"Days like today I wish I was a pirate so I could just rape and pillage shit and no one would care."
Kevin Husted
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| Kevin Husted's Instagram post |
It wasn't written by a 14-year old boy acting out. It was written by a 38 year old man, with a career, a wife, children, public office, and political ambitions.
I asked if he had been hacked. No. He wrote it. His photo.
It displays shockingly immature and reckless judgement.
It displays shockingly immature and reckless judgement.
Husted was a candidate for the Medford School Board, running and losing in 2017, and is a candidate again. He currently serves on the District's Budget Committee, and until recently on the Board for the Logos Charter School.
Role model and respect. His campaign Facebook website says that his goal is to improve transparency and parental involvement in the Medford schools.
His writes, "I will encourage increased transparency and accountability among all levels of the district's employees. We need positive role models for our students, which starts with our board members and the superintendent. Students need to see the board govern with respect, care for our students, and honesty."
Positive role models and respect. This would be laughable were it not sad. What weird, vulgar nonsense from a grownup.
The most charitable explanation would be posting-while-drunk, done in a moment of inebriation, except Husted actually left the post up, photo and text, until yesterday. What could he be thinking, especially in this era of school shootings, locked gates, and lock down drills? Schools are expected to be alert to potentially unstable people who express odd, violent sentiments.
The most charitable explanation would be posting-while-drunk, done in a moment of inebriation, except Husted actually left the post up, photo and text, until yesterday. What could he be thinking, especially in this era of school shootings, locked gates, and lock down drills? Schools are expected to be alert to potentially unstable people who express odd, violent sentiments.
And joking about rape and #rapeage? Is Husted so utterly deaf to the current cultural environment that he would put into writing comments that normalize or trivialize sexual violence?
Consider: What would be the responsibility of a high school principal if he or she were to learn that a 16 year old student was expressing ideation of rape and pillage? Wouldn't the district expect the school, police, and mental health professionals do an evaluation of that student, for the safety of everyone?
Consider: And what would be the responsibility of the district if it learned a male teacher wrote this on Instagram, where it would surely circulate among students and teachers. "Look what Mr. Husted wrote!" Fellow teachers and students might well consider this a hostile, dangerous ,and disrespectful environment. Parents might ask, "Is he teaching my daughter?"
Consider: Wouldn't a School Board be expected to terminate a school superintendent who wrote that Instagram post? Could the school district excuse it and say, "Oh, he was just clowning around?" It could not. It sets too dangerous an example to ignore.
Husted has a problem. He is running to be on that School Board.
Husted has a problem. He is running to be on that School Board.
Kevin Husted is surrounded by experienced advisors helping his campaign, which has a very professional look. When I questioned Husted about the Instagram post he referred me to Reagan Knopp, his campaign consultant. Husted has the endorsement of Sal Esquivel and several GOP groups. His campaign presents a very competent face.
But voters elect Kevin Husted himself, and if elected he will be the one who actually attends the meetings and casts votes, and we are electing Husted to exercise his judgement. He is the role model for students and staff. He sets the standard for what a teacher or student can do or say or get away with.
Instagram and other social media create a mechanism for revealing oneself to to the public. It is powerful.
It can reveal more than a candidate intends.
UPDATE #1: The Executive Director of the Logos Public Charter School asked me to clarify Husted's role: "Kevin Husted is not on the Logos School Board. He has not been for several months. He left to run for the Medford School District board. Could you please correct that part of your story?"
The post has been changed to clarify this.
UPDATE #2:
Husted's campaign, via his designated spokesperson, sent the following response/explanation, which I quote verbatim and in full:
"Kevin apologizes for the clearly unwise post from 2015 and has already committed to using social media as a tool for affecting the kind of positive change so desperately needed in the Medford school district.
Medford voters know that Karen Starchvick’s record on the Medford School Board is anti-charter, anti-taxpayer, and anti-transparency. She is wrong for students and wrong for Medford.
Kevin has strong relationships with local students, parents and teachers. His background as a youth sports coach, PTO President, charter school board member, and district budget committee chair show the true nature of his reputation as an advocate and leader for our students."
UPDATE #1: The Executive Director of the Logos Public Charter School asked me to clarify Husted's role: "Kevin Husted is not on the Logos School Board. He has not been for several months. He left to run for the Medford School District board. Could you please correct that part of your story?"
The post has been changed to clarify this.
UPDATE #2:
Husted's campaign, via his designated spokesperson, sent the following response/explanation, which I quote verbatim and in full:
"Kevin apologizes for the clearly unwise post from 2015 and has already committed to using social media as a tool for affecting the kind of positive change so desperately needed in the Medford school district.
Medford voters know that Karen Starchvick’s record on the Medford School Board is anti-charter, anti-taxpayer, and anti-transparency. She is wrong for students and wrong for Medford.
Kevin has strong relationships with local students, parents and teachers. His background as a youth sports coach, PTO President, charter school board member, and district budget committee chair show the true nature of his reputation as an advocate and leader for our students."
14 comments:
It’s also important to note that on his Twitter feed he has posts condemning those who have made accusations of sexual assault and misconduct, specifically in the case of Roy Moore, and states that without hard photographic evidence of assaults, victims should not be believed.
Virtually zero assaults are caught on tape.
So, we know sexual violence among teenagers is much more common than crime reports show. Many are afraid to come forward. If this is the attitude he has, this is the core of his belief system, how can he help create a safe environment for our students?
PR 101 - when responding to a misogynistic rapey comment, don’t include a verbal attack on a woman. Maybe be a tiny bit contrite and show enough remorse so we believe your apology is at least 5% sincere.
Pirates, and "Bad Boys" in general, as Peter has noted, have an appeal at those moments when civilization seems constricting, and Johnny Depp's character had a certain charm as he stumbled from one crisis to another in his movies. We have a self-styled "pirate" in the Oval Office, after all, whose language has not disqualified him from his position, at least not yet. In fact about 1 in 3 are not troubled by such cavalier talk and find it refreshing and anti-politically correct.
2 out of 3, however, don't.
According to Kevin Husted’s own Facebook page, he was on the Logos board through February 5th, so it was not several months ago that he left. The executive director should know this. And his Facebook page is filled with posts through this past Friday making it very clear that his involvement is active. Ms Zimmerer also spoke at his campaign launch, and frequently posts her support of Husted. Given that he would be in a position to influence significant financial decisions that direct tax dollars away from public schools and to Logos, that would personally benefit those at Logos, this should be looked at more critically.
He’s just responded to his statement of saying he wishes he could just rape by saying he has strong relationships with students. I hope 2/3 parents find that talk a bit troubling.
Wow, he has the endorsement of former State Rep Sal Esquivel. How inspiring that is. As I recall the only thing Esquivel accomplished during his multi year tenure was an obscure piece of legislation requiring School Districts to require students to pledge allegiance to the flag of the US.
I don't know if it was ever signed into law, but it struck me then, and still does, as blatantly unconstitutional. Not that Republicans of today seem to care about the Constitution.
This caption on his Instagram post is inexcusable and I do not understand it. However, I don’t believe that he meant it literally, and I don’t believe he truly wants to “rape and pillage.” I do believe that though this is concerning, this isn’t Kevin Husted’s true character. If you personally know Kevin, you know this isn’t a true reflection of him.
Of course he does not mean it. He was being stupid, not announcing dangerous intent. The problem is that it demonstrates reckless sophomoric immaturity—and then that he left it in place. He understands well the need to be a good role model and to project respect for everyone, plus a legal and safe environment. He knows it. He just doesn’t practice it.
He isn’t dangerous, nor a rapist. The error is making light of it, in an environment of school safety and workplace respect. The danger he presented was to the educational mission and good example-setting, not to safety.
He looks like a naughty teenager. That is all. That is enough. I expect more from top school officials. Some 6,000 people have seen or shared my blog version of his photo. It shows that people are shocked and dismayed. Apparently others are shocked an$ dismayed, too.
Peter Sage
Bull. Sh&$.
His statement is an absolute reflection of his character or the dickhead wouldn’t have wrote it it to begin with.
And fu$& all of you vile people for continuing to support this rapey guy. Your complicit behavior is disgusting.
Strong words for someone hiding behind an anonymous post. ^
"Bull. Sh&$.
His statement is an absolute reflection of his character or the dickhead wouldn’t have wrote it it to begin with.
And fu$& all of you vile people for continuing to support this rapey guy. Your complicit behavior is disgusting".
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The anonymous statement above was made by 300 pound Mandy Valencia, the human bowling ball, who was fired from the Mail Tribune for lying. Mandy Valencia has previously called Mr. Husted "rapey".
Another crazy Methford horndog seeking power over people.
That post IS rapey, and making fun of someone’s physical appearance because you disagree with them is horrible. You should be ashamed of yourself!
How well do you you know him? Did you lnow he has 2 sons 18 & 14 that he has not been a part of their life because it would’ve been an inconvenience for him, so he left their mom to raise them on her own, no financial help, never calling the boys on their bdays & holidays, and the oldest was 4 when he walked out of his life, ya he’s for the kids my ass. He is an awful man and if you actually knew him he would absolutely do what he said in this post literally! He is a monster & should never be allowed any where near children. Especially when he has 2 he has nothing to do with, and how sad because one of them is in the Medford school district & had to see that his “dad” was running for a position on a school board stating he was for the kids!?! Ya his sons don’t understand that one at all! But you know him so well, right?
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