<p>?</p>
<p>Your question mark implies misunderstandings.</p>
<p>My young jedi . . .welcome to the adult realities of plea bargaining. The United States does not operate a judicial system any longer predicated on trials and such. [Fewer than 5%--and I am being generous--of Federal cases result in trial] The judicial system relies on plea bargaining.
If you were accused of raping another midshipman and the offer was made that you could resign with the punishments indicated in the article or face trial and the possibility of jail time, which would you take?
I can assure you that federal investigations are very thorough and do not proceed on "he said, she said" evidence.
Now, consider the harshness by which the alleged victim has been ridiculed on this very site by people that have no knowledge of the facts. Now you begin to see how hard it is for the prosecution, the defense, the accused, and the victim to contemplate a trial; to face a jury and explain everything in excrutiating detail. Even the victim frequently wants to just get this behind her.
So, what was your question? What response did you hope to provoke by posting the article? [Which I am glad that you did/]</p>
<p>I was aware of the plea bargain situation, but i had no idea that the rate was that high. Thank you for explaining that. I also had no idea that the rate of sexual assault cases was thhis high at USNA.</p>
<p>One more thing to consider and learn: Liars figure and figures lie.</p>
<p>What do you consider "high?" Compared to what?</p>
<p>"Of 72 cases since 1998 in which a midshipman was the victim or the accused, 51 have come in the past four academic years alone -- a rise that academy officials attribute to a concerted effort to encourage victims to report incidents."</p>
<p>72 cases since 1998 works out to approximately ten per year. Out of 4,000 midshipman in any given year, that is less than 1/4 of 1%. I haven't done any research on the matter, but compared to civilian colleges, that sounds low. Even if you consider 51 cases in the past four academic years, that is still just 13 per year. Still low on a per capita basis.</p>
<p>There are 4,000 young people at the academy. 4,000 young people that are testing their limits, setting goals, and raging with hormones. Things are going to happen that should not happen. Despite what some would lead you to believe, the mids are not gods and goddesses, they are, at the end of the day and from my perspective, kids. This does not, in any way, excuse the occurrence, but kids are going to drink, have sex, and test the limits.</p>
<p>"Despite what some would lead you to believe, the mids are not gods and goddesses, they are, at the end of the day and from my perspective, kids."</p>
<p>Well said, I think sometimes we forget that at the end of the day college students are only 18-22 years old. I find myself forgetting this quite often when I'm yelling at my television asking that point guard what the heck he was thinking shooting the ball from there.</p>
<p>Times are changing (continually). Thirty years ago, the same "kids will be kids" line was used for drinking while driving. More responsibility is expected of kids every day and they need to learn quickly that some behaviors will ruin their lives. Of course probability is what everyone tests their fate against, and we will never see a complete end to taking chances. As a society, we are trying hard to advance thinking in a way that eliminates behavior that has a very high likelyhood of harming other human beings. IMHO, I don't think that is negative thinking!</p>
<p>So what is a mother to do?
You raise your kid with the best morals and values you can instill-
You teach them to love- to respect- to value- to trust-
You teach them "moderation"-and "no underage drinking"- and when of the age, "no excessive anything".....
You teach them that "no" means "absolute no"....
I have even taught them abstinence- as unrealistic as that might be....
and his BGO even used the word "avoidance"........
and I have tried drilling that into their heads over and over...
You teach them "not to cross the line".......</p>
<p>But now I feel compelled to teach them how to prepare a "pre-encounter consent form" should a relationship get to that point- and they inevitably do- despite the expectation of "more responsiblity".....</p>
<p>this is getting ugly, and times, certainly, are a-changing.</p>
<p>Some articles that I have seen suggest that teens who have signed the abstinence pledge are the ones who have the greatest incidence of STDs. [As I sit here on hold.]</p>
<p>Kids are still going to drink, have sex, and test the limits. All you can do is hope [it is just a hope] that when your child is faced with a decision point, they will remember what you have told them. Considering the surveys that conclude substantial percentages of young people are having sex before the age of 21, is it realistic that good-looking, athletic, smart boys and girls are going to abstain?</p>
<p>The fact remains, when surrounded by others that are drinking, especially when traveling overseas where the legal drinking age is lower, I would wager that most [greater than 50%] of mids [as would any college-aged student] will have a drink or two. Many will have three or four. Some will simply not know their limits and drink themselves into a stupor. Its a fact of life.</p>
<p>If the Academy administration thought an absolute ban on drinking would make a difference, then I suspect drinking would be considered a separation offense. This option has probably been considered and disregarded as being unworkable, i.e. too many separations would result.</p>
<p>I don't think the times are much different than 30 years ago. Society has just lowered the bar to what some consider a sexual offense, i.e. the "no means no" assertion that was not considered to any great degree in years past. A consent form is not a bad idea for men.</p>