Sen. Scott Brown, the Massachusetts Republican who shocked the nation by claiming Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat last year, has revealed that he was a victim of sexual and physical abuse as a child.
In an interview scheduled to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Brown said he was molested by a counselor at a camp in Cape Cod, Mass., when he was 10 years old.
"He said, 'If you tell anybody, I'll kill you," Brown recounted to correspondent Lesley Stahl. He said his mother didn't know about the abuse.
"That's what happens when you're a victim. You're embarrassed. You're hurt," Brown said in the interview. "Fortunately, nothing was ever fully consummated, so to speak, but it was certainly, back then, very traumatic."
Brown, 51, has written a book, "Against All Odds," in which he also recounts physical abuse at the hands of several stepfathers. In the interview, he recounts an instance when he contemplated buying a house where he lived with one of his stepfathers so that he could "burn it down" as a cathartic act.
"I actually called the realtor and went in and took the tour and relived kind of where everything was … to make sure I wasn't … dreaming," he said in the interview. "As I left, I said, 'Man, I wish I had the money. I'd just buy this thing and burn it down.' "
Last year, the former state legislator beat a heavily favored Democratic candidate in a special election to replace the late Kennedy. Brown will run again for a full Senate term in 2012
Sen. Scott Brown, the Massachusetts Republican who shocked the nation by claiming Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat last year, has revealed that he was a victim of sexual and physical abuse as a child.
In an interview scheduled to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Brown said he was molested by a counselor at a camp in Cape Cod, Mass., when he was 10 years old.
"He said, 'If you tell anybody, I'll kill you," Brown recounted to correspondent Lesley Stahl. He said his mother didn't know about the abuse.
"That's what happens when you're a victim. You're embarrassed. You're hurt," Brown said in the interview. "Fortunately, nothing was ever fully consummated, so to speak, but it was certainly, back then, very traumatic."
Brown, 51, has written a book, "Against All Odds," in which he also recounts physical abuse at the hands of several stepfathers. In the interview, he recounts an instance when he contemplated buying a house where he lived with one of his stepfathers so that he could "burn it down" as a cathartic act.
"I actually called the realtor and went in and took the tour and relived kind of where everything was … to make sure I wasn't … dreaming," he said in the interview. "As I left, I said, 'Man, I wish I had the money. I'd just buy this thing and burn it down.' "
Last year, the former state legislator beat a heavily favored Democratic candidate in a special election to replace the late Kennedy. Brown will run again for a full Senate term in 2012
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Luke Scott swung by baseball's winter meetings in Florida and did a lengthy interview with David Brown of Yahoo's Big League Stew, an interview so lengthy that parts of it are probably going to generate some controversy.
Not the part about wanting to meet Ted Nugent. Or the parts about other baseball players. Or the parts about the problems he sees in America and the solutions to those problems. Probably not the part about his love of hunting or his views on the Second Amendment, either. Scott believes that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is quite vocal on the topic. Yeah, that'd be the part.
David Brown: You don't think that Obama wasn't born in the United States, do you?
Luke Scott: He was not born here.
DB: [Sighs].
LS: That's my belief. I was born here. If someone accuses me of not being born here, I can go -- within 10 minutes -- to my filing cabinet and I can pick up my real birth certificate and I can go, "See? Look! Here it is. Here it is." The man has dodged everything. He dodges questions, he doesn't answer anything. And why? Because he's hiding something.
You know what? People who have bad intentions, people that are deceivers or are not of honor and integrity -- that's how they act. I've seen it in every -- it doesn't matter what level. It can be in politics, it can be in business, it can be in sports, it can be in the construction field. Doesn't matter. It's all the same attitude. It's the same thing.
People who tell the truth, they're very easy to ... their actions prove it. Something as simple providing a birth certificate. Come on. If you're born here, there's plenty of documents. But you know what? There's no documentation of him. No legal documentation of him. There's been lie after lie after lie exposed, but people put it under the carpet. Hence, the problem we have in this country.
LS: There needs to be accountability for the truth. I don't care if you're the President of the United States, you need to be held accountable. If you're involved in treacherous acts, or you're saying things that are against, or are selling out our country, you should be brought to trial.
I mean, no one's above the law. There's a lot of people that fought for their country and that's not something to be taken lightly. They gave their life, everything they had, they gave their lives, to give us what we have. That's why I'm so passionate about my beliefs -- because someone died. They gave their life, their blood was spilled, so I had an opportunity to chase a dream and play baseball for a living.
For me, that's not something, "Oh, thank you." No. "THANK YOU." Let me honor you for that by actions by sticking up for what you fought for and passing it on to the next generation and doing my part.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Luke Scott swung by baseball's winter meetings in Florida and did a lengthy interview with David Brown of Yahoo's Big League Stew, an interview so lengthy that parts of it are probably going to generate some controversy.
Not the part about wanting to meet Ted Nugent. Or the parts about other baseball players. Or the parts about the problems he sees in America and the solutions to those problems. Probably not the part about his love of hunting or his views on the Second Amendment, either. Scott believes that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is quite vocal on the topic. Yeah, that'd be the part.
David Brown: You don't think that Obama wasn't born in the United States, do you?
Luke Scott: He was not born here.
DB: [Sighs].
LS: That's my belief. I was born here. If someone accuses me of not being born here, I can go -- within 10 minutes -- to my filing cabinet and I can pick up my real birth certificate and I can go, "See? Look! Here it is. Here it is." The man has dodged everything. He dodges questions, he doesn't answer anything. And why? Because he's hiding something.
You know what? People who have bad intentions, people that are deceivers or are not of honor and integrity -- that's how they act. I've seen it in every -- it doesn't matter what level. It can be in politics, it can be in business, it can be in sports, it can be in the construction field. Doesn't matter. It's all the same attitude. It's the same thing.
People who tell the truth, they're very easy to ... their actions prove it. Something as simple providing a birth certificate. Come on. If you're born here, there's plenty of documents. But you know what? There's no documentation of him. No legal documentation of him. There's been lie after lie after lie exposed, but people put it under the carpet. Hence, the problem we have in this country.
LS: There needs to be accountability for the truth. I don't care if you're the President of the United States, you need to be held accountable. If you're involved in treacherous acts, or you're saying things that are against, or are selling out our country, you should be brought to trial.
I mean, no one's above the law. There's a lot of people that fought for their country and that's not something to be taken lightly. They gave their life, everything they had, they gave their lives, to give us what we have. That's why I'm so passionate about my beliefs -- because someone died. They gave their life, their blood was spilled, so I had an opportunity to chase a dream and play baseball for a living.
For me, that's not something, "Oh, thank you." No. "THANK YOU." Let me honor you for that by actions by sticking up for what you fought for and passing it on to the next generation and doing my part.
The Florida gubernatorial election turned out to be every bit as close as the polling in recent weeks suggested.
Skip to next paragraph
Recent posts
But by mid-morning Wednesday, the result was finally official: Republican Rick Scott – who spent nearly $75 million of his own money on his campaign – is the winner. Democrat Alex Sink, the state’s chief financial officer, conceded defeat, opting not to wait until every ballot was counted.
Mr. Scott is a first-time politician whose primary win over a more established candidate was a surprise.
He’s a former health-care CEO who was forced to resign amid a scandal over Medicare billing practices in 1997, and he barely met the seven-year Florida residency requirement to run.
Despite being a political novice, Scott ran a relatively strong campaign and benefited from the Republican tide sweeping across the country, and particularly across Florida. Sen.-elect Marco Rubio – a young conservative tea party favorite who won the GOP primary – got nearly 50 percent of the vote in a three-way race.
Ms. Sink made a few mistakes, notably the widely publicized “cheating” incident in which she accepted a cellphone and read a text message from a staffer during a debate in which phones were explicitly prohibited.
Governors’ races in a surprising number of other states, meanwhile, remain too close to be called. Connecticut, Vermont, Illinois, Minnesota, and Oregon have all remained incredibly tight, and the results may not be known in some states – particularly Oregon, where ballots are mailed in – for several days at least.
In Illinois, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn seems likely to barely hang onto his seat, even as President Obama’s old Senate seat in the state went to a Republican.
But the others are still virtual tossups. By midmorning Wednesday in Connecticut, fewer than 1,000 votes separated Democrat Dan Malloy from his Republican opponent, Tom Foley.
The Florida gubernatorial election turned out to be every bit as close as the polling in recent weeks suggested.
Skip to next paragraph
Recent posts
But by mid-morning Wednesday, the result was finally official: Republican Rick Scott – who spent nearly $75 million of his own money on his campaign – is the winner. Democrat Alex Sink, the state’s chief financial officer, conceded defeat, opting not to wait until every ballot was counted.
Mr. Scott is a first-time politician whose primary win over a more established candidate was a surprise.
He’s a former health-care CEO who was forced to resign amid a scandal over Medicare billing practices in 1997, and he barely met the seven-year Florida residency requirement to run.
Despite being a political novice, Scott ran a relatively strong campaign and benefited from the Republican tide sweeping across the country, and particularly across Florida. Sen.-elect Marco Rubio – a young conservative tea party favorite who won the GOP primary – got nearly 50 percent of the vote in a three-way race.
Ms. Sink made a few mistakes, notably the widely publicized “cheating” incident in which she accepted a cellphone and read a text message from a staffer during a debate in which phones were explicitly prohibited.
Governors’ races in a surprising number of other states, meanwhile, remain too close to be called. Connecticut, Vermont, Illinois, Minnesota, and Oregon have all remained incredibly tight, and the results may not be known in some states – particularly Oregon, where ballots are mailed in – for several days at least.
In Illinois, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn seems likely to barely hang onto his seat, even as President Obama’s old Senate seat in the state went to a Republican.
But the others are still virtual tossups. By midmorning Wednesday in Connecticut, fewer than 1,000 votes separated Democrat Dan Malloy from his Republican opponent, Tom Foley.
BY STEVE BOUSQUET AND MARC CAPUTO
HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU
Rick Scott pulled off his one-man political revolution Tuesday night, narrowly defeating Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Republican primary for governor.
With most precincts counted, it became clear that Scott had overcome the might of the Republican establishment, the special interests who dominate the Capitol and a longtime politician determined to tar his character.
Scott's win bears witness to his personal wealth -- he spent at least $50 million of it on the campaign -- as well as the thirst for political change in the Republican Party of Florida, which has been rocked by scandal and whose leaders worked to stop him cold.
``This is a man who took on the entire establishment, and what he had was the people,'' said Arlene DiBenigno, Scott's political director. ``We didn't have a traditional campaign. We had a campaign of people who were tired of the traditional establishment. They are tired of the same old thing.''
The race was in doubt as late as 11 p.m., in large part because McCollum was beating Scott by a 2-1 margin in Miami-Dade -- the biggest Republican county in the state. But even that advantage wasn't enough, and with 90% of the statewide vote reported, the Associated Press projected that Scott had enough votes to win.
In what looked like a protest vote against Scott and McCollum, little-known third-party candidate Mike McCalister was receiving one of every 10 votes -- far more than any poll had anticipated.
Scott, a 57-year-old Naples resident, burst on the scene in April with the first of many advertising blitzes, and cut a distinctive figure on TV with his bald head and piercing blue eyes. But he refused to debate McCollum on live statewide TV, dismissed the ritual of editorial board interviews, and repeatedly refused to make public a deposition he gave in a civil case six days before announcing his campaign.
Scott also deftly and firmly planted a foothold on McCollum's right by aggressively supporting the Arizona law getting tough on illegal immigrants, and he relentlessly hammered McCollum as a ``desperate career politician,'' a message that resonated at the polls Tuesday.
With the state party chairman often by McCollum's side, the longtime politician leveraged his relationships with the incoming House and Senate leaders, who dumped millions into a smear campaign that revolved around a record $1.7 billion Medicare fraud fine ultimately paid out by the Columbia/HCA hospital chain that Scott founded.
In the end, though, Scott's campaign said he was winning because he successfully branded himself as the ``jobs'' candidate -- the man whose campaign had the slogan ``Let's Get to Work.'' They say that message will resonate in the general election just as it did Tuesday night in the primary.
Scott will face Democrat Alex Sink and independent Lawton ``Bud'' Chiles in November. Sink easily defeated little-known challenger Brian Moore in the Democratic primary.
Scott is the opponent Democrats want in November. The race for the governor's mansion has major national implications, with both parties eager to claim power heading into 2012, when all congressional and legislative district lines are redrawn and the next presidential election is held.
But Scott's victory is a shock to the state's political system, and threatens to tear apart the fabric of the Republican Party already reeling from the indictment of former party chairman Jim Greer and defection of a once-immensely popular governor, Charlie Crist.
BY STEVE BOUSQUET AND MARC CAPUTO
HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU
Rick Scott pulled off his one-man political revolution Tuesday night, narrowly defeating Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Republican primary for governor.
With most precincts counted, it became clear that Scott had overcome the might of the Republican establishment, the special interests who dominate the Capitol and a longtime politician determined to tar his character.
Scott's win bears witness to his personal wealth -- he spent at least $50 million of it on the campaign -- as well as the thirst for political change in the Republican Party of Florida, which has been rocked by scandal and whose leaders worked to stop him cold.
``This is a man who took on the entire establishment, and what he had was the people,'' said Arlene DiBenigno, Scott's political director. ``We didn't have a traditional campaign. We had a campaign of people who were tired of the traditional establishment. They are tired of the same old thing.''
The race was in doubt as late as 11 p.m., in large part because McCollum was beating Scott by a 2-1 margin in Miami-Dade -- the biggest Republican county in the state. But even that advantage wasn't enough, and with 90% of the statewide vote reported, the Associated Press projected that Scott had enough votes to win.
In what looked like a protest vote against Scott and McCollum, little-known third-party candidate Mike McCalister was receiving one of every 10 votes -- far more than any poll had anticipated.
Scott, a 57-year-old Naples resident, burst on the scene in April with the first of many advertising blitzes, and cut a distinctive figure on TV with his bald head and piercing blue eyes. But he refused to debate McCollum on live statewide TV, dismissed the ritual of editorial board interviews, and repeatedly refused to make public a deposition he gave in a civil case six days before announcing his campaign.
Scott also deftly and firmly planted a foothold on McCollum's right by aggressively supporting the Arizona law getting tough on illegal immigrants, and he relentlessly hammered McCollum as a ``desperate career politician,'' a message that resonated at the polls Tuesday.
With the state party chairman often by McCollum's side, the longtime politician leveraged his relationships with the incoming House and Senate leaders, who dumped millions into a smear campaign that revolved around a record $1.7 billion Medicare fraud fine ultimately paid out by the Columbia/HCA hospital chain that Scott founded.
In the end, though, Scott's campaign said he was winning because he successfully branded himself as the ``jobs'' candidate -- the man whose campaign had the slogan ``Let's Get to Work.'' They say that message will resonate in the general election just as it did Tuesday night in the primary.
Scott will face Democrat Alex Sink and independent Lawton ``Bud'' Chiles in November. Sink easily defeated little-known challenger Brian Moore in the Democratic primary.
Scott is the opponent Democrats want in November. The race for the governor's mansion has major national implications, with both parties eager to claim power heading into 2012, when all congressional and legislative district lines are redrawn and the next presidential election is held.
But Scott's victory is a shock to the state's political system, and threatens to tear apart the fabric of the Republican Party already reeling from the indictment of former party chairman Jim Greer and defection of a once-immensely popular governor, Charlie Crist.
Casey Anthony will still face a potential death penalty should she be found guilty in the charge that she killed her two year old daughter, Caylee, in 2008. Her defense team attempted to get that charge removed because of gender bias. The judge ruled against that. Her trial is scheduled to begin a year from now. She was originally supposed to begin her trial this year, around October. Circumstances prevented that from happening. Her first defense attorney left the case, and she had filed as an indigent. Whatever money she had at her disposal is gone. It came out a few months ago that ABC News paid $200,000 to her family for videos and other related material, to show on television. That fact came out in a hearing about her claims of poverty. That money was swallowed up in paying for her defense.
It is my opinion that Casey is both a sociopath, and a child killer. The tears she sheds in court are for herself. The details of this case will most likely never come out in regards to why she did in her two year old daughter. I don't think she has the capability to admit guilt, which is at the core of being a true sociopath: she is devoid of a conscience.
Whether she deliberately set out to kill Caylee, or something occurred and Casey did something to her in the heat of a moment, will never be revealed. When this trial gets underway, I think we'll be reminded that both her parents suspected the worst at the beginning of this case. At the heart of this tragedy, it is my feeling that Casey just came to the conclusion she was not ready to be a parent; Caylee had become an annoying distraction from her, otherwise, fun-loving life. Like so many young people who get pregnant, they then realize it's not just a kick or a hobby, but a life-long commitment and major responsibility. Unlike most young parent(s), she happened to kill her baby girl.
Casey's defense team tried to show that there was some inherent bias against a woman accused of killing her daughter. That bias having to do with a woman accused of such deviant behavior would face additional scrutiny by a jury, and that the facts of the case would be lost due to that heinous act of killing a child. I think that argument is absurd. How can you get away from the fact that she is charged with killing a child? That's the essence of the case! That tactic did not work, and Casey will face the death penalty. I'm not sure a plea deal is in the works. That might be the only way she might save herself: admit guilt and get a life sentence. I'm betting she won't do that because, again, as a sociopath, she'll refuse to admit guilt. In that sense, she is like the Peterson boys: Scott and Drew. Not related, they both killed their wives. Drew did in two because (I believe) they threatened to leave him: his ego (& bank book) couldn't handle that. Scott did in his wife Laci because he met a new girl he wanted more. Both Petersons came up with some fictional story about their wives deaths, just as Casey Anthony did. Scott Peterson will never admit guilt, and I don't expect Drew will ever come clean.
Some people are born without a conscience. Killing, for them, is a means to an end: in these cases, it will mean (& has meant for Scott) their own end of freedom. In Casey's case, it could mean the end of her life.
Casey Anthony will still face a potential death penalty should she be found guilty in the charge that she killed her two year old daughter, Caylee, in 2008. Her defense team attempted to get that charge removed because of gender bias. The judge ruled against that. Her trial is scheduled to begin a year from now. She was originally supposed to begin her trial this year, around October. Circumstances prevented that from happening. Her first defense attorney left the case, and she had filed as an indigent. Whatever money she had at her disposal is gone. It came out a few months ago that ABC News paid $200,000 to her family for videos and other related material, to show on television. That fact came out in a hearing about her claims of poverty. That money was swallowed up in paying for her defense.
It is my opinion that Casey is both a sociopath, and a child killer. The tears she sheds in court are for herself. The details of this case will most likely never come out in regards to why she did in her two year old daughter. I don't think she has the capability to admit guilt, which is at the core of being a true sociopath: she is devoid of a conscience.
Whether she deliberately set out to kill Caylee, or something occurred and Casey did something to her in the heat of a moment, will never be revealed. When this trial gets underway, I think we'll be reminded that both her parents suspected the worst at the beginning of this case. At the heart of this tragedy, it is my feeling that Casey just came to the conclusion she was not ready to be a parent; Caylee had become an annoying distraction from her, otherwise, fun-loving life. Like so many young people who get pregnant, they then realize it's not just a kick or a hobby, but a life-long commitment and major responsibility. Unlike most young parent(s), she happened to kill her baby girl.
Casey's defense team tried to show that there was some inherent bias against a woman accused of killing her daughter. That bias having to do with a woman accused of such deviant behavior would face additional scrutiny by a jury, and that the facts of the case would be lost due to that heinous act of killing a child. I think that argument is absurd. How can you get away from the fact that she is charged with killing a child? That's the essence of the case! That tactic did not work, and Casey will face the death penalty. I'm not sure a plea deal is in the works. That might be the only way she might save herself: admit guilt and get a life sentence. I'm betting she won't do that because, again, as a sociopath, she'll refuse to admit guilt. In that sense, she is like the Peterson boys: Scott and Drew. Not related, they both killed their wives. Drew did in two because (I believe) they threatened to leave him: his ego (& bank book) couldn't handle that. Scott did in his wife Laci because he met a new girl he wanted more. Both Petersons came up with some fictional story about their wives deaths, just as Casey Anthony did. Scott Peterson will never admit guilt, and I don't expect Drew will ever come clean.
Some people are born without a conscience. Killing, for them, is a means to an end: in these cases, it will mean (& has meant for Scott) their own end of freedom. In Casey's case, it could mean the end of her life.
Scott Roeder will be over 103 years old before he's eligible for his first parole hearing. Judge Warren Wilbert gave Roeder the "Hard 50" after he was convicted of murdering Dr. George Tiller back in January.
Roeder left court exclaiming Wilbert and D.A. Nola Foulston had "blood on their hands" after his sentencing.
"25 years, 50 years is uncalled for for saving lives", Roeder said in court.
Roeder claimed he was saving the lives of the unborn when he assassinated Tiller by shooting him in the forehead as Tiller served as an usher at the Reformation Lutheran Church.
Wilbert ruled the murder met the qualifications for the maximum sentence partly because it happened in a house of worship.
Roeder interrupted the proceedings more than a dozen times exclaiming Tiller was a "baby killer".
Along with the "Hard 50" Roeder was ordered to serve convictions on two aggravated assault charges consecutively meaning he won't be eligible for parole for 51 years and 8 months.
Scott Roeder will be over 103 years old before he's eligible for his first parole hearing. Judge Warren Wilbert gave Roeder the "Hard 50" after he was convicted of murdering Dr. George Tiller back in January.
Roeder left court exclaiming Wilbert and D.A. Nola Foulston had "blood on their hands" after his sentencing.
"25 years, 50 years is uncalled for for saving lives", Roeder said in court.
Roeder claimed he was saving the lives of the unborn when he assassinated Tiller by shooting him in the forehead as Tiller served as an usher at the Reformation Lutheran Church.
Wilbert ruled the murder met the qualifications for the maximum sentence partly because it happened in a house of worship.
Roeder interrupted the proceedings more than a dozen times exclaiming Tiller was a "baby killer".
Along with the "Hard 50" Roeder was ordered to serve convictions on two aggravated assault charges consecutively meaning he won't be eligible for parole for 51 years and 8 months.
Scott Hamilton, world-renowned figure skater and Olympic Gold Medalist, is back on the ice this month after more than five years without skating due to a brain tumor scare.
Also a testicular cancer survivor, Hamilton will participate in a Thanksgiving Day special with fellow cancer survivor Dorothy Hamill. The entertainment-based show "Kaleidiscope" will air Nov. 26 on Fox and also feature other prominent skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan.
Hamilton told Fox New York, "I decided this year to take charge of my health, and get back on the ice after five years. It's taken 12 months to get to this point but I'm a work in progress."
"Onward and upward," he added. "If you don't ask your body to do something, you'll never get an answer."
Scott Hamilton, world-renowned figure skater and Olympic Gold Medalist, is back on the ice this month after more than five years without skating due to a brain tumor scare.
Also a testicular cancer survivor, Hamilton will participate in a Thanksgiving Day special with fellow cancer survivor Dorothy Hamill. The entertainment-based show "Kaleidiscope" will air Nov. 26 on Fox and also feature other prominent skaters like Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan.
Hamilton told Fox New York, "I decided this year to take charge of my health, and get back on the ice after five years. It's taken 12 months to get to this point but I'm a work in progress."
"Onward and upward," he added. "If you don't ask your body to do something, you'll never get an answer."