Comment: Representatives of the Catholic Church have joined the chorus of women's groups displeased with "Nicole's" recantation of her claim that she'd been raped by Lance Corporal Daniel Smith in the Philippines (see previously reports here and here). Cpl. Smith is serving a 40 year sentence for the rape. The sentiment seems to be among Women's groups that the young man's conviction for a crime his accuser now says he did not commit serves a higher purpose of encouraging women to come forward. They frankly seem to be rooting for the recantation to be rejected and for the young man to serve out his 40 year sentence for rape, justice be damned. Here is the latest news article, and below it is the letter I emailed this morning to the Archbishop of Lipa:
Church officials dismayed over Nicole's recantation
MANILA, Philippines -- Officials of the Catholic Church expressed disappointment over the recantation of Subic rape victim Nicole of her previous testimony, saying this would set a bad precedence to other women who have been victims of violence in the country.
Sister Mary John Mananzan, chairperson of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines, said she was dismayed when she saw the newspaper reports regarding Nicole's statements.
"I would rather hear her say that she will no longer pursue the case but not recant," Mananzan said in an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas.
She said Nicole's recantation has a damaging effect on other women who have been raped or abused.
For his part, Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said Nicole’s recent move is like toying with the law.
"It's not a matter of injustice. It's a matter of us having no respect for the law and the people," Arguelles said of the effects of the recantation.
Both Mananzan and Arguelles suspect that someone orchestrated Nicole's recantation.
"I hope she didn’t do it by herself. That's my prayer," Mananzan said.
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=449664&publicationSubCategoryId=200
MY LETTER TO THE ARCHBISHOP:
His Excellency
MOST REV. RAMON C. ARGUELLES, D.D.
Archdiocese of Lipa
Archbishop's Residence, 4127 Lipa City
Your Excellency:
I write to respectfully express my sincere concerns about the comments of Sister Mary John Mananzan as reported in Philstar.com at http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=449664&publicationSubCategoryId=200 regarding the recantation of "Nicole."
According to the article:
"'I would rather hear her say that she will no longer pursue the case but not recant,' Mananzan said in an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas.
"She said Nicole's recantation has a damaging effect on other women who have been raped or abused."
I am an advocate for men and boys falsely accused of rape, which is an epidemic in the United States and the UK. Assuming Sister was quoted accurately and in context, I find her comments to be not merely troubling but wholly inconsistent with long-standing Catholic teachings on fundamental justice.
Sister's comments suggest that she wishes Nicole had not recanted but had merely gone away; it appears that Sister assumed the invalidity of the recantation, and her comments could even be read to imply that she believes undoing this young man's conviction will harm the "higher" cause of encouraging women to come forward to report rape.
These sentiments are more than a little unsettling. If the recantation is true, then the young man imprisoned is serving time for a terrible crime he did not commit. The injustice to him is incalculable, and he should not be treated as a sacrificial lamb or some sort of twisted "collateral damage" for a perceived higher cause. There can be no higher cause, of course, than the cause of justice.
This recantation needs to be examined seriously, and if, after fair consideration, it casts reasonable doubt on the guilt of this young man, then justice dictates that he be freed. But it is most unjust to reject the recantation out of hand simply due to a belief that this young man's conviction advances some political agenda.
Respectfully,
Pierce Harlan
USA
http://falserapesociety.blogspot.com/
Posts
8 comments:
Pierce, you're choice of words are piercing, and you're actions are Avante guarde.
Sticking up for innocent men is always a worthy and noble cause.
I think so, Anonymous. But I didn't seek out men as victims; I found innocent people who are ignored by the persons who dominate the public discourse on this issue. I found that there are far more of them than the politically correct position on this issue admits, that the harm they suffer is great, and that they have needs that aren't being met. In short, I found an injustice that no one cared to discuss, so I was drawn to it.
Why was this innocent man convicted? We do not need more liars to "come forward," we need to put them in jail. These idiots don't get it.
We can't continue to have a faith-based legal system in which the morons in charge are allowed to substitute wishful thinking for proof. There was never any reason to believe that this marine was guilty.
Archivist..thank you sir for you're time on this very important issue of persecuting innocent men, to further an ideology.
As someone who was falsely accused of rape, and the girl was never charged, i felt helpless against a juggernaut of lies.
I also thought of suicide, until i read Dr Warren Farrels bestseller, "The Myth of Male Power", and only then did i not feel alone anymore, and that there was an inkling of hope/ truth out there.
I also feel the same about you're web site...It may really save a young mans life to know that he is not all alone in this.
Thanks, Scott. As a survivor, you have a unique perspective on this ordeal, and we thank you for sharing it with us.
I believe that one of the most important things for false rape victims to know is how common this really is. It is an epidemic. And sadly, the survivors are told them must suffer in silence because their very existence is politically incorrect. And often they must read a quote from some cackling sexual assault counselor who insists the real harm of false rape claims is to hypothetical rape victims.
I would love for the survivors to band together and let the world know they are here; they've been victimized; and they will be heard.
And sadly, the survivors are told them must suffer in silence because their very existence is politically incorrect.
Isn't this exactly what you see the advocates claiming all the time? Women are suffering in silence and we need to bring them out in the public eye so everyone knows just how bad this probem is?
I guess that only applies to women...men need not apply.
Shouldn't we all be concerned with the true victims of crime, not just one gender, and not for those that "might" become victims? I would rather worry about what is, not what "might" be.
That's right, Wolfboy, and as you know more than anyone, the forces of radical feminism are upset about this site -- upset because we focus on something they think we are blowing out of proportion.
This recantation story bothered me because of the reaction of women's groups. A perfect illustration: they don't want to hear about this recantation; they only want this young man to stay in prison. And this tells us everything we need to know about their morally bankrupt agenda.
If I get a response from the Archbishop, I will post it.
Thanks for taking the time to send this letter. Hopefully the Archbishop will somehow come upon it amongst the mounds of hateful mail from feminists that he must be receiving.
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