The bumblin' Friends of Monsignor John got walloped yesterday on the radio by the John and Ken Show, and today in print by Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit for their, well, bumblin' (read our archives for background on the matter, por favor). Mickadeit elicited the first public response on the controversy from the Friends' website administrator and OC Blog god Matt "Jubal" Cunningham, who told Frank the posting of unredacted depositions which revealed the names of Orange diocese sex-abuse victims was a "stupid accident. … We have nothing against the victims. I feel horrible." Good to know. But later on in Mickadeit's column, Cunningham says something strange: "We can understand now that victims would see some of the content as being insensitive."
Now? Now?! NOW?!?! Only after getting a cease-and-desist letter from victims' lawyer John Manly does Cunningham and the Friends "understand" that previously anonymous sex-abuse victims "would" interpret the posting of their names without permission as being "insensitive"? For all of Cunningham's posts about claiming to sympathize with victims of priestly molestations while simultaneously defending his pastor Urell, Cunningham shows time and time again that he simply doesn't get it. Curiously, he's yet to mention the fiasco on OC Blog, even as readers leave scolding comments.
Even worse, the Friends aren't out of the woods yet.
Cunningham has asked Darren Aitken, son of longtime Democratic activist Wylie and Cunningham's fellow Friar, to help him fend of Manly, who's demanding to know how the Friends obtained Urell's unredacted memo and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Orange diocese and four molestation victims of former diocesan lay employees. "The information that I have received," wrote Aitken to Manly in a letter sent yesterday, "is that there are no legal prohibitions on third parties either possessing or publishing either the Memorandum of Understanding or the deposition of Monsignor Urell. It appears from your letters that you feel differently."
Manly doesn't disagree with Aitken's position, so to speak: He's furious that the Friends posted unredacted versions of Urell's deposition and the MOU. "Whether their 'outing' was intentional or mistaken, these victims had a reasonable expectation of privacy under the California Constitution and California law." Furthermore, Manly states, the MOU was "filed with [Orange County Superior Court] under seal to protect the name of one of the victims who had not chosen to disclose her identity." What intrigue! More to come, as it arrives...
October 17, 2007 11:54
Considering their track record, when these sociopathic-acting people claim their releasing of victims' names was "accidental," no one with a functioning brain would, for a moment, believe them.
Seems they've taken a page from the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue playbook. Does the name Valerie Plame strike a familiar note?
Vindictive. Desperate. Bankrupt.
October 17, 2007 12:51
HRH, wrong playbook, it was the Teflon Rog Mahal Mahony Arch Criminal 'Playbook', and not only multiple criminal violations/felonies of court order confidentialities, leaked to Cunningham, by the Diocese of Orange or it's lawyers, but fully premeditated.
It's like giving matches and gasoline to an arsonist, and then claiming it was a mistake, when the town burns down...
Once again, the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church has blood, at 100% laity expense, on their hands, and refuses to assume accountability.
For daily criminal ongoing vetted coverage:
www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker
No Bishop Accountability? No Laity Monies!
Russ Bianchi
Lay Member of the Diocese of Monterey, CA
October 17, 2007 12:54
Isn't it interesting how quickly the rabidly Republican Matt "Jubal" Cunningham ran to a Democratic friend for help? I don't think Aitken will be able to fend off Manly. And I do hope Manly can find out who leaked the documents to the pendejo friends of Urell...
October 17, 2007 13:33
The St. Thomas Moore Society of Orange County comes to the rescue of the Diocese of Orange AGAIN!!!!!
Wow, Aitken's firm is closely connected to the Diocese of Orange for years and active sponsors in Bishop Brown's annual Red Mass event. Do you think this is another one of those pro bono legal fee deals? Or does one truly believe that Jubal and Hanna retained one of the most expensive law firms in the county to defend releasing the name of a sex abuse victim?
It may be that Aitken's firm has also represented the Diocese of Orange in the past in defending sexual predator employees and/or the institution itself-is Aitken's firm also one of the enablers of the sex crimes that were covered up for decades in the OC?
I disagree with Aitken. Sex abuse victims have the right to remain confidential. Unfortunately, the Diocese of Orange continues to bully sex abuse victims, families and their employees with POLITICALLY CONNECTED law firms, attorneys and bloggers! Does this mean that more persons risk the destruction of their personal, professional and economic life path now that POLITICALLY CONNECTED attorneys have stepped into a privacy violation of the law?
October 17, 2007 13:49
Matt 'Jubal' Cunningham always goes to the "Who are you card?", whenever someone disagrees with his point of view. Make no mistake this was no accident! This is typical of the kind of behaviour he does under the Jubal and his various other blog names. I'm sure he expected others to begin the bashing of the victims to make Urell and others seem like victims themselves. This is so Red County typical.
The victims should go after Matt Cunningham and see that justice is served.
October 17, 2007 14:46
I encourage all my fellow laity to flood Jerry Brown's (Jesuit Trained But Dropped Out) State AG Office, with demands of prosecution of Cunnighham and the Diocese of Orange, for flagrent felonious violation of the court orders, criminal contempt,
perjury, and obstruction of justice!!!
Russ Bianchi
Lay Member, Diocese of Monterey, CA
October 17, 2007 19:56
Rus is absolutely correct. Here is the contact information for the CA AG:
Attorney General's Office
California Department of Justice
Attn: Public Inquiry Unit P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Voice: (916) 322-3360 or
(Toll-free in CA)
(800) 952-5225
Fax: (916) 323-5341
The OC District Attorney and OC Sheriff's Department are personally, politically and financially connected to the Diocese of Orange and its many legal advisors. This is why Jubal and Hanna jumped in to defend and support Urell... IT IS ALL ABOUT POLITICS AND MONEY FOR CAMPAIGNS!
The OC District attorney never hesitated in prosecuting sex crimes committed by minor children, Gregory Scott Haidl, Kyle Joseph Nachreiner and Keith Spann, with taxpayer dollars; however, the DA refused to investigate, prosecute or monitor sentencing of several of former Diocese of Orange employees. Examples:
JEFFREY ANDRADE, former employee at Mater Dei HS, who was paid $100,000 by the Diocese of Orange for privacy violations.
MICHAEL KARL SANDOVAL, Case No. 02CF1275 (former Santa Margarita Catholic HS arrested in May 2002 by OC Sheriff's Department). Don't bother to www.google.com Sandoval, you won't find anything. Apparently the www.google public record may have been manipulated in some way. And, Sandoval's sex offender registration is not up-to-date on Meghan's Law website.
JEFFREY SECKMAN, former teacher at Santa Margarita Catholic HS. Never prosecuted, does not have to register as a sex offender.
EVAN MOLINA, Case No. 06SF0853. Molina pled guilty in having sex with a minor student. BUT, Molina does not have to register as a sex offender.
MICHAEL HARRIS. The OCDA did not face expired statutes of limitation was evidence was given to prosecute Harris. BUT, the political influences of the Diocese of Orange INTERFERED with criminal prosecution of Harris. Harris remains free, without having to ever register as a sex offender.
CARLOS MELENDEZ, Case No.05NF1843, sexually abused one of his female students at Ball Jr. High School. Melendez was not an employee for the Diocese of Orange at the time he was arrested; however, Melendez has a better protection tool to defend him in a civil suit: Michael John Peffer, the attorney who represents the Diocese of Orange, LA Archdiocese, OC Sheriff's Department, the Anaheim Union HS District and just about every public school district in Southern California.
Check out this website and you will confirm all the statements herein. www.visionweb.occourts.org/Vision_Public/Index.do .
These are just a few... and the reasons that Attorney Jerry Brown must investigate all the OBSTRUCTIONS OF JUSTICE in Orange County, California.
October 18, 2007 13:17
I am a lifetime Catholic whose faith in the CHURCH has been totally shaken by these scandals and crimes. More so than the despicable acts themselves, I am totally disdainful of the church’s hierarchy due to how they handled the priests responsible for these acts. There has been no evidence of true remorse or apologies for the way they handled the matters or for the cover-up. I am a parishioner of St. Norbert's parish and I attend Mass there every week. I must say that my faith in God has not changed, just my respect for the patriarchs of the Church. All the discussion each week about the "trials of the parish at this time" is getting tiresome. I am embarrassed for my church. I believe a clean sweep needs to be made of the people in charge, amends need to be made to the victims, and promises that the Church will not tolerate these kinds of activities going forward and will do whatever it takes to make sure that ANYONE involved or protecting those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Lip service won’t work anymore. Let’s get on with gaining respect for the Catholic Church again.
October 18, 2007 17:37
Dear St. Norbet Parishioner:
The ONLY 'WAY' to get "respect again" for our Church, is the swift removal from office of BROWN, BARNES, MAHONY, BROM, STEINBOCK, WALSH, CURRY, RIVERA, CHAPUT, EGAN, GEORGE, MACCORMACK, MCCARRICK, LAW, O'MALLEY, PILLA, SKYLAND, WEIGLAND (being replaced by GAY SOTO), to name only a few, GUILTY ENABLERS, as well as each being canonically censored, and placed for LIFE, under house arrest, like pedophile founder and enabler MARCIEL, of the Legionnaires of Christ, in a remote, cold, dark, hard labor and bad food monastery, or alternatively, swiftly and irrevocably defrocked and EXCOMMUNICATED.
Until all laity stop donating to any direct, or indirect, source(s) of income to the Church, Rome will pretend these guilty can stay, and continue to obstruct juctice, and contiunue to enable many hundreds to thousands of child molesters in active ministries, as well as continuing to hide, aid and abet felons overseas, through laity paid for salaries, annuities, pensions, hush monies, from testifying against the very miters and red hats who continue to obstruct justice.
This far from "over" as characteristized by these EVIL clerics, and their laity paid for Lawyers and PR Agencies; it has not even begun!
For daily vetted coverage of the massively ongoing rapes, sexual assaults, obstructions of justice, perjuries, enablings, oral copulations, suicidings, murders, kidnappings, physical maimings, mental torures, tax evasions, child endergerments, child deliquencies, embezzlements, sodomies of thousands upon thousand of children, per year, we recommend:
www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker
The current Curia of our Church, less than 3,500 miters and red hats globally, are a well organized PREDOPHILE RING, that makes the many illegal activites of the Mafia, look mild by comparison!
Remmember it's not just the secular institutional Church, by MANY ORDERS (the Salesians are a prime example) are also parrallel pedophile rings in and of themselves!
No Bishop (Or Order) Accountability? No Laity Monies!
Russ Bianchi
Lay Member of the Diocese of Monterey, CA
October 19, 2007 10:41
St Norbert Parishioner:
If you think what you're reading here about Tod Brown & Co is sick, please take a look at Kay Eberling's blog and the two latest entries regarding the antics of the sleazy, satanic Salesian order around LA. You won't believe it. Guaranteed!
http://www.cityofangels3.blogspot.com/
May 20, 2008 22:57
I am trying to get in touch with Monsignor Michael Harris an old friend . please put him in touch with me.