A Gentleman’s view.

The Vatican must take action in the best interest of the flock.

One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.    -     Arnold Glasgow

This statement alone suggests that that the Vatican is sorely lacking in leadership at the present time. The primary mission of any church principally is to serve as a gateway or access point for a people to their god and teach the proper manner in which such proper access is maintained and developed over a lifetime, this is my perception of the relationship of a church and its membership. This only works on faith because basically most priest, pastors and ministers pride themselves on their integrity and believe deeply in it being a major responsibility of their profession. There have obviously been those along the way who don’t practice what they preach, but for the most part generally speaking, faith has counted on personal integrity being held to the highest level and expectation from themselves and others. More importantly, faith of any and all followers of religion count on that integrity even more so, for they are the seekers of the way, the path, the enlightenment, the door. They need the pastors, priest, and ministers to be true to their profession in order for this whole religion thing to have order, to make sense, to even offer people purpose for their daily existence. That means faith counts on those very same people not to seek this way as a means to abuse people during the most venerable and damaging time of their lives, for this source to partake in that of that kind of damage can be proportionately more devastating than any other a soul should ever experience.

Whether you are gay or straight or a variation thereof, one thing we can all agree on within ourselves, is the perception of freedom of choice.  We say ‘we like the opposite sex or the same’, no makes the selection for us. The ultimate sin of the full impact of being on the receiving end of a pedophiles assault is that that freedom of choice selection we all should have the opportunity of making for ourselves is forever taken away. We will never know which choice our minds, bodies or souls would have taken us in if it hadn’t been for that one adult who saw in us an opportunity for their own personal gratification. They have taken away our moment of discovery of what excites us or scares the hell out of us or whatever happens sexually for the first time for young people when it happens in the natural course of human events in this and every society. That in and of itself is a hell of a thing to take from and impose upon a kid of 7 or 8, as that seems to be the age most preferred by them as a start range. That the pedophile is a member of the church in such a position of authority, responsibility, control and access is such a monumental detriment to the child objects of his affections as much as it is to the community in which this church sits and is allowing him to doing this damage.

This kid, unlike the kid being molested by a family member, or neighbor or teacher, not to suggest there is no damage by these individuals, this kid is being abused by someone who represents his pathway to his eternal salvation and that abuse should be considered the ultimate violation a human being can inflict upon another in a civilized society short of murder. When you find out that this has been going on for more than 50 years and on at least two continents in more than three countries to little boys and girls all over the place, you have to acknowledge the foundation of the credibility of the church is at stake here. News is coming out about requests for particular priests to be defrocked and request are denied, informing the Vatican at the very least that there where men out there sexually molesting children while standing as representatives of this Catholic Church of God. That, when these men where moved to the required treatment programs and given a chance to prove they were no longer committing those acts, it was found they generally go right back to the pedophilic behavior. This is beyond the point damage control anymore; we have at least 2 generations of children whose lives have been irreparably changed forever because the leadership of the Catholic Church refuse to protect these most innocent of their flock from the monsters within.

I think this is a most precarious of times for the Catholic Church today and its membership’s faith. A leader responsible for causing this much damage and untold pain upon its own people at the very least owes them something.  The Pope track record proves he has been involved as Cardinal to the detriment of the victims since the early 1990’s. The Pope stepping down might be a start as a way to repair the relationship. It would be the ultimate statement in modern times of a man actually proving to the world and more importantly to the many faithful of its flock; the many followers of the Catholic religion all around the world, they meant more than he did, even though he was selected. It would be an admission of the failure of his leadership to address the damage that was being inflicted on the innocent of its membership by some of its leaders with the ability to do the most harm. If nothing is done, this will go down as the most obvious crime of humanity against man by one of its most sacred institutions. To still be conservative in his protection of the Church with his continued ignorance of the pain of the victims and the guilt of the actions of the Church, the Pope is stetting himself and the Catholic Church in a position his lord and savior was unable to achieve, authority above its own God. Stepping down seems to be Pope’s only graceful symbolic option. I personally, don’t see how the Catholic Church survives any other way.

Another middle-aged molested Catholic man.

Dear friends,

It’s time to hold the Republican Party accountable.

Just over a week ago, Tea Party protestors hurled racial and homophobic slurs and spat at members of Congress.¹ That was followed by a rash of vandalism and death threats targeting Democratic members of Congress.²

Republicans have done almost nothing to tamp down this dangerous atmosphere and have even egged the protesters on. And when the Republican National Committee was asked to endorse a bi-partisan “civility” statement that would send a message to the protesters, they refused.³

It’s time to demand that Republican leaders stop turning a blind eye to violence and hate before it gets out of control and someone gets hurt. Please join me in signing ColorOfChange’s petition, and ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://www.colorofchange.org/hate/?id=2296-131378

Since the passage of health care reform last week, at least 10 members of Congress have received threats and requested additional police presence.⁴ Windows and doors were smashed at several representatives’ offices, and a gas line was cut at what vandals thought was the house of Congressman Tom Perriello.5 One office had to be evacuated when it received a threatening letter filled with an unidentified white powder.⁶

Meanwhile, some Republicans have tried to justify the vandalism or blame Democrats for inviting it on themselves,^7,8 and others have escalated their use of violent rhetoric. Sarah Palin told her supporters “Don’t Retreat, Instead — RELOAD!”, and published a map with cross-hairs over the districts of some Democrats who voted for health care reform.⁹ RNC Chairman Michael Steele said “let’s start getting Nancy [Pelosi] ready for the firing line this November.”¹⁰

Last Saturday’s protest and this week’s past events are just the most recent example of the intolerance and hate coming from right-wing extremists this past year. At times it’s been instigated by Republican leaders. When not, it’s usually condoned and seen as part of a strategy to score politically. Either way, it’s completely unacceptable and has to stop.

We’re calling on RNC Chair Michael Steele, House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to publicly do two simple things:

1. Unequivocally condemn bigotry and hate among their supporters, and make clear that those who embrace it have no place in their party.

2. Make clear that they will not tolerate fear-mongering and coded appeals to racism from officials in the Republican party, at any level.

The Tea Party movement has been marked by racially inflammatory and violent outbursts since its inception a year ago. GOP leaders are trying to pass off last weekend’s assaults on Congressmen Lewis, Cleaver, Clyburn and Frank as isolated incidents. But when so-called “isolated incidents” crop up again and again, a pattern starts to emerge. The examples are numerous.

At rallies held to protest tax day last year, Tea Partiers carried signs that announced “Obama’s Plan: White Slavery,” “The American Taxpayers are the Jews for Obama’s Oven,” and “Guns Tomorrow!”¹¹ The Republican National Committee had endorsed the rallies, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele encouraged Tea Partiers to send a “virtual tea bag” to President Obama and Democratic Congressional leadership.¹² After reports of the fear-mongering signs surfaced, Steele did nothing to distance his party from the lunatic fringe. He has even gone so far as to say that if he didn’t have his current position, he’d be “out there with the tea partiers.”¹³

The Tea Party’s venomous rhetoric picked up steam over the summer, when angry mobs flooded town hall meetings legislators had organized as sites for rational, civil debate on health care reform. After one meeting in Atlanta, a swastika was painted on the office of Congressman David Scott (D-GA), who had also received a flier addressed to “nigga David Scott.”¹⁴ Some protesters showed up at town hall meetings carrying guns, including at least one man who was armed at an event where the President was speaking.¹⁵ Again, Republicans responded to these tactics with silence, doing nothing to denounce them.

Our country deserves better than this. No matter what party one supports, we should all take strong action to support civil, honest, and respectful public debate. Please join me in calling on Republican leaders to denounce racist rhetoric and fear-mongering, and reject it from their party. And when you do, please ask your family and friends to do the same:

http://www.colorofchange.org/hate/?id=2296-131378