Eideard

Zavala is the dude with the big hat

From humble beginnings in southwest Mexico, Gabino Zavala entered the priesthood and embarked on a remarkable journey that landed him squarely in the corner offices of the nation’s largest Roman Catholic archdiocese. An auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, he oversaw the church’s vast San Gabriel region, a diverse community considered vital to the future of the church. Then, from his pulpit, he became a forceful champion for social and economic justice.

…He is the father, church officials said, of two children, and has resigned his post.

Zavala’s fatherhood, a violation of canon laws of celibacy for priests, was the first controversy to rock the local church during the tenure of Archbishop Jose Gomez… Gomez responded with a blunt letter to his flock on Wednesday announcing the resignation…”He is the father of two minor teenage children, who live with their mother in another state,” the letter said. “Let us pray for all those impacted by this situation and for each other.”

That always helps, right?

The Vatican did not immediately name Zavala’s successor. Gomez declined to be interviewed, and the church declined to disclose further details. Asked whether Zavala was involved in the children’s lives, and why the information suddenly surfaced after so many years, archdiocese spokesman Tod M. Tamberg said: “Those are questions for Bishop Zavala to answer.”

Zavala, who is no longer in ministry but remains a priest and bishop, could not be reached for comment. The voice mail on his cellphone was full and no one answered the door of his home in the Hacienda Heights foothills…

Zavala’s resignation is likely to spark renewed debate over the ecclesiastical laws of celibacy. The earliest popes — St. Peter himself, under some interpretations — were married man and fathers. Later, in the fourth century, church officials concluded that men who were not celibate “shall be deprived of the honor of the clerical life…”

“It’s self-evident — celibacy does not work,” said Father Richard McBrien, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. Younger priests influenced by conservative Vatican administrators in recent years “think celibacy is the crown jewel of the priesthood,” he said. “That’s nonsense.”

Anyone expecting reason, rational debate, policy changes happening in the Catholic Church as a result of this event, the problems it points out – shouldn’t hold their breath while waiting. The Church hasn’t made it past the 19th Century, yet.

 
An embattled Cincinnati-area state representative quit yesterday afternoon, caught up in controversy after being arrested for drunken driving in Indiana with a stripper in his car and Viagra in his system.

By making his resignation effective Aug. 2, Robert Mecklenborg, R-Green Township, ensured himself that he will be paid for all of July; if he had quit this month, his legislative salary would have been prorated. He also gets a bit more from the state retirement system…

His two-sentence resignation letter to House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, was sent electronically yesterday, although it had been in the works since Saturday, said Mike Dittoe, spokesman for House Republicans…

The latest blow against the GOP representative came last week when it was revealed that four days after he was charged with DUI, Mecklenborg signed a driver’s-license application in Ohio saying that he did not have any outstanding traffic citations. Mecklenborg, 59, had an expired driver’s license when he was pulled over by an Indiana state trooper on April 23…

…A dashboard camera video showed him repeatedly telling the trooper that he had not had anything to drink, even as he failed three field sobriety tests…

Mecklenborg was chairman of the House State Government and Elections Committee and sponsored a controversial bill that would require Ohioans to provide a photo ID before being allowed to vote. He also belonged to the Judiciary and Ethics Committee.

Mecklenborg was a good little loyal soldier in the Republican Army of hypocrites. He raised the family values flag every chance he had – supporting legislation against civil rights, against women having any choice or family planning opportunities, never heard of a war he couldn’t approve or a budget for working families and their children he wouldn’t cut.

Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission

A year after his resignation plunged Belgium’s Roman Catholic Church into a crisis, the former bishop of Bruges provoked almost universal condemnation on Friday, this time by admitting that he had abused a second nephew – and insisting that he was not a pedophile.

In a television interview late Thursday that reopened deep wounds, the bishop, Roger Vangheluwe, 74, recounted with apparent lack of contrition events leading up to his resignation as bishop of Bruges last year, when it emerged that nearly 25 years ago he had abused a boy who was later revealed to be one of his nephews.

Those revelations prompted hundreds of people to come forward, claiming that they, too, had been victims of priests, and forced Belgium’s Roman Catholic Church into its deepest crisis of recent times.

In a broadcast from a location in France, Bishop Vangheluwe, dressed in an open-neck shirt, suggested that the 13-year relationship revealed last year had not been opposed by his nephew, and, in an unexpected new twist, he admitted having abused a second nephew for a much shorter period…

Bishop Vangheluwe is not facing criminal charges because of Belgium’s 10-year statute of limitations, and the Vatican says he is receiving “spiritual and psychological treatment” outside Belgium…

During the interview, to which Bishop Vangheluwe had agreed only on the condition that it would be broadcast live, he denied that he had been driven by sexual motives…the abuse had been restricted to the touching of genitals…

Um, the Pope said – well, the Pope said nothing. When the abuse became public he condemned the police for searching church property and took the Bishop’s fate into his own hands. Since then – well, the Pope said nothing.

What – no American flag tattooed under that chest hair?

A married US congressman has resigned after a half-naked picture and emails that he sent to a woman he met on the internet were published online.

Chris Lee, a Republican who has represented a northwestern district of New York for the past two years, announced he was quitting just three hours after details of his extramarital liaison emerged…

The picture of Mr Lee was published on Wednesday by Gawker, the New York gossip website. The congressman had sent it to a woman appealing for contact on Craigslist, the classified listings site.

In her Craigslist posting, the woman asked for respondents to come forward and prove that not all men were “toads.” In his reply, Mr Lee wrote: “Hi, Hope I’m not a toad “

An email exchange between Mr Lee and the woman, who was not named, was also published. The congressman had claimed to be a 39-year-old divorced lobbyist and described himself as a “fit fun classy guy”.

Asked by the 34-year-old woman “so do you always send shirtless pics to women from [Craigslist]?“, Mr Lee responded: “Sorry. It’s all I had”. She replied: “I was only joking”.

The pair then exchanged stories about previous dates. It is unclear whether they met. The woman is said to have cut off contact when she searched the internet for Mr Lee and discovered his true identity.

Proving that a congressman can be as dumb as a high school sophomore who just discovered sexting.

Martinez and McCain dancing together after a so-called healthcare forum
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission

It used to be that lawmakers were coy about any ideas they had about heading for K Street, waiting until their terms ended before announcing they were beginning a more lucrative career.

But in recent years, members of Congress planning to become lobbyists have not been able to wait. In fact, when Florida Republican Mel Martinez this week accepted a position with the mega-lobbying and law firm DLA Piper — less than two weeks after resigning from the Senate — it brought to five the number of former lawmakers since 2007 who have abandoned their constituents midterm and almost immediately resurfaced with lobbying firms, according to data provided by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

“This used to be considered unacceptable, but it really is a growing phenomenon,” said Meredith McGehee, who lobbies for stricter lobbying and ethics regulations for the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. “The reality is that the money has gotten so big and so tempting these days, that I think a lot of these members are saying, ‘I don’t think I’ll go back into political office, first of all, and, the money is just too big to turn down.’”

Martinez was traveling in Brazil and could not be reached for comment, but in February, his office insisted he would serve until the end of his term in January 2011 before retiring from Congress to spend more time with his family. Last month, though, he reversed course, announcing he would step down as soon as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist appointed a successor…

Lobbyists’ salaries are not public information, but last year, Martinez’s new firm DLA, which registered nearly 50 lobbyists, reported more than $11.8 million in lobbying revenue, which doesn’t include legal and consultation fees unrelated to lobbying.

Martinez, who is barred from lobbying his former colleagues for two years, will advise clients on government affairs, litigation, financial services, real estate, energy, defense, infrastructure development and other matters, according to a DLA press release announcing his arrival.

Slime. Pure, unadulterated slug exudate. Only now he’ll be paid directly and above the table.

Mexico’s efforts to get to grips with spiralling drug crime and corruption suffered a blow at the weekend when one of the country’s top police officers resigned amid allegations that drugs cartels had infiltrated his department.

Gerardo Garay, the head of Mexico’s military-style federal police force, stepped down to head off suspicion that he was working for a major drugs cartel. “I am resigning because the bloody fight against organised crime makes it our duty to strengthen institutions, which means it is essential to eliminate any shadows of doubt regarding me,” Garay told a press conference. “I will put myself at the disposal of the judicial authorities.” He denied any wrong in the federal police force, and an official statement from the chief prosecutor’s office at the weekend indicated he is not under investigation…

Press reports have linked one of Garay’s closest lieutenants to the Sinaloa cartel, which is a major protagonist in the drug wars. On Saturday the daily newspaper Reformer said the federal police had effectively “sold” control of the customs operations at Mexico City’s international airport to the gang. So-called “narco banners” have also recently accused Garay of protecting Sinaloa-associated drug lords. Narco banners are propaganda messages purporting to be from different trafficking organisation that usually seek to discredit a rival gang, and are often hung from pedestrian bridges over major roads…

This is not the first time the federal police have been under suspicion. Garay took over as acting commissioner of the force six months ago, after his predecessor was killed by a hired assassin outside his parents’ home in Mexico City. The gunman not only knew the supposedly secret movements of the police chief; he also had a key to the external door.

People who believe that “democracy” somehow cures corruption are as gullible as those who believe the ideology of one or another economic system cures greed and the quest for political power.

That’s not cynicism. That’s symptomatic of my willingness to make the fight against crime all-pervasive, including public access to oversight.