Royal Commission on child abuse - about bloody time

[WoodDragon]

And George Pell is a fuckwit..

...that's all.

[WoodDragon]

Actually, no, that's not all.

Anyone who stalls, misdirects, denies, and generally covers for arse-hole kiddie-fiddlers is just as guilty of any resultant child-abuse that could have been otherwise prevented.

In my book George Pell is a first-grade child abuser and deserves life in a little cell - the sort of little cell in which some of his much more noble predecessors chose to live, pursuing lives of deliberate simplicity and avoidance of earthly temptations.

I hope that his old-boys' club is mashed in the forthcoming investigations.

[Sallubrious]

Not to defend to George Pell, but he does have a point - what will come of the royal commission anyway.

For the most part a royal commission is just a way to delay proceedings until many of the old cunts that have committed the vile acts are on their deathbed.

When they finally get brought to justice they will miraculously all be too sick to go to prison where they belong.

Then there's the old trick of the dubious wording of the terms of reference that the commission is bound to adhere to in their investigations. A few loopholes or convenient oversights at the planing stage can and has many times made a royal commission a toothless tiger.

Pedophilia is not restricted to the clergy, it is much more widespread and even extends to MP's and people of influence so I'd expect the terms of reference to be quite restrictive and I'd even expect wording that will exclude many prime targets.

I could be wrong, time will tell.

Edited November 14, 2012 by SallyD

[Foo]

I like that Abbot wants to make this full scope instead of focused on his church. Would he say the same is this was about a muslim church?

[shortly]

Not to detract from the commission but i kinda wonder why? And why now?

I mean more often than not royal commissions are more about distracting attention away from some creative new way of shafting the public than their stated aim, which is why they are often toothless tigers.

[Foo]

There have been many importent Royal commisions that effect the way government does buisenes. While im sure there are some sham commisions, they aren't all the shams as many like to say that they are.

[Torsten]

Royal commissions have coercive powers which is why they often get to the bottom of things rather than just skimming the top. Their main effect is usually not to prosecute everyone, but to gauge the extent of the problem and to effect changes that prevent the problem from re-establishing in the short to medium term. What you see with single prosecutions is that the worst offenders usually don't get caught and that the network as a whole usually does not get disrupted in any significant way. While I have serious problems with the concept of coercive powers in a democratic society, I can't think of a more deserving issue to use it on. The problem of catholic pedophiles is in my opinion much worse than that of 'normal' pedophiles because there is a whole institution protecting them that individuals are quite powerless to go up against. At least in normal pedophile networks you don't have this corporate power nor the secrecy of the confessional, so when there is a chink in the armour the network usually comes crumbling down. No chink in the catholic church has resulted in any widespread prosecutions despite plenty of evidence. So to use coercive powers to protect our most vulnerable members of society would be the least offensive use of such powers IMHO.

I don't see how a royal commission into pedophilia itself will achieve anything. The police are already acting on any hunch of such behaviour in every other section of the community, but they get stonewalled anytime it involves catholic clergy.

shortly, the reason why now is because there is evidence of cover ups going right to the upper echelons of the catholic church in australia - probably as far as Pell himself.

SallyD, I don't think a royal commission prevents individual legal action to be taken, so i don't see how a royal commission will delay justice....

[goneski]

Too little too late.

[Psylo]

I hope the Catholic Church will be presented with the bill, and not the taxpayers. There's far more relevant causes for public monies to be spent on.

[Rabelais]

Anyone who stalls, misdirects, denies, and generally covers for arse-hole kiddie-fiddlers is just as guilty of any resultant child-abuse that could have been otherwise prevented.

This concept is something that has been eating at me recently...the last few days have magnified it. I recently realised a mature age first year student at my university is a registered child sex offender - repeat kiddie pron offender. I think I am the only one who knows, because he is very friendly with everyone and seems to be making himself at home, starting a new life in a different area from where he was caught.

Secondary students are regularly coming onto campus, in groups and working alone with student groups for experience...should I tell someone...he has done the crime(s) and gone through the system, he is on the sex offenders list...which is there to protect and inform people...but it looks pretty clear no one has checked that list, maybe not even the university. I mean, what is the point of that list if no one knows...I don't know what he is capable of.

Sorry, I should have started a separate thread...this shit has been on my conscience and I am sick of it. I want to tell people, but he has already been through the system and payed the price - however weak and pathetic I think it may be, I'm not a judge and know all the details. Anything I say is on the level of gossip? OR do I have a responsibility to tell people he is around, because they haven't checked the list themselves...that's what it's there for right?

Confused

[Foo]

This concept is something that has been eating at me recently...the last few days have magnified it. I recently realised a mature age first year student at my university is a registered child sex offender - repeat kiddie pron offender. I think I am the only one who knows, because he is very friendly with everyone and seems to be making himself at home, starting a new life in a different area from where he was caught.

Secondary students are regularly coming onto campus, in groups and working alone with student groups for experience...should I tell someone...he has done the crime(s) and gone through the system, he is on the sex offenders list...which is there to protect and inform people...but it looks pretty clear no one has checked that list, maybe not even the university. I mean, what is the point of that list if no one knows...I don't know what he is capable of.

Confused

 

Tell your boss, no one else. If you start spreading it around you might be comiting a crime. That being said i dont know how these new lists work, so you might be free to tell the newspaper.

[quarterflesh]

A mate of mine has been waiting 40 years for justice and still nothing has happened to this day

[shortly]

shortly, the reason why now is because there is evidence of cover ups going right to the upper echelons of the catholic church in australia - probably as far as Pell himself.

..

 

Given that its been common knowledge that the church would move pedo's around to protect them since at least the 70's and i vaguely recall there being a courier mail piece on the church protecting their own in the late 80's (1988 i think?) so yeah i guess your right now there is evidence of cover ups.

[Bigred]

it happened to my brother he ended up killing himself over it just and the school covered it up some days i just want to take the law into my own hands. I think this commission is just the start as so many sexual crimes go unpunished . sex offenders get fuck all jail time I constantly hear of

a child molester getting 5 years witch is fuck all as they get paroled . prisons dont rehabilitate its basicly a warehouse system a judge

sentanceing a person to say 5 yearsto be rehabilitated is a contradiction in its self . i think by castrating repeat offenders would be the best

as there is no other methods of treating offenders that are in our goverments budget

Edited November 14, 2012 by bigred82

[Sallubrious]

Torsten hit the nail on the head, this sanctity of the confessional bullshit has been used as a shield for way too long.

If anyone else in our society has knowledge of a crime and they don't tell someone or report it to the police etc then they are party to the crime as well.

If I had knowledge of a pedophile I wouldn't hesitate to tell someone, crimes of such weight are not even in the same ballpark as someone confessing to stealing a box of chocolates from the supermarket or other trivial matters.

For a priest who is in a position of trust to keep it to himself is just wrong to me.

It could open a pandoras box if they get it right.

I imagine there would be a few suicides by some of the cowardly pricks that committed the acts if they are held accountable.

Ke serra

[qualia]

“As a lawyer, you know what big business does to avoid liability. There is delay, there are PR strategies, there is setting up a code of conduct and arguing a problem is being dealt with internally, there is asset protection. But what has horrified me is that now we are seeing church organisations doing the same thing. They are behaving like Phillip Morris and James Hardie. It cuts to the quick for a lot of lawyers who can recognise the strategy to avoid civil and criminal liability, to protect assets and minimise liability to the brand.”

‘Royal commissions aren’t called lawyers’ picnics for nothing’

[goneski]

You'll actually find offenders are often put on a list with the Therapeutic Goods Administration for 'sexual deviancy' and be prescribed Androcur to lower testosterone / sex drive..