I can tell you something about Lew Schoenberg (my father), the La Salle High School "official" in the WW article who said the crime was out of character for Jake. I would not assume Jake was manipulated into his actions, which is a common theme for my father. Lew's judgment does not often bear resemblance to reality. He comes up with a conclusion, and then seeks to justify it irrationally. He would drive for hours to visit Jake, yet abandon his only child when in need.

What the heck is "Educational Leadership" and "Leadership for Sustainability Education."

Is this some sort of leadership in pseudo-science, brainwashing, or beating people into submission to the great green god?

I wonder if he can define "sustainability"?

"he also helped lead PSU's "Take Back the Tap" campaign, which promotes sustainability by educating students about the benefits of choosing tap water over the high costs of bottled water"

There has got to be a PHD for this out of the box thinker!!

Eco terror is also called domestic terrorism.

Like the Oklahoma City bombing or the Una-bomber.

Like 911, only by Americans against Americans.

Same crimes should yield the same penalties.

Regardless of if you worship Ala or the Giant Green Godess.

If I understand this correctly, Sherman was in prison longer than Tre Arrow.

Jack asked: "...is he the right guy to be counseling people in the same position he was in when his life went to hell?

No.

Amazing, he gets a Masters from PSU for helping install 20 faucets at PSU to fill water bottles.

I'm telling my plumber friends to enroll at PSU and challenge the "test" and get their Masters. If they install 30 faucets they'll get their Doctorate.

Jack asked: "...is he the right guy to be counseling people in the same position he was in when his life went to hell?"

Yes.

10 years ago J. Sherman was a floundering, misguided soul who went the wrong way ...but he changed his life. He cooperated with the proper authorities, served his time, and (my read) learned from his mistakes. That isn't easy to do. Why wouldn't he be a roll model we'd want others to emulate?

I am dubious about "Leadership for Sustainability Education (yadda yadda yadda)" but I trust PSU enough to think they want to hire the best they can, and if they find a talented student, they should promote his advancement.

It's because of crap like this that PSU is known as "B.S. U."

Put a pickled bird on that diploma!

Hey, didn't Prof. Harold Hill get his Ph.D. there, too?

I would have to say yes. If he truly has reformed, who better to caution other's of their mistakes then someone who's already been there?

As a felon, I do jot believe Sherman could not be certified as a teacher or an administrator in the state. But he has a job with PSU, so what the hey. Who else knows what to do with someone who has a degree in Leadership for Sustainable Education except the institution that granted it?

Sheridan is no resort, but not exactly Alcatraz either. Prison can turn an already bad person into a really bad person, or it can humble and change the life of those sorry for their actions. The choice is more or less up to the individual. I hope the latter is true for this guy so that he mentors well.

Yep good for the guy turning his life around.
Maybe he'll even have far more common sense than the Sam Adams brand of progressive.

But how many reformed felon right wingers get jobs at PSU.

The BSU diploma sounds like mush to me. But if this man has turned his life around and can pay taxes on his income, then we are all better off.
And remember, the infamous "Tre" ran for mayor! And I doubt he has changed his ways at all.
Another drug addled, homeless, lout on the streets is not needed in Portlandia. We have too many of those as it is.

Harry - not defending his actions here - what he did was wrong, it destroyed property, it was a felony, and he deserved the sentence he received and served out - but you're delusional if you really believe his crimes were just like the Oklahoma City bombing or 911.

Do we let convicted child molesters back into the classroom after they "repent" and serve their prison sentence ?

Just asking because placing back where he can groom and recruit more terrorists seems to me a bad idea...

Master's of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy, with a specialization in Leadership for Sustainability Education

A leader in sustainability education. And a specialist at it too. Oh, man-nnn.

I dunno, he doesn't look any better/worse than the average professor at PSU. In addition, if he is really repentant for whatever violent acts he's committed, hey give him a chance.

My point is that he looks like another "fill-in-the-blanks" studies graduate. Which means he either gets a job teaching "fill-in-the-blanks" studies or maybe writes a book.

How this helps PSU turn out useful graduates, you tell me.

There's the whole Christian forgiveness thing, if you subscribe to that. He served his time, made something of himself, and now has a family. If we banned from civic life (and the tax rolls) everyone who, to paraphrase George W. Bush, acted young and irresponsible when they were young and irresponsible, society would grind to a halt.

Is it better for society for him to get out of jail in his early 20's and never be able to work again? Or to give someone a chance to prove they've changed? I say the latter.

A democratic society based on justice for all ceases to function as such if it doesn't give its members second chances as long they have shown that they've turned things around and deserve one. This guy deserves a second chance in my book because he has channeled his passion for the environment into something constructive as opposed to destructive.

Somehow I don't think PSU would have have hired a repentant individual who had burned down abortion clinics.

How about just a repentant garden variety criminal? They would never hire one of those. The department of sustainability fetishists hired this guy because Eco-terrorists send a tingle up their collective legs. But someone who repents after he burned stuff down for fun, robbed people, stole cars, or embezzled from businesses? Never. Those are not sexy crimes.

I wonder when PSU will rehire Mike Burton? He's repentant and sorry he got caught. He could counsel folks with drinking problems and PTSD.

What are the readers expectation of a convicted felon? Is moving on with his life not one of them?