Comments on: What ever happened to Angela McCaskill?

By: Smith

Smith — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:39:21 +0000

I think Ms. McCaskill has joined Ledyard, NY clerk Rose Belforti in the storage room where the Christian Right keeps the people that it temporarily exploits. I can’t find a single update on Belforti since 2011.

Now, there’s a second room where the anti-gay side keeps all the imaginary people that it exploits. Like all the public school students in Iowa and Vermont and New Hampshire who were supposed to be deep into their homosexual marriage indoctrination sessions by now. Or the victims of the “flood” of lawsuits that were supposed to have engulfed Washington DC. Or all the victims of the new totalitarian state of NY, which we were told would be like North Korea as the result of marriage equality.

By: Soren456

Soren456 — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:23:04 +0000

The more serious legal issue is that she destroyed her credibility as an important witness FOR the school, should the school ever be sued for discrimination.

For that reason, the school had not just a right, but an obligation to suspend her, to fact-find and then to remove her from any role in the administration of non-discrimination policy.

She’s entitled to her private beliefs and private actions, but when those actions (particularly) might be used to impeach her testimony as an officer of the school, the school has a duty to protect itself.

By: Gene in L.A.

Gene in L.A. — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:52:40 +0000

Her 15 minutes are over.

By: Markanthony

Markanthony — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:09:16 +0000

@Hunter

Agreed. She signed a public document on a political issue. At worst, the school merely highlighted that fact.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:59:06 +0000

Markanthony — I suspect the damages would be for emotional distress caused by the damage to her reputation and career, although since she arguably caused most of the damage herself, that would make for a shaky case.

By: Markanthony

Markanthony — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:02:58 +0000

Any lawyers here who could comment on emotional distress for a few days of paid leave? Seems alike a difficult case to make.

By: Secret Advocate

Secret Advocate — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:59:55 +0000

Actually, Dr. McCaskill did not appear to have much interest in being a martyr. As Markanthony and Mike indicated, her attorney said before the vote that, if his client had her “druthers,” the Maryland Marriage Alliance would pull its ad that featured her situation.
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/10/angela-mccaskill-featured-in-new-political-ad-81132.html

Therefore, it’s not surprising that the NOM has little use for her now.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:55:59 +0000

Well McCaskill did issue a public statement telling anti-marriage groups to stop using her story in their political fight. In essence, she is trying to leverage a settlement out of the university for emotional distress and it’s not terribly helpful for her to have these groups interpreting her positions for her.

By: Markanthony

Markanthony — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:45:36 +0000

My understanding is that she was never actually fired, just put on paid administrative leave and only for a few days. It would be hard to make a big story of injustice when the physical harms don’t exist. Additionally, she publicly requested for anti-SSM groups to remove her likeness from ads, so it seems unlikely that she will acquiesce to be a new Damian Goddard.

Ultimately, She got want she wanted. She doesn’t need them anymore.

By: Bose in St. Peter MN

Bose in St. Peter MN — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:18:58 +0000

I’ve poked around, wondering the same thing.

It struck me from the beginning that the simple administrative side of this seemed to run off the rails, with public requests from the school for private face-to-face discussion and her very public threats about expecting to be paid damages.

Hopefully progress is being made behind closed doors, for everybody’s sake.

No doubt, NOM would happily add her story to the top of their “defamation” project. I can’t imagine that helping her resume her career at Gallaudet or anywhere else, though, particularly in diversity-related work.