TEXT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PETITION
This petition reads:
We Petition the Obama Administration To Establish a National Commission To Investigate Organizational Child Sexual Abuse and Identify Federal Responses.
This petition adds in support the following:
Children are being sexually abused in religious, educational and youth organizations, Federally funded and/or tax exempt. All abuse victims suffer; some commit suicide. A few cases, Penn State, Philly/Boston/K. C. dioceses, Mormon /Boy Scouts, are publicized. Predatory priests, rabbis, ministers, nuns, teachers, coaches, and scout leaders, are secretly protected by unaccountable superiors and abuse again.
Local laws are inadequate. Local officials and media are unduly influenced. Victims are denied justice. Prior responses have been inadequate. As with child porn, a Federal response is needed for survivor aid, mandatory reporting and auditing, superior criminal liability and loss of Federal funds/subsidies. Australia now investigates this under oath with subpoenas.
Significantly, President Obama reportedly said, in pertinent part, recently about organizational child sexual abuse that " ...protecting children is more important than shielding institutions..." and added "...when people see something wrong. they have to 'step up'...".
He is right and it is time for President Obama to step up now and deliver on his pre-election rhetoric, especially for the majority of Catholics who voted for him over many of their bishops' objections.
President Obama will likely meet much resistance in establishing this national commission from powerful and well-funded organizational interests and their apologist political pawns and media shills. But as a person, a father, a lawyer and most of all as the head of government, President Obama's first duty is to protect US citizens, especially defenseless ones, from violence, including sexual abuse.
President Obama must now follow the example of other bold national leaders, including the Prime Ministers of Australia and Ireland, and do all he can to protect innocent children. Our Federal government has badly failed children in this area for much too long.
Congressional leaders would be wise to support the President in establishing a commission promptly. There is another election in 2014.
For more information on the President's commission and on the Australian and Irish precedents, as well as some links to my related articles, please read, "The Need for a National Commission ...," accessible here.
Cross-posted at Open Tabernacle, 29 Nov. 2012.
Posted by William D. Lindsey at 2:09 PM
http://bilgrimage.blogspot.com/2012/11/gerald-t-slevin-mother-petitions.html