Duke's College Republicans' "culture of discrimination"

College Republicans at Duke U. Face Loss of Funds Over Gay Leader's Ouster (Chronicle of Higher Education)

Duke University's Student Government Senate voted on Wednesday to cut off funds for the campus chapter of the College Republicans, following the student group's decision last spring to remove its chairman allegedly because he is gay. According to The Chronicle, the university's student newspaper, the senate also took a first step toward rescinding the College Republicans' charter because the chapter had manifested a "culture of discrimination." During a four-hour meeting, the senate also heard evidence that the gay chairman's removal was followed by death threats against him as well as antigay, racist, and anti-Semitic e-mail messages from a top College Republicans official on the campus. The Student Organization Finance Committee will make the final decision on the group's charter.

Commenters say the dangdest things

     This Williams/Spitzer/Rackaucas thing is getting interesting, judging by the articles we've seen in the last two days. As usual, the interestingest (and sometimes the insaneist or inaneist) things are being said in the comments. Check out the following—and, of course, the comments.

• The Sh*t just keeps hitting the fan, for Public Administrator John Williams
• Woman in Spitzer firing targets public guardian
• Todd Spitzer’s Facebook Page

Rebel Girl Rants (just a little bit)

Soon, very soon, Rebel Girl will be back to doing her duty, posting poetry and the occasional rant. Her silence hasn't been due to lack of material.

Indeed just yesterday she marveled at the military recruiter cruising the faculty parking lot in his low slung green sedan, one hand on the wheel, the other on his cell phone. Round and round he drove, purring into his phone.

Then there was her midday encounter with the perky pair of women from the Laguna Woods Democratic Club. They've been on campus of late, registering voters outside the Student Services Center. Rebel Girl stopped by to thank them for their civic spirit just as they were patiently and cheerfully explaining to a student that just because he had "turned eighteen" he hadn't automatically been registered to vote. The young fellow thought that that was how it worked.

They disabused him of that notion and sat him down with a pen and a form. Ah, democracy.

"You should come back next week on Club Day," Rebel Girl encouraged the pair, "There will be lots more students out here then."

That's a good idea, they responded, but we've already been told they don't want us here so often.

Yes, one of them said, they told us they already had too many Democrats on campus.

"Really?" replied Rebel Girl. "That doesn't seem right. I don't think they can restrict your presence based upon the content of your speech or your frequency."

Rebel Girl shot a meaningful glance over at the omnipresent FREE BIBLE card table, fully stocked in multiple translations and staffed that day by a man in a wheelchair and another slouched in a lawn chair. That table, she thought to herself, is on campus more often than I am.

That's what they told us, the woman insisted.

"Well," said Rebel Girl, "I'm late to class now but let's talk about that."

Stay tuned.
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And here's children's author, Lane Smith, holding forth: It's a Book.

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OC GOP Crony Club finally fed up with Orlando Boy?

     Norberto Santana of Voice of OC has posted again about SOCCCD trustee—and corrupt county official—John “Orlando” Williams (Spotlight Stays on Public Administrator/Public Guardian).
     The article reveals chinks in Williams’ armor re the Spitzer affair. Some of his claims aren’t panning out.
     More importantly, it hints at the possibility that the OC GOP Crony Machine has perhaps finally had it with Orlando Boy:

     …Today the law enforcement group will ratchet things up even more with a press conference featuring Ruth Hull-Richter, whose case triggered Spitzer's firing. She is expected to accuse Williams' office of pressuring victims, like her 92-year old mother, to give up control over their personal assets.
     Meanwhile, highly placed sources in Orange County government are saying that this latest controversy might provide the final impetus to eliminate Williams' elective status altogether.
. . .
     What is clear is that sources close to the fifth floor of the county administration building say that county supervisors are getting nervous: Williams may be in for a rocky road.

The précis of the article emphasizes the same:

The accusations continue to swirl around John Williams in the Spitzer case. The end result might be that Orange County Supervisors again consider eliminating his elective status

Trading accusations

     Just posted: another piece regarding John Williams and the firing of Todd Spitzer:

Public Guardian breaks silence on Spitzer (OC Register)

Public Administrator/Public Guardian John S. Williams broke his silence Wednesday, accusing then-assistant district attorney Todd Spitzer of forcing himself into one of his office’s cases by making up a fake district attorney investigation and acting “in an irresponsible and reckless manner to further his own political/personal agenda.”….

--It’s pretty “he said, he said.” Check it out.