Voltaire2
Voltaire2's JournalCanon expert: Vatican protected bishops for centuries
The ongoing canonical trial of Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron is significant in that it’s only the second time in centuries a bishop has been put on trial by the church, said Thomas Doyle, a Catholic priest and former board member of the Canon Law Society of America.
...
There have been 95 cases filed in federal and local court on Guam, accusing priests and others associated with the church of child sexual abuse, including several cases which allege some children reported the abuse to other church officials who didn't help them.
If the accusations are true, Guam’s last three bishops and archbishops, including Apuron, sexually abused children or knew about clergy sexual abuse on island and did nothing to stop it.
Apuron was temporarily removed from his position in the local church in June 2016 following abuse allegations lodged against him by three former Agat altar boys and the mother of a deceased altar boy. They have accused Apuron, who was a village priest in the late 1970s, of rape and molestation.
http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2017/07/29/canon-expert-vatican-protected-bishops-centuries/522175001/
Good News: Thousands of worshippers surge into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, 113 injured
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Thousands of Muslim worshippers surged into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday and at least 113 were hurt in scuffles with police after Israel lifted security measures imposed at the sacred site in the face of days of violent protests.
Chaotic scenes unfolded as Israeli police used stun grenades to try to control crowds charging forward when the last gate Muslims use to enter Al-Aqsa was opened after a stand-off lasting several hours.
"We will sacrifice ourselves for Al-Aqsa!" chanted the throng outside Islam's third holiest shrine. Several young men clambered onto the mosque's roof to affix Palestinian flags, which Israeli police soon confiscated.
Israel's removal of the security devices, including metal detectors and CCTV cameras, marked a significant climbdown by right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Palestinians celebrated, political opponents accused him of weakness.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-idUSKBN1AC0UF
For the irony impaired, this is not exactly good news for humans
Good News: Vatican treasurer makes brief Australian court appearance over historical sex charges
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell made a brief court appearance in his native Australia on Wednesday to face what police described as "historical sexual offences", making him the most senior Roman Catholic official to face such accusations.
Pell, 76, a top adviser to Pope Francis, did not speak as he was escorted to and from Melbourne Magistrates' Court by police through a large crowd of media, protesters and supporters. He was not required to enter a plea.
Australian police said last month Pell had been summoned to appear on charges of "historical sexual offences" from multiple complainants.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-abuse-pell-idUSKBN1AA2XE
Schumer Takes Aim at Clinton: Dont Blame Russia or Comey, Blame Yourself
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a thinly veiled message to Hillary Clinton, saying that “you blame yourself” if you “lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity.” Schumer never explicitly mentioned Clinton but there was little doubt who he was talking about while discussing the broad effort by the Democratic Party to come up with a new messaging strategy ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
“When you lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity, you don’t blame other things — Comey, Russia—you blame yourself,” Schumer said in an interview with the Washington Post. “So what did we do wrong? People didn’t know what we stood for, just that we were against Trump. And still believe that.” A recent poll found that 52 percent of Americans think the Democratic Party “just stands against Trump” while only 37 percent think it actually “stands for something.”
Clinton has taken responsibility for her loss, although she has also mentioned a variety of factors that contributed to the results in November, including the decision by then-FBI chief James Comey to reopen the investigation into her emails near the end of the campaign. She has also mentioned Russia’s well-reported efforts to affect the outcome of the election.
Schumer spoke to the Post ahead of the unveiling of the new Democratic Party economic platform on Monday that has been dubbed “A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future.”
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/07/23/schumer_takes_aim_at_clinton_don_t_blame_russia_or_comey_blame_yourself.html
If Trump live streamed himself eating puppies and babies would Congress impeach?
I think the answer is no. What do you think?
Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough is leaving the Republican Party
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/07/11/morning-joe-co-host-joe-scarborough-is-leaving-the-republican-party/?utm_term=.368ebcabba01This could get interesting.
“You have to ask yourself, what exactly is the Republican Party willing to do?” Scarborough said to Colbert. “How far are they willing to go? How much of this country and our values are they willing to sell out?”
“Aren’t you a Republican?” Colbert asked.
“I am a Republican, but I’m not going to be a Republican anymore,” Scarborough said to loud applause from the audience. “I’ve got to become an independent.”
A normal Republican Party would be initiating impeachment now.
Does anyone seriously think Ryan will do that?
Fake President exploits dying child for political gain.
Charlie Gard is going to die. That is a certainty. He has the worst sort of MDDS, the encephalitic RRM2B variant, and that is invariably lethal. Worse, he has already suffered irreversible brain damage, any treatment, and there is no treatment, would leave him hopelessly brain damaged.
There is a doctor in New York who is conducting experimental treatments for this condition, and Charlie's desperate parents have tried and failed to convince the courts that they should be allowed to take him to the us for treatment. They failed to convince the courts because, as the decision states, even the doctor agrees that there is no chance of success.
"he is so severely affected by encephalopathy that any attempt at therapy would be futile."
The doctor would of course agree to treat anyway, bit it seems primarily for the research data obtained.
The court decision is here: https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/gosh-v-yates-and-gard-20170411-1.pdf
This is what Trump has chosen to use this week to promote his Fake Presidency. It is well chosen. As usual the naive will line up to be used and abused by the religious right and by their allies, including of course our home grown fascists and their demented leader.
It will probably work to deflect away from the catastrophic week Fake President just had, which however also managed to deflect away from the horrible richcare bill still stuck in the bowels of the Senate.
Bernie Sanders: How Democrats Can Stop Losing Elections
In 2016, the Democratic Party lost the presidency to possibly the least popular candidate in American history. In recent years, Democrats have also lost the Senate and House to right-wing Republicans whose extremist agenda is far removed from where most Americans are politically. Republicans now control almost two-thirds of governor’s offices and have gained about 1,000 seats in state legislatures in the past nine years. In 24 states, Democrats have almost no political influence at all.
If these results are not a clear manifestation of a failed political strategy, I don’t know what is. For the sake of our country and the world, the Democratic Party, in a very fundamental way, must change direction. It has got to open its doors wide to working people and young people. It must become less dependent on wealthy contributors, and it must make clear to the working families of this country that, in these difficult times, it is prepared to stand up and fight for their rights. Without hesitation, it must take on the powerful corporate interests that dominate the economic and political life of the country.
There are lessons to be learned from the recent campaign in Britain. The Conservatives there called the snap election with the full expectation that they would win a landslide. They didn’t. Against all predictions they lost 13 seats in Parliament while Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party won 32. There is never one reason elections are won or lost, but there is widespread agreement that momentum shifted to Labour after it released a very progressive manifesto that generated much enthusiasm among young people and workers. One of the most interesting aspects of the election was the soaring turnout among voters 34 or younger.
The British elections should be a lesson for the Democratic Party. We already have among the lowest voter turnout of any major country on earth. Democrats will not win if the 2018 midterm election turnout resembles the unbelievably low 36.7 percent of eligible voters who cast ballots in 2014. The Democrats must develop an agenda that speaks to the pain of tens of millions of families who are working longer hours for lower wages and to the young people who, unless we turn the economy around, will have a lower standard of living than their parents.
more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/opinion/bernie-sanders-how-democrats-can-stop-losing-elections.html?_r=0
After Trumps Paris withdrawal, Baker joins climate alliance
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/06/02/climate/qELM7JPNpKnORMMqkzi2XJ/story.htmlA day after President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord, Governor Charlie Baker on Friday joined other states in pledging to bolster efforts to curb greenhouse gases to make up for the lack of federal action.
Baker joined the governors of New York, California, and Washington state to form the “United States Climate Alliance,” which they said would strive to stick to the nation’s commitments in the Paris accord.
“As the commonwealth reiterates its commitment to exceed the emission reduction targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, today we join the US Climate Alliance to expand on our efforts while partnering with other states to combat climate change,” Baker said in a statement on Friday. “Our administration looks forward to continued, bipartisan collaboration with other states to protect the environment, grow the economy, and deliver a brighter future to the next generation.”
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The union appears to be fracturing again, as it did in the mid 19th century.
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