Editorial voices from elsewhere
Editorial voices from newspapers around the United States as compiled by Associated Press:
“They knew and they let it happen! To kids!”
That’s a quote from the movie “Spotlight” attributed to real-life reporter Mike Rezendes when he was investigating Boston priests accused of sexually molesting altar boys and other children 15 years ago.
The comment could just as well be applied to Pennsylvania authorities who for decades did precious little to stop similar abuse by priests and cover-ups by religious leaders in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
A grand jury report released by Attorney General Kathleen Kane said an investigation had revealed evidence of “several instances in which law enforcement officers and prosecutors failed to pursue allegations of child sexual abuse occurring within the Diocese.”
Cambria County Judge Patrick T. Kiniry, a former district attorney, reportedly told state investigators that the close relationship between local authorities and diocesan officials when the alleged abuse cases occurred was a reflection of the Catholic Church’s influence.
A study commissioned by the Catholic Church said more than 4,000 U.S. priests had been accused of sexually abusing at least 10,000 children, most of them boys, in the last 50 years. The church has spent more than $2 billion to settle cases, pay for victims’ therapy, lawyers’ fees, and other costs.
Prosecution is unlikely for anyone accused in the new grand jury report.
Statutes of limitation have expired. Some of the accused are dead.
The grand jury recommended lifting the statute of limitations for sexual offenses against children and suspending the statute of limitations to file sexual abuse civil suits.
Those are good steps. Some crimes are too heinous to ever avoid prosecution, or deny victims restitution.
We urge lawmakers not just in Pennsylvania but in Ohio and across the nation to seize the moment and eliminate any statute of limitations on sexual assault and abuse – particularly when it involves a minor.
In fact, many states have statutes of limitations on sexual assault cases – it is what has allowed Bill Cosby to avoid facing more charges despite the many women who say they were victims.
While the victims must live with the effects of the abuse for the rest of their lives, their attackers can avoid legal responsibility after a period of time. How tragic and blatantly unfair…
Let’s finally do something more to protect our children from predators.
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said during his rally in Fort Worth just before Super Tuesday that he intends to change libel laws to make it easier to “win lots of money.”
This was a political campaign rally, so suspension of reality is expected. Trump’s goal was to fire up potential voters – and if that required a lack of logic, so be it.
But in case anyone wonders how this translates to the real world, it doesn’t.
First, it doesn’t matter who is president, there is no federal libel law. Libel is a state issue.
Trump is probably complaining about a standard laid down in a 1964 Supreme Court case, New York Times vs. Sullivan.
Public figures like Trump who sue media companies must show that the news organization knowingly published false information with malicious intent.
But that would be no barrier in the situation Trump described: “I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.”
He referred to The New York Times or The Washington Post writing “a hit piece,” adding that “we’re going to have people sue you like you’ve never got sued before.”
One wonders why such suits have not been filed and won. Maybe this was all hot air.