As an advocate for clergy sex abuse victims, their families and those who protect them as mandated reporters, with respect, the following is submitted for consideration by those in positions of authority to place the protections of God's most precious gift to the world, our children, and the return of justice to those denied justice, at the highest priority in our society. It is time to CALL OFF THE DOGS!
*Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis. The facts are now available in civil and US criminal public court records throughout the United States thanks to the courage of clergy sex abuse victims, their families and those who still believe in the U.S. justice system. California's 2003 Sex Abuse Law returned civil justice to victims of sex crimes committed by employees of religious institutions and Delaware's Senate Bill 29 is next in leading the U.S. in the protections of precious children.
*Delaware's Senate Bill 29: Bill Donahue, the President of The Catholic League of Civil Rights is publicly screaming "religious persecution" and that public school teachers have been given a free pass to sexually abuse children in the State of Delaware, all based on the success of Senate Bill 29 this week that returns civil justice to victims of past clergy sex abuse crimes. Mr. Donahue claims powerful teacher unions have protected public school teachers from the same accountability that employees of religious institutions are now being held to. Mr. Donahue FAILS to mention in his public statements how many employees of religious institutions, priests, nuns, teachers, coaches and many of the faithful in the pews have experienced employment termination, defamation and emotional distress for speaking out to protect children from sex abuse crimes and other dangers.
*Do Civil Rights Exist In Freedom of Religion?: Attorneys licensed to practice law in the United States have taken an oath to uphold the laws equally, without exceptions. Yet, politically-connected legal teams have the ability and power to bring important public safety , equal protections and administration of justice cases to the review of the U.S. Supreme. Is there a reason why the U.S. Supreme Court has reviewed the Gore - Bush presidential election dispute, the Anna Nicole Simpson legal mess but NEVER reviewed the serious case laws revealed since the clergy sex abuse crisis erupted in 2002?
Some thoughts... An article published in the Associated Press (http://news.lp.findlaw.com/ap/o/51/01-24-2007/c3da001917cdf591.html) concerning the Gore - Bush presidential election controversy provides insight for the confused. Opinions will always differ and some believe the US Supreme Court handed the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000. And , some believe that most likely, if the US Supreme Court had not intervened in the Florida recount, Bush would have been declared the winner under the original Florida Supreme Court directive.
Another interesting perspective is stated in Jan Crawford Greenburg's book, "Supreme Conflict." Justice Kennedy is quoted as stating: "A no-brainer! A state court deciding a federal constitutional issue about the presidential election? Of course you take the case." The Constitution and its framers are very clear that the election of electors is an exclusive function of each State but seven justices hung their hat on the "equal protection" argument. This forced Gore's team to argue against an issue they never should have been forced to confront. Where is the U.S. Supreme Court as it relates to the return of civil justice to victims of clergy sex abuse crimes?
Victims of clergy sex abuse crimes are now at the mercy of state court legislators who have obviously allowed political and religious influences to taint the true intent of child protection and mandated reporting laws in the U.S. -- those laws that have been manipulated and abused based on freedom of religion and separation of church and state to shield religious institutions from accountability for sex crimes that destroyed children and families for decades.
The EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE guarantees the equal administration of justice before the law in either the deprivation or protection of life, liberty, or property. Bingham made it too clear on February 26, 1866 that the equal protection of the "laws" were simply those laws spoken of under the Fifth Amendment that deals with laws of due process in the administration of justice. It is time for the U.S. Supreme Court to apply the same case law, constitutional rights and core values of morality in our society, those same analogies used in the Gore - Bush presidential election dispute and the Anna Nicole Smith legal fiasco, to the clergy sex abuse crisis and the denied civil justice of thousands of clergy sex abuse victims and their families.
IT IS TIME TO CALL OFF THE DOGS! Let the U.S. Supreme Court apply the important constitutional principles to decide who gets justice in the United States, without exceptions. Without justice there will never be peace and without peace, faith and our country's laws are empty.
