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'Journalist' Calls Child Protective Services Because of a Single Columbus Day Tweet from Republican Candidate

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Apparently, I was abused as a child by practically every one of my public school teachers and I never even knew it.

According to what appears to be the left’s new standard of what constitutes child abuse, however, it’s a wonder I made it through alive.

David Leavitt, the self-described “Award-Winning Multimedia Journalist” whose pinned tweet consists of four Ukrainian soldiers with cats, contacted what he called the “Virginia State hotline for child abuse,” but what was actually the Virginia Department of Social Services Child Protective Services Hotline, because of a Virginia state Senate candidate’s “Happy Columbus Day” tweet.

Note to David Leavitt: Virginia State is a historically black university in Petersburg; I’m pretty sure they don’t have a “hotline for child abuse.” If you want to call yourself a journalist, details like that matter.

If his name sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because you remember him as the guy who called the police earlier this year when a Target manager refused to sell him a toothbrush for a penny. (I can’t imagine what else anyone would remember him for.)

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Apparently, the guy just refuses to understand what public services are actually for.

Anyway, this time around, a tweet from Republican candidate Tina Ramirez is what set him off.

Ramirez responded:

Initially, Leavitt called on the Twitterverse to report Ramirez to CPS.

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Virtually all of the replies to that tweet read something along the lines of, “Get a life, dude.” So, realizing that if he wanted a fake, phony-baloney report to a government agency made about Ramirez, he was going to have to do it himself, Leavitt took action.

Should David Leavitt face consequences for making a false report to CPS?

Leavitt proceeded to call the CPS Hotline and remain on hold for an hour to complain that teaching history is child abuse. He tweeted periodically to make sure everyone knew how dedicated he was to his cause — this story was all about him, naturally.

Note to David Leavitt: If you want to consider yourself an actual journalist, you have to learn to take yourself out of the story. What you’re doing is called activism (and also, potentially, harassment and/or knowingly making a false report of child abuse, a Class 1 midemeanor in Virginia).

Meanwhile, someone else who may have had a real problem involving actual child abuse had to wait on hold that much longer because he was tying up the line, of course.

I try not to describe people — all of whom are made in God’s image — in pejorative terms, but Leavitt makes it challenging. I’m aided by a sneaking suspicion that his behavior isn’t driven only by a combination of spite and idiocy, but also perhaps by some form of learning disability or mental illness.

I will not explore that possibility here, however, mostly out of fear of offending those with learning disabilities or mental illness by lumping David Leavitt in with them.

Just to cover anyone besides Ramirez whom he might have missed, Leavitt also posted this gem:

Note to David Leavitt: First, no, you don’t. You want to call yourself a journalist? Use words like “all” accurately.

Second, I’m pretty sure those companies don’t care what you see.

But what do I know? I wasn’t even aware of how abused I was as a child.

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George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of "WJ Live," powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.
George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in English as well as a Master's in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma.
Birthplace
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Beta Gamma Sigma
Education
B.A., English, UNCG; M.A., English, UNCG; MBA, UNCG
Location
North Carolina
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Faith, Business, Leadership and Management, Military, Politics




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