Again and again, decade after decade, an array of authorities -- police chiefs, prosecutors, pastors and local Boy Scout leaders among them -- quietly shielded scoutmasters and others accused of molesting children, a newly opened trove of confidential papers shows.
At the time, those authorities justified their actions as necessary to protect the good name and good works of Scouting, a pillar of 20th century America.
The Louisiana case certainly contained all the essentials for a police investigation and, perhaps, a conviction: The scoutmaster admitted to raping a 17-year-old boy on a camping trip and otherwise sexually molesting two other boys; the victims corroborated his confession. But evidently, no charges were ever filed.
The man was let off with a warning that should he be found with young men in the future, he was subject to immediate incarceration at the state prison.
I don't get this cover-up thing in these stories involving the molestation of children. Penn State, the Catholic church, the Boy Scouts thing...what the hell? How is this crap allowed to go on for as long as it does?
Guess the Boy Scouts were too busy keeping gay people out.
Guess the Boy Scouts were too busy keeping gay people out.
I don't get it either. If these organizations are so concerned with their reputations, wouldn't immediately turning the pedophile over to the police prevent any future scandal?
But maybe reputation is not the issue here. Or it is. I just don't know. One thing is obvious: these organizations are more concerned about money and power than protecting those that need it most. I guess money and power is more enticing than doing the right thing.
TV icon sex-abuse scandal rocks the BBC - CNN.comBefore he died last year, Jimmy Savile was viewed as a kind of UK equivalent to American TV icon Dick Clark, gaining fame by bringing music to generations of teens. Savile was knighted byQueen Elizabeth II. He now stands accused as a predatory sex offender.
The shocking allegations have Britain reeling. Countless viewers who grew up watching Savile on TV's"Top of the Pops" and his children's program "Jim'll Fix It" are now questioning their trust in a social institution: the British Broadcasting Corporation.
It's the worst crisis at the BBC in 50 years, says a top correspondent, and the scandal has prompted a wider examination into an alleged culture of sexism stretching back decades within Britain's widely respected public broadcaster.
The scandal has also gripped the British media, with many questioning who knew what and when about the alleged abuse of mostly teenage girls and whether there was any attempt at a coverup.
Police say they have identified more than 200 potential victims, with accusations spanning several decades,and are investigating other suspects in connection with alleged abuse.
Savile died in October 2011 at age 84, soon after being treated in a hospital for pneumonia.
What a painful truth.The debate is all the more uncomfortable as Savile appears to have used his access to children, through his charity and TV work, as a means to prey on vulnerable young people for decades -- and has gone to his grave unpunished.
Not the Boy Scouts, but just as horrible:
TV icon sex-abuse scandal rocks the BBC - CNN.com
If Saville was the British equivalent of Dick Clark, I can only imagine what Brits are going through right now.
Again, it looks like another case of money and power being more important than doing what's right.
What a painful truth.