The following comes from an August 7 posting on Patheos.com.
In one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Silver Blaze, the clue that led to identifying the criminal was a dog that didn’t bark.
“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” ask the Chief of Police.
“Yes—to the curious incident of the dog in the night time.”
“But the dog did nothing in the night-time.”
Holmes, “Ah—that was the curious incident.”
In the media’s coverage of religion, we often stumble upon these “curious incidents” when something that should have happened doesn’t happen—and shapes an entire story.
Consider, for example, a recent story in the Los Angeles Times on the “Gay teacher at Glendora Catholic school fired after marrying partner.” The teacher, Ken Bencomo, was fired by the school “after he married his partner of 10 years” and the photos of the ceremony were published in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Bencomo doesn’t comment in the story, but allows his attorney, Patrick McGarrigle, to speak on his behalf.
Take a look at this section and see if you notice anything unusual:
On multiple occasions over the year, McGarrigle said, Bencomo has introduced Persky as his partner to administrators at school events.
In a statement released through an attorney, the school said it is “a community of faith for those who wish to express, practice and adhere to values in education based on the Roman Catholic tradition.”
“While the school does not discriminate against teachers or other school employees based on their private lifestyle choices, public displays of behavior that are directly contrary to church teachings are inconsistent with these values,” the statement reads. “These values are incorporated into the contractual obligations of each of our instructors and other employees.”
Bencomo hopes to resolve the situation without legal action, but he has not ruled out filing a lawsuit, McGarrigle said.
“The school went to the draconian measure of firing him without warning and without legal reason,” he said. “They haven’t expressed any interest in finding a way for Ken to return.”
Is there any point, dear reader, to which I would wish to draw your attention? Indeed, to the curious incident of the omission of the reporter in reporting the “contractual obligations.”
I suspect even the L.A. Times recognizes (though doesn’t approve of) the fact that the Catholic Church considers a same-sex marriage ceremony to be “directly contrary to church teachings are inconsistent with these values.” The question that should have been asked, therefore, was whether whether the ceremony (and subsequent publicity) would violate the terms of the employment contract.
If so, it would certainly explain why no lawsuit was filed since it would be, contra Mr. McGarrigle, a “legal reason” for the firing. But it would also undermine the reason for publishing the story. “Teacher fired for violating employment contract,” would not be as catchy a headline.
However, if the marriage ceremony was not in violation of a contractual agreement, then it raises questions about the motives of the Catholic school administrators. Either way, by not asking for clarification about the “contractual obligations” the L.A. Times has left its readers uninformed about an essential element of the story.
What the omission does show, however, is that sometimes it’s the “dogs that don’t bark” that say the most about media bias.
UPDATE: Just realized that Tmatt beat me to this story.
To read original posting, click here.
“On multiple occasions over the year, McGarrigle said, Bencomo has introduced Persky as his partner to administrators at school events.”
If this was known to administrators before it became more public, why didn’t they act before it became “more” public?
Academentia is a self perpetuating Ponzi Scheme whereby the ‘professoriate’ rakes in Big Money from Student Loans, and produces in return Student Clones.
The Article by Lifson and the accompanying work by Schrodt should serve as a wake up call – to those footing the bill for the scam at least.
Warming a chair at a College was necessary in prior eras – because of the scarcity of Books (College Libraries Were a huge draw) and Professors who knew the material well enough to aid Student Learning. Those things have changed, but the method of delivery has not – mainly for financial reasons related to Tenured Salary.
The ‘Catholic’ Education system pays huge salaries to tenured Catholic Bashing Radicals in places like USF, Santa Clara…
Empowering them to denigrate, demean and persecute Catholics and Catholic Thinking / Morals / Teaching – from Inside ‘catholic’ (small ‘c’) schools – and indoctrinate the Young in their rabidly Anti-Catholic Bigotry, all the way from Kindergarden to Grad school.
It is Time for Change – and this article provides some ideas of where and how, to start:
“A tenured professor tells the truth about academia on his way out the door
Academic institutions have changed little since the post-WWII expansions of the 1950s, while the world around them has changed dramatically. What little change has occurred appears focused on the proliferation of pointless administrative positions whose sole purpose is to make the institution more expensive and less efficient. An imitation of the US auto industry in the 1960s. We know how that turned out.
Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/08/a_tenured_professor_tells_the_truth_about_academia_on_his_way_out_the_door.html?
Sorry, but enforcement of Catholic teaching by a Catholic school does not constitute “bigotry,” but constant sniping against Catholic teaching by those outside the Catholic Church with venomous intent certainly does. Constitute bigotry. That’s proven by Pres. Obummah’s “mandate,” which is trying to make Catholic institutions NOT buying into the current American contraceptive-abortive mentality liable to massive fines from his version of Big Brother. And his and apostate Catholic Sibelius’s ruling is pure bigotry, anti-Catholic bigotry. Now this story of the Glendora Catholic school is a bit confusing, with the contractual teacher issues and all. But I believe that in the end, it’s just one more attempt by the gayfascist homo lobby to ram their agenda down the throats of, especially, the Catholic Church. And it’s getting really tiresome. GOD LOVE ALL, MARKRITE
You Don’t Say
The Watchdogs of Truthiness who make up the ‘4th Estate’ of Government (Executive, Legislative, Judicial & Tabloid Branches) – constitute a bought and paid for ‘free press’ whose only ‘checks & balances’ are at the bank.
‘Reporting’ by this lamesteam media takes two main approaches: Aggressive Spin that promotes the (radical leftist / gender feminist / homosex / demicrat) agenda of the owners and their tree shaker pals…
And where the Facts are too Un-Good to spin their way – Heavy Censorship; as with the LARRY BRINKIN Racist Pederast Toddler Rape Ring apparently run out of the ‘in-human rights’ comm in Frisco.
The Singleton Syndicate (Media News / BANG / A.P. / ‘Trying Times’…) is run by a good pal of Barry (Soetoro / Marshall Davis / Obamacorn… Whoever the guy really is – the press don’t care) – has yet to run even One story about BRINKIN, but rarely omits mention of Abuse in any story about the Catholic Church.
Former Hollyweird mogul turned penitent pariah Michael Ovitz personally attested to the Complete Absence of any Media “Gay Mafia”, in his moving plea to a non-existent Gaystapo – not to have his legs broken for breaking the code of HOmerta.
The Utility of severe Beatings to promote Tolerance is highlighted in the ABC News ‘Tolerance Education Video’ distributed for School Children to Emulate:
“Don’t Say Gay – Or Get Beaten’
Note – it is All Right to use “God” as an Expletive – just not to say ‘gay’ Rong
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/dont-say-gay-video-viral-15066995
Letter to the Editor time?
I thought commentators here were supposed to keep it sort and simple?
Looks like they continue to “run off at the mouth”.
I sent a congratulatory email to the principal of the school and emphasized that I was proud of her courage. I also inquired if they have resolved to improve their catechesis , as so many of their students have publicly marched in protest of the teacher’s removal.
We need CATHOLIC nuns, priests, brothers– or lay teachers, and NOTHING ELSE– for our CATHOLIC SCHOOL-CHILDREN!! PERIOD!! And YES!! “DISCRIMINATE!!” We are supposed to have CATHOLIC standards of excellence and maturity, for all of our churches and institutions!! Our CATHOLIC parish families are depending on this!! YES!! A CATHOLIC school is a CATHOLIC institution, for heaven’s sake!! So– just when are our Church leaders going to understand this, like mature, Catholic adult Church leaders??
Linda,
The answer to your question is: “when they become true Catholic adult leaders!”
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
It used to be that our society honored an objective morality in everyday decisions. Now, the ”dictatorship of relativism” has reared its ugly tentacles of liberalism into that very same society. And the tentacles affect even faithful Christians who must be subject to the vagaries of the culture of everyone’s whims. Take the field of Journalism. It used to be that journalists were de facto Honest Abes. They reported the truth because truth used to be something to which to aspire. Now that liberals have enjoined the minions of Satan to destroy people, they have eschewed the moral authority of God, or nature (natural law) which is of God, even though some won’t admit it. Their loss, unfortunately.
The Catholic Church holds the deposit of Christ’s teachings. And, as far as I know, Jesus did not die to remove the Ten Commandments from our Lexicon. What so-called journalists are doing to Catholics is a sin against the Eighth Commandment. Gossip, detraction and calumny harm the human person. We are not to to cause unjust injury to our neighbor but justice is a human virtue. The Catechism rightly teaches us, in the professions, how to treat humanity. The Catechism teaches us respect for the truth, something which many journalists have forgotten (or, in this age, never learned).
“It used to be that”: The traditional form of this grammatical construction is, “Once upon a time, in a far away land”.
I always like some of these cliches that are rocketed around all the time, such as “deposit of faith”: It is much easier to understand the way Jesus puts it, “Faith is like a mustard seed … “. “Deposit of faith” sounds more like hiding faith under a bushel basket, and circling the wagons until the king returns and punishes those responsible.
The deposit of faith is the revealed truths-Scripture and Tradition-that the Church was given to preserve since Apostolic Times.
This kind of gay-in-your-face stuff keeps happening in our CHURCHES AS WELL AS OUR SCHOOLS.
Archbishop Cordileone just installed a new Pastor here in San Francisco, and the new Pastor just installed a new music director and his homosexual partner as the soloist.
These men recently got civilly married here in California and now wear wedding rings.
As it causes scandal, the pastor should remove both from their positions and, if that doesn’t work, the archbishop should intervene. This is no different than the gay teacher’s marriage.