For those of you with an interest in the actual data, and not New York Times propaganda and insinuation.
The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States: A Research Study Conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice
In June 2002 the full body of Catholic bishops of the United States in their General Meeting in Dallas approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Charter created a National Review Board, which was assigned responsibility to commission a descriptive study, with the full cooperation of the dioceses/eparchies, of the nature and scope of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The National Review Board engaged the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York to conduct research, summarize the collected data and issue a summary report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of its findings. This report by the John Jay College is authorized for publication by the undersigned.
#1
If this is a topic of interest to you, go read the essays on
http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/
He (former priest Peter) has posted the first two of four, and they are very worthwhile.
#2
Good link, Glenmore. I really like these separate paragraphs from the second essay:
Many priests (including myself) simply couldn't imagine that such evil could exist within our ranks. How could any priest, knowing the words of our Lord in Matthew 18:6, dare to conduct himself in such a manner? Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Did they care so little for their immortal soul that even so blunt a warning from Christ Himself failed to give them pause?
There were (and are) some good bishops who openly addressed the issue, provided clear guidance to their priests, and stood up for the truth; but the majority of the hierarchy seemed to go into defensive mode, circling the wagons to defend the institution of the Church (and, perhaps more to the point, their own positions of authority). This seemed to me to be utterly incomprehensible, for three reasons. First, the church belongs to Christ. He will do any defending that is necessary. (Tragically, many organization men in the Church probably believe more in the institution than they do in Christ. That's one of the saddest things I've ever had to say in my life . . . but I think it's the only possible explanation for their focus on protecting and defending the institution, rather than the victims of this scandal.) Second, the ammunition being used by critics to attack the Church had been provided by the bishops themselves, through their evasion of their responsibilities in failing to deal with the crisis swiftly and decisively in its earliest stages. Had they done so, it would never have developed to the point that it did. Thirdly, how can one possibly defend the indefensible? If the stories we were hearing were true bishops deliberately concealing abuses, transferring offenders to new locations where they could put others at risk, and so on there appeared to be no possible justification or defense for them. The perpetrators, and the institution of the Church, deserved the public pillorying they were receiving.
#4
The Catholic Church has set the example, and it has worked. It was not painless, and a lot of old wounds were re-opened, and recompense paid. But, like the Reformation, the Catholic Church is better off for the refining fire that helped burn this sin out.
Talk about the Church all you want: there were 6 documented cases last year in the US Church. How many thousands were there in Government Schools? Worry more about the beam in your eye than the mote elsewhere...
Nether is good, but we now need to turn our attention to the most broken institution that is harming our children: Public Schools.
Lets see, when will the Government (public) Schools self-investigate by inviting an unbiased third party to examine them in deatail, openly, and make recommendations as to how to find, stop and prevent abuse?
Time for the major remaining PUBLIC sources of pedophile acts to step up for their cure. If the Unions and bureaucrats will let them.
#5
Recall that a vast majority of the pedophile acts in the study occurred between 1960 and 1990, with the bulk of them and the cover-up work in the 70's and 80's.
That generation' time has flown, and many are already judged, and most all of the rest will stand for judgment within the next decade.
The best thing I can say about these wrong headed bishops is that many of them are dead, and within 10 years almost all of them will be.
This is not new to the Catholic Church.
The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops. -- Saint Athanasius, the first recognized Doctor of the Church, approx 353 AD
[Bangla Daily Star] Police yesterday arrested fraud pir (spiritual leader) Amzad Hossain Bepari and three of his associates on charge of torturing several children and women in the name of treatment in Sirajdikhan.
Amzad was arrested at his den in Khasnagar village under the upazila along with associates Nuru Member, 45, Kalam, 46, and Ilias, 60.
Three cases were filed against Amzad and 15 others on charges of deception and attempted murder. The fraud pir is the main accused in each of the cases.
Md Matiur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sirajdikhan police, told The Daily Star the arrests were made around 10:30am following a report published on the Prothom Alo.
The arrestees were taken to the police station for interrogation.
Ironically, people are still crowding the den of Amzad, who claims to have been using different techniques to "heal" his "patients".
Additional District Magistrate Hasanul Islam said everyone involved in the ring would be brought to book. He however said the administration was not aware of the matter so far.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Saiduzzaman Faruqui said the arrestees are being interrogated. He said Amzad has already given some important information and the police are working on it to trap his other accomplices.
The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) is also working on the activities of the fraud pir.
Rab local camp commander ASP Md Milon Mahmud said he came to know about Amzad's activities about a week ago. He said he was waiting for Thursday as the number of visitors is usually the highest on that day.
Superintendent of Police Md Shafiqul Islam said Amzad is illiterate. He only knows two suras (chapters of the holy Quran) but also makes mistakes while reciting those.
Sakira Begum of Naigaon village in Sirajdikhan said the fraud pir used to beat up his "patients" to "heal" them.
Sources say several people got the share of money Amzad collected from his "patients" through his so-called treatment.
Besides the arrestees, Aslam Matbar, 45, Khaleque Matbar, 60, Sayeed Matbar, 50, Hossain Mollah, 40, and Ruhul member are also involved in the clique led by Arab Ali, the sources add.
They have gone into hiding since the report published on the Prothom Alo.
Surat Ali, 60, Manjil, 35, Amir, 40, used to collect money on behalf of the fraud pir in the so-called treatment sessions.
Amzad was an expatriate in the Middle East for 11 years but failed to change his lot. He returned home about four months ago and started pulling rickshaws and vans.
Amzad opened a den at his own house in Khasnagar about two months ago. When the number of patients increased he opened a 20-bed "hospital".
He set up a so-called and peculiar hospital at his village home. A scaffold of bamboos and jute sticks with tin roof, the only "doctor" of the hospital was Amzad in black turban, white punjabi and pyjama.
Amzad used drum beats while "treating the patients". People from remote villages rushed to him when they even suffered from fever or cold.
The people say Amzad applied a "dream treatment" on his "patients".
Locals say he turned into a doctor taking advantage of the abject poverty of the villagers. He charged fees ranging from Tk 10 to Tk 100. Those who were unable to pay in cash gave him vegetables from their fields.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"He has a den?"
"You should see the rumpus room."
Army chiefs face the nightmare prospect of having to consider their soldiers' childcare problems before giving them orders.
The devastating blow follows a successful sex discrimination claim brought by a single mother.
Tilern DeBique, 28, says she was forced to leave the Army because she was expected to be available for duty around the clock. She was formally disciplined when she failed to appear on parade because she had to look after her daughter.
She was told the Army was a 'war-fighting machine' and 'unsuitable for a single mother who couldn't sort out her childcare arrangements'.
Now she is in line for a payout of at least £100,000 for loss of earnings, injury to feelings and aggravated damages.
The case could have massive implications if other recruits argue that their childcare rights must be considered.
Tory politician Patrick Mercer, a former Army officer, warned last night: 'The defence budget is already hugely overstrained. If specialist childcare arrangements have to be made for every soldier who doesn't have an extended family to help, it will be cripplingly expensive.'
Fellow Tory Ann Widdecombe said: 'If you are in the Army, you must be available for duty. The idea that someone can sue for sex discrimination is simply ludicrous. As for a £100,000 payout, that is just turning a grievance into a lottery win.'
Miss DeBique also won a claim of race discrimination because Army chiefs did not let her bring her half-sister from the Caribbean to look after the child.
The former corporal, whose daughter is now four, told the Central London Employment Tribunal that British soldiers could rely on their families for childcare, but her relatives were all on her home island of St Vincent, where she was recruited.
This second victory raises serious questions about the Army's ability to recruit from Commonwealth countries if it will be held responsible for soldiers' childcare arrangements.
#2
The MoD is down on creative grounds cleanup. You cannot make fun out of work. Here is a video of two soldiers that got caught in the act. Sorry about the audio, but this video was taken on the QT.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Chilliwack, BC ||
04/13/2010 20:47 Comments ||
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All the rest is fluff, but this bit may be of interest.
We had heard very little from the mayor of Nuevo Laredo since February after a gun battle broke out across the border.
That is until now.
We are working with state and local even the United States authorities because we need to solve the problem that's going on in Nuevo Laredo but Nuevo Laredo is the safest border city along the U.S. and Mexico and we are going to keep it that way,' says Ramon Garza-Barrios, mayor of Nuevo Laredo.
Still not wanting to cause alarm, Nuevo Laredo Mayor Ramon Garza Barrios says ICE, DEA, FBI and ATF agents are working side by side with Mexican authorities to put a stop to what he calls isolated incidents.
Barrios spent the morning preparing for a visit from the U.S. Ambassador, just days after the American consulate office in Nuevo Laredo was the target of a bomb.
This year, there have been about 50 confirmed murders in Nuevo Laredo but hundreds others remain unconfirmed.
#1
"We are working with state and local even the United States authorities because we need to solve the problem that's going on in Nuevo Laredo but Nuevo Laredo is the safest border city along the U.S. and Mexico and we are going to keep it that way," says Ramon Garza-Barrios, mayor of Nuevo Laredo.
Here in the Royal Navy, we have the cannibalism problem relatively under control.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Kyrgyzstan's ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev made his first public appearance Monday since being toppled in a popular uprising, slamming his opponents and refusing to step down.
Bakiyev, who fled the capital Bishkek last week amid protests against his rule that left at least 81 people dead, was addressing a crowd of thousands of supporters in his home village of Teyit in southern Kyrgyzstan.
He was greeted near his family home by throngs of supporters cheering his name, an AFP correspondent reported.
Speaking from the steps of the local mayor's office, Bakiyev insisted that he remains the legitimate president of the former Soviet state and accused the interim government of being "natural gangsters."
"I had some reasons for hiding. As you know, power was seized by force. It began first in (the northwestern city of) Talas and all the blame was put on my shoulders," he told the cheering crowd.
"I am the president, and no one has the right or the authority to make me leave my position. This is not a revolution, this is a seizure of power."
Bakiyev also repeated his call for the United Nations to send a contingent of peacekeepers to prevent further bloodshed in the impoverished Central Asian state.
It was the first public appearance by the ousted leader since fleeing the capital. The interim government formed by ex-foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva has demanded he resign and accused him of attempting to foment civil war.
Almazbek Atambayev, first deputy head of the interim government, told reporters in the capital Bishkek that the government was preparing to arrest the ousted leader, but was holding off to avoid civilian casualties.
Atambayev accused Bakiyev of surrounding himself with local residents in an attempt to discourage government forces from seizing him.
"The interim government of Kyrgyzstan is preparing a special operation to detain Kurmanbek Bakiyev. We have not yet begun it because he doesn't want to harm the local population," Atambayev said.
Emotional speeches
While Atambayev said that the entire Jalalabad region where Bakiyev is located wants to see him removed from power, many supporters gave emotional speeches in his defense.
Gulnara Talayeva, a local resident and member of a pro-Bakiyev youth league, blasted the provisional government in general, and Otunbayeva in particular.
"A 60-year-old woman shouldn't be sitting in the seat of power. She is an old woman and has no right to do that," she told the crowd, to cheers of support.
Following the meeting, an AFP reporter witnessed Bakiyev leaving the village in a black sport utility vehicle.
Meanwhile, Atambayev returned from Moscow this weekend where he said he had held high level meetings with the Russian government, which pledged last week to help the new government with extra humanitarian assistance.
Kyrgyzstan's new leaders on Friday froze the national banking system, saying Bakiyev had pillaged state coffers, leaving only 986 million Kyrgyz soms (16 million euros, $22 million) to run the country.
"I met with the leadership of the Russian Federation. I said that during peacetime, Russia allocated $150 million to the Kyrgyz Republic," Atambayev said.
"Now, when we have an emergency situation, (this) aid should be more than $150 million," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2010 00:00 ||
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The head of Kyrgyzstan's interim government has said ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev may be offered an incentive to leave the country.
"Everyone is calling on him to leave the Kyrgyz people alone, for Bakiyev to find himself a place outside Kyrgyzstan," Roza Otunbayeva said.
"Bakiyev has certainly raised the question -- 'what will I get in exchange?' We are working on the question right now to a certain extent," said added.
Otunbayeva said Bakiyev should realize that there is no way out of the current deadlock. She's also added that her government has full control of the Kyrgyz military.
The interim government had previously threatened to launch a special operation to arrest Bakiyev, if he did not resign.
The ousted president has so far refused to officially step down. Bakiyev has warned that any attempt to arrest or kill him will lead to "more bloodshed."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2010 00:00 ||
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Part of the stern of the sunken Navy corvette Cheonan was pulled to the surface on Monday afternoon, 17 days after it sank in an unexplained explosion on March 26. The Navy hauled it about 4.6 km to shallower waters off Baeknyeong Island.
A chimney, two Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and a torpedo tube are missing, suggesting that the ship went under in a powerful external explosion rather than an internal explosion, collision with a rock or metal fatigue. But it was hard to determine the exact cause of the sinking as the ripped-off part along the welded seam has not yet been completely exposed.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said bad weather forced them to haul the stern away to shallower waters off Baeknyeong Island. "In other words, we moved it from waters 45 m deep to a point 25 m deep."
The stern still has its main 76 mm guns, 40 mm auxiliary guns, the tracking radar room, two Harpoon missile tubes, and a triple-barrel torpedo tube, but the chimney was probably blown off in the shock wave.
A military source said there was "no significant damage" to the part of the stern where the ammunition storage is located. That takes care of that theory ...
A Navy officer said, "We planned to salvage the stern around Saturday or Sunday by wrapping it with a third chain. But it may be difficult to salvage it until this weekend because the waves are high, the wind is strong and the current has become swifter as the tide began to rise."
A staffer of a ship salvage firm said, "If we attempt to salvage it now, chains could dig into the vulnerable parts of the hull. The durable parts of the hull which could stand the pressure of chains were lost." That is why the wreck was only hauled to shallower waters for safe operations, he added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/13/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
ION WORLD NEWS > LEAD: CHINESE SUBMARINES, DESTROYERS SPOTTED ON HIGH SEAS NEAR OKINAWA [2 Subs + 8 DD's = 10 ea. tote ships].
Only 7% more to go before the Commissar is kicked out of office.
Real personal income for Americans - excluding government payouts such as Social Security - has fallen by 3.2 percent since President Obama took office in January 2009, according to the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis.
For comparison, real personal income during the first 15 months in office for President George W. Bush, who inherited a milder recession from his predecessor, dropped 0.4 percent. Income excluding government payouts increased 12.7 percent during Mr. Bush's eight years in office.
"This is hardly surprising," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist and former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. "Under President Obama, only federal spending is going up; jobs, business startups, and incomes are all down. It is proof that the government can't spend its way to prosperity."
According to the bureau's statistics, per capita income dropped during 2009 in 47 states, with only modest gains in the other states, West Virginia, Maine and Maryland. But most of those increases were attributed to rising income from the government, such as Medicare and unemployment benefits.
Posted by: ed ||
04/13/2010 12:47 ||
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#3
Income has fallen 3.2% under BO? Expect many more losses in income due to increases in taxes to pay for government programs. Everyone will be affected; particularly if BO pushes the Value Added Tax to pay for his programs.
#4
Tell me something I don't know. I made less money and paid more taxes than the year before. I don't believe one word of what Obama or the majority of Democrats say.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/13/2010 18:56 Comments ||
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#5
My income was down 14.5%. But at least my taxes went down too.
[Straits Times] AN INDEPENDENT autopsy panel found that nine 'Red Shirt' protesters who died in the weekend's bloody clashes with Thai security forces had been killed by gunshots, a hospital director said on Monday. Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're in open rebellion.
After nearly a month of anti-government rallies in Bangkok, violence erupted when troops tried to clear protesters from one of two sites on Saturday, killing 17 civilians - including a journalist. Four soldiers also died in the violence.
'The autopsy result found that nine out of ten bodies (all protesters) were shot to death,' Lieutenant General Jongjet Aaojenpob, director of the police hospital said.
The tenth autopsy found that the protester had died of a long-standing illness, according to the hospital. No further details were given. Results of autopsies being carried out at other hospitals on six other civilians killed in the weekend violence are still awaited.
An autopsy was conducted on a Japanese cameraman killed in the clashes, but his family had requested the result not be released, Gen. Jongjet said. The Reuters news agency has reported that its cameraman died after being shot through the chest.
Gunshots echoed around the city on Saturday evening, with both sides accusing each other of using live ammunition. The government has denied troops opened fire on protesters with live rounds. 'Weapons were used only in self-defence and to fire into the air. We don't find any evidence that soldiers used weapons against people,' government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told a press conference on Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/13/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
See also WORLD NEWS > THAI RED SHIRTS DEMAND IMMEDIATE DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT.
The Tea Party movement has gained a foothold in the armed forces.
A new Tea Party group, Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots, has grown quickly since being launched last month by an active duty Marine Corps sergeant. The group, which vows to "stand up on the very soil we defended to preserve common sense conservatism and defend our Constitution that is threatened by a tyrannical government," currently has over 400 members, who have signed up through its Facebook page, though many are not active duty military. And it has close ties to the broader Tea Party movement.
"People in the military need to be heard," the group's prime organizer, Gary Stein -- a Marine Corps sergeant stationed at Camp Pendleton in southern California -- told TPMmuckraker in an interview. "Our opinions do count."
Many people in the military "feel like they can't speak out against Obama or Congress," said Stein. "The armed forces should have a little bit more say than we think we do," he said.
Stein said he had served in the Marine Corps for seven years, including service in Iraq. He described himself as a "strong conservative" who had found himself disillusioned with the GOP. Stein formed the new group, he said, after finding like-minded cohorts on his base, then co-ordinating with a friend who's active in a local southern California Tea Party chapter.
The Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots have quickly gained a profile in the larger Tea Party movement. Stein was among Tea Party leaders quoted in a statement sent out by the Tea Party Patriots today, responding to the formation of a Tea Party federation. "In the Armed Forces we wear the same uniform, have the same haircut, and swore the same oath, but have different thoughts," Stein said in the statement.
"We have come together as a band of brothers and sisters in uniform to stand for what is right. We share a life that unique only to us, we share a Tea Party that unique to us. We are the Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots and our voice will be heard!"
Indeed, the Tea Party Patriots appear to have sought out the Armed Forces group, perhaps to imbue the broader movement with a military seal of approval. Yesterday, Greg Holloway, who co-ordinated the Tea Party Patriots' statement in response to the federation, posted a message on the Armed Forces group's Facebook page saying, "We have a tea party press release and would like to include you," and asking for a contact person.
In promoting the Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots, Stein has raised the possibility of disobeying presidential orders. In one recent online posting, he wrote:
My oath was to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and that oath will be kept. I won't "Just follow" orders. There is at this time a debate within the ranks of the military regarding their oath. Some mistakenly believe they must follow any order the President issues. But many others do understand that their loyalty is to the Constitution and to the people...
That declaration echoes one made by the Oath Keepers, a group of current and former military and law enforcement personnel who have vowed not to follow orders deemed to be unconstitutional -- including any orders to disarm Americans. Stein agreed that the two groups are kindred spirits. "I think we're very like-minded with the Oathkeepers," he said. "I strongly support the Oathkeepers."
Stein's political activism seems to have raised some concern among his superiors. Late last month, he wrote online: "Was just told by a Marine Corps Officer to watch what I say about Obama... I think not..." And later that same day: "I was just told to keep my opinons (sic) to myself about Obama, by my Officer-in-Charge (OIC)."
Indeed, Stein may be violating military policies that restrict political statements and activities by active duty personnel. "I've seen military command go against people on a lot less," Mike Lebowitz, a former JAG lawyer who's an expert on issues of military expression, told TPMmuckraker.
Lebowitz said one key question is whether the activity is judged to be "partisan." Though the Tea Party movement has formed political parties in a few states, and has endorsed and supported candidates in some races, there's no evidence that Stein's group has done so.
Still, Richard Rosen, an expert on military law at Texas Tech School of Law, said Stein's activities sound borderline. "At some point it becomes very close to crossing the line of partisanship," he said.
And Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale Law School, told TPMmuckraker that taking a leadership role with any political group is "problematic." But Fidell added that the military is usually loath to prosecute such acts, for fear of creating political martyrs.
This isn't the first time that anti-Obama sentiment has surfaced within the military. Several active duty service members have challenged their orders to deploy overseas, on the grounds that President Obama was not born in the U.S. and his orders are therefore illegitimate.
For Stein, Tea Party activism is a natural offshoot of the military's main mission. "The U.S. military has been around for over 200 years," serving America by deploying to war-zones around the world, he said. "Now its time to do what we need to do to get this country moving in the right direction."
Late Update (4/13/10): Stein says in a statement that his group doesn't support a military uprising, views President Obama as the legitimate commander-in-chief, and will follow all constitutional orders.
#2
Interesting it was initiated by an NCO. Might say something about our officer... 'corpse.' I suspect the pentagon will be acting soon to prohibit this type of activity.
#3
I suspect the pentagon will be acting soon to prohibit this type of activity.
ahhh yes, the Napolitano boot of tolerance. Sounds like these gentleman and ladies are smart enough to make it less - partisan and more principles. Should stand up to scrutiny
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/13/2010 20:39 Comments ||
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#4
If individuals want to support the Tea Party or even the President they should do so.
However they should leave any affiliations with the military at home.
As it is we can barely trust the US Government.
If we loose faith in the military we are lost of if the military becomes divided we are lost..
Posted by: Kelly ||
04/13/2010 20:57 Comments ||
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#5
I suspect the pentagon will be acting soon to prohibit this type of activity.
It'd run up against DOD Directive 1344.10, which covers service members participation in political activities.
Then again, you've been out of the Army a long time...
Gawd, it's been a loooong time since I had to read DOD bureaucratese!
My head hurts. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/13/2010 21:32 Comments ||
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#7
Sorry, Barbara. Perhaps excerpts this 2008 article might help.
A revised Defense Department directive provides sharper definition of what service-members may and may not do within the political realm, particularly running for political office, a senior U.S. military officer said here yesterday. The new version of Directive 1344.10, titled, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces, became effective Feb. 19 and replaces the previous version issued in August 2004.
Active-duty servicemembers are strictly prohibited from campaigning for political office or actively taking part in a political campaign even behind the scenes The revised directive also specifies what active duty members may or may not do regarding political activities. In addition, military chiefs are expected to provide unvarnished advice, without political slant or motive, to senior civilian government leaders.
However, under certain circumstances, some reserve-component members can run for or hold elective political office. Yet, there is a right way and a wrong way to do that. The directive outlines specific rules pertaining to cases of regular, retired and reserve-component service-members holding elective or appointed office within the U.S. government, including elected positions with state, territorial, county or municipal governments.
In addition, the revised directive requires military members holding such positions to apply for and secure the approval of their individual service secretaries. The requirement for service secretarial approval depends on the length of the service-members call or order to active duty.
#8
Pappy - would seem that politically coordinating for principles: small government, less debt, etc., would fit within acceptable activities if not referencing nor favoring a political party?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/13/2010 21:57 Comments ||
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#9
Basically, what it sez is that a service member on active duty may register, vote, and express a personal opinion on political candidates and issues, join a partisan or nonpartisan political club and attend its meetings when not in uniform, subject to some restrictions, sign a petition for a specific legislative action or a petition to place a candidates name on an official election ballot, if the signing does not obligate the member to engage in partisan political activity and is done as a private citizen, make monetary contributions to a political organization, display a political bumper sticker on the members private vehicle, attend partisan and nonpartisan political fundraising activities, meetings, rallies, debates, conventions, or activities as a spectator when not in uniform and when no inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement can reasonably be drawn.
What they can't do is participate in politics beyond that of a 'spectator role', publish political tracts and news releases (letters to the editor excepted - as long as they state they're doing it as a private citizen), serve in any official capacity with or be listed as a sponsor of a partisan political club or political campaign, or speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.
That means that, unless someone can prove the Tea Party is a partisan political organization, they're relatively safe, as long as they state they're not doing it in an official capacity that implies military or government approval.
Still, if I was them I'd be looking for either a non-retiree vet or a military-related civilian to head up the group.
#11
Oh, I understood what it said, Pappy - after all, I spend part of my year reading state (and some federal) legislation, and read a lot of regs too.
I'd just forgotten how dry, pain-in-the-ass it is to read. I'm still trying to get over AR 304-15. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/13/2010 22:55 Comments ||
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#12
Uh, make that AR 340-15.
Too bad I can't type. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/13/2010 22:58 Comments ||
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Catholic consecrated religious who openly dissent from the authority of Rome and the church's teaching on life are "an absurdity of the most tragic kind" and should cease identifying themselves as Catholic, said Archbishop Raymond Burke, the head of Rome's Apostolic Signatura. The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the Pope himself, who is the supreme ecclesiastical judge). In addition, it oversees the administration of justice in the Church.
Burke gave the remarks in his keynote address Friday at the Institute for Religious Life's national meeting at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. The Institute also honored Burke with their Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award at a celebration of the legacy of Servant of God Fr. John Hardon, SJ.
In excerpts of the address published by Thomas Peters of the American Papist blog, Burke took a moment to express his exasperation with the defiance of Catholic religious sisters in the U.S. who supported the federal health care bill - a measure dubbed the most pro-abortion piece of legislation since Roe v. Wade, thanks to its vast expansion of government abortion funding.
"Who could imagine that consecrated religious would openly, and in defiance of the bishops as successors of the apostles, publicly endorse legislation containing provisions which violated the natural moral law in its most fundamental tenets -- the safeguarding and promoting of innocence and defenseless life, and fail to safeguard the demands of the free exercise of conscience for health care workers?" Burke questioned.
The Vatican official also severely criticized "public and obstinate betrayal of religious life by certain religious" towards Rome's ongoing apostolic visitation into U.S. religious orders.
After the visitation began last spring, Sr. Sandra M. Schneiders of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary said in remarks published on the National Catholic Reporter that nuns should receive representatives of Rome "politely and kindly, for what they are, uninvited guests who should be received in the parlor, not given the run of the house."
"Who ever could have imagined that religious congregations of pontifical right, would openly organize to resist and attempt to frustrate an apostolic visitation, that is, a visit to their congregations carried out under the authority of the vicar of Christ on earth, to whom all religious are bound by the strongest bonds of loyalty and obedience?" he asked.
Abp. Burke indicated that the attitude of sisters towards the visitation represents "a growing tendency among certain consecrated religious to view themselves outside and above the body of Christ as a parallel institution looking in upon the Church with an autonomy which contradicts their very nature."
"Religious life lived in the heart of the Church, and for that reason religious congregations are, by their very nature, bound in strictest loyalty to the Roman Pontiff," he said. "It is of course an absurdity of the most tragic kind to have consecrated religious knowingly and obstinately acting against the moral law.
"The spiritual harm done to the individual religious who are disobedient and also the grave scandal caused to the faithful and people in general are of incalculable dimensions."
Burke also directly challenged Sr. Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, as well as Network, a pro-abortion lobby group of U.S. nuns, whose support for the bill the Obama administration openly acknowledged as critical to its success.
"Was not the Speaker of the House [Nancy Pelosi] glowing to report that so many religious sisters were in support of her proposed health care plan?" he asked. "Was not a religious sister [Sr. Carol Keehan, President of CHA] one of the recipients of a pen used by the President of the United States to sign the health care plan into law?
"Now is the time for us all, and in particular for consecrated persons to stand up for the truth and to call upon our fellow Catholics in leadership to do the same, or to cease identifying themselves as Catholics."
#2
If you side with the Statists, the Catholic Church is done forever. Government is never the friend. Nor are those that diddle little boys.
I AM unclear of the nature of this press release. Go back to the boardroom for a few weeks and speak amongst yourselves. This shall be a rocky"" year.
Remember you have an assignment to complete before you decide to delve in the politics of human mania.
Also remember, there is no sanctity for those that diddle little boys. - EVER.
You re-think "healthcare" now before that church is in shambles for the shoddyness YOU made using government to do what people are to for others and amongst themselves.
#4
"Was not the Speaker of the House [Nancy Pelosi] glowing to report that so many religious sisters were in support of her proposed health care plan?" he asked. "Was not a religious sister [Sr. Carol Keehan, President of CHA] one of the recipients of a pen used by the President of the United States to sign the health care plan into law?"
Corruption and culture of death knows no boundaries.
You replace LAW with the law of man and call it a "religious duty. Pathetic humans you are as well as motivated by some kind of payoff. There is no church there but from behind the pulpit. Yep - replace LAW with government. Works in killing all the tyme. Bad angels are good at that. Sorry you were suckered in you pious assholes.
#6
newc, I confess I cannot quite figure out what you were saying above other than that you were rather unhappy about something/someone. Maybe when you're refreshed from a good night's sleep and had your morning coffee or tea you can clarify your stance a bit.
#8
This appears to be a "Get in line or get out" movement aimed at the leftist in the Catholic church who oppose the orthodoxy of the bishops and pope. These leftist organizations are the ones that coddled the paedophiles and ignore the teachings of the Church on abortion and gay "marriage".
Also what does this have to do with paedophiles? I also remind people from Old Spook post the other day that there were 6 cases of abuse last year in all the US amongst 68 million catholics and over a hundred thousand priests. The paedophilia problem looks to be well controlled and much better policed than in families, the medical community and public schools. Most of the publicity widespread abuse happened in the 70s and 80s and they have found and punished those priests and compensated the victims. Most of those priest are now dead or defrocked. The only reason for publicity now is a smear attack to try to aid the leftists in the Catholic church and to destroy the moral authority of the largest single religious entity on the planet.
As Old Spook noted a child is arguably safer in a Catholic church than in a public school.
"violated the natural moral Law"
The context is that catholic church opposed the health care reform bill because it did violate natural moral law because it funded abortions and had no conscince (sp?) protections for health care workers. The bishops said so explicitly and these Nuns put themselves over the authority of their bishops and the pope. They are now being told to get back into line and remember their vows of obedience, or else stop calling themselves catholics.
#9
To put a point on it, Archbishop Burke is going to start cracking some rather thick heads in the Nun communities who have gotten away with far too much disobedience for far too long.
#10
"Apostolate" , "apostate"--close enough, I guess.
Posted by: James ||
04/13/2010 19:27 Comments ||
Top||
#11
I think you guys are missing the point. ABp Burke was calling in the dogs on these deviant religious Sisters, reminding them of their oaths to God, the Church and obedience to the Pope, and that each of their orders serves at the sufferage of the Pope who can dissolve their bonds to the Catholic Church with the stroke of a pen if he so chooses for the good of the Church.
Via Burke, Benedict is putting these people on notice that they are on the verge of severing their ties to the Church by their acts and facts, so the Church is therefore getting ready to sever the ties to them by law and spirit.
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