Aim Straight and Fire Away!
Maurice Blackwell, a defrocked priest, was found guilty on Thursday on 3 of 4 charges of sexual abuse that took place in the early 1990's. Blackwell could face up to 45 years in prison. Dontee Stokes, his accuser, stood and pointed at him, in the courtroom, during a particularly emotional part of his testimony. Stokes had stood once before to point at Blackwell, but that time there was a firearm in his hand.
In May 2002, at the height of the abuse scandal in the Catholic church. Blackwell had come forward before with his accusations, but had been given no credence. On May 13, 2002, Stokes drove to Blackwell's Reservoir Hill home, asked for an apology and, when he didn't get one, pulled out a .357 Magnum revolver. He shot the priest three times. Stokes, now 29, was acquitted of attempted murder but convicted of weapons violations, and served his time in home detention.
I know, we can't have people taking the law into their own hands. It escalates out of control, and vigilantism is not a state in which to live, but I have to tell you. When I read about the incident with the magnum, it was the same as that scene in the movies ... you know, the one where the downtrodden hero rises up against the injustice he has been forced to endure; the one where the audience cheers out loud for the underdog when he finally exacts retribution.
The defence have spent much of their time trying to discredit the accuser, and portraying him as a troubled man who deals with mental difficulties. No duh, you idiots. What do you think some of the possible effects might be when you're abused by a person you're supposed to be able to trust? Anyway, no matter what demons Stokes may have to deal with, it is not Stokes that is on trial.The defense seems to be forgetting that Blackwell was stripped of his church authority in 1998 after he acknowledged he had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy in the early 1970s. Stokes has got it right.
The priests of the R.C. church have enjoyed too many centuries of privilege and being above the law of the land. It is time that they were brought back down to the earth they tread, on ordinary feet of clay, just like the rest of us. It is time they and the behemoth institution they serve realize that they're getting it all wrong. They claim to serve Jesus.Exactly how are they doing that when they use the cover of the church to facilitate their stealing innocence? Sexual abuse does exactly that. It can leave a legacy of harm that will never be totally expunged from the life of the one they abuse.
"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." To those pariah-priests: wrack your brains, and see if you can figure out what that quote, attributed to the one you claim to serve, is supposed to mean.
In May 2002, at the height of the abuse scandal in the Catholic church. Blackwell had come forward before with his accusations, but had been given no credence. On May 13, 2002, Stokes drove to Blackwell's Reservoir Hill home, asked for an apology and, when he didn't get one, pulled out a .357 Magnum revolver. He shot the priest three times. Stokes, now 29, was acquitted of attempted murder but convicted of weapons violations, and served his time in home detention.
I know, we can't have people taking the law into their own hands. It escalates out of control, and vigilantism is not a state in which to live, but I have to tell you. When I read about the incident with the magnum, it was the same as that scene in the movies ... you know, the one where the downtrodden hero rises up against the injustice he has been forced to endure; the one where the audience cheers out loud for the underdog when he finally exacts retribution.
The defence have spent much of their time trying to discredit the accuser, and portraying him as a troubled man who deals with mental difficulties. No duh, you idiots. What do you think some of the possible effects might be when you're abused by a person you're supposed to be able to trust? Anyway, no matter what demons Stokes may have to deal with, it is not Stokes that is on trial.The defense seems to be forgetting that Blackwell was stripped of his church authority in 1998 after he acknowledged he had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy in the early 1970s. Stokes has got it right.
The priests of the R.C. church have enjoyed too many centuries of privilege and being above the law of the land. It is time that they were brought back down to the earth they tread, on ordinary feet of clay, just like the rest of us. It is time they and the behemoth institution they serve realize that they're getting it all wrong. They claim to serve Jesus.Exactly how are they doing that when they use the cover of the church to facilitate their stealing innocence? Sexual abuse does exactly that. It can leave a legacy of harm that will never be totally expunged from the life of the one they abuse.
"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." To those pariah-priests: wrack your brains, and see if you can figure out what that quote, attributed to the one you claim to serve, is supposed to mean.
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