Boy Scouts release secret child abuse files -- 'the pain and the anguish of ... - NBCNews.com [dayinformations.blogspot.com]
Greg Wahl-Stephens / AP
Portland attorney Kelly Clark is shown Tuesday with some of the 14,500 pages of previously confidential documents created by the Boy Scouts of America concerning child sexual abuse within the organization.
By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News
More than 1,200 formerly  secret Boy Scouts’ files detailing accusations of child sex abuse within the organization from 1965 to 1985 were published online Thursday by lawyers, who said they offered lessons in the battle against pedophiles.
The  documents, known as the “ineligible volunteer†files within the organization, were ordered released by the Oregon Supreme Court. Media organizations had sued for the release of the files, part of a 2010 case in which a Portland, Ore., jury decided that the Scouts were negligent in allowing a former assistant Scoutmaster to associate with the organization's youth after he admitted molesting 17 boys, said Kelly Clark, one of the victims' attorneys.
“While we can read through the files, for us it represents the pain and the anguish of thousands of untold scouts,†said attorney Paul Mones, who litigated the 2010 case on  behalf of victims in Oregon with lawyer Kelly Clark. “While there are 1,247 files, we know that each Scout leader leader (accused of molestation) molested on the average more than one scout.â€
The attorneys called for Congress to audit the Boy Scouts, which is a congressionally chartered organization, to ensure that the group was following its current child abuse policy.
The files represent reports of Scouts allegedly abused by more than 1,200 different scoutmasters and other adult volunteers across the country. The files can be accessed on www.kellyclarkattorney.com.
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A report released by the Boy Scouts of America in September said that 829 of the files from Jan. 1, 1965, to June 30, 1984, involved suspicions or confirmations of inappropriate sexual behavior with 1,622 youth. The report was done for the organization by Dr. Janet Warren, a professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia.
At the time, the Boy Scouts said in a letter that they would review their files created from 1965 to the present “and ensure that all good-faith suspicion of abuse has been reported to law enforcement.†They also said that while there “have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate, or wrong.â€
Boy Scouts admit response to sex abuse was 'insufficient'Â
On Thursday morning, the organization reiterated that in a statement and also noted: “Where those involved in Scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest and sincere apologies to victims and their families.â€
“While it is difficult to understand or explain individuals’ actions from many decades ago, today Scouting is a leader among youth-serving organizations in preventing child abuse,†the statement added.
In an interview with NBCDFW.com, volunteer CEO Wayne Perry said: "I would ask parents to look at the programs we have and then judge us versus, maybe not the past, but judge where we are today and certainly judge us against any other youth service organization in the world and they will see that your kids are very, very safe."
View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.
But the attorneys said the files could still inform future prevention of child sex abuse since the documents revealed how pedophiles operated and infiltrated youth groups -- knowledge “no other youth organization had at that time or since,†Mones said.
“The importance is what Scouts could have done with this information,†he said. “At the trial they said they had never looked at the files to examine them for any purpose to protect Scouts. Their one goal of taking Scout leaders out who had molested Scouts, yes … they did take Scouts out. However, the information that they gleaned, how these people used Scouting activities to bring Scouts into their midst, how these guys were not just bad leaders … these people were leading Scouts.â€
“So our goal really is to look to the future through the past,†he added.
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For John Mark Buckland, 42, who was abused by a Scout leader at Travis Air Force Base in Vacaville, Calif., the release represented an empowering moment.
“It unveils all the secrecy, or at least a good portion of it, and the secrecy is the biggest demon there is when it comes to things like this, because it’s by being hidden that it basically just eats people away like a cancer,†Buckland, of Huntington, W. Va., told NBC News.Â
“We’ve been powerless up to now. We’ve been at the whims of a multibillion-dollar organization that … has all the money to keep us under a desk in a box. And for now, they can’t do it anymore.â€
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More Boy Scouts release secret child abuse files -- 'the pain and the anguish of ... - NBCNews.com Issues Question by MMA Fighter: Do most liberals get their "information" from Colbert or Stewart and, how do you feel about this? Best answer for Do most liberals get their "information" from Colbert or Stewart and, how do you feel about this?:
Answer by Cob Bollum
Not at all. Though you shouldn't discredit the facts that you hear on their shows that you'd never hear anywhere else on tv, sad really. I watch news for comedy and comedy for news.
Answer by Expectorate
They are good at expressing the info with a twist so that it will be picked up a specific way. Namely they say one thing and the libs get another. They typically tell the truth but in a intensionally misleading way, and the libs understand it that different way.
Answer by Dave87gn
It just shows that the "newsmedia" is a complete and utter failure
Answer by Wolf Myth
I get my news from various sources with various viewpoints.
Answer by dylanfox
many a truth is said in jest! Geoffrey Chaucer. The Cook's Tale, 1390: But yet I pray thee be not wroth for game; [don't be angry with my jesting] A man may say full sooth [the truth] in game and play. William Shakespeare King Lear, 1605: Jesters do oft prove prophets.
Answer by ducky aka Mr Duck
not true, we get our news and information from many different sources. but Jon Stewart can in Fact be very informative. cons hate that about Stewart .
Answer by Growth vs Oil
No, we bundle all kinds of sources together and come up with a outcome. Remember liberals are good at critical thinking and conservatives are good at threat response.
Answer by Pastels
There was a poll that indicated a large percent (though still not most) of Americans between the ages of 17-35 did feel they obtained most political and social information from these sources. It was one phone study, proven to be inaccurate. Some people do though, and it's sad.
Answer by U.n.c.l.e Sam
Liberals have a sense of humour. Conservatives=Doom & Gloom. Vote Liberal..!!! Lol.
Answer by Ped0phile Pastors Aren't Cool
Nope. We just watch them because they're funny. You know those newspapers consistently complain about? Since obviously uneducated Conservatives don't read them - guess who does.
Answer by knick knack 76
Haha well I'm a libertarian and I love the Daily Show. Jon Stewart is one of the most honest and truthful newscasters out there (if that's what you want to call him)
Kingdom Hearts: RE: Chain Of Memories - Bonus Episode 1 [Moves We Haven't Seen!]Just something I wanted to cover before the finale...coming tomorrow! Also follow me on twitter to get information on my current project (like when videos are going up and stuff like that) Twitter: @mist_master1 Thanks for watching!
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