[MR] Article on Lawsuit

[Scribe0002 at aol.com]

I lived in the East when this situation came to light. I participated  
extensively in Eisental, Ben's home shire where some of this was supposed  to have 
taken place, lived in Owlsherste where some more of it was to have taken  place 
and knew Ben and several of the children involved and their  families.
 
It is a bad bad situation for many reasons.
 
To answer your question, Sebastien, no, nothing would have shown in any  sort 
of background check. Ben lived at home with his parents, had not so much as  
a parking ticket since college and ran a successful video business.
 
The factual error most people who know the situation are picking up on is  
that Ben was never a leader of the local chapter of the SCA. He was the head of  
the page program for a bit and may have been an official officer in charge of 
 page activities in Eisental but he was not president of the local chapter 
which  is what is at least implied.
 
The reporting is a bit misleading but it is over-all accurate in the larger  
issues . . . it is not, however, a balanced report on the situation because it 
 is wholly based on the complaint and some spot checking from previous 
articles  that ran when Ben was arrested and convicted. As someone else pointed out 
in a  separate conversation, I'd be interested to know what the complaintants 
are  asking for as compensation and on what they base the figure they ask for.
 
Needless to say, this is tearing some of that region to pieces. This is a  
bad divorce in a large extended family.
 
~gise
 
In a message dated 5/11/2007 12:03:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
sebastien_de_valmont2 at yahoo.com writes:

It may  be rhetorical, but the question that comes to mind is did this 
individual have  a criminal record before entering in the SCA?  Would a background 
check  have found anything?  Would a background check have protected those kids 
 in the case?

I am all for protecting kids but as  parents, we have to take ultimate 
responsibility for the care of our young  ones.  All the background checks and 
multiple adults at children's  activities cannot replace our own responsibility to 
actually PARENT our  children.

Just my humble opinion,
Lord Sebastien de  Valmont







************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.