Cyberbullying and Assistant Attorneys General Should Not Mix
Reposted from Lee_rowan over on Dreamwidth:
An assistant attorney general in Michigan is attacking a student at U of M -- ostensibly because Chris Armstrong is "promoting the radical homosexual agenda." Sigh. Yeah, it's radical to want to be treated the same as other taxpaying Americans.
[
gehayi interrupting here, because you have to see this to believe it. I quote from the WXYZ.com article linked below: "With 27 postings to date, Shivell’s blog is filled with language you’ll never hear him use in a court room, calling Armstrong 'nazi like,' a recruiter for 'the cult that is homosexuality,' and a proponent of a 'racist, anti-Christian agenda.'...In other internet postings, Shirvell’s language has been even stronger: calling Armstrong 'Satan’s representative on the Student Assembly,' even posting a photograph with a swastika attached to his face."
Please continue, Lee.]
This guy sounds like a real headcase...or else he's a pom-pom girl for Atty. General Cox, who Michiganders say wants to be governor and is obviously courting the Teabaggers by proxy, as any lily-livered gopster would do.
http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/asst.-attorney-general-engaging-in-cyber-bullying%2C-targeting-an-openly-gay-college-student
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/09/16/State_Official_Bullies_College_Student/
http://www.queerty.com/back-when-michigan-ag-andrew-shirvell-joined-up-with-westboro-to-hate-on-u-mich-student-prez-chris-armstrong-20100916/
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/daily-remove-shirvell-office
The "radical agenda" appears to be controlling tuition hikes...
[
gehayi here again. From WYXZ.com: "Armstrong campaigned to stop tuition hikes, expand gender-neutral housing to transgendered students, and make drinking less dangerous by keeping cafeterias open later." Horrors.]
One helpful commenter provided this information: "Andy Shirvell is an assistant AG in the appellate department of the Michigan AG's office. His place of work is on the Fourth Floor of the G. Mennen Williams Building (525 W. Ottawa) in Lansing. His telephone no. at work is (517) 373-4875 and his fax no. is (517) 373-4916.
(Thanks to Bill Courson.)
Any Michigan voters out there who want to have a word with one of their public officials...?
PLEASE feel free to repost!
ETA: Shirvell was "chastised" on Wednesday by his boss, Attorney General Mike Cox, who said "in a statement this week that Shirvell's 'immaturity and lack of judgment outside the office is clear.'
"No disciplinary action has been taken. Cox says state employees have a right to free speech outside working hours."
Um...Cox? "Cyberbullying" and "statements of dubious accuracy" =/= "free speech." And while Michigan does not have a law against cyberbullying, it definitely has a statewide policy against cyberbullying that applies to all schools. Permit me to quote here:
"Harassment or bullying" is any gesture or written, verbal, graphic, or
physical act (including electronically transmitted acts - i.e. internet, cell
phone, personal digital assistant (pda), or wireless hand held device) that is
reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived
characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender,
sexual orientation, gender identity and expression; or a mental, physical, or
sensory disability or impairment; or by any other distinguishing
characteristic. Such behavior is considered harassment or bullying whether
it takes place on or off school property, at any school-sponsored function, or
in a school vehicle.
"Harassment" is conduct that meets all of the following criteria:
• is directed at one or more pupils;
• substantially interferes with educational opportunities, benefits, or
programs of one or more pupils;
• adversely affects the ability of a pupil to participate in or benefit from
the school district’s educational programs or activities because the
conduct, as reasonably perceived by the pupil, is so severe, pervasive,
and objectively offensive as to have this effect; and,
• is based on a pupil’s actual or perceived distinguishing characteristic
(see above), or is based on an association with another person who
has or is perceived to have any of these characteristics.
And there are laws in Michigan against harassment, stalking and cyberstalking.
Yes, it's a misdemeanor, not a felony. It's punishable by a year in jail or a fine of 1,000.00 or both. But the point is that a man who has sworn to uphold the law has voluntarily put himself in a position where he should be charged with breaking state law.
Right now it looks like Shirvell and Cox are playing the game of "LJ staff"--i.e., just hoping the whole thing will blow over.
There's a Facebook page calling for Shirvell's firing: http://www.facebook.com/fireshirvell
Oh, and in case you want to see what's in Mr. Shirvell's blog--Abovethelaw.com quotes it here:
http://abovethelaw.com/2010/09/michigan-assistant-attorney-generals-personal-war-against-a-gay-dude-at-the-university-of-michigan/#more-36069
This entry was originally posted at http://gehayi.dreamwidth.org/415532.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
An assistant attorney general in Michigan is attacking a student at U of M -- ostensibly because Chris Armstrong is "promoting the radical homosexual agenda." Sigh. Yeah, it's radical to want to be treated the same as other taxpaying Americans.
[
gehayi interrupting here, because you have to see this to believe it. I quote from the WXYZ.com article linked below: "With 27 postings to date, Shivell’s blog is filled with language you’ll never hear him use in a court room, calling Armstrong 'nazi like,' a recruiter for 'the cult that is homosexuality,' and a proponent of a 'racist, anti-Christian agenda.'...In other internet postings, Shirvell’s language has been even stronger: calling Armstrong 'Satan’s representative on the Student Assembly,' even posting a photograph with a swastika attached to his face."
Please continue, Lee.]
This guy sounds like a real headcase...or else he's a pom-pom girl for Atty. General Cox, who Michiganders say wants to be governor and is obviously courting the Teabaggers by proxy, as any lily-livered gopster would do.
http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/asst.-attorney-general-engaging-in-cyber-bullying%2C-targeting-an-openly-gay-college-student
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/09/16/State_Official_Bullies_College_Student/
http://www.queerty.com/back-when-michigan-ag-andrew-shirvell-joined-up-with-westboro-to-hate-on-u-mich-student-prez-chris-armstrong-20100916/
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/daily-remove-shirvell-office
The "radical agenda" appears to be controlling tuition hikes...
[
gehayi here again. From WYXZ.com: "Armstrong campaigned to stop tuition hikes, expand gender-neutral housing to transgendered students, and make drinking less dangerous by keeping cafeterias open later." Horrors.]
One helpful commenter provided this information: "Andy Shirvell is an assistant AG in the appellate department of the Michigan AG's office. His place of work is on the Fourth Floor of the G. Mennen Williams Building (525 W. Ottawa) in Lansing. His telephone no. at work is (517) 373-4875 and his fax no. is (517) 373-4916.
(Thanks to Bill Courson.)
Any Michigan voters out there who want to have a word with one of their public officials...?
PLEASE feel free to repost!
ETA: Shirvell was "chastised" on Wednesday by his boss, Attorney General Mike Cox, who said "in a statement this week that Shirvell's 'immaturity and lack of judgment outside the office is clear.'
"No disciplinary action has been taken. Cox says state employees have a right to free speech outside working hours."
Um...Cox? "Cyberbullying" and "statements of dubious accuracy" =/= "free speech." And while Michigan does not have a law against cyberbullying, it definitely has a statewide policy against cyberbullying that applies to all schools. Permit me to quote here:
"Harassment or bullying" is any gesture or written, verbal, graphic, or
physical act (including electronically transmitted acts - i.e. internet, cell
phone, personal digital assistant (pda), or wireless hand held device) that is
reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived
characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender,
sexual orientation, gender identity and expression; or a mental, physical, or
sensory disability or impairment; or by any other distinguishing
characteristic. Such behavior is considered harassment or bullying whether
it takes place on or off school property, at any school-sponsored function, or
in a school vehicle.
"Harassment" is conduct that meets all of the following criteria:
• is directed at one or more pupils;
• substantially interferes with educational opportunities, benefits, or
programs of one or more pupils;
• adversely affects the ability of a pupil to participate in or benefit from
the school district’s educational programs or activities because the
conduct, as reasonably perceived by the pupil, is so severe, pervasive,
and objectively offensive as to have this effect; and,
• is based on a pupil’s actual or perceived distinguishing characteristic
(see above), or is based on an association with another person who
has or is perceived to have any of these characteristics.
And there are laws in Michigan against harassment, stalking and cyberstalking.
Yes, it's a misdemeanor, not a felony. It's punishable by a year in jail or a fine of 1,000.00 or both. But the point is that a man who has sworn to uphold the law has voluntarily put himself in a position where he should be charged with breaking state law.
Right now it looks like Shirvell and Cox are playing the game of "LJ staff"--i.e., just hoping the whole thing will blow over.
There's a Facebook page calling for Shirvell's firing: http://www.facebook.com/fireshirvell
Oh, and in case you want to see what's in Mr. Shirvell's blog--Abovethelaw.com quotes it here:
http://abovethelaw.com/2010/09/michigan-assistant-attorney-generals-personal-war-against-a-gay-dude-at-the-university-of-michigan/#more-36069
This entry was originally posted at http://gehayi.dreamwidth.org/415532.html. Please comment there using OpenID.