Drunk Anti-Gay Archbishop Had Male College Student In Car at Arrest

Things seem to be getting a bit curious about what exactly was really going in the early morning hours when new appointed Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (pictured at right) - called by some the "father of Proposition 8" was arrested for DUI in San Diego.  Cordileone had said that he had been at dinner with friends and was driving his elderly mother home before he was to head home himself.  As Fr. Geoff Fallows (who got booted from his parish for refusing to support Prop 8) has picked up, that may not be the entire story: Cordileone had a young male in the car as well -something not mentioned if Cordileone's story line.  Obviously, a number of questions become relevant, including why Cordileone not mention this other passenger.  Here are some details from Fr. Geoff's blog:

Listen very carefully to the announcer of a local San Diego news station:

“According to police, 56 year old bishop Salvatore Cordileone was driving along the edge of SDSU when he entered a sobriety checkpoint he appeared drunk and was arrested shortly after midnight. He was in the car with his elderly mother and a foreign exchange student, a young male adult.”

If San Francisco Archbishop-elect Cordileone were just the simple priest that he claimed to be to at his arrest, his superior would have demanded explanations.

What were you doing driving drunk?

What was a college student doing in your passenger seat at that time of night?

After you dropped off your mother, where did you intend to go, and what were you going to do when you arrived?

Have you ever spent time with, or socialized, with this young man prior to your arrest? If so in what context and what is the nature of your relationship?

The matter would be brought to the attention of the bishop, and it would most probably affect his career and, of course, it would be handled discreetly.

The fact that Cordileone’s mother was present in the car with Cordileone and the young student would not clear the concerns or suspicions from the mind of a superior. Consider the statements of the police:

“Cordileone's mother, who was a passenger, was allowed to drive the mid-size black car home following her son's arrest after officers made sure she had not been drinking and had a valid license, McCullough [the arresting police officer] said.”

and:

"He was a driver that was obviously impaired,” Officer Mark McCullough also stated.

These two statements from police clearly indicate that Cordileone’s mother was sober and capable of driving the car that night. The second statement by officer McCullogugh that “he [Cordileone] was…obviously impaired” raises some serious questions about both the judgment and the laxity of Cordileone’s mother, with respect to her son. She can’t tell, or is unwilling to protest, that he is obviously drunk and poses a threat to human life behind the wheel of an automobile. How objective and outspoken would she be about a possible inappropriate relationship with a young student?

A superior/pastor/bishop would ask all of these questions of Salvatore Cordileone and so, it surprises me that the press does not. Then again, the Catholic hierarchy has much experience in managing the press. This is not a story they want pursued, it would be highly inconvenient in an election year. Especially on the same week that the head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), New York Archbishop cardinal Dolan blesses the Republican National Convention and Mitt Romney’s bid to replace Obama as President. If Romney wins, the USCCB’s social conservativism will become national policy and this increases both USCCB [Vatican] power and prestige. 

Cordileone is not a simple priest. He is:  “Known as "the architect of Proposition 8," the 56-year-old played a pivotal role in convincing many Catholic organizations in California to help bankroll the 2008 campaign to overturn the state's same-sex marriage law. With his help, Prop 8 supporters raised some $1.5 million, which went a long way toward helping get the measure passed.”

It all may be an innocent situation.  However, the fact that Cordileone apparently deliberately never mentioned the young man raises the old question of "if you have nothing to hide, then why hide something."  People deserve an answer to the questions Fr. Geoff raises and I hope the full story comes out.  Obviously, it would be deliciously ironic if Cordileone is exposed as a closet case who got caught. It would be in keeping with the pattern of loudest homophobes actually being gay themselves. :) 

Hypocrisy in California Part 1: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone Arrested for DUI

One of the things I enjoy doing on this blog is exposing hypocrites of the far right and the Roman Catholic Church.  And it seems that there is never a shortage of things/individuals to write about.  Today's news stories provided a double header: Roman Catholic Archbishop-elect of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, called the Father of Proposition 8 by some, was busted for DUI over the weekend.  The other part of the double header to be covered in a separate post was the arrest of longtime anti-gay activist, California Prop 8 donor, Douglas Hesse, for molesting numerous boys - proving that the louder they shriek against gay rights, the more likely there are to be self-loathing closet cases and/or would be sexual predators.  But back to the good Archbishop.  The San Jose Mercury News has coverage.  Here are excepts:

The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco, controversial for his vigorous support of California's same-sex marriage ban, was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence, San Diego police said Monday.

The Rev. Salvatore Cordileone was taken into custody after being stopped early Saturday at a checkpoint near the San Diego State University campus, said Detective Gary Hassen, a police spokesman.  He declined to comment on whether Cordileone took a sobriety test.

Cordileone is a San Diego native and was ordained at the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. But it is unclear why he was in San Diego Saturday and whether police could tell he was a priest from his dress. San Diego police did not return follow-up calls requesting details about Cordileone's arrest and whether he has ever been arrested before.
 
Cordileone's appointment to San Francisco provoked outcry from gay rights advocates because he is a noted proponent of Proposition 8, the 2008 law passed by California voters to outlaw same-sex marriage.

He was also part of the San Diego diocese when it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2007 after being slammed with claims by 150 alleged victims of sexual abuse and multiple civil trials. Cordileone denied allegations by creditors at the time that the diocese tried to protect its finances by hiding and downplaying the value of assets before bankruptcy proceedings began.

And he has refused to provide a list of priests involved in sexual abuse requested by Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, according to David Clohessy, director of the organization commonly known as SNAP.

In short, Cordileone is a real scum bag who likes to act all pious and unanswerable to anyone.  I hope they convict his ass and hit him with the maximum penalty. And it certainly would be interesting to find out why he was out driving alone in the wee hours of the morning.

Mel's Early Day Antigay Meltdown

I lost all respect for Mel Gibson years ago - who I first had come to like in the 1981 movie Gallipoli which had definite homoerotic overtones (I found mark Lee the sexier of the two main characters) - after I discovered that he was a far right Tridentine rite Catholic which discovery was followed by his racist and anti-Jewish rants when he was picked up for DUI. The movie Passion of Christ, which was pornographic in its violence, solidified my view that Gibson was a nutcase and false Christian in my mind. I have made a point of NOT watching any movie featuring Gibson Now, Gibson - who while claiming to be a Bible following conservative Catholic divorced his first wife - has had another outburst that has exposed him both as a bogus Christian and as an utter, nasty bigot. The Advocate, among other publications, has stories that look at Gibson's increasingly racist and bigoted mindset and false Christianity. Like so many f the professional Christian set, Gibson again proves that those who talk the most about their Christianity and set themselves up as the moral critics of others are in fact the least Christian and the biggest hypocrites. Here are some highlights:
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Long before Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic, racist and violent rants, the actor made headlines — and enemies — with his antigay remarks to a Spanish newspaper in 1991.
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The latest shocking comments from Mel Gibson, in which he hurls racist, misogynistic, and anti-immigrant slurs at his ex-girlfriend, cap a career of tirades that includes a highly publicized homophobic rant and an anti-Semitic outburst.
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According to PopEater, long before Gibson could be heard on tape last week threatening Oksana Grigorieva, with whom he had a baby, he made homophobic remarks in 1991. Back then, American columnist Liz Smith reported on what the actor said to the Spanish newspaper El Pais:
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"They take it up the a**..this is only for taking a s***,” he said at the time. "With this look, who's going to think I'm gay? I don't lend myself to that type of confusion. Do I look like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?"
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On Friday, Gibson was dropped by the William Morris-Endeavor agency after the audio tape of his latest rant was leaked.
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No doubt Gibson will be embraced by the Kool-Aid drinkers of the far right as some sort of martyr. As is all too typically the case, the professional Christians reject the Gospel message of Christ even as they pat themselves on the back for their religiosity.

Another "Family Values" GOP Sex Scandal

While the GOP claims to be the party of "family values," it sure seems to have an excess of elected officials that just cannot keep their pants zipped up or otherwise stay out of trouble. The latest scandal ivolves New York Congressman Vito Fossella who not only has confessed to fathering a "love child" with a woman who is not his wife, but also just was arrested on a DUI charge in Northern Virginia. How do you say HYPOCRITE? The GOP/Christianists want to meddle in everyone else's sex life, yet they sure as Hell cannot even manage their own. Here are highlights from the Huffington Post:

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Disgraced New York Congressman Vito Fossella broke down in tears on the floor of the House of Representatives today, apparently under the emotional weight of his recent behavior. Fossella acknowledged on Thursday that he had fathered a daughter, now three years old, with a woman who wasn't his wife. News of his adultery came just a week after the Staten Island Republican was arrested for drunk driving in suburban Virginia.

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He is expected to appear in court next week and could face jail time if convicted for his drunk driving charge. According to the New York Times: "A police report in Alexandria, Va., a suburb of Washington, said that Mr. Fossella ran a red light on Thursday just after midnight and had a "strong smell of alcoholic beverage" when he was pulled over. According to the report, Mr. Fossella told the officer that he was on his way to pick up his daughter, who needed to go to the hospital, although on Friday he said that he had been on his way to visit friends.

Judge Appointed by George W. Bush Quits after DUI Bust

The Chimperator sure knows how to pick them and given his own past problems with alcohol, the Chimperator no doubt would be sympathetic to Judge Somma’s plight but for the fact that he was busted for DUI while in full drag. Since Halloween is long past, I suspect that excuse will not fly, not to mention that Daddy Dobson and others are probably having fits and writhing on the floor over this. Nothing makes the Christianists foam at the mouth more than the thought of a man wearing a dress and heels. God forbid – Western Civilization might collapse! I cannot help but wondering where the dear judge was going or returning from. Not to mention, what the Hell was he thinking?? Here are some highlights from the Boston Herald (http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1073879):

A 63-year-old Massachusetts federal bankruptcy judge has resigned a week after he was arrested for driving under the influence in New Hampshire while reportedly wearing a woman’s dress, heels and stockings, and carrying a purse. Judge Robert Somma, a Newbury resident, pleaded no contest to the drunken driving charge in New Hampshire and agreed to have his license suspended for 12 months, the Manchester Union Leader reported.

The Union Leader reported yesteday that Somma crashed his Mercedes into the rear of a car stopped on Elm Street after leaving a bar in the city last week. When cops arrived, the paper reported, Somma was wearing a cocktail dress, fishnet stockings, women’s heels and fumbled through a purse for his driver’s license. Somma had a hard time keeping his balance, smelled of alcohol and slurred his speech, the paper reported, citing the Manchester police report. He failed a field sobriety test and took a breath test at the station that registered a blood-alcohol level of .12. He told police he drank two gin and tonics at a Manchester bar. He said he came to New Hampshire because his wife was out of town and nobody knew him in the city, the paper reported.