Sex scandals shock Spokane

Seattle P.I. / AP ^ | Sept. 6, 2005 | NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS

[ValerieUSA]

SPOKANE -- It's been a year of staggering news for a region that likes to bill itself as a good place to raise a family. The Spokane area seems awash in pedophiles.

Local residents were already reeling from months of revelations about pedophile Catholic priests when a judge ruled last week that individual parishes, parochial schools and other church property may be sold to pay off victims and their lawyers.

This spring, the local newspaper reported that Mayor Jim West used the Internet to seek dates with young men and allegedly molested boys as a sheriff's deputy decades ago.

West assertively denies any wrongdoing.

Then it was revealed that officials at the Morning Star Boys Ranch, a revered local institution, might have tolerated physical and sexual assaults against troubled boys. A lawsuit filed last week contended that, as punishment, some boys in the past were photographed with flowers sticking out of their rectums.

[Continental Soldier]

Spokane, Seattle -- what the hell is in the water there?!

[AlexandriaDuke]

Isn't Spokane sort of near Wenatchee?

[highimpact]

Isn't Spokane sort of near Wenatchee?

Wenatchee is on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains - dead center in the state of WA. Spokane is on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, about 130 miles to the east of Wenatchee on the border with Idaho.

[AlexandriaDuke]

Close enough. Didn't this newspaper belatedly blow the whistle on the witch hunt over there? You'd think that would at least merit a mention here. Especially after the charges about the boys' ranch, which sound kinda' suspect.

[Valin]

Wenatchee

[highimpact]

I'm not sure if it was the Seattle Times, the PI, or the Spokesman Review that fanned the flames on the Wenatchee sex scandal. If my memory is correct, the whole thing was started by some overzealous DSHS case workers who put words in kids' mouths. Both of my parents worked for Washington State DSHS for 25+ years, so that was a hot topic around the dinner table.

[punster]

You also have to remember that West was running for office on an anti-gay platform. Now, it turns out he is a pedophile.

West denies he is gay, so that must mean he is just another pedophile.

[AlexandriaDuke]

Thanks. I thought the PI ran a series on the witch hunt, years too late.

This story seems a little too sensationalistic. And that 4% figure is just conjured out of thin air.

[MarMema]

Horrid. Thanks for the ping.

[shield]

bttt

[4woodenboats]

I would be amazed if it was more than .4%. Think of 100 people that you know/interact with. You really think 4 of 'em want to have sex with your children? Or 8 sitting in the pews of a church with a congregation of 200? As far as internet porn involving children, I don't think you could find one if you tried. You'd find lots of 22 year olds made to look younger, and probably a few 16 and 17 year olds from out of the country, but sub 18 year olds on your computer is instant prison for both site host and viewer, so you would probably have to go way out of your way to find little kids, like the 7 year old who got gang raped and then had her throat slit in the NO Superf'dupdome. I think this is just like some are suggesting; some "Mental" health expert who is one of the ones attracted to kids trying to make it sound much more mainstream than it already is, thereby being something people are "born with", and hey, let's have a parade.

They say pedophiles can't stop themselves, and I believe it. If 4% of our neighbors were pedophiles we'd be having one hell of an epidemic.

jmo

[AlexandriaDuke]

Bravo, JMO! And let me add this: It was almost never "pedophile Catholic priests". It was nearly always GAY priests with underage teenage boys. That's rape, but it's not pedophilia. The MSM just doesn't want us to think gays do bad things, so we get the bogus "Pedophile Priest" label.

[AlexandriaDuke]

oops. I mean "Bravo, 4woodenboats!"

[Valin]

It was the WSJ that first blew the cover on the Wenatchee scandal. I want to say Claudia Rosset, but don't quote me on that.

[AlexandriaDuke]

Wasn't it Dorothy Rabinowitz (sp?) who covered it for the WSJ? And then wrote a book about the national shame of all these atrocites.

I forget the name of the lady who covered Wenatchee and later wrote Witch Hunt(a great and terrifying read). But at the time of her original reporting, I know that Detective Perez (the psycho who started the whole mess) threatened her with jail.

[Valin]

Dorothy Rabinowitz (sp?)

You're right! The light bulb goes on.

I never read it, but I recall following the story. We had something simalar happen here in Mn. in Jordan Mn.

[sionnsar]

Close enough. Didn't this newspaper belatedly blow the whistle on the witch hunt over there? You'd think that would at least merit a mention here.

Bingo. It did. And Janet Reno couldn't be bothered... But then she had Bobby... Bobby... ... oh boy... (search engines please don't fail me) ...ah! Fijnje to cover up. There was a stink about this published somewhere. Reader's Digest comes to mind for some reason...

[4woodenboats]

One thing that managed to slip out of the public's eye for a while when they were putting the Catholic Church through the inquisition......the decade or so push to ordain gay ministers. There's evidence the movement is popping back up now though.

[little jeremiah]

It is criminal that pedophiles/pederasts are not executed after the first offense.

"Kindness" to criminals is cruelty to the innocent.

[pollyannaish]

What ever happened to that Perez guy. I hope he got his just reward. I agree, that man was a psycho.

CPS in this state is, and always has been, seriously messed up.