Thirty-five years later, Debbie Vasquez’s voice trembled as she described her trauma to a group of Southern Baptist leaders.
She was 14, she said, when she was first molested by her pastor in Sanger, a tiny prairie town an hour north of Dallas. It was the first of many assaults that Vasquez said destroyed her teenage years and, at 18, left her pregnant by the Southern Baptist pastor, a married man more than a dozen years older.
In June 2008, she paid her way to Indianapolis, where she and others asked leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention and its 47,000 churches to track sexual predators and take action against congregations that harbored or concealed abusers. Vasquez, by then in her 40s, implored them to consider prevention policies like those adopted by faiths that include the Catholic Church.
“Listen to what God has to say,” she said, according to audio of the meeting, which she recorded. “… All that evil needs is for good to do nothing. … Please help me and others that will be hurt.”
Days later, Southern Baptist leaders rejected nearly every proposed reform.
The abusers haven’t stopped. They’ve hurt hundreds more.
This story is a personal for me and it does hit home quite a bit. When I was 9 years old; a man, who is now deceased, attempted to molest me in a Independent Baptist Church’s School. This school has been closed for many years. But, the mental scars from this, have never left me.
The Pastor of this now defunct Baptist Church ended up resigning in disgrace over an adultery scandal. What I will say to those conservatives who will dismiss this as an attack piece of Christians, is this: This story is very true and it is one that I know too well about. The abuse, the attempt to cover it up and put blame on the victim are all too real.
The sad part is that there is not much that the Southern Baptist Convention can do about it. As the bylaws of the SBC are designed as such, that the SBC is merely a Missionary Organization and does not control their local Churches. It is simply a missionary support clearing house, of sorts.
My prayers are with these victims and their families. I know the pain, I have been there and it is very terrible.
WASHINGTON — The latest revelations by prosecutors investigating President Trump and his team draw a portrait of a candidate who personally directed an illegal scheme to manipulate the 2016 election and whose advisers had more contact with Russia than Mr. Trump has ever acknowledged.
In the narrative that the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, and New York prosecutors are building, Mr. Trump continued to secretly seek to do business in Russia deep into his presidential campaign even as Russian agents made more efforts to influence him. At the same time, in this account he ordered hush payments to two women to suppress stories of impropriety in violation of campaign finance law.
The prosecutors made clear in a sentencing memo filed on Friday that they viewed efforts by Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, to squelch the stories as nothing less than a perversion of a democratic election — and by extension they effectively accused the president of defrauding voters, questioning the legitimacy of his victory. On Saturday, Mr. Trump dismissed the filings, and his lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, minimized the importance of any potential campaign finance violations. Democrats, however, said they could lead to impeachment.
In the memo in the case of Mr. Cohen, prosecutors from the Southern District of New York depicted Mr. Trump, identified only as “Individual-1,” as an accomplice in the hush payments. While Mr. Trump was not charged, the reference echoed Watergate, when President Richard M. Nixon was named an unindicted co-conspirator by a grand jury investigating the cover-up of the break-in at the Democratic headquarters.
“While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows,” the prosecutors wrote.
“He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs with Individual-1,” they continued. “In the process, Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election.”
If this does go down or happen; you know that the democrats will go for impeachment. There is more…
video:
Here is Andrew McCarthy’s take in what is discussed above in the video:
The major takeaway from the 40-page sentencing memorandum filed by federal prosecutors Friday for Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal attorney, is this: The president is very likely to be indicted on a charge of violating federal campaign finance laws.
It has been obvious for some time that President Trump is the principal subject of the investigation still being conducted by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Cohen earlier pleaded guilty to multiple counts of business and tax fraud, violating campaign finance law, and making false statements to Congress regarding unsuccessful efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Yes, Cohen has stated he did the hands-on work in orchestrating hush-money payments to two women who claim to have had sexual liaisons with Trump many years ago (liaisons Trump denies).
But when Cohen pleaded guilty in August, prosecutors induced him to make an extraordinary statement in open court: the payments to the women were made “in coordination with and at the direction of” the candidate for federal office – Donald Trump.
Prosecutors would not have done this if the president was not on their radar screen. Indeed, if the president was not implicated, I suspect they would not have prosecuted Cohen for campaign finance violations at all. Those charges had a negligible impact on the jail time Cohen faces, which is driven by the more serious offenses of tax and financial institution fraud, involving millions of dollars.
Moreover, campaign finance infractions are often settled by payment of an administrative fine, not turned into felony prosecutions. To be sure, federal prosecutors in New York City have charged them as felonies before – most notably in 2014 against Dinesh D’Souza, whom Trump later pardoned.
McCarthy also points out:
In marked contrast, though, when it was discovered that Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign was guilty of violations involving nearly $2 million – an amount that dwarfs the $280,000 in Cohen’s case – the Obama Justice Department decided not to prosecute. Instead, the matter was quietly disposed of by a $375,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission.
Now, this is where it gets very interesting, there are some who say that Trump cannot be indicted as President. See here:
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, prosecutors have tied President Donald Trump to a federal crime, accusing him of directing illegal hush-money payments to women during his presidential campaign in 2016. The Justice Department stopped short of accusing Trump of directly committing a crime. Instead, they said in a court filing Friday night that Trump told his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make illegal payments to buy the silence of two women — porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal — who claimed to have had affairs with Trump and threatened his White House bid. Trump has denied having an affair.
Cohen has pleaded guilty to several charges, including campaign finance violations, and is awaiting sentencing.
Although Trump hasn’t been charged with any crimes, the question of whether a president can even be prosecuted while in office is a matter of legal dispute.
The AP also answers some very good questions:
CAN A SITTING PRESIDENT BE INDICTED?
Legal experts are divided on that question. The Supreme Court has never ruled on whether the president can be indicted or whether the president can be subpoenaed for testimony.
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal advice and guidance to executive branch agencies, has maintained that a sitting president cannot be indicted. Two Justice Department reports, one in 1973 and one in 2000, came to the same conclusion.
Those reports essentially concluded that the president’s responsibilities are so important that an indictment would pose too many risks for the government to function properly.
Trump’s lawyers have said that special counsel Robert Mueller plans to adhere to that guidance, though Mueller’s office has never independently confirmed that. Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has also said that a president cannot be indicted.
___ COULD TRUMP BE INDICTED ONCE HE LEAVES OFFICE?
There would presumably be no bar against charging a president after he leaves the White House.
Legal scholars have said that based on the Justice Department’s guidance, it would appear that Trump could be charged for wrongdoing during the campaign or as president once he leaves office, but likely not before that. Blackman said the statute of limitations for a campaign finance law violation — like the one Cohen pleaded guilty to — would be five years. The payments to Daniels and McDougal were made in 2016, meaning the statute of limitations would run out in 2021. ___ COULD TRUMP PARDON HIMSELF?
Trump has already shown he’s not afraid to use his pardon power, particularly for those he has viewed as unfair victims of partisanship. He’s pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff who was convicted of criminal contempt for disobeying a judge’s order, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, a Bush administration official convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in a leak case.
Courts have never had to answer the question of whether the president can pardon himself. In June, Giuliani told NBC’s “Meet the Pres” that while Trump “probably does” have the power, “pardoning himself would be unthinkable and probably lead to immediate impeachment.”
Now, personally, at this point, I believe that President Donald Trump should resign from office. He has tainted the American people’s trust and has tainted the office of the President of the United States and should leave office. This is coming from someone who voted for this man and believed that he could do things much better than Hillary. Needless to say, I am very disappointed that I believed this man and voted for him.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Eight people have been killed and a number of others injured after a shooting situation at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill on Saturday.
KDKA’s Meghan Schiller reports that a suspect, a heavy-set white male with a beard, has surrendered. The SWAT team had been talking with the suspect, and he was crawling and injured. It is unclear the extent of his injuries.
KDKA sources confirm to Andy Sheehan that the suspect is 48-year-old Robert Bowers. It is believed that he acted alone.
According to Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich, at least six other people were injured, including four police officers. The officers’ injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The other two victims were last listed in critical and serious condition.
Police sources tell KDKA’s Andy Sheehan the gunman walked into the building and yelled, “All Jews must die.” Sheehan’s sources confirmed that eight people were dead. Others had been shot, but the extent of their injuries in unknown at this time.
When officers arrived, the gunman reportedly shot at them, forcing officers to use their vehicles as a shield.
The shooting happened during weekly Shabbat services at the conservative Jewish Synagogue, the building was full of people for a Saturday service and police say they’ve received several calls from people barricaded inside the Synagogue.
1. Bowers Was Armed With an AR-15 ‘Style’ Rifle & Was Shot by Police
NBC News’ Tom Winter reports that Bowers was armed with an AR-15 ‘style’ rifle, in addition to multiple handguns. KDKA has described Bowers as being a “heavy-set white male with a beard.” When Bowers emerged from a standoff with police, he was crawling due to injuries. The station also reported that Bowers is alleged to have opened fire on responding officers.
According to NBC News, Bowers was shot at least once by police during the exchange of gunfire at the synagogue. He was taken to the hospital and is undergoing treatment, NBC News reports.
The former president of the synagogue, Michael Eisenberg, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the shooting took place on the third floor of the building. Eisenberg said that typically there would be a children’s class on that floor but had been canceled on the day of the attack.
Police did not find any explosive devices inside the building.
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich grew emotional during a press briefing Saturday, saying, “It’s a very horrific crime scene. One of the worst that I’ve seen and I’ve been on some plane crashes. It’s very bad.”
2. Bowers Said on Gab That He Did Not Vote for Donald Trump Because Trump Has Allowed Jewish People in His Administration & Among His Supporters
Gab/Robert Bowers
Bowers was an active poster on an alternative version of Twitter, Gab, which is popular with white supremacists, white nationalists, members of alt-right groups and others who have been kicked off of mainstream social media sites. Bowers went by the moniker One Dingo, @onedingo, on the site. In his bio section, Bowers wrote, “jews are the children of satan. (john 8:44) — —- the lord jesus christ is come in the flesh.” Shortly after the shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation, Bowers’ Gab account was deleted.
Gab/Robert Bowers
In a post a few days before the shooting, Bowers wrote, “Trump is a globalist, not a nationalist. There is no #MAGA as long as there is a k*** infestation. #Qanon is here to get patriots that were against martial law in the 90’s to be ones begging for it now to drain muh swamp. But go ahead and keep saying you are #Winning.” That same day, Bowers wrote, “amazing amount of division on gab today. glas the overwhelming jew problem has been solved so we can now fight with each other.” In another message, Bowers wrote of Trump, “For the record, I did not vote for him nor have I owned, worn or even touched a maga hat.”
Gab/Robert Bowers
On his Gab page, Bowers regularly reposted anti-immigrant sentiment as well as memes that preached holocaust denial.
Gab issued a statement after the shooting saying, “Gab took swift and proactive action to contact law enforcement immediately. We first backed up all user data from the account and then proceeded to suspend the account. We then contacted the FBI and made them aware of this account and the user data in our possession.”
3. A Witness Described the Shooting as Being Like a ‘Loud Crash in the Hallway’
Stephen Weiss, a resident of the Squirrel Hill neighborhood who was present inside the synagogue, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the shooting “sounded like a loud crash in the hallway.” Weiss said that he ran through the building hearing what sounded like an “automatic weapon.” He joined a group sheltering in place in the basement.
There are three congregations in the synagogue, the basement was where the New Life congregation was having their Shabbat service, reports KDKA.
4. A Former President of the Synagogue Said that the Department of Homeland Security Have Run Safety Drills at Tree of Life
The synagogue’s former president Michael Eisenberg said that while he was president, he had the Department of Homeland Security come to Tree of Life. Eisenberg told the Post Gazette the agency ran safety drills. Eisenberg added, “We had to step it up as far as security, although there had been no threats. The building isn’t designed for today as far as security purposes.” Eisenberg went on to tell CBS Pittsburgh that a maintenance worker who escaped was able to do so because of the DHS’ work. Eisenberg said, “He was able to get out of the building… because the exit doors were working well. I just can’t tell you how thankful I am just to do that one task that Homeland Security told us to do.”
According to the synagogue’s website, Shabbat morning services were taking place inside as reports about a shooting emerged. The website says that the congregation was founded “more than 150 years ago” and is a “conservative Jewish congregation” but “is also progressive and relevant to the way we live today.” The rabbi is Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers who has been with the congregation since August 2017. Cox Media Group’s Dorey Scheimer tweeted about the congregation, “I am so sick. Squirrel Hill is the Jewish neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Tree of Life is the largest conservative synagogue. Saturday morning is the busiest/most attended service.”
5. The Head of the ADL Has Described the Victims of the Shooting as Being ‘Targeted’
The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League tweeted his condolences to the victims of the shooting. Jonathan Greenblatt wrote that the victims of the attack were “targeted” because of their religion. Greenblatt tweeted, “We are devastated. Jews targeted on Shabbat morning at synagogue, a holy place of worship, is unconscionable. Our hearts break for the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community.” He added, “We are actively engaged with law enforcement to understand the extent of this anti-Semitic attack and we will work together with communities across the country to push back on prejudice wherever it appears.”
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has described the shooting as an “absolute tragedy.” Gov. Wolf added, “We must all pray and hope for no more loss of life. But we have been saying ‘this one is too many’ for too long. Dangerous weapons are putting citizens in harm’s way.”
Looks like the Cult of Trump is finally reaping the seeds it’s sown. God Help Us.
However, it seems to me that the cult of Trump is producing some ugly people. Case in point, the suspect behind the pipe bombs. Check out these quotes.
On the Internet and in real life, Cesar Sayoc was not shy about broadcasting his support for Donald Trump and his contempt for those the president might consider enemies.
He plastered stickers across his white van — supportive of Trump — alongside images of the president’s critics with red targets over their faces and a large decal that read “CNN sucks.” On Twitter, the 56-year-old trafficked conspiracy theories and ranted about liberal billionaire George Soros, former president Barack Obama, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and others whose politics were out of line with his.
“He was crazed, that’s the best word for him,” said Debra Gureghian, the general manager of New River Pizza and Fresh Kitchen in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Sayoc worked for several months. “There was something really off with him.”
On Friday, authorities arrested Sayoc, alleging in a criminal complaint that he was responsible for sending at least 13 potential explosive devices to prominent Democratic and media figures across the country in recent days — including Obama, Clinton, Soros, former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
Although officials declined to say what they believe motivated him, court records, his social media and those who know him make clear that Sayoc was troubled and, at least in recent years, deeply partisan. Ronald Lowy, an attorney representing Sayoc’s family members, said he believed Sayoc was mentally ill and lived out of his vehicle for over a decade.
Sarah Jane Baumgartel, an attorney appointed Friday to represent Sayoc, declined to comment.
“I think this is a post-Trump sort of enticing somebody who maybe had some deep-seated issues, and this recent political climate seems to be bringing it to the surface with some people,” said Daniel Lurvey, a lawyer who represented Sayoc in the past.
I will admit, there was a time, when I supported this President and thought he would be good for the Country and a good alternative to the dread of the Democratic Party in it’s current state. However, I was quite mistaken about that, and I apologize to anyone, who still reads this blog. I was wrong about Trump and his Presidency.
The day a President inspires a nut job to mail pipe bombs to people the President disagrees with, is the day that I sign off with my support of that President. I thought George W. Bush was bad; but this President is much, much worse. He might not be a Neocon; and I really do not think that he really is. He just does the Israel dance to keep them at bay. But, this President is much, much worse, I just hope that his staff and Congress can keep him contained until 2020.
I realize that I have not been posting here much at all. My Dad has been in the hospital. Dad went in on the 18’th of this month with chest pains and difficulty breathing. He spent 14 days on a ventilator and had a tracheotomy. Dad is still in the hospital and is supposed to be moved today to another hospital with a rehab center in it, to ween him off of the breathing machine and the trach tube. It’s going to be a rough road for the man; please pray for him. Oh and by the way, smoking sucks! As does diabetes.
So, I have been busy with that and with my gaming channel on YouTube, which has been really taking off as of late. So, I have been busy elsewhere. Plus too, Politics here as of late, has gotten silly, really silly and my interest has waned a bit. But, this news here made me perk up a bit.
I am referring to the Nixonian firing of FBI director James Comey. Now, Nixon’s people say it is not the same. Sorry, but this smacks of Nixon. An investigation that is getting too close to the President and he fires the person in charge of it. Same deal, different department.
Now, as someone who voted for the President, I will simply say this. If this was a firing to coverup wrongdoing by the President; it will come out in the wash. (So to speak…) I have never been loyal to a political party or person. I simply voted issues and if there has been wrongdoing by this President, by all means, let there be an investigation and not one hampered by partisan politics either.
Now, there are some on the left, maybe all of them? Also some on the right too; who are screaming, “Cover up!” Well, to that I simply say, let the investigators do their jobs and get to the facts.
I’ll just leave this here for those who say that Gay people don’t molest kids.
Gayblade pervert and child molester Aric Babbitt – Now dead and in hell where he belongs
South St. Paul elementary school teacher and his husband allegedly had sexual contact with eight underage boys over several years, according to police documents released Tuesday.South St. Paul police closed their four-month investigation into teacher Aric Babbitt and Matthew Deyo last week, and the 134-page case file obtained by the Pioneer Press on Tuesday shows the scope and extent of the alleged sexual contact and inappropriate conduct.Aric Babbitt (courtesy photo)Aric Babbitt (courtesy photo)The investigation began Aug. 14 after a 16-year-old boy and his parents went to South St. Paul police to report “an ongoing sexual relationship” with Babbitt and Deyo. The couple were found dead, an apparent murder-suicide, in Washington state eight days later. Neither man had been charged with a crime.Although police have said previously that they suspected additional victims, the number was not clear until the case file was released.“This is a terrible tragedy for everyone involved,” South St. Paul police Cmdr. Phil Oeffling said Tuesday. He said with the case now closed, the department would not be issuing further comment.In addition to the eight underage boys, police also identified a man who allegedly was unknowingly videotaped nude in Babbitt and Deyo’s South St. Paul home. – Source: South St. Paul teacher, his husband abuse eight boys
Thug cop killer Jason Robison is now at room temperature, where he cannot hurt anyone else.
Suspected cop killer Jason Robison is still at large and considered dangerous, according to police.
Authorities said Trooper Landon Weaver was shot and killed by Robison at about 6:30 p.m. Friday when the officer investigated a “domestic-related incident” at a home on Bakers Hollow Road in Juniata Township in Huntingdon County. The area where the shooting occurred has been closed off while police officers search for Robison.
Robison made his feelings toward law enforcement known on his Facebook page less than two weeks before the killing.
“The only good cop is a dead cop,” he said in a Dec. 17 post, which was on Facebook until about 1 a.m. Saturday when it was deleted. The status included two images — one of a police cruiser that had crashed and another of an injured police officer.
Robison, according to court documents, has previously been arrested about a dozen times with charges ranging from simple assault to arson.
Weaver enlisted with state police in December 2015 and was assigned to Troop G, Huntingdon. He is the 97th member of the Pennsylvania State Police to be killed in the line of duty, according to authorities. – Via Centre Daily
The Deceased Law Enforcement Officer – Trooper Landon Weaver, who was only 23 – leaves behind a wife. He was the bravest of the brave – God be with his family.
JUNIATA TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — The suspect in the fatal shooting of a first-year Pennsylvania trooper was shot and killed after making threats to police who located him Saturday morning, authorities said.
Trooper Landon Weaver, 23, was killed responding to a domestic complaint Friday evening in a rural area in Huntingdon County, in central Pennsylvania. An overnight manhunt for the suspect ended Saturday morning when police found 32-year-old Jason Robison at an unoccupied mobile home in the area, authorities said.
Cpl. Adam Reed, a state police spokesman, said Robison refused orders and threatened officers on the scene, leading police to shoot him. His death was confirmed at about 10:30 a.m.
Weaver was responding to a reported violation of a protection-from-abuse order when he was shot. Details of that complaint were not immediately available, and Reed did not immediately know who owned the home where Weaver was killed.
The search for Robison was focused on an area around the home and nearby Raystown Lake.
I feel this way, because I have family that has word in law enforcement. I feel that a Cop Killer is a Cop Killer is a Cop Killer; I do not give a darn what color he is. If you kill a cop; you are the worst thing on this planet. Police Officers do not make laws, they simply enforce them. There is a fine line between anarchy and a Free Republic and these officers are it.
If we are going to outraged when a “Black Lives Matter” thug kills a Law Enforcement Officer; then we should be equally outraged when a white man kills a Law Enforcement Officer as well. Skin color should never matter. Murder is wrong and immoral and the killing of a Police Officer is more so.
Now, at first blush, I would normally say, “Ha Ha! He’s a liberal, he gets what’s coming to him!” However, in this case, I will refrain from much nonsense. This below is a perfect example as to why I simply refuse to blog about rumors, gossip and such.
Just so we’re being completely transparent here, you should know this:
This is being written under duress because I don’t have enough money to fight a legal battle against the Trump machine. Yesterday, I wrote a story based on Melania Trump allegedly having been an escort or paid sex worker when she arrived in New York. A few hours later, the owner of Liberal America received an email threatening us with legal action if we didn’t do as the Trump attorneys instructed — remove the “false statements.” So this is my apology.
First of all, I’m very very sorry that I wrote an article about the past of Melania Trump. I got my information from reputable sources and reported on what was being reported there, but apparently that isn’t good enough to pass muster in the version of American freedom of the press envisioned by Mr. Trump and his team of legal vultures.
Additionally, I’m also sorry that the personal image of the wannabe first lady is so insecure that she feels the need to send her legal hell-hounds chasing after small, independent journalists such as me. I had no idea I was such a threat to the Trump campaign or family. Imagine my surprise.
Andrew Bradford goes on:
But most of all I’m sorry that in Donald and Melania Trump’s view of how this republic works, they think it’s in keeping with the spirit of the First Amendment to threaten, intimidate, and harass reporters. Just the fact that they immediately felt the need to get lawyers involved proves that they don’t believe in preserving, protecting, or defending the Constitution, even though every President has to make a pledge to do so when he or she takes the oath of office. In Donald Trump’s world, the Constitution only applies to those who can afford to hire expensive legal mouthpieces.
It is quite telling about Trump isn’t it?
Here’s the official document:
It is going to be a long election season folks. 🙄 I do not recall Ronald Reagan threatening to sue anyone for something that was said, that he did not like.
