A Fine Christian Nation Sex Trumps Torture and Murder

[Jon8503]

By DAVE LINDORFF
Philadelphia, Penn.

The public and media obsession with victims of Catholic priest abuse, which includes the hounding down of alleged molesters decades after the alleged incidents of abuse occurred, stands in stark and shameful contrast to the almost complete disinterest shown for tracking down the far more vicious abuse of prisoners by their American military or intelligence unit captors.

While the Catholic Church is regularly excoriated for covering up the abuse of altar boys, the U.S. government has gone to great lengths to cover up the crimes of its military officers as well as the civilian leaders who authorized torture, with scarcely any protest.
Yet viewed objectively, which is worse: higher-ups covering up an abuse scandal in which nobody died (at least directly), and which was perpetrated by individuals with psychological problems, or higher-ups covering up the deliberate, premeditated torture and even killing of people by individuals who were acting with the knowledge of and perhaps even under orders from those same higher-ups?

Clearly, where there was direction from the top, as we know was true in the case of torture of prisoners by American forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and other torture venues, and where the cover-up was directed by those same authorities, the crime is far greater.

And yet, we don't see nearly the public interest in this scandal, don't see nearly the media coverage, and even when, as happened this week, the top generals who oversaw the whole thing, and who helped try to cover it up, are exonerated by the government, there is little public outcry, as there was when the Roman Catholic Church tried to exonerate the bishops who covered up the sex abuse scandals in their dioceses.

http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff04262005.html

[whistle]

1. Pedophilia of young boys by catholic priests is pretty vicious...

...<snip> "... far more vicious abuse of prisoners by their American military or intelligence unit captors."

:eyes:

[Malva Zebrina]

2. It is all politics

and politics involve cover ups and spin when bad things happen.

That a "church" does it, an organisatin that has, on it's surface, contains humanitarian so called Christian ideals, such as the dignity of the human being (when it suits them politically) is NO different from that which the politicians cover up abuses within their politcal organisations.

It is simply a power play, whether from a religious organisation or a political party.

That is the stark, factual reality.

There is no excuse for either, if one is conscious of the right thing to do.

[TwentyFive]

3. How can you compare war criminals to altar boys?

I think these has been outrage over both incidents. You have probably seen more outrage over the priest scandal....but these crimes have taken place over years & generations...and extensively covered up.

Trying to use prisoner abuse story to gain sympathy for the catholic church is lame.

The crimes commited by the priests, and the subsequent cover-up by the catholic church heirarchy is such a grotesque crime that nothing can compare to it. Add in the fact the church is constantly denouncing other groups, just proves further how insulated and out of touch they truely are.

[e75]

4. I hate torture

speaking of things trumping torture and murder, I believe the push for gay marraige was one of them. I think we should help the victims first. Gay marriage will be legal with a few years anyway, there are innocent people dying right now. Lets fight for them!