Documents Provide inside Look at Archdiocesan Decision-Making

By Brian Lambert
The Minnpost
October 8, 2013

http://www.minnpost.com/glean/2013/10/documents-provide-inside-look-archdiocesan-decision-making

It may be time for the archbishop to hold a press conference … The latest from MPR’s Madeleine Baran says: “Archbishop John Nienstedt was in the middle of a heated political fight over same-sex marriage in February of last year when he learned of a disturbing secret, hidden in the basement of the chancery — pornography from a priest's computer, some of which appeared to depict children. … What followed was a contentious, yearlong debate among top leaders inside the chancery about whether the images met the legal definition of child pornography, according to internal church documents that Haselberger provided to police earlier this year and were obtained by MPR News. The documents shed new light on the Shelley case and provide a closer look at decisions that Nienstedt and former Archbishop Harry Flynn made to keep the matter quiet and continue Shelley in ministry. … Among the documents is a letter drafted by Nienstedt to the Vatican, dated May 29, 2012, in which he worries that ‘the images in [Shelley's] personnel file could expose the Archdiocese, as well as myself, to criminal prosecution.' "

Despite the “Free Jim Carlson” banners flying on Superior Street … The AP says: “A Minnesota head shop owner was convicted Monday of almost all counts against him in a closely watched federal case involving the sale of synthetic drugs. Jim Carlson, who defiantly operated the Last Place on Earth shop in Duluth through multiple federal raids, was convicted on 51 of 55 counts. The complex indictment included multiple charges of receiving and selling misbranded drugs. Carlson's girlfriend, Lava Haugen, was convicted on all four counts she faced. His son, Joseph Gellerman, was convicted on two of four counts.”

Now really, who doesn’t love a warehouse sale? John Ewoldt of the Strib says: “There is a boatload of bargains at five warehouse sales, all happening this week. What gives? October is the lull between back-to-school and the start of holiday shopping, said George John at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. ‘It’s a good time for manufacturers and retailers to be heard,’ he said. “There’s so much noise out there after Halloween.” For manufacturers such as Thymes, which is bringing back its soaps and scents warehouse sale after scaling back last year, it’s because the company is doing a lot of packaging changes. Like many manufacturers, the company has a sale in October because it’s a less hectic time, said Cindy Andersen, vice-president of operations at Thymes.” When is the Maserati sale … ?

Why we love insurance companies … Alejandra Matos of the Strib writes: “For 40 years, Helen Moosmann has saved $2,000 at US Federal Credit Union to help pay for her casket and other funeral expenses. Her late husband, Ralph, told her to ‘never, ever’ touch that money because of a special life insurance policy that would pay double that amount when she died. ‘He wanted to make sure I was taken care of,’ said Moosmann, who’s 92, healthy and living at home in north Minneapolis. Last week Moosmann received a phone call informing her that the Burnsville-based credit union and CUNA Mutual Group, which administers the policy, were no longer going to honor it after Dec. 31. The terms of CUNA’s policy allows it to cancel at any time. But that hasn’t sat well with Moosmann, one of nearly 1,500 affected members at US Federal Credit Union and untold others at the 1,250 other credit unions nationwide.”

MPR’s Lorna Benson reports that area hospitals are cutting back on the number of blood transfusions: “Doctors now say they get better results by using donor blood less often in patients who are medically stable. There's growing consensus that transfusions can increase the risk of infection and do more harm than good. It's a big change in how some physicians practice medicine and it's led to some Minnesota hospitals tightening their transfusion guidelines. … Allina tightened its transfusion guidelines in 2012. The average number of blood units transfused to patients in the health system has dropped by 38 percent.”    

And if the insurance company doesn’t get you … Susan Feyder of the Strib says: “A Canadian citizen accused of swindling elderly Minnesotans by calling them, posing as their grandson and asking them to wire him money has pleaded guilty in Dakota County District Court. Robert Attias, 35, Monday pleaded guilty to one count of theft by swindle in connection with the phone scams, which took place in January and February 2010. Attias, whose last known address was in Miami, was accused in 2011 of stealing $15,525 from senior citizens in Hastings, Glencoe, St. Paul, Olmsted County and Steele County. According to a criminal complaint filed in 2011, Attias would call the elderly Minnesotans claiming to be their grandson in need of money for bail following an arrest.”

What do they do there but spend taxpayer money … ? Says Jennifer Brooks in the Strib: “Unless the federal government gets back to work, more than 100 state health department employees will be out of work by the end of the month. Layoff notices have gone out to 104 employees at the Minnesota Department of Health, including an estimated 71 nurses. These state workers are paid with federal funds and that money is rapidly running out. … Most of the employees work in either the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program or in the compliance monitoring department that inspects hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient medical facilities for potential health code violations. The nurses will be laid off effective Oct. 18, unless the shutdown ends. The other affected health department employees would be laid off on Oct. 25.”

Stribber D.J. Tice sinks his teeth into Gov. Dayton and all those ineffectually railing against personal seat licenses: “If there is injustice involved in the People’s Stadium deal, it has been inflicted upon non-fan Minnesotans who are being dragooned into paying for a form of entertainment they care nothing about, or even actively dislike. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the “faithful” being asked to contribute every last farthing their Sunday worship services are worth to them. If Dayton was so eager to lock horns with Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, he should have driven a harder bargain on behalf of taxpayers. He’s done plenty, thank you — with taxpayers’ money — for Vikings devotees. Fact is, the illogic and economic illiteracy on display in this whole discussion has reached such breathtaking heights that Zygi’s actions are almost being portrayed too harshly — which in theory is impossible.” Tice sounds like another guy who doesn’t care if we’re “major league” anymore.

I hope you didn’t miss the latest from Our Favorite Congresswoman. From The Huffington Post, we have this recap of the story: “Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) believes that we're living in the End Times — and she claims to have proof. In an interview Saturday with Jan Markell on the Christian radio program ‘Understanding the Times,’ Bachmann accused President Barack Obama of giving aid to terrorists. This, she says, is solid evidence that we have entered the Last Days. ‘President Obama waived a ban on arming terrorists in order to allow weapons to go to the Syrian opposition,’ Bachmann said. ‘Your listeners, U.S. taxpayers, are now paying to give arms to terrorists including al Qaeda.’ She continued:

‘This happened, and as of today, the United States is willingly, knowingly, intentionally sending arms to terrorists, now what this says to me, I’m a believer in Jesus Christ, as I look at the End Times scripture, this says to me that the leaf is on the fig tree and we are to understand the signs of the times, which is your ministry, we are to understand where we are in God’s end time history.’ ”