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Does Mr. Miner bother to inform his readers that Shanley admitted being a founder of NAMBLA, which advocates adult-child sex, and has lectured at NAMBLA meetings? Does Miner mention that Shanley was an investor in a nude beach for homosexuals in California? Does Miner recount for his readers that the Archdiocese of Boston sent Shanley to California with a letter stating he was a priest in good standing when they already had reams of evidence of his serial child sexual abuse in Massachusetts? Does Miner tell us that Dr. Elizabeth Loftus’s exclusive practice involves collecting exorbitant fees as a witness in sex-abuse trials involving priests? Aren’t you the least bit skeptical of such a “witness for hire,” Mr. Miner?
Mr. Miner laments the possible near-term demise of Shanley at the hands of fellow criminals when he meets his new roommate. Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of hardened criminals is aware that most were themselves abused physically and sexually as children. The fact that child abusers don’t last long in prison is usually attributed to something akin to “honor among thieves.” Perhaps Mr. Miner could next bless us with an article blasting the credibility of a priest who didn’t commit Shanley’s heinous crimes.
Three other witnesses did drop their charges, but not, from what I’ve read and been told, because they couldn’t endure “the withering character assassination of Shanley’s defense counsel.” They bowed out well before the trial because of holes in their stories. Mr. Busa’s fortitude is no guarantee of his testimony. Critics of recovered memory–and I do tend to respect them–point out that it’s possible to believe wholeheartedly in a story that isn’t true.
