Saturday, August 21, 2004
If I were a member, I'd call for his resignation
Bill Donohue's, that is. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights as much as admitted their blunder by characterizing Deal Hudson's victim as a "drunk" by yanking their atrocious defense of the Crisis editor off their web site.
According to http://www.catholicleague.org/, "When Catholics are the victims of a bigoted portrayal by the media, the Catholic League issues news releases bringing the matter to the attention of the public."
What they don't tell you is that if one of their own victimizes someone, they will attack the victim publicly and basically operate like the worst of the hierarchy has: glossing over sins of commission while tossing up doubts about accusers. The Catholic League has betrayed their basic principles, not to mention their supporters.
Even under trying circumstances, I'd like to think a young person of 18 would be able to resist the sexual advances of a charming older person in a role of trust. However, the Catholic League seems to be blind about a substantial weight of problem behavior on the other side of the relationship:
- A married person is sacramentally bound to faithfulness to a spouse.
- A person in a helping profession is morally and professionally obligated to respect the boundaries set up by the nature of their work. Teachers and older mentors do not cross these boundaries. Ever.
- Seduction is unacceptable behavior, especially when a young person's intimate information is consciously used to effect a desired result by the seducer.
- The further use of drugs and social pressure to effect a seduction is heinous almost beyond polite words.
Until a full apology and retraction follows their e-erasure, I think it not off the mark to characterize this organization as "The catholic League for Prodigiously Uncivil Rightists."
