Because he had dirt on 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 scandalous shit the university was doing, and they didn't want him to bring that to light? Just speculation of course, but it would be worthwhile to keep a closer eye on the goings-on at "Liberty" U.
Let's call it "informed speculation." No doubt there is lots other scandalous shit happening at Liberty. No one thinks the Liberty Way regarding sex has gone away.
Hmm. The article you published about the lawsuit being dropped against GCU after Linda McMahon stepped in, and now this. I suspect this would be another case of "let's get ready to be part of Viktor Orban's Heritage-Foundation-approved propaganda curriculum efforts now that Trump is back in office." In addition to guns, nothing says "conservative Christian" more than hypocritical sex scandals.
As Randall Balmer has argued, Liberty University was one of the "segregation academies" that were involved in the Heritage Foundation's very early attempts to prevent the IRS from stripping their non-profit status for refusing to follow Civil Rights law in the 1970s. The "purity culture" movement emerged from Jerry Falwell and Liberty University being forced to desegregate. The "no sex at all" narrative comes more from the attempt to prevent "miscegenation" and Black men from sleeping with White women than it does from any religious doctrine. This hush money to Falwell Jr is more about "optics" than piety. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-liberty-way-how-liberty-university-discourages-and-dismisses-students-reports-of-sexual-assaults
Of course racism is underneath it all. Look at the rhetoric from the entirety of the NSGOP. The white evangelicals, who are the ones that force their kids to attend places like "Liberty" U, are the most reliable base for Trump. The support Trump got from open white supremacists was not the deal breaker it should have been. And now, many are cheering the expulsion of brown skinned refugees who face real danger while welcoming white "refugees" who are only fleeing because their government *might* take their land and give them money.
Giancarlo Granda says he was 20 when he met Jerry and Becki Falwell while working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in March 2012. Starting that month and continuing into 2018, Granda told Reuters that the relationship involved him having sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on.
I really don't much care what consenting adults do behind closed doors, but I do find it very repellent when some of those things are done by people who present themselves to the world as paragons of Christian virtue.
And the "progressive" Christians went along with it due to promises of "tax relief" and getting to keep their tax deductions for "parsonages" and other shit. They benefited from the Right's efforts, no matter how much they try to distance themselves now.
Randall Balmer is Jimmy Carter's biographer and has written extensively about this. There are others, like Anthea Butler, who have done the same. Faithful America dot org's "FAQ" page has many resources, but here's an article to get you started down the rabbit hole. Basically, Falwell didn't want to desegregate Liberty University because he didn't want Black male students to sleep with White female students, whom patriarchal White Supremacists see as nothing more than gestation vessels and possessions, so he came up with "purity culture." Whenever you see that word "purity," it ain't referring to religion, not really. It's just a code word for racism. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/
Falwell Sr. was an avowed segregationist, until the politics of that position became untenable. I doubt very much he ever changed his true feelings on the matter.
“The Trustees and Falwell are committed to move forward in a spirit of forgiveness and with the hope of reconciliation in a Christ honoring manner.”
And nothing honors Christ more than millions of dollars changing hands, sexual scandals, and children starving in the world while the church figures out how to ease a camel through the eye of a needle.
But in a world where either a carpenter can be resurrected or the worst person on earth has been chosen by God to lead the world to salvation…
The hell of it is, they deserve each other. A man who apparently lies to himself about his commitment to Christianity while playing bed games with second and third parties, having a cat fight in court with an "institute of higher learning" that can't admit to itself that similar games get played on its campus and its record of reporting sexual harassment and worse is considerably less than ideal. So they duked it out in court and Falwell got shown the door, $15 million richer.
The whole situation has all the charm of a dead frog ... and I am probably insulting the frog.
Jerry Failwell failed so well he got fuck-you money for it. Wish I could fail half so well as Jerry Failwell. I'd be halfway to trans-ing the entire Eastern Seaboard in service of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢(tm) by now!
As I recall, Hemant, the allegation involving a student, involved non-consensual sexual contact by Beckki with a male student. That shouldn't be forgotten.
I don't understand why anyone at any University reports sexual assault to the University. If you're going to report it to authorities, you report it to the police. You may still get treated like it's your fault, but your chances are better of being taken seriously.
Actually, many campus security forces are chartered as police forces with the ability to arrest people (but mostly ignore underage drinking), but the women in the article didn’t even go to them, they went to University officials.
I wouldn’t report to them, I’d go to the town police, though the case might get referred back to the campus police if it took place on campus. But even then there would be another set of eyes on the campus police about sweeping under the rug.
I’ve watched SVU enough over the last several decades to understand that many victims don’t report because the conviction rate is far too low and the system often victimizes them again with blame and disbelief, but it’s ludicrous to think that the University would give you better treatment.
I rather admire him for coming forward. Guys are told they are supposed to want sex constantly and if they don't there is something wrong with them and their masculinity is questioned. And they're taught even less about consent than girls are.
Book editor: "Hey, Governor Noem, your book is too short. We need more content. Got any ideas?"
KN: *enthusiastically* "What about the time I shot my dog?"
BE: "Um, yeah, well, I'll be right back with you. Got to make a phone call." *leaves room, makes call to book publisher's lawyer* "Hey, Bob, can we get out of our publishing contract with this Governor lady? The book will only be long enough to publish if she includes the time she shot her dog to death! No? Damn! Okay, thanks." *returns to room where Noem is.* "Um, yeah, Governor, well, um, knock yourself out."
Dad never said how many times he was part of this scene. He seldom spoke of WWII. His many friends seldom did. It was an aunt who told me of my uncle shot 8 times attacking a machine gun. He was lucky that nothing really vital was hit. My uncle never spoke of it.
My father never spoke about the war either except in very clipped terms. He didn't mind talking about his leaves. Although he only got home once in 3 or 4 years, he did get leave in Scotland, Egypt and Sri Lanka. And if you count Japan after their surrendered I guess there is well sort of.
My grandfather was a WWII vet. North Africa. Never spoke about his time in the Army at all- the only things we ever found out were his rank and that by the time he came home he 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 Spam.
If the Original Antifa could make it through... we owe it to them to give it our best.
Eh, what does reputation matter when you walk off with all the money? Same old story every time. I wasn’t raised Christian or with any religion, so I was interested to learn some Christians equate wealth with God's blessing and associate it with godliness. Funny how that works out.
What amazes me is that so many people think 'prosperity gospel' christians are a new thing. Accumulating wealth has been a staple of christianity almost from the beginning. And if you're wealthy, you must be godly, amirite? What a con game!
Actually, before your (A) there should be an item saying that all the participants were adult and consenting. Given the kind of scandals preachers are quite often involved in, we should be grateful that Falwell's activities did not involve kiddies nor unwilling parties.
I hear what you're saying, but when he put himself out there for years as a paragon of christian virtue and morality, I don't give him credit for anything. I'm grateful there were no children involved, for once, but he's still a colossal piece of crap.
He doesn't deserve credit for not being a kiddiefiddler and not being a sexual assaulter. It should be the basic, minimum standard. But maybe I am just so jaded by all the 'not-a-drag-queen' stories, where the activities carried out by (some) preachers are beyond the pale.
We hear so many of these stories, we have to be careful not to lower the bar for these religious jerks. But you raise a good point: this is another case where loathsome behavior was NOT done by a drag queen, an LGBTQ person, anyone trans, or a godless liberal. Imagine that!
It's a classic BTL post under these stories, someone will point out that the miscreant - or, let's be accurate, the alleged miscreant, after all we believe in due process - is not an LGBTQ+ person. It's usually one of the very early comments here. The other day it was me, who put it up, usually I am joining the discussion too late, so someone has already got in there before me.
Best. Line.EVER!!!!! "Nothing screams “I’m a conservative Christian” like filing a lawsuit against the fundamentalist college you once led in order to get your gun back."
𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐹𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙’𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓-𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑙𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦, 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑎 𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒.
Because he had dirt on 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 scandalous shit the university was doing, and they didn't want him to bring that to light? Just speculation of course, but it would be worthwhile to keep a closer eye on the goings-on at "Liberty" U.
Yep. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-liberty-way-how-liberty-university-discourages-and-dismisses-students-reports-of-sexual-assaults
Terrific. Blame the victim. Axley should sue LU for their fucking eyeteeth [never mind every cent they have!]!
I think there was an article in Mother Jones a wee while ago as well? Just a bit more broader. If I remember I'll dig it out tomorrow.
It wasn't Mother Jones, it was Jezebel
https://www.jezebel.com/not-only-do-campus-sexual-assailants-go-unpunished-they-also-often-get-special-treatment
Ooh, thanks!
Is this a step up from Trump University, or a step down? As an alumnae of West Liberty University, I find the name similarity is becoming a concern.
Most likely a lateral move, Walt.
… It's just a jump to the left
And then a step to the right
Don't forget the pelvic thrust!
♫♪ Let's Do the Time Warp AGAAAAAIIIIINNNN!!! ♪♫
That pelvic thrust really drives you insa-a-ane.
Let's call it "informed speculation." No doubt there is lots other scandalous shit happening at Liberty. No one thinks the Liberty Way regarding sex has gone away.
Always helps to know where the bodies are buried right?
Money, money, money
It's so tricky
In the fundie's world
Money, money, money,
Always shady
In the fundie's world🎶
"turned the school into a national laughingstock."
Because it wasn't already ?
"It was going to take an army of pool boys to clean up this mess."
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hmm. The article you published about the lawsuit being dropped against GCU after Linda McMahon stepped in, and now this. I suspect this would be another case of "let's get ready to be part of Viktor Orban's Heritage-Foundation-approved propaganda curriculum efforts now that Trump is back in office." In addition to guns, nothing says "conservative Christian" more than hypocritical sex scandals.
As Randall Balmer has argued, Liberty University was one of the "segregation academies" that were involved in the Heritage Foundation's very early attempts to prevent the IRS from stripping their non-profit status for refusing to follow Civil Rights law in the 1970s. The "purity culture" movement emerged from Jerry Falwell and Liberty University being forced to desegregate. The "no sex at all" narrative comes more from the attempt to prevent "miscegenation" and Black men from sleeping with White women than it does from any religious doctrine. This hush money to Falwell Jr is more about "optics" than piety. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-liberty-way-how-liberty-university-discourages-and-dismisses-students-reports-of-sexual-assaults
No different than what other Christian universities operate when it comes to issues about sex, scandals, and violence.
I never put that whole concept together, but you have done so brilliantly.
All I can say about Falwell Jr. is that he wasn't as bad as his father, whose life was a non-stop celebration of stupidity and ignorance.
Racism. It was all about racism and still is. Look up Randall Balmer's articles.
Of course racism is underneath it all. Look at the rhetoric from the entirety of the NSGOP. The white evangelicals, who are the ones that force their kids to attend places like "Liberty" U, are the most reliable base for Trump. The support Trump got from open white supremacists was not the deal breaker it should have been. And now, many are cheering the expulsion of brown skinned refugees who face real danger while welcoming white "refugees" who are only fleeing because their government *might* take their land and give them money.
I'm not sure less celebration of ignorance hitched to more hypocrisy is better.
True enough. I loathed Falwell Sr., who among other things raised a flaming hypocrite who hid behind religion.
From Reuters:
Giancarlo Granda says he was 20 when he met Jerry and Becki Falwell while working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in March 2012. Starting that month and continuing into 2018, Granda told Reuters that the relationship involved him having sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on.
********************
Freaks, they are all fucking freaks.
I really don't much care what consenting adults do behind closed doors, but I do find it very repellent when some of those things are done by people who present themselves to the world as paragons of Christian virtue.
Falwell's Freak Off.
20 is pretty young. 20 year olds are supposed to be having sex with other 20 year olds. Not whatever Jerry and Becki were.
Wasn't Falwell the one that founded the Moral Majority back in the 1970s/80s?
Yep, that was him. The Moral Majority was neither.
And the "progressive" Christians went along with it due to promises of "tax relief" and getting to keep their tax deductions for "parsonages" and other shit. They benefited from the Right's efforts, no matter how much they try to distance themselves now.
https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-05-2023/_bVXo8.gif
Randall Balmer is Jimmy Carter's biographer and has written extensively about this. There are others, like Anthea Butler, who have done the same. Faithful America dot org's "FAQ" page has many resources, but here's an article to get you started down the rabbit hole. Basically, Falwell didn't want to desegregate Liberty University because he didn't want Black male students to sleep with White female students, whom patriarchal White Supremacists see as nothing more than gestation vessels and possessions, so he came up with "purity culture." Whenever you see that word "purity," it ain't referring to religion, not really. It's just a code word for racism. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/
Falwell Sr. was an avowed segregationist, until the politics of that position became untenable. I doubt very much he ever changed his true feelings on the matter.
Great info, Sarah. Appreciate the insights.
I don't think there's any intellectual property at Liberty and never has been.
“The Trustees and Falwell are committed to move forward in a spirit of forgiveness and with the hope of reconciliation in a Christ honoring manner.”
And nothing honors Christ more than millions of dollars changing hands, sexual scandals, and children starving in the world while the church figures out how to ease a camel through the eye of a needle.
But in a world where either a carpenter can be resurrected or the worst person on earth has been chosen by God to lead the world to salvation…
Anything is possible.
Amen...so to speak.
This is their answer every time they get busted. Obfuscate, lie, protect their own and pump that payoff so the NDA will be bulletproof.
🎯
The hell of it is, they deserve each other. A man who apparently lies to himself about his commitment to Christianity while playing bed games with second and third parties, having a cat fight in court with an "institute of higher learning" that can't admit to itself that similar games get played on its campus and its record of reporting sexual harassment and worse is considerably less than ideal. So they duked it out in court and Falwell got shown the door, $15 million richer.
The whole situation has all the charm of a dead frog ... and I am probably insulting the frog.
Worse, you’re insulting death.
SQUEAK
Jerry Failwell failed so well he got fuck-you money for it. Wish I could fail half so well as Jerry Failwell. I'd be halfway to trans-ing the entire Eastern Seaboard in service of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢(tm) by now!
https://images.app.goo.gl/55vgC3RmW8zxPPwe7
🤣🤣🤣
Can we find a bottomless pit and throw the whole bunch of these douchenozzles in it?
Closest one is 1560 light years away.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_BH1
But in space we can't hear them scream.
GOOD! 😝
Elmo’s Space X will get that cargo there pronto, Joe.
Or spread out across the Caribbean.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Douchenozzles - that's a new one for me!
Thank you, much appreciated. Not quite sure when I might be using it, but it's a great word.
I didn't coin it, but I can't remember where I first came across it. Maybe from Ed Brayton?
It's an oldie but goodie for us. :)
There's also the varient "douche canoe."
I haven't heard that one either - wow, two new words in a day!
As I recall, Hemant, the allegation involving a student, involved non-consensual sexual contact by Beckki with a male student. That shouldn't be forgotten.
Correct. Sarah Longstaff posted a link to an article documenting that here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/friendlyatheist/p/liberty-university-paid-jerry-falwell?r=23kah3&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=118946040
I don't understand why anyone at any University reports sexual assault to the University. If you're going to report it to authorities, you report it to the police. You may still get treated like it's your fault, but your chances are better of being taken seriously.
Damned good point. Reporting it to LU amounts to pissing into the wind.
Because students are told campus security = police ?
Actually, many campus security forces are chartered as police forces with the ability to arrest people (but mostly ignore underage drinking), but the women in the article didn’t even go to them, they went to University officials.
I wouldn’t report to them, I’d go to the town police, though the case might get referred back to the campus police if it took place on campus. But even then there would be another set of eyes on the campus police about sweeping under the rug.
I’ve watched SVU enough over the last several decades to understand that many victims don’t report because the conviction rate is far too low and the system often victimizes them again with blame and disbelief, but it’s ludicrous to think that the University would give you better treatment.
Can I refer you to the Jezebel article? It provides loads more details to back up your point that you should stay away from campus security.
I rather admire him for coming forward. Guys are told they are supposed to want sex constantly and if they don't there is something wrong with them and their masculinity is questioned. And they're taught even less about consent than girls are.
You can get away with SO MUCH shit as long as you pound the pulpit while publicly uttering the word “Jeezus!”
"It feels wrong to say there was any “intellectual property” there."
Insert rimshot gif.
Puppy: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/baa0cda59eb863a2380e1dcd48fc99fb361a55d6097652eddd0e54784ef20361.jpg
I hope there isn't a gravel pit nearby.
Oh I don’t know. Throw that Kristi bitch in there.
She should be tossed into that pit just for not knowing what habeas corpus is alone.
Habeas corpus.
<rips end of envelope, blows into envelope, pulls out 3x5 card>
What do you call your rights when they die?
She thinks it means the exact opposite of what it actually is.
Further proof they’re from the Mirror Universe.
Book editor: "Hey, Governor Noem, your book is too short. We need more content. Got any ideas?"
KN: *enthusiastically* "What about the time I shot my dog?"
BE: "Um, yeah, well, I'll be right back with you. Got to make a phone call." *leaves room, makes call to book publisher's lawyer* "Hey, Bob, can we get out of our publishing contract with this Governor lady? The book will only be long enough to publish if she includes the time she shot her dog to death! No? Damn! Okay, thanks." *returns to room where Noem is.* "Um, yeah, Governor, well, um, knock yourself out."
Would somebody kindly kick her where it counts? PLEASE???
*Fantasise about sacristi amoeba and Fidele 5 minutes alone in a room*
SO Stolen!!! But I did upvote first!
Dad never said how many times he was part of this scene. He seldom spoke of WWII. His many friends seldom did. It was an aunt who told me of my uncle shot 8 times attacking a machine gun. He was lucky that nothing really vital was hit. My uncle never spoke of it.
https://scontent-ord5-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/500003492_632899779777724_8126886685417545812_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s261x260_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=bd9a62&_nc_ohc=YUT7be_vNzcQ7kNvwFwce7g&_nc_oc=AdnfUQaiMpWIOfbAOvJqJPF0VgBpcNN2_x9v-zbVTgr3666LhWx_bE5PxSyalVzvQEE&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-3.xx&_nc_gid=IOOKa7pkKebYAkUoEkbA-A&oh=00_AfKaCmHYOEnl2yOBQV1A7QtGlX4cfTwe63ZzF4OpRwshow&oe=6834209A
My father never spoke about the war either except in very clipped terms. He didn't mind talking about his leaves. Although he only got home once in 3 or 4 years, he did get leave in Scotland, Egypt and Sri Lanka. And if you count Japan after their surrendered I guess there is well sort of.
My grandfather was a WWII vet. North Africa. Never spoke about his time in the Army at all- the only things we ever found out were his rank and that by the time he came home he 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 Spam.
If the Original Antifa could make it through... we owe it to them to give it our best.
A) At least this didn't involve our tax dollars.
B) The kind of brand damage Falwell did to himself and to Liberty U doesn't go away.
C) Settlement or not, Falwell and Liberty are still laughingstocks.
D) YAY!
Xtians. Ever their own worst enemies. We don't have to lift a finger to make them look bad. They're endlessly self-destructive.
Thewy learned hatred very well.
https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/499230031_632761009791601_2562793438725785391_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p526x296_tt6&_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=xB5ky_q_pxgQ7kNvwG20brn&_nc_oc=Admr2u2lDUlI4wbRyubYaWSVenNhT62Ic0zER3Cqgf22mwTtnR6na6gUsb6zHCKWSP4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&_nc_gid=PjVJ2Uk_Vv63xJWl9clG8g&oh=00_AfKrme-DjGe_04KNf43ILl0P3K051RIwXQ_y-ddUhTO6Dw&oe=6833BC8A
They were carefully taught. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPf6ITsjsgk
South Pacific, right? [no, I haven't clicked on the link!]
Yes. 😊
Eh, what does reputation matter when you walk off with all the money? Same old story every time. I wasn’t raised Christian or with any religion, so I was interested to learn some Christians equate wealth with God's blessing and associate it with godliness. Funny how that works out.
What amazes me is that so many people think 'prosperity gospel' christians are a new thing. Accumulating wealth has been a staple of christianity almost from the beginning. And if you're wealthy, you must be godly, amirite? What a con game!
Goes back to Calvin.
Even before that if you count the Catholic Church.
I agree! Rotten from the start. Which is why it’s my least favorite of all the religions. Possibly also because I’m surrounded by these people…
Smells like they’re really selling capitalism! 🇺🇸 🙏
Actually, before your (A) there should be an item saying that all the participants were adult and consenting. Given the kind of scandals preachers are quite often involved in, we should be grateful that Falwell's activities did not involve kiddies nor unwilling parties.
I hear what you're saying, but when he put himself out there for years as a paragon of christian virtue and morality, I don't give him credit for anything. I'm grateful there were no children involved, for once, but he's still a colossal piece of crap.
True.
He doesn't deserve credit for not being a kiddiefiddler and not being a sexual assaulter. It should be the basic, minimum standard. But maybe I am just so jaded by all the 'not-a-drag-queen' stories, where the activities carried out by (some) preachers are beyond the pale.
We hear so many of these stories, we have to be careful not to lower the bar for these religious jerks. But you raise a good point: this is another case where loathsome behavior was NOT done by a drag queen, an LGBTQ person, anyone trans, or a godless liberal. Imagine that!
It's a classic BTL post under these stories, someone will point out that the miscreant - or, let's be accurate, the alleged miscreant, after all we believe in due process - is not an LGBTQ+ person. It's usually one of the very early comments here. The other day it was me, who put it up, usually I am joining the discussion too late, so someone has already got in there before me.
IMO, it's ALWAYS good and useful to point that out.
Best. Line.EVER!!!!! "Nothing screams “I’m a conservative Christian” like filing a lawsuit against the fundamentalist college you once led in order to get your gun back."
kwistianz iz kwazy peoplez.