One of my recent posts ended with the question: "Do ya'll remember Senator Joseph McCarthy?" The question was in the context of a post about Pat Robertson, the essence of which was:
He said employees at the Christian Broadcasting Network had put together a list of 283 nominees, presenters, and invited guests at the Emmys known to be of sexually deviant persuasions.
If you don't remember Joseph McCarthy and what came to beknown as McCarthyism, please take a look.
This story from the New York Times reminded me, once again, of that very dark and dangerous period of American history when the drunken, disturbed Senator from Wisconsin destroyed so many good and decent lives. The Times story reads, in part:
Investigators appointed by the Vatican have been instructed to review each of the 229 Roman Catholic seminaries in the United States for "evidence of homosexuality" and for faculty members who dissent from church teaching, according to a document prepared to guide the process.
Experts in human sexuality have cautioned that homosexuality and attraction to children are different, and that a disproportionate percentage of boys may have been abused because priests were more likely to have access to male targets - like altar boys or junior seminarians - than to girls.
But some church officials in the United States and in Rome, including some bishops and many conservatives, attributed the abuse to gay priests and called for an overhaul of the seminaries. Expectation for such a move rose this year with the election of Pope Benedict XVI, who has spoken of the need to "purify" the church.
Two points: Pedophiles are sick human beings who steal the innocence of the young. It doesn't matter if they're priests or t-ball coaches. To suggest that all gay men are pedophiles is as absurd as suggesting that all straight men are pedophiles.
If the Catholic Church wishes to purify itself, a McCarthyistic witch hunt , in my humble opinion, ain't the way to do it.
Another question: Ya'll ever hear of the Inquisition?
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Massachusetts uber alles!
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