To: seanmbrook{at}aol.com
R_>> SMB> Btw, is your new house truly that BIG?  And does it have
R_>> > more than one floor?
R_>>
R_>> VH> It's two stories, a finished basement, and a large bonus
room over the
R_>> garage.
R_>>
R_> Quite impressive.  Excluding the basement, my guess
R_> is you have a ten room house.

That's about right.

R_>> VH> Yes -- and pretty much the best possible use of the money, since it
R_>> doubled the amount of wealth -- they have the money, and I have a house
R_>> equal in value to the money, a house that did not exist when we started.
R_>>
R_> AND, if you or your wife ever choose to sell the house,
R_> it would TRIPLE the amount of wealth.  No, more than
R_> tripled, because you would be selling DEVELOPED,
R_> rather than undeveloped property.

Yes -- economics in action.

R_>> SMB> Correct.  At best, some foolish bishops allowed misplaced
R_>> > "compassion" to give criminal priests another
"chance."  And
R_>> > I strongly suspect other bishops were compromised, even
R_>> > blackmailed, by the Lavender Mafia.
R_>>
R_>> VH> Yes.  Many bishops were guilty of the same crimes.
R_>>
R_> Even a few would be too many!  And, it's only fair to say
R_> not all bishops were so stupid or criminal.

Yes, but if you protect a man like that, you are a man like that.  And
if you allow men like that to remain in office, you are a man like that.
Too bad the Bishops didn't have the courage of the Priests of Boston.

R_>> VH> Indeed they did -- Gresham's Law applied to organizations.  Bad men
R_>> drove out good.
R_>>
R_> Too grimly true!  And the answer to this problem would be
R_> to DECENTRALIZE the nominating of new bishops?  Have
R_> Cathedral Chapters nominate two or three candidates for
R_> Rome to choose from?  Not a single central body like the
R_> USCCB?

First, get rid of the bad Bishops -- those who allowed the sex offenders
to remain in positions where they could prey on young people AND the
other Bishops who have not called for their resignation.

R_>> VH> Certainly the priests of Boston, who publicly called for Law's
R_>> resignation, would never have tolerated such behavior had it been up to
R_>> them.

R_> Sure hope so!  Altho it would have been grievously
R_> hard for priests brought up and trained to regard their
R_> bishops as their fathers in Christ to do that.

But not so hard for other Bishops!  Why didn't THEY do it?

R_> Btw, any comments about my own new Archbishop Sean
R_> O'Malley?  So far, he seems to be making the right moves
R_> for ending this miserable scandal: making generous settle-
R_> ment offers and quickly putting on administrative leave four
R_> priests accused of sexual abuse (further steps to depend
R_> on what investigation turns up).

Will he next call for the resignation of the others we KNOW did what Law
did?
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