The Mockingbird was one of the first, if not the first media outlets to cover the suspicious death of DNC staffer Seth Rich. This publication was the first to get and first to publish the police report. We had questions at the time with the official narrative, and we still do.
Public Records searches, both by Mockingbird staff and sources (plural) that were held back fearing retaliation have revealed a third set of incidents that occurred during the 2017-2018 at YSHS/MS. The incidents, which included unwanted and inappropriate touching, groping and comments by one student to another, occurred over a four month period from August to November 2017. This was happening at the same time that the High School swept a sexual assault by Principal Tim Krier's son under the rug.
The beginning
7 weeks ago the staff of the Mockingbird began a series of public records requests. There are over 5 outstanding requests right now. We have been met with denials, lies and obfuscation on all of our requests. The law on the matter reads “reasonable amount of time” and in my life I have never seen so much gas lighting, obfuscation and denial. The typical time is ten days.
When my grandparents came here as infants and toddlers in the early 1920s, the great lady of the harbor said “give me your tired, your poor huddled masses yearning to be free.” Today children are greeted at the border with a different refrain. According to the ACLU they are tossed into cages alone and told “Right now, we close the door, we rape you and fuck you.” by Border Patrol Agents.
On May 21st, FBI agents showed up on the doorsteps of at least two rank and file activists involved in recent protests against neo-nazi groups. The two separate incidents were the ones that were reported, but this appears to be part of a trend and it is unknown how many other people may have been targeted and either were not home, or did not talk about the visit. The known targets include a Quaker pacifist who was recently arrested at a demonstration and a younger activist.
If you are a part of the political class in America, nothing turns you on like a dead brown baby. The Democratic Party pushed forward a congressional leader to justify what Republicans high fived on the street. The bare facts of last week's massacres, plural, in Palestine is that they are part of an ongoing program of genocide that has broad bipartisan support. The death toll, when examined proves this. Since the Republicans spoke first, their choicest statement will be addressed first. It provides a lead in to the facts of the death toll.
It is often said that you should not do certain things because you will wind up with your name on a list, or on “the list.” There have always been rumors of a semi-mythical list the government keeps of subversives or radicals, or enemies. In truth, the government, all governments, have always kept lists of enemies. This is not unique to fascists, or people who fetishize Prussia, or people who try to contact J Edgar Hoover on Ouija boards. In America, we have lists. No-Fly lists are a start.
On May 11th, the USA Today published a multiple by-line story on their analysis of every single one of the 3517 Facebook Ads bought by shadowy sneaky Russians to influence the 2016 general election. This report, based on an indictment issued by Special Prosecutor Robert Muller, claims to show a focus on race and policing rather than guns and Benghazi. The story was given amplification by former Washington Post editor Anne Applebaum turned columnist and professor, with a stamp of academic authority that it does not deserve.
The small town of Yellow Springs has seen much community outcry since the revelations last week that the school system allowed an alleged student rapist to remain in the schools for most of a year and that said student was the Principal's son. Many parents and other residents have openly called for answers from the school board and none has been forthcoming. The reason for the silence is simple.