Procession

The documentary Procession examines sexual abuse by predatory Roman Catholic priests and their complicit enablers in a very profound way. https://www.netflix.com/title/81513706. It began streaming on Netflix today. The documentary “is a collaboration made with six men who work together to find the truth and healing they ought to have been afforded by the church.” https://www.vox.com/22745194/procession-review-netflix.

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes is that the film is “[h]arrowing yet essential viewing,” and probes “the lasting legacy of trauma with heart-wrenching grace.” https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/procession_2021. Grace that is ironically absent from the Catholic church’s response to victims of pedophile priests and its constant battle to keep statutes of limitations in place to deny victims recourse. The church affords victims nothing unless forced to do so. It is outrageous.

Outrageous and harrowing. The critics are right–it is difficult but essential viewing.

Cold Case Consultants of America Compiles Largest Known Database of Letters by Serial Killers Dating Back to 1944

https://www.prweb.com/releases/cold_case_consultants_of_america_compiles_largest_known_database_of_letters_by_serial_killers_dating_back_to_1944/prweb18339991.htm

The Michigan State Police denied this group’s relatively recent FOIA request for a copy of the “Allen” letter in the OCCK case, as well as the brief phone message allegedly left by “Allen” on the answering machine of Dr. Bruce Danto on April 10, 1977 at 2 p.m. Of course the MSP claimed “open investigation,” which is utter nonsense because there is nothing active about this investigation. They denied the production of the audio tape despite the fact that this minute-long message was played on the Sonya Friedman radio show on WXYZ (metro-Detroit), which aired twice on May 16, 1979.

The actual Zodiac killer letters were released and shown to the public. The substance of the “Allen” letter was reported on in the press in the spring of 1977, but the letter itself was never photographed or copied for the press so the public could look at the handwriting. Friedman was airing the phone message in an attempt to ask for the public’s help in recognizing the caller. Task force commander Robert Robertson complained to the press on May 16, 1979, that this was all “really old hat.” He further whined that: “They’re rehashing it. First of all, you have no idea that it’s a legitimate letter. One can only assume the tape and letter came from the same person. We don’t know the value of it [the tape] . . . Most of [the tape] you can’t understand anyway.”

The next day, Robertson said airing the tip was worth a try, but went on to opine that “I personally support the theory that he isn’t around here anymore, but that doesn’t mean his grandmother doesn’t know that he is the killer.” Friedman explained that she and Robertson were hoping “to bring the case to a state of rest. Even if the person is dead, we should know or there will never be a psychological closure to this thing.”

You would think the state police, who have made virtually no progress whatsoever in this case in some 45 years, would welcome any help or observations they could get. Nope. They just double-down. It’s what they do best; that’s the legacy of Robert Robertson and Joe Krease.

“Inappropriate.”

Another judge cut from the Brett Kavanaugh, Truman A. Morrison III (https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2020/10/03/judge-truman-morrison-sexual-assault-allegation/) and Aaron Persky (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44383329) varieties of cloth:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna6001

Another judge who minimizes, denies or scoffs at sex crimes, especially those committed by wealthy white men/boys. Welcome to the club, Matthew J. Murphy III. I can’t believe the ranks continue to increase, but here we are.

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