Dissident Veteran For Peace: Deliver Us from Evil

Dissident Veteran For Peace

"I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America." —Alexis de Tocquevile. Democracy in America, Book I, Chapter XV.

With a nod to the Most Rev. Dom Helder Camara: When I support Palestinians some call me an 'anti-Semite', when I try to explain why I stand in solidarity with Palestinians they call me a Nazi.

"WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives." —Major General Smedley Butler, USMC (ret.)

"... no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end." —character of O'Brien in 1984, part 3, ch. 3 by George Orwell.

"Every prophet has realized that nobody loves you for being the enemy of their illusions. Every prophet has realized that most of us want peace at any price as long as the peace is ours and somebody else pays the price. That is why the prophet Jeremiah said, ' "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace,' ..." —The Rev. William Sloane Coffin. "Not to Bring Peace, But a Sword."

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Deliver Us from Evil

I had low expectations for Deliver Us from Evil, the 2006 documentary film about child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy. I expected a lurid expose that ran roughshod over victims and the church but I was pleasantly surprised that the film is a thoughtful look at a problem--to put it mildly--that has dogged the Roman Catholic church for centuries. The film centers on priest Oliver O'Grady, three of his victims, and the church leaders who for decades covered up O'Grady's crimes and have refused to acknowledge the widespread rot in the church. The film also explores behavioral causes in O'Grady's life and in the church.

One other thing worth mentioning is the whole "gay priest" argument. Conservatives in and out of the Roman Catholic church have tried to scapegoat gay priests for the child abuse scandal but the truth is that pedophiles [sic] are the problem, not gay men attracted to other adult men. O'Grady preyed upon boys and girls and openly admits that he saw little difference between them and had no sexual interest in adults of either gender. He seems typical in this regard. If you're really interested in this subject then be sure to watch the deleted scenes on the DVD.

Labels: children, Christianity, video