Posted on 01/22/2010 6:30:38 PM PST by Maelstorm
A former Bethlehem middle school teacher whose nature program for seventh-graders won national acclaim apparently killed himself Thursday about an hour before he was scheduled to plead guilty to sexually assaulting a teenage boy, a charge that shocked the community and cost him his career.
Gregory G. Ritter, 45, a longtime Boy Scout volunteer and 20-year National Guardsman, was found dead next to a picnic table at the apartment complex in the Poconos where he recently moved, according to police, who said he had a gunshot wound to the head.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcall.com ...
While a suicide to avoid the process certainly suggests guilt, it’s perhaps important to remember that crimes of a sexual nature carry with them the assumption of guilt— forever.
If somebody is accused of stealing items from a store and is later aquitted of the charges, their reputation can be rebuilt. But somebody accused of a sexual crime against a child, especially, will for the rest of their lives be tainted and suspect. If they really didn’t do it... it just doesn’t matter to anyone.
Sexual crimes are different. The whole “presumption of innocence” is nonsense. People presume guilt on sex crimes.
So... now we’ll probably never know really, for sure. Suicide sure makes him look guilty. The suicide being the way out for a tortured soul. But a depressed man that’s now seen his whole future destroyed and with no way to recover his life... might also be suicidal.
Anyway... another .02 for the discussion.
Hm?....No mention of a father in this boy's life.
There are school predator stories in the news almost daily. Where is the media outrage about this as there was with the Catholic Church?
There were text messages. Unless someone had access to his phone, they likely came from this teacher. The article doesn't give specifics about how many or how often the boy was texted.
I don’t know. I wasn’t speaking to the facts in this particular case, whatever they might be. This guy might have been guilty, or not, but I was talking about sex crime cases in the larger context.
> Put down the crack pipe, and step away from the keyboard.
Mind your manners.
> You are on a conservative forum.
I am well aware that I am on a Conservative forum. Conservatives AND Boy Scouts — more than most people — should be concerned with Due Process, particularly when it is denied. If we don’t then we earn the “reactionary and “lynch mob” labels that often gets thrown at us.
> Your assertion that a private organization must delegate whatever procedures it operates by to the government is incompatible with the right to assemble.
I didn’t make that assertion so don’t put words into my mouth. Observing Natural Justice and Fair Play is not a “delegation to the government”. But it *is* a sensible governance principle for volunteer organizations.
Every volunteer organization — especially reputable ones like the Boy Scouts — have an obligation to their Volunteers to treat them fairly. Volunteers are, by far and away, their most valuable assets.
If they do not, they will quickly find that their Volunters leave, and their other valuable assets — their donations, their reputation — rapidly evaporates.
> While only the government can deprive the man of liberty, the Scouts have a responsibility to keep the safety and security of the children in their care paramount.
The safety of children not preclude the fair treatment of Volunteers. An administrative leave pending the outcome of trial would be both appropriate and adequate to ensure both.
> The wishes and comforts of the adult staff are and should be secondary.
They come 1 and 2 in a very close race: children first volunteers second. No volunteers, no programs, no Boy Scouts.
You don’t kill yourself because you are innocent.
Now, if only that OTHER Ritter pervert were to off himself, we would be just fine.
Bull crap.
You LieHard are flat out a liar.
On what evidence do you assert that the boyscouts did not follow a process before banning our little self eliminator?
This was you Nothing like Due Process ay You personally infer the Boyscouts made no investigation. If you can produce no evidence that the boyscouts made no internal investigation then yes, you are making an unfounded allegation and therefore... full of crap - and a hypocrit as well.
Period.
> Say what? Boy Scout leader is not a paid position, he doesent earn his living from it.
All the more reason to treat him fairly, because he’s a Volunteer. No volunteers, no Boy Scout Leaders, no programs, no Boy Scouts.
Volunteers are the Boy Scouts’ most valuable assets. As an organization they owe their Volunteers Due Process and Fair Play.
Remuneration does not even play into the equation.
> Let me see if I got this right; you want him put on “administrative leave” from a job that doesent pay anything, as opposed to having to have to apply all over agin? Nutso
“Administrative leave” assumes neither innocence nor guilt, but still prevents him from participating as a Volunteer, pending the outcome of his trial.
That is perfectly fair: nobody could possibly object to that.
Note I said “Administrative Leave” not “Paid Administrative Leave” — there is no requirement to reimburse someone in order to grant them leave.
> The SCOTUS ruled the BSA can associate with whomever they want, and set their own rules..
I frankly don’t care what your SCOTUS says, tho’ I agree in general with the BSA’s right to free association.
Just because your SCOTUS has set a minimum legal standard does not mean that standard constitutes good governance for a Volunteer organization.
> You know, you sound like a guvvie.
I’m not a “guvvie” — whatever that is — but I *am* the chairman and founder of a registered Charitable Trust and I *do* sit on three other charitable Boards of Trustees and I *have* taken a close and direct interest into the governance of all these Charitable Organizations because, as a Board Member I am cleanly “on the hook” legally and financially if I don’t.
Those are my credentials in this area: how about you?
> You don’t kill yourself because you are innocent.
What if you were innocent and disgraced, with no way to clear your name and everybody you ever cared about assuming your guilt?
I don’t think you can draw any conclusions on innocence-or-guilt based on the fellow’s suicide. Suicide is seldom as straightforward as that. And not everyone that commits suicide is “guilty” of something.
> You LieHard are flat out a liar.
And you are a BlowHard and a coward and a jumped-up prat.
> This was you Nothing like Due Process ay You personally infer the Boyscouts made no investigation.
You said that:
>> > Your assertion that a private organization must delegate whatever procedures it operates by to the government
I did not make that assertion. I said nothign about the government, or delegating any powers to the government.
What’s more, even in Obama’s twisted version of the United States, your Government is not the same as your Courts. They are quite separate powers, and so they should be.
And yes, your Volunteer organizations are already subservient to the Courts. They always have been. Everyone is — that is why they are courts. Even in Texas.
So now, having been unnecessarily rude to me perhaps you should feel rather foolish, too.
No.
Contrary to your personal overarching government nanny state desires, the citizenry is not subservient to the government in every matter.
And freedom of association is guaranteed in the constitution no matter how much you personally express your disgust at that fact.
No, private social organizations don’t need government supervision to investigate a members behavior and expel them from their ranks.
Tortured because he was living a secret devious life, or tortured because he was caught and couldn't face the shock and disappointment of all the kids and parents who probably thought the world of him.
I agree with you. Suicide is the coward’s way out and a means to inflict more pain on others around you. I had a school teacher try to molest me once. Parents should always bear in mind that teachers have extraordinary access to children.
And you are a BlowHard and a coward and a jumped-up prat.
And you are both empty headed animal food trough wipers!
Perhaps. Or maybe not.
The replies to you after your sober response to this case, and I’m sorry... serve at least to prove my point that presumption of innocence goes right out the window in sex cases.
Hang in there. :-)
Also consider his life if found guilty would involve prison time, sex offender status, would lose all his career positions, teacher, Boy Scout volunteer, 20 year National Guardsman, his life would’ve been all but over anyway. Unfortunately suicide only means he’s going to straight to hell now without any hope for redemption.
(grin!) Thanks.
> Contrary to your personal overarching government nanny state desires, the citizenry is not subservient to the government in every matter.
Tell the Judge the next time you’re in the dock that you don’t have to pay attention to him or his Court. I’m sure he’ll treat you sympathetically.
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