The Keepers

[lucindabelle]

On 6/21/2017 at 1:35 PM, CaughtOnTape said:

In church life, they are told to stop it and moved somewhere so they can do it again.  They are put back into circulation with children and not given any kind of therapy.  As with most things in the religious world...if you pray hard enough, God will take away the bad thoughts.  Just confess and you're fine!  Which is why I don't subscribe to any religion any more.  

II think hard core Catholics are able to still believe because they convince themselves that had the offenders simply prayed harder they wouldn't have been so susceptible to the bad things.  Be a better Catholic and all that.  And asking someone to give up their entire belief system is a tall order, even if they are proven to be terrible.  Religions also teach that we are imperfect and fallible.  Which means it's not the RELIGION that's the problem, it's the people that are.  

 

Just a reminder that "religion" doesn't mean Christianity. Judaism doesn't work this way at all. We have NO doctrine that says confess and you're forgiven. In fact G-d CAN'T forgive you for something you've done to someone else. Pretty sure that's true in Islam as well. Judaism also has no belief in Original Sin.

On 6/24/2017 at 0:51 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I do not believe the culture creates pedophiles. I don't think you can "create" a pedophile or a serial rapist. Igornant people have said that it's the "celibate lifestyle" that makes these men abuse children- that's absolutely not true. Most child abusers have access to willing adult partners but want to hurt kids. 

@Proclone

For the most part I agree BUT we know that in jail, with no women available, straight men will often pair off with other men. So I think there may be some aspect of this at hand. I also think that the priesthood was a respectable career for a gay man back in the day, a man who wasn't going to marry anyway. Of course, most gay men would never abuse a child of either gender... just that it's a place where people who didn't fit in might want to go. The abuse that Maskell did is absolutely beyond the pale, however, and has nothing to do with orientation or anything else except power and evil, in my opinion.

[Scarlett45]

@lucindabelle Yes in jail people engage in same sex relationships because there are no available partners of the opposite sex, but I don't see it as being similar to celibate priests abusing kids- just because someone is a priest doesn't mean they don't have access to willing adult partners, they still have access to adult men and women to have sex with (other priests, nuns, parishioners etc). I think there were a lot more priest/nun, priest/priest, nun/nun relationships than there were pedophiles. As you said if you knew you were gay in Catholic culture this was an acceptable way not to be forced into heteronormative marriage.

I think it's more of the second part of your post, someone who is an evil power hungry sadistic prick who wants access to KIDS joins the priesthood to fuel their ego and give them a socially acceptable way to interact in private with lots of vulnerable kids. 

[kieyra]

If anyone had "Heroin(e)" pop up on their Netflix recommendations, it's a short documentary worth a watch. Completely different subject matter, but has the same vibe of women of a certain age working together (against a heroin epidemic in a small WV town).

[Scarlett45]

18 hours ago, kieyra said:

If anyone had "Heroin(e)" pop up on their Netflix recommendations, it's a short documentary worth a watch. Completely different subject matter, but has the same vibe of women of a certain age working together (against a heroin epidemic in a small WV town).

I will!

[ElleMo]

  ON 6/21/2017 AT 1:35 PM, CAUGHTONTAPE SAID:

Quote

In church life, they are told to stop it and moved somewhere so they can do it again.  They are put back into circulation with children and not given any kind of therapy.  As with most things in the religious world...if you pray hard enough, God will take away the bad thoughts.  Just confess and you're fine!  Which is why I don't subscribe to any religion any more.  

On 9/12/2017 at 8:09 PM, lucindabelle said:

Just a reminder that "religion" doesn't mean Christianity. Judaism doesn't work this way at all. We have NO doctrine that says confess and you're forgiven. In fact G-d CAN'T forgive you for something you've done to someone else. Pretty sure that's true in Islam as well. Judaism also has no belief in Original Sin.

It doesn't work that way in Catholicism either.  At least it is not supposed to.  Merely confessing sins is not enough.  You need to truly feel contrite and you need to repair the damage that the sins have caused.

FROM the US conference of Catholic Bishops

Quote

the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is called “penance.”  http://ccc.usccb.org/flipbooks/uscca/files/assets/basic-html/page-268.html

  The problem is, too many people, priests included, don't take the finally step seriously or skip it entirely.

Edited January 26, 2018 by ElleMo

[AZChristian]

We binge-watched the series over the weekend.  As you might surmise from my screen name, I am a Christian.  I have never been a Catholic, but have been part of several other denominations in an attempt to exercise my faith within a community of believers.  Sadly, I have seen so many failures in clergymen that we've just given up on going to churches.  We still believe in God, and attempt to honor Him in how we live our lives.  We just don't think it's good stewardship to give money to organizations who are so inept at protecting the helpless.  I'm also from the Baltimore area, so there was that connection as well.

Having said that, I don't believe Gerry Koob had anything to do with Cathy's death.  But his behavior bothers me on several fronts:

• He was a priest, pledge to be celibate, but was apparently having a "more than friends" relationship with a woman.
• He is now a Methodist minister, but stated in talking heads that he would "never forgive" the cop who he says showed him "Cathy's vagina."
• I can't figure out any way that a cop would show a friend or suspect a piece of body tissue wrapped in paper.  If it had been collected during an autopsy, it would have been in a jar with a preservative.  And cops aren't allowed to just walk out of an autopsy suite with body parts.  So I doubt that that scenario ever took place, which leads to the conclusion that Gerry was lying (probably to make a bigger issue of how awful the cops were).
• In another talking head, he talked about "hating" one of the investigators (I think that's who it was).  

His entire life as a clergyman has exhibited a lot of non-Christian behaviors.  One wonders how he teaches others to live that life, when he does not.

[Scarlett45]

On 1/29/2018 at 9:38 AM, AZChristian said:

We binge-watched the series over the weekend.  As you might surmise from my screen name, I am a Christian.  I have never been a Catholic, but have been part of several other denominations in an attempt to exercise my faith within a community of believers.  Sadly, I have seen so many failures in clergymen that we've just given up on going to churches.  We still believe in God, and attempt to honor Him in how we live our lives.  We just don't think it's good stewardship to give money to organizations who are so inept at protecting the helpless.  I'm also from the Baltimore area, so there was that connection as well.

Having said that, I don't believe Gerry Koob had anything to do with Cathy's death.  But his behavior bothers me on several fronts:

• He was a priest, pledge to be celibate, but was apparently having a "more than friends" relationship with a woman.
• He is now a Methodist minister, but stated in talking heads that he would "never forgive" the cop who he says showed him "Cathy's vagina."
• I can't figure out any way that a cop would show a friend or suspect a piece of body tissue wrapped in paper.  If it had been collected during an autopsy, it would have been in a jar with a preservative.  And cops aren't allowed to just walk out of an autopsy suite with body parts.  So I doubt that that scenario ever took place, which leads to the conclusion that Gerry was lying (probably to make a bigger issue of how awful the cops were).
• In another talking head, he talked about "hating" one of the investigators (I think that's who it was).  

His entire life as a clergyman has exhibited a lot of non-Christian behaviors.  One wonders how he teaches others to live that life, when he does not.

The instances you describe above indicate to me that Gerry is just a human being with flaws like the rest of us; even the most devout and well meaning Christian exhibits non Christ like behavior from time to time- especially surrounding a situation of violence and murder towards someone they loved. Given how the church had the cops in their back pocket- I think the cops were more likely to lie than Gerry  

 

Gerry may be a great minister (or he may be a bad one) but I dont think we can know either way from his part on the show. 

Edited March 7, 2018 by Scarlett45

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎5‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 3:07 AM, film noire said:

Every time I think I've gotten to the end of perversity, pedophilia and cover-ups in the church,  I'm proven wrong and there's another story. The Duplessis orphans, the Christian Brothers, the Magdalene laundries, John Geoghan (Spotlight) Father Gauthe in Louisiana, that bastard Dolan, the documentary  "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in The House of God" -- and now these sweet girls from Keogh, full of dreams and betrayed in the most profane ways --  I keep thinking "Well, this is the end of it; this is the final siphoning off of the poison, surely this is the last horrific story of an innocent girl or boy having their tender life ruined by some demented sick fuck in a cassock? This must be it; because how many children are left in the world to be ruined? How many?"

Turns out, always a thousand children more;  it never fucking ends. There's always another story.  And I am at the point - raised Catholic (fairly liberal, seventies style) -- where I consider myself lucky,  because all I had to endure was a priest copping a feel and sticking his holy tongue down my thirteen year old throat on Christmas Eve at my parent's house  (WHICH, YOU KNOW, NOT A SLIDING SCALE ANYONE SHOULD BE USING) but I consider that a victory, because there's a children's march of middle aged women (and men) that moves relentlessly forward -- always another story, always another priest, always another lawyer for the church, always another sick tale that would make Jesus pick up an AK 47 -- always. We need a shorthand for this: the fish symbol, with a knife in its heart.

And that retired cop - the one with the Kris Kringle beard, hesitant speech and dead eyes? -- he so fucking knows everything. Everything.

I'm late to the party and just watching this show.  This is a school for young women, run by women.   You let one mother fucking male into the inner sanctum and look what he does.  Utterly disgusting.   Chris Mathews once said when you have institutions where only men hold the power, you have this type of corruption.

I was low-key molested by my grade school principal and there is a special place in hell for these men who destroy souls.

I'm not quite convinced about Kris Kringle.  I think he's settled well into dementia.

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎6‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 8:21 AM, Captanne said:

Remember, Father Maskell clearly is accused of grooming his victims and carefully selecting children who had already been abused in their lives.  Their adult support structure was already severely compromised as well as their young views of that support structure.  (Not only were their family members already abusing them, but their impressions would be that the adults in their lives were not able to protect them from anything.)  Maskell then convinced them the family abuse was their own fault.

That is a toxic mix and creates a weakened, vulnerable child open to more abuse with no safety net.

That helps explain why the children didn't tell their adult family and why, in that ignorance, no adults raced to their defense.

I also think he had the cops come in and rape the girls so he would be protected.   If he went down, he would take them down with him.  And there was one cop who said out loud he didn't want to.  Of course, he apparently had no problem doing it afterward.

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 8:20 PM, bilgistic said:

This show is so upsetting but so important. I watched the first two episodes, then napped and dreamed about the show. It dug into me.

People either uneducated about abuse or who have never been abused generally don't understand the amount of shame that comes with abuse. Victims feel somehow deserving of the abuse, whether being told that outright, as these women were, or not. You are almost always told to "keep it our secret" or that you'll (or your family will) be further harmed if you tell. You can't "just tell someone." Most victims are young and therefore easily manipulated.

I wanted to jump through the screen back to the 1990s and punch the hell out of the smug lawyer or whoever he was who basically said after the trial, "Tough shit; it's been too long to prosecute Father Maskell. It's just this girl's word against his." Except it was 100 girls' words and abuse has no statute of limitations on real lives. Survivors of abuse are haunted by the memories and feelings for their entire lives. Fuck those fucking fucks who disbelieved a single word from these incredibly brave women.

Statute of Limitation laws are a gift to the pedophile - It's how they thrive and rape for decades.

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 7:26 AM, Ellaria Sand said:

As you point out, the DA had a difficult job. However, her demeanor was off-putting. I was hoping that she would express compassion for the victims ("These women suffered horrific abuse but there simply wasn't enough evidence...") but she didn't. It is now years later and she seemed to shrug it off. I expected more from her.

This show is very troubling. As both Spotlight and The Wire pointed out so well, when our institutions are left unchecked, common decency is ignored.

I definitely got an impression that the documentary maker/editor didn't like her.   There was no need to show her primping her hair prior to the interview, except to cast a certain impression of her.   It set the perfect stage for her giddy story of zipping to the scene in her little red sports car.   Also her many shrugs, and her "whatcha gonna do?" attitude.   She was lying through her damned teeth.  Why bury many boxes of evidence that show nothing?   Why wrap them in plastic to protect them?  It was all of his trophies and documentation of his abuse.  He kept notes as immaculately as the Nazis (all typed up nicely from his written notes by another victim) - luckily prosecutors were a little more motivated for justice in Nuremberg.  

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎5‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 11:45 PM, saoirse said:

Karma, Maskell. It's a bitch, ain't it?

I was confused about the other possible suspects, until 'Brother Bob' came back up. Suddenly, I'm starting to get all these ideas in my head...

And dammit. I was thinking all along that something had happened to Jean's husband, Mike. His death had to be such a blow.

I can't believe I'm binging this show, it's not going to be helpful for sleeping tonight. But WOW. Putting this story together? It's been masterful.

Yes, but it sure took it's time.  These stories actually reinforce my faith.  I couldn't handle learning of this extensive, horrific abuse if I thought this man lived with no consequences for his actions, then peacefully found his death.  I need to believe that this man, and his cohorts, are rotting in an eternal hell.  

I was pretty sure that Mike was dead, but it was still devastating.  It's a shame that Jean seems to believe his cancer was caused by what happened to her.  It's simply another way for her to blame herself.

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎5‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 10:56 PM, OtterMommy said:

Unless Skippy was name only used by some.  As you said, Skippy is a strange name for an adult (the only Skippy I ever knew was a dog, but whatever) and I highly doubt that anyone would name their child that.  But, if they were part of a community that was not socially accepted, such as the gay community in a very Catholic city in the middle of the 20th century, I could see whoever this is adopting a name only used socially in that circle.  And it is possible that Skippy is also Brother Bobby?

That being said, I think it is a possibility that there are others out there who have information about this case that they haven't shared.  Whether this show will make a difference is yet to be seen.

Going on your theme of aliases, I wonder if "Brother Bob" was the pseudonym for a group of men involved in this child rape ring.   A generic name that could never be traced back to anyone.  And how fucking brazen is it to show up in your uniform and rape a child?  I mean how in this world did no one hear all of this raping going on?  None of the girls reported being gagged.  One of them reported her head banging against the wall.   We all know what that rhythmic sound means even if we're sheltered (most of us have unwilling heard our parents).  At least one rape was basically described as violent - yet not one sound leaks into the halls or into adjoining rooms?  These pieces of filth rape in silence?  I highly doubt it - if the priest was getting off on watching, they were getting off on putting on a show.  And how did that poor girl ever again go to the gynecologist after being raped in stirrups while the OB/GYNE molested her?   These men were absolutely fearless, and I cannot believe a civil suit has not bankrupted the diocese, school, and even police department.

I'm sure part of my problem is that I've been binging this since last night, but I'm almost wishing that this whole city be burned to the ground.  This group of rapists appear to be the most influential people in the town.  It really makes me wonder why Jean can remember everything but Father Bob's face.   It gives me a very sick feeling that she knew him, and knew him well.   A family member, a neighbor, or even a father of a friend?  She was the perfect candidate for DID.  The simple fact that she doesn't really remember any of her classmates proves she was disassociating through a massive period of those years.

[larapu2000]

On 6/3/2017 at 11:12 AM, skittl3862 said:

I don't think Gerry Koob is guilty. His reaction to all of this doesn't seem like someone who committed murder and covered it up. He's a former priest and now minister; he's hardly Robert Durst. I'm sure the police tried to nail it on "the boyfriend" back in 1969, but they didn't charge him. And a newbie priest Koob wasn't nearly important enough compared to Maskell to get special cover-up favors.

I liked that they showed the cop looking into the cold case was shook about the missing evidence. The fact that all the evidence involving Father Maskell and Sister Cathy has accidentally been destroyed or gone missing is inexcusable and highly suspicious.

I thought that cop had a FANTASTIC poker face.  It was obvious that he was listening, and interested in the information shared on the board and with the women about Sister Cathy, but wanted to remain impassive and impartial, and I admire him for mostly pulling it off.  There is no way I wouldn't have gone into a rage at missing evidence if I were him, so kudos to that guy.  

I think Sister Cathy didn't tell Koob about the sexual abuse because she was in the role of confidante to these young women, and would never betray that confidence to anyone unless they gave her permission.  I'm not surprised at all that Koob didn't know.  I would be surprised if anyone had known, because I think she took that role seriously, and she took that role to her grave, unfortunately.

I don't know how I feel about the DA.  The first time she popped up, I was convinced by her of the lack of evidence to pursue criminal charges in these cases, but after this episode, I'm not so sure I believe her about the missing evidence, etc.  Everything is just a little too convenient.

I absolutely believe the cops doing the "vagina" thing to Koob.  It probably wasn't even any of her body, but they thought he was guilty of her murder, and they had a documented relationship.  They were probably trying to trigger his guilt and force a confession out of him.  It's a variation on an interrogation technique, where investigators place important pieces of evidence around a room and see what the suspect zeroes in on or can't stop looking at.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm finally getting around to watching this and after one episode, I already love Abbie and Gemma. They are a great team - they complement each other, they're dogged, and they are determined.

I don't mind the slower pace because a lot of times with crime stories, I feel like they skip a lot of the details and then waste a bunch of time on supposition.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 6/27/2017 at 10:47 AM, Milburn Stone said:

I was confused by one thing at first. They have someone saying that Sister Cathy was teaching in a public school when she was killed, and I was like, What? That's not a public school, it's obviously a Catholic school!

All became clear later on, but I spent most of the episode being unnecessarily confused by that comment, which so easily could have either been deleted or explained better.

That said, I'm liking this.

I noticed that someone said that Sister Cathy and her roommate had left the church and were teaching at the public school and I was like uh, what? That's really not something that's done.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

After all the stories of abuse in the Catholic church that are common knowledge these days, I know that I shouldn't be surprised by anything but I still said, "HOLY SHIT!" out loud when Jean said that she went to confession to unburden herself of the guilt she felt about being MOLESTED and Father Magnus told her that he didn't know if God could forgive her.

I went to a Catholic elementary school and we started going to confession in second grade. At that age, we didn't have much to confess but the two priests at my school never said anything even close to making us feel like God wouldn't forgive us for whatever we confessed.

Of course I should have known that this was just the beginning of the horror. Only an evil predator would take advantage of an abused girl by manipulating her so that he could continue to abuse her. And then he invited another priest to join in? I don't even know what to say about someone so terrible. That poor girl. I hope that she has had lots of therapy since then to help her get through all of the immense guilt and other shit that got dumped on her because of all this abuse. I just wanted to give her a hug and some hot chocolate.

As the episode went on and more girls said that they had been abused by Maskell and other random men who he pimped them out to, I was sickened. I really hope that these abusers are burning in hell.

I went to Catholic school until fifth grade and then we moved out of state. Most of the teachers were not nuns (I think that of all the teachers my sister and I had in our combined eight years there, we only had one nun teacher between us). As far as I know, there weren't any scandals at the school but as an adult, knowing how pervasive abuse is within the Catholic church, I count myself lucky that nothing happened to my sister or me. I never even got hit with a ruler. My mom went to Catholic school (a different school in a different city) and she said the nuns were very strict about everything so I'm glad that my brief time in Catholic school was uneventful. Once we moved, I almost never went to church again.

ETA: I'm glad that they explained the whole "Sister Cathy and her other nun friend lived in an apartment and taught at the public school" thing that was briefly mentioned in the previous episode. I am really surprised that they were allowed to do that. Interesting that so many of the people they interviewed in this episode are former nuns and priests. I hope we get to hear their stories about when and why they left.

Edited September 20, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm glad that Jean's husband seems like such a nice man from the little that we saw/heard of him. I was also relieved that when she told her whole family, they believed her and supported her. Sadly, that isn't always the case.

One thing that was surprising to me was that Jean stayed so involved with the church after being raped and abused by Magnus and Maskell for so long. I guess it disassociating helped block out the memories enough for her to still find comfort in her faith.

Is it wrong that I almost cheered when Jean found out that Magnus had died? Then I kind of wished he was alive so that she could confront him. Then I thought maybe that's not what she wanted. That poor woman, thinking that she had killed Sister Cathy - as if she didn't already have enough guilt about everything that had happened to her.

When Jean said that the church wanted her to make statements, I was already saying Molly, girl, you in danger! It's disgusting but not at all surprising that the archdiocese put the onus on her to find more victims and then tried to cover it up.

When Jean's sister said that they got so many responses, I was both relieved that she was no longer alone and horrified that so many girls had been raped by the priests. And didn't they say Maskell was only at their school for five years or so?

On 7/6/2017 at 11:00 AM, bilgistic said:

As an abuse survivor, I can attest that just about anything can trigger memories to surface--scents, songs, places revisited, conversations with phrases the abuser said, dreams, etc. I believe the science that says that the brain protects you from traumatic memories. Think about how accident victims often don't recall what happened after the fact.

My sister broke her neck and had to have a halo (which requires putting four screws into the skull). They do not put you out for this procedure. The doctor said that it's so painful and traumatic that patients block out the memory. My sister's response was, "Really? Because I remember ALL OF IT." Apparently she is the exception to the rule because most people who have that done do block it out.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Wow, I have so much respect for Teresa for publicly revealing her identity as Jane Roe after the lawsuit and then becoming a lawyer at the age of 49. Law school is tough enough for kids fresh out of undergrad who have nothing else to do all day but go to school and study. Imagine doing that while you're raising four kids.

I knew that the women would get treated like shit in court. That's what always happens to female abuse victims. They are shamed, their sexual histories are brought up, and they are generally treated like attention seeking liars. And people wonder why more victims don't come forward.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

During the earlier episodes, I was horrified to hear how these priests raped and abused so many girls, but this was the first episode that felt scary to me. I can't explain why, but the feeling I had was beyond being creeped out (the mannequin in the attic definitely didn't help).

On the plus side, it was nice to hear that Maskell is burning in hell now. I loved that Lil visited the place where he was living and managed to get face to face with him.

Even if it turns out that Edgar and Billy had nothing to do with Cathy's murder, Edgar sounded like a pretty horrible person anyway. Anyone who would choke his wife and say something like that to her and then cruise the middle school in a stolen car trying to pick up young girls isn't exactly a winner just because he's not also a murderer. We still don't know that much about Billy, but I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to live as a closeted gay man in a very Catholic city. Whether Brian really saw his Billy and Skippy hauling Sister Cathy's body or not, it's clear from the interview that he believes that's what he saw and that it tortured him. That's a lot to live with for most of your life.

Poor Jean. Mike really was her rock. I did take issue with her saying that he swallowed a lot of anger and then implied that somehow that was why he got cancer. Yes, stress can be a contributing factor but still.

Watching Gemma cry after talking to Sister Cathy's sister brought back how personal this quest is for them. They aren't just trying to solve a puzzle because they have nothing better to do. I think it was easy to kind of forget what a personal connection they had to her over the course of the first few episodes because we saw so much of their sleuthing and investigation.

I liked that they took the necklace to a gemologist but did it really give them any more clues? He basically confirmed that it was from the same era that Edgar gave the necklace to "Margaret" as a Christmas gift which isn't surprising. It's not like I thought it would turn out to be an heirloom from the turn of the century.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awww, I loved the three women (Doe, Roe, and woman without a rhyming pseudonym) finally met! I also love that one of them (Teresa? There are so many names that I'm not sure if I'm keeping them straight) said that Jean coming forward first gave her so much strength.

I know that back before digital records, it was easy for things to be misplaced. I would find it believable that Baltimore PD lost one thing related to this case but Cathy's letter to her sister plus the files that were dug up plus all the documents that Abbie has requested have just COINCIDENTALLY been lost, destroyed in a flood, and are unavailable? Riiiiiiighhht. If those explanations are all true, it makes BPD look shoddy and incomptent. IF they're not true, well, it's a cover up. Either way, it does not portray them in a positive light.

Edited September 21, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Before I post about the final episode, I wanted to share what I found (I had to google it as soon as I finished watching the last episode):

C.T. Wilson finally got his bill passed! It increases the window of time a victim of child sexual abuse has to file a lawsuit from age 25 to 38. (it was signed into law shortly before the show aired)

Quote

Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles) testified for three straight years before his fellow Maryland lawmakers about how his adoptive father repeatedly raped him, pleading with them to increase the amount of time sexually abused children have to sue their abusers.

And each year that his bill died in committee, Wilson vowed to sponsor it again.

On Tuesday, he was cheered as he joined Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to watch him sign the bill, approved by the legislature, into law. It increases the window of time a victim of child sexual abuse has to file a lawsuit from age 25 to 38.

“I never wanted to share my personal business on this level, but I did it because I thought it would help people,” Wilson said shortly after the bill signing. “I wanted the victims of sexual abuse to know they are not alone and that we care about them.”

[...]

When Wilson walked to the table for the signing of the ­statute-of-limitations bill, [Governor] Hogan gave him a bear hug and thanked him for his courage and leadership on the issue.

Wilson spoke each year about how he was shuffled among foster care homes until he was adopted by a man who was a kindergarten teacher, a Cub Scout leader, a junior pastor — and a pedophile.

He said he was raped by his adoptive father from 8 to 16 and did not begin to deal with the trauma until years later.

Wilson’s bill had been strongly opposed by the Catholic Church. Del. Joseph F. Vallario (D-Prince George’s), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, refused to allow it to come to a vote in his committee.

This year, Wilson worked with the Maryland Catholic Conference on the bill, with help from Vicki Gruber, chief of staff to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert).

Changes included making clear that the statute would not be retroactive and would apply only to victims 18 or younger at the time of its passage. The bill gives those victims until age 38 to file a lawsuit against a person or governmental entity that “owed a duty of care to the victim,” employed the alleged abuser or had “some degree of responsibility or control over” the alleged abuser.

Mary Ellen Russell, the executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, said this year’s bill “was much fairer than in years past.”

For Wilson, the bill signing closed an ugly, painful chapter. “It was an emotional experience,” he said. “You basically have to dig deep and reveal yourself. You can’t help but be ashamed, but I’m not a victim. I don’t define myself as a victim.”

He said he knows a lawsuit is not a “silver bullet” for sexual abuse victims, “but what it does is give them a voice. . . . That’s what most people want. They want someone to acknowledge what they’ve done.”

Edited September 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[SweetieDarling]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Before I post about the final episode, I wanted to share what I found (I had to google it as soon as I finished watching the last episode):

C.T. Wilson finally got his bill passed! It increases the window of time a victim of child sexual abuse has to file a lawsuit from age 25 to 38. (it was signed into law shortly before the show aired)

Mike Miller is a piece of dirt (to put it nicely). His changes to the bill make me believe he's either got something to hide about himself, or he's protecting some of his cronies/part of the corruption. 

 

One thing in the series that was never addressed (that I noticed), one of the men brought in to participate was referred to as "Brother ____" (I forgot the name). What they failed to mention, is that there is a very big, popular, Catholic boys school in Baltimore run by the Christian Brothers DeLasalle. The men in the order are called Brothers. I'm not saying it was one of them, but it would explain the name. 

 

I live in the burbs of Baltimore (transplant, not a native), and the corruption and cover up suggested by the show did not surprise me. I was appalled and disgusted, but not really surprised. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

10 hours ago, SweetieDarling said:

Mike Miller is a piece of dirt (to put it nicely). His changes to the bill make me believe he's either got something to hide about himself, or he's protecting some of his cronies/part of the corruption. 

I felt bad that CT Wilson had to make so many changes to the bill because all of those stipulations SUCK. Even though it was a victory just to get the age limit changed, I am guessing that all of those conditions are like a stab to the heart for him, knowing that it means a lot of victims will still be excluded from getting justice. The fact that it only applies to victims who were 18 or younger when the bill was passed in 2017 means that there are decades of victims who are being left out.

[TrudyC]

Oh man. This was hard to watch, but I'm glad these stories are being told. I wish I could reach out to these women, and thank them for sharing their stories, and tell them how brave and strong I think they are. I am in awe of their courage, and wish they had never gone through any of that. I'm not sure what else to say - what an evil man, and deeply corrupt system. I'm going to keep watching. I found this show after watching Spotlight for the first time.

[jnymph]

So I'm 58 years old and never in my life have I wanted to witness anybody being tortured and die.  I'm even on the fence when it comes to the death penalty in this country.

But guess what ?

Everything's changed after hearing about this monster from hell Maskell.   I've only watched up to this episode, and I'm unspoiled on how this story ends.   But I know one thing.  The only possible way this can end in a satisfying manner for me, is that Jean leads all the women that were abused by him and together they slowly cut off his penis.   Then they stuff it in his mouth and tell him to receive the "holy fucking spirit" himself.   Then they cut off his balls and stuff those in the mouths of the other men that participated in the abuse.     I would pay good money to watch this event and I'd be cheering and I'd be happy. 

Never in my life did I think I'd be capable of desiring such torture to another human.   I can't believe I just typed that.  BUT IT IS TRUE. 

[Fellaway]

Report details sexual abuse of over 600 children by Archdiocese of Baltimore priests since 1940s.

Quote

One priest, Joseph Maskell, was a subject of the Netflix documentary series "The Keepers" in 2017. Maskell was moved from two parishes in the 1960s because of reports of his "troubling behavior with children, including a fascination with the sexual fantasies and behavior of boy scouts," the report says. 

"Not only were the reports by multiple parents not investigated, reported to authorities, or publicized, he was assigned to be Chaplain at Archbishop Keough High School, an all-girls' school. Maskell sexually abused at least 39 victims."