The deaf 4th graders could hardly communicate. The husband sub-teacher was taken aback by what he saw in the classroom. This is the sad state of our education – deaf education. The friend, who is a speech pathologist, explained to me that the parents basically neglected them.

“But what about the hospitals? The doctors? Wouldn’t they have intervened?”, I asked. She added, “What the doctors tend to do is tell the parents to wait and see.”

Wait?

Wait as they “skip” their first few years, as we all know are crucial developmental years? Apparently the doctors don’t know this.

Sad.

Two days I made a brief post letting you know I would be live interviewing Gallaudet President President Dr. Alan Hurwitz. The video is now available for your viewing.

Today, I will be live interviewing Dr. Alan Hurwitz at Gallaudet University at 10:00AM EST. The web address is ideafnews.com. Check their post about the live interview.

This is what the headlines should have read: “New AB2072 bill passed”.

“New”.

As in amended. Essentially, the bill was changed and the opponents of the original bill are happy with it. In fact, the “opponents” worked with Mia Orr on the amendments.

Also as I understand it, it’s not passed into law yet. There’s still more legislative steps to take before it is.

The question: are the original AB2072 supporters now opponents? My, how the tables have turned!

Ben Pena convicted by the jury on counts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. Found not guilty on count 4. Verdict handed down at 2:45pm Eastern today. Trial ended at 3pm.

The jury spent about 2 hours in deliberations. Seemed they thought it was a straightforward cut-and-dried case — and so did the prosecution.

Sentencing set for October 13 at 10am Eastern. Pre-Trial Services will now prepare the all-important Pre-Sentencing Report (PSR) for the judge.

If he goes to prison, this PSR will affect his prison conditions. The PSR could still also recommended supervised parole (aka ‘probation’).
The judge will still make the final decision on an appropriate sentence.

Gov’t had 109 pieces of evidence with 4 witnesses vs. Ben’s defense with 5 pieces of evidence and 1 witness.

Gov’t needed only one day to present their case — and finished yesterday.

Defense took about 3 hours to present their side, then it went to the jury.

Jury asked 4 questions (by notes to the judge) during deliberations:

At 12:45pm: “Is email part of what is considered ‘mail fraud’?”

At 2:20pm: ‘Conspiracy to commit mail fraud’ — what constitutes the meaning thereof?’

‘Is conspiracy to commit mail fraud based solely on the two pieces of mail evidence. Exhibits 1 & 2.’

At 2:40pm: ‘How many copies of verdict sheet need to be filled out.’

I don’t know what the judge’s answer to these questions were unless I can read a transcript of the trial proceedings.

For the 2:20pm questions, conspiracy to commit mail fraud (count #4) is what the jury found him not guilty of.

I have a copy of the jury’s handwritten questions and the final verdict sheet, as well as a brief official court summary of today’s proceedings.

Ben’s case was the first to go to trial. There’s about a dozen more cases left to go to trial.