A staff member at Purdue University who suggested he wanted to rape the family members of anti-abortion protesters has resigned, while suggesting his critics deserve to be damned to hell for eternity.
“Yeah, I just quit,” dance instructor Jamie Newman told the Lafayette Journal and Courier in an email Monday. “Tell the world.”
In early February, the group Purdue Students for Life protested abortion by distributing “Hands Up, Don’t Abort” fliers that called attention to the high abortion rates among American minorities. Because the protest borrowed rhetoric from the Black Lives Matter movement, some found the protest offensive and demanded the group apologize. The group didn’t, but they did post an explanation of their actions on Facebook.
The apology attracted the attention of Newman, who published a series of aggressive vitriolic remarks attacking the protesters as racist. After Newman’s remarks attracted public notice thanks to a write-up in Campus Reform, another online commenter drew attention to statements he had made on Live Action News (a pro-life website) offering to rape the wife, daughter, or great grandmother of a rival commenter.
“Oh, I’m sorry. So, let me make my intentions quite explicit: I did in fact offer to rape Tom’s wife/daughter/great grandmother. Free of charge, even. I’m generous that way. Here’s the number for the West Lafayette Police Department: 765-775-5500. Here’s the number for the local FBI office: 765-435-5619. Drop that dime! I could strike at any minute. *giggles* (like a girl),” Newman said.
Once publicized, Newman’s remarks provoked outrage and a wave of complaints, but Purdue officials said he would keep his job. In a statement released Feb. 12, Purdue attorney Steven Schultz said Newman was able to stick around solely because Purdue is a public school bound by the First Amendment.
“It’s fortunate for Mr. Newman that he works at a public university both obligated under the First Amendment and committed by principle to protect free speech — even speech as abhorrent as his,” Schultz said. “Had he uttered such an outrageous and vulgar statement while working for a private college or other private employer, he would almost certainly have been fired on the spot. Mr. Newman’s obnoxious rhetoric is an embarrassment for Purdue.” Schultz also suggested that Newman should issue a full public apology.
Instead, Newman fired back and said the school should have apologized to him. Despite acknowledging the publicized remarks as his, Newman claimed his statement was taken out of context and that he was the victim of defamation.
“Indeed, you should probably be begging my forgiveness — for facilitating the dissemination of fabricated and defamatory statements about me, and for failing to vehemently denounce the effort made of Students For Life to destroy my life and career,” Newman said in a written response to Purdue administrators. Newman’s claim of defamation appears to be based on the fact that several outlets reported that he threatened to rape Purdue students or their family members, when in fact he merely offered to rape the relatives of another Internet commenter, who likely is not connected with Purdue in any way.
But instead of waiting for an apology he acknowledged was unlikely to come, Newman decided to simply quit on his own. But he certainly went out in a blaze of rhetorical glory, suggesting his critics will earn eternal damnation for their deeds.
“I’ve never threatened to rape anyone, anywhere, at any time,” he told The Blaze. “If [Students for Life] truly feared the God they pretend to worship, they’d be quaking in fear of his wrath for shamelessly and remorselessly violating his commandment against bearing false witness. And they’d be begging me for forgiveness. Do I expect them to apologize, let alone beg forgiveness? Of course not. They are despicable pious frauds. If I believed in the existence of hell — I don’t — I’d take comfort in knowing that they will suffer there for eternity.”
Purdue didn’t hide its satisfaction with Newman’s departure.
“The University has accepted the resignation and believes this is the appropriate outcome,” the school said in a short statement to Campus Reform.
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