Casteen's final: Good, evil, Love, and 134 buildings
John Casteen bestowed degrees at his last graduation as president of the University of Virginia.PHOTO BY DAN ADDISON/UVA PUBLIC AFFAIRS
After a 20-year tenure, the final exercises May 23 couldn't help but be poignant and bittersweet for retiring President John Casteen. But for the reporters converging on Charlottesville from Roanoke, the Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, Casteen's work as leader of Virginia's flagship university took a backseat to something sadder.
Although the sun broke through the overcast sky as the Class of 2010 began its walk on the Lawn, the Sunday morning event was marked by the shadow of the murder of their classmate Yeardley Love three weeks earlier.
Clearly, it weighed heavily on Casteen himself. He honed his go-forth-and-make-the-world-a-better-place message into a more painful cautionary warning about "what you do with regard to good and evil."
Overcoming adversity, facing challenges–- those are the stock topics of graduation speeches. To invoke evil, even in the secular sense, as Casteen did, acknowledged the still-unfathomable tragedy that claimed one of the university's own, allegedly at the hand of another student.
"Just as the university has not been perfect in your time here, the world to which you go is flawed and, in some senses, corrupt," said Casteen. "In many parts of the world, evil rules and visits destruction and inhuman conditions of life on those least deserving of it and least able to protect themselves from harm." Unspoken: You don't have to leave Charlottesville to find evil and corruption.
That the world is a cruel place may not have been his theme before May 3, when Love's battered body was found. When he spoke of "acts of senseless violence that dumbfound us with their cruelty and disregard for human life," it was hard not think of what happened on 14th Street.
Invoking Thomas Jefferson is de rigueur at any occasion in Charlottesville, and the 181st final exercises at the university Jefferson founded was no exception. English scholar Casteen threw in Ralph Waldo Emerson for the call to put "study into action," and invoked Albert Camus for suggesting that "the evil that is in the world almost always comes out of ignorance."
But it was John Keats with whom Casteen opened and to whom he returned, reminding the 6,256 graduates of the "negative capability"–- the capacity to live with uncertainty and to accept that not every mystery can be solved– even at a top-rated university. The unspoken mystery for the Class of 2010: How could George Huguely have allegedly murdered Yeardley Love?
Knowledge is typically compared to a light. Citing Keats again, Casteen urged grads to "step out into the darkness, into unknowns" to the world where each person becomes good because that's what they choose.
One would expect Casteen's last commencement to be bittersweet as he ends an illustrious career whose influence touches one-half of UVA's living alums, as Rector John Wynne pointed out.
The Portsmouth native led two of the most ambitious capital campaigns at a public university, said Wynne, and 134 new buildings were erected during Casteen's tenure. His determination to diversify and make the university more accessible led to the creation of Access UVA, "a model for financial aid that has been emulated across the nation and now enrolls thousands of our students," said Wynne.
Not mentioned by Wynne: Casteen was one of the first university presidents to battle binge drinking on college campuses.
"This is in a sense a daunting moment for me, because I usually sit behind the speakers at our graduations," Casteen acknowledged. And while the tragedy was referred to obliquely with his focus on good and evil, Casteen's tribute to Love was poetry, when he listed for the Class of 2010 the sounds they'd remember:
Students talking to parents on their cell phones, ROTC running in the morning, traffic, the marching band practicing on Carr's Hill, carols at the end of the semester, children on the Lawn at Halloween, the Chapel's bells–- and, finally, "the cheers at games, no matter what the sport, and the name of Yeardley Love."
92 comments
UVA is also number one is jocks who kill their girlfriends.
i dont know enough to be a fan of casteen or not; clearly he has probably been corrupted a bit by the god like status he has been assigned from major portions of the uva community. However, I doubt he is strong arming press outlets to cover up a story of a dead boy on campus. Their are 3 papers in town that are fighting for their fiscal lives and would have run with the story if they felt it would sell ads or drive readership. a lonely white boy OD-ing alone in his room is not the same story as a pretty white girl killed by a pretty white boy a week before graduation. casteen has had little control of the love story and doubt he could have controlled the OD story if anyone was interested in it.
I guess every OB/GYN doctor in America is ripe for your website - since they all aid in assisting women to avoid unwanted pregnancy by prescribing birth control.
How this relates to violence against women is beyond me. The feminist mantra is "our bodies, our decisions." no one forces women to take any birth control - they do it willingly. But when a guy forces himself on a woman and rapes her, I hope she does 3 things immediately following: 1)call the police 2) go to the ER and 3) Take the morning after pill to avoid becoming pregnant.
I visited your site 4 times - but not because I agreed; I was trying to understand the matrix on each page. It isn't very clear what the real point of the site is, sorry to say.
@Sean: I will be glad to address your questions about the aborted fetus.
Does it look like anything was forced on her? Yes
Does that look like life, or death? Death
Can you explain how it is that her head is missing? Perhaps suction or cut
Can you comment on how likely this makes it that she will ever go to the prom, fall in love, or go to college? No she won't
This, Susan, is the violence against women that you not only turn a blind eye to. This in the violence against women that who wholeheartedly support.
Not everything is black or white, Sean. I don't support abortion for the purpose of birth control -- but if that SOB who raped my daughter got her pregnant, I would have provided her with the option of aborting the child that was forced upon her and hoped that God would forgive me.
I am not going to lie privately or publicly about my beliefs. It takes a strong Catholic to adhere to every word of the Bible and Canon Law. It's like arguing with the PETA people over minks when they wear leather shoes.
PS. You haven't mentioned your speaker to me -- is it Daisy? If so, I would like to speak with her.
Susan, you are not pro life. And, naturally, you made no attempt to address any of the questions I asked you regarding the very young girl pictured in the link I posted. "Kill the poor" is not a new idea in world history. Neither is "kill the unwanted."
Each year, over a 500,000 married couples seek to adopt a baby.
Using your own logic, I could just as easily say that every victim of a crime or other misfortune in life should never have been born at all. They would be better off having been dismembered and thrown into the garbage so as to avoid their fate in life. That goes for everyone ever raised into a single (or no) parent household. Your daughter is still alive. I'm sure she has had some good times in her life as well as the bad ones. The little girl I showed you was beheaded, and discarded. She will never have anything at all. She was killed, and is in the garbage in a landfill somewhere. Her rights were discarded with her. We can only imagine who she would have been, or what she could have achieved. She will never exist again. She has no rights at all, because her right to life was taken from her just as any murder victim. She will have no degree, no happiness, no naivete, and no zest for life to lose. Plenty of people were born into difficult situations and have gone on to lead rather fulfilling lives. Our current US president is one of them.
Nobody in my group at UVA is permitted to use it as a launching pad for any other issue. I am an international socialist myself, so you your mudslinging at people defending human rights doesn't stick to me. We agreed that Mr. Casteen was a master at covering things up, and we rationally included your story and the story of hushed up sexual assaults was just another of his success stories in keeping what lies beneath at UVA quiet. Whether you agreed 100% with us, you need not have attacked your allies - but you did.
I wonder how many pages you had to rip out of your Bible, Susan. I'm thinking at least a dozen. Especially with your religion beginning with an Immaculate CONCEPTION, and "The Babe" leaping in the womb when Mary entered Elizabeth's house. Mary had conceived just a few days before.. Jesus made lots of news while in utero. You have ZERO defense for your stance against the protection of human rights in your own Holy Book, Susan. Jesus was the perfect candidate to be aborted using your socio economic rationale anyway, right?
If the decision to behead her child is between a woman and her God, like you say, then so is the same decision after the child is born. And so is any decision to harm, rape or kill anyone else under any circumstances. You reject the UDHR, Nuremberg, and Geneva - and embrace the policy of the first modern abortionist instead - Hitler. I do the opposite.
It is a sad fact that Virginia was one of the three states to make some form of infanticide legal before Roe/Wade came along and slammed a lie about a rape down everyone's throats to clear the way for the millions of elective abortions since. But publicly funded abortion is still illegal, and as a publicly funded state school - UVA is breaking the law by doing them. It is part of the reason why it has never been advertised. But with nearly 30,000 visitors to or site and counting, a LOT more people know about another of Mr. Casteen's pet projects than ever before.
Yes, we have contacted the Attorney General and the Governor's office. Things take time.
"I know that to you, women are far more important than men and in particular more than infants." I don't know what that means or how you could draw that conclusion. I shouldn't even engage in anymore debate, but you know me -- always lots to say.....
I am a Catholic and do not believe in abortion. But I do believe in birth control. I'm sure the Pope would have an issue with me, but I do not believe in bringing unwanted children on to this earth. I have seen too many children suffer because they are malnourished, unsupervised, and live in a home of anger and physical abuse. I have this debate with my friends all the time -- because there is no clear answer. Life is unfair and even if you play by the rules, awful things happen. However, my friends who are Right to Life Activists also fight against every social program that would give these children quality life.
I saw a bumper sticker that said "May the fetus you save turn out to be gay." I thought that was pretty funny because Right to Lifers (the ones I know) generally don't approve of homosexuality. (And no, I'm not gay.)
I don't believe the state (country) should have abortion laws - that decision is between a woman and her God. I don't like my tax dollars going to abortions, but then, I don't like my tax dollars going to a lot of projects that are required by law.
Many good, honest people will not run for election and serve our country because they do not want to publicly discuss abortion.
I am not a feminist. I became involved in UVA because my daughter was raped and no one in the administration did anything to help her. They were willing to sacrifice her to keep a male student with a power problem. My daughter was raised in a single parent family. The rapist's father owns a company in DC and they pretend to be elite. I cannot live that pretense. Money talks, right? I thought my daughter's situation was unique - until I received hundreds of letters from women telling me the same thing happened to them. And thus my cause was born.
I have no knowledge of who your newest group member is. If she was on Student council at the time, she did nothing to help us. The rapist was also on Student Council - she could have had him removed. Why did you need her blessing to tell my story? If you want anyone's blessing, it should have come from me or my daughter. My daughter and I have been interviewed by the major news networks and the Center for Public Integrity. I have had 2 bills (unsuccessfully) brought before the Virginia legislature. We are not shy to tell the truth about the way UVA covers up crimes against women. We are not shy because our story doesn't change. We are consistent and have documentation to back up our story for the fact checkers. I would appreciate hearing from this person and hearing what she knows about "our" story. If she has evidence that should have been presented to the Commonwealth Attorney I would like to hear it. I play well with others, but I do not beat around the bush. I don't have time for that anymore.
I appreciate your assistance to keep the story alive - the rape crimes at UVA are felonies. But handing out birth control is legal. Abortions are not legal in Virginia - they are class IV felonies, I believe. If the UVA Med Center is performing abortions you should contact the Commonwealth Attorney to initiate an investigation.
If a woman wants an abortion, she will seek it out - whether it is at the UVA Med Ctr or across the line in North Carolina. Abortions are elective. I don't know what else to say about that. But rape is not elective. Yes, women who have had abortions carry that guilt with them for the rest of their lives, but they have choices. My daughter fought for her choice, but in the end, lost. This 5'2" thin young woman was not able to fight off the 6"2" man intent on raping her. I don't see that these issues are the same. Ask your Princess if my daughter was ever the same. He robbed her of her degree, her happiness, her naivete, and her zest for life. Casteen, Lampkin, Sisson, Rue and Kaplan pushed my daughter and the law aside for the sake of the University's reputation. I will never forget that these people, paid to protect our young women, failed miserably at their jobs. They failed so miserably that by the end of Casteen's term, a woman died a violent death.
Casteen needs to ask for God's forgiveness, not mine.
So, if it makes you feel better to insult me, then go ahead. You know who I am, but I don't know who you are. You say you've talked with this woman about my daughter's experience - I would appreciate an email to my website telling me who you are and who she is. It keeps the facts straight.
Anyone care to identify the most delusional/arrogant/patronizing/creepy statement in Sean's latest egotistical post?
I think that it's a tossup between trying to repeatedly insult Susan after claiming to be his daughter's champion and calling someone a "Warrior Princess."
Today's Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-seccuro/a-history-of-violence-not_b_59...
Deleted by moderator.
And Sean is back, what a surprise.
Why should they be prosecuted for the current mainstream scientific opinions? The opinions of the American Cancer Society, and other notable groups? What make your beliefs more correct than theirs? It seems you continually misunderstand what science is about, and refuse to acknowledge any other viewpoints other than yours. And yet here you are, polluting a thread that has absolutely nothing to do with this issue.
Don't drink milk. Milk causes cancer. www.HoosAgainstMilk.com
Casteen has supported the milk industry for too long by allowing dairy farmers to ship and sell their poison on grounds. OUTRAGE.
Sean is losing it big time. What a freak!
Like I said, it's a mental illness that causes people to shy away from the facts regarding steroids because they just simply don't want to see them - or even think about them. Steroids are only bad for men, or at least that what mentally ill people still think once presented with what the Mayo Clinic has to say on the subject.. Birth defects are AOK too - just don't make them look at something that may disrupt their political agenda!
Linking to medical journals and comparing their conclusions to UVA lies has gotten my posts deleted by the Hook (look at the advertisement atop this page). But 992 people have visited our site in two days. Well worth all the hours and research we did just to get even one woman informed of what Mr. Casteen does not want her to know.
Even a tiny spark of truth can burn down a city of lies.
http://www.uvalies.org/breastcancer.html
OK, I'm wrong ... I googled it and obviously believed the first link I hit upon. Apologies to women everywhere.
I don't know everything ....... never pretended to. I don't stay informed on the topic because I am past the child bearing years .... not a good excuse, but it's my excuse. My interest is in opening eyes to rape -- that I know is a Felony crime in Virginia.
So then, if abortions are legal in Virginia, the UVA Med Center is operating properly and within the law. Sometimes what is legally right is not morally right. Abortion is between a woman and her God and I will not judge.
"Abortions are not legal in Virginia - they are class IV felonies, I believe. If the UVA Med Center is performing abortions you should contact the Commonwealth Attorney to initiate an investigation."
Susan, I don't know where you might have come up with that one. It is simply not true, and it's really hard for me to believe there is anyone who doesn't know that.
This is only part of the VA Code which deals with the subject of legal abortions. Searching VA Code is at most a few key strokes away if you want the rest.
§ 18.2-72. When abortion lawful during first trimester of pregnancy.
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of § 18.2-71, it shall be lawful for any physician licensed by the Board of Medicine to practice medicine and surgery, to terminate or attempt to terminate a human pregnancy or aid or assist in the termination of a human pregnancy by performing an abortion or causing a miscarriage on any woman during the first trimester of pregnancy.
§ 18.2-73. When abortion lawful during second trimester of pregnancy.
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of § 18.2-71 and in addition to the provisions of § 18.2-72, it shall be lawful for any physician licensed by the Board of Medicine to practice medicine and surgery, to terminate or attempt to terminate a human pregnancy or aid or assist in the termination of a human pregnancy by performing an abortion or causing a miscarriage on any woman during the second trimester of pregnancy and prior to the third trimester of pregnancy provided such procedure is performed in a hospital licensed by the State Department of Health or operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
"Abortions are not legal in Virginia -"
***
What the ...?
Susan, I think you may be the only person on a Hook thread who has ever admitted being wrong. If only Sean would take your lead...
I know -- and sometimes you have to be careful who you are having a "chat with" on these boards. My daughter's rapist occasionally spars with me on these boards - he thinks I don't know who he is.
Susan, Sean doesn't really care about violence against women. The type of guy who is as gung-ho anti-choice as Sean appears to be usually hates women.
Dude, you said that you were leaving, all of 3 hours and 57 minutes ago.
"Every time I to get out, they pull me back in!"
Sean = Brave Sir Robin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZwuTo7zKM8#t=01m01s
Oh, Sean mentions that information, but only to try to discredit it by saying that the benefits are overstated.
The IARC also correctly lists solar radiation, alcoholic beverages, and salted meat as Group I carcinogens, given that at certain doses these substances can also cause certain cancers.
Oh, why, oh, why, has John Casteen allowed sunshine, beer, and barbecue to claim the lives of thousands of U.Va. tailgaters? Why have the local media refused to cover this horrible tragedy? U.Va. lies!
Hey, thanks for that link to the IARC study on oral contraceptives. I did not know oral contraceptive use has been linked to reduction in risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer!
"Three cohort and 16 caseââ?¬â??control studies addressed the relationship between use of combined oral contraceptives and the risk for endometrial cancer. The results of these studies consistently show that the risk for endometrial cancer of women who have taken these pills is approximately halved. The reduction in risk is generally stronger the longer the oral contraceptives are used and persists for at least 10 years after cessation of use.
Ovarian cancer
Four cohort and 21 caseââ?¬â??control studies addressed the relationship between ovarian cancer and use of combined oral contraceptives. Overall, these studies show a consistent reduction in the risk for ovarian cancer with increasing duration of use. The reduction is about 50% for women who have used the preparations for at least five years, and the reduction seems to persist for at least 10ââ?¬â??15 years after use has ceased. ... A reduction in risk for ovarian tumours of borderline malignancy is also observed."
How come Sean doesn't mention these findings when he talks about "all the breast cancers that Elson and the Teen Center are causing as we speak." How come he doesn't thank Elson and the Teen Center for all the ovarian and endometrial cancers they're preventing?
"See? Nobody can refute anything."
Hmmm refuted your medical arguments about cancer rates several times.
Jake and others have explained WHY the records are sealed.
The deceased student's dad came on (and was quoted on this thread)and explained why the results his son's death aren't on out for the public..after telling you how your hurtful comments had made his grieving wife cry.
"No attempts are made to explain how a 21 year old dropping dead in a frat house is NOT news" It was on the FRONT PAGE of the Cav Daily.
I could go on.
People have answered and refuted your statements. You choose to ignore them
Yawn..
See? Nobody can refute anything. All they can do is get back in touch with their inner school yard trash talker. They've got nothing else to go with.. The Hook has obviously come under pressure from its advertisers to start censoring my posts now. It was only a matter of time. The status quo must be maintained no matter the body count. See that ad atop this page?
As we saw again Wednesday, even the judges in this town will do as Mr. Casteen wants them to. If it wasn't the defense sealing things, then exactly who else would? And as we've seen on these boards, plenty of people are AOK with cover ups, looking the other way, dead students, sexual assaults, birth defects, whatever it takes to keep what lies beneath from being known. As Susan suggested, the "nothing will change" plan is moving forward quite successfully on all fronts. And it is moving forward to great applause.
For what it's worth, folks, I could waltz into UVA any time I felt like it via the Guaranteed Admissions Agreement with the VCCS. I've the grades, and the credits. But it's not worth the money, and I certainly have no interest in financing such a dishonest, cruel, and corrupt administration. Perhaps Mrs. Sullivan will effect some positive changes with regard to human rights, medical honesty, the code of silence, and the drug culture at UVA. But if she was chosen by the same crew that thinks Casteen is so great, that doesn't give one much hope in that regard. We'll see.
Se ya, Hook. You actually were better than the others for a brief time (although, that's not saying much). But you covered up a student death just weeks before a pretty young woman was killed that was more sensational and marketable for you. Now you're playing the game just like all of them and censoring people who dare speak out and debate the status quo around here.
See?
In the end, the media in this town will protect their paymaster. Have a look at the streaming advertisement atop this webpage.
A 21 year old UVA student dropped dead in a frat house 7 weeks ago on the same block where Casteen lays his head every night. The Hook protected you from knowing anything whatsoever about that story, as did NBC 29, the C-Ville Weekly, and the Daily Progress. Because, well, John Casteen does not want you to know about such things.
And his obedient media in this town follow suit. As we saw last week with the sealed documents in the Huguley/Love case, even the judges here can break the law if Casteen does not want something to be known.
See how this works?
Sean, you're a paranoid guy.
UVA Emergency Department has psychiatric consults if you need, Sean...
All anyone can ever do on this site is try to change the subject and shoot the messenger. No attempts are made to explain how a 21 year old dropping dead in a frat house is NOT news. No other explanations presented as to why everything was sealed in the Huguley case and the defense has said it has nothing to do with it.
Maybe it was the Tooth Fairy making all this happen?
Even if it was, this is still the guy who refused to sign the Letter of Condolence penned by the VT president after what was left of Morgan Harrington's was found on a farm where they've had UVA frat parties. Even the Cavalier Daily had the guts to cover that one. But not the Hook. Not anyone else, either..
But I guess the editors at the Cav Daily are all insane and paranoid like me, huh?
Like I've said many times before, most people at UVA, and even in Charlottesville, are AOK in covering things up. Our reputation comes before any murder investigation, of course. Same goes for the sexual assaults at UVA.
Mr. Casteen's legacy is what it is. This guy talking about confronting evil is a joke. It's just that his favorite kinds of evil are very popular around here.
http://uvalies.org/
But I guess the editors at the Cav Daily are all insane and paranoid like me, huh?
***
They come across as reasonable. You come across as paranoid and clueless.
Sean,
You are clearly very unstable and in need of psychiatric help. John Casteen is a good, honest, brilliant, hard working man.
No, you clearly do not get it. No one is shooting the messenger, but this is what happens when something absolutely ridiculous is being pandered off as truth: you get ridiculed. (Much like the MMR vaccine guy from England)
No one is saying Casteen is perfect. Clearly there are things that need to be worked on in terms of the judiciary procedures at UVA at-large. But to say Casteen pays all the newspapers around here, the judge, the government to say good things about UVA? And then somehow bringing abortion into this? Please, go see a psychiatrist immediately.
I keep expecting Sean to add a rant against water fluoridation to his list of charges against President Casteen.
And really, believing in absolutely ridiculous conspiracy theories is a sign of psychiatric problems, as it indicates an alarming sense of dissociation from the real world and how the society operates. Maybe a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist?
Yawn..
For what it's worth, I really enjoy it when NOBODY can come up with any other explanations whatsoever. They just revert back to the school yard instead with "you need help."
Awesome. =o)
The sad thing is this: if Sean Cannan actually gave a damn about any of the issues he supposedly cares about -- if he actually wanted to ACHIEVE anything, make any progress at all in terms of changing the status quo -- then he would use different argumentative tactics. Tactics that actually work. Like respectfully acknowledging the doubts and concerns of those who disagree with him. Like finding common ground where opponents can meet him halfway. Like not setting up all his issues as all-or-nothing, good-v-evil scenarios.
Instead, he uses tactics that totally alienate 99% of the reading public. He uses tactics that enlarge his own sense of persecution (one lone voice crying in the wilderness, yadda yadda) and self-righteousness. His arguments are all about him and his needs rather than in service to a realistic goal (i.e., changing people's minds). And it's really quite a perfect closed system: if anyone agrees with him, he feels Right, and if anyone disagrees, he feels even more Right. So despite all the rhetoric about unborn life and all those poor UVa women, he's not doing a thing to help them -- and apparently he prefers it that way.
Oh look, here someone realizes the absurdity of his arguments, so he falls back on the "my completely false and outrageous accusation is the only one being put forth, so I win" mentality.
Congratulations! You win!
as a recent transplant to the area, it is obvious to me that the university's clout in this town allows it to dictate its media coverage. combine that with the city and its stakeholders' obsession with the image of charlottesville as a great place to live and we end up with all the negative news being buried to the extent possible. charlottesville is a great place to live, but let's get some honest reporting. it really is unbelievable that the frat house death was never reported by any the main media outlets in town.
oh -- i forgot to say, step out of the way because here come the flames!
Here's an obvious explanation, from someone who knows the situation at the SERP house much better than you do, Sean: the family of the brother who passed away wants their privacy and deserves their privacy. So stop trolling the Cav Daily threads and the Hook threads with your dumbfounded conspiracy theories. And yes, you need help.
Yeah, I think I am inclined to go with Sean on this stuff. UVA suffers a condition I can only described as outrageous arrogance. Tackling binge drinking, are you kidding me? Not firing Craig Littlepage about 5 years ago when it was clear the athletic department was out of control, drunk on power and control that has now ended with the murder of a promising student-athlete? What a joke. UVA's academic standards are in decline, athletics are the laughing stock of ACC schools and Casteen has presided over all of it. Let's all look forward to some new leadership and a return to Jeffersonian ideals, which don't include murder.
There's nothing "unfathomable" about Yeardley Love's death. It was a murder committed by her boyfriend, who had previously assaulted her and, as such, is yet another incidence of the domestic violence against women so prevalent in the U.S. - and yes, little children, that means Charlottesville and UVa. too. he had already attacked her at a party and there were multiple witnesses (read the WaPo article from this past weekend). Nobody reported his assault on her to the cops or the University. That's domestic violence and complicit bystanders - plain and simple. So if you can't "fathom" that, what planet are you on?
Sean,
How much longer are you going to show your ignorance on the sealing of the records? They were sealed by the prosecutor in order to protect his case and keep the jury pool from being tainted giving the defense a strong motion for a venue change. What in the freaking world does that have to do with Casteen and UVA? Why would the defense attorney OBJECT to sealing the records--what kind of message do you think that sends to the SAME jury pool?
Hoolarious (aka., anonymous coward - maybe even Casteen himself), we've already achieved a lot, and are making heady progress as time goes by. It's certainly not all about me. But not many other pro life leaders and members of his activist group get led up into UVA hospital by the medical staff there. There are some who like the "attach your name to a human rights cause, then do nothing" for sure. But there are others who take a more Martin Luther King approach to activism. And that includes ad nauseum statements of the facts, rude reminders of exactly what we are talking about here, and forward leaning confrontation with the enemies of human rights.
I'm proud to call Alveda King (MLK's niece) my friend, as I am Lila Rose, Kristin Day, and Rebecca Kiessling. We let each other know what we are up to on facebook every few weeks. Siobhan Casey of Youth Defense in Ireland is our co director. It aint just me, buddy.. I suggest you have a look at the latest gallup polls (if you are still in denial of about the election results in 2009 and 2010) regarding the % of Americans now calling themselves pro life. Then you can add to your headache by looking up the numbers among 19-28 years olds.
Like it or not, in house elective abortions, and the medical misinformation provided with them, is one of John's Casteen's most enduring legacies at UVA. There will be dozens to hundreds of children needlessly born preterm with developmental disabilities thanks to his policy that HE brought to UVA in 1990. That will be his legacy also, along with all the breast cancers that Elson and the Teen Center are causing as we speak.
Our website is quickly approaching 30,000 visitors over the past few months. Hundreds of hits from Moscow of all places just recently. People are getting informed of the medical science you do not want them to know about due to your politics. I've heard from many of them. Every single one of them makes it all worth it for all of us. Even a tiny spark of truth can burn down a city of lies. 19 people - men and women alike - have shared their very personal abortion stories with me. Many of them current or former UVA students.
Here's your real nightmare, though.. Our latest new member is a UVA alumni who just so happened to have worked for Planned Parenthood the last 7 years right here in central Virginia, until she could no longer take part in their lies and deceptions. She is giving us loads of their secret data that will take months to comb through. There is a lot of ghoulish stuff. She is being published in the American Feminist Magazine soon. We're very proud of her.
If there is one thing we can all look back to the last year, it is definitely NOT that we achieved nothing. Indeed, I have trouble keeping up sometimes. We will be taking a case before the UVA Honor Committee this fall against Margaret Lipman, who wrote an article in the Cavalier Daily some weeks back that tried to repeat some lies about medical science. And, yes, we have some other plans coming up. Mrs. Sullivan already knows who we are, and we'll see if she continues Mr. Casteen's dishonest and cruel policies. We'll see.
So keep believing that I am a solitary nut achieving nothing. That Mr. Casteen was not at all involved in any of the things I have mentioned. That we are alienating 99% of people. It's entertaining. Comic relief is important sometimes.
"I’m proud to call Alveda King (MLK’s niece) my friend, as I am Lila Rose, Kristin Day, and Rebecca Kiessling. We let each other know what we are up to on facebook every few weeks."
I think that's my favorite part of this post.
And the oil is still pouring into the gulf of mexico eco-system at an alarming rate
These posts prove that while you are all behaving like children and getting into your arrogant bantering, nothing is happening. Productive dialogue doesn't flow. Committees are not investigating allegations. And come September, it will be business as usual on the UVA campus because no one could remember what the topic was.
Just visited your site, Sean -- pro-life/right to choose is not something the campus covers up. Women have the ability to go anywhere for information/treatment and since UVA is a state school, it must adhere to state laws. HOWEVER, rape victims cannot shop around for a cop. When you want to talk about Casteen & Co turning a blind eye to crime, there is no comparison to handing out the morning after pill in the UVA clinics because birth control was not used during intercourse to having a man hold you down and rape you (felony crime) and the UVA cop can't get off her *** and conduct an investigation - and document it properly.
As usual Sean ignores comments directly refuting his parnanoid nonsense.
Susan wrote, "These posts prove that while you are all behaving like children and getting into your arrogant bantering, nothing is happening."
I don't think Susan knows what the word "prove" means.
I have nothing to prove. I shouldn't care about your city or your arrogant college, but since I do care about the women who have been assaulted, I will continue to blog. Your taunting does not intimidate me.
I have endured the system and know what a farce it is.
I use my real name and I do not hide behind a pseudonym.
I am sure Ms. Lipman is shaking in her bed, terrified of your charges against her in the UVA Honor Committee, because of your "scientific evidences". Keep in mind that there are literatures on the other side.
This is so hilarious, absolutely, remarkably, hilarious. Every post you make cracks people up. Why don't you, you know, do something productive for society instead of continuing this rambling and nonsense?
yes, sean's comments are over the top but do all his attackers really believe that UVA (i.e., the university president) does not hold sway over the local media? how naive.
Sean=gay
Do you think the President of the United States has sway over national media?
Anyone remember Watergate?
Is John Casteen still planning on going to work for a tobacco company after his uva gig?
Abortion isn't rape...people are free to choose what they do with their pregnancy. Sean-serious question: Has anyone been forced to get an abortion by UVa?
@whatever: Other than Football and Basketball (which are obviously at alow point this year)UVa sports is doing just fine. This year UVa set the record for most ACC championships (and couting) in a single season. We are currently number 1 in the country in baseball, lax, we won teh soccer championship, and are in the NCAA semifinals for tennis. (I don't know much about women's sports.)
Academically, UVa has hardly "fallen off". The numbers just don't back that up.
@jake, do you seriously think the potus does not hold sway over the media? what do you consider structured press announcements with invite only media members, answering only the questions you see fit, and telling everyone on your staff to not talk to the media? every institution uses resources to control what does or does not go public and uva is no different. i am not saying anyone is strong-arming or bribing anyone, but yes, a young white frat boy dying on campus is news and should have been covered by the local media and it is perplexing that it was not. and by covered i mean mentioned; it would not warrant coverage like morgan or love-huguely, but a student dying in a university town is newsworthy whether chouva cares or not.
Hugh de Payen
This explains everything!! Thanks for the clarification. Now that the secret is out, I am sure we will see it passed around the media.
Thanks for the wonderful Grad day. All the words of knownledge to the grads that day were great. we had many friends and family grad that wonderful day and enjoy the words said. We wish everyone well and prayer to the family of lost ones. My the community and UVA learn from all this and move on to a safer world. Pls think before you say things folks. Pls try learn and help each other and move on in life. Being bitter does nothing but hurt more. CONGRATES 2010 grads best of love and luck to Mr casteen and the grads.
Wait, so Sean is a 45 year-old Charlottesville resident who's obsessed with the coverage of U.Va., particularly its fraternity members?
"Get a life" is such a cliche, but so apt in this case.
How does someone who is not a member of the community of trust bring honor charges against a member for an OPINION piece in the paper?
I bet Honor hasn't even responded to your ridiculous request and you have interpreted that as meaning they are actually considering it.
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/2010/04/06/university-student-passes-away-s...
There you go. Covered. You can hear it from Joe Arwood's dad himself if you scroll down in the comments - they still don't know the cause of death. Joe's friends and family won't let his name get slandered by other publications, and that has nothing to do with Casteen's agenda.
Also, I'm curious about Sean's pending honor charges against Ms. Lipman. He'll certainly get attention from the University this way, although I don't know that it will be very positive attention. Regardless of who is "morally right", it's not the honor committee's job to determine which party's scientific evidence is better. If Ms. Lipman has any legitimate research at all to back her claims (again, regardless of whether Sean's research is "better"), then she did not knowingly lie.
One of the UVA critics who posts here frequently has been very careful not to reveal the complete knowledge of a great national secret involving all UVA Presidents. However, I feel that I must do so at this time, as I no longer have anything to lose, and time is getting very short.
The Father of The University, Thomas Jefferson, became a member of the Knights Templar while serving as the minister to France. Upon his return to Monticello, Mr Jefferson decided to build a great learning center for future Kinghts. He had a vast and very secure "wine cellar" built 50 feet under the Lawn when its associated buildings were constructed. Two cleverly concealed doors near the main entrance to the Rotunda now allow passage to this vault. The location of the doors and details of their locking mechanism cannot be revealed.
On October 13, 1823, Jefferson and the Freemason ex-presidents Madison and Adams moved the Ark of the Covenant from it's temporary hiding place beneath Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia into the secret UVA Vault beneath the unfinished Rotunda. The Ark previously had been moved from the Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland to Philadelphia by Henry Sinclair as a symbol of blessing to the New Atlantis.
Over the years, every president of UVA has been initiated into the Knights Templar. Mr Casteen was reportedly inducted by none other than George Bush Sr, and this is also the reason the Miller Center was chosen as a repository for the Bush Oral History in 2009. Every October 13, Knight Templar Casteen reportedly descends into the Vault to inventory its contents, accompanied by the unidentified Master of the Knights Templar and a Novitiate Templar chosen from one of the UVA's secret societies. Other historical artifacts have been added to the Vault over the years, including the right hand of Shakespeare, the poison dart removed from President Kennedy's neck, and Vince Fosters White House ID badge.
In general, few people are aware of the special privileges enjoyed by UVA Presidents within the Virginia Triangle, which has as its vertices the center points of the domes of Monticello, the Rotunda, and the State Capitol Building, all designed by Knight Templar Jefferson. By a very secret and special agreement with high ranking Freemasons in the US government and the Virginia government in 1825, all state and federal constitutional rights and privileges in this triangle can be suspended by the UVA President when he feels that the contents of the Vault may be compromised by undue and unpleasant attention to controversy. This agreement, by the way, is the true motivation for AG Cuchinelli's animosity towards The University, as he is jealous of this power.
I hope this clears up some the shady mysteries and coverups alluded to in many of [censored]'s posts.
"I came home night before last to find my wife in tears & furious. She was checking on her website visability under various search engines & the name Arwood linked to articles about Joseph in the Cav. Daily. She’d just found Seans comments (fortunately John’s first had been removed). So I’ve entered this theater a bit late late in the show, but pass me the spotlight. First of all, thank you to all who have blasted John & Sean. I would’ve handled it myself, had I known about it. I’m a pedi/neo Flight Nurse in south Texas. I go get critically ill patients from newborn to adult & my team does our best to keep them alive to get to our hospital. So, I’ve spent many years dealing with life & death on a daily basis. Joseph was my 1st. experience on the other side of the equation ( a horrible place to be). But I am all too aware of the various causes of death; intentional, accidental or unknown medical. The fact is that we still havn’t rec’d an answer from the medical examiners office. And no Sean, its the State”Šbeyond President Casteens’ jurisdiction. I’ve known cases that take up to 6 months to receive a result."
Jack, hadn't made the connections. But perhaps Hawes should supply Tim Longo with the email address that is required so he can check this guy out?? It's a bit creepy to think that a 47 yr old man is trying to pretend he is a UVA student. Has he been blogging about Morgan Harrington? Maybe he knows something. Many psychotic killers think they are smarter than everyone and even show up at the crime scene to watch the detectives work.
Or maybe he's William Beebe?
Cat: thanks. I was trying out a piece to submit to be a writer for The {right wing television host] Show. It would be a great gig - no fact checking and you can let your imagination go wild
Deleted by moderator.
If you look over at the spring issues of the Cavalier Daily and the on-line comments, you'll see that Sean's behavior is consistent.
He trolls. He exaggerates to the point of untruth, and then condemns. He senses conspiracies in the absence of evidence. In some recent cases of tragic death, he hurts the families of loved ones with his public comments.
There are snippets of self-reported biography there, perhaps enough for somebody with expertise to craft a profile. But what's obvious to this non-expert is that he has a strange relationship to the bodies of female UVa students. He confesses that he ogles them, writes of the number he's taken to bed, and lists others who are doing his political bidding at UVa, where he has no standing. He condemns the rest of UVa women as promiscuous with drink, drugs, and sex.
The fixation with Casteen and UVa fraternity members is puzzling.
There's something strange here and I just can't quite put my finger on it.
sean, you are wasting your time, both here and in general. focus your energy somewhere more meaningful.
as for cville being ultra-left, that is a facade. cville it way more conservative than one might think. plopped down in the middle of central VA makes it seem more left than it is, and uva is a very conservative school.
What color is the sky in your world, Sean? It must be very, very dark.
Sean...
My friend, get your facts straight. Mr. Casteen does not live near the fraternities. He and his wife have a private home in Albemarle county. So much the media not getting facts disseminated or you knowing your facts.
Peace be with you.
Well, he does kind of live at Carr's Hill, right?
So, in essence, we have a 47(?) year old man who goes after UVA college women while at the same time put up a vendetta against UVa and Charlottesville in general (with nonsense, no doubt)? Your medical sciences aren't even that iron-clad as you seemingly made it out to be, and you condemn that lack of support for your theories on "political pressure" on ACS/NIH and others.
Get a grip, and go see a psychologist/psychiatrist, please. Despite what you have against the OB/GYN department, UVA's psychiatry is not too shabby, though I heard they don't have enough bed spaces these days.
Again, all they can do is try, try desperately, to divert and distract people from the very real and important topics at hand. The ones making living people dead people long before their time.
Anything - anything whatsoever - is better to them than facing up to what has happened here the past year(s). And, of course, none of them have the balls to so much as write their name.
=o)
@Sean: Yet again you ignore the incontrovertible fact of the matter regarding the toxicology report: that it's none of your business. You can see when the rest of the world sees it, when Huguely is convicted.
Sean's "medical arguments" are a joke. He doesn't know how to interpet basic epidemiologic findings in a reasonable way. My favorite statistic from his crackpot Facebook page is that prostate cancer increased by something like 141% in males from, say, 1960 to 1975, similar to the increase in breast cancer among women. Sean suggests that this is due to in utero effects caused by oral contraceptive use among women. Of course, the obvious problem is that prostate cancer is overwhelmingly found among older males, so these men would have been born before 1925, long before the development of oral contraceptives. Sean obviously doesn't understand the concept of "competing risks" and how declines in infectious diseases and then heart disease sometimes lead to increases in slowly developing conditions such as prostate cancer.
Well, look at it this way folks, if Sean is spending most of his time making a fool of himself on a relatively harmless message board he's not out on the streets doing real damage. Let's tolerate him for the sake of Charlottesville's humanity.
I think he's in his 20s. Who is William Beebe
Well, if he's the same Sean Cannan who runs in local races then he's 45.
@Sean: Let me say it again, for the 100th time now, since you're having such difficult with this:
The PROSECUTOR (that's the one trying the guy for murder) sealed the records. That way, it doesn't contaminate his jury pool. That way, he can try it in Charlottesville, where he will be CONVICTED.
Why are you having such a difficult time with this?
Because he will do everything and anything to twist the truth, bark nonsense... etc, in order to support his little pet cause. In a sense, he is even more dangerous than Huguely.
Also, Sean, the defense attorney CANNOT even REQUEST to have a warrant sealed under Virginia law, ONLY The Commonwealth can make such a request.
VA Code 19.2-54:
"...such affidavit may be temporarily sealed by the appropriate court upon application of the attorney for the Commonwealth for good cause shown in an ex parte hearing"
So get a clue before you spout off your conspiracy theories. Do you honestly believe the elected Commonwealth's Attorney for Charlottesville cares more about the President of a university than locking up a high-profile murderer that has received national media attention?
The statement from the International Agency on Research on Cancer, which Sean cites, is so much more reasonable than his hyperbolic nonsense:
http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol72/vol72-1.html
It basically says that oral contraceptives increase the risk of some cancers somewhat and decrease the risk of others. There's also no discussion of his crackpot ideas on prostate cancer, for example.
@Sean: Yet as usual you find time to post on other stories yet refuse to acknowledge the clear refutations of several of your arguments.
That is a very important article from Ms. Securro.
As usual, I have no idea what Sean in talking about.
Susan,
I have been promoting your daughter's story for months now as another example of what Mr. Casteen has been up to in his time here. For you of all people to suggest my group's focus is off topic for these threads is really hilarious. Lying to women and destroying their health by giving them breast cancer, blood clots, ectopic pregnancies, and heart disease is fine by you - obviously. So that takes quite a bit of the edge off your defense of women's well being. Indeed, it makes a mockery of it.
You are the first person I've ever heard claim that our website doesn't have a point. Perhaps some assistance will help. Have a real good look at the two females pictured here:
http://uvalies.org/peerdeath.html
The larger one is a UVA gal who was very eager to play her part in defending human rights, medical honesty, and women's health at her school. I took that picture of her right where they do the beheadings on the 8th. floor. We were led there by a manger inside the hospital who also happens to be female. I know that to you, women are far more important than men and in particular more than infants. But as human rights activists, we are required to accept the inviolable rights of ALL people. We reject Hitler's policy on the matter and embrace the UDHR. You do the opposite.
Have a real good look a the other female featured at the lower right on that web page. Does it look like anything was forced on her? Does that look like life, or death? Can you explain how it is that her head is missing? Can you comment on how likely this makes it that she will ever go to the prom, fall in love, or go to college? This, Susan, is the violence against women that you not only turn a blind eye to. This in the violence against women that who wholeheartedly support.
You may want to familiarize yourself with AAPLOG and the AAPS if you are still deluded into thinking there are no doctors left with medical ethics that stand up to the killing lobby.
Additionally, you should know that one of newest group members is someone you and and your daughter know, and has been active in not letting your story vanish with time. She served on UVA student council about the same time as the man that assaulted your daughter. It was with her blessing that I did my part to keep your story alive and support you on these threads. But apparently, you don't play well with others. Even those trying to help you and your daughter find justice.
As for our new Warrior Princess, she will be giving a speech to the UVA Women's Studies program this summer, and will be published in the American Feminist magazine as well. Suggesting that human rights groups like ours are "anti women" is even more hilarious, and shows how desperate you and yours in the killing lobby are to divert and distract attention away from the science, women's health, and indeed reality. I doubt I could ever be that great of a hypnotist! =o)
Sean wrote, "Fact is, they trumpet the steroids as protecting you from the 2 cancers, and ignore the three it causes" (emphasis added).
If Sean read and understood the medical literature and if he had a commitment to truth and accuracy, he would understand why the word "cause," which is not used in the literature, is inappropriate in this context.
I posted a lengthy comparative assessment of the trade off between the two cancers steroids protect women from as compared to the three it causes yesterday. The trade off is no where near a positive one for women. Fact is, they trumpet the steroids as protecting you from the 2 cancers, and ignore the three it causes. They should be prosecuting for getting away with this for so long.
I included links to UVA's lies regarding this and the abortion/preterm birth link comparing the medical journals vs. UVA's laughable political marketing on those subjects via their own web pages.
See how this works?
The Hook deleted my post.