BishopAccountability.org
	Candor and Demagoguery Are Not the Same Laconia Citizen April 5, 2011 http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110405/GJOPINION02/110409820/-1/CITNEWS It's a pity that the majority leader of our state's House of Representatives didn't have the kind of first-grade teacher who washed out the mouths of foul-mouthed pupils with soap. If that had been the case, then state Rep. D.J. Bettencourt just might not have made his disgusting attack on New Hampshire Catholic Bishop John McCormack. Bettencourt, R-Salem, lashed out on his Facebook page last Friday, calling McCormack a “pedophile pimp” who “has no moral credibility to lecture anyone.” The comments came in the wake of a rally Thursday where McCormack criticized state budget cuts that he argued would hurt “the most vulnerable in our society,” according to a transcript of his remarks posted on the Diocese of Manchester's website. Bettencourt's irresponsible outburst was a reference to the clergy sex abuse crisis that has racked the Catholic Church in recent years, and McCormack's role in dealing with some high-profile abuse cases when he was an auxiliary bishop in the Boston archdiocese and a top aide to the then archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law. In that role McCormack was assigned to investigate sexual abuse complaints and reassigning priests. He was named Bishop of Manchester in 1998. That the clergy sex abuse allegations still hit a raw nerve in many people is totally understandable, as is the view that certain leading Catholic Church officials have not paid a suitable price for their complicity in trying to keep the cases of abuse secret. But Bettencourt's attack goes way beyond fair comment and criticism. What Bettencourt has resorted to is demagoguery. It is a sad fact in our present-day highly charged political atmosphere that there are those whose immediate response to views they don't like is never mind substance, go for the smear. Gov. John Lynch, who avoids knee-jerk reactions and political grand-standing, wasted little time in calling on Bettencourt to retract his comments. “These comments have no place in the public discourse, and the people of New Hampshire have a right to expect a higher level of civility and judgment from their elected officials,” Lynch said Saturday. Yes, civility seems to be out of fashion these days of telling it like it is. There are signs of it all over, from people of every political stripe. At last Thursday's rally at the Statehouse, called to protest proposed budget cuts along with proposals to weaken unions representing government workers, one protester was holding a sign that read, “Hitler Hated Unions, Shame On You.” No matter what one thinks of the political agenda of the current majority in the House, attempting to put the Hitler label on them is also uncalled for. But Bettencourt's invective was far worse. First, because he is a public servant, and second, because he has a duty to act in a way befitting someone who represents thousands of this state's citizens. If Bettencourt has any integrity he will apologize unconditionally. His half-hearted statement of regret that his comments were “at best undiplomatic” is utterly unacceptable. He owes an apology to McCormack. But he also owes as much of an apology to his constituents and the people of this state. An apology is called for, not because some people are offended, but because what Bettencourt said was wrong, and put his own personal grudge above his public duty.
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