The Evilest Man in Southern California: Tod Tamberg, LA Archdiocese Spokeshole

• You like the prostitutes in West Los Angeles

• Ask about Tod's cruising of prostitutes in LA. Ask the prostitutes.

• Edward: Gracias for your note. Of course I know Joelle is a PR person, but she's obviously not a spokeshole. It's like differentiating between a reporter and a hack! Thomas: As always, gracias for the support!

• Gustavo. First off, thanks for your consistent courage and incredible insight. Just reading your columns gives me hope because you cut through the Church's thick blanket of deception so quickly. Second.....I have been directly involved with the LA archdiocesan saga for alomost two decades. Mahony continues to burn the money donated by the believers on his lawyers and PR people to continue to bury the truth. In spite of his smooth words and the high-dollar lies of Tamberg and the rest of his staff the reality of their amorality is obvious even to a corpse. After all these years and all of the efforts of the victims and their lawyers and supporters the only conclusion any sane person can reach is that Mahony and those he employs have no conscience. They simply do not care about the many people whose lives they have ruined through sex abuse and coverup. He and his supporters have no moral problem wasting the peoples' money to paint a thin layer of dishonesty over their world of subterfuge and narcissistic self-worship. No amount of arguing, protesting, screaming or rational discourse will prompt them to see the harm they have done and continue to do to good people and to the Catholic Church in general...because they don't care. If ever there was a justification for the convictions of atheists and those who see organized religion as intrinsically evil, this is it.

• Opinion piece sent to the Los Angeles Times: CARDINAL RIGER MAHONY AND THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES �Total Power is the world�s illusion,� is a line spoken in dialog from �The Power and the Prize,� a 1956 movie nominated for an Academy Award but true nonetheless because it so aptly describes the archetypal figure of Roger Cardinal Mahony, Archbishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, California. The use and abuse of power has brought the Roman Catholic Church to its present condition and it is also what keeps it unable to rise above it. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has paid out billions of dollars not only in settlements made on the eve of going to trial in numerous sexual abuse cases but also in lawyers� fees, lobbyists� fees, PR campaigns, Catholic Conference media blitzes and God only knows what else to obfuscate, to harass and to intimidate known victims of sexual abuse and their families. It also appears that many of those in church leadership positions like Cardinal Mahony still believe that they can exercise total power by the manipulation of the facts and the media. How many bishops, for example, support the removal of all statutes of limitation regarding the sexual abuse of children and direct their state Catholic Conferences to do the same instead of falsely accusing legislators of being anti-Catholic as has been the case in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, New York and Colorado. While I cannot say where this latest federal investigation will lead, any efforts at all that will force the files, records, correspondence or the like, that have anything to do with the conspiracy to cover-up the activities of rogue, sexually abusive clerics or bishops who used children, young persons or vulnerable adults for purposes of sexual exploitation, should be welcomed by all who seek the truth. To say, as a archdiocesan lawyer has said, that Mahony �has been at the forefront of dealing with� issues of clergy sexual abuse is an attempt to rewrite history and just more dis-information as records forced into the public venue by a brave Boston Catholic judge have already proven. Although numerous records and files have been ordered released by the Los Angeles court in the last few years, I understand that they have yet to be made public because the Archdiocese of Los Angeles continues to fight it. The revelations in the Archdiocese Boston forced the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to mandate that the bishops deal with the problem of sexually abusive clergy in 2002 instead of continuing their decades long pattern of covering them up. The bishops� actions were not altruistic, they were compelled to act by public opinion. They were shamed into writing their guidelines. Cardinal Roger Mahony, like every other bishop in the United States was forced to act in establishing safe �environments for children in the United States,� by the USCCB because their actions were exposed. In other words, they were caught! Yes, programs and procedures have been put into place and in five or ten years they can be evaluated, not before. If Mahony�s comments that he �publicly acknowledged making mistakes in handling certain clergy accused of child abuse,� can be directly connected to the sexual abuse of even one child, he should be charged with reckless endangerment for putting that child in harm�s way and suffer the consequences. But at this point in time it has become obvious that because of the conspiracy that he has been a part of, he is probably guilty of much more. Sister Maureen Paul Turlish Victims' Advocate New Castle, Delaware maureenpaulturlish@yahoo.com (Sister Turlish is a Delaware educator and advocate who testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees in support of the 2007 Delaware Child Victims Law. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Delaware Association for Children of Alcoholics)

• Thank you Gustavo for getting the "word" out regarding Tod Tamberg's statement to the press. This is not the first time that he has manipulated information and insinuated that the LA survivors are "trouble makers" intent on harming the Church. I was standing there when Mary Grant read the statement that was handed to her by one of the reporters. As a supporter of these children of the Church I wanted to scream. How much longer must these survivors and those throughout the world endure the continuing deceit, manipulation and insinuations that come out of the mouths of these "church leaders?" I simply cannot see the person of Christ or the hand of God in the actions of the Cardinal Mahony or Tod Tamberg. Clearly there need to be replacements for these two. Cardinal Mahony should speak out about this latest insult,fire Tod Tamberg or at the least, move him out of the Diocese as he has done with others who have harmed the image of the Church by their actions. Hopefully the U.S. Attorney will be able to provide the transparency that Cardinal Mahony and the entire Catholic Church has so deftly evaded over the last two thousand years. It seems that the role of the "Good Samaritan" will be brought to life by Mr. Thomas P. O'Brien whose work for truth and justice will do more for "healing" than the $660 million that the Cardinal tossed out as he walked by the children of the Church in pieces at the side of the road here in Los Angeles. The role of the priest in the parable continues to reflect the real interests of the Holy Roman Catholic Church... just walk on by! (Luke 1:25-37) Catholics around the world deserve the TRUTH about the blatant abuse of power by the Hierarchy and the extensive cover-up of criminal behavior by members of the clergy. My prayer is that Mr. O'Brien's efforts will mark just the beginning of what should be an international assessment of the lack of adequate investigation and prosecution of criminals responsible for the sexual abuse of children. Perhaps now real facts will replace the empty statements and claims made by powerful clergy around the world. Now, at last, there is a hope that we Catholics will be exposed to the realities of the actions taken by our Hierarchy and not just their self serving empty words. And while we're at it lets get rid of the statute of limitations for the sexual abuse of children Mary Jane McGraw � Catholic �

• Spokeshole is so Jon and Ken. DZ, use the Google. Gustavo -- Mr. Coker was given free range of camapign finance reports last election cycle courtesy of moi. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

• War Tactics Should Be Applied to Abusers and to Those Who Offered Protection By Mike Ference Every day brings new evidence that we no longer live in a civilized and principled society. The worst part, it usually concerns another case of sexual misconduct involving a Catholic priest, young children and a church hierarchy that helped to cover up the case. The recently unveiled federal grand jury investigation into the Los Angeles Archdiocese and it�s leader, Cardinal Mahony clearly suggests that a regime change should have been made long ago. To be sure, media pressure and public outrage and a billion dollars in pr fees, legal fees and settlements have inspired displays of contrition from Mahony But as more and more cases of abuse � and cover-up � come to light, one begins to wonder whether Mahony should be considered any more trustworthy than, say, Saddam Hussein. So � what should be done if the grand jury finds Mahony to be just another member of the hierarchy more concerned with protecting dysfunctional sex freaks than innocent children? Given the level of wreckage and anguish caused in the lives of so many people, it seems appropriate to look to the war on terror for a model strategy. A first prong of attack might involve a Special Forces unit made up of highly skilled and trained military personnel capable of tracking down and obtaining confessions from any current or former priests accused of acts of sexual abuse against children. If rights are violated, if military personnel sometimes go a little too far, so be it. The Catholic Church had ample opportunity to fess up and repent. Those incapable of civilized behavior shouldn�t expect the rights and privileges of civilization. A deck of cards can be created to help identify hard-to-find priests as well as the disgraceful church leaders who permitted, and in essence, condoned the sexual abuse of young children. Photos of the most deviant and reprehensible church officials accompanied by a list of their offenses will encourage us all to do our patriotic duty in helping the authorities track down suspected priest-terrorists or at least be able to identify the culprits as they come and go freely because their sins where covered up and the time to criminally prosecute has expired. Another option would be to divide the nation into territories. A color-code warning system would be established, alerting parents about abusive priests being transferred into their respective regions. Depending on the designated color for a particular region, parents would know whether their children should serve at Mass, go on field trips, or even attend Catholic school that day. To aid this unique war on terror, a pool of money should be collected, not involuntarily from taxpayers, but voluntarily from those decent human beings who believe crimes committed against our children are sins that God takes very seriously. Some of the funds raised could then be turned into outrageously tempting reward sums for information leading to the capture of our targeted criminals. Once the rogue clerics have been imprisoned and forced to talk, I recommend that their confessions be given to someone like Steven Spielberg or George Romero. Hollywood writers and producers could create a blockbuster movie like Roots or Schindler�s List to serve as a bitter reminder that these crimes should never again be permitted to occur. Tom Savini could be hired to recreate the horror on the faces of child actors chosen to play parts. Proceeds from the movie could go to victims of abuse and their families. And no matter how old the crime, compensation would be available. There should be no statute of limitations when the rights of children have been violated by those who lived much of their adult lives perched on a pedestal heightened by the trust of innocent and vulnerable believers. In fact, I would extend compensation to the second and perhaps even third generation of sufferers. It would certainly include siblings denied the experience of growing up with a brother or sister untraumatized by such abuse. And since crimes of abuse tend to echo, it would extend to the victims of the victims as well. If all else fails, is it any less rational to declare war on the Catholic Church as part of a war on child abuse than it was to declare war on Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11 or Al-Qaeda and apparently had no weapons of mass destruction) as part of a war on terror? How many innocent children have been verifiably lost to this menace � and how many more will be lost if we don�t make a preemptive strike? As horrific as sexual abuse by priests may be, the perpetrators might merit a more forgiving place if only their superiors had the courage to do the right thing. For a few, counseling and close supervision might have been enough to prevent future abuses. Others clearly required something more intensive � a mental hospital or a prison. But repeated abuse, as well as willfully hiding the crimes and the criminals � as far as I can see, this brings us much closer to the realm of mortal sin. And the sinners include not just the church hierarchy, but also attorneys who ill-advised parents not to buck the system and take on the Catholic Church, or may even have provided inside information to thwart legitimate cases against the church, law enforcement officials who may have thought it best to warn church officials of pending investigations, and janitors, housekeepers, teachers, and employees of the Catholic Church who kept silent because of concerns about a paycheck, a 401K, a pension, or a fear of standing up to church authorities. God has a place for everyone � and if you abuse children or protect the abusers of children, we can only hope that your place is called hell.

• Gustavo, I was so pleased with your article. However you went wrong with your stretch that " the vast majority of the PR people I've encountered as a reporter are little better than hacks who don't mind spinning lies, no matter how reprehensible they are." YIKES. Gus baby--I am a supporter of SNAP for 6 years.There are many victims also in PR. I am sorry you have been exposed to toads in the profession like Toad Tamberg but you can't stereotype the "majority" of a whole profession. You mention Joelle Casteix, a spokesperson for SNAP. She is also a survivor of rape by priests. She happens to be a publicist like me. So now we are victims again because of unethical idiots like Tamberg & Mahoney which generated your column. Bittersweet. Ouch !

• I once heard Toddy was one of Mahony's most vocal critics, until the Cardinal bought him off by giving him his present job as a hired mouthpiece. And if Dan gets upset at the term skokeshole you can imagine what he would do if he heard some of the details of what Mahony's pervert clergy did to some of the victims. Spokeshole sounds pretty nice compared to that alternative.

• I like the term spokeshole, too. Professional spinmeisters who don't give a damn about right or wrong or about anything really except cashing their checks are no friends to mankind. Also, the image of the hole (vacuity, absence of subtance, etc.) is rather appealing. BTW, what does Dan do?

• "half-truths and outright untruths" A portion of the reality can be found here - read this and then find the "half-truths and outright untruths" http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the__pedophile_s_paradise_/Content?oid=1065017

• Dan: I rather like the term. I'm sure you're great at what you do, but the vast majority of the PR people I've encountered as a reporter are little better than hacks who don't mind spinning lies, no matter how reprehensible they are.

• Can we do away with the term "spokeshole?" It does nothing to elevate the discussion.

• The truth is that Tod Tamberg and Cardinal Mahony and their attorneys have violated child protection laws for so many years, without government corrective action, they truly believe they can continue business as usual. Tragically, Mahony, Tamberg and their attorneys have had years to CORRECT business and employment practices that place the safety of children at serious risk... and the rights of their dedicated employees in the toilet. It was Mahony's choice to ignore all reports of wrongdoing -- no one else. In 2005, former President Bush granted immunity to the Vatican for approximately 100,000 sex crimes committed against children in the U.S. Is anyone truly surprised that Tamberg, Mahony and their attorneys are convinced that statutes of limitations have expired, with the assistance of the former Pres. Bush, which was the original intent from Day One in this horrific clergy sex abuse crisis. STALL LONG ENOUGH SO THE STATUTES EXPIRE.... then no one can hold the Church accountable in a court of law. We must pray that U.S. Attorney O'Brien can obtain enough evidence to show the patterns of conspiracy, stalling long enough so statutes of limitation expire. Good luck to the U.S. Dept. of Justice!! Thanks for protecting our children.

• Thanks for addressing this, Gustavo. The thing I don't understand is whenever we victims/survivors appear outside a parish to leaflet or to hold a press conference, it is called a, "Protest"; when what we are doing there is to offer information, and to warn parents and parishioners about the dangers posed by pedophile and sexually predatory priests, brothers, deacons nuns and (some) bishops; as well as the coverup of these crimes by the bishops. And all the times we have been outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, every single time Cardinal Roger Mahony missed his chance to, for once in his life, act like a priest. I've heard conflicting stories about how much Mahony spent fighting the victims/survivors for those many years. So much could have been saved if he, his fellow bishops and especially the popes, had acted sooner. So much was lost because they did not.

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