Yesterday Jed highlighted a disturbing new issue in the Wisconsin Senate race: Republican Ron Johnson's strange and outspoken opposition to state legislation that would remove the statute of limitations preventing some victims of child abuse to sue their abusers.
Ron Johnson says we should put the potential for "economic havoc" ahead of the interests of victims of abuse. And if that doesn't tell you what Johnson's priorities would be as a U.S. Senator, nothing will.
The issue here isn't that just that Ron Johnson is opposing victims of predators -- it's that he's doing so to defend the interests of a tiny elite. If he can't even stand up for children -- sexually abused children, in fact -- who in their right mind believes he would stick up for the interests of everyday Wisconsin families?
Turns out, it isn't just the interests of a tiny elite Johnson is protecting. Via Joe at AMERICAblog Uppity Wisconsin unpacks the story. Johnson was on the Green Bay Dioceses Finance Council at the time he testified.
[U]nder Canon Law, the Finance Council has ultimate authority, among other things, in the settling of law suits. And what is the main kind of law suit you dealt with as a member of the Finance Council? Sex abuse claims by children assaulted by priests and other clergy of the Green Bay Diocese.
In fact, you even went to the Wisconsin State Senate to strongly lobby against a bill that would have removed the statute of limitations that prevents child victims of sexual assault from suing their assaulters and the institutions that enabled them. And when you got down to Madison, you not only spoke out against the Child Victims Act, you categorically spoke out against ALL law suits against dioceses and other employers that get sued because they reassign instead of arresting employees they know to be pedophiles.
And here's the kicker: You testified before the Wiconsin State Senate while your Green Bay Diocese Finance Council was trying to get a law suit dismissed. Not on grounds that the diocese was guilty-- they transferred predator priest John Feeney 14 times in 14 years-- but because... wait for it... the statute of limitations had expired. And here's the best part: the guy that was responsible for reassigning the predator priest, Rober Morneau, is still the auxiliary bishop at the Green Bay diocese and one of his functions is to head-up the Finance Council, which Johnson was a member.
Joe says in an update that the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is holding a press conference today in De Pere, Wisconsin calling on Johnson to "use his close public affiliation with the diocese of Green Bay to challenge bishop David Ricken to withdraw a recently filed court motion by the diocese to stop the release of the names and case histories of all known priests who have sexually assaulted children in the diocese."
It's bad enough to testify against childhood victims of sexual abuse, but to do so as part of the ongoing effort to cover up that abuse and to protect the abusers is despicable.