Every once in a while a combination of stories comes along in politics that is so bizarre you can’t believe you’re actually writing about it. This is one of those times. Fresh after taking a run at Fenway Park fans in a public interview yesterday, Martha Coakley decided today that she’d insult another institution nobody in Massachusetts gives a crap about: Nuns. Here she is discussing why Nuns shouldn’t be allowed to work in Catholic Hospitals – private institutions that have zero problem with accomodating the consciences of the nuns:
Ken Pittman: Right, if you are a Catholic, and believe what the Pope teaches that any form of birth control is a sin. ah you don’t want to do that.
Martha Coakley: No we have a seperation of church and state Ken, lets be clear.
Ken Pittman: In the emergency room you still have your religious freedom.
Martha Coakley: (…stammering) The law says that people are allowed to have that. You can have religious freedom but you probably shouldn’t work in the emergency room.
Okay. So a private employee of a private company doesn’t want to perform a particular duty because of her religious beliefs, and her private employer has no problem accomodating that… and this somehow constitutes a violation of the First Amendment? I suppose it’s hypothetically possible that Martha Coakley is stupid enough to actually believe this manifest crap (and as this campaign goes on, it becomes more believable!), but the more likely explanation of course is that she finds the nuns icky and just wants them out of sight where she doesn’t have to look at them when she goes out in public. And believe me? Plenty of Massachusetts Catholics are gonna take that last sentence exactly that way. So, to review, in the last two days, Martha Coakley has, in public interviews, dissed A) Fenway Park and B) Nuns. Like my inestimable colleague Moe Lane, I am forced to wonder whether she has any public comments she’d like to share about clam chowder?
WAIT. THIS STORY GETS WORSE.
While Nuns and Fenway Park are on Martha Coakley’s bad list, it turns out she has a good list. Know who’s on it? Pedophiles.
Read on below the fold…
When Martha Coakley was the Middlesex district attorney, her office prosecuted the Rev. John J. Geoghan based on an allegation that he squeezed the buttocks of a 10-year-old boy a single time at a public swimming pool. The highly publicized 2002 conviction won Coakley widespread praise for bringing the first successful criminal case against the widely accused pedophile, a priest many had called “Father Jack.’’
But seven years earlier, Coakley, then the head of the Middlesex child abuse unit, had Geoghan in her sights and took a dramatically different approach. Back then, three grade-school brothers told investigators that Geoghan had inappropriately touched them during numerous visits to their Waltham home, and had made lewd telephone calls to them. Rather than prosecute, Coakley agreed to grant Geoghan a year of probation in a closed-door proceeding that received no media attention at all.
Because of the deal, Geoghan faced no formal charges and no criminal record.
In sanctioning the 1995 probation agreement, Coakley, now the front-runner in a special election for the United States Senate, never pressed the Boston Archdiocese for any prior complaints against Geoghan.
Now, granted, I am not licensed to practice law in the State of Massachusetts, but down here prosecutors are not wont to grant such generous diversion for DUI tickets. Heck, I dunno, maybe up there in Massachusetts, the people don’t really care about folks getting off scot free when there are three eyewitnesses to child molestation. At the very least it suggests that a large part of Coakley’s entire narrative of a candidate – to wit, that she is “tough on crime” (and sex offenders in particular), is more or less crap. Well, at least when it comes to pedophiles. One wonders when she developed a soft spot for pedophiles, and how it can be that she harbors, at the same time, such disdain for faithful Nuns.
In any event, in less than a week, the people of Mass. will decide if this is the character of the person they want representing them in the United States Senate. It’s possible that it is; they elected Ted Kennedy for a number of years. But Scott Brown is forcing them at long last to make a meaningful choice.
UPDATE: Somehow, I missed this story all day – more Coakley being soft on pedophiles! Careful. Reading this story may turn your head into a flaming skull.
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
KnightsofMalta
Dan Spencer
Dan McLaughlin
Well, I can certainly say one thing for Martha Coakley...
mbecker908 (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:04PM EST (link)she makes Barbara Boxer look good.
And she may make Patty Murray look smart.
itsonlywords (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 11:43PM EST (link)n/t
Tu ne cede malis sed contra audientor ito. ~Virgil
Do not give in to evil, but proceed evermore boldly against it.
With OnamaCare
Loren Heal (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:05PM EST (link)the montra of Separation of You Know What will keep people even from talking about God in the hospital. It will be on the government ‘s dime, after all.
–
Join the Concord Project, and follow @lheal, if you dare.
As a former
cari Thursday, January 14th at 11:22PM EST (link)hospital chaplain, this is what I’ve always been afraid of.
Our Nation justs get sicker with the liberals/progressive/idiots. All a product obama trauma. NT
bobojake (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:20PM EST (link)Obama trauma! Go one bobojake. nt
Vegas_Rick (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:39PM EST (link)“God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.”- Billy Currington
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge.
Coakley is well known for her ambition as a liberal...
khayos Thursday, January 14th at 10:21PM EST (link)With the false pose as being “tough”.
But really, this is a referendum on Deval Patrick and the tax raises. The locals are seeing a direct correlation between healthcare and taxes. Coakley’s best shot was to link any Republican to Bush and just let it sort itself off. She and the DNC didn’t bank on Obama actually hurting her.
It’s 24/7 attack ads here in Hyannis, Mass. I can’t wait for next Tuesday.
The rest of the conservative nation
conritwng Friday, January 15th at 10:27AM EST (link)is looking to the common sense people of Mass. to change from the looser politics of Kennedyism. Martha Coakly looks to be just an extension of last century Socialism. Democratic strategy: keep the faithful on the government tit regardless .
Republican strategy: People actually CAN think for themselves and know what is best for their own families with out gov’t intervention.
I’m either a birther or a moby, and the moderator doesn’t really feel it’s worth his time to determine which; both are insta-bans anyway.
New poll: Brown +4.
swami7774 (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:24PM EST (link)Hmm.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1225720
Today, there is a name for the political doctrine that rejoices in scarcity of everything except government. The name is environmentalism.
Saw it at Ace headquarters. 50-46
joayn (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 11:17PM EST (link)Although Brown’s 4-point lead over Democrat Martha Coakley is within the Suffolk University/7News survey’s margin of error, the underdog’s position at the top of the results stunned even pollster David Paleologos.
“It’s a Brown-out,” said Paleologos, director of Suffolk’s Political Research Center. “It’s a massive change in the political landscape.”
I. Love. It.
America is an idea; a noble idea that essentially boils down to the shocking belief that the masses are in fact not asses. John Nolte
Not enough to overcome the corruption of this
hogflight Friday, January 15th at 1:09PM EST (link)campaign
Semper Fi
Okay, so she's dissed Fenway and nuns...
Brian_Roastbeef (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:25PM EST (link)She still has a busy weekend ahead of her, though. I’ve managed to find out part of her itinerary leading up to the election.
Tomorrow is Friday, she’ll need to head around Cape Cod and point out how much she has always hated chowder. If pressed, concede that Manhattan style is tolerable.
Saturday, she needs to start ripping hard on the Irish. Call them all drunks. Pledge to see all Irish taverns put out of business. Also point out that she never thought ‘Cheers’ was funny.
Sunday, she can run TV ads during the playoff games saying that she is happy the Patriots are out of the playoffs. Call Tom Brady filthy names. When asked about her position on football, make sure to bring up Spygate.
Monday, its back to old talking points. Speak out against the Red Sox long and hard. Blame Bush/Cheney for the World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 and pledge to bring the ‘Curse of the Bambino’ back to Boston. Use the numbers ’1918′ and ’27′ a lot.
Afterward, play with Ted Williams’ frozen head on camera – hire a ventriloquist to make him give you an endorsement. (Note to staffers: Get in touch with Hillary re: her old Yankee cap from 2000 – a must have for the final 24 hours.)
Tuesday morning: Fly to D.C. Never set foot in Massachusettes… Masachusettss… Vermont again.
Do you think she could squeeze in some time on Sunday to make fun of their accents? nt
erod (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:28PM EST (link)Don't Forget - Blow Nose on Billichek Hoodey
Repair_Man_Jack (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:40PM EST (link)I like the humor in this.
” I side impenitently with the human race against the modern reformer.” – C.S. Lewis
Maybe she can make a campaign video out of this to...
erod (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 11:13PM EST (link)http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200806202968146
Wow, first the Red Sox now Catholics
erod (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:27PM EST (link)Martha is such an idiot according to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) Catholicism is the dominant religion in Suffolk County. When she makes ignorant, snobbish comments like this she wins no friends and alienates voters.
Way to go Jokely.
http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/counties/25025_2000.asp
h/t to bg at GatewayPundit
sharonmcp (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 11:14PM EST (link)how do you spell Coakley??
D-U-M-B-E
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/01/game-changer-martha-coakley-devout-catholics-probably-shouldnt-work-in-the-emergency-room-video/#comment-46534
“Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.” ~ Ronald Reagan
Love the "e" nt
Gigi Friday, January 15th at 8:38AM EST (link)“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Toqueville
conritwng Friday, January 15th at 10:33AM EST (link)Knew of the Obama Plan in the 1700′s
I’m either a birther or a moby, and the moderator doesn’t really feel it’s worth his time to determine which; both are insta-bans anyway.
Makes one wonder more then a little just how very little the Dem machine in Mass think of their subjects.....
USNJIMRET (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:46PM EST (link)Then again, the country is chock full of subjects of the Democrat Party that are treated as little more then chattel.
(Not that aren’t an awful of Rino’s in the other side who treat their people the same.
The concept of “What are they going to do, vote for the other party?” is perhaps one of the most disgusting ideas that seem to be at the core of both party’s “leadership”.
Separation of Church and State?
Rightshift (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 10:51PM EST (link)… I find it shocking when I hear “Lawyers” make that statement given the fact that that wording appears NO WHERE in the Constitution… ESPECIALLY coming from a State Attorney General. The problem is they don’t teach the Constitution anymore, just the bastardized Australian Petting Zoo version as malformed over the last 100 years by the eloquence of Juris Prudence…er… Nitwittery.
Frankly, I really don’t care what SCOTUS says regarding this issue since SCOTUS wasn’t meant to be the final arbiter of what the Constitution stated… the Senate was to be that mechanism since the State Legislatures were to be represented there as a means to protect and enforce their state sovereignty and ensure the Fed adheres to Article 1, Sec. 8.
As far as Brown’s statements on health care reform… How about we adhere to the Constitution and do what is within the confines of the Fed’s powers rather than trying to impose another form of this chicanery on the American People? How about simply ALLOWING insurance companies to compete across state lines, and major Tort reform? Those would be within the confines of the Constitution, Commerce clause and all.
“Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim – when he defends himself – as a criminal.” — Frederic Bastiat
Origin of the Wall of Separation
voxoreason Friday, January 15th at 12:56PM EST (link)I suspect that all redstate readers know that the phrase doesn’t appear in the Constitution, but in a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote. That’s about all I knew. Who did TJ write the letter to? What was the context?
You can find more info at www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html. Brief, but will probably answer any questions you may have. (Please note my attribution as my summary is similar to the linked page, although not a direct cop. This is the one-minute version!)
But roughly speaking, Jefferson was erring on the side of protecting individual religious freedom as regards the Danbury Baptist Association, who had written to object to their treatment as a minority religion in Connecticut, whose state leaders held freedom of religion not as a fundamental right, but as a privilege afforded them (“favors granted”; quotes in the linked material) by state gov’t.
The letter (available in print, with a link to Jefferson’s original letter) does include the infamous “wall of separation” language, but ONLY after Jefferson had quoted the First Amendment freedoms pertaining to religion, holding that one’s religious beliefs are a private matter, ie, that gov’t should not interfere with one’s religion, as opposed to one’s religion interfering with the gov’t.
It’s clear that Jefferson would not have supported the gov’t taking a role in forcing Nuns and others with Pro-life views to violate their religious beliefs.
The Constitutional fiction perpetrated by those who would punish Christians/those of other faiths is not only a misreading of the Constitution, but a misreading of Jefferson’s own words.
One strives to be transparent, as have I above, but only if one isn’t Obama or one of his minions. (I don’t get the opportunity to use the word “minions” all that often! But if the shoe fits…)
The letter...
Rightshift (Diary) Friday, January 15th at 9:25PM EST (link)… you refer too was from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists who in a letter to Jefferson stated concerns over persecution, etc… and Jefferson responded thus:
“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience…”
The only place this appears.
“Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim – when he defends himself – as a criminal.” — Frederic Bastiat
Puke
abeldred (Diary) Thursday, January 14th at 11:21PM EST (link)That’s what people like Coakley make me want to do. It sometimes reaches beyond my comprehension that our country has produced so many just like her. Sadly they hold the keys to the kingdom right now. Though Scott Brown is not “purely” Conservative, he will be a good senator for MA should he prevail. Maybe we should ask the nuns to pray for his victory.
There are many more Coakleys out there that
hogflight Friday, January 15th at 1:14PM EST (link)inspire the same type of reaction. This who administration is filled with Coakleys and Commie’s all of which have made me ill and concerned about the future of my country. God help us all.
Semper Fi
Donation of "Hockey Dad" victim's heart overruled by district attorney Coakley
izoneguy (Diary) Friday, January 15th at 8:12AM EST (link)http://www.theheart.org/article/277603.do
“Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley blocked the donation of Costin’s heart after he was diagnosed clinically brain-dead,” writes Sean P Murphy of the Globe, “to preclude any possibility that his assailant’s lawyer might contend at the trial that Costin died of a pre-existing heart condition rather than the beating.”
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
Obama-Aid
eldstenorge Friday, January 15th at 3:24PM EST (link)I found these on the internet. We should all get some, pass them out and wear them. Obama-Aid, what Obamacare is all about.
www.goofballproducts.com
Pedophiles are good, hell they elect 'em in Mass!
jayburd (Diary) Saturday, January 16th at 5:32AM EST (link)nt
One of my heroes- Ralph Smeed’s blog- http://smeedonstate-ism.com/index.htm
“What’s the matter? Don’t you want to win the war?” – Capt. John Birch
“If the Nation can issue a dollar bond it can issue a dollar bill.
The element that makes the bond good makes the bill good also. The
difference between the bond and the bill is that the bond lets the
money broker collect twice the amount of the bond and an additional 20%.Whereas the currency, the honest sort provided by the Constitution pays nobody but those who contribute in some useful way. It is absurd to say our Country can issue bonds and cannot issue currency. Both are promises to pay, but one fattens the usurer and the other helps the People.” – Thomas A. Edison
coakley
sarge324 Saturday, January 16th at 6:48AM EST (link)the big boys are coming to help coakley in massachusetts.so [i fought in the war]kerry,[i did not have sexual relationship with that woman] clinton,and last put not least[the union thugs best friend]obama.if she wins its just one more lap dog for obama.if scott brown wins the american way of life will be back in the game.
She's a product of the entitlement mentality
Warrior (Diary) Saturday, January 16th at 10:25AM EST (link)The problem with entitlements is that, after a while, people begin to believe they are entitled to them.
“Racial criteria are irrational, irrelevant, [and] odious to our way of life.” — Thurgood Marshall for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the 1950 Supreme Court case of McLaurin v. Oklahoma