Is The Pope Lying To Us? It’s Time For Benedict To Man-Up

Posted on by TL

I have to ask the unthinkable for a Catholic:

Is the Pope lying?

The New York Times has been relentless on their investigation of the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church.

Here is the latest:

The priest, convicted of tying up and abusing two young boys in a California church rectory, wanted to leave the ministry.

But in 1985, four years after the priest and his bishop first asked that he be defrocked, the future Pope Benedict XVI, then a top Vatican official, signed a letter saying that the case needed more time and that “the good of the Universal Church” had to be considered in the final decision, according to church documents released through lawsuits.

That decision did not come for two more years, the sort of delay that is fueling a renewed sexual abuse scandal in the church that has focused on whether the future pope moved quickly enough to remove known pedophiles from the priesthood, despite pleas from American bishops.

As the scandal has deepened, the pope’s defenders have said that, well before he was elected pope in 2005, he grew ever more concerned about sexual abuse and weeding out pedophile priests. But the case of the California priest, the Rev. Stephen Kiesle, and the trail of documents first reported on Friday by The Associated Press, shows, in this period at least, little urgency.

The letter that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later pope, wrote in Latin in 1985, mentions Father Kiesle’s young age — 38 at the time — as one consideration in whether he should be forced from the priesthood. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said it was wrong to draw conclusions based on one letter, without carefully understanding the context in which it was written.

“It’s evident that it’s not an in-depth and serious use of documents,” he said. Earlier Friday, Father Lombardi suggested that the pope would be willing to meet with sexual abuse victims.

But John S. Cummins, the former bishop of Oakland who repeatedly wrote his superiors in Rome urging that the priest be defrocked, said the Vatican in that era, after the Second Vatican Council, was especially reluctant to dismiss priests because so many were abandoning the priesthood.

As a result, he said, Pope John Paul II “really slowed down the process and made it much more deliberate.”

So what really happened? The NYTimes has Cardinal Ratzinger’s signature on the document.

Look, I’m tired of Vatican priests and bishops treating the pope as if he’s the victim. And frankly, this kind of talk is insulting to all of us:

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said it was wrong to draw conclusions based on one letter, without carefully understanding the context in which it was written.

“It’s evident that it’s not an in-depth and serious use of documents,” he said. Earlier Friday, Father Lombardi suggested that the pope would be willing to meet with sexual abuse victims.

Time for Benedict to man-up and speak for himself. The Vatican double-speak has to stop.

Betty Loren-Maltese Will Now Take Your Order

Posted on by TL

I don’t know what a "high-end pizza parlor" is, but Betty Loren-Maltese is working at one in Oak Park, and she’ll be happy to take you to your table, maybe even take your order.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese isn’t just a story. She’s a headline.

The feisty village chieftain, who spent seven years in a federal prison after a public corruption conviction, has dropped weight, shed the major eyelashes, looks ka-pow and begins a new career tonight: serving as the evening hostess at Salerno’s restaurant, a high-end pizza parlor on Roosevelt Road in Oak Park.

"The owner thought I needed a break and, in turn, it would be good for business," said Maltese, who now lives in a modest apartment in Evergreen Park she shares with two goldfish: "Priscilla and Elvis."

"I love animals, the landlord doesn’t allow pets, and I lost my dog, ‘Punky,’ when I went to prison," she said. "So I have goldfish — and I swear they are synchronized swimmers."

I once described Maltese as a piece of painted shrapnel with a sense of humor.

The paint is now pastel, but shrapnel peppers commentary on her conviction in 2002.

Her mission: "To clear my name and reunite with my daughter, Ashleigh Rose, who is now 13," Maltese said.

"To this day I maintain my innocence," she said. "How much more can they do? I’ve lost Ashleigh. I’ve lost everything I’ve worked for my whole life. And I continue to question the omission of evidence that could have found me not guilty."

I don’t know what to say here. Betty was found guilty. She served her time.

I wish her well.

But, wow, serving pizza?

Never saw that coming.

Are You One Of The Idiots Who Shot 16 — Including Two Fatally — In Span Of About Two Hours?

Posted on by TL

From the Sun-Times:

At least 16 people were shot — including two men who died and six people who were wounded in one chaotic Englewood incident — in a span of about two hours late Thursday into early Friday.

The first shooting occurred at 10:54 p.m. at 7900 S. Anthony Ave. In that incident, a 28-year-old man was shot in the leg, according to a South Chicago District police officer. The victim did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

At 11:15 p.m. officers responding to a call of a person shot and found a 30-year-old man shot in the 6400 block of South Paulina Street, according to police. Brian Moore of 720 E. 70th St. was pronounced dead at 1:38 a.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital Hospital, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

At 11:50 p.m. a 21-year-old man was standing with a group in a parking lot at 7859 S. Cornell Ave. when a man and a woman approached. Someone in the group made an offensive comment to the woman and her companion shot the 21-year-old, who was struck once in the buttocks and taken to Jackson Park Hospital in “stable” condition, the South Chicago District officer said.

In the Bronzeville neighborhood about 12:15 a.m. ,a man identified by the medical examiner’s office as Jermaine Streeter, 27, was fatally shot. Streeter, of 3812 S. Michigan Ave., was pronounced dead at 1:04 a.m. at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

In the Loop, a woman told police she was sitting in Millennium Park near 201 E. Randolph St. about 12:30 a.m. when two males she did not know approached, according to a police report.

So it goes.

What a country, eh?

It Would Appear There Was No 8.0 Magnitude Earthquake in the North Atlantic – Or Was There?

Posted on by TL

Was there an earthquake in the North Atlantic, or not?

First there was this from ENEWSPF:

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports an 8.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred this evening in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 13 km, 84 km (52 miles) NE (55 degrees) of Higüey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic; 109 km (68 miles) ENE (73 degrees) of El Seybo, El Seybo, Dominican Republic; 116 km (72 miles) NW (313 degrees) of Rincón, PR; 119 km (74 miles) NE (54 degrees) of La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic; and 209 km (130 miles) ENE (73 degrees) of SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic.

And then this, later on:

N.B. This event has been deleted from the USGS Web site. There is no more explanation as to why this event was originally reported.

Was someone at the USGS just having fun when the original email alert was sent?

Why did the USGS report an earthquake, a big one, in the North Atlantic?

Politician On Facebook: Anime Proof That Two Nukes Weren’t Enough for Japan

Posted on by TL

I was originally drawn to this story because of a post on Wil Wheaton’s (Wesley Crusher from Star Trek’s) Twitter account imploring someone to run against Democratic New Hampshire State Rep. Nick Levasseur. Wheaton called him a “racist a$$hole” and provided a link to NPR.

Here’s the scoop from NPR:

It must be a relief to many that our petty indiscretions, those that appear online and seem to haunt us daily, will soon become so normal as to be irrelevant.

It must be a particular relief to Nick Levasseur, a Democratic New Hampshire state representative, who, according the Huffington Post, used Facebook to offer his rather strong views on anime. Reports failed to record why Levasseur is so pained by the rather beautiful Japanese style of animation.

However, he is reported to have written on his Facebook page these rather difficult words: “Anime is a prime example of why two nukes just wasn’t enough.”

Yes, he really said that.

Firefighter Brian Carey, 28, of Evergreen Park, Dies a Hero

Posted on by TL

Cook County, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Firefighters in the South Chicagoland area and beyond will be ringing the bell for one of their own soon. The Southtown Star reports that a Homewood man who was in a wheelchair and a firefighter were killed in a house fire Tuesday night. The ceremonial ringing of the bell in memory of those who died in the line of duty is a tradition of the Fire Services that dates back over 150 years.

Another firefighter suffered severe burns fighting the blaze and is hospitalized in critical condition, the Star reports.

The fire was reported about 9 p.m. in the 17600 block of Lincoln Avenue.

Wendell Elias, 84, was dead on the scene, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

The man, who was in a wheelchair when found by firefighters, died shortly after he was pulled out of his home, officials said.

Firefighter Brian Carey, 28, of Evergreen Park, died at South Suburban Hospital.

More here

R.N.C. Dismisses Aide Over Outing to Club With Topless Women Imitating Lesbian Sex

Posted on by TL

This just in from the New York Times:

A Republican Party spokesman said Monday evening that a staff member has been dismissed following a February outing to a risqué Hollywood nightclub, where a party donor submitted a $2,000 tab and asked for reimbursement from the Republican National Committee

Doug Heye, the communications director for the R.N.C., issued this statement:

“At the outset, Chairman Steele was not at Voyeur West Hollywood. He had no knowledge of the expenditure, nor does he find the use of committee funds at such a location acceptable. While some in the press have suggested Chairman Steele was at the venue, he was not and no proof has been offered that he was. When the expense was incurred, Chairman Steele was on United flight # 0084, returning from the RNC Winter Meeting.

“Upon finding out of the expenditure this morning, Chairman Steele demanded the committee get to the bottom of this matter immediately.

“The committee has taken appropriate steps to address the issues relating to the reimbursement of certain expenses. First, as reported, the expenditure in question will be recouped by the RNC. Second, appropriate personnel actions have been taken and accounting and reimbursement processes are being revised to ensure that such an action cannot reoccur. We recognize the difficulty this incident has caused and assure our members and supporters that any necessary and proper remediation is being implemented immediately.

“It is unfortunate that a loyal GOP donor who has recruited other donors became involved in this incident while merely trying to help what turned out to be the improper request of a staffer who is no longer with the committee.”

In fairness, I posted the entire statement from the R.N.C.

Health Insurance Industry Agrees To Fix Kids Coverage Gap

Posted on by TL

The threat from the health insurance industry came Monday on an apparent loophole which apparently gave insurers wiggle room to deny coverage to children with preexisting conditions.

From the Associated Press:

The fine print of the law appears to have been less than completely clear on whether kids with health problems are guaranteed coverage starting this year. If there’s a problem, some parents and their children may have to wait a long time: The legislation’s broad ban on denying coverage to any person on account of a health condition doesn’t take effect until 2014.

The sticking point is that the immediate benefit for children may not be as sweeping as Obama has claimed in extolling the legislation.

That’s because the law can also be read to mean that if an insurance company accepts a particular child, it cannot write a policy for a child that excludes coverage for a given condition. For example, if the child has asthma, the insurer cannot exclude inhalers and respiratory care from coverage, as sometimes happens now.

But the company could still turn down the child altogether.

Now, that will not happen. Again from the AP:

The insurance industry says it won’t fight President Barack Obama over fixing a coverage gap for kids in the new health care law.

In a letter Monday to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the industry’s top lobbyist says insurers will accept new regulations to dispel uncertainty over a much publicized guarantee that children with pre-existing medical problems can get coverage starting this year.

The president of America’s Health Insurance Plans said the industry will "fully comply" with the regulations, expected within weeks.

Onward to what’s next…

RNC Spent Nearly $2000 At Club With Topless Women Imitating Lesbian Sex

Posted on by TL

Yes, you read that headline correctly, and, as of this writing, Michael Steele is still employed by the Republican National Committee. Michael Steele and the RNC submitted filings to the FEC indicating that huge amounts of conservative RNC-donor dollars went for wild GOP planning meetings in front of topless women at a bondage-themed nightclub.

Double Yoy!

From The Daily Caller:

While Steele has not purchased a plane, he continues to charter them. According to federal disclosure records, the RNC spent $17,514 on private aircraft in the month of February alone (as well as $12,691 on limousines during the same period). There are no readily identifiable private plane expenses for Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine in the DNC’s last three months of filings.

The RNC explains that Steele charters jets only when commercial service is unavailable, or when his tight schedule requires it. “Anytime the chairman has taken any private travel has been a either to a route that doesn’t exist or because of connections and multiple travel to where he just wasn’t able to do so,” Heye said. Yet Steele’s office repeatedly refused to explain in specific terms the circumstances of the February charter flights.

Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.

That’ll keep your trunk up.

elephant

Talk about Conservatives Gone Wild.