Days of Reckoning for the High and Mighty

By David Clohessy
SNAP
July 30, 2013

http://www.snapnetwork.org/days_of_reckoning_for_the_high_and_mighty

[New York Times]

[New York Times]

After of our annual conference (which was, by the way, a smashing success), I came home to a short stack of unread New York Times. Two stories in last Saturday's edition struck me.

One featured this headline: "France Orders Strauss-Kahn to Stand Trial." The one-time potential presidential candidate faces "charges linked to his involvement in a prostitution ring prosecutors say was operating in France and in the United States." Along with "a small group of French businessmen and police officials," Strauss-Kahn stands accused of pimping, or “aggravated procurement in a group,” a charge that "carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of 1.5 million euros," about $2 million.

[link]

I'm reminded of Martin Luther King's contention that "the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice."

The other article featured this headline: "San Diego Mayor Says He Will Go Into Therapy." It described how seven women have now reported that they were sexually harassed by Mayor Bob Filner who is struggling in the face of "a flood of demands that he step aside."

Whether he's ousted or not, the Filner case shows that ever so slowly, more who have been sexually victimized are finding the courage to step forward.

[link]

Another King quote comes to mind: "No lie lives forever."

However belatedly and inadequately it's happening, I'm encouraged that the high and mighty - in both the secular and religious worlds - are increasingly being held to account for sexual wrongdoing.