Freeh Report Shocker: Powerful Men Will Cover-up Rape & Abuse for Own Selfish Interests!

The Freeh Report on the Penn State rape scandal came out today. Via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

A special investigator today condemned Penn State University leadership for what he called "the total disregard for the safety and welfare" of children who were sexually abused by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.  

"The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized," investigator Louis Freeh said in remarks prepared for a 10 a.m. news conference.  

[snip] 

"Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University -- President Graham B. Spanier, Senior Vice President-Finance Gary C. Schultz, Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley and Head Football Coach Joseph V. Paterno -- failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade," according to the report. "These men concealed Sandusky's activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community and authorities. They exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky's victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being, especially by not attempting to determine the identity of the child who Sandusky assaulted in the Lasch Building in 2001.  

"Further, they exposed this child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child's identity, of what (graduate assistant Mike) McQueary saw in the shower on the night of February, 9, 2001," according to the report.

I am completely shocked by the revelations!

Never before in the history of mankind have we seen powerful men from any company, religion, institution, industry, system (such as slavery), prison, government, military or family unit turn a blind eye to or actively cover-up -- let alone participate in -- the rape/abuse/exploitation of children and women (and other men) for their own selfish interests (nor would any women be their allies in this so their own little worlds would not be disturbed one tiny bit).

In the case of Penn State, the leadership actually did this so that their own careers -- and the moving of a ball up and down a field -- would be protected.

Shocking! Shocking, I tell you!

We can now all go back to our lives and forget that this exact same thing happens daily.

Fuck Joe Paterno. Fuck Penn State. Fuck the Patriarchy.

A bad day for pedophiles and their enablers in PA

Via Twitter

While the survivors of their violence will have to deal with what happened to them for years to come, at least one serial predator and one serial enabler has met with some justice in Pennsylvannia:

Jerry Sandusky convicted on 45 of 48 counts. It should have come a lot sooner.

Monsignor William Lynn convicted of child endangerment -- becomes the first U.S. church official convicted of a crime for how he handled abuse claims.

PA's Forced Ultrasound "Women's Right to Know Act" (Women's Right to No Rights Act)

Ladies! It's time to hide your vaginas from the probing of the Pennsylvania General Assembly who's attempting to get all up close and personal with your lady business.

Pennsylvania's state legislature knows that women folk have very little actual knowledge of their own bodies -- especially when they have a bun in the oven. They know that the little ladies are weak in mind and could use a helping hand (holding a transvaginal ultrasound) when contemplating an abortion. (You know, like the old joke about whacking a mule with a 2-by-4 to get its attention.)

They know that to keep the ladies on the righteous path, they need to mansplain to them what's happening in their special lady parts so that they can see the error of their ways. After all, who knows better than them (83% of whom are male) what women want and need?

Little things like facts -- 42% of women obtaining abortions have incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level and 61% of abortions are obtained by women who already have one or more children -- mean little to them. The ladies are simply being hysterical if they think they can't afford more kids or need to keep a job. They obviously need a thought adjustment.

That's why the PA General Assembly has decided that the best way to get their attention is to force them to have a medically unnecessary ultrasound 24 hours prior to an abortion. It also forces doctors to turn the ultrasound screen towards the woman’s face. It then forces the woman take TWO prints with her (one for her scrapbook, and the other one SHE has to bring to the doctor performing the abortion.) And, furthermore, it forces civil and criminal penalties for doctors and patients who dare defy their legislating of medicine.

You can read PA House Bill 1077 in all its gorey here. (The bit about “free ultrasound providers” is included so they can funnel women to so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” where they can be fed state-funded, unregulated misinformation by ultrasound providers that don't even have to have any training!)

Have a problem with it?

Here's what you can do:

1. Call your state representative.
(Find yours here.)


2. Write your state representative.
(Find yours here.)


3. Sign the petition here.
(They smashed through their old goal of 10,000 signatures and are now going for 50,000.)

Then, be sure tell all your friends to do the same.

Just do something!

Adopt an Atheist!

The Catholic League has launched an “Adopt An Atheist” campaign just in time for Christmas. They're encouraging people to target American Atheists state directors, so one can assume this is all a bit tongue-in-cheek.

However, what isn't tongue-in-cheek is this statement on their site:

If we hurry, these closeted Christians can celebrate Christmas like the rest of us. As an added bonus, they will no longer be looked upon as people who “believe in nothing, stand for nothing and are good for nothing.”

Charming!

Well, here's one thing that the American Atheists' leadership doesn't believe in or stand for: The systematic cover-up of the sexual abuse and rape of children by their representatives.

Nor does the president of American Atheists -- to my knowledge -- make excuses for child rape or take out a full page ad in The New York Times claiming that it doesn't exist (unlike Catholic League President, Bill Donohue).

Maybe, just maybe, there are some things one shouldn't believe in -- you know -- as a matter of MORALITY.

Vatican investigates nuns for "feminism" (Bros before hoes)

Official Vatican View of Women
Via KUOW (h/t to Pandagon):

Three Catholic women's communities in Washington state are being investigated by the Vatican. They were chosen for review as part of an extensive investigation into American nuns. The Vatican says it's following up on complaints of feminism and activism.

The Archdiocese of Seattle says the Adrian Dominicans in Woodway, the Renton Sisters of Providence and the Tacoma Dominicans are on the list. Sister Joyce Cox is the Archbishop's Delegate for Religious. She says it's not clear what this latest development — or the entire investigation — means.

Apparently, the impetus for the deeper investigation was a review of responses to the Vatican's 20–page questionnaire sent out to all women's orders -- and only to women's orders -- meant to determine the extent of the communities' obedience to the Church.

Some of the dastardly activites the women engaged in include running a women's transition house, working to end human trafficking (hmmm, I guess I could see how this would conflict with other Church activities)...and thinking.

A local example of punishment meted out for using the brains God gave them can be found in Greensburg PA:

Bishop Lawrence Brandt of the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg has declared that religious sisters from communities whose leaders endorsed the final version of the national health care reform bill can no longer promote their recruitment events in his parishes or in the diocesan newspaper.

Note that the nuns did not endorse abortion. They only used their brains to determine -- along with most -- that the HCR bill did not promote or pay for abortions and, being on the front line of providing health care, deemed the bill a good thing. Also note that the recruitment being referred to is trying to recruit more young women to take up religious orders.

Of course any religion can make up any rules they like. They can practice any discrimination they like. But when they've been actively engaged in conspiring to cover up the criminal abuse and rape of children for decades (and when they actively insert themselves into politics) they should not expect folks to not notice the rank hypocrisy of the rapid pace of investigating the sisters' thought crimes vs. the glacial pace of doing something to end actual crimes by the fathers.


Bitchez ruin it for everyone!

Catholic Church Abuse Scandal Having Far Reaching Effects Including Here in Pittsburgh

Dan Onorato, Mike Doyle and Luke Ravenstahlat today's early morning press conference.
In a move which political insiders found "stunning" a joint press conference was held today in Pittsburgh by three notably Catholic elected officials: US Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

The three men issued a press release stating that, "We realize that we have no right to impose our particular religious views on the citizenry of Southwestern Pennsylvania."

It went on to add, "We're all Democrats and it's time that we lived up to our Party's platform."

At the presser, Onorato said, "I told the good folks at the Steel-City Stonewall Democrats endorsement vote just this Sunday that I was against same-sex marriage, but with each new revelation in the Church abuse scandal I came to the realization that maybe my Church didn't really have the moral authority to tell others how to live their lives. If elected to be your Governor, I will work for real equality not just some sham unfunded commission."

Mayor Ravenstahl, whose voice frequently chocked with emotion and who at times was blinking back tears, blurted out, "I've been a real douche." He went on, "That vote I made against the Bubble Zone when I was on City Council which I never explained, yeah, that was totally an anti choice vote. Myself and my colleagues here have no right to try to impose the views of our Church or ourselves on the women of our area.

Growing increasingly more philosophical during his comments, Ravenstahl added, "What are we talking about here anyway? I can't even keep my own marriage together and yet I say the gays shouldn't even be allowed to try? It's all about the love, right?"

Doyle, the last to speak, said he'd been conflicted for some time. "Yeah, I voted for the Stupak Amendment, but even then I was still trying to bring the two sides together. Personally, I'm against abortion, but I know I can't impose my own beliefs on others. And, I certainly can't hide behind my faith -- especially not now. I want to say though that there are many, many good people in the laity, but I've had a real change of heart. I'm gonna go one step further and sponsor a repeal of the Hyde Amendment. Abortion is legal in this country and there's no good reason why we should punish poor women. That would be real health care reform."

The three took questions after making their statements and when asked about his status as a resident of the infamous "C Street House" run by the shadowy group called "The Family," Doyle noted that he had moved out over a year ago. "What was I thinking living there? Talk about religious hypocrites and a lack of moral authority! They're almost on par with the leadership in the Catholic Church."

As the conference ended, the press was ushered out with a broadcast of David Bowie's "Changes."


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I don't think so

I must have missed the part in the Bible where Jesus was accused of covering up the abuse and rape of thousands of children. Either that or New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan has a somewhat different version of the book.
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someone is owed an apology

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For the all the crap she suffered for this.
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Oh, Woe is Me

From the New York Times yesterday on Pope Benedict:

While he did not directly mention the scandal involving sexual abuse of children by priests, parts of his sermon could be applicable to the crisis.

The pontiff said faith in God helps lead one “towards the courage of not allowing oneself to be intimidated by the petty gossip of dominant opinion.”

Pathetic.
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For all the Cardinals out there

I created this back in 2005 and you can still pick some up cheap. Just saying...


Click here to purchase
(I mean, it was a secret vote, right? Who would know?)
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Suffer the little children

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Jesus Wept: Pope Asks Bush for Immunity

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Lawyers for Pope Benedict XVI have asked President Bush to declare the pontiff immune from liability in a lawsuit that accuses him of conspiring to cover up the molestation of three boys by a seminarian in Texas, court records show.

[snip]

Joseph Ratzinger is named as a defendant in the civil lawsuit. Now Benedict XVI, he's accused of conspiring with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to cover up the abuse during the mid-1990s.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Gerry Keener, said Tuesday that the pope is considered a head of state and automatically has diplomatic immunity.

Some may recall that 2PJ wrote back in April how RATzinger threatened excommunication for clergy who warned anyone about pedophile priests.

When RATzinger was still a cardinal and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition) he wrote a confidential letter that was distributed to every Catholic bishop in May 2001. The letter confirmed that RATzinger believed that the Catholic Church had the right to conceal sexual abuse from the proper US legal authorities.

Moreover, it threatened those who would try to behave in a legally and MORALLY responsible way with the ultimate punishment for Catholics: excommunication. The letter came to light in the same Texas civil suit referenced in the Chicago Sun-Times article above.

To sum up:

A former Hitler Youth who actively participated in covering up the sexual abuse of children is asking a sociopathic lying warmonger for immunity for his sins.

Does it get any sicker than this?

RATzinger Threatened Excommunication for Clergy Who Warned Anyone About Pedophile Priests

That's right folks, when RATzinger was still a cardinal and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition) he wrote a confidential letter that was distributed to every Catholic bishop in May 2001. The Observer states the letter contained the following:

"It spells out to bishops the church's position on a number of matters ranging from celebrating the eucharist with a non-Catholic to sexual abuse by a cleric 'with a minor below the age of 18 years'. Ratzinger's letter states that the church can claim jurisdiction in cases where abuse has been 'perpetrated with a minor by a cleric'.

The letter states that the church's jurisdiction 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and lasts for 10 years.

It orders that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office, which has the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests'.

'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication.

The letter came to light in a lawsuit filed earlier this years on behalf of two alleged abuse victims against a Texas church. The plaintiffs' lawyer is quoted in the Observer article as saying:

"It speaks for itself. You have to ask: why do you not start the clock ticking until the kid turns 18? It's an obstruction of justice."

My thoughts exactly!

By what authority did RATzinger think that the Catholic Church had the right to conceal abuse from the proper US legal authorities?

Who died and made him Pope?

Ooops!