Jessie Ventura: Go after Catholic Church using RICO

In this video, Governor Ventura suggests that the federal government should go after the Catholic Church using RICO statutes. Do you agree or disagree?

Caution: This is Bill Maher, there is some salty language.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0MuzDLk5mk&feature=related"]Jesse Ventura: Catholic Church should be prosecuted using RICO laws - YouTube[/ame]

 

Is this a good idea? A bad idea? What say you?

 

Sounds like Jesse Ventura is an anti-Catholic bigot, and also a blowhole.

 

Really? I didn't hear any bigotry, but rather a factual argument. I think he made a good case. Where was the bigotry?

 

The RICO laws were enacted to destroy organized crime.

Do you seriously propose that the federal government attempt to destroy the Catholic Church?

That is a battle the federal government will not win.

 

Exactly. And the crimes committed by the Catholic Church were highly organized -- and orchestrated by senior officials. The "CO" in RICO stands for corrupt organizations. What would you call an organization that not only protects known criminals in its midst and moves them around the country to shelter them from prosecution while obstructing justice and destroying evidence at the same time?

No. I seriously propose that it vigorously enforce the law.

Sadly, due to the special deference given religion in this country, you are probably correct.

 

Where's this bigotry you're talking about?

But due to the special deference shown religion in this country, priests can do a lot more that just make jokes about (*)(*)(*)(*)ing children... they can actually (*)(*)(*)(*) children. And then their superiors will protect them, obstruct justice, shield them from prosecution and move them across state lines.

 

So should we also go after Penn state.

 

After Vatican II the Church relaxed its rules against enrolling homosexuals in the seminaries.

Homosexuals turned seminaries into gay funhouses and drove a lot of good straight men out of the priesthood.

Many of these homosexuals were made priests and went on to form homosexual relationships with teenage altar boys, who were also homosexuals.

Only 30% of the victims were children. 70% of the victims were teenage altar boys.

This was not a pedophia problem it was a homosexual problem.

The Church has now decided to go back to enforcing its rule against allowing homosexuals into the seminaries.

Can't get the horse back into the barn but it's better than nothing.

In a few decades all the homosexual priests will retire and things will return to normal.

 

Noted that you avoided actually discussing the topic. But assuming everything you posted is true, what's your point? And how does said point relate to the topic?

 

So you don't support using the RICO Act to arrest catholic officials who took part in or had prior knowledge of the protection and relocation of child molestors? Do you support pedophiles or something?

 

Don't know if it's a good or bad idea but it's a darn good argument.

 

If Catholic Church is violating the law and if the law is just, then the Catholic Church should be punished the same way anyone else would. But this is not a case of braking an unjust law…..this is a case where the law is in agreement with the principle that Jesus taught, and which that Church is in violation of.....so that den of pedophiles should be held accountable. But they won’t be by the system.

 

So, why are all the people clamoring for the destruction of the Catholic Church not also clamoring for the taking down of Penn State?

Because this was never about the law for anyone involved is it?

 

Who is clamoring for the destruction of the Catholic Church? And you would have to elaborate the Penn State that you are hinting at.

 

Informed people have figured out by now that the pedophile/Catholic meme is just an expression of the bigotry of the media bosses when it isn’t a tool of greedy lawyers.

Look at what the obsessive attacks on Catholics by the media bosses have accomplished.

Quote: a Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll found that 64 percent of those queried thought Catholic priests “frequently” abused children.

LINK

Now let’s look at the reality. Catholic priests are no more likely to molest than any other group of men.

1) Quote from Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: "We don't see the Catholic Church as a hotbed of this or a place that has a bigger problem than anyone else,"

2) Quote: it still amounts to less than 2 percent — comparable to the rate among married men

LINK

3) According to a study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, the rate of abuse by priests “is roughly consistent with data on many similar professions.”

LINK

 

Abuse and cover-up by other groups:

Exclusive: Chabad's Coverup Of Child Sex Abuse

Coverups Have Made Sex Abuse More Common In Haredi Community, Rabbi Says

Top Rabbi Says Don't Report Suspected Pedophiles To Police

Long list of Jewish Child Molestor Rabbis gets no media coverage

Actor Corey Feldman Says Pedophilia No. 1 Problem for Child Stars, Contributed to Demise of Corey Haim

Quote: An extensive 2007 investigation by the Associated Press showed that sexual abuse of children in U.S. schools was "widespread," and most of it was never reported or punished.

LINK

Teachers Vs. Priests Unequal Treatment In the Media?

 

Looks like some posters want to round up all the members of a particular religion (in this case Catholics), jail them, and confiscate their property. Seems familiar...

For those yearning for a police state: should RICO be used to go after Rabbis, the public schools, Hollywood?

Hollywood makes movies attacking Catholics even as they celebrate one of their own child molesters!

Child rapist and award-winning director Roman Polanski


138 Hollywood actors, actresses and filmmakers support admitted child molester Polanski

Hollywood seems very fond of these perverts: Hollywood's Favorite Child Molester

Hollywood enjoys bigoted, unjust attacks on many ethnic groups, while Hollywood covers up their own failings.

 

What exactly do you think RICO is all about? It is about tearing down and eliminating corrupt organizations.

According to Ventura, and the OP (who has expressed his disdain multiple times on this subject), the reason for the application of RICO is the sexual abuse scandal. Surely a bad thing, and definitely needs to be accountability and adjustment as a result - but RICO?

OK, Penn State apparently harbored a sexual predator for years who prayed upon young men. Perhaps we should use RICO to tear down Penn State while we are at it?

Additionally, according to studies, South Africa has the highest percentage of child sexual abuse in the world (and rape incidentally), so I guess we should be ride of the entire country of South Africa?

Almost 10% of our students report being the targets of some kind of sexual advance in highschool from teachers. Should we use RICO to abolish our education system?

Again, it is calls like that that strike me as far more about tearing down the Catholic Church than doing something to protect children from sexual abuse. You can tear down the entirety of the Catholic church and children are still going to be assaulted because criminals pray upon the vulnerable.

There are ways to reduce child sexual abuse, and that includes strong and open reporting systems, stiff penalties, education, and systemic institutional checks of organizational environments and backgrounds - not to mention a healthy educational program about the system.

RICO? That won't help anything.

 

Well, I don't believe that is what Jesse is calling for.....that the entire Roman Catholic Church be taken down, only those that are actively involved and those that are protecting them. If it turns out that the entire Church is actively and knowingly doing this, that would only coincidental. So just because even if a lot of people are engaging illegal activity does not mean that everyone is involved.....certainly not the lay members.

 

Except that there is already a process for going after these guys, the church has cooperated with these investigations, and there is a legal process that is already established in our country that allows the process to unwind.

Lets not be so quick to jump to spurious conclusions that get dropped in witch stunt style haste and let our legal process wind through.

In the mean time, several churches in addition to the Catholic Church have changed their policies regarding young men being given access to children, as well as having paid millions in reparations and damages.

Additionally, RICO was meant for organized crime - not a standard organization that has attracted some bad flies. Otherwise, we should ue RICO against the Wall Street Banks, and even teh International Olympic Committee, Penn State and indeed even our own educational system writ large. Assuming that such would even be constitutional, which I doubt.

 

---The study of sexual repression has shown it is a cause of pathological behavior. I am more inclined to believe the practice of celibacy is culpable than I am in believing homosexuals infiltrated the Church.

 

How? How does celebacy lead to the abuse of male children? Would not the oath of celebacy also have caused priests to rape young women as well? Nuns? If indeed institutional sexual predation was endemic within the church as its detractor claims?

Of course, homosexuality played no part in the focused assults of young men? No chance

Of well, you choose to have a belief about the effects of the oath of celebacy - don't let facts or the opinions of those who take the oath of celebacy get in the way.

 

So how many pedophile priest have gone to jail so far?

 

More than one. Once again, do we lock people up in this country without trial? Based on an accusation alone?

How many millions of dollars has the Catholic Church paid? How many policies has it changed to ensure this does not happen again?

Where is your equal vigor for Penn State?