Further thoughts on the incest-as-entertainment at Rosemount High that I blogged on earlier.
The AP has a report on the incident with some pretty disturbing quotes from Principal Wallersheim, whose staff planned the event:
“This activity was intended to be fun, but some found it offensive,” he wrote. “We apologize to anyone who was offended by this activity.”
Incest was intended to be fun. Perhaps as long as it’s presented as a game, it’s really okay. It isn’t the abuse, so much as whether the abuse is turned into a game.
More from AP:
Wollersheim said he wasn’t considering any disciplinary action against the high school employee who came up with the idea. A district spokesman said Superintendent Jane Berenz was not commenting the matter.
Then comes the most appalling of all from Wallersheim:
Wollersheim said he had not received any complaints from the athletes or their parents.
Really?! Neither the offending parents, nor the abused children complained! Is this man for real?! When I read that comment, I immediately thought of this exchange in the movie, Ghandi, an exchange between General Dyer and a government board of inquiry after he ordered a massacre of men, women, and children:
Lord Hunter: General, did you realize there were children, and women, in the crowd?
Gen. Dyer: I did.
Government advocate: But that was irrelevant to the point you were making?
Gen. Dyer: That is correct!
Government advocate: Could I ask you what provision you made for the wounded?
Gen. Dyer: I was ready to help any who applied.
Government advocate: General, how does a child shot with a 303 Lee-Enfield “apply” for help?
Gen. Dyer: [silence]
I thought of this scene, because Principal Wallersheim’s responses evoke the same question for me:
Where is a child who has been sexually assaulted by its parent,
in the school and with the school administration’s consent and approval,
without police or social services intervention,
without spontaneous outrage by the town’s clergy–supposed to apply for redress??
The crime in Rosemount is that every authority figure in the town, civil and religious, has punted.
In Rosemount there is no one to weep for these children, to tell them that they deserved better, that their bodies are sacred, that their dignity forbids being held up to public ridicule and sexual misconduct directed their way. When the Gospels tell us that Jesus wept over Jerusalem, I never quite grasped why.
I get it now.
I get it.
Coming Home 
I honestly didn’t think I could hear about the topic of incest being worse than it already is but now.I.have. Incest was something that was hidden because people didn’t want it out in the open for good reason. Yet here is a school with both parents, teachers, and other students joining in on the “fun” of incest.
I learned a sick song growing up “incest its the best, put your family to the text” That is how common incest was BUT its something we know is wrong. I still cant get over that a school sanctioned this.
We must pray for all those involved. May God help them to see the light.
Blessings.
I sent the following to each of the admin faculty: John.Wollersheim@district196.org;Drew.Storley@district196.orgPeter.Roback@district196.orgMichael.Manning@district196.orgKimberly.Budde@district196.orgTimothy.Conboy@district196.org
Mr Wollersheim,
It is very important that you respectfully step down along with anyone else involved in staging this “kissing” event. Not only do you not have the children’s best interests at heart, but you’ve demonstrated the lack of ability to guide any child into real life in the world.
Please do the children a favor and remove yourself from any role of authority.
Please seek guidance and counseling soon.
Concerned Citizen,
Ron
[…] « Christopher Hitchens: Free At Last Incest Principal: ‘No Children Complained’ […]
Occurances like this make me understand more and more why my daughters have chosen to homeschool.
I am at a loss for words. I have six children, and four of them are in the public school system. I can not believe what they see as fitting for the development of these young kids. During the high school years are the most influential times of their lives, where they have the values reinforced that will provide them with the moral compass to survive. Telling them that South is really North, and sending them on their way is their idea of a good prank, they need to think again.
Each of those children say that this was an acceptable way of behaving. Unless we stand up and show them that North is North, than they will go on during their life with the misconception provided by their mentors, and there will be no stopping the repercussions. We need to stand up and show them that America WILL NOT become the next Nineva. We the people need to rebel against the forces pushing religion out of our country, and reclaim our moral values.
It can not be done by one individual, it will take an overwhelming wave of voices to show that we are not the minority. We are the voice of America and we will not stand for this anymore.
Bill Jones
Call and put in your complaint : http://www.mncasa.org/who_contact.html
I left this same comment on your previous post:
http://faithonthehighwire.blogspot.com/2011/12/school-sanctioned-incestuous-behavior.html — I have to admit, when reading several of the accounts, the comments, “it lasted less than a minute” and “no students or parents complained” were the most unsettling. I guess that makes it just fine…frightening.
Excellent point. Excellent indeed.
If Jesus wept then He must be really weeping today.
I found this “prank” so disturbing and alarming that I couldn’t read any of the other articles or even view the video.
Also …. Ron’s letter is priceless and excellent!
I can’t understand what’s wrong with this man. An sadly, by the looks of it, there will be no punishment for him
The article specifies it was the captains of various sports teams that were blindfolded and then molested by their parents. I’d bet we can infer that these were mostly well-to-do, financially comfortable families. So we’re not talking about stereotypical trailer park white trash, some of these parents would qualify as “pillars of the community”.
Wow, are we ever in trouble.
I watched as the pedophilia video unfolded before me. One of the first things that caught my attention before the video rolled was the printing that read that these students(victims) and parents (predators) were HAND-PICKED! Go back and read it. The next thing I noticed was though there may have been 15-20 people involved, NONE of the pep rally students in the stands were shown, only those committing the incest. There was loud music playing and some other background noises, but there was no one else shown that was ‘supposedly’ there. This was a pedophilia act committed by child sexual predators upon their victims. Someone needs to get the victims out of there!! Now!!
One more thing . . . who had the type of ‘background’ on these students and parents in order that they may be hand-picked. SOMEONE knew they would all comply. Again, use your head and think about who’d have that type of information on ALL involved! If it were the principal, then he needs to be put in prison for trafficking in child pornography!