Now that Mark Foley has admitted that he was sexually abused as a young boy, he needs to go one step further and identify his abuser. I don’t say this because I’m interested in more lurid details. However, the abuser needs to be identified because he or she may still be abusing other children.
This is the real horror in the Foley tragedy, the Congressional leaders failed to come forward about this story in much the same way that the Catholic bishops failed to recognize the criminality surrounding the actions of their priests.
All posts by Joseph H. Saunders
Rep. Mark Foley Needs to Identify His Abuser to Protect the Children
The one thing that seems to be missing is the protection of children. Rep. Foley needs to come forward and identify the clergy person who abused him. Other children may still be in danger if this person is still alive. It’s not enough that he’s come forward and stated he’s been abused, he has sponsored legislation to protect children while a member of Congress. Now, he has an obligation to inform the public who abused him.
Medtronic Receives Warning Letter from FDA
Medical device manufacturer Medtronic has received a warning letter from the FDA after it failed to publish a post market report concerning its stent graft AneuRx. The device was approved in 1999 and is used to treat aneurysms. The reporting requirements are a safeguard for consumers so that the device is used properly and functioning safely.
Glaxo Drug Lamictal Linked to Birth Defects
Lamictal, the Glaxo Smith Kline drug is used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, has been linked to certain birth defects including cleft palate or lip exposed to the drug during pregnancy. According to a Wall St. Journal article ” After discussions with Health Canada in August, Glaxo said the cleft-palate deformity was detected at “an elevated rate” in infants whose mothers took the drug during the first three months of pregnancy, compared with others who weren’t exposed to the drug.”
Bayer’s Tardy Report to FDA
Bayer AG has failed to disclose to regulators potentially serious safety concerns about its antibleeding drug Trasylol. The FDA has disclosed that preliminary test results indicate that the drug may cause serious kidney damage, congestive heart failure and strokes and an increased risk of death.
2 Florida Priests Stand Accused of Grand Theft
Monsignor John Skehan and Rev. Francis Guinan stand accused of pilfering $8.6 million from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach. One priest has already been arrested and the other is being sought by law enforcement authorities. Guinan, who is being sought, had an intimate relationship with his bookkeeper and paid her child’s school tuition as well as her American Express bill with parish funds. He also stands accused of using the parish coffers for gambling trips to Las Vegas and the Bahamas.
2 Florida Priests Accused of Stealing Millions of Parish Funds
Two Diocese of Palm Beach priests stand accused of stealing $8.6 million from their parish, St. Vincent Ferrer in Delray Beach. Monsignor John Skehan was arrested last evening at Palm Beach International Airport as he returned from Ireland.
Two Florida Priests Accused of Pilfering
Two priests stationed at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach have been accused of absconding with millions in parish funds. The church, located in the Diocese of Palm Beach, lost $8.6 million in funds earmarked for parish operations, a school, and the poor. The two priests, Monsignor John Skehan, who was pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church for four decades, was arrested Wednesday night on charges that he stole $8.6 million from the church, using the money to buy property and other assets, investigators said. The other priest, The Rev. Francis Guinan, who succeeded Skehan three years ago, has disappeared and was being sought, authorities said.
New Twist in Tobacco Cases
When federal judge Jack Weinstein ruled yesterday that he had found substantial evidence that the so-called light cigarettes were just as dangerous as regular cigarettes and the manufacturers knew it, it opened a potential flood gate of litigants. That’s why Judge Weinstein argued in favor of granting the class action status. Interestingly, the case which was first filed in 2004, does not claim that smokers suffered personal injury. Rather, the suit argues that industry defrauded consumers beginning as early as 1971, when Philip Morris began selling Marlboro Lights, the first light cigarette.
Judge Allows Class Action Status for “Light” Smokers
A federal judge has granted class action status to a group of smokers (estimated at tens of millions) who were duped by the tobacco industry by cigarette labeling that proclaimed that the cigarettes were “light” and therefore less dangerous. The judge stated that he will consider expanding the class to include smokers of “low tar” cigarettes as well as the “light cigarettes”.