Issue 63 – July 2005

S M A R T
(Stop Mind control And Ritual abuse Today)
P. O Box 1295, Easthampton, MA 01027-1295 USA E-mail: SMARTNEWS@aol.com

Issue 63 – July 2005

The purpose of this newsletter is to help stop secretive organizations and groups from abusing others and to help those who allege they have been abused by such organizations and groups. This newsletter is not a substitute for other ways of recovering from ritual abuse. Readers should use caution while reading this newsletter. If necessary, make sure other support systems are available during and after reading this newsletter.

Important: The resources mentioned in this newsletter are for educational value only. Reading the books cited may or may not help your recovery process, so use caution when reading any book or contacting any resource mentioned in this newsletter. Some may have a religious or other agenda that may be separate from your own recovery process. Others may have valuable information on the Masons and other organizations, but have triggers or be somewhat sympathetic to those organizations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the views expressed in this newsletter constitute expressions of opinion, and readers are cautioned to form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions by consulting a variety of sources, including this newsletter. Resources listed, quoted and individual articles, etc. and their writers do not necessarily support all or any of the views mentioned in this newsletter. Also, the views, facts and opinions mentioned in this newsletter are solely the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily the opinions of this newsletter or its editor.

Copyright 2005 – All rights reserved. No reproduction of any material without written permission from the editor and individual authors.

SMART wants to thank all those that have contributed resource information to the newsletter.

This summer’s conference information is available at http://members.aol.com/smartnews/smart-2005-conference.htm or by requesting it at the address above by regular mail.

Resources and Information

Please note: Listing of these resources does not necessarily constitute our endorsement of them. They are for educational value only and some may be heavy for survivors to read. Some of the conferences listed may not necessarily be safe for all survivors. S.M.A.R.T. recommends always bringing a support person to all conferences. If you are a survivor of mind control and/or ritual abuse, S.M.A.R.T. recommends that you try to bring a support person that is familiar with mind control techniques. LMS: article from ACHES-MC (Advocacy Committee for Human Experimentation Survivors – Mind Control) for unconsentually federally funded mind control as children or adults Canada contact Lynne Moss-Sharman, 230 Miles St. E. #3, Thunder Bay, Ont. P7C 1J6, lsharman@shaw.ca

Legal Information

Cardinal Law’s Role in Rome Sparks Outrage in U.S. 4/8/05 By Greg Frost Boston (Reuters) “The Vatican’s decision to let Cardinal Bernard Law lead a funeral Mass for Pope John Paul in Rome has prompted outrage back home, where the ousted Boston archbishop is seen as a symbol of a pedophile priest scandal.” http://news.yahoo.com/

U.S. Victims of Abuse Slam Vatican Over Cardinal Law 4/11/05 By Claudia Parsons Rome (Reuters) “A group of U.S. victims of child abuse by priests said on Monday the Catholic Church was “rubbing salt in an open wound” by allowing the cardinal they hold responsible to say a memorial mass for the Pope. Cardinal Bernard Law was forced to resign as archbishop of Boston in 2002 over the abuse scandal. He was blamed for allowing priests known to have sexually abused minors to be moved from parish to parish instead of being sacked.” http://news.yahoo.com/
Advocates for Abuse Victims Heading to Rome to Protest U.S. Cardinal’s Role in Papal Mourning By Rachel Zoll 4/9/05 Vatican City (AP) “Leaders of an advocacy group for victims of clergy sexual abuse said Saturday they were flying to Rome to protest the Vatican’s choice of Cardinal Bernard Law to celebrate an important Mass mourning Pope John Paul II. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said Law’s presence was painful to victims and embarrassing to Catholics. Law resigned as archbishop of Boston in December 2002 after unsealed court records revealed he had allowed priests guilty of abusing children to move among parish assignments and had not notified the public.” http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB5AURBC7E.html

May 27 – June 2, 2005 Ex Cathedra: The “Sins” of the Father While Catholic priests raped Orange County children, Pope John Paul II looked the other way by Gustavo Arellano “Pope John Paul II knew. Many shocking stories of priestly sex abuse and their subsequent cover-ups are emerging from the once-secret Diocese of Orange priest personnel files. On May 17, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered their release as part of the record-breaking $100 million settlement reached between the Orange diocese and victims of its pedophilic employees. But from the more than 10,000 pages of documents, by far the most damning account is found in merely four pages: Pope John Paul II knew.” http://www.ocweekly.com/printme.php?&eid=64398

Nearly 90 abuse claims filed before diocese bankruptcy deadline AP 4/15/05 “Tucson – Nearly 90 claims of clergy sexual abuse were on record shortly before Friday’s court-imposed deadline for filing nearly all such claims in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson’s bankruptcy proceedings. The abuse claims comprised more than one-third of some 230 total creditor claims – collectively seeking more than $21.5 million…” http://www.azcentral.com/

Oakland Diocese, priest found liable for molestation – $2 million sex-abuse verdict Henry K. Lee,4/14/05 “An Alameda County jury awarded nearly $2 million in damages Wednesday to two brothers who were molested by a Roman Catholic priest when they were altar boys at an Antioch church two decades ago. The Hayward jury’s award was far less than the $27 million Bob and Tom Thatcher sought, and it was unclear how the closely watched case might affect more than 150 other clergy-abuse civil lawsuits pending in Northern California….The award, the brothers said, punishes the diocese for transferring the now-defrocked Rev. Robert Ponciroli to their church in Antioch despite knowing he was a pedophile.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/14/MNG3HC856C1.DTL

In Irish town, notorious pedophile an uncomfortable neighbor By Shawn Pogatchnik AP 5/13/05 “but church officials and the mayor appear to be the last to hear about the pedophile in their midst. O’Grady, 59, a former Lodi priest, left an Ione prison in 2000 after serving seven years for sexually abusing two boys, among more than 20 children he admitted molesting in California during a 30-year career there. O’Grady was a priest in Lodi at St. Anne’s Catholic Church from 1971 to 1978. He is a defendant in two lawsuits.” http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2005/05/13/news/1_ogrady_050513.txt

from LMS Former priest reveals lifetime of abuse and offending By Kim Curtis 6/4/05 San Francisco (AP) “Since the sex abuse scandal first rocked the Catholic Church, thousands of priests have been accused of molesting children. Rarely are the lawsuits as revealing as the case of Oliver O’Grady, who admits molesting as many as 25 children while a parish priest in California. The defrocked Irish priest’s abusive childhood, his ill-formed ideas about sexuality, his horrifying methods of grooming children and his quiet demands for help that his diocese largely ignored all come out in a 400-page deposition O’Grady gave to lawyers for one of his many victims. And while the deposition provides a stunningly frank window into one man’s crimes, it also portrays a church that waited eight years to contact police after O’Grady told his bishop about his behavior, seemingly turning a blind eye to the molestations and even promoting him to other posts.” http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/06/04/state/n092206D67.DTL

from LMS Molestation cases await ruling 6/4/05 “Sixteen Jackson County lawsuits alleging past child molestation by Catholic priests have been put on hold until the Missouri Supreme Court answers a key question. At issue is when the five-year statute of limitations begins to run on child-molestation cases. The appeals court in Kansas City has ruled that it begins at age 21, but the appeals court in St. Louis said it begins when a person remembers repressed memories.” http://www.kansascity.com

Bishops battle Ohio abuse plan – Blair joins talks about bill to expand time limits for lawsuits By Jim Provance 4/22/05 Columbus “A pair of Catholic bishops held a rare private meeting with the speaker of the Ohio House this week to voice concerns over proposed legislation creating a brief opportunity for lawsuits to be filed in decades-old child sexual abuse cases. Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo and Bishop Frederick Campbell of Columbus had requested the Wednesday meeting with Speaker Jon Husted (R., Kettering), a rare instance of bishops personally involving themselves in Ohio’s legislative process.” http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050422/NEWS24/504220426/-1/NEWS

Blair asks priests to help fight amended abuse bill by David Yonke (Toledo Blade) “The Toledo Catholic Diocese is stepping up its efforts to defeat a bill that would rewrite Ohio’s statutes of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse. Bishop Leonard Blair sent a letter to diocesan priests this week stating that Senate Bill 17 “should be of serious concern to all of us,” and urged them to contact their state representatives to voice opposition to the legislation. The bishop, who met with Ohio lawmakers last month to discuss the legislation, described the current bill as “watered down” compared to its original version. The original bill, which he supported, would have made it mandatory for church volunteers as well as clergy and employees to report allegations of child sexual abuse. The current bill does not apply to church volunteers.”

Civil Lawsuits – Ohio Senate votes to aid victims of clergy abuse – Statute of limitations would be lengthened By Jim Provance 3/17/05 Columbus “the Ohio Senate yesterday unanimously approved a bill that would briefly open the courthouse doors to alleged victims of sexual abuse at the hands of clergy as long ago as 1970.It was an emotional vote, but the courts may ultimately decide whether it was a constitutional vote. The bill faces a tougher time in the House. The Senate voted to lengthen the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving child sexual abuse to 20 years. The clock would not start ticking until the victim reaches the age of 18, meaning litigation could remain a possibility until the age of 38. The bill also opens a rare one-year “look back” window for prior child victims who claim they were victimized years ago but were locked out of the courthouse because they were not ready to face the issue by the time the current statute of limitations expired two years after they reached adulthood.” http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050317/NEWS24/503170452

The Long and Difficult Road to Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse: A Tale of Three States, and How They Revised Their Statutes by Marci Hamilton 5/19/05 http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20050519.html

articles describes crimes and has pictures of crimes “Ritual abuse/torture Vol. 67, Issue 1 2005 Identifying a crime of horror Ritual abuse/torture is not defined in the Criminal Code of Canada. And to date, no national statistics on this crime are collected. But the crimes are very real. Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald, two registered nurses and educators from Nova Scotia, have listened to several hundred accounts from those who have survived this form of organized family/group violence. In this article, they define ritual abuse/torture and provide information that could help police better identify the victims of these horrific crimes. By Jeanne Sarson RN, BScN, MEd and Linda MacDonald RN, BN, MEd” http://www.gazette.rcmp.gc.ca/article-en.html?category_id=1&article_id=105

Ky. Diocese to Pay $120M in Sex Abuse Case By Bruce Schreiner, AP 6/3/05 Covington, Ky. – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington agreed Friday to set up a $120 million fund to compensate victims of child-molesting priests and other employees. It would be the nation’s biggest settlement in the scandal that has staggered the church. The settlement, which is subject to approval by a Kentucky judge, would bring to a close a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 100 alleged victims. It accuses the diocese of a 50-year cover-up of sexual abuse by priests and others….The diocese has…received 158 allegations of sexual misconduct against about 30 of 372 priests since 1950.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050603/ap_on_re_us/church_abuse_settlement;_ylt=Ao98FmeLt3qO1W6RMqdVdlJH2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM

Ky. Diocese to Pay $120M in Sex Abuse Case By Bruce Schreiner 6/4/05 Covington, Ky. (AP) – “The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington, with its small flock of parishioners, moved to the forefront of the church abuse scandal by agreeing to set up a $120 million fund to compensate victims spanning a half century.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/06/03/national/a104826D06.DTL
article describes abuse – Toledo Diocese – Priest named in lawsuit that alleges ritual abuse By Mark Reiter 4/21/05 “A Toledo Roman Catholic diocesan priest charged in the 1980 slaying of a nun was accused yesterday in a civil lawsuit of repeatedly torturing and raping a young girl in ritual abuse ceremonies at a north-side church. An unidentified woman claims she was the victim of bizarre demonizing ceremonies conducted by the Rev. Gerald Robinson and other clergy nearly 40 years ago in the basement of St. Adalbert Parish on Warsaw Street. The woman and her husband, who are listed as Survivor Doe and Spouse Doe, respectively, filed the lawsuit in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Father Robinson, who is scheduled to go on trial in October for the aggravated murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl; Gerald Mazuchowski, a former lay minister; the diocese; St. Adalbert Parish; the Oblates of St. Francis De Sales, Inc., and fifteen “John Does” were named as defendants.” http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050421/NEWS02/504210415/-1/NEWS

Orange Diocese Gives Details on Sex Abuse – Documents show how officials covered for, transferred and even promoted pedophiles. By William Lobdell and Jean Guccione, Times Staff Writers. 5/18/05 “For more than two decades, officials in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange covered up for priests who molested children, shuffling predators from parish to parish and diocese to diocese, protecting them from prosecution and failing to warn parishioners of the danger, according to church documents released Tuesday. More than 10,000 pages of letters, handwritten notes, memos and other documents detailing church actions were released from the personnel files of 15 priests and teachers as part of a court-approved $100-million settlement reached in December between the Orange Diocese and 90 alleged molestation victims.” Latimes.com

Reports Show Failure of Therapy for Priests 5/25/05 Pedophile clerics often continued to abuse children during and after treatment, and were allowed to continue in ministry. By Jean Guccione and William Lobdell, Times Staff Writers “Documents released Tuesday reveal the failure of the Diocese of Orange’s decades-old strategy of trying to cure pedophile priests with therapy, detailing how the clerics continued to abuse young boys while in treatment but were cleared by psychologists to return to the ministry. The files also show that Roman Catholic officials ignored a recommendation to limit one cleric to an adults-only ministry and allowed him to set and enforce his own rules against being alone with children. The hundreds of pages of psychotherapist reports, billings and other internal memos were the latest documents released as part of a court-approved $100-million settlement reached in December between the Orange diocese and 90 alleged victims.” latimes.com

Report: Orange County diocese actively sought to hide abuse AP 5/19/05 Santa Ana, Calif. “Leaders of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange crafted public statements to hide sexual misconduct involving a priest and a choir teacher, according to a newspaper account of sealed documents that were accidentally released to some members of the media. The documents reveal the role of church officials in scripting statements to parishioners when the priest and teacher were forced to leave the diocese after acknowledging the misconduct, The Orange County Register reported Thursday.” http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/11680229.htm

Court: Church leaders can be sued 5/4/05 By Gregory D. Kesich “A legal barrier that protected church leaders from lawsuits arising from their failure to supervise clergy was breached Tuesday when the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a sex-abuse victim can sue the Roman Catholic bishop of Portland. In the 5-2 decision, justices said Michael Fortin’s case against the church could go forward without violating the religious protections guaranteed in the U.S. and Maine constitutions. The court ruled that Fortin, a former altar boy and parochial school student at St. Mary’s in Augusta, can make a legal claim against the Catholic Church and not just the priest who he says abused him beginning in 1985, when Fortin was 13.” http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/050504church.shtml

Records detail dead priest’s history of child sex abuse 6/6/05 Portland, Maine (AP)”After the parents of a 6-year-old Lewiston girl complained in 1958 that their daughter had been sexually abused by a Roman Catholic priest, they felt assured that he would be kept away from other children. The Rev. Lawrence Sabatino was quickly transferred to a parish in Portland, but he continued to have access to young girls. Sabatino died in 1990 at age 65. Since that time, 13 other women have come forward, either personally or through family members, to report that Sabatino abused them after his transfer to St. Peter’s Church. Most say they were between 7 and 13 at the time.” http://www.pressherald.com

Diocese, victims closer to settlement: lawyer 4/18/05 CBC News St. John’s “A deal to compensate sexual abuse victims of Father Kevin Bennett may be close at hand….The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. George’s has been in bankruptcy protection since March. The diocese had until Monday to have the matter settled. Lawyer Greg Stack, who represents 35 of the 36 victims involved in the case, says circumstances have changed since the diocese’s last application for an extension…..Bennett served four years in prison following his conviction in 1990.” http://stjohns.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nf-diocese-bennett-050418

Nfld. priest’s victims accept compensation, avert diocese bankruptcy 5/26/05 “Corner Brook, Nfld. – The victims of a priest in Newfoundland convicted of molesting 36 boys have accepted a $13-million compensation offer from the Roman Catholic diocese of St. George’s.” “Father Kevin Bennett was convicted in 1990 of sexually abusing 36 boys over a period of nearly 20 years while he worked in the diocese, largely in communities on the island’s south coast. He served four years in prison.” http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/26/victimcompensation0526.html

Abuse suit wipes out diocese – 150 properties up for sale. $13 million to cover hundreds of assaults by one priest over three decades by Dene Moore – CP 5/10/05 “A 16-year court battle for compensation that included a trip to the country’s highest court will end soon for 39 victims of a pedophile priest. The Catholic Diocese of St. George’s says it will sell all of its churches and missions to come up with $13 million for the victims of Rev. Kevin Bennett.”

Bay State officials reel in accused molester priest By David Weber 4/23/05 “…a Catholic priest who once served in a Bellingham church was returned to Massachusetts from Canada yesterday and taken into custody to be arraigned for allegedly molesting 18 boys. The Rev. Paul Desilets, 81, fought extradition for three years before surrendering to authorities for his arraignment Monday on 32 criminal counts in Worcester Superior Court.” http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=79834

Desilets pleads guilty to molesting 18 boys By Sara Withee / Daily News Staff 5/12/05 Worcester “After years of fighting prosecution, the Rev. Paul Desilets stood in a courtroom yesterday with seven former Bellingham altar boys and admitted to molesting them and several others in the 1970s and ’80s. “I’m sorry for what happened,” Desilets said in Worcester Superior Court, after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting 18 altar boys at Bellingham’s now-closed Our Lady of the Assumption Parish.” http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=98471

Movie about clergy abuse scandal premieres next week by Jay Lindsay, AP 4/26/05 Boston “The clergy sex abuse scandal, which played out in painful detail in Boston’s homes, newspapers and pews over the last three years, now moves to cable television in a dramatic adaptation airing next month on Showtime. “Our Fathers” was produced by the cable network and stars Ted Danson in the lead role as Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represented scores of victims of abusive priests.” http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/26/movie_about_clergy_abuse_scandal_premieres_next_week/

Clerical abuse lawsuit expands By Mary Beth Smetzer (msmetzer@newsminer.com) “A civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in Bethel Superior Court adds 12 new complainants alleging they were sexually abused as children by Roman Catholic clerics or volunteers. Seven complainants, James Does 33 through 39, pushes the plaintiff count up to 39 against Joseph Lundowski, a former Trappist monk, now deceased.”

7 ½ years for abuse priest by Gavin Lower 5/14/05 “A Former Tasmanian Anglican priest who preyed on boys as young as 11 over two decades was jailed for 7 ½ years yesterday. Louis Victor Daniels, 57, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Hobart to 13 charges relating to sexual abuse of 10 boys he met through his roles as deacon and priest in the church.” http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15279843%5E3462,00.html

Priest, diocese at odds 5/1/05 by Susan Evans, Tribune-democrat Ebensburg Bureau – Growing up in Lilly, John Nesbella never expected to become a priest. “”at age 42 and after speaking out loudly – Nesbella is out in the cold. After filing a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, claiming he was sexually abused at the age of 16 by a priest who is now dead, Nesbella on Feb. 18 was placed on a leave of absence and may not publicly perform any priestly duties. He says it is retaliation against his strong anti-homosexual stances and intimidation to force him to drop the lawsuit. “I’ve been basically fired,” Nesbella said. “I am being punished for reporting sexual abuse.” But diocese officials say that a priest can hardly sue the diocese and serve the diocese at the same time.” http://www.tribune-democrat.com/articles/2005/05/01/news/news02.txt

The Republican – Probe points to prospective ring 5/2/05 By Bill Zajac wzajac@repub.com “The investigator hired to probe the 1972 unsolved murder of 13-year-old altar boy Daniel Croteau says he now suspects that a ring of about 10 pedophiles, many of them priests, operated a sexual abuse ring that preyed upon children at the time Croteau was killed. “These priests formed their own Internet before any Internet existed,” said private detective and former state trooper R.C. Stevens recently. “It allowed them to exchange information and strategies, share children, and rid themselves of them.” He has been investigating the murder for The Republican since last summer. His interviews of alleged victims, including those who have already publicly accused some priests, point to a conspiracy among some of the predators to pass around children. Stevens said that Croteau may have had contact with multiple members of the ring. The only identified suspect in Croteau’s death was defrocked priest Richard R. Lavigne of Chicopee. Lavigne, who served 10 years probation after admitting to molesting two boys, has been accused by more than 30 others, including one who said the then-priest introduced him to another priest in Vermont who also molested him. Last August, 45 alleged victims of 18 priests settled sexual abuse lawsuits with the Springfield Roman Catholic Diocese for about $7.5 million. Stevens believes that Lavigne was a member of the ring of pedophiles, but he would not name other individuals. Lavigne has denied involvement in the Croteau slaying and other sexual abuse cases.”

Providence Journal/Evening Bulletin Feb 6, 1995 “An Irish priest whose sexual assaults on children figured prominently in the collapse last fall of Ireland’s coalition government may have sexually abused children in Rhode Island when he was assigned here three decades ago. The Rev. Brendan Smyth, 67, is serving a four-year sentence in a Belfast prison after admitting last year that he molested five girls and three boys in Belfast over a 24-year period. In an extraordinary letter sent to a television station in Ulster, the Norbertine abbot who had been Father Smyth’s religious superior for 25 years acknowledged that he and others had known for decades that Father Smyth had a “problem” with children, and thought they could deal with it by having him reassigned every two or three years to prevent him from forming “attachments to families and children.” Two of those assignments involved duty in the United States: three years as a parish priest at Our Lady of Mercy parish in East Greenwich in the 1960s, and an assignment years later in North Dakota. In both places, according to the superior, Father Smyth molested children. “On neither occasion was the bishop of the diocese to which he was sent notified of (Father Smyth’s) propensity to molest children,” the Rt. Rev. Kevin Smith conceded in the letter he wrote a short time before resigning as abbot of Holy Trinity Abbey in Kilnacrott, County Cavan, Ireland. “On both occasions Father Smyth offended against young parishioners,” the abbott said. “I acknowledge that I, as his religious superior, committed a grave error in sending Father Smyth abroad without warning the bishop to whom I sent him.”” www.projo.com

After 3-Year Probe, Spokane Paper Alleges Sex Abuse by Mayor by E&P Staff 5/5/05 New York “After three years of investigation, the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., today presented a package of stories that include allegations of sexual misconduct by the city’s mayor.” http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000911146

from LMS West resigns from Scout post, boy’s ranch board Some urge him to step down as mayor, too By Bill Morlin and Karen Dorn Steele 5/6/05 “Spokane Mayor Jim West, facing accusations of using positions of public trust to develop sexual relations with young men, resigned Thursday from the executive board of the Inland Northwest Council of the Boy Scouts. The 54-year-old mayor, who faces allegations he abused two young boys in the late 1970s, also resigned today from the Morning Star Boy’s Ranch board of directors.” http://www.spokesmanreview.com/jimwest/story.asp?ID=050605_west_politics

Calls for immediate probe By Sue Bailey 5/4/05 “A Call for an inquiry into an evil pedophile ring operating in Tasmania for more than 20 years is gathering momentum. Lobby group Survivors Investigating Child Sex Abuse renewed the call yesterday after former Anglican archdeacon Louis Daniels pleaded guilty to 13 counts of interfering with young boys between 1973 and 1993. SICSA spokesman Steve Fisher said there was compelling evidence that an organised pedophile ring operated in Tasmania in the 1970s and 1980s. “We know that boys were taken to parties and there were sometimes priests, doctors and even MPs there,” Mr Fisher said. While it operated largely in Tasmania, Mr Fisher said it also involved the abuse of boys in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. He referred to evidence in Daniels’ hearing that a Brisbane boy travelled to Tasmania during his holidays and stayed with Daniels for several weeks.” http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15173935-1244,00.html

Children ‘handed over to sex ring’ By Jeremy Roberts 5/24/05 “Boys as young as 10 were sexually abused in Adelaide when, as wards of the state, they were taken out of their institution on weekends and handed over to an organised pedophile ring. More than 500 abuse claims have been heard in the first six months of a South Australian inquiry that spans 34 orphanages or detention centres where wards claim they were sexually abused over the past 50 years. The inquiry’s interim report, released yesterday, also listed allegations of gang rapes, child-on-child abuse, and street kids selling sex in public parks. “The picture is painted of young girls and boys who were frightened, unable to protect themselves and make disclosure and who were abandoned by their carers,” says the report by Ted Mullighan, the commissioner of the inquiry into the sex abuse of state wards. The report finds that young boys from St Joseph’s Catholic Orphanage and Brookway Park Boys Reformatory were sexually abused at the homes of adults who had permission to take boys on day outings or to stay away at weekends, the report says. “It is alleged that state children were taken to other private homes and required to associate with groups of men who sexually abused them”, during the 1960s, the report continues.” http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15385071-421,00.html

Court OKs Suit Against Catholic Church By John Olore WMTW.com 5/4/05 Portland, Maine -“The state’s highest court Tuesday paved the way for a former altar boy to pursue a civil lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and former Bishop Joseph Gerry.” http://www.wmtw.com/news/4444647/detail.html

“the Spokane Diocese released a detailed list of the 140 claims of priest sex abuse. The earliest claim stems from abuse dating back to 1932. The most recent claim reportedly happened in 1989. Fourteen priests are named, 6 clergy unnamed. Nineteen claims were resolved for 1.5-million dollars before bankruptcy. Fifty-seven more were in litigation with plaintiffs asking for more then 60-million dollars. Still another 64 victims have claimed abuse, but were not fighting the church in court.” http://www.kxly.com/common/printStory.asp?id=43589

Court protects ‘dirty’ priests 4/13/05 Los Angeles “The California Supreme Court temporarily blocked the release of summaries of personnel files of 117 priests accused of molestation.” http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1689068,00.html

Holocaust Case Against Vatican Bank Revived By David Kravets 4/18/05 San Francisco, (AP) “A federal appeals court Monday reinstated a lawsuit brought by survivors of the Holocaust who allege the Vatican Bank accepted millions of dollars worth of their valuables stolen by Nazi sympathizers. The Vatican Bank, the financial arm of the Roman Catholic Church, denies allegations that it stored the looted assets from thousands of gypsies, Jews, Serbs and others who were killed or captured by the Nazi-backed regime that controlled Croatia during World War II.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/04/18/national/a180543D07.DTL
Victims watching how scandal shapes selection – They urge more accountability for those who protect abusers By Charisse Jones USA TODAY “Victims of the sex-abuse scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic Church praised Pope John Paul II’s words condemning the crimes but said they hope the next pontiff will do more to punish those who protect abusive priests….More than 4,300 priests allegedly have abused more than 10,000 children and teenagers since 1950, according to a 2004 study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The scandal has cost the church more than $900 million in settlements, leading some dioceses to declare bankruptcy.” http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050405/a_popevictims05.art.htm

Papal appointee draws criticism U.S. archbishop who will enforce discipline says abuse reforms not skirted 5/14/05 By Brooks Egerton and Reese Dunklin / The Dallas Morning News “Pope Benedict XVI took the unprecedented step Friday of naming a U.S. church leader to head what has become the Vatican’s most powerful office. San Francisco Archbishop William Levada will lead the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which enforces Catholic teachings and discipline around the globe…Previously, Archbishop Levada:….Left a top aide, the Rev. Gregory Ingels, on duty for years after he was accused of abuse. The priest’s duties included dealing with molestation victims and helping draft U.S. bishops’ 2002 discipline reforms. Father Ingels later came under criminal investigation and made incriminating statements, but the case was ruled too old to prosecute.” http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/051405dnprovatican.a5bc8454.html

CBS 2 Chicago WBBM-TV | cbs2chicago.com New Pope May Take New Approach To Church Sex Scandals 5/3/05 “There is new insight tonight into how the new pope will deal with the sex abuse scandal facing the Catholic Church. CBS 2 chief correspondent Jay Levine reports the church appears to be in for a big change….Former review board president Judge Anne Burke said, “I think it’s a watershed moment in the Catholic Church, and the now pope sat with us at a time during the crisis and tried to help us.” http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_123210408.html/resources_storyPrintableView

New pope shelved sex abuse claim, accuser says 4/20/05 By Alistair Bell Mexico City (Reuters) “A former trainee priest who has accused the founder of an influential Catholic order of sexual abuse said on Tuesday that new Pope Benedict XVI deliberately shelved a probe into his claims for six years. Jose Barba is one of eight ex-members of the Rome-based Legion of Christ, most of them Mexicans, who accuse the order’s founder, Marcial Maciel, of sexually abusing them from the 1940s through the 1960s.” http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5701468

Vatican Says Mexican Priest Will Not Face Abuse Trial By Ian Fisher 5/22/05 Rome, May 21 “The founder of an influential Roman Catholic order in Mexico will not face a church trial on longstanding allegations that he molested teenagers, a Vatican spokesman said on Saturday. In December, the Vatican opened a full-scale investigation into the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the 85-year-old founder of the Legionaries of Christ and a prominent religious figure in Mexico. At least eight people came forward in the late 1990’s to accuse him of abusing them between 1943 and the early 1960’s. But on Saturday, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, the spokesman, said that no charges would be brought against Father Maciel. He did not say why the investigation was ended. “There is no investigation now, and it is not foreseeable that there will be another investigation in the future,” Father Ciro said by telephone.” http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/22/international/europe/22pope.html

Vatican reportedly drops probe of Mexican cleric – Legion of Christ says priest won’t be tried on abuse allegations By Marion Lloyd, Globe Correspondent 5/23/05 “Mexico City — The Mexican founder of the Legion of Christ, an influential Roman Catholic order, will not face a church trial on allegations that he sexually abused young seminarians in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, according to the Legion and news reports citing a Vatican spokesman. In December, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith opened a full-scale investigation into the allegations by eight former seminarians against the Rev. Marcial Maciel, the 85-year-old founder of the Legion of Christ. In April, a Catholic Church prosecutor, Charles J. Scicluna, traveled to the United States and Mexico to take testimony from dozens of former Legionaries, according to the co-accusers. But on Friday, the Legion announced that it had been told by the Holy See that no charges would be brought against Maciel, adding that the priest ”unambiguously affirmed his innocence.” http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2005/05/23/vatican_reportedly_drops_probe_of_mexican_cleric/

Ratzinger `obstructed justice’ in abuse inquiry – `Pontifical Secret’: Lawyers acting for victims of abuse say that a church letter signed by Ratzinger extends control over sex crimes by priests, keeping them behind closed doors – The Observer , London 4/25/05 “Pope Benedict XVI faced claims Saturday night he had `obstructed justice’ after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church’s investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret. The order was made in a confidential letter which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001. It asserted the church’s right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as John Paul II’s successor last week.” http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/04/25/2003251921

Pope ‘obstructed’ sex abuse inquiry Confidential letter reveals Ratzinger ordered bishops to keep allegations secret by Jamie Doward,4/24/05 “Pope Benedict XVI faced claims last night he had ‘obstructed justice’ after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church’s investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret. The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer, which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001. It asserted the church’s right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as John Paul II’s successor last week.” http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1469055,00.html

Pope ‘ignored sex abuse claim against John Paul’s friend’ By Peter Popham in Rome 4/23/05 “Pope Benedict XVI has been accused of ignoring for seven years charges that Fr Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, had sexually abused nine teenagers in his organisation – because Fr Maciel was a close friend of Pope John Paul II.” http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=632210

Case that accuses the new pope of conspiracy may be dropped – Lawsuit says the then-cardinal worked with local Catholic officials to cover up abuse By Paige Hewitt and Harvey Rice Houston Chronicle 4/29/05 “A federal judge is considering whether to dismiss a case that accuses the new pope of conspiring with local Catholic officials to cover up the alleged sexual abuse of three boys. U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal halted the case this week until she decides whether to grant a motion by Catholic officials to dismiss it. The lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs known only as John Does I, II and III, who say they were molested as boys by a seminary student about 10 years ago.”

Texas Men Sue Pope Benedict Over Sex Abuse Letter – Seminary Student Indicted On Child Sex Abuse Charges 4/27/05 Houston “Three Houston-area men used a letter written by Pope Benedict XVI while he was a cardinal as the basis for a lawsuit against the Catholic Church. The men claim that they are victims of the church’s sex scandal and that a letter written by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is proof that he conspired to keep claims of sex abuse secret. In a Houston federal courtroom, the men’s attorneys told Judge Lee Rosenthal Tuesday that the now-pope tried to cover up sex crimes against children in the Catholic Church. “We believe, actually, that the current pope, when he was head of the congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, actually was actively involved in that conspiracy,” plaintiffs’ attorney Daniel Shea said.” http://www.wesh.com/news/4422285/detail.html

Dubuque archdiocese named in more lawsuits – Register Religion Editor 4/29/05 “Two new lawsuits have been filed against the Archdiocese of Dubuque, bringing to 12 the number of cases pending in federal and state courts in Iowa alleging sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests.” http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050429/LIFE05/504290414/1039/archive

from LMS August trial set for ex-cantor accused of molesting nephew – A pretrial hearing was set for July 1. The man is charged with abusing the boy during visits with relatives in Lower Merion. By Keith Herbert – Inquirer Staff Writer “Former New York City cantor Howard Nevison will go to trial on child-molestation charges Aug. 19 in Montgomery County.” http://www.philly.com/

The Choirboy “As head boy at a legendary choir school, Lawrence Lessig was repeatedly molested by the charismatic choir director, part of a horrific pattern of child abuse there. Now, as one of America’s most famous lawyers, he’s put his own past on trial to make sure such a thing never happens again. By John Heilemann” http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/features/12061/index.html

Boys Allege Abuse At D.C. Run Camp – City Settles One Case, 2nd Goes to Trial By Carol D. Leonnig 5/30/05 “The boys of Cabin 11 remember their summer camp as a week of terror, punctuated by the screams of sexual attacks. Now they are reliving it in federal court, telling a jury of the nights they spent alone with a camper turned predator. The families of two boys filed lawsuits alleging that the children were sexually abused by an older camper, saying the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation failed to protect them at the city-run camp. The District paid $371,000 to settle one of the cases. The other went to trial Thursday in U.S. District Court, where testimony resumes tomorrow. So far, four boys, most of them now 14, have testified in graphic detail about what took place in July 2001 at Camp Riverview, a sprawling retreat at the southernmost tip of Maryland. As their counselors repeatedly left them alone, the boys told the jury, they tried to fend off the attacks, watched as their fellow campers were molested and were awakened at night by the screams.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/29/AR2005052900998.html

Few ‘fast track’ dollars getting to residential school claimants 4/22/05 CBC News Regina “Figures released in Ottawa show that less than $1 million has been paid to victims of residential school abuse under what’s been called a fast-track program – yet as much as $34 million has been spent administering the program. The figures are found in a government document tabled in the House of Commons last week. Conservative MP Jim Prentice had asked the Liberal government for a breakdown of money spent through the Alternative Dispute Resolution program. More than 13,000 former students at Indian residential schools have filed claims against Ottawa alleging sexual and physical abuse and loss of language and culture.” http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=adr-spending050422

Mediator named to residential schools talks “In 1998, then Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart apologized for rampant abuse in the once-national school system. Since then, approximately 13,600 plaintiffs have joined lawsuits against Ottawa and the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United and Presbyterian churches that ran it. So far, more than 2,300 of those claims — totalling in excess of $85 million — have been resolved in the courts and Ottawa’s ADR process. The residential school system pre-dated Confederation as an attempt to “Christianize” native populations. In 1874, four years after its inception, Ottawa entered a partnership with churches in running the assimilation program.” http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1117471492250_112880692?hub=topstories/_javascript:printStory

Government of Canada Announces Landmark Agreement Toward a Lasting Resolution of the Legacy of Indian Residential Schools and Appoints Representative to Lead Discussions “Ottawa, May 30 /CNW Telbec/ ….announced the appointment of the Honourable Frank Iacobucci as the Government’s Representative to lead discussions toward a fair and lasting resolution of the legacy of Indian residential schools. “We need to make important changes to our approach in order to resolve the often tragic legacy of Indian residential schools, and to settle the outstanding claims of former students in a more timely way” said Minister McLellan.” http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/May2005/30/c5340.html

Inquiry tainted by judge’s Cornwall roots, say victims 5/11/05 CBC News Ottawa “The judge appointed to lead the public inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in Cornwall has deep roots in the area, charge victims who have fought to get the examination. Last month, Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant appointed Justice Normand Glaude to head up the long-awaited look into allegations that a ring of high-ranking officials, professionals and clergy sexually abused boys in the Cornwall area for decades.” http://ottawa.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ot-glauderoots20050511

Inquiry judge named by John Divinski, 4/22/05 “Justice Normand Glaude, a veteran lawyer, administrator and judge, says he expects an independent public inquiry into the events surrounding allegations of abuse of young people in Cornwall will get underway by September of this year, and it should be open to the public….Project Truth dates back to 1993 when then police Constable Perry Dunlop went to the Children’s Aid Society with information of possible abuse within the Catholic Church and a $32,000 payout on the matter. The alleged abuse dates back even further. Since then, there have been several court cases with only one person pleading guilty. Fourteen other cases either didn’t make it to court or resulted in charges being tossed out or dismissed.” http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/index.cfm?INCLUDE=full_story.cfm&NEWS_ID=2770

McGuinty Government to Call Public Inquiry in Cornwall – Toronto “The McGuinty government will call a full public inquiry as soon as possible into events related to the sexual abuse allegations in Cornwall, Attorney General Michael Bryant announced today. The Crown has decided that it will not proceed with an appeal in the last remaining criminal trial arising out of Project Truth, which was launched by the Ontario Provincial Police in relation to the allegations. “I have always believed that the people of Cornwall deserved a public inquiry. Now that all the criminal proceedings related to this case are over, residents in the area can be assured that steps are being taken to launch a public inquiry,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty.” http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/news/2004/20041117-cornwallinquiry.asp

from LMS Inquiry judge appointed – Abuse survivor hoping to finally get some answers By Terri Saunders 4/19/05 “A sexual abuse survivor believes powerful people applied pressure to justice officials in an attempt to cover up decades worth of assault on Cornwall’s children. Alain Seguin hopes, with the appointment Monday of a judge to head the Project Truth inquiry, he will finally get answers to questions which have plagued him and others in the community for years. “Who could have had enough influence to be able to keep this suppressed for so long?” asked Seguin. “That’s what I want to know.”….Judge Normand Glaude, a regional senior justice from northern Ontario, has been chosen to helm the public inquiry into allegations hundreds of children were repeatedly and systematically abused by high-ranking members of the community.” http://www.standard-freeholder.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=106081&catname=Front+Page&classif

from LMS Cornwall mayor welcomes abuse inquiry Canadian Press 4/18/05 “A long-awaited public inquiry into shadowy allegations of systemic sexual abuse, conspiracy and cover-up in Cornwall will help clear away the clouds of scandal once and for all, the city’s mayor said today. “(The inquiry) is going to bring closure to this question that’s been an albatross around our community for a number of years,” Mayor Phil Poirier said of the inquiry that’s expected to begin this fall in the eastern Ontario city.” http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1113820312077&call_pageid=968332188492&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes

Residential school deal to offer survivors lump sum: report 5/4/05 Ottawa – Ottawa may offer lump sum compensation payments to victims of residential schools to clear up a backlog of thousands of cases, according to a report. “The federal government and the Assembly of First Nations are close to reaching a deal, the Canadian Press reported Wednesday. The proposal includes offering each former student $10,000, plus $3,000 for each year spent in a residential school, says the report. The deal also reportedly includes creating a national truth-and-reconciliation forum to give survivors a chance to tell their stories. More than 12,000 survivors of residential schools have filed lawsuits, but fewer than 1,500 of them have filed applications through Ottawa’s fast-track procedure, the Alternative Dispute Resolution program.” http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/04/residentialschools-050504.html

Man faces 45-year term in sex abuse of seven boys By Eric Hartley, 4/8/05 “An Annapolis-area man could face 45 years in prison after admitting yesterday that he sexually abused seven boys, including three relatives, at his home and a Crownsville nudist club over a four-year period. Loren John Williams, 44, videotaped his encounters with many of the boys, and the tapes were found when county police and federal agents searched his home last year, said Assistant State’s Attorney Frank Ragione.” http://www.hometownannapolis.com/

from LMS Man ‘had sex with 445 boys’ 4/25/05 “A 43-year-old Finnish man is suspected of having had sexual relations with 445 Thai boys since 1989 in what is being regarded as one of the biggest crimes of its kind, police officials said. “The man was arrested on January 6 at the Helsinki airport as he was returning from Thailand. His name turned up in an investigation into a paedophilia ring in Belgium,” police commissioner Lars Henriksson said. The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, kept a diary listing each of his sexual partners, who were all young male prostitutes aged 10 to 13, Mr Henriksson said.” http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/

MORROW v. RIPLEY 2004 Conn. Super. LEXIS 2998 – Superior Court Issue: Victim’s Rights “Statement of the Case: During the pendency of the defendant’s criminal case, the defendant initiated a civil libel/slander suit against the victim. The victim requested that the court put the civil suit on hold until the completion of the criminal trial….The court disagreed with the defendant and held as follows: A defendant accused of sexual abuse, pending criminal charges, cannot
initiate a libel/slander suit until the criminal proceeding is complete, or if they do, the suit will be rightfully delayed.”

Migrant Women Trapped in Europe’s Sex Industry By Tom Pfeiffer 4/27/05 London (Reuters) “The trade in people for forced sex has mushroomed into a $12 billion industry to rival drug trafficking and gun-running. Because the victims are locked in rooms or moved around in secret, it is almost impossible to trace them.” http://news.yahoo.com/

European Human Trafficking Ring Broken Up By William J. Kole, AP 5/12/05 Vienna, Austria “Some were welded into tiny hiding spaces in trucks and trailers. Others crammed themselves into engine compartments or beneath false floors where they endured days of bone-rattling journeys, emerging exhausted and emaciated. An eastern European network of human traffickers busted by Austrian authorities used cruel and nefarious means to smuggle at least 5,000 desperate illegal immigrants to the West over the past few years.” http://news.yahoo.com/

U.N. Release Report on Forced Labor By Sam Cage, AP 5/12/05 Geneva “National governments need to pass clear legislation against forced labor if they are to help the more than 12 million people around the world who are trapped into working without consent, the U.N. labor agency said. The vast majority of forced laborers – almost 10 million – are in Asia and the Pacific region, and many of those were trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation, the International Labor Organization said in an 87-page report released Wednesday.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050512/ap_on_re_eu/u_n__forced_labor_report/nc:732

from LMS Millions ‘live in modern slavery’ “Some 12.3 million people are enslaved worldwide, according to a major report. The International Labour Organization says 2.4 million of them are victims of trafficking, and their labour generates profits of over $30bn.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/4534393.stm

Ending the modern-day slave trade – Sally J. Lieber, Kamala D. Harris 5/24/05 “”…the modern-day slave trade continues, with an estimated 12.3 million people throughout the world forced into labor. California is a center of this growing criminal enterprise. One study from the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley identified 57 different forced-labor operations in nearly a dozen California cities. According to the center, nearly 80 percent of these cases are centered in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego and Los Angeles. The victims, mostly young women, are forced to serve as sex slaves or work in domestic service, sweatshops and agriculture. In San Francisco’s Sunset District last year, federal authorities made arrests in two brothels, where authorities found women who were trafficked from Asia and forced to work as sex slaves.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/24/EDGPHCSMKO1.DTL

UN fights sex slavery with soapie 4/27/05 By Cesar Sabogal “Bogota – Everyone Loves Marilyn is more than a soap opera about a group of Bogota prostitutes. The drama is a prime-time UN message about the dangers of human sex trafficking, which enslaves 700 000 victims worldwide.” http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=122&art_id=qw1114580883478R131

UN sexual allegations double 5/6/05 “Allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN staff more than doubled last year, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said in a report. Most of the allegations, which include rape, sexual assault and sex with minors, involved UN peacekeepers.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4521481.stm

Hundreds of children ‘vanishing’ 5/13/05 The discovery of a boy’s torso led police to look at missing children “Hundreds of African boys have disappeared from London schools, police investigating the murder of a boy whose torso was left in the Thames have said. Scotland Yard asked London education authorities how many black boys aged four to seven had vanished from school. Between July and September 2001, 300 had disappeared, and police fear thousands may go missing annually. Child welfare experts say the figures hint at the scale of child trafficking, sometimes for labour or benefit fraud. ” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4541603.stm

Hundreds of African boys go missing in London Sarah Left 5/13/05 “Hundreds of young African boys disappeared from schools in London over a three-month period in 2001, police revealed today, prompting experts to question the effectiveness of the government’s child protection measures.” http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,1074,1483614,00.html

article describes crimes – 300 Missing Boys in Britain Fuel Child-Trafficking Fear by Alan Cowell 5/15/05 London, May 14 “Even by the standards of a river that has known more than its share of death in gruesome and macabre fashions, the discovery was startling. In September 2001, in the River Thames near the soaring columns of Tower Bridge, the police discovered the torso – headless and limbless – of a black-skinned child they called, for want of any definitive identity, Adam. The suggestion from subsequent investigations was that he had died in some kind of ritualistic murder linked to West African witchcraft. Now, more than three years later, the discovery has brought another chilling fact to light: in the three months before the body was found, 300 other black boys 4 to 7 years of age were missing or were unaccounted for. The disclosure may have cast a rare spotlight into a secretive world of child trafficking that the authorities seem unable to control or prevent, according to experts on the issue. “We were really looking at black children, black male children, aged between 4 and 7, and we found 300 of those that couldn’t be accounted for,” Detective Chief Inspector Will O’Reilly told British radio on Friday. “It was one of the lines of inquiry we had to follow up. In the main these were African children. I think there were one or two from the Caribbean.”” http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/15/international/europe/15missing.html

Social customs ‘hide child sex abuse’ 1/21/03 Socially accepted practices are being used to hide the sexual abuse of children in various parts of the world, according to a new report from an international advocacy group. “Girls are bought, through payment of a dowry, to provide sexual pleasure… and are then abandoned.” Carmen Madrinan, ECPAT executive director. The Bangkok-based international child protection campaign group, ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) reserves its harshest criticism for forced marriages of adolescents and children. ” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2678479.stm

Italian Police Crack Down on Porn Ring – By Aidan Lewis,5/24/05 Rome, Italy (AP) — “Italian police raided the homes and offices of 186 suspected members of a child pornography ring — including three Roman Catholic priests and a local mayor — that downloaded pictures from an exclusive Web site, officials said Tuesday. The group downloaded photos and video of sex abuse against children, whose ages ranged from 4 to 8, from a Web site that could only be entered with a password, according to a police officer in the Sicilian town of Syracuse, where the investigation was based.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/05/24/international/i081031D38.DTL&type=printable

Italy investigating 186 over child torture site 5/24/05 “Italian police are investigating 186 people including three priests after uncovering an Internet pornography site for pedophiles that showed young children being tortured, an official said Tuesday. Police said the anonymous web site had been protected by a password and was only accessible for nine days last year in an apparent effort to avoid detection. But a tip-off to a child-abuse telephone helpline allowed computer experts to track down the users. Besides the Roman Catholic priests, police also believe a mayor, a teacher and a doctor downloaded illegal videos. “The children on the films were aged between 4 and 8 at most. Some were abused, others were even tortured,” said Domenico Di Somma, coordinator for the police computer investigation taskforce.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050524/wr_nm/crime_italy_paedophilia_dc&printer=1

Toronto police help with Spanish pedophile bust Toronto 5/26/05 “Canada’s leading child sex-crimes unit played a crucial role in helping Spanish authorities bust a “horrific” pedophile and child-pornography ring, police in both countries said Thursday. Images and clues provided by Toronto police helped in the arrest of five people now charged in Spain with abducting and raping a dozen children — nine of them infants, some as young as 11 months.” http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1117143178918_112552378/?hub=CTVNewsAt11

from LMS First conviction in sex tourism case – B.C. man assaulted Cambodian girls – Children’s rights advocates praise law 6/2/05 Daniel Girard Western Canada Bureau “Vancouver–a British Columbia man is the first person convicted under a new Canadian law to combat child sex tourism, pleading guilty to attacks in Cambodia. In a case advocates say shows Canada is serious about protecting children, former Vancouver hotel worker Donald Bakker pleaded guilty in Provincial Court here yesterday to 10 sexual offences involving young girls and women from 2000 to 2003. Bakker, who is in his early 40s and has a wife and young child, had been facing 38 charges — 16 involving children in Asia and 22 involving attacks on adult prostitutes in Canada.”

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1117663832201&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes

Vancouver man given 10-year sentence for sex crimes in Vancouver and Cambodia – Camille Bains 6/2/05 Vancouver (CP) “A judge who sentenced a former hotel worker to 10 years in prison Thursday for a string of sadistic sex crimes said the man preyed on the most vulnerable by attacking prostitutes in Vancouver and having sex with children in Cambodia. Donald Bakker, 41, became the first Canadian to be convicted under a federal law designed to combat child sex tourism when he pleaded guilty Wednesday. He admitted to one count of sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm involving three prostitutes in Vancouver. He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual interference on children under the age of 14 in Cambodia.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20050603/ca_pr_on_na/crime_sex_torture

World – UK police join fight against Thai child sex tourism 12/9/97 “Despite the tougher laws, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, estimates that 250,000 children are bought and sold for sex in Thailand alone.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/38183.stm

Pentagon: 1,700 Sex Assaults Reported By John J. Lumpkin, Ap 5/6/05 Washington “Military criminal investigators received 1,700 reports of sexual assault in 2004 involving at least one member of the military, the Pentagon said Friday.” http://news.yahoo.com/

Darfur: Women Raped Even after Seeking Refuge By Human Rights Watch YubaNet.com 4/12/05 ” Women and girls who have fled ethnic cleansing in Darfur are being raped and subjected to sexual violence around the camps where they have sought refuge, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today. Donors meeting in Oslo on April 11-12 to discuss aid for Sudan must provide more support to protect victims of sexual violence in Darfur and the refugee camps in Chad. “Rape and sexual violence have been used to terrorize and uproot rural communities in Darfur,” said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director of Human Rights Watch. “Donors urgently need to set up programs to protect women and girls from sexual violence and address the needs of those who have been raped.” http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/041205WA.shtml

Mind Control and Experimentation

All accusations are alleged. Surviving and recovering from a childhood riddled with trauma, Carol Rutz (A Nation Betrayed – http://my.dmci.net/~casey/) has dedicated her life to advocacy. Her writing and lecturing has focused on education by bringing past and current true life injustices to the forefront. Carol’s newest endeavor is ANGEL OF LIFE – http://www.white-orchid-agency.com/writers.html a screenplay based on her book and her life story. Co-written with Wanda Karriker (Morning Come Quickly – http://www.morningcomequickly.com/ ANGEL OF LIFE is the true story of one woman’s fight to recover and heal from Cold War Mind Control experiments. Focusing not only on her use as a human guinea pig under the auspices of the top secret program MKULTRA but on her fight to heal from these hideous assaults on her mind; she eventually exposes the doctors who took her childhood away.

Programming: Understanding, Recognizing, and Nullifying It – an article for ritual abuse survivors, and their friends, partners, and therapists by Cheryl Rainfield http://www.cherylrainfield.com/article-for-survivors_programming.html

this article may be heavy for survivors – Ritual Abuse Survivors and Wanting to Die: Where it Comes From, and How to Help – an article for ritual abuse survivors, and their friends, partners, and therapists by Cheryl Rainfield http://www.cherylrainfield.com/article-for-survivors_ritual-abuse-and-suicide-programming.html

Australian Government Mind Control Abuse and Survivorship Website http://agmcsurvivorship.esmartdesign.com/

May be heavy for survivors – Project Monarch by Ron Patton – http://www.aches-mc.org/monarch.html

Researchers Tested AIDS Drugs on Children by John Solomon, 5/4/05 Washington (AP) — “Government-funded researchers tested AIDS drugs on hundreds of foster children over the past two decades, often without providing them a basic protection afforded in federal law and required by some states, an Associated Press review has found. The research funded by the National Institutes of Health spanned the country. It was most widespread in the 1990s as foster care agencies sought treatments for their HIV-infected children that weren’t yet available in the marketplace. The practice ensured that foster children – mostly poor or minority – received care from world-class researchers at government expense, slowing their rate of death and extending their lives. But it also exposed a vulnerable population to the risks of medical research and drugs that were known to have serious side effects in adults and for which the safety for children was unknown.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/05/04/national/w110807D96.DTL

Daughter’s Denunciation of Historian Roils Mormon Church By T.R. Reid 5/8/05 Salt Lake City “Although the Mormon Church is one of the wealthiest and fastest-growing Christian denominations, members of the faith often take a defensive stance toward the outside world. “Mormons of every stripe are obsessive about their image,” historians Richard and Joan Ostling noted, “deeply concerned that their church appears to outsiders as a ‘cult.'” In the ongoing effort to enhance the church’s image, no Mormon played a bigger role than Hugh Nibley, the multilingual teacher and scholar whose books, laden with footnotes and laced with quotations from ancient texts, make a meticulous argument that Mormon scripture reflects historic truth. But this spring, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been rocked by a furious attack on the beloved historian — an attack that comes from his daughter, Martha Nibley Beck. In an explosive memoir, Beck, 42, says that Nibley was a pedophile who abused her as a child while chanting ancient Egyptian prayers. She also says that her father’s history books were fictional and that the extensive footnotes for which he was famous were simply made up.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/07/AR2005050700981.html?nav=hcmodule

Hare Krishna abuse cases settled for USD 9.5 million 5/24/05 “A US bankruptcy court has approved a plan for the Hare Krishna organisation to pay USD 9.5 millions in damages to former students of the spiritual movement’s boarding schools, who had alleged sexual, physical and emotional abuse during the 1970s and 80s. Six Hare Krishna temples had sought bankruptcy protection in 2002 because of the abuse claims. The US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California approved the plan in which a total of 550 plaintiffs will receive amounts ranging from USD 2,500 to 50,000 each.” http://www.indiadaily.com/breaking_news/36448.asp

article has very graphic pictures and details – Oozing corpses raising eyebrows Health department awaits results of tests on exhibition’s bodies Alex Barnum 5/27/05 “San Francisco city officials are investigating a popular exhibition of plasticized corpses and body parts at the Masonic Center, including whether the bodies pose a public health problem and were improperly obtained.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/27/MNG9UCVOCJ1.DTL

articles has graphic descriptions – Questions About Origin Of Exhibit Corpses – I-Team Follow-Up: Were They Brought In Illegally? 5/27/05 (ABC7) “The ABC7 I-Team has uncovered serious new questions surrounding the exhibit of human corpses at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. We reported earlier in the week that the bodies are leaking, and now there are more questions about how these corpses even got into the country.” http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/iteam/052705_iteam_body_folo.html

Murdered Woman Made Claims Of Abuse, Mind Control In Church – Police Charge Estranged Husband In Woman’s Beating Death 5/11/05 Ashtabula County, Ohio “An Ashtabula County woman made claims alleging misconduct in a local church just weeks before she was murdered. In an affidavit, Carolyn Clark…a member of the Apostolic Faith Church, made disturbing accusations, claiming numerous incidents of abuse and cult-like behavior, NewsChannel5 reported. Last Saturday, six weeks after Clark made those claims, police say the 43-year-old woman was beaten to death with a gun inside her apartment. Police say that five of her 13 children were also inside the apartment. Police arrested her estranged husband, Ralph Clark…and charged him with aggravated murder. Days before her murder, the courts gave Carolyn Clark temporary custody of her under-age children, with the affidavit possibly playing a role in that decision. In the document, Carolyn Clark said church members beat her with a belt, abused children, and engaged in sexual abuse. She also claimed that the church engaged in cult behavior, mind control and physical and sexual abuse. Clark alleged that she was forced to sleep with a church leader twice. She said that her husband is under the control of the church, and that she feared for her young children. Earlier this week, church officials denied all of the allegations, telling NewsChannel5 that their doors are always open.” http://www.newsnet5.com/news/4478692/detail.html#

Search On For Clues In Alleged Satanic Pedophile Ring – Bernard Makes Court Appearance 5/24/05 “Columbus, Ohio – FBI agents and local police searched a storage unit located along Morse Road Tuesday in connection with an alleged sex scandal linked to a New Orleans-area church, NBC 4’s Nancy Burton reported. The storage unit was searched after one of the suspects, Nicole Bernard, told investigators that it held evidence of a satanic pedophile ring. Bernard made her first court appearance Tuesday in Franklin County after being arrested Thursday by Reynoldsburg police at a home in Blacklick and charged with aggravated rape. Bernard’s husband, a church pastor and a sheriff’s deputy were arrested in Louisiana. All are accused of sexually abusing children — including some related to them, Burton reported. A search warrant indicated that animals also were involved, Burton reported. Nine people in all have been arrested, according to WDSU-TV in New Orleans. Police said the satanic pedophile ring went on for four years. The sex scandal allegedly occurred at the Hosanna Church, located 60 miles north of New Orleans.” http://www.nbc4i.com/news/4526430/detail.html

Satanist paedophile ring ‘ritually raped up to 25 children’ By Tom Leonard in Ponchatoula 6/3/05 “In a case that has horrified Americans way beyond the Bible Belt, Louis Lamonica Jnr and eight members the Hosanna Church are accused of being members of a Satanic paedophile ring who ritually raped up to 25 children, as well as performing animal sacrifices.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/03/wsat03.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/06/03/ixworld.html

describes crimes – The Devil’s Handiwork? A church laid waste by its pastor’s bizarre behavior. By Sarah Childress – Newsweek June 6 issue – “Louis Lamonica walked into the sheriff’s department in tiny Livingston, La., a few weeks ago and asked to speak with a detective. According to police, for almost the next two hours the middle-aged preacher, dressed casually in a green polo shirt and green slacks, proceeded to tell a story so sickening they could scarcely believe what they were hearing. He explained that he was the former pastor of Hosanna Church, a now defunct house of worship in nearby Ponchatoula. Matter-of-factly and without remorse, Lamonica said that he and other church members had molested children, and taught them to have sex with each other, as well as with a dog. He told the detectives that he drank cat blood, and poured it on the bodies of his young victims, according to Ponchatoula Police Chief David Vitter.” “After Lamonica’s confession, authorities arrested eight other members of the Hosanna Church congregation, including Lamonica’s wife, Robbin, and a Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s deputy. Police say that church members abused as many as two dozen children, one only a year old, beginning in 1999, in rituals that they say may be tied to devil worship.” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8017175/site/newsweek/

from LMS [Hosanna Church] Witnesses speak of cult-like activities at Hosanna The Daily Star, USA 5/25/05 Aimee Yee www.hammondstar.com “People dressed in black clothing stood inside pentagrams and performed blood rituals at the Hosanna Church, according to information coming from an investigation by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. The nine suspects now in custody are believed to have been involved in the ritualistic practice of molesting and raping children from 1999 to 2003, when the church disbanded. Since the story broke on May 17, details of the abuse believed to have taken place at the church has become more explicit and graphic.” http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11276/Witnesses-speak-of-cult-like-activities-at-Hosanna

from LMS describes rituals – Ninth sex cult suspect due in La. By Debra Lemoine dlemoine@theadvocate.com Florida parishes bureau Ponchatoula “Authorities spent Wednesday looking for additional evidence into the alleged occult rituals at Hosanna Church that included having sex with children and animals from 1999 to 2003. Sheriff Daniel Edwards said investigators are sifting through “volumes” of evidence and have at least 100 interviews to conduct.” “Victims and suspects have told deputies that costumes and puppets were used in the rituals, sometimes to persuade the children to participate. Detectives also believe that members dressed in black to perform rituals that included cat blood on a pentagram.” http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/052605/new_cult001.shtml

Cult suspect booked; FBI digs at church By Debra Lemoine dlemoine@theadvocate.com Florida parishes bureau Ponchatoula – “Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s deputies worked to bring two alleged cult members to jail in Amite on Tuesday while the Federal Bureau of Investigation dug up the grounds at the Hosanna Church in Ponchatoula looking for more evidence….Detectives want to interview 75 to 100 people in connection with the investigation, which could lead to more arrests. About 25 of the people deputies are looking for are potential victims of the church. The child victims include boys and girls and range in age from 1 to 15 years old.” http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/052505/new_cult001.shtml

7 Members of Louisiana Church Charged With Abuse of Children By Ariel Hart 5/20/05 “The pastor of a Louisiana church and six of its members, including the pastor’s wife and a sheriff’s deputy, have been arrested in what the police described as a cult-like sex ring that abused children and animals. All seven are being held on charges of aggravated rape, including rape of a child younger than 13, which can be prosecuted as a capital crime in the state, the authorities said. Five other adults were identified yesterday as “persons of interest” at a meeting of seven law enforcement agencies, including the F.B.I., said Deputy Chuck Reed, a spokesman for the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Reed said the police wanted to interview as many as 24 children as possible victims in incidents that might date to 1998. The Rev. Louis Lamonica, 45, pastor of Hosanna Church in Ponchatoula, a town of 5,000 about 40 miles northwest of New Orleans, is both the chief suspect and the man who broke the case, which deputies had been investigating since a woman called from Ohio five weeks ago. She said her children had been abused but was reluctant to give specifics, Deputy Reed said.” http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/national/20louisiana.html?ex=1117252800&en=7f01ddb6fd048686&ei=5070

More Arrests Made in Case of Bizarre Sex Ring 5/20/05 “We heard there would be more arrests and now detectives in Livingston Parish confirm an alleged sex cult reaches deeper into their parish than anyone thought. Thursday night, detectives arrested the wife of the pastor accused in the sex cult ring, Robbin Lamonica. She is the latest to be arrested in this bizarre sex cult that stretches over several parishes and centers around a church. Tangipahoa Sheriff’s deputies say Lamonica, her husband, and three others were part of the suspected sex cult at Hosanna Church in Ponchatoula, a place where detectives believe people had ritualistic sex with animals and possibly upwards of 20 children.” http://wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=3368964

Fourth arrest in Hammond sex scandal involving children and animals Brooke Erickson 5/19/05 “Hammond – The latest suspect in the sex scandal out of Hammond is 46-year old Allen Pierson. He’s charged with aggravated rape. Investigators say the crimes happened inside a North shore church more than two years ago. They allegedly involved sex with children and household pets. The former pastor of this church, Louis Lamonica, former deputy Chris Labat, and church member Aaron Bernard are all tied to the case. Police say the children were taught to have intercourse with each other and animals. Detectives have been reluctant to officially call it a cult, but they say these crimes are “cult-like.”” http://abc26.trb.com/

Probe ongoing in alleged ‘cult’ sexual abuse – Ponchatoula “Authorities gathered new evidence from the home of a former pastor accused of leading a church group in “cultlike” rituals involving the sexual abuse of children and animals. Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s spokeswoman Laura Covington said Saturday that authorities seized cars belonging to three of the eight arrested suspects in the case and also searched the home of former Hosanna Church pastor Louis Lamonica on Friday night. “They took a few computers,” Covington said. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said that a warrant was issued Saturday for the arrest of a woman believed to be linked to the group accused of sexually abusing children and animals.” http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/052205/new_probe001.shtml

Alleged cult member arrested, another to be returned By AP “Amite – Police have arrested the last person named so far in warrants accusing them of being part of a cult which had sex with children and animals, but a dozen or more additional people could be involved, authorities say.” http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/052405/new_cultarrests001.shtml

New Leads In The Johnny Gosch Case 5/25/05 “A cold case is heating up. Iowa paperboy Johnny Gosch vanished without a trace in 1982. But, now, after KWWL’s story last month on Johnny’s disappearance, there is new information on the case. A private investigator working Johnny’s disappearance believe his kidnapping was part of a government conspiracy. The investigator shared new evidence with KWWL and it could be the break needed to solve this case. That evidence includes a recorded phone call that has never been heard publicly, until now. During the early morning of September 5, 1982, Johnny Gosch was kidnapped from a West Des Moines neighborhood while delivering newspapers. It was silent, quick and professional. “This man has told us that at the end of their investigation that there were 834 kids involved that were kidnapped,” says James Rothstein. He’s talking about a former CIA agent who must remain anonymous.” http://www.kwwl.com/

“WOUNDED HEART – SOARING SPIRIT” is an in depth sharing of my healing journey experienced through expression. I am a retired art therapist and survivor of ritual abuse. My journey has been one of triumph through unity and diversity, love and respect, courage and kindness. This book was created by my internal collective community through images and words. Cost: 30.00 which includes 3.00 donation, copying and shipping costs. All donations go to crisis shelter. For further information or to order book please contact me at: rainbowwomin@adelphia.net or Sandra of the Gardens, P .O Box 427, Gabriels, NY, 12939, USA. Note : This book may be very heavy for survivors. from LMS Scientist ‘killed Amazon indians to test race theory’ Geneticist accused of letting thousands die in rainforest Paul Brown 9/23/00 “Thousands of South American indians were infected with measles, killing hundreds, in order to for US scientists to study the effects on primitive societies of natural selection, according to a book out next month. The astonishing story of genetic research on humans, which took 10 years to uncover, is likely to shake the world of anthropology to its core, according to Professor Terry Turner of Cornell University, who has read the proofs….The book accuses James Neel, the geneticist who headed a long-term project to study the Yanomami people of Venezuela in the mid-60s, of using a virulent measles vaccine to spark off an epidemic which killed hundreds and probably thousands. Once the epidemic was under way, according to the book, the research team “refused to provide any medical assistance to the sick and dying Yanomami, on explicit order from Neel. He insisted to his colleagues that they were only there to observe and record the epidemic, and that they must stick strictly to their roles as scientists, not provide medical help”. The book, Darkness in El Dorado by the investigative journalist Patrick Tierney, is due to be published on October 1.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,372067,00.html

from LMS Guru of Sadism, Safely in Jail, Leaves Cult to Fend for Itself By Larry Rohter 5/16/05 Villa Baviera, Chile “….the white metal gates to Colonia Dignidad, the secretive paramilitary religious sect that took refuge here in the foothills of the Andes more than 40 years ago, slowly swing open. A winding dirt road leads to the compound where Chilean authorities say that Paul Schäfer, a former Nazi Luftwaffe medic turned lay preacher, sexually molested scores of young boys. A few yards away is a hospital where, according to former cult members, those who drew Mr. Schäfer’s ire were drugged and tortured. And somewhere beneath the ground, human rights groups say, are the clandestine dungeons where Colonia Dignidad held the political prisoners who were entrusted to it in the 1970’s by Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s secret police.” http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/international/americas/16chile.html?pagewanted=print

Scientists Create Remote-Controlled Flies 4/10/05 New Haven, Conn. “Yale University researchers say their study that used lasers to create remote-controlled fruit flies could lead to a better understanding of overeating and violence in humans. Using the lasers to stimulate specific brain cells, researchers say they were able to make the flies jump, walk, flap their wings and fly.” http://news.yahoo.com/

Inventor Wins Prize For Speakerless Sound System Man Holds 47 Patents 4/21/05 “Portland – Elwood “Woody” Norris pointed a metal frequency emitter at one of perhaps 30 people who had come to see his invention. The emitter – an aluminum square – was hooked up by a wire to a CD player. Norris switched on the CD player. “There’s no speaker, but when I point this pad at you, you will hear the waterfall,” said the 63-year-old Californian. And one by one, each person in the audience did…” http://www.koin.com/news.asp?RECORD_KEY%5Bnews%5D=ID&ID%5Bnews%5D=2220

California Bill Would Bar RFID Chips from Library Cards – A bill that cleared the California Senate’s Judiciary Committee on April 26 would prohibit the inclusion of radio frequency identification (RFID) chips in all state-issued identity documents, including library cards. The Identity Information Protection Act of 2005 would also ban the practice of skimming- the surreptitious use of an electronic reading device to collect RFID data from an unsuspecting person carrying an object with an embedded chip. The bill, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, is being considered as the U.S. State Department is gearing up to begin embedding RFID tags containing digitized photos into all U.S. passports.” http://www.ala.org/al_onlineTemplate.cfm?Section=alonline&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=93168

from LMS F.D.A. Considers Implant Device for Depression By Benedict Carey 5/21/05 “The Food and Drug Administration may soon approve a medical device that would be the first new treatment option for severely depressed patients in a generation, despite the misgivings of many experts who say there is little evidence that it works. The pacemaker-like device, called a vagus nerve stimulator, is surgically implanted in the upper chest, and its wires are threaded into the neck, where it stimulates a nerve leading to the brain. It has been approved since 1997 for the treatment of some epilepsy patients, and the drug agency has told the manufacturer that it is now “approvable” for severe depression that is resistant to other treatment.” http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/21/science/21depress.html?hp&ex=1116734400&en=fdf77d4c084f7fe1&ei=5094&partner=homepage

describes crimes – French Pedophilia Trial Hears Sordid Tales By Stephanie Lacaze, Ap 5/4/05 Angers, France “Harrowing scenes from a young girl’s birthday, in which she and other children were allegedly surrounded by naked adults, were recounted during testimony Wednesday in a pedophilia trial that has horrified France. Alain D., one of 66 people accused of involvement in a pedophilia ring, recalled the day a child named Marine V. turned 6, adding more chilling testimony to the trial. Most of the defendants deny any wrongdoing. Investigators say 45 children – aged 6 months to 14 years old – were abused by parents or acquaintances from 1999 to 2002, in some cases in exchange for small amounts of money, food, cigarettes or alcohol.” http://news.yahoo.com/

Article may be very heavy for survivors. You Don’t Have to Play Me Backwards…Satanic Ritual Abuse: the Evidence Surfaces by Daniel Ryder, CCDC, LSW http://www.whale.to/b/ryder.html

TV drama focuses on ritual abuse David Smith 2/29/04 “The BBC is to screen a provocative new drama about domestic ritual abuse and its effect in creating victims with ‘multiple personalities’. To be shown at primetime on BBC One in the next two months, May 33rd stars Lia Williams as Ella, a young woman whose tortured upbringing causes her personality to fragment into five different people. The drama – its title reflects Ella’s disjunction – is written by Guy Hibbert, whose previous film, No Child of Mine, a true story about child prostitution and abuse, caused controversy in 1996. For May 33rd, he interviewed sufferers of the multiple personality condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Hibbert said: ‘The women I spoke to had been abused by family and friends. The rituals vary: some use Christian symbolism, some may believe in a kind of Satanism. But I found it’s more to do with dressing up and sadism. They seem to be very ordinary members of the community and they like being secretive.” http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1158704,00.html

article describes crimes – Child brides and vampire names: Bizarre the norm in family mass murder trial 4/22/05 By Harriet Ryan, Court TV “In an unexceptional, wood-paneled courtroom on the fifth-floor of the downtown Superior Court here, the story of the city’s worst mass murder is unfolding in chilling detail. The tale emerging from the trial of Marcus Wesson rivals an Anne Rice novel, with testimony of incest, child brides, vampire aliases, coffin beds and an apocalyptic obsession that led a one-time bank teller to turn his extended family into a reclusive cult. Wesson, 58, stands accused of killing nine of his children, including seven he sired with his own daughters and nieces. He is also charged with molestation and rape. The murder victims, ranging in age from 1 to 25, were discovered in the family’s home March 12, 2004, after a standoff with police over a custody issue. Each had been shot once through the eye and piled in a back bedroom ringed with antique coffins.” http://story.news.yahoo.com/

CRS Report for Congress – Radiation Compensation Programs: Hotlines, websites and Other Sources of Information “The federal government provides compensation for civilians and veterans under three Statutory programs. The 1990  Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA, P.L. 101-426) provides lump sum payments of up to $100,000 to on-site nuclear test participants, civilians who lived downwind from the Nevada test site (“downwinders”), and uranium Miners, millers, and ore transporters. Radiation-exposed veterans are eligible for Disability  compensation under the 1984  Veterans’ Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation   Standards Act (P.L. 98-542) and the 1988 Radiation-Exposed Veterans’ Compensation Act (REVCA, P.L. 100-321).” http://my.dmci.net/~casey/CRS1-4.htm

Feds admit Agent Orange death – Greg Weston discovers how a widow’s crusade ended 40 years of denials by the federal government By Greg Weston, 5/15/05 Kingston “Forty years after the American military was allowed to test-bomb a New Brunswick army base with deadly Agent Orange herbicide, the Canadian government is finally admitting veterans are dying as a result of being poisoned. The Department of National Defence has confirmed that in 1966, U.S. forces doused forested areas of the Gagetown base with the infamous chemical defoliant, testing it for clearing jungle during the Vietnam War. Since then, Agent Orange has been linked to a horrifying array of cancers, diabetes, respiratory diseases and blindness among U.S. veterans — not to mention two generations of sick Vietnamese — and even birth defects in children of vets.” http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2005/05/15/1040228-sun.html

San Francisco – Bid to sue over LSD rejected by Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer 4/13/05 “A federal judge has tentatively ordered dismissal of a $12 million lawsuit against the U.S. government, filed by a former deputy marshal who said he was unknowingly drugged with LSD as part of a CIA mind-control program before trying to hold up a San Francisco bar nearly a half century ago. In earlier rulings, U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel rejected the government’s attempts to dismiss Wayne Ritchie’s suit and said he had shown that a CIA mind-control experiment code-named MKULTRA was operating in San Francisco in December 1957, when Ritchie says he was drugged. During the program, which lasted at least a decade at the height of the Cold War, hundreds of unwitting Americans were given LSD and other drugs to study their possible use in behavioral control.” http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/13/BAGPJC78CA1.DTL

4 charged in 1982 death of ‘God’s banker’ 4/19/05 Rome “Four people were ordered Monday to stand trial in the death of an Italian financier with close ties to the Vatican, who was found hanging 23 years ago from a London bridge, his pockets stuffed with rocks and bank notes. Roberto Calvi, who had been the president of Banco Ambrosiano, had been dubbed ”God’s banker” because of his ties with the Vatican’s bank and its former top official, the American Archbishop Paul C. Marcinkus. Calvi’s death came amid Banco Ambrosiano’s collapse following the disappearance of $1.3 billion. A Cicero, Ill., native, Marcinkus denied wrongdoing. Indicted Monday were businessman Flavio Carboni; his ex-girlfriend Manuela Kleinszig; a man with alleged ties to the Mafia, Giuseppe ”Pippo” Calo, and businessman Ernesto Diotallevi. Prosecutors say Calvi was laundering money for the Mafia, and that Calo ordered his murder because Mafia bosses were afraid Calvi would talk, a defense attorney said. AP ” http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-bank19.html

Archaeological Investigations of the McMartin Preschool site , Manhattan Beach, California by E. Gary Stickel, Ph.D. “The project determined the existence of two extensive tunnel complexes beneath the concrete floor of the McMartin Preschool building.” http://www.whale.to/b/stickel.html

In the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska Paul A. Bonacci, 4:cv91-33037 Plaintiff, Vs. Memorandum of Decision Lawrenice E. King, Defendant. http://ctrl.org/silence/memo.html

www.guildofthesacredheart.com is a safe, positive place for victims/survivors of child abuse and especially Satanic Ritual Abuse. In it you find a refuge of peace, comfort, hope and understanding on how the abuse effected your life. It presents a stable means for healing through Faith and Trust in the Heart of Jesus. The Guild of the Sacred Heart offers you an opportunity to be remembered in the prayers, perpetual candle and monthly Masses offered for all child abuse and SRA victims. As always, please use caution contacting any resource in this newsletter.

Kim Kubal, a ritual abuse and torture survivor, is writing a book entitled “Power to Heal”. She would love to receive submissions from survivors on their healing journey from ritual abuse/torture to recovery. At the end of each story, please elaborate on one or two healing tools, which have been most helpful to their recovery. Kim would like to have each story in approximately 1 – 1½ pages or less. It can be written with a pseudonym or with their real name. The deadline for these stories is May 2005. Kim Kubal’s email address is: kkubal@prodigy.net Please send the submission as an attachment. This book is to help survivors, loved ones of survivors and therapists, and to educate the general public on ritual abuse/torture, and recovery from this abuse. As always, please use caution contacting any resource in this newsletter.

Project Paperclip: Nazis in America http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=337

This may be very heavy for survivors. Ritual Abuse: The Attack on Our Children by John W. Whitehead 5/16/05 “On June 25, 1992, Dr. Corydon Hammond gave a lecture entitled “Hypnosis in MPD: Ritual Abuse” to an audience of professionals at the Fourth Annual Eastern Regional Conference on Abuse and Multiple Personality in Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Hammond, a psychologist, has lectured, written and received many awards related to the field of psychology–including a 1998 Presidential Award for Advancements to Clinical Hypnosis. Dr. Hammond’s main subject was the ritual abuse of children. He stated that in as many as two-thirds of ritual abuse cases, the victims had been subjected to highly developed and uniform technology of mind control, suggesting that there is a large network of practitioners conducting such atrocities on children in the U.S. Often, according to Hammond, these will be “bloodline people,” that is, people who are involved in cultic practices such as Satanism or in American intelligence agency programs.” http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=339

This may be very heavy for survivors – A Nation Betrayed: Secret Cold War Experiments Performed on Our Children and Other Innocent People An interview with Carol Rutz By John W. Whitehead 05/18/05 http://www.rutherford.org/oldspeak/blog/articles/interview/Rutz.html

describes abuse CKLN-FM Mind Control Series — Part 3 – Mind Control Survivors’ Testimony at the Human Radiation Experiments Hearings: Valerie Wolf — Claudia Mullen — Christine deNicola http://www.whale.to/b/wolf3.html

Journal Articles

Many of the journal abstract excerpts and quotes in this section of the newsletter came from the backlash_ology@yahoogroups.com listed as BO For info. write backlash_ology-owner@yahoogroups.com

Study warns of child abuse pandemic 4/12/05 “Reports of child abuse in Australia will continue to increase, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon has warned. Her comments follow a report commissioned by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation (AMF), which estimated a child is reported abused or neglected every two minutes in Australia. In 2003-4, there were close to 220,000 child abuse cases reported. The overall increase in reported abuse was due to better reporting rather than an increasing rate of actual abuse, Commissioner Nixon said. “The issue around child abuse is really one of an under-reported crime,” she said. Nevertheless, the current figures were not “even close” yet to the true amount of child abuse, she warned.” http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Study-warns-of-child-abuse-pandemic/2005/04/12/1113251618472.html?oneclick=true

from LMS Most sex assaults against children, study finds Ottawa (CP)4/20/05 “Although they represented only 21 per cent of the population, 60 per cent of sexual assaults reported to police in 2003 involved a child or youth, says Statistics Canada. Young people were also victims of 21 per cent of physical assaults and 17 per cent of other crimes involving violence or the threat of violence reported to a set of 122 police services in 2003, the agency said Wednesday. However, Statistics Canada issued a caution about the figures. “It should be noted that the 122 police services in this study represent 61 per cent of the national volume of crime,” the agency said. “As such, the data are not nationally representative.” The study found that 20 per cent of all violent crimes reported were committed against children and youth aged 17 and under.” Http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1113992766007&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes

from BO Impaired memory retrieval after psychosocial stress in healthy young men. Kuhlmann S, Piel M, Wolf OT. J Neurosci. 2005 Mar 16;  25(11):2977-82. “The present study thus demonstrates that psychosocial stress impairs memory retrieval in humans and suggests that emotionally arousing material is especially sensitive to this effect.” Institute of Experimental Psychology, University of Duesseldorf, D-40225 Duesseldorf, Germany.

from BO Early traumatic life events, parental attitudes, family history, and birth risk factors in patients with borderline personality disorder and healthy controls. Bandelow B, Krause J, Wedekind D, Broocks A, Hajak G, Ruther E. Psychiatry Res. 2005 Apr 15; 134(2):169-79. “Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) were compared with a healthy control group with regard to traumatic life events during childhood….The frequency of reports of traumatic childhood experiences was significantly higher in patients than in controls, including sexual abuse, violence, separation from parents, childhood illness, and other factors. On a 0- to 10-point “severe trauma scale,” patients had significantly more severe traumatic events (mean score=3.86, SD=1.77) than control subjects (0.61, SD=0.93). Only four (6.1%) of the BPD patients, but 67 (61.5%) of the controls did not report any severe traumatic events at all. Compared with controls, patients described the attitude of their parents as significantly more unfavorable in all aspects….The present data support the hypothesis that the etiology of BPD is multifactorial and that familial psychiatric disorders and sexual abuse are contributing factors.” Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Gottingen, von-Siebold-Str. 5, D-37075, Gottingen, Germany.

Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser By Joseph M. Carver, PhD “”Stockholm Syndrome” …the emotional “bonding” with captors….Stockholm Syndrome (SS) can also be found in family, romantic, and interpersonal relationships. The abuser may be a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, father or mother, or any other role in which the abuser is in a position of control or authority.” http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=469

The science of child sexual abuse Freyd JJ, Putnam FW, Lyon TD, Becker-Blease KA, Cheit RE, Siegel NB, Pezdek K. Science 2005 Apr 22; 308(5721):501. “Child sexual abuse (CSA) involving sexual contact between an adult and a child has been reported by approximately 20% of women and 5 to 10% of men worldwide. A history of CSA leads to serious mental and physical health problems, substance abuse, and criminality in adulthood. Scientific study of CSA is currently underfunded, obscured by contentious forensic controversy, and fragmented by discipline.”

UO expert calls for honest fight against child sex abuse By Tim Christie The Register-Guard 4/22/05 “Writing in the influential journal Science, a group of experts led by a University of Oregon professor have challenged researchers and policymakers to do a better job examining and combatting sexual abuse of children by adults. Lead author of the one-page “Policy Forum” article in the April 22 issue is Jennifer Freyd, a UO psychology professor and national expert on child sex abuse. The fact that some adults lure or force children into sexual activity is an uncomfortable topic for most people, which is one reason why society has tended to turn a blind eye to the problem, Freyd said at a campus news conference….According to the Science article, child sex abuse has been reported by 20 percent of women and by 5 to 10 percent of men worldwide. Surveys likely underreport the problem. And it’s estimated that 90 percent of cases are never reported to authorities, with victims silenced by “the pervasive climate of fear, social taboo and myth,” Freyd said.” http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/04/22/a1.childsexabuse.0422.html

Thyroid hormone alterations among women with posttraumatic stress disorder due to childhood sexual abuse. Friedman MJ, Wang S, Jalowiec JE, McHugo GJ, McDonagh-Coyle A. Biol Psychiatry 2005 May 15; 57(10):1186-92. “Women with PTSD-CSA showed significant elevations in Total T(3) and the TT(3)/free thyroxine (TT(3)/FT(4)) ratio, the FT(3)/TT(3) ratio, and modest reductions in thyroid stimulating hormone relative to our community sample. These findings could not be explained by the influence of prior trauma, lifetime PTSD or depressive symptoms….Altered thyroid activity, especially elevated Total T(3) levels, was found in women with PTSD associated with childhood sexual abuse. Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover; NH-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center; Lebanon, New Hampshire; National Center for PTSD VA Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont.

Violence-Related Stress May Harm Kids’ Health 4/20/05 By Amy Norton New York (Reuters Health) “The stress some young children suffer after being exposed to violence in their neighborhoods or homes may have repercussions for their physical health, according to a new study…. The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, included 160 Michigan children who were taking part in Head Start, a federal preschool program for low-income families….Overall, 20 percent of the children had reactions that were consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder — though nearly all had some signs of traumatic stress. Health problems, including allergies, asthma, colds and flu, were more common among children with PTSD, the study found. In particular, these children had a four-times higher risk of asthma and gastrointestinal problems than their peers did.” http://www.reuters.com/

Daily Reproductive Health Report – Pregnancy & Childbirth | Infants Born to Pregnant Women Near World Trade Center Attack Affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Study Says 5/6/05 “Infants born to pregnant women who were in or near the World Trade Center when it was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, have biological markers indicating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study published online on Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.” http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=29872

Smiljanich, K. & Briere, J., “Self-reported sexual interest in children: Sex differences and psychosocial correlates in a university sample,” Violence & Victims, vol. 11, no. 1, 1996, pp. 39-50. “The finding that those who have more difficulty attracting peers are more likely to have sexual interest in children is similar to other researchers’ findings. Along with higher sexual conflict, this finding suggests that these factors place one at higher risk for directing their sexual interest toward children.” http://www.mhamic.org/sources/smiljanich&briere.htm

from BO [Long-term mental effects of childhood sexual abuse in the elderly][Article in Dutch] Kok RM, Matthijsen AH, Marijnissen RM. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2005 Apr 23; 149(17):905-8. “Two Dutch studies of elderly psychiatric inpatients found a prevalence of 16% sexual abuse in 32 male and female patients and 8% in 110 female patients, respectively. Sexual abuse may have a great, lifelong impact on the victims.” Altrecht GGZ, afd. de Es, Jutfaaseweg 205, 3522 HR Utrecht. r.kok@altrecht.nl

How Society Enables Child Molesters “Charles Whitfield, MD, (2001) researched the defense tactics of accused and convicted child molesters and found that of all the defenses that a child molester has at his disposal, the most effective is our collective desire not to know. We all so much want the abuse not to have happened that when an accused person says they didn’t do it, it resonates with our own personal hopes and beliefs about the incident.” http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/Justice/BLOG-MJ/blog-mj.html

Child Abuse Death Risk High in Military Families 5/17/05 (HealthDay News) “Children from military families are twice as likely to die from severe abuse as other children are, according to a North Carolina study. Based on the findings, the pediatric experts who led the study are calling on officials at the Pentagon to do more to investigate the reasons children growing up in military households face such risks. The study was presented Tuesday at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting, in Washington, D.C. Researchers at the North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute examined cases of child abuse murders in North Carolina from 1985 to 2000. They focused on cases involving babies and children up to 10 years old.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/childabusedeathriskhighinmilitaryfamilies

Child Sex Abuse Affects Both Genders Long Term 5/20/05 By Jennifer Warner “Men and women may suffer nearly equally from the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. Although most research on the consequences of childhood sexual abuse has focused on female survivors, a new study suggests that men who were the victims of sexual abuse as children may suffer from similar issues. Researchers found the impact of childhood sexual abuse on the risk later in life of health and social problems was similar for both men and women. These problems include drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, and marital difficulties. The results of the study appear in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Results of Survey on Childhood Sexual Abuse In the study, researchers surveyed more than 17,000 adults who belonged to an HMO in California. The participants were asked about their history of childhood sexual abuse as well as current health and social problems. In the survey, 25 percent of females and 16 percent of males reported experiencing childhood sexual abuse. When asked about the gender of the perpetrators, women reported that men committed the abuse 94 percent of the time. But men reported that the abusers were nearly equally divided among men and women, with women accounting for 40 percent of the perpetrators. The survey also asked the participants if the childhood sexual abuse involved intercourse or inappropriate touching only. Researchers found that the risk of lasting negative effects was slightly higher for both men and women if the abuse included attempted or completed intercourse.” http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,157096,00.html

from LMS Boys Are Also Targets For Sexual Abuse, With Serious Sequelae By Katrina Woznicki, Reviewed by Rubeen K. Israni, M.D., Fellow, Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine 5/19/05 ….ATLANTA, May 19 “Boys as well as girls are vulnerable to sexual abuse, with similar long-term health consequences. According to a study in the June issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the boys’ abusers were more often female, with males reporting past abuse by females nearly 40% of the time. Females reported being abused by females only 6% of the time. That men are often the ones perpetrating male abuse is an incorrect assumption, wrote Shanta Dube, M.P.H., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Whether the female perpetrators were young girls themselves or adult women was not studied. Problems in adulthood occurred in both sexes according to the researchers. As adults, previously abused males and females encountered similar problems at similar rates. In their retrospective cohort study of 17,337 adult members (46% male) of a San Diego HMO, Dube and colleagues found that 16% of the men and 25% of the women reported childhood sexual abuse.” http://www.medpagetoday.com/tbindex.cfm?tbid=1064&topicid=86

From BO Long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse by gender of victim. Dube SR, Anda RF, Whitfield CL, Brown DW, Felitti VJ, Dong M, Giles WH. Am J Prev Med. 2005 Jun; 28(5):430-8. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from 1995 to 1997 among 17,337 adult HMO members in San Diego, California….RESULTS: Contact CSA was reported by 16% of males and 25% of females. Men reported female perpetration of CSA nearly 40% of the time, and women reported female perpetration of CSA 6% of the time. CSA significantly increased the risk of the outcomes. The magnitude of the increase was similar for men and women. For example, compared to reporting no sexual abuse, a history of suicide attempt was more than twice as likely among both men and women who experienced CSA (p<0.05). Compared with those who did not report CSA, men and women exposed to CSA were at a 40% increased risk of marrying an alcoholic, and a 40% to 50% increased risk of reporting current problems with their marriage (p<0.05).” National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.

Temporal concordance of anxiety disorders and child sexual abuse: Implications for direct versus artifactual effects of sexual abuse. Chaffin M, Silovsky JF, Vaughn C. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2005 Jun; 34(2):210-22. “The risk for developing new anxiety disorders after the onset of sexual abuse showed a positive dose-effect relation with abuse severity. The findings add support to the idea that CSA can have a direct link to childhood anxiety disorders, apart from confounded vulnerability factors, postabuse events, or stable family background factors.” Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Few victims of sex abuse report crime 5/17/05 “Only 8% of child sexual abuse survivors report the crime to gardai and almost half of adult survivors of sexual violence tell no one, according to Sligo Rape Crisis Centre. A spokesperson for the centre said this week that the courage and strength of the ex-pupils who took the recent case in Sligo against former teacher Christopher Cosgrove could not be overstated.” http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=23007

from BO Sexual abuse history, risk behavior, and sexually transmitted diseases: The impact of age at abuse. Ohene SA, Halcon L, Ireland M, Carr P, McNeely C. Sex Transm Dis 2005 Jun; 32(6):358-363. “More females than males reported sexual abuse, 26.75% and 5.4%, respectively. Abuse at or before 10 years of age was associated with more lifetime and recent partners. History of abuse was associated with higher rates of STD tests. In regression analysis, for males and females, the odds of having an STD were 2.5 times greater if abuse occurred at 10 years or younger. CONCLUSION: Sexual abuse at a younger age is associated with more sexual risk behaviors and is a risk factor for STDs.” Center for Adolescent Health and Development and the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Minnesota Department of Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

from BO The sexual abuse questionnaire: A preliminary examination of a time and cost efficient method in evaluating the presence of childhood sexual abuse in adult patients. Lock TG, Levis DJ, Rourke PA. J Child Sex Abus. 2005; 14(1):1-26. “This paper provides the results of two studies designed to evaluate a newly constructed self-report instrument, the Sexual Abuse Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ was designed as a brief screening device to aid in the identification of a childhood sexual abuse history. A “unique” feature of the SAQ is the inclusion of a number of non-face valid questions derived from clinical experience. Both studies used an undergraduate population of self-reported abused and non-abused participants. Based upon the combined results of the two studies, the final version of the SAQ was developed, which is comprised of 45 items that manifest good test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent and discriminative validity. The SAQ can discriminate between abused and non-abused male and female participants.” 2 Old New Milford Rd., Suite 2A, Danbury, CT.

Is the child victim of sexual abuse telling the truth? Kathleen Coulborn Faller, M.S.W, PH.D. ….Child Abuse & Neclect. Vol. 8,pp. 473 – 481, 1984 “Children almost never make up stories about being sexually abused. In fact victims are often revictimized in multiple ways for truthfully asserting they have been sexually abused. Perpetrators usually deny their abusive behavior. Mothers may also have reasons for not acknowledging the sexual abuse.” http://www.secasa.com.au/index.php/workers/25/36

The neurology of traumatic “dissociative” amnesia: Commentary and literature review. Joseph R. Child Abuse Negl 1999 Aug; 23(8):715-27. “It is well documented and has been experimentally demonstrated in animals and humans that prolonged and high levels of stress, fear, and arousal commonly induce learning deficits and memory loss ranging from the minimal to the profound. As stress and arousal levels dramatically increase, learning and memory deteriorate in accordance with the classic inverse U-shaped curve. These memory deficits are due to disturbances in hippocampal activation and arousal, and the corticosteroid secretion which can suppress neural activity associated with learning and memory and induce hippocampal atrophy….Although some victims may be unable to forget, amnesia or partial memory loss is not uncommon following severe stress and emotional trauma. Even well publicized national traumas may induce significant forgetting. Memory loss is a consequence of glucocosteroids and stress-induced disturbances involving the hippocampus, a structure which normally plays an important role in the storage of various events in long-term memory.” Brain Research Laboratory, San Jose, CA 95126, USA.

Becker-Blease, K.A., & Freyd, J.J. (2005) Beyond PTSD: An evolving relationship between trauma theory and family violence research. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 403-411. “During the past 20 years, we have learned how similarly harmful are experiences of terror, violence, and abuse, whether they occur on the combat field or at home. The field of family violence has gained much from the field of traumatic stress, and collaborations between these two previously separate fields have yielded important new answers, as well as new research questions. The field of traumatic stress is poised to integrate, more fully than in the past, a variety of aspects of trauma such as social betrayal, as well as outcomes of trauma such as depression, criminality, and physiological harm that go beyond posttraumatic stress.” http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/articles/bf2005.pdf

The biology of child maltreatment: Neglect leave their marks on the brain, from the Harvard Mental Health Letter “It has long been known that childhood abuse, neglect, or the loss of a parent is associated with adult psychiatric disorders. Now, researchers are discovering how early experiences affect a person’s psychological and physical health. Childhood trauma and loss can cause prolonged hypersensitivity to stress by upsetting the brain’s regulation of stress responses.” http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter.htm/#mentalPR

from LMS Inside Sybil’s mind By Alan Bostick 03/12/05 “Paintings depict inner struggle with multiple personalities….It was back in 1973 that the best-selling book of that name introduced the country to a profoundly disturbed woman described as fragmented into at least 16 separate personalities. You may also remember, three years later, the Emmy-winning TV movie also called Sybil. It starred Sally Field as the patient with Joanne Woodward as the psychiatrist who ultimately helped cure her of what’s popularly known as multiple personality disorder. Thanks to a lucky coincidence, a new show of 33 adult paintings by Mason – including several signed by her other personalities, such as one attributed to 3½-year-old “Ruthie” – is now on view at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.” http://tennessean.com/entertainment/arts/archives/05/03/66792255.shtml?Element_ID=66792255