Cardinal George Pell of Australia Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison

In other positive news, Cardinal George Pell of Australia has been sentenced to six years in prison for his sexual abuse of minors.  There are likely many more senior prelates who need to be jailed either for their own abuse of minors or their participation in the Catholic Church's worldwide conspiracy to protect predator priest and other clergy.  The New York Times looks at Pell's sentencing.  Note the judge's use of the word arrogance, which applies broadly across the ranks of the Catholic bishops and cardinals. They view themselves as princes while the rest of us are little better than serfs.  Here are article highlights:

MELBOURNE, Australia — George Pell, an Australian cardinal who was the Vatican’s chief financial officer and an adviser to Pope Francis, was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday, for molesting two boys after Sunday Mass in 1996.

The cardinal was convicted on five counts in December, making him the most senior Catholic official — and the first bishop — to be found guilty in a criminal court for sexually abusing minors, according to BishopAccountability.org, which tracks cases of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

Cardinal Pell, who stood stone-faced with lips pursed when his sentence was read aloud, will not be eligible for parole for three years and eight months.

“I would characterize these breaches and abuses as grave,” the chief judge in the case, Peter Kidd, said during the sentencing. Speaking directly to Cardinal Pell, he added: “Your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance.”

The sentence, falling far short of the 50-year maximum, will be closely scrutinized around the world. The sentencing was broadcast live from the courtroom in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, where Cardinal Pell first rose to prominence as an archbishop.

It brings to a close two years of legal jockeying over evidence and accusations of sexual abuse, most of which were kept from public view by Australia’s legal system until recently. And for Catholics all over the world, it amounts to the toppling of a Vatican giant, a cleric of enormous power who will now reside behind bars.

“The importance of this case cannot be overstated,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org. “It will set a precedent.” . . . . Some called it a welcome if small dose of justice, while others said the sentence was far too lenient.

“Why should we take into account his age?” said Phil Nagle, an advocate for abuse victims from Ballarat, Cardinal Pell’s hometown. “He’s ruined lives.”

[H]e [Pell] is well known, in part, for protecting church finances from large payouts to abuse victims — and a culture warrior. He could frequently be found raising money for conservative causes in Australia, publicly condemning homosexuality and stepping into policy debates as well, opposing, for example, legislation to allow adoption by gay parents.

Note too Pell's breathtaking hypocrisy: sentenced for raping two 13 year old boys, yet railing against gays and gay parenting.   The Vatican is full of Cardinal Pell's.

Is the Closet Behind Hollywood Sex Abuse Allegations?

The Roman Catholic Church continues to be shaken by sex abuse allegations fueled, in my view, by the Church's warped 12th century dogma on human sexuality and the forced celibacy of the priesthood which together have psychologically disturbed clergy and a significant portion of the priesthood being comprised of emotionally tormented closeted gays. It was and continues to be a recipe for disastrous consequences, not that the corrupt leadership at the Vatican will ever willing admit the error of their dogma.  Travel from the Vatican to Hollywood and one sees gays still being told to stay in the closet if they hope to have successful careers.  Go back decades in the past and the situation was even worse as the studio system demanded fake marriages and contrived dating situations.  Actor Ian McKellen states that he believes the Hollywood closet has played a role in the sex abuse allegations against Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer. If true, it certainly is no excuse, but it should focus attention on the pervasive damage done living in the closet.  Here are excerpts from Vanity Fair:

Ian McKellen has a controversial theory regarding why both Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer allegedly sexually abused several under-aged men.  At a live recording of the podcast #QueerAF, journalist Evan Davis asked the actor what he made of allegations of sexual misconduct against performers with whom he’d collaborated in the past—including Spacey and Singer. His response?
 “[T]he couple of names you mentioned, of people I’ve worked with, most of them were in the closet—hence all their problems as people, and their relationship with other people. If they had been able to be open about themselves and their desires, they wouldn’t have started abusing people in the way they’re being accused.” McKellen has worked with Singer on several films, including the X-Men franchise—most recently, X-Men: Days of Future Past—and 1998’s Apt Pupil. The actor also worked with Spacey during Spacey’s time as the artistic director of the Old Vic theater, where 20 allegations would eventually surface from a confidential tip line to describe Spacey’s alleged inappropriate behavior. Spacey denied some of the allegations against him as they emerged before, eventually issuing an apology to Anthony Rapp, who accused Spacey in the fall of 2017 of making a sexual advance toward Rapp when Rapp was 14. When allegations of sexual abuse first emerged against Spacey in 2017, the actor initially responded by coming out publicly. “This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life,” Spacey said at the time. “I now choose to live as a gay man.” In response, GLAAD C.E.O. Sarah Kate Ellis tweeted, “Coming out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault. Singer, who has been accused of sexually abusing young men for years, has always vehemently denied all allegations against him; in January, when an exposé in The Atlantic detailed new allegations against him, Singer replied by calling the report a “homophobic smear piece.” In 2014, Singer was accused twice of sexual abuse; one case was dropped, and the other dismissed. In 2017, Singer was sued for allegedly raping a 17-year-old boy in 2003. The case is still pending. Despite that, he went on to executive produce the TV series Legion, and direct 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, before he was fired for allegedly being frequently absent from set, and for clashing with star Rami Malek.

The sooner society lets go of Bronze Age myths found in the Old Testament, the better off the world will be.

Vatican Cardinal Guilty On Multiple Child Sex Charges

Pope Francis with Cardinal George Pell.

The already besieged Roman Catholic Church was just hit with a major earth tremor as Cardinal George Pell, formerly Australia's highest ranking cleric, and Vatican treasurer and adviser to the Pope, has been convicted on multiple charges of sexual abuse of minors.  The rot and cover ups truly go all the way up to the highest levels of the Vatican.  Pell like other sexual predators was elevated to the rank of cardinal by the far from saintly John Paul II, who the Vatican ridiculously fast tracked to sainthood under former Pope Benedict XVI who protected predators while launch a war against normal, well adjusted and non-predator gays and lesbians.  CNN looks at this damning conviction which hopefully will force Pope Francis to begin a long, long over due house cleaning of the ranks of the hierarchy.  If Francis fails to do this, it will be clear that his claims of ending the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy will mean nothing.  Here are article excerpts:

One of the most powerful men in the Roman Catholic Church was found guilty of multiple historical child sex offenses at a secret trial in Melbourne in December, the existence of which can only now be revealed.

Australian Cardinal George Pell, 77, is almost certain to face prison after a jury found him guilty of one charge of sexual penetration of a child and four charges of an indecent act with or in the presence of a child in the late 1990s.

The conviction of Pell, the Vatican treasurer and a close adviser to Pope Francis, will send shockwaves through the church, which is already reeling from accusations of sexual abuse committed by priests worldwide.

Pell is the most senior Catholic official to be found guilty of child sex offenses to date. His conviction brings the escalating international controversy around the abuse of children in Catholic institutions straight to the doors of the Holy See.

A court order banning media reporting of Pell's five-week long trial, which began in November 2018, was lifted by Chief Judge Peter Kidd on Tuesday.

The prosecution's case hinged on the testimony of one man, who said Pell sexually abused him and another boy in Melbourne's historic St. Patrick's Cathedral after mass one Sunday.

Pell has repeatedly maintained his innocence. His legal team confirmed on Tuesday they had filed an appeal against the guilty verdict.

The Vatican has yet to comment on the verdict. Pope Francis quietly removed Pell from his small council of advisors for "reasons of advancing age" in December, before the news of the cardinal's conviction became public.

Pell is due to be sentenced at a separate hearing in March.

Pell's conviction is a stunning fall of grace for a man who once ran the Catholic Church in Australia with an iron fist. . . . He was made Archbishop of Melbourne by Pope John Paul II in 1996. While in the post, Pell created a program to respond to the increasing tide of sexual abuse allegations against priests.

But Pell's "Melbourne Response" program was criticized for capping compensations to victims at just tens of thousands of Australian dollars. There were allegations people were advised not to go to the police.

In 2014, Pell moved to Rome after he was handpicked by Pope Francis to serve as treasurer of the Vatican and become one of nine advisers on the Council of Cardinals to the Pope. But Pell's fortunes began to sour after the Australian government announced a Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sex Abuse in 2012.

The damning report by the commission in 2017 found 7% of Australian Catholic priests abused children over the past six decades.

The GOP/Christofascist Double Standard on Roy Moore

Moore with Christofascist, Mat Staver

As regular readers know, I view both today's Republican Party and its Christofascist base to be irredeemably morally bankrupt.  Lying is the new norm combined with hypocrisy that knows no limits. I'm not saying that progressives and Democrats are angels, but in the grand scheme of things "conservatives" have become the champions of misogyny who apply one standard to themselves - one where anything goes and no lie is too disgusting - and a totally different one to their political opponents or simply those who demand moral decency in political candidates.  The roiling Roy Moore sex scandal personifies this double standard (have you noticed that it seems 9 out of 10 times it is the Republicans/right wing pastors caught up in sex scandals?).  A column in the Washington Post looks at this reality.  Here are excerpts:

Trump’s conveniently flexible standard on accusations — and he is not alone — boils down to: If the accuser points a finger at a Democrat — Bill Clinton, Harvey Weinstein — her word is to be trusted, automatically. If she complains about a Republican, Trump’s otherwise dormant devotion to due process kicks in. How can claims from “many years ago” be allowed to “destroy a person’s life”? Some answers: Because they are entirely credible. Because the girl, now a woman, has no conceivable ax to grind — she is a longtime Republican, a Trump voter even — and nothing to gain from coming forward. Because three other women related similar, although less disturbing stories, underscoring Moore’s interest in younger girls.

Because the presumption of innocence, while essential in the legal realm, does not mean the elimination of common sense outside it. (Thank you, Mitt Romney, for saying that.) The willing suspension of disbelief has its limits, or should.

Unless, that is, you are a politician dealing with a story you wish would go away. Then you turn instinctively to if-then-ism. “If these allegations are true . . .” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), leading — or not — his prove-it caucus. Disappointingly, among them were women senators who ought to know better. “

The correct response came from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who — without hedging — termed the allegations “deeply disturbing and disqualifying” and called on Moore to withdraw. It is better, sure, than the jaw-dropping alternative: so-what-ism, remarkably flagrant among Alabamians in response to the Moore report. “Much ado about nothing,” State Auditor Jim Zeigler told the Washington Examiner. Joseph did it with Mary, he observed. Except, um, minor theological point here — did he? 32-year-old Moore could put a 14-year-old girl’s hand on his erect penis and touch her over her bra and underpants. Trump could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue. It would not deter their supporters. Okay, at least we know where you’re coming from. Your moral parameters are clear in their absence. One last strategy — blame the messenger — has come into play here, deployed by Moore and supporters such as former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon. “The Bezos Amazon Washington Post that dropped that dime on Donald Trump is the same Bezos Amazon Washington Post that dropped the dime this afternoon on Judge Roy Moore,” Bannon said, referring to Post owner and Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos and the “Access Hollywood” tape. “Now is that a coincidence?”

No, it’s not. Good reporting breeds good reporting. . . . Blaming the messenger is always easier than hearing an unwelcome message. It does not make that message any less true.

Criminal Charges Against Cardinal George Pell Still a Possibility

Taking a brief break from political coverage, a piece in the Australian newspaper The Age brings back the reality that the Catholic Church hierarchy remains very much in favor of protecting sexual predator priests and throwing the victims of clergy sex abuse under the bus.  Personally, I would love to see Pell, the highest ranking member of the Catholic Church hierarchy in Australia, hit with criminal charges.  Here are story highlights:

Mr Ashton appeared on radio on Thursday morning responding to explosive allegations aired on ABC 7.30, as well as subsequent claims by Cardinal Pell of a "conspiracy" to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Ashton confirmed Cardinal Pell was the subject of an investigation by the Sano Taskforce that involved multiple allegations over a long period of time.

On Wednesday night, 7.30 aired detailed allegations made by former students of St Alipius primary school in Ballarat, who alleged Cardinal Pell would play with them in the swimming pool and molest them by touching their genitals under water. 

Mr Ashton said charges against the Cardinal were still a possibility and that detectives were waiting on an opinion from the Office of Public Prosecution on whether the inquiry should continue.

"It's been a long investigation ... there are a lot of leads that have to be followed up," he said.

Cardinal Pell has rejected the allegations, claiming that Victoria Police leaked the information to the ABC and compromised the judicial process.

The ABC obtained eight police statements from complainants, witnesses and family members who are reportedly helping the taskforce with its investigation. 

One complainant, Darren Mooney, spoke publicly: "He'd throw us off his shoulders ... he would grab you from – have his hands on your backside and then he'd push you off," Mr Mooney said.

Another alleged victim, Lyndon Monument, described the abuse as: "his hand touching your genitals and stuff on the outside of your bathers or shorts. And then that slowly became hand down the front of the pants or your bathers or whatever you call them."

[He would] grab you ... around the testes, around the anus ... very forceful around the anus," a third complainant,  Damian Dignan, told the program.

Other allegations aired on the program included:
·                      that Cardinal Pell would touch the genitals of children while swimming in a public pool in Ballarat in the late '70s.
·                      that he was naked in the change rooms on a regular basis in front of children.
·                      that he exposed himself to three young children in another change room, at the Torquay Surf Club in 1986 or 1987.
Cardinal Pell's office issued a furious statement and said he rejected all the allegations aired by the program.

Charges could still be laid against Cardinal George Pell over a string of allegations of child sex abuse going back decades, says Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton. 

Dennis Hastert Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison Despite GOP Clemency Appeals

Dennis Hastert pictured at right

As noted recently, Republicans at both the state and federal level have sought tom demonize transgender individuals as would be sexual predators seeking to molest women and young girls in restroom facilities even as they have appealed to a federal judge to be lenient on admitted sexual molester Dennis Hastert, former GOP Speaker of the House - a man who was once second in line for the presidency in the event of the death or incapacity of the president and vice president of the United States.   Thankfully, the judge ignored these hypocrisy filled calls for leniency and Hastert was sentenced to 1 5 months in prison.  In truth, he should have been sentenced to at least a five year prison term, especially since he admitted to his sexual molestation of one of his students.  Here are highlights from The New Civil Rights Movement: 

Dennis Hastert has just been sentenced in a hush money case involving his past sexual molestation of teenaged boys while he was a wrestling coach decades ago. A federal judge, calling the former Republican Speaker of the House a "serial child molester," sentenced him to two years of supervised release and 15 months jail time – not for his actions of sexual abuse, but for evading bank reporting requirements and making false statements to federal authorities.

In sentencing Hastert, Judge Thomas M. Durkin of the Northern District of Illinois also said the former Speaker should participate in a sex offender treatment program, CNN reports.

"I'm deeply ashamed to be standing before you here today," Hastert said in court during his sentencing. "I know I'm here because I mistreated some of my athletes as a coach." 

The court received dozens of letters of support from former [GOP] colleagues of Hastert, including one from Tom Delay, the former Senate Majority Leader who is now an anti-gay Christian activist.

"He is a good man that loves the Lord," DeLay wrote to the judge. "He gets his integrity and values from Him. He doesn't deserve what he is going through. I ask that you consider the man that is before you and give him leniency where you can."

Right Wing Watch reports that "days after the Supreme Court delivered its landmark marriage equality decision, DeLay claimed that he knew of 'a secret memo coming out of the Justice Department' that would legalize '12 new perversions,' including 'having sexual with little boys.'" 

 Sadly, I suspect that Hastert is but the tip of the ice berg when it comes to anti-LGBT Republicans who are either serial adulterers, seeking gay sex "on the down low" ore sexually molesting minors.  Hypocrisy and disingenuous lies are now a hallmark of today's GOP. 

Hastert Would Serve Prison Time Under Plea Deal

As the House Republicans continue in total disarray as they await Paul Ryan's decision as to whether or not he wants to be a masochist and accept the position of Speaker of the House in the face of the growing insanity of the Republican Party, it is right and just - to use a phrase from the Catholic liturgy - to remember the hypocrisy of the so-called "family values" Republicans who do not practice what they preach.  A case in point is former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert who is under federal indictment for  banking law violations that arose from his hush money being paid to a former male student with whom Hastert allegedly had inappropriate sexual contact back in his years as a high school coach.  Politico looks at the plea deal being offered by the feds.  Here are excerpts:

Federal prosecutors in Chicago want former House Speaker Dennis Hastert to serve prison time to resolve a criminal indictment charging he violated federal banking law when he withdrew about $900,000 in cash to pay to an unnamed associate as part of an effort to cover up past [sexual] misconduct [with a minor], sources said.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors are negotiating a plea deal that they will bring before U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin, according to sources close to the case. The deal, details of which are still emerging, would likely call for Hastert to spend more than a year behind bars, one source said.

Hastert, who retired from the House in 2007, was indicted in May on charges of structuring bank withdrawals to avoid federal reporting requirements and lying to the FBI about what he did with the money. The indictment said that between 2012 and 2014 Hastert withdrew $952,000 in increments of less than $10,000 after a bank official warned him that larger amounts would be reported to federal authorities. The federal charges said the money was part of $1.7 million the former speaker paid and a total of $3.5 million he promised to pay to compensate for "past misconduct" against a longtime acquaintance and to compensate for that misdeed.

The federal charges don't detail what Hastert allegedly did to trigger the request for compensation, but they do note that he worked as a teacher and coach at a high school in Yorkville, Ill. before entering politics 35 years ago. Press accounts quoting anonymous sources have claimed that Hastert's "misconduct" involved sexual contact with a male student, but Hastert's attorneys have complained bitterly that those stories came from improper law enforcement leaks.

Many experts expected Hastert to cut a plea deal to avoid the publicity and additional embarrassment a trial could bring, But some thought the 73-year-old former speaker would negotiate an agreement with prosecutors that would involve a period of home confinement and probation rather than prison time.

Some skeptics of the federal bank reporting requirements have criticized the federal indictment, describing it as an effort to punish Hastert for alleged sexual crimes that can't be charged now because the statutes of limitations has passed. However, courts have upheld the use of the law even in case where the government makes no allegation of wrongdoing besides the way the cash transactions were broken up.

Personally, I have no sympathy for Hastert.  And let's get real.  No one promises to pay $3.5 million for past "misconduct" unless that misconduct is very, very damaging.  Thus, the allegations of sexual misconduct with a former student seem to reach that level of gravity.  The other thing that I will note - as I have in the past - is that 9 times out of 10 it is the "family values" Republicans who seem to always be engaging in illicit and/or gay sex even as they lie to constituents and prostitute themselves to the Christofascist elements of the GOP base.

Did Senior Thatcher Era Politicans Rape and Murder Boys?

Photo Illustration by Emil Lendof/The Daily Beast

With stories that sound like something out of the Vatican and Catholic priest circles, a victim and others are claiming that a pedophile abuse ring ran rampant during the Thatcher years and that powerful British politicians worked to keep the abuse and possible some murders covered up.  As most readers know, the Thatcher regime was anything but friendly to gays, yet if the stories are true, gay sex and the abuse of boys was a fixture with some in Thatcher's government.  Why is it that the loudest homophobes are always the ones desiring or engaging in abusive gay sex?  The Daily Beast looks at the sensational allegations.   Here are highlights:

Scotland Yard detectives believe that an organized pedophile ring at the heart of the British establishment was responsible for the murder of three young boys and the violent sexual abuse of dozens more.

A survivor, known as Nick, described regular “abuse parties” that were held at a luxury apartment block near Westminster during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher. He said he watched a Conservative Member of Parliament strangle one boy to death, and witnessed another young boy brutally murdered in front of a Cabinet minister.

Detective Superintendent Kenny McDonald, who is leading an investigation of the alleged “VIP” abuse network said today: “I believe what Nick is saying to be credible and true.”

Nick says children between the ages of seven and 16 were taken to the events, including regular Christmas parties, which were often held at Dolphin Square, an exclusive building on the River Thames that was popular with MPs who needed second homes in London close to the Houses of Parliament. He has described the partygoers as a cross-section of some of the most powerful men in Britain including Sir Peter Hayman, a long-time MI6 chief.

A Scotland Yard inquiry has been established to investigate whether the Metropolitan Police was guilty of overlooking the crimes of powerful figures, or whether some kind of cover-up operation was in place.

Over the years, several MPs have alleged cover-ups or suggested that investigations were shut down by senior security officials. In 1981, Sir Peter Hayman, a former diplomat and intelligence operative, was outed by Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens, who used Parliamentary privilege to name him as a pedophile in the House of Commons. Dickens continued to investigate the pedophile ring, which he claimed included “big, big names,” and he passed a 40-page dossier of evidence to the Home Secretary in 1983.

Dickens claimed his name subsequently appeared on a hit-list and his house was broken into by burglars who scoured his office but never stole any possessions. “The noose around my neck grew tighter after I named a former high-flying British diplomat on the Floor of the House. Honorable Members will understand that where big money is involved and as important names came into my possession so the threats began,” he told the House of Commons in 1985.
Current Labour MP John Mann has suffered no personal threats but says his investigation into allegations of a VIP pedophile network were also shut down by the authorities. As a local politician in Lambeth, South London, he said he became aware of allegations that young boys in care homes were being recruited as rent boys and taken to Dolphin Square.  “We were told this by several sources. It was very specific: there were sex parties there, and they involved Tory MPs,” he told the Daily Mail last month.

He passed the information to the police who came back to him after three months to apologize and say they had been instructed to stop looking into the abuse parties. “They'd been forced to drop it,” Mann said. “Pressure had come from on high in the police service.”

A former senior detective at the Metropolitan Police, Clive Driscoll, said earlier this year that he had been hastily removed from an investigation that had begun in Lambeth into child abuse when his superiors saw a list of suspects, which included several MPs, that he wanted to investigate.

The investigation into an alleged cover-up is just one of 18 strands of inquiry currently ongoing as part of Operation Fairbank, which was first set up in 2012 into allegations of a VIP pedophile ring. 

In total, officers said 600 emails or tip-offs had been received by more than 40 officers working on Operation Fairbank. Thus far, just five people have been arrested.

Duck Dynasty Ratings Tank for Season Premier

While the swamp fever ridden members of the far right and the Christofascist ranks have continued to vigorously supporting the batshitery of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty, the most important critics - i.e., TV viewers - seem to be voting against Robertson's homophobia, racism and male chauvinist pig beliefs by turning the channel dial to something other than Duck Dynasty.   Americans Against the Tea Party has details:

It seems that homophobia, racism, Islamophobia, and suggesting that people marry teenagers is not what Americans want in a role model. Fundamentalist whack-job Phil Robertson and his merry band of fauxbillies saw their ratings plummet with the beginning of season five.

While conservatives were expecting their hero to enjoy a healthy boost in popularity due to his support of “real” American “Christian” values, they instead found Bibleman and crew losing about 28% of their viewership compared to the previous season premier.

While fake Christians have staunchly defended him to the point of lunacy (even if they hadn’t read the interview), after Robertson’s remarks that people with darker skin were happier in the Jim Crowe era, likenings of homosexuality to a predisposition toward animal fornication, comments that the Chinese and Muslims have been trying to take over the world for the past eighty years, and suggestions that men should go out and bag a fifteen year old wife, Americans seem to finally be realizing what sort of person their “role model” truly happens to be.

If the flight from Duck Dynasty continues to hold, then perhaps Americans are less easily duped that I sometimes think is the case.

Boy Scouts of America Continues Anti-Gay Jihad

It's amazing that the most homophobic of organizations - e.g., the Boy Scouts of America ("BSA") and the Roman Catholic Church - both go out of their way to stigmatize and ostracize gays while going to great lengths and extreme levels of secrecy to protect and cover up for sexual predators.  The moral bankruptcy of such hypocrisy is breath taking.  And by again killing the grant of an Eagle Scout award to Ryan Andresen, BSA has again demonstrated that it puts persecuting gays ahead of its own purported principles of morality, not to mention the views of many donors who are ceasing donations.  GLAAD has details on this latest display of bigotry.  Here are some highlights:

Yesterday, 18 year-old Ryan Andresen and his family celebrated that he was one step closer to getting his Eagle award after an official Eagle Board of Review unanimously approved Ryan's Eagle application.

But Ryan's victory was short-lived, as Fenoglio, a paid employee of the BSA, reversed course and rejected the board's unanimously approved application -- an unprecedented action. Local Scout volunteers speculate that Fenoglio's decision was heavily influenced by BSA national.

"It's an unprecedented move," says Wahls. "It's clear that Fenoglio's reversal was forced by BSA national. He's a paid employee, and unfortunately, National exerts a lot of influence over their staff. His reversal, however, is most disappointing."

The Andresen family is devastated, but what hurts them more is that BSA national would rather soil the official Eagle application process and pit local paid staff against volunteer leaders, than allow a gay Boy Scout to be awarded an honor he's earned.

This marks the second time Ryan has been rejected by Scouting leaders he looks up to -- just because he's gay. To make matters worse, BSA Executives – the unelected, paid brass helming an organization that touts the principles of honesty and integrity -- continue to malign Ryan in the national media.

BSA national spokesperson, Deron Smith, falsely asserts Ryan disagrees with Scouting’s principle of ‘Duty to God,’ issuing the following statement to outlets including USA Today:

“The Eagle application was forwarded, by a volunteer, to the local council but it was not approved because this young man proactively stated that he does not agree to Scouting’s principle of ‘Duty to God’ and does not meet Scouting’s membership requirements. Therefore, he is not eligible to receive the rank of Eagle.”

Bonnie Hazarabedian, the District Advancement Chair who headed Ryan’s Eagle Board of Review, refutes that claim, however:

“Ryan did everything right in this process, with honor and honesty. He completed all of his requirements, he turned in his application along with the appropriate request for an appeal before an Eagle Board of Review, and he satisfied every member of the Board that he has earned the right to be recognized as an Eagle Scout. The Board reviewed all of Ryan’s scouting history, his advancement records, his Eagle project and his spiritual beliefs, and we are convinced that Ryan has more than demonstrated that he deserves the award.” (Emphasis added.)

In October 2012, Ryan’s mom launched a Change.org petition calling on local Boy Scout leaders to reject the BSA’s discriminatory anti-gay policy and to give Ryan the Eagle award he has earned. To date, the petition has more than 460,000 signatories.

Once again we see a display of the nastiness of the modern day Pharisees of the right.  They may congratulate themselves on the supposed piety and godliness, but in truth they are very foul individuals who place hate, fear and bigotry ahead of the Gospel message they only pretend to believe in.  

Boy Scouts of America Helped Protect Molesters

Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America continues to discriminate against gays as a matter of policy.  However, the Boys Scouts share another trait with the Catholic Church: knowingly and deliberately protecting sexual predators and allowing them to cover their tracks.  A new report put together by the Los Angeles Times and republished by the Virginian Pilot - one such predatory, Arthur Humphries, who molested 20 boys resided in nearby Chesapeake - documents the moral bankruptcy of the Boy Scouts and how, like the Catholic Church hierarchy, the welfare of youths was subordinated to protecting molesters.  So much for any true morality in scouting.  Here are some story highlights:

Over two decades, the Boy Scouts of America failed to report hundreds of alleged child molesters to police - including a Scout leader in Chesapeake - and often hid the allegations from parents and the public.

A Los Angeles Times review of 1,600 confidential files dating from 1970 to 1991 has found that Boy Scouts officials frequently urged admitted offenders to quietly resign - and helped many cover their tracks.
 
The details are contained in the organization's confidential "perversion files," a blacklist of alleged molesters, that the Scouts have used internally since 1919. Scouts' lawyers around the country have been fighting in court to keep the files from public view.

As The Times reported in August, the blacklist often didn't work: Men expelled for alleged abuses slipped back into the program, only to be accused of molesting again. Now, a more extensive review has shown the Scouts sometimes abetted molesters by keeping allegations under wraps.

In about 400 of those cases - 80 percent - there is no record of Scouting officials reporting the allegations to police. In more than 100 of the cases, officials actively sought to conceal the alleged abuse or allowed the suspects to hide it, The Times found.

With 50 years in Scouting, Arthur W. Humphries (at left) appeared to be a model leader, winning two presidential citations and the Scouts' top award for distinguished service - the Silver Beaver - for his work with disabled boys in Chesapeake.  Unknown to most in the city, he also was a serial child molester.

A few months after Humphries' arrest in 1984, local Boy Scouts official Jack Terwilliger told The Virginian-Pilot that no one at the local Scout council had had suspicions about Humphries.  But that was not true. Records in Humphries' file show that six years earlier, Terwilliger had ordered officials to interview a Scout who gave a detailed account of Humphries' repeated acts of oral sex on him.

Officials not only failed to report Humphries' alleged crime to police, records show, they also gave him a strong job reference two years later, when he applied for a post at a national Scouting event.   .   .   .   .   Humphries continued to work with Scouts and molested at least five more boys before police, acting on a tip, stopped him in 1984. He was convicted of abusing 20 Boy Scouts, some as young as 8, and was sentenced to 151 years in prison. 

In 1982, a Michigan Boy Scout camp director who learned of allegations of repeated abuse by a staff member told police he didn't promptly report them because his bosses wanted to protect the reputation of the Scouts and the accused staff member.

"He stated that he had been advised by his supervisors and legal counsel that he should neutralize the situation and keep it quiet," according to a police report in the file.

 In many cases, Scouting officials said they were keeping allegations quiet as a way of sparing young victims embarrassment.  The result was that some alleged molesters went on to abuse other children, according to the Scouts' documents and court records.

Like the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts discriminate against normal. well adjusted gays yet  coddle and protect known sexual predators.  Talk about having your priorities backwards.  My opinion of scouting - I was a scout myself many years ago - goes down with every passing day.

Abuse/Cover Up Scandal Now Hits Syracuse University

Growing up I was very familiar with Syracuse University since it was the alma mater of my parents and other relatives. The university's sports teams dominated the local sports news and I attended a number of football games in Archibold Stadium, the predecessor to the Carrier Dome, and basketball games at Manley Field House. As seem to be increasingly the case, at times university sports programs seemed to get more attention and far more money than academic programs. And successful coaches became demi-gods. And as we are continuing to discover, they got away with all kinds of misdeeds as other coaches and staff looked the other way rather than hurt the university brand. The indifference and callousness towards the youths who were victimized looks all too familiar with what became a world wide norm in the Roman Catholic Church. First some highlights from Reuters:

The Hall of Fame head coach of Syracuse University's basketball team whose assistant was fired over allegations of sexually molesting boys, stayed mum about the growing scandal on Monday but will speak publicly after a Tuesday game, the school said.

Details of the investigations have so far not been made public, and the allegations have been based on statements made by the alleged victims. District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has said the police refused to share information.

"The Syracuse Police Department will provide the information requested by the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday," the police said in a statement, calling it "the appropriate time." "We have now moved into a new phase of the investigation with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the United States Secret Service taking the lead," the police said.

New York state police and agents with the U.S. Secret Service executed a search warrant at Fine's home on Friday. Experts said federal involvement could indicate the serious nature of possible crimes.

The world of college sports had already been reeling from allegations of abuse and possible cover-ups at football powerhouse Penn State, where a former assistant coach faces 40 sexual abuse charges.

Syracuse is the third major university to disclose abuse allegations after Penn State and South Carolina military college The Citadel, which disclosed that a student it investigated in 2005 had been arrested for sexually molesting boys.

Meanwhile, the Syracuse Post-Standard has more details. Here are some highlights:

Syracuse, NY -- The U.S. Attorney -- not the county district attorney -- has taken the lead in the child sex abuse probe of former Syracuse University associate men's basketball coach Bernie Fine. Fine, 65, was fired Sunday night by the university amid allegations he sexually abused several boys.

[District Attorney] Fitzpatrick said he continues to investigate what Syracuse police and others knew about the allegations in 2002. "My office is separately investigating what happened back in 2002, which does not concern the United States Attorney's Office," the district attorney said. "We're in court (Tuesday) on that, to determine whether or not the records will be disclosed. And that will obviously have a large impact into the status of the inquiry."

Lawyers from the DA's office and the city are due in Supreme Court Justice James Murphy's court at 2 p.m. Tuesday to determine whether the city will be ordered to hand over its records from 2002 to the DA's office.

Isn't it far past time for college sports to be put back in a proper perspective in terms of importance, the deification of coaches and players, and monetary expenditures? In a different collegiate atmosphere, I suspect such cover ups would not have occurred.

AS the Penn State Scandal Deepens, AFA Blames the Gays

As a number of outlets are reporting, the cesspool of a scandal at Penn State may be about to take a further turn for the worse if rumors that Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors prove true. Pam Spaulding looks at the horrid scandal - which seems to also connect with the suspicious unsolved disappearance of Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar who was ready to charge Sandusky back in 2005 - and correctly speculates:

[M]any, many people high in the food chain at Penn State knew more about Sandusky’s “problem,” and at this point, it’s only a matter of time before the full underbelly of sordid behavior by powerful people is going to see daylight.

Obviously, many involved in the cover up to protect the university's image and reputation were heterosexuals, but according to hate group AFA's hate merchant in chief, Bryan Fischer, it's all the fault of the gays. Here's a video of Fischer's anti-gay rant

Queerty has a good come back to Fischer's bullshit and hate. Here's a sampling:

“It’s a simple stubborn fact that homosexuals molest children at much higher rates than the heterosexual population,” Fischer explains. Except that it’s a simple stubborn fact that accused molester Jerry Sandusky identified as heterosexual and was married with children. And also it’s a simple stubborn fact that that most molesters are men who prey on girls.

Fischer trots out the old canard that gay men are “ten times” more likely to be child molesters, but he doesn’t really back up his claim. He just throws out the names of a new British journals whose research methods have been called into serious question. (They only surveyed convicted pedophiles, for example.)

So yes, some homosexuals molest children but not because they’re gay.

That’s all besides the point, though—Sandusky (who is a straight married man with two sons by the way) is a monster no matter what his orientation. His crimes are not what make this whole situation so outrageous. In fact, men like Sandusky barely make the newspaper anymore. It was the organized cover-up by people in charge—people who should’ve known better—that is so reprehensible. (Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar.)

So where is the outrage from Fischer, Maggie Gallagher, etc. at the Penn State staffers, the rioting students and the knee-jerk sportswriters putting a damn football game ahead of the welfare of innocents?

Conservative House of Delegates Candidate Admits Past Lesbian Affair with Student and Claim's She's No Longer Gay

I guess Lisa Miller isn't the only woman in Virginia who claims that "Jesus" made her straight. It turns out that Linda Wall, a conservative running for a House of Delegates seat from Appomattox, is putting out the same kind of "ex-gay" bullshit that Miller has blathered about in her high profile split up with Janet Jenkins and her subsequent kidnapping of her daughter. If Wall is peddling ex-gay claims, that ought to disqualify her from office because she's obviously a liar on a scale worse that that of most politicians, especially those of the conservative ilk. Wall also blames "heavy pot smoking" as a cause of her sexual affair with one of her underage students. I could perhaps buy a heartfelt plea of "I made a foolish mistake" far more easily than the ex-gay lie and a insane marijuana excuses. Not surprisingly, Wall has connections to The Family Foundation which always eats up ex-gay lies and bullshit. Here are highlights from the Daily Press:

A conservative independent seeking a House of Delegates seat from Appomattox says when she was a junior high teacher 40 years ago she had an affair with a female student but that she was a "different person" back then.

"I've never tried to hide that I was in homosexuality. If anybody Googles me, they would find that out there," Wall said. "Forty years ago I was a different person. I was a heavy pot smoker with … impaired judgment and made some bad choices," she said.

She credits a Christian conversion years ago with turning her from drugs and changing her sexual orientation. She also has lobbied Virginia's General Assembly on behalf of the conservative Family Foundation, a staunch opponent of gay marriage, adoption by same-sex couples and abortion.

Wall resigned from the school after the district superintendent confronted her about the affair, according to the transcript deposition. She was never criminally charged.

The disclosure came two weeks before the election in which Wall, Democrat Connie Brennan and Republican Matt Fariss are vying for the vacant seat of Del. Watkins Abbitt, an independent from Appomattox who is retiring after 26 years in the House.

More Coverage of Sex Abuse Lawsuits Against Knights of Columbus

UPDATED: KGBT-TV-4 has coverage as well which can be found here. I love this part of the story:

*

In speaking to neighbors in the area, they told us it wasn’t unusual to see young men frequent his [Rivera's] home.

*

I noted the other day that the Knights of Columbus - probably the most powerful lay organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church with billions of dollars of assets of its own - has been hit with two lawsuits brought by former members of the Knights' youth organization, the Columbian Squires. As was the constant thread running through the sex abuse lawsuits brought against the Catholic Church and its dioceses, these two lawsuits allege that the powers that be within the Knights knew of the sexual abuse problems and - just like the Church hierarchy - endeavored to cover it up and/or silence victims. The Washington Post and the New York Times has picked up the scent of the story and have detailed reports. It's hard not to speculate that as with the Church itself, once these suits get publicity, other victims of the Knights may come forward. Given that the Knights have thrown aside concerns for families and children proven themselves to be sycophants to the Church hierarchy, there is indeed justice to see the Knights now called to account for the same sorts of abuse of children and youths. Here are highlights from the Times coverage in regard to the cover up allegations:
*
One of the victims told Knights of Columbus officials in 1986 that he had been sexually abused by Rivera, but the Knights concealed the report of abuse and intimidated the victim into not making the abuse public, one lawsuit alleges.
*
"His allegations and his coming forward was basically shut down," Jeffrey Herman, attorney for the men, said outside the Knights' headquarters in New Haven as he announced the two lawsuits. "We believe that the Knights of Columbus organization was aware of what was taking place."

*
"It broadens the whole issue of the sexual abuse crisis and frankly further damages the Catholic Church's reputation," said Chuck Zech, director of the Center for the Study of Church Management at Villanova University.
*
John Doe, who lives in Kansas, said Rivera plied him with whisky, marijuana, pornography and a white pill that he said would help him relax. He said when he hesitated to give Rivera a massage, Rivera pulled out a small handgun and placed it on the ground.
*
Rivera sexually abused John Doe for six years on overnight trips for local and national events of the Squires, his lawsuit alleges. The man said if he told anyone, Rivera said he would kill his family or cut off a body part and send it to his mother, according to the lawsuit. Rivera also "shared" the boy with another adult leader of the Squires in another city who sexually abused him, the lawsuit alleges.
*
The man also claimed the Knights of Columbus tried to trick him last year into signing papers that would have prevented him from suing for damages over the alleged abuse.
*
The the morally bankrupt leadership of the Knights stood by and supported the priestly abusers and those who shuffled predator priest from parish to parish and never once demanded accountability from bishops, cardinals or the Pope. Instead, they joined the chorus blaming abuse on gays. Now the Knights may be about to reap what they deserve for their callous disregard for victims of sexual abuse.

Sex Abuse Lawsuits Filed Against Knights of Columbus

I am a former 4th Degree Knight of Columbus and was a founding member of Knights of Columbus ("KofC") Council 10804 in Virginia Beach - but that was a number of years before the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal exploded in Boston and then reverberated all around the world and before the KofC pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into anti-gay initiatives such as Proposition 8. I left both the KofC and the Catholic Church in disgust at the moral bankruptcy of the institutional Church and the KofC which brown nosed and kissed up to documented members of the Church hierarchy involved in threats against victims and their families and members of the hierarchy up to their necks in cover ups as they shuffled predator priests from parish to parish. Now, some Divine justice seems to be coming home to roost with the KofC in the form of sex abuse law suits against the Order's Columbian Squires (for Catholic boys between the ages of 10-18). PR Newswire has the story, and here are some highlights:
*
The Miami law firm of Herman, Mermelstein & Horowitz announces the filing of two new child sexual abuse lawsuits against the Knights of Columbus, one of the world's largest organizations for Catholic men. The Knights of Columbus operate a youth program, known as the Columbian Squires, for Catholic boys between the ages of 10-18. Two former Columbian Squires alleged today that they were sexually abused by the adult leader of their Columbian Squires group in Brownsville, Texas. This is believed to be the first time the Knights of Columbus have ever been sued for child sexual abuse allegations.
*
The suits allege that the two boys were sexually abused on multiple occasions by Julian Rivera, the leader of the Columbian Squires in Brownsville, Texas. One victim claims that Rivera sexually abused him at gunpoint, and also threatened to kill his family if he did not comply with Rivera's demands. Both Plaintiffs allege that Rivera provided them with alcohol and pornography to "groom" them before the physical contact began. One suit alleges that Rivera "shared" his young victim with another Columbian Squires leader, who also sexually abused him.
*
According to the Complaints, Rivera was a leader in the Columbian Squires youth program until very recently, despite a 1986 report to two different Knights of Columbus officials that Rivera sexually abused a member of his Squires group.
*
Copies of the lawsuits can be found here. The Hartford Courant also has details on the lawsuits. Here are some highlights:
*
One of the victims claims he was forced to travel with his Knights abuser to youth conventions, where he was displayed to other adult, male group leaders. "We allege in the complaint that he was being passed around by different leaders," said Jeffrey Herman of Miami, one of the lawyers involved in preparing the suits. "A convention would take place and he would be put on display."
*
In addition to claiming that the victims were repeatedly abused, the lawsuits assert that the Knights of Columbus failed to act on an abuse complaint by one of the victims in 1986 and, a year ago, deceived the victim in an attempt to prevent him from pursuing a damage claim in court.
*
Both said Rivera gave them alcohol and pornographic pictures before engaging them in sexual acts, sometimes while traveling away from their families to Columbian Squires events. The anonymous man asserted in his suit that Rivera showed him a handgun and threatened to kill his family if he reported the abuse.

Catholic Diocese and Its Attorneys Held in Contempt of Court

In the wake of the ever spreading sexual abuse scandal involving the Roman Catholic Church one hears constant blather and crocodile tears from the Church hierarchy feigning sorrow and contrition for the abuse done to children and youths molested by clergy. Likewise, one hears claims by high church clerics who pretend that the Church wants to do right by victims of abuse. The truth, of course, is that talk is cheap and crocodile tears of false contrition even cheaper. Evidencing the Church's true agenda is the tooth and claw efforts to avoid liability and often the intimidation of victims and their advocates. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams rightfully called out the Church and found the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, its law firm Paine Hamblen, and one of the firm’s attorneys, Gregory Arpin, in contempt of court. Why? Because they were using intimidation tactics against a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee in the Diocese's bankruptcy case aimed at avoiding pay outs to abuse victims. Here are some highlights from the Spokesman Review:

*
A federal judge ruled that the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, its law firm Paine Hamblen, and one of the firm’s attorneys, Gregory Arpin, are in contempt of court for using intimidation tactics against a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee.
*
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams stopped short Tuesday of issuing costly sanctions, but ordered the diocese and its attorneys to pay what will be expensive legal costs of the trustee and others.
*
She delivered a curt order designed to blunt future threats from the diocese while clearing the way for the trustee, Gloria Nagler, to pay people who have shown they were sexually abused by Catholic clergy.
*
A $48 million settlement for victims of clergy sex abuse reached in 2007 left open what the diocese assumed would be the slight possibility of new claims, called future claims.
*
There have now been at least 21 of these new claims, brought by people who say they were sexually abused by clergy decades ago – a number that has surprised the diocese and its legal team. There have been no accusations of recent abuse. Some of the claims already have been allowed by a special case reviewer, although the diocese is pursuing an appeal.
*
Despite the appeal, the Bankruptcy Court judge ordered Nagler, the trustee, to proceed with payments on the future claims. Arpin sent an e-mail to Nagler threatening to sue the trustee personally if the diocese won its appeal after she had paid the claims, according to court records. Williams ruled that the e-mail constituted a threat.
*
A total of 184 victims came forward to file claims. Churchgoers paid $10 million of the $48 million settlement. The diocese worries that these new claims are bogus and could drain a special $1 million fund within the settlement that must be replenished. Parish property has been pledged as collateral to ensure the settlement funds are adequate.
*
The sad truth is that the only contrition that the Church and most of its hierarchy have is over the fact that they have been caught and exposed. As for the victims, in reality the Church sees them just as disposable now as when it allowed their abuse and covered up for their abusers.

20% of Gay youth Sexually Abused in Government Custody

The Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report yesterday that found that 12% of youth in government custody experienced sexual abuse. For gay youth, the number was worse - 20% were sexually abused while in government custody. It is a sicken statistic, but given the mentality of many police and the bubbas who work in other areas of law enforcement I guess I should not be surprised. It seems too often that those who are least psychologically fit to have the power of a badge or similar institutional authority are the ones that gravitate toward that line of work. Obviously, the situation is likely even worse in states were homophobia is enshrined in the civil laws and Christianism is the de facto state religion. Unfortunately, it doesn't the least surprise me to see that one of the facilities with a rough 30% rate of abuse is located in anti-gay Virginia. Here are some highlights from Raw Story:

*
Some 12 percent of minors held in government custody are sexually abused, and in some facilities the rate reaches a stunning one in three children, says a report released Thursday by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
*
The first-ever National Survey of Youth in Custody found that no less than 10 percent of the 26,550 juveniles being held in detention facilities in the US are abused by staff at the facility, while another 2.6 percent report abuse at the hands of other inmates.
*
Among the facilities studied were six identified to have rates of sexual abuse as high as three in 10. According to the Associated Press, those six facilities are Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility in Indiana; Corsicana Residential Treatment Center in Texas; Backbone Mountain Youth Center in Swanton, Maryland; Samarkand Youth Development Center in Eagle Springs, North Carolina.; Cresson Secure Treatment Unit in Pennsylvania; and the Culpeper Juvenile Correctional Center, Long Term, in Mitchells, Virginia.
*
The study was mandated by a 2003 law, the National Prison Rape Elimination Act, which also created the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. Human Rights Watch notes that six months ago the commission set out "comprehensive, effective standards for the prevention, detection, and punishment of prison rape," but the Justice Department has yet to act on those recommendations.
*
The survey found that gay youth were at higher risk than heterosexual youth, with one in five reporting abuse at the hands of a staffer or fellow inmate. Males were more likely to report being abused than females (10.8 percent to 4.7 percent). And 95 percent of those abused by staff reported that the abuser was female. But that number may be influenced by the fact that 91 percent of youth in custody are male.
*
Additional details can be found at the San Francisco Chronicle here.