Today, we'll weigh in on the L.A. Catholic priest child abuse cover-up. How should the church have handled the situation? We'll also consider Glendale's potential ban of upcoming gun shows and the effect it could have on the local economy. Later, we'll discuss federal handling of disaster relief, the Algerian standoff, and JPL's focus on mars. All that and more, on AirTalk.
Letters show L.A. Catholic archdiocese tried to hide abuse of children by priests
Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles Roger M. Mahoney has again apologized for his involvement over twenty years ago in concealing child molestation by priests from law enforcement, including keeping clergy out of California to avoid prosecution. Mahoney’s apology came as his previously confidential correspondence from 1986 and 1987 recently became public evidence in a civil court case.
Mahoney has been questioned under oath in previous depositions numerous times about his handling of molestation cases, but the newly released memos written by Mahoney and other church administrators provide the strongest indication of a concerted effort by leaders in the nation's largest Catholic diocese to protect abusers from police. Last week, Anthony De Marco, the attorney representing a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed against the archdiocese asked a judge to order Mahoney and others to submit to new depositions “regarding their actions, knowledge and intent as referenced in these files.” In an apologetic statement, Mahoney confessed that memos written in those years "sometimes focused more on the needs of the perpetrator than on the serious harm that had been done to the victims."
Why did it take years for these memos to be released and made public? Is the archdiocese still trying to hide evidence that may incriminate current and former clergy? How responsible is Mahoney for the sexual abuse of children? How can victims of this abuse best recover and move on with their lives?
Guests:
Harriet Ryan, reporter with the Los Angeles Times who co-wrote the Times cover story
Barbara Dorris, outreach director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
Glendale city council considers banning gun show
It could be the end for gun shows in Glendale. Tonight, the Glendale City Council will host a discussion regarding the fate of the Glendale Gun Show, which typically comes to town multiple times a year. In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, City Councilman Rafi Manoukian suggested the ban as a means to curb gun violence in the community.
Last week, gun rights supporters appeared in front of the Council in an effort to take the ban off of this week’s agenda. But Manoukian was undeterred, and now with support of Mayor Frank Quintero, he only needs one more member vote to ratify the ban. Gun advocates point out that the gun show is more of an event for families; Manoukian counters that argument with the fact that it occurs so close to Glendale Community College, which is right across the street from the Civic Auditorium where the gun show is held. Manoukian has tried to make this move before, in 2006, and there is some ambiguity to the legality of such a ban being rolled out. Glendale benefits economically from the shows, which net around $55,000 annually for the city. Fourteen years ago, Los Angeles County Supervisors voted to ban gun shows on county property, which resulted in the loss of the hugely popular Pomona Gun Show.
Should municipalities profit at all from gun sales? Are there safety issues surrounding such a gathering of gun owners and sellers? Do you enjoy gun shows as a sport-oriented, collector and family-friendly event? What alternatives would you seek out if it were to be banned?
Guest:
Paul Neuharth, Attorney based in San Diego who works on gun ownership cases (reinstating gun licenses)
More college students are seeking ‘Sugar Daddies’ to pay for tuition
With the constant fear of rising tuition costs, some college students are seeking alternate methods to pay for their tuition and living expenses. SeekingArrangement.com, a website that allows wealthy men to sign up as “sugar daddies” to young women known as “sugar babies,” reports eight California universities with a growing number of sugar babies.
University of California Los Angeles, with an estimated annual cost of over $31,000, is ranked number 20 nationally as one of the fastest growing sugar baby campuses. The majority of sugar daddies are wealthy, older men seeking companionship, sex, and someone to pamper. In exchange, sugar daddies supply an average of $3,000 monthly to a sugar baby. This controversial arrangement has raised questions about whether this is prostitution and ethical concerns because 40 percent of the sugar daddies are married. Also, the safety of these arrangements as well as the psychological health of these sugar babies have drawn attention because some young women have told media that being a sugar baby has changed their view of dating and sex.
Are you a sugar daddy or sugar baby? Is this arrangement prostitution? Is it mutually beneficial? Are there consequences to being a sugar baby?
Guests:
Brandon Wade, founder and CEO of world’s largest Sugar Daddy dating website SeekingArrangement.com as well dating websites SeekingMillionaire.com, WhatsYourPrice.com, and MissTravel.com
Kathleen Barry, author of “Female Sexual Slavery” (NYU Press), “Prostitution of Sexuality” (NYU Press), and “Unmaking War, Remaking Men: How Empathy can Reshape Our Politics, Our Soldiers and Ourselves” (Phoenix Rising Press); Sociologist and Professor Emerita, Penn State University
Hurricane Sandy relief passes amidst in-party disagreement
After a much-maligned delay, Congress has approved nearly $60 billion in Hurricane Sandy relief funds. The first installment, a $9.7 billion flood relief bill, has already passed through the House and Senate and was signed by President Obama.
Disaster relief has caused partisan divide, but has perhaps more noticeably resulted in disagreement between members of the Republican party. Members of the House hailing from the northeast and other disaster prone or left-leaning states have called for more support from the GOP. All of the no votes on relief bills pass thus far have come from Republicans, with GOP representatives from 22 states unanimously voting no on relief efforts.
The in-party rift began with a decision from House Republicans not to vote on a Sandy relief bill before the New Year or alongside the fiscal cliff deal, and continued as a Republican minority fought for smaller relief packages and equivalent spending cuts. A bipartisan majority passed two bills that will aid in relief efforts in the northeastern states most affected by the storm, but will not cover some of the estimated $82 billion in damages.
Should the federal government be responsible for disaster relief? Should states more prone to natural disaster pay more in taxes? What is the best way to implement relief – should it go hand in hand with spending cuts? If a Sandy-level event were to take place in California, how would you want it to be handled?
Guests:
Barney Keller, Communications Director of the Club for Growth, which works to promote public policies that encourage a high growth economy
Michele Dauber, Professor of Law and Sociology at Stanford Law School, author of “The Sympathetic State: Disaster Relief and the Origins of the American Welfare State” (University of Chicago Press, 2012)
Could the Algerian standoff have avoided such bloodshed?
Details have emerged in fits and starts from the messy siege in Algeria that ended Saturday. Yesterday, the death toll grew to include 37 foreign hostages -- including three Americans--, 29 militants and one Algerian security guard, according to the Algerian government. The siege began last Wednesday when dozens of militants took control of the Ain Amenas natural gas plant. More than 700 workers were trapped hostages at the facility.
The Al Qaeda linked militants reportedly were demanding the release of two terror convicts jailed in the United States - Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted of plotting to blow up New York City landmarks and considered the spiritual leader of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist convicted of shooting at two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. "The United States does not negotiate with terrorists," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said last week. Algeria -- a country that has a long history of insurgent violence -- has the same policy.
Could there have been another way to deal with the militants? Would any other offer have saved the workers who died? Or does a blanket policy against hostage negotiations help prevent more violence?
Guests:
Martha Crenshaw, Senior Fellow, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University
Mark R. Jacobson, Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund. He focuses on defense and security policy, specifically emerging threats and challenges.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s focus on Mars
If you’ve never heard of the MacLaughlin crater, don’t worry. It’s hard to see something that’s only visible at night and is millions of miles away on a neighboring planet. But the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is not limited by the same challenges as those of us stuck on Earth.
This satellite’s imaging system breaks up light into different colors as a means of determining what materials are present in an image. When taking photographs of the crater, the images depict clay and carbonates, indicators that point to the existence of water.
While these discoveries are nothing new, the dimensions of the crater (it is about 60 miles wide and 1.4 miles deep) mean that the crater could have retained water. So the crater might not be a crater after all, it might have been a lake. Discoveries such as this would not be possible without the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s decades-long fascination with the Red Planet.
On Wednesday, JPL will release a new documentary titled “The Changing Face of Mars.” Today on AirTalk, we invite the creator of the movie, Blaine Baggett to discuss JPL’s exploration of Mars over the years, as well as any exciting new developments being found.
What is it that’s so fascinating about this planet? Is it the mystery of life? How far have we come in understanding Mars over the past decades?
Guest:
Blaine Baggett, Director of the JPL Office of Communications and Education; Writer, Producer and Director of “The Changing Face of Mars”
"The Changing Face of Mars" premieres on January 23rd at 8 p.m. in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium. Click here for more infomation.