Author: Randy Slovacek

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Jerry Sandusky’s adopted son says he was abused

A new development in the child sex abuse trial of Jerry Sandusky.

The same day jury deliberations began, this bombshell:

WJLA: “Another accuser comes forward: Sandusky’s s own adopted son!”

ABC: “Sandusky’s adopted son signaled to the prosecutor that he was molested too. The jury will not hear this allegation.”

Multiple reports say the adopted son of the embattled former Penn State football coach had been prepared to testify against his father. The Patriot-News’s Sara Ganim reports, Matt Sandusky, who the Sandusky’s adopted as an adult, told prosecutors this week he was molested by the former coach. Ganim told CNN’s John King it isn’t yet clear why Matt didn’t end up testifying.

“Matt Sandusky has been denying that he was a victim in any way of Jerry Sandusky for many, many months. Actually almost a year. Now, he was 18 already when he was adopted but he had been a foster child in the Sandusky home for a couple of years at that point.”

Ganim points out, despite Matt’s past denials, his biological mother testified in early 2011 before a grand jury that she witnessed strange behavior between her son and Sandusky. In fact, Ganim reports, Matt’s biological mother Debra Long first began raising concerns about the coach in 1996 when the Sandusky’s brought her son into foster care.

It isn’t entirely clear why Matt Sandusky never ended up testifying, but ABC’s Jim Avila suggests it might have something to do with the fact Jerry Sandusky didn’t testify in his own trial Wednesday.

“Sources familiar with the case tell ABC News Matt was waiting in the wings in case Sandusky decided to testify. And then could be used as a rebuttal witness.”

But as shocking as the latest might be, NBC reports, it won’t affect THIS trial.

“None of this is known to the jury. The news broke after final arguments and deliberations began. … During the trial jurors heard wrenching testimony from eight alleged victims who described being sexually abused by Sandusky…”

But CNN notes, the allegation could lead to additional charges, including incest.

Jerry Sandusky has pleaded not guilty to the child sex abuse charges against him.

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Harrassed bus monitor “vacation fund” goes viral

Over $165,000 $318,000 has been raised for the upstate New York bus monitor who was reduced to tears by a group of horrid schoolboys on the last day of school.

Video of the appalling harassment went viral yesterday, and one person had the bright idea to start an Indiegogo fundraiser for the woman, Karen Klein, so she could take a vacation.

As of 10:50 a.m. it’s $168,490 1:07 p.m., it’s $216,438 5:10 p.m. it’s $318,902 and counting! Upgrading to a butler room at Sandals will not be a problem.

Klein, who lives near Rochester, has been deluged with media requests since the video went viral—she’s booked to talk with Anderson Cooper on CNN and appear on Fox & Friends—and this morning she was interviewed by Good Morning America. “I was just was trying to ignore them,” Klein tells GMA. “Usually I sit right in back, and I should have that day, but I sat one seat ahead so there was one boy in back of me and one boy in front of me. They just kept it up. They thought it was funny.” Making a senior citizen cry by threatening to defecate in her mouth and stab her? Hilarious. One of the insults was even more sickening than we initially thought. In the video below, you can hear one of the boys say, “You don’t have a family because they all killed themselves because they didn’t want to be near you.” The local ABC affiliate reports that Klein’s oldest son killed himself ten years ago.

Kline said she doesn’t want to see those boys expelled but would like to see them banned from riding the school bus for at least a year and not allowed to participate in team sports.

She adds that she’s blown away by the public’s response.

At a press conference Thursday, school officials said they are still investigating the incident, but promised strong disciplinary action.

See update on ABC News here.

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Joy Behar on Mitt Romney and the gay vote

JOY BEHAR, HOST: Do you think Romney will ever get the gay vote? I don’t think he’s going to get it any way.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, REPUTATION.COM: No, I don’t, unless his sons do a spread in GQ shirtless, and then I think it’ll be fine.
BEHAR: Could it be that the GOProud guys are just attracted to Mitt Romney’s sons Matt, Mutt, Tag, Tip, Tack, and Bashful? Do you think that’s the issue?
BRAGMAN: I would love a magic underwear photo shoot. I think we could…
BEHAR: What is that, anyway? Haven’t they seen “The Book of Mormon?” They call themselves gay and they haven’t been to “The Book of Mormon?” Unbelievable.

I just love Joy Behar. Makes me laugh 🙂

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EW: The New Art of Coming Out

Only a short excerpt of this week’s cover story is online:

Fifteen years ago, when Ellen DeGeneres decided to come out of the closet, it was big news. Not just big: It was the cover of Time magazine, and a major story on Oprah, Primetime Live, and CNN. Last month, another star of a popular TV comedy went public with his homosexuality. But the news that The Big Bang Theory’s Emmy-winner Jim Parsons is gay was reported with such matter-of-fact understatement that many people’s first reaction was a quick Google search to see if maybe he was out already and we’d all just failed to notice.

Via Boy Culture.

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Southern Baptists: Same-Sex Marriage Not a Civil Right

The Southern Baptist Convention today, at its annual meeting, adopted a resolution saying same-sex marriage is not a civil rights issue.

The resolution, passed nearly unanimously, reiterates the denomination’s long-held belief that marriage is “the exclusive union of one man and one woman” and that “all sexual behavior outside of marriage is sinful,” the Associated Press reports. It also says, “It is regrettable that homosexual rights activists and those who are promoting the recognition of ‘same-sex marriage’ have misappropriated the rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement.”

I love how those who are not affected by the discrimination of civil marriage for gays and lesbians can so clearly say this is not a civil rights issue.

I’ve said this many times, but let me repeat: As long as a civil marriage license is required to be married, and a civil marriage license is issued by a civil government, and as long as civil rights are attached to a civil marriage license – allowing gays and lesbians to partake in civil marriage is a civil rights issue.

This isn’t hard to understand….

(via the Advocate)

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Carrie Underwood on the backlash for LGBT equality support

Earlier this month while being interviewed by the U.K. paper The Independent, Carrie Underwood revealed that she supports LGBT equality.

“I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love,”she said, before adding, “Our church is gay friendly,” she says. “Above all, God wanted us to love others. It’s not about setting rules, or [saying] ‘everyone has to be like me.’ No. We’re all different. That’s what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It’s not up to me to judge anybody.”

Many wondered how the more conservative members of Underwood’s huge fan base would react and a pastor in Tennessee claimed that the singer was operating on a basic misunderstanding of The Bible. Joseph Farah, editor of right-wing website WND takes Underwood to task in a commentary he posted earlier today.

“What is a “gay friendly” church?” Farah asks. “Is it one that affirms people in their sin? Or is it one that welcomes sinners and confronts them with it to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus? I suspect Carrie Underwood attends a church that does the former rather than the latter.”

Underwood acknowledges feeling pressure during the interview with The Independent. “I was asked a difficult question in the last five minutes of an interview and I answered it the best way I knew how, and after that I do what I do and I love making music and I generally try to stay out of any kind of controversy,” she says.

“The role-model word is really scary to me, because no matter what happens in your life, something you do, wear, say, sing, whatever — somebody somewhere is probably not going to like it too well,” she said. “I just really try hard to do what I do and try to be nice to people and make great music and if people think they can look up to that, that’s wonderful. If not, that’s OK too.”
(source)