"Calif. bus ads called offensive to Islam" Associated Press, March 13, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO — Civic officials joined Arab and Muslim leaders to denounce what they call offensive anti-Islamic ads that will appear on 10 buses for the next month in San Francisco.
The ads were paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative and feature photos of Osama bin Laden, the Times Square car bomber, and the alleged gunman in the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings, accompanied by quotes about warfare and weapons that the group links to Islam.
At least one of the ads contains a quote attributed to the militant Islamic group Hamas that reads: ‘‘Killing Jews is worship that brings us closer to Allah.’’
Officials said the ads were racist. ‘‘These offensive ads serve no purpose than to denigrate our city’s Arab and Muslim communities,’’ District Attorney George Gascon said on Monday.
Mayor Ed Lee added, ‘‘San Francisco is a city that celebrates its diversity, and hateful speech and discrimination against our Arab and Muslim communities will never be tolerated.’’
Board of Supervisors president David Chiu was expected to introduce a resolution on Tuesday condemning the ads.
Similar ads have appeared on transit systems in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Portland, Ore. The group ran similar ads in San Francisco in August and has also posted ads in New York City.
San Francisco officials believe a First Amendment court decision protecting freedom of speech means it must accept the advertising.
Ever notice Jewish hate is always free speech?
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"Sex offender was returned to ministry" Associated Press, April 15, 2013
LOS ANGELES — When the Rev. John Anthony Salazar arrived in Tulia, Texas, in 1991, he was warmly welcomed by the Roman Catholic community in the Texas Panhandle. What his new parishioners didn’t know was that he had been hired out of a treatment program for pedophile priests.
Salazar had been convicted for child molestation and banned from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for life.
Over the next 11 years, Salazar would be accused of abusing four more children and young men in Texas. Today he awaits trial on one molestation charge, while his accusers and former followers seek a way to move forward.
Many details of Salazar’s past are contained in a confidential personnel file that was among 120 such files the Archdiocese of Los Angeles made public this year after a legal battle with abuse victims. But those records tell only part of the story.
On Tuesday, attorneys return to court to argue over the release of records for about 80 priests, including Salazar, who belonged to Roman Catholic religious orders that kept their own personnel files on accused clergymen.
The hearing will address in what form and when those files will be made public, and involves orders such as the Jesuits, Salesians, Vincentians, and Dominicans.
The documents are critical to understanding the full scope of the clergy abuse scandal, said Ray Boucher, who represents Los Angeles-area victims.
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"LA cardinal to be deposed in abuse lawsuit" by Gillian Flaccus | Associated Press, February 16, 2013
LOS ANGELES — Cardinal Roger Mahony, the former Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles, will be questioned under oath next week as part of a clergy abuse lawsuit just days before he flies to Rome to help select the next pope, attorneys said Friday.
The recently retired head of the nation’s largest archdiocese will be deposed Feb. 23 about how he handled a visiting Mexican priest who police believe molested 26 children in the Los Angeles archdiocese during a nine-month stay in 1987. The Rev. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera fled to Mexico in 1988 after parents complained. He remains a fugitive....
Mahony has been deposed in civil clergy abuse lawsuits multiple times over the years. Next week’s deposition, however, would be the first since the archdiocese released thousands of pages under court order from the confidential personnel files of more than 120 priests accused of sex abuse.
The files show that Mahony and other top archdiocese officials maneuvered to shield accused priests and protect the church from a growing scandal while keeping parishioners in the dark....
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Also see: Catholic Church Crimes in California
