Its Boston's Fault!

July 5, 2005 3:07 PM

...it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm. - Rick Santorum on the Catholic Church's sex scandals.
posted by R. Mutt (47 comments total)

Fishers of men, not to be confused with Manly Fissures.

The article lost me when they referred to Rick Santorum as the Honorable Senator. The asshat wouldn't know honor if it came up and mugged him.

Also, dude, this is from 2002.
posted by fenriq at 3:12 PM on July 5, 2005

Yes ... while from 2002, this Santorum quote has been making the rounds recently...

Rick Santorum says liberals are pedophiles
"Rick 'dog sex' Santorum is at it again. Writing in 'Catholic Online' about the pedophilia problems facing the Catholic Church, he says: '...it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm.'

So now liberals aren't only responsible for 9/11, hating America and trying to murder our troops, they're pedophiles, too.

Small problem, however. The 'center of the storm' isn't Boston, it's just gotten the most attention. The epicenter is really the diocese of Covington, Kentucky, where the catholic church has proposed the largest single sex-abuse settlement in history. The total is $120 million -- they want $80 million from their insurance policies (they actually included sex abuse in their policies) and another $40 million of their own assets.

Covington, of course, is one of the reddest districts in a very, very red state. Went HUGE for Bush, Bunning, and the R congressional candidate. Not a librul for miles and miles. Oh yeah, and there's nearby Burlington's "cross burning" problem. Why do GOP racists like to rape children?

So what's Santorum's excuse for Covington? Perhaps Rick Santorum should stop thinking about sex so much." [AMERICAblog | June 27, 2005]

posted by ericb at 3:24 PM on July 5, 2005

And damn proud of it! The seat, that is, not the storm.
posted by schoolgirl report at 3:24 PM on July 5, 2005

I found it amusing that Santorum takes his lead on most matters from the church. Gay marriage, abortion etc. Stragely he did not seem to fall into step with the churchs opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Strange how the man is able to pick and choose which of the churches teachings he supports.
posted by Keith Talent at 3:28 PM on July 5, 2005

Also mentioned here, here, here, here and here recently.
posted by ericb at 3:29 PM on July 5, 2005

Keith, its called hypocrisy.
posted by fenriq at 3:34 PM on July 5, 2005

That's an assload of santorum right there . . .
posted by hackly_fracture at 3:34 PM on July 5, 2005

I admire the speech which Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes (Harvard University) gave at the Massachusetts State House in 2004 - and highlighted in the recent Showtime documentary "Same Sex America" - particularly the following:

"They say Massachusetts is out of the mainstream. Well, I say, 'Thank God for that!' Massachusetts isn't part of the mainstream, we're ahead of the mainstream!"

posted by ericb at 3:44 PM on July 5, 2005

I would just like to say that the most honorable thing Cardinal Bernard Law could have done would have been to commit suicide. The second most honorable thing he could have done would have been to resign and accept responsibility when the scandal broke a few years ago. Instead, he resigned after hanging on as long as he could and was promoted. Way to go Catholic Church.
posted by mlis at 3:47 PM on July 5, 2005

Poll puts Santorum, Casey in dead heat

The above links to a March article, though. Anyone have more recent numbers?
posted by LarryC at 3:49 PM on July 5, 2005

You know, if it wasn't for the fact that I know better, I'd almost say that the author of this article was a pretty sympathetic Catholic. Gah, I can't stand it when people I normally despise write stuff I want to agree with.

Of course, arguing that cultural liberalism is at the root of pedophilia is retarded, but the last five paragraphs were pretty good.

Oh and MLIS, condemning the Church for Laws inability to accept his responsibility is like condemning the entire US government for Nixon's crimes. Please, you should know better. Granted, the church should have just defrocked his ass.
posted by oddman at 3:58 PM on July 5, 2005

History has made a bit of a fool out of Mr. Santorum. As ericb points out, the "center of the storm" is no longer in Boston. In addition to Covington, a $100 million settlement was reached last December between victims of priest abuse and the archdiocese of Orange County, CA--one of the most reliably Republican regions in the nation.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:58 PM on July 5, 2005

And ... Catholics were outraged here in Boston when Cardinal Law was one of nine cardinals chosen to preside over funeral masses for Pope John Paul II:

"By permitting Cardinal Law to take the limelight in Rome just when the church is mourning the death of John Paul, the cardinals have reminded American Catholics that their most painful recent chapter barely registered in the Vatican. 'It's yet another example of the gap between how the Vatican sees things and how the U.S. church sees things,' said the Rev. Keith F. Pecklers, an American Jesuit who is a professor at the Gregorian, a pontifical university in Rome. 'This kind of thing can open the wounds for people just when the healing was beginning.'"

posted by ericb at 4:01 PM on July 5, 2005

The truism that isms are bad, is best seen through the prism of capitalism. Listen. While nobody favors a schism, or wants to be covered in jism (OK that was just a stupid witticism), is this link really worthy of the name journalism?
posted by nervousfritz at 4:03 PM on July 5, 2005

Anyone have more recent numbers?

June poll (warning: PDF) has Casey up by 7 w/an MOE of 4.5. Earlier (Apr/May) polls had Casey up by as much as 14 -- that may be a normal sampling fluctuation, or not much more than that, but I'd have to check and am too lazy to do so.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:03 PM on July 5, 2005

To quote the Senator's final line, "Climb into Peter's boat and go into the deep!"

Wow.
posted by Mcable at 4:11 PM on July 5, 2005

This "new evangelization"...has the potential for restoring confidence in the priesthood while empowering all American Catholics.

Aside from being a horrendous application of a human resource/marketing word to spirituality, aren't catholics and christians supposed to be meek? And furthermore, how exactly can the priest sex scandals empower anyone at all, exactly, other than maybe anti-papists?

By the way. MA resident all my life, and becoming more proud of it recently.
posted by es_de_bah at 4:14 PM on July 5, 2005

Can't the American Catholics just announce a schism, and have a cool papal ascention war like they used to?
Oh, and would someone do us all a favor and shoot Santorum up with enough LSD to make him realize that he's really been a giant dick for, like, forever?
posted by klangklangston at 4:16 PM on July 5, 2005

LSD? Get that man some MDMA. If you can hate someone while you're rolling you're just not human.
posted by oddman at 4:24 PM on July 5, 2005

I'm going to have to go ahead and be offended by that. On pretty much every level. Including, most particularly, intelligence.
Yeah.
I'm going to have to go ahead and ask to be included out of Santorum's definition of catholic. Yeah. I'm not really sure what the hell catechism he learned.
posted by Smedleyman at 4:24 PM on July 5, 2005

Santorum.

Now I feel better.
posted by VulcanMike at 4:39 PM on July 5, 2005

now every time I read the word "Santorum" I instantly think if I have enough Astroglide at home or I need to buy more, and it's very likely MetaFilter's fault
posted by matteo at 4:40 PM on July 5, 2005

ericb, I nearly crapped my pants when I saw ol' kid touching Cardinal Law in all his expensive garmentry (made from recycled rectal hymens?) presiding over the death of the Pope. By the way, I loved my brother's explanation "They have like 9 Cardinals who do that, he wasn't a big part of it at all." Yeah, he shouldn't be walking free on the streets for one, he shouldn't be a member of the Pope's posse for two and he damned sure shouldn't be presenting himself as some role model to aspire to (unless you aspire to molest kids, in which case, just go and drown yourself in your toilet now).

I have no respect for the Catholic Church after that, not that I had much before then but absolutely none after that.
posted by fenriq at 4:42 PM on July 5, 2005

oddman: My condemnation is directed at the leadership of the Catholic Church. Consider:

New York Times
May 27, 2004
(Link to abstract; full text no longer available for free)

"It's pretty offensive for most Catholics, and the timing couldn't be worse," said David Gibson, author of "The Coming Catholic Church" (Harper San Francisco, 2003). "They're just cleaning up the mess in Boston and closing parishes, and he's getting the ultimate golden parachute. He's getting a beautiful apartment in Rome in one of the four major basilicas in Christendom.

Despite his resignation in Boston, Cardinal Law has remained a powerful American figure in the Vatican. . .He is a member of the Congregation for Clergy, which has a role in handling sexual abuse cases that are sent to Rome.

The appointment could be financially lucrative for Cardinal Law. His predecessor in the job, Cardinal Furno, received a 10,000 euro monthly stipend, or about $12,000, said a former Vatican official who is a friendly acquaintance of Cardinal Furno.

And the job will give him considerable autonomy. While at the Maryland convent, he was technically under the authority of the local bishop. Now, ‘he answers to no one but the pope,’ the former Vatican official said."
posted by mlis at 4:45 PM on July 5, 2005

Boston!?

Where the 24-hour supermarkets and establishments have to close for half of Sunday, where the mayor (Raymond Flynn) broke a bunch of laws to shut down the adult-store district in the city, and we just recently made it legal to sell alcohol on Sundays?

Boston, where we just recently (last 5 years or so) struck down the law making the Boston Marathon (and all organized running events) illegal?

Dude, we're the state that banned CHRISTMAS for 100 years. We suck.
posted by jscott at 4:50 PM on July 5, 2005

So according to the post, The (ahem) Honorable (choke, choke) Senator Santorum believes:

Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm.

Odd. I assume that like pedophilia among the secular, pedophilia among Catholic Priests has always occurred it is just recently that the victims have felt emboldened enough to come forward.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:28 PM on July 5, 2005

Once again Rick "Santorum" Santorum redefines the extent of the stupidity that can come out of the Northeast...

You'd think that people in Pennsylvania would be embarassed to death at having such a divisive moron representing them to the nation.
posted by clevershark at 6:17 PM on July 5, 2005

jscott - Massachusetts is not alone in harboring many dumb laws.

Uh, BTW - the Massachusetts Blue Laws were rescinded in 1994. Retail businesses can open any time they want to on Sundays (including liquor stores - but many wait until 12:00 noon to accommodate employees).

I don't bemoan the destruction of the "Combat Zone." (After all, there's the Internet and and other venues which have replaced the porn peddlars and strip-clubs). Those in neighboring Chinatown welcome the renovation of the area. The development that has replaced the seedy side of Boston is host to new hotels, restaurants, revitalized theaters and world-class health clubs.

If you need pointers to after-hours clubs (they exist) check out Rise. Others exist, but my knowledge is confined to the "gay side of life." Enjoy!
posted by ericb at 6:39 PM on July 5, 2005

Dude, we're the state that banned CHRISTMAS for 100 years.

Uh, dude, the ban on Christmas -- which was enacted on May 11, 1659 -- was lifted in 1681 by English-appointed governor Sir Edmund Andros. That's some time ago! And is 22 years by my count.
posted by ericb at 6:49 PM on July 5, 2005

Thank you VulcanMike! That's my favorite way to think of the "Honorable Senator".
posted by sacrilicious at 7:05 PM on July 5, 2005

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts: from a 22-year ban on Christmas to legalizing the marriage of gay and lesbian couples - quite the Pilgrim's Promise!
posted by ericb at 7:07 PM on July 5, 2005

Oh ... how I'd like to see a debate between Barney Frank (aka Barney Fag - as per former House Majority leader, Dick Armey) and Rick Santorum!
posted by ericb at 7:12 PM on July 5, 2005

well, when soon-to-be-ex-Senator Santorum gets his own Fox News show, he can invite Barney on? ; >
posted by amberglow at 7:47 PM on July 5, 2005

quite the Pilgrim's Promise!

And the Pilgrim's Progress!
posted by ericb at 8:45 PM on July 5, 2005

Oddly enough, hyper-liberal gay-loving Mass has led the US - for the last decade or so - in maritial fidelity.

Go figure. The US Christian right has many rationales.

Lots of Catholics, etc.

Right-O
posted by troutfishing at 9:00 PM on July 5, 2005

Santorum's obviously got it figured out. The Catholic priests were taking their orders from the Liberals!
posted by Zurishaddai at 9:04 PM on July 5, 2005

Yes, obviously when Cardinal Ratzinger -- a friend of Bernard Law if this latter ever had one -- wrote last year's controversial memo about denying communion to Catholic politicians who were pro-choice, he obviously planned that this would in fact HELP John Kerry!

Santorum's rank ignorance never ceases to amaze me.
posted by clevershark at 10:27 PM on July 5, 2005

How can it be that Pennsylvanians voted both this man and Kerry?

I can't see how he thinks he can get a second term. He's a total loonball.
posted by delmoi at 11:07 PM on July 5, 2005

It is no surprise that Massengil, the world's leading manufacturer of douche bags, has an office in the home state of Senator Santorum, who himself happens to be a...
posted by insomnia_lj at 12:56 AM on July 6, 2005

"... the ban on Christmas ... was lifted in 1681 ..."

Yes, but Bostonians remained suspicious of Christmas for quite some time. Fun fact: Ebenezer Scrooge was based on people Dickens met in Boston.
posted by kyrademon at 1:29 AM on July 6, 2005

Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture

Since the cumulative onslaught of the homosexual agenda is resonsible for holy men darting the wee ones, what a relief to know that back when the Roman Catholic Church was conducting flaming branding, starvation, and public autopsies on live prisoners, they were still sufficiently pure as to not compound the misery of the fallen by subjecting them to unnatural desires of the flesh.
posted by CynicalKnight at 7:23 AM on July 6, 2005

So....why are all the blogs linking to this piece now? Atrios, Talking Points, etc. I don't get it. Sure it's repulsive. But it's from 2002, and it was talked about plenty then. R Mutt?
posted by dhoyt at 7:42 AM on July 6, 2005

I can't see how he thinks he can get a second term.

I hate to tell you this, delmoi, but the cretin is now serving his second term.
posted by Zurishaddai at 8:55 AM on July 6, 2005

So....why are all the blogs linking to this piece now? Atrios, Talking Points, etc. I don't get it. Sure it's repulsive. But it's from 2002, and it was talked about plenty then. R Mutt?
posted by dhoyt at 10:42 AM EST on July 6

Santorum has a new book out with this crapola in it.
posted by nofundy at 9:49 AM on July 6, 2005

How can it be that Pennsylvanians voted both this man and Kerry?

There are a lot of factors. First, one must remember that Pennsylvania isn't a blue state, it's blue in the southern corners, i.e. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The center and northern parts of the state (essentially a "T" in the middlle of the rectangle) are pretty blue, with some purple spots around Scranton and Altoona and Harrisburg. The state only goes solid blue, in non-nuanced maps, because those blue southern corners have the population density to override the red center.

Second, just as on the national scene, the PA Dem party cannot, for the life of them, come up with a decent opponent for Santorum. Harris Wofford, Lynn Yeakel and Ron Klink were all simply weak outside of their home districts. Klink especially so, he's little more than a hairstyle in a suit, the guy was a second rate weekend anchor on the Pittsburgh CBS affiliate before using his charisma and name recognition to win a poorly contested congressional seat, but never came close to having the juice to go to the Senate. He couldn't articulate a single thing of significance he did while on the Hill.

Last time around, Santorum's opponent was demonstrated, with soundbites from his own mouth in debates and interviews, to have lied quite outrageously about his business and his family, in ways that were just so blatant and unnecessary and meaningless that they successfully called his character and integrity into question to the extent that Senator Post-Buggery-Detritus was seen by many -- even in the blue corners -- as a better choice. At least his problems with truth are about matters of opinion and controversy, not stuff as simple (and easily provable) as whether or not he owned his own company.

Bob Casey, Jr. is the best (likely) opponent Santorum will ever face in his career. He's got name recognition corner to corn, a solid record of service to the Commonwealth and people fondly remember his father, who was governor in the early 90s (and died young after rejected transplanted organs) and quite well liked. It will be a pleasure -- even for this rightish leaning Libertarian -- to elect Mr. Casey and deny Mr. Santorum a fouth term. I'd personally be on hand for the welcoming parade if he chooses to slither back to his poorly maintained Penn Hills split-level with mine subsidence issues and a school district that doesn't want to educate his children, with his tail between his legs.
posted by Dreama at 11:33 AM on July 6, 2005

Argh. That should have read:

The center and northern parts of the state (essentially a "T" in the middle of the rectangle) are pretty red, with some purple spots around Scranton and Altoona and Harrisburg.

posted by Dreama at 11:35 AM on July 6, 2005

Doobie doobie doo... been busy, sorry for not responding quicker.

I will grant we only made Christmas illegal on the books for 22 years, and it was some time ago. Regardless, WE BANNED CHRISTMAS.

Regardless of your feelings about the Combat Zone's usefulness in revitalization, breaking a bunch of laws to illegally shut down businesses was not the right way to do it. It can be argued that a lot of the reason that only seedy businesses could survive in that part of the city is the constricting, oppressive laws and function of this provincial little burg. Functionally, the subway stops at midnight. Don't even tell me about the Night Owl service.

The fact there are dumb laws in every state doesn't matter when, on several occasions, we enforce them; I recall just past year an attempt by Romney to use a governor's privilege that was unused in 100 years to accomplish something. So regardless, the laws are there and they suck.

You are misreading the link to the Massachusetts Blue Laws. The Blue Laws regarding liqour sales were only repealed last year, and over great objection. There were exceptions to the rules, special bills passed for, say, Super Bowl Sundays and the like, but no.

Realize that Boston sucks... then begin the healing process.
posted by jscott at 12:22 AM on July 7, 2005