prosecutors, and it would require
prosecutors to tell victims why a case might not be taken to court.
In addition, the bill would allow children as young as 12 to be provided advocates to help them navigate
police and court proceedings. Those services are currently offered only to adult victims. Victims may be
distrustful of law enforcement or believe their cases are not being handled with the appropriate decorum or
respect, and the trained advocates act as guides and counselors.
“I think this bill will contribute to more victims and survivors accessing help,” said Michelle Garcia,
director of the D.C. Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. “We know that when victims feel
supported, they are more likely to engage with and stay engaged with the criminal justice system. . . . I
think it will have a big impact in a number of ways.”
Issues regarding the handling of sexual assault cases emerged in 2013 when Human Rights Watch accused
the D.C. police of fumbling investigations, losing reports and filing others away as unfounded without
having conducted a thorough investigation. Police disputed the findings.
The task force also considered the case of Danielle Hicks-Best, who was 11 when she reported to D.C.
police in 2008 that she had been raped by older youths. Hospital reports detailed her injuries and a witness
was questioned, but in the end only she was arrested — on charges of lying to police.
Hicks-Best, who is now an adult, chose to identify herself publicly in hopes of helping other young rape
victims. Her case helped drive the bill’s proposal to expand the use of youth advocates.
There have been 67 sexual assaults reported in the District so far this year, a 29 percent drop from the 94
reported in the same period last year.
The bill would also, for the first time, make it a crime for a person to remove clothes from a victim without
consent. Garcia said that provision would make it easier for prosecutors to target cases that otherwise might
not be pursued.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-mayor-to-propose-bill-expanding-rights-of-sexualassault-victims/2017/04/12/21a0f3a6-1f6e-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html
Garcia said such cases involve women who say they woke up after having been drinking or secretly
drugged and have a “strong suspicion they have been assaulted and know who the perpetrator is.” Garcia
said that the suspect often admits he “removed her clothes, but that’s all he did.”
Bridgette Stumpf, co-executive director of the Network for Victim Recovery of D.C., which provides the
advocates who meet with sexual assault victims, said the bill addresses many issues that are needed to help
in making arrests and prosecutions. She noted that sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes.
In addition to expanding the work of the advocates, Stumpf said the bill also makes it easier for victims to
obtain the results of rape kits — extensive tests done at hospitals to help prove a sexual assault — and
allows victims to order law enforcement to preserve the kits up to the statute of limitations of the specific
crime. That will help protect evidence should a suspect emerge years or, in some cases, decades later.
“Expanding the rights of advocates and survivors helps victims process their experiences, process their
options and helps them decide how to move forward,” Stumpf said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/upshot/its-not-just-fox-why-women-dont-report-sexualharassment.html
It’s Not Just Fox: Why Women Don’t Report Sexual
Harassment
By Claire Cain Miller
The New York Times, April 10, 2017
A male colleague grabbing her leg. Another one suggestively rubbing her back. Others at work dinners
discussing who they’d want to sleep with.
Jane Park talked about experiencing all of this behavior in her career in business consulting and strategy.
Never has she reported any of it to human resources or management.
“It’s made into such a big deal that you have to make a decision: Do you want to ruin your career? Do you
want this to be everything that you end up being about?” said Ms. Park, who is now chief executive of
Julep, a beauty company she founded. “What you really want to happen is that it doesn’t happen again.”
Her choice is more common than not, social science research shows.
Employers, judges and juries often use women’s failure to report harassment as evidence that it was not a
problem or that plaintiffs had other motives. But only a quarter to a third of people who have been harassed
at work report it to a supervisor or union representative, and 2 percent to 13 percent file a formal complaint,
according to a meta-analysis of studies by Lilia Cortina of the University of Michigan and Jennifer Berdahl
of the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business.
Mostly they fear retaliation, and with good reason, research shows.
In response to a New York Times report this month of payouts to women who had accused the Fox news
host Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment, 21st Century Fox, Fox News’s parent company, said: “No current
or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about
Bill O’Reilly, even anonymously.”
In interviews, women who worked at Fox said they didn’t complain to human resources because they
feared they would be fired.
Some women who experience harassment confront the perpetrator or confide in friends or family, the metaanalysis found. But the most common response is to avoid the person, play down what happened or ignore
the behavior.
Some don’t report a problem because they don’t think their experience qualifies as illegal harassment. An
analysis of 55 representative surveys found that about 25 percent of women report having experienced
sexual harassment, but when they are asked about specific behaviors, like inappropriate touching or
pressure for sexual favors, the share roughly doubles. Those numbers are broadly consistent with other
survey findings.
Many victims, who are most often women, fear they will face disbelief, inaction, blame or societal and
professional retaliation. That could be hostility from supervisors, a bad reference to future employers or the
loss of job opportunities. Their fears are grounded in reality, researchers have concluded. In one study of
public-sector employees, two-thirds of workers who had complained about mistreatment described some
form of retaliation in a follow-up survey.
“They become troublemakers — nobody wants to hire them or work with them anymore,” Ms. Berdahl
said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/upshot/its-not-just-fox-why-women-dont-report-sexualharassment.html
Paradoxically, official harassment policies and grievance procedures often end up creating obstacles to
women’s ability to assert their rights, according to research by Anna-Maria Marshall, a sociologist at the
University of Illinois.
“That is in part because companies put them into place as mini litigation defense centers,” Ms. Marshall
said. “The way employers deal with it is to prepare to show a court or jury that they did everything they
could, rather than to protect women in the workplace.”
There are many ways that company cultures discourage people who are harassed from reporting it.
Sometimes the harasser is a superstar — someone who makes the company so much money that he feels
powerful and uninhibited in his behavior because the company has considerable incentive to look the other
way.
The more someone has a reputation for harassing, the less likely a woman is to complain, Ms. Berdahl said:
“It’s natural to conclude that if he’s been getting away with this for a long time, then the organization
tolerates it, so why become the problem yourself by going to H.R.?”
Other times the human resources department has no interest in helping the employee — or there is no such
department at all. This is common in Silicon Valley, where companies grow so fast — and where disdain
for slow-moving bureaucracy runs so deep — that human resources officials often serve only to recruit
employees.
In February, a former Uber engineer, Susan Fowler, wrote that when she reported to the Uber human
resources department that her manager had tried persuading her to have sex with him on her first official
day on her new team, the department declined to take action. It said she could change teams or accept what
would probably be a poor performance review from the manager. Uber has a new human resources
executive and is doing an internal investigation.
Ellen Pao, a venture capitalist, at a San Francisco courthouse in
2015 for a trial that she lost over sex discrimination charges
against her former employer, Kleiner Perkins. The firm had no
human resources department to handle such complaints. (Credit
Jim Wilson/The New York Times)
Ellen Pao, a former partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers,
described an atmosphere of sexism and harassment at the venture
capital firm — with little recourse. In fact, it had no human resources department. She sued and lost a highprofile trial.
Organizations that are very hierarchical or masculine can breed more harassment, and less reporting of it,
according to studies, because gendered power dynamics are a big driver. That’s one reason that harassment
has been rampant — and underreported — in the military.
Most sizable companies have policies banning sexual harassment and require some sort of training in what
it is and how to report it. But much of the training has been shown to be ineffective, and at worst can
backfire.
The best way to avoid sexual harassment and ensure that it’s reported when it happens is to bake it into
company culture, from the top leaders on down, executives and researchers say.
“When you have an effective H.R. department that is supported by leadership, people feel safe about
reporting harassment,” said Bettina Deynes, vice president for H.R. at the Society for Human Resource
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/upshot/its-not-just-fox-why-women-dont-report-sexualharassment.html
Management, a professional association. “It has a lot to do with the type of H.R. department: The motive is
not the legal liability, but the culture you want.”
Culture is a squishy concept, but companies can do concrete things. One counterintuitive idea is to reward
managers when complaints of harassment increase in their department, because it means they’re creating an
environment where people are comfortable reporting it, according to a frank report published in June by the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Here are some other ideas from the commission and researchers in the field:
■ Authorize dozens of employees throughout the organization to receive complaints, so that people can
report to someone they’re comfortable with.
■ Hire an ombudsman.
■ Promote more women to positions of power.
■ Train people not in what not to do, but in how to be civil to colleagues, and how to speak up as a
bystander—and have senior leaders attend the training sessions.
■ Put in proportional consequences, so that low-grade instances can be handled with conversations instead
of firings or legal action.
Ms. Pao, now the chief diversity and inclusion partner at the Kapor Center, a research, advisory and
investment group that tries to make the tech industry more diverse, says she is pessimistic that company
cultures will change unless it starts at the very top. “If you could fix the problem, then everybody could
move on and thrive,” she said. “But often it’s not just the one bad player, so you may want to get out of the
culture.”
The Upshot provides news, analysis and graphics about politics, policy and everyday life. Follow us on
Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our newsletter.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/229765/keying-front-against-sexual-assault
Keying in on the front against sexual assault
By Tech. Sgt. Jeff Andrejcik
Defense Video Imagery Distribution System, April 10, 2017
(U.S. Air Force graphic by Tech. Sgt. Jeff Andrejcik)
Every year in April, a united campaign against sexual assault takes
center stage to spread awareness and cultivate a society of prevention.
This month, several Air Force bases will hold activities and events that
put the spotlight on how airmen can stay engaged and continue to fight
this issue.
“April is where a variety of things are done to bring sexual assault
awareness to the forefront of people’s minds,” said Capt. John Prince,
8th Fighter Wing sexual assault and response coordinator. “However,
sexual assault prevention and response should be a yearlong mindset. It
should be in daily interactions and conversations in the workplace.”
Kunsan plans to hold various events such as a 5K awareness run, Armed Forces Network radiocasts,
bowling and movie nights, all dedicated toward sexual assault prevention. These events help eliminate
sexual assault, but the mindset of prevention for every member begins the day they enter basic training.
From the beginning of an Airman’s career, they are charged with internalizing an attitude that does not
accept this behavior. At every base, sexual assault prevention specialists play a critical role in maintaining
the continuity of that mindset and creating a culture for Airmen to push back against this issue.
“Sexual assault doesn’t just affect one person it affects all of us,” said Shelia Bacon, 8th Fighter Wing
specialist for the primary prevention of violence. “It’s a crime, and we need to continue communicating this
early with Airmen while they are in basic training and technical school to help with prevention.”
Everyone has a role in prevention, and those who are part of the Air Force family are expected to uphold
what it means being in uniform.
“I think Airmen and civilian members all have a responsibility to prevent and act,” said Prince. “We all
should live up to the Air Force core values every day and part of that is doing your part to eliminate sexual
assault.”
The Department of Defense, along with much of the United States, puts a strong focus on creating sexual
assault awareness in April, but— as Prince stated— sexual assault prevention is a mindset that should be
carried throughout the year. Ensuring airmen and civilians have a place where they can work and live free
from assault or harassment is what the Air Force strives for.
“The sexual assault prevention program is not perfect; nothing’s perfect. However, it is constantly getting
better,” said Prince. “Our leaders do listen; they really do care and are always looking for ways to make our
programs more effective because one sexual assault is one too many.”
Sexual assault negatively affects individuals, work centers and overall mission effectiveness. It has no
place in the Air Force and only through a collective effort is it kept out of the ranks.
“We’re coming together as representatives of different sexual assault prevention programs to support the
same mission, which is about prevention and taking care of our Airmen, civilians and their families,” said
Bacon. “I think us coming together as an organization to attack sexual assault and domestic violence shows
we’re really going in the right direction.”
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/articles/ncis-looking-at-15-active-duty-service-members-in-marinesunited-case
NCIS: 15 active-duty troops may have broken the law in
‘Marines United’ case
By Jeff Schogol
Marine Corps Times, April 7, 2017
Investigators have identified 15 active-duty service members who may have engaged in criminal activity
related to the Marines United nude photo sharing scandal, the head of the Naval Criminal Investigative
Service told reporters on Friday.
Separately, NCIS has identified 29 Marines who could be disciplined for non-criminal behavior online; and
two Marines have received non-judicial punishment for disparaging their commander on social media,
officials said.
NCIS has more than 100 people investigating allegations that service members and veterans harassed
women online and shared nude pictures of female troops, veterans and civilians on the Marines United
Facebook page.
Although the original Facebook group had more than 30,000 members, only a few of them had access to
the pictures, and fewer still may have broken the law, NCIS Director Andrew Traver said at a meeting with
reporters Friday.
So far, NCIS has identified 27 people who may have been involved in “some type of criminal activity” by
posting pictures, Traver said. Of those people, 14 are active-duty Marines and one is an active-duty sailor,
he said.
It is too early to say what kind of punishments the Marines and sailor could face, said Marine Corps
spokesman Maj. Clark Carpenter.
Marine Corps Times reported on Thursday that several of the nude pictures of women shared on Marines
United are now being sold on a website associated with the Russian mafia. Traver declined to comment
about any ongoing investigations.
To counter the online harassment of women, the Marine Corps has updated its social media policy to
clearly state that such activity is illegal. The Corps is also requiring commanders to notify NCIS within 24
hours if they determine that social media misconduct rises to the level of criminal behavior.
A Marine Corps “fusion cell” is reviewing the cases of the 29 Marines flagged for possible online
misconduct that was not serious enough to be considered criminal, officials said. The cell will decide
whether to refer any of those Marines to their commands for disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, two Marines with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., have received
administrative punishment for their comments on the social media page United States Grunt Corps,
officials said. The Marines were taking part in an online conversation about women when they insulted a
senior enlisted member of their chain of command.
On Wednesday, the Marines were demoted by one pay grade, issued 45 days of military restriction and 45
days of punitive duties, their battalion commander, Lt. Col. Warren Cook, said in a statement. The Marine
Corps has not released any identifying information about them, but Marine Corps Times was able to
independently confirm that one was a noncommissioned officer and the other a junior Marine.
“To me, this a good news story because now we have commanders taking action to police up their people
and their online behavior, which is what we want,” Assistant Commandant Glenn Walters said on Friday.