Ron Johnson Wanted To Limit Liability Of Catholic Church; Opposed Child Victims Act

So Republican Senatorial hopeful Ron Johnson has a bit of a political past after all. Last January, at the suggestion of a Green Bay Catholic official, Johnson testified against the Child Victims Act before the Wisconsin Senate Judiciary Committee. Johnson, a Lutheran who served on the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay's finance council, feared that: "This bill could actually have the perverse effect of leading to additional victims of sexual abuse, if individuals, recognizing that their organizations are at risk, become less likely to report suspected abuse." 

Dan Bice broke the story today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Peter Isely, the Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the Catholic Church has been more likely to cover things up if it is not faced with court action.

"He's just wrong," said Isely, who was not aware that Johnson had testified.

...The proposal would have eliminated the statute of limitations for future victims of child sex abuse and opened a three-year window for past victims.

It was opposed by the insurance industry and church organizations, including the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which argued the bill could bankrupt it. The measure had the support of several police organizations, social workers and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.

The Child Victims Act bill did not pass.

Ron Johnson should ask Rep. Matt Flynn (D - 4th District) how taking the Catholic Church's side on this issue worked out for him politically.

- Barry Orton

Comments

[antpoppa]

"This bill could actually have the perverse effect of leading to additional victims of sexual abuse, if individuals, recognizing that their organizations are at risk, become less likely to report suspected abuse."
Ron Johnson presents an interesting pathological bending of logic. Republican Senatorial hopeful Ron Johnson feels we can learn to disqualify and disparage the moral and mental values of anyone whose work we would use toward our achieving an over-advantage.
The repercussions of this Regression of Society, attacking our core social links and responsibility toward others. Simply causes these values to disappear, and the society in question splinters into groups ever more hostile to each other... A huge bloody tragedy can be the result.
Ron Johnson American Anarchist

[Ty O'Mara]

An important post followed by a comment that I feel God would endorse. We surely are in danger of losing our way if we continue to cover our mistakes with convenient, unethical fixes.

To quote Mr. Johnson(from the Journal-Sentinel story): "I believe it is a valid question to ask whether the employer of a perpetrator should also be severely damaged, or possibly destroyed, in our legitimate desire for justice." I guess it could be a valid question(sometimes)but the answer to that question this time is a resounding, "NO." The Church is reponsible for their priests. They ordained them as holy men, and some of them turned out to be ungodly. Maybe I'm wrong on this following point, but it needs to be asked, "Have there been men who went into the priesthood for their own purposes, not God's purpose. The Church has become a franchise operation, which closes down stores that are not carrying their weight. Religion has become business, they even advertise now. Born and raised a Catholic, I know there is an overwhelming abundance of wonderful people doing God's work in the Church, I am in no position to condemn them or the Church, but is celibacy for priests really a good idea? This organization needs to take a look at itself in the mirror. Do Catholics even want the Church to shirk its duties in these terrible matters? I think not. Praise the Lord.

[Brian (neaguy)]

This guy is only 1 point behind Russ in the latest Rasmussen poll. Evidence that public schools must not be working.

Johnson's commercials are uninformative and Russ has been doing great work, yet Russ is at 47%.